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Chapter 166: A Lion and a Liger
The rain fell harder.
It washed over the maniacal laughter on the Golden Lion's face and drenched the veins bulging on A's forehead.
"Who are you calling prey?"
A's voice sounded as if it were squeezed through his teeth. The Lightning Release Chakra Armor around his body erupted with blinding electric light, evaporating the muddy water beneath his feet into white mist. Terrifying chakra fluctuations swept toward the Golden Lion like tangible wind pressure.
However, the Golden Lion merely stood his ground, not even the hem of his clothes twitching. His crimson three-tomoe Sharingan sized A up with interest, as if admiring a decent collectible.
Perhaps it was a flaw in the Uchiha bloodline, but the Golden Lion, as the Flying Admiral, was already arrogant by nature. Now, in the ninja world, he acted even more recklessly because he hadn't found anyone strong enough to truly suppress him. Even the Third Hokage, hailed as the strongest Hokage, seemed underwhelming in his eyes. In his prime, he was confident he could easily suppress such an opponent.
So, the Golden Lion was getting carried away.
If the strongest of Konoha was nothing special, then the Cloud ninja, who were being suppressed by Konoha, naturally weren't worth his regard. His opponent, from beginning to end, was only that dark-skinned brat who felt familiar and exciting.
As for this big, sparkling oaf in front of him...
"Not a small build, and quite a loud voice," Golden Lion commented casually. His gaze then drifted past A, landing on Garp behind him, and the corners of his mouth split into an even more unscrupulous grin. "It's a pity that in my eyes, you are merely gravel!"
A's pupils contracted violently.
"Gravel?"
"Arrogant brat, pay the price for your hubris!"
Boom!
A was completely ignited. As the future Raikage of Kumogakure, when had he ever suffered such disregard and humiliation?
The ground beneath his feet exploded. A's figure vanished instantly, transforming into a streak of galloping blue lightning. Only a series of crackling electrical booms remained in the air.
"Liger Bomb!"
Above A's fist, highly condensed Lightning Release chakra formed into an unstable sphere. Carrying an aura capable of destroying heaven and earth, it smashed straight toward the Golden Lion's face!
Too fast!
This was speed and power pure to the extreme!
Facing a punch strong enough to shatter mountain rock, the smile on the Golden Lion's face didn't diminish in the slightest.
"Nice speed," he praised softly, but his body moved like a phantom.
No hand signs, no flashy ninjutsu. He simply turned his body slightly. At an unbelievable angle, he dodged the violent lightning sphere by a hair's breadth.
The sphere grazed his golden hair and bombarded the ruins in the distance, erupting with a massive roar and a plume of smoke soaring into the sky.
One hit missed, but A's attack didn't stop.
Centering on the Golden Lion, he turned into streaks of blue afterimages. His Body Flicker Technique was pushed to the limit, fists and feet assaulting from all directions like a violent storm.
Every strike carried the momentum of rolling thunder!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Golden Lion chose not to block head-on. His figure drifted erratically within the storm of attacks.
Sharingan!
Under the insight of these eyes, A's extremely fast movements were broken down into slow-motion frames. Every muscle contraction, every flow of chakra, was clearly presented in his vision.
"Too straightforward."
Golden Lion shook his head and critiqued while dodging. "Your attacks are like a stupid bull that only knows how to charge forward."
"Bastard!"
A roared, shifting his speed up another gear. A heavy leg laden with terrifying power swept horizontally.
This time, the Golden Lion didn't dodge. His gaze sharpened, and the bloodstained long sword in his hand emitted a soft hum. This was the result of years of sword mastery as a Great Swordsman.
Zheng—!
A flash of blade light.
A felt a sharp edge pressing straight for his neck—the sound of a blade tearing through the air! Alarm bells rang in his heart. He forcibly twisted his body, turning the horizontal sweep into a downward chop, abruptly halting his offensive momentum while retreating violently.
Slash!
A line of blood sprayed from A's chest. His Lightning Release Armor, capable of withstanding most physical attacks, had been easily torn open, leaving a cut deep enough to see bone!
A stopped over ten meters away, clutching his wound, his face full of disbelief.
"How... is this possible?"
He hadn't even seen clearly how the opponent drew his sword!
"I told you, your attacks are too straightforward."
The Golden Lion twirled his sword, flinging the blood beads off the blade. He licked his lips, his crimson eyes filled with mockery.
"The starting stance for every attack is identical. Even the trajectory of your chakra flow hasn't changed a bit. The moment you lifted your foot, I already knew from which angle that whip kick was coming."
"The speed you take pride in is as slow as a crawling turtle in these eyes of mine."
This was experience! It was the combat instinct honed over decades of roaming the seas, slaughtering monsters like Roger, Sengoku, and Garp countless times! Even in a different body, this experience ingrained in his marrow was not something a fledgling like A could compare to!
In the distance, Garp let out a "Hmm," stroking his chin, his eyes becoming serious. Shiki, that guy, seems even trickier than before. Those eyes are indeed troublesome.
"Brother!" Killer B gripped the sword hilt on his back.
"Don't come over!" A growled low, staring dead at the Golden Lion. "This is my battle!"
He took a deep breath. Under the stimulation of Lightning Release chakra, the wound on his chest stopped bleeding rapidly.
"You are strong." A's voice deepened. "But we ninja of Kumogakure never fall in the same place twice!"
Boom!
Even more violent lightning exploded from his body!
"Lightning Release: Heavy Elbow!"
A compressed his Lightning Release chakra to the limit, wrapping it around his right arm. The entire arm seemed to turn into pure lightning!
"It's over!"
A's figure disappeared again. This time, he didn't choose to flank. Instead, he turned into a straight blue lightning spear, slamming his body toward the Golden Lion with speed even faster than before!
This was a fatal blow that abandoned all technique, driving speed and power to the absolute limit!
Facing this death-defying strike, the smile on the Golden Lion's face became even crazier.
"Jihahahaha! Now this is interesting!"
Instead of retreating, he took a step forward, raising the long sword in his hand high.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball spewed from his mouth, meeting the blue lightning spear. However, everyone could see that the scale and power of this fireball were completely insufficient to stop A's full-power strike!
Was this... a mistake?
A look of joy flashed in A's eyes. He didn't hesitate, crashing directly into the fireball! Flames instantly swallowed him.
But the moment A's figure was about to pierce through the fireball and smash his fist into the Golden Lion's face...
The Golden Lion smiled. It was a smile full of the pleasure of a successful conspiracy. His crimson three-tomoe Sharingan spun violently in the reflection of the firelight!
Genjutsu!
A basic, yet most fatal illusion!
Before A's eyes, the firelight exploded, and the Golden Lion's figure instantly became blurred and overlapping. His fist, condensed with all his strength, hesitated for a tenth of a second at the final moment.
In a clash of masters, victory or defeat lies in an instant!
It was this tenth of a second!
Pfft—!
It wasn't A's fist that pierced the fireball. It was a cold long sword thrusting out from the flames!
The long sword accurately avoided the primary defense zone of A's Lightning Release Armor, piercing in through his armpit where the arm connected to the body!
Time seemed to freeze in this moment. Rain, fire, and lightning wove into a grotesque tableau.
A's body stiffened in mid-air. He looked down, staring incredulously at the blade tip penetrating his shoulder, his eyes filled with confusion and unwillingness.
"A beaten dog... should act like a beaten dog."
The Golden Lion's demon-like voice whispered softly in his ear.
"It's over, brat."
His wrist gripping the hilt twisted violently, intending to completely shred A's heart!
"Bastard! You dare touch my brother! Fool, ya fool!"
Suddenly!
A roar mixed with clumsy rap exploded from the side! A black shadow, swifter than A's lightning, carrying seven intersecting blade lights like a tornado sweeping everything away, instantly coiled toward the Golden Lion's flank!
"Surprise Attack Style: Sword Technique: Slash!"
═════ To Be Continued ═════
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