Chapter 544: The Death of Shiryu
To be honest, Shiryu had been absent-minded throughout his fight with Zoro.
Right now, he was thinking more about how to escape from this prison than tangling with the green-haired kid in front of him.
He knew that Ian actually wanted to kill him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have allowed him to join the inmates on the sixth level to fight each other. And since Ian wanted to kill him, he naturally had to resist, to survive!
So, he incited the remaining inmates from the sixth level to fight against Ian and his group.
Despite the fighting, he was well aware that these prisoners with seastone handcuffs posed no real threat to Ian and the others. However, his goal was somewhat achieved. As long as chaos ensued, he would have a chance.
Shiryu had noticed among Ian’s group, there were two beautiful women. Typically, such beautiful women mingling among pirates were likely important figures.
If he could take any one of them hostage, he could force Ian to let him leave.
Although Shiryu had been fighting Zoro all this time, he had been secretly observing these two women, trying to figure out who would be the better hostage.
However, what Shiryu hadn’t anticipated at all was that the green-haired kid in front of him was becoming more and more courageous!?
When Shiryu saw Zoro employing the Enbima Yonezu Oni Giri: Nightless and the female demon illusion appearing behind him, he couldn’t help but narrow his pupils. He realized that he had underestimated this green-haired kid. The kid’s spirit had completely merged into his swordsmanship!?
This man had eyes like a wild beast!
As the blades swiftly swung, Shiryu’s murderous intent also surged. He sensed a threat from Zoro.
Swish! The two instantly passed each other. Shiryu stepped forward, maintaining his slashing posture, while Zoro, with his head lowered, knelt on the ground, hands gripping the swords, also maintaining his slashing stance.
However, the next moment, a massive wound suddenly burst open on Zoro’s chest again, blood spraying out, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Hmph, think you can beat me? You’re still too young!” Watching Zoro fall, Shiryu sneered coldly, cigar clenched between his teeth.
Unexpectedly, Zoro, lying on the ground, chuckled, and with some difficulty, said, “Is… that so?”
Drip, a drop of blood fell to the ground. With this drop of blood, Shiryu suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest!
“Wha… What!?” Shiryu looked down and found two intersecting wounds on his chest, which had torn through his clothes, leaving scars on his chest.
When was this inflicted!? Could it be that in that moment of exchange, this kid’s speed had already matched his own!?
Shiryu swiftly turned around, only to find Zoro trembling, yet somehow managing to stand up again!
After sustaining such severe injuries, he could still stand up!?
At this moment, blood was flowing from Zoro’s body, soaking his pants completely. However, Zoro, at this moment, showed no signs of weakening. On the contrary, he seemed stronger. With a bandana wrapped around his head, his eyes hidden in the shadow, he stared at Shiryu with a beastly gaze. He raised his right-hand sword, its tip pointing at Shiryu. “Come on, I can take another hit!”
With a crack, the cigar in Shiryu’s mouth was bitten off and fell to the ground!
Zoro sheathed his sword and placed it at his waist, then slightly crouched down, assuming the stance of Iai Slash.
Although Zoro pointed his sword at Shiryu, his consciousness was already blurred. Shiryu, who had killed countless people, naturally noticed Zoro’s condition, but he remained unfazed. Suddenly, his figure disappeared from the spot!
“Behead without guilt!”
However, when he instantly appeared next to Zoro and drew his sword fiercely, Zoro’s blurred consciousness suddenly cleared at that moment.
At this moment, a faint black color covered the blades of his three swords. Simultaneously, a three-headed, six-armed demon illusion appeared behind Zoro. With Zoro’s body rotation, it directly slashed toward the Rain Shiryu, who was within reach!
“Asura: One Silver Fog!”
The next second, a whirlwind of blades suddenly swept up from the ground, enveloping Shiryu…
Clang!!! A loud metallic clash resounded, and both Zoro and Shiryu were sent flying!
With a thud, Zoro’s body leaned backward and fell to the ground. As he fell, he spat out large amounts of blood from his mouth.
Above his abdomen, a terrifying sword wound that nearly cut him in half appeared. Shiryu’s Iai Slash was no joke. If it weren’t for Zoro’s last-minute counterattack, Shiryu could have cleaved him in two from the waist.
Even so, Zoro was also critically wounded at this moment. Half of his waist had been severed by Shiryu, leaving only the other half connected by flesh and skin. That’s why he exhibited symptoms of spitting out blood in large mouthfuls after landing.
The battle between swordsmen was always an extremely perilous life-and-death struggle, especially for someone like Zoro. It was even more dangerous when there was a significant disparity in strength between the combatants.
Shiryu was also sent flying, but he quickly stood up.
However, although he stood up, Shiryu wasn’t necessarily in good shape. He had sustained numerous injuries, and Zoro’s Asura Nine Sword Style just now was unleashed in a desperate state. Now, Shiryu was covered in blood, looking equally miserable. The only difference was that his injuries weren’t as severe as Zoro’s.
Although greatly annoyed, seeing the huge wound he had inflicted on Zoro, Shiryu felt a surge of bloodthirsty pleasure. He stuck out his tongue and licked the blood flowing down from his forehead, relishing the taste of blood spreading in his mouth, feeling immensely gratified.
This feeling, just like the feeling he experienced when killing in the past…
“This kid is as good as dead!” Shiryu couldn’t help muttering to himself, “Indeed, killing is such a satisfying thing…”
However, before he could finish his words, a voice suddenly rang out above his head.
“He won’t die, but I can assure you that you’re..!”
Shiryu was startled. During his battle with Zoro just now, he had unconsciously become deeply engrossed, somewhat losing himself in it, and for a moment, he had forgotten that Ian was still watching nearby.
Startled by Ian’s voice, cold sweat suddenly broke out on him. He raised his head abruptly, only to find Ian had appeared above him at some point.
In Ian’s hand was a blade burning with black flames. At the moment Shiryu raised his head, the blade was thrust downward toward his head!
With a soft sound, the flaming blade effortlessly pierced through Shiryu’s skull. The tip of the flame sword emerged directly from under Shiryu’s chin.
Shiryu’s expression froze at this moment…
His brain had been completely burned through…
Boom! With the high temperature of the flames spreading, Shiryu’s body was ignited from the head, instantly engulfed in black flames. His rigid body turned into charcoal within the black flames, becoming black ash.
Meanwhile, Ian didn’t spare him a glance. He sheathed the Senbonzakura and walked toward Zoro.
Squatting down, Ian looked at Zoro, who was still spitting blood profusely, and placed his hand on his abdomen.
A faint light membrane enveloped the huge wound around Zoro’s waist. The special effects of the Twin Sacred Return Shield began to take effect. Gradually, Zoro’s pace of spitting blood slowed down.
“Hold on a bit. This guy’s sword is the Second Generation meito, a cursed sword!” Ian said to Zoro. “Wounds inflicted by this cursed sword are difficult to heal. With a wound like yours, it’ll take some time to be fully treated!”
Zoro collapsed on the ground, turned his head to look at Ian, and said, “You… You still… intervened!”
“Of course!” Ian rolled his eyes at him and said, “If I hadn’t intervened, you would’ve been finished. A dead guy can’t become the world’s greatest swordsman!”
“Hmph!” Zoro snorted, coughed up two more mouthfuls of blood, and said, “I won’t die!”
“Still talking tough!” Ian chuckled, scolding him, then pointed at him. “But I still have to praise you. I didn’t expect you to even use Armament Haki in the end!”
“Ah?” Zoro trembled as he weakly raised the sword in his hand, pointing it towards the sky. He looked at the blade and said, “So that power I felt before was Haki…”