Chapter 295: Chapter 294
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Abel's appearance changed in an instant as he entered his Oni-Ghost state. Upon witnessing this, Mihawk slightly furrowed his brow,
"His aura has become stronger, a Devil Fruit power. No, that's not correct; this doesn't seem like the power of a Devil Fruit." It was as though nothing could escape his discerning eyes; he was the first to see Abel in this state and didn't believe it was a Devil Fruit ability.
For Abel, however, this was just the beginning. Facing a formidable opponent like Mihawk, if he didn't bring out his true ability, he feared he wouldn't even have the chance to regret it. If he was to fight with all his might, he would naturally give it his all!
"Stripes, activate!" The familiar 'Wings of Darkness' instantly appeared on Abel's forehead. His momentum surged once again! The talent 'Power of the Behemoth' activated! A fivefold power boost began to stack. The Breathing of Darkness operated at full capacity. The 'Covenant of the Sword Demon' seemed to glimmer in the darkness. Combined with the Armament Haki that enveloped his entire body and greatsword. Abel was fully buffed up!
Facing the continuously strengthening aura of Abel, even Mihawk started to get excited. He thought he was merely teaching a lesson to this young swordsman, but to his surprise, the opponent had been holding back, playing possum.
If Abel had demonstrated this strength from the beginning, Mihawk would never have drawn his 'toy sword'. That wouldn't just be insulting to others, but also to himself.
With a loud thud, Abel shattered the ground beneath his feet and darted like an arrow released from a bow towards Mihawk, brandishing a slash.
"Well done!" Mihawk uttered a light cry and lifted his black blade to meet the attack. The power attached to the two swords clashed fiercely. For a moment, they were evenly matched! The ground beneath their feet, unable to withstand this force, cracked like a spider web and rapidly spread outward. With a bang, a large crater formed beneath them!
Clang!
The two swords were repelled in an instant, only to collide violently again the next moment. How many slashes in one second? No one could count clearly; one could only see the flashes of cold light from sword shadows interweaving around them. Mihawk's black blade, though seemingly oversized, parried without a single flaw. Abel started to feel the pressure. He knew that if this continued, he would certainly lose. So, he immediately changed his strategy and deliberately exposed a flaw.
Not sure if it was overconfidence in his own abilities, Mihawk knew that it might be a trap but still struck down without hesitation. His black blade passed through Abel's afterimage left in place.
Looking at his expression, Mihawk wasn't the slightest bit surprised. His sharp eyes were already tracking the vanished Abel. Simultaneously, a long sword horizontally cut towards his neck. "From the back!" The broad black blade immediately blocked Onimaru. Just like when he first saw the technique with Koshiro, Mihawk had also deciphered Abel's 'Type One: Shadow Assault'. However, instead of Koshiro's method of decipherment, Mihawk relied on his eyes to forcefully capture the movement trajectory of Onimaru. Such talent was enviable.
Breathing of Darkness: Type Three: Shadow Sword Dance! After missing with the first strike, Abel immediately switched techniques, unleashing his fastest attack speed and slashing countless times in the blink of an eye. Although Mihawk responded quickly, perfectly blocking each attack as he turned, he was surprised to find that when he tried to create distance and regain the initiative, he seemed to be firmly held in place by a mysterious pulling force.
Every slash Abel executed left a dark scar in the air.
As more and more slashes overlapped, the suction force grew stronger.
Therefore, the best opportunity to escape this move is, in fact, at the very beginning when Abel's attacks are the most frenzied.
When countless scars finally converged into a massive black crescent,
Abel followed through with his most ferocious slash.
Mihawk's expression shifted slightly, and at the moment he felt the suction force disappear, he forcefully stomped on the ground, retreating backwards.
But his speed of retreat was clearly no match for the velocity of the black crescent slash.
However, the little time he had bought was enough for him to unleash his own slash.
"Night!"
As Mihawk launched his attack, Abel felt as if he had gone blind, his vision engulfed by darkness.
But in the blink of an eye, light returned to the world, as if the darkness was just an illusion.
But Abel knew it was no illusion.
His Dark Shadow Sword Dance had been shattered by that single slash.
Truly befitting of the title "World's Greatest Swordsman."
Abel felt no sense of defeat but fought on with even greater fervor.
Dark Breathing, Fifth Form: Soul-Consuming Black Flame!
Seeing that Mihawk had put some distance between them, Abel refrained from rashly pursuing and instead launched ranged attacks.
Orbs of black flame flew towards his opponent.
The sight could probably induce an episode in someone with a fear of densely-packed objects.
Mihawk countered each move with ease, his huge black blade light as a feather.
A series of flying slashes effortlessly exploded all the fireballs in mid-air.
The falling black flames continued to burn intensely upon hitting the ground.
Mihawk took an extra glance, cautious to avoid any contact.
While Mihawk dealt with the fireballs, Abel had already channeled a tremendous amount of dark energy into his sword, Onimaru, and thrust it forcefully into the ground.
Dark Breathing, Sixth Form: Death Sword Burial!
The first move was just a diversion; this was the killing blow.
This is Earthly Inferno!
Countless jets of dark sword energy burst from the ground beneath Mihawk, quickly engulfing him.
Could it succeed?
Abel wasn't sure, but he knew that this alone likely wouldn't defeat his opponent.
He hesitated not a moment longer to point his fingers to his forehead.
All the 'sword intent' had been restored with some time.
If not now, then when?
Brilliant silver sword lights immediately soared into the sky!
Boom!
The ground suddenly split open with a massive crack.
Abel had guessed correctly; how could the World's Greatest Swordsman be that easy to handle?
The endless dark sword energy indeed caught him off guard, but it only managed to tear his clothes.
When he sliced open the ground, disrupting the move, his expression immediately turned even more serious.
Because he saw that a domain formed by three sword rings had trapped him inside.
He attempted a flying slash in an attempt to break through, but upon hitting the boundary, it disappeared without a trace.
This meant that breaking out by force would be extremely difficult.
"A domain formed by sword intent?"
"I have to say, I'm starting to recognize your strength. Your name deserves to be remembered, Gustavus Abel!"
'Hawkeye' Mihawk spoke in a deep voice.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone