https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1023-You-the-One-Who-Never-Announces-Techniques-/13540741/
Chapter 1022: The Fast and Slow Blade
Chapter 1022: The Fast and Slow Blade
The Black Blade "Night" was no ordinary katana, nor even a standard Yatana. Judging from its Saber's Hilt, it was forged in the style of a Western greatsword.
Yet in terms of its Blade Body, it could still be classified as a No Katana—colossal in size and a Black Blade, emphasizing sheer durability. This particular Black Blade had been personally crafted by Dracule Mihawk himself!
"Huuuuh!"
Kuro exhaled sharply, his breath slicing like a blade against the ground.
"Ready?"
Dracule Mihawk leveled his Black Blade at Kuro, his voice low. "Then allow me to strike first!"
Hiss!
The moment he spoke, Dracule Mihawk crouched, one hand pressing his hat brim down as his entire body surged forward. The Black Blade carved a wisp of Black Light through the air, cleaving horizontally toward Kuro in a devastating arc.
Kuro narrowed his eyes, preparing to parry with Autumn Water—
But the instant he moved, he realized the blade hadn’t actually reached him yet. All he saw was Dracule Mihawk’s faint, amused smirk.
Kuro’s pupils constricted. His body instinctively bent backward.
Hiss!
A wisp of Black Light sliced through where his head had been, mere inches from his Marineford-scale shoulder. Before the blade could complete its arc, Dracule Mihawk twisted his wrist, driving the blade downward in a crushing vertical strike.
Clang!
Kuro spun his blade behind his back, intercepting the downward slash. As the blades met, a wisp of golden slash erupted from Autumn Water, deflecting the Black Blade’s strike.
Dracule Mihawk’s brow furrowed. The Black Blade, rebounding with tremendous force, generated a shockwave that shattered the golden slash in a burst of emerald-green light. The blade continued its descent, cleaving downward.
Boom!!
The ground split open with a violent gash. The Black Blade pierced through Kuro’s figure, revealing it as an afterimage that vanished in an instant.
Shing!
A wisp of blade unsheathing rang out from Dracule Mihawk’s side. He whirled midair, positioning himself beside Mihawk in an Iaijutsu stance. With a flick of his left thumb, his blade unsheathed in a flash, transforming into three arcs of Black Light that converged on Mihawk like a swarm of crows.
"Swallow Return!"
"Oh? A one-strike technique that transcends mortal limits?"
Dracule Mihawk’s expression shifted to genuine admiration. Watching others endure this technique had always intrigued him—now he’d face it head-on.
"I won’t deny it—this swordsmanship truly surpasses human comprehension!"
With a roar, Dracule Mihawk gripped his blade with both hands, swinging it in a horizontal arc. The sheer speed left only an afterimage, matching Kuro’s Iaijutsu speed stride for stride.
As the three slashes of Swallow Return neared him, Dracule Mihawk’s blade already targeted Kuro’s waist. The force of his strike outpaced Kuro’s own by a hair!
Clang!
Kuro snarled, hastily parrying with Autumn Water’s Black Blade. The collision sent a shockwave rippling through the air.
With a grunt, Dracule Mihawk drove his blade forward, unleashing a crushing wave of strength that sent Kuro flying backward midair.
No sooner had he deflected the strike than Dracule Mihawk reversed his grip, slicing downward in a vertical strike that summoned a colossal emerald-green slash.
Kuro twisted his body mid-flip, sheathing Autumn Water as he rotated. The instant his stance aligned, he unsheathed his blade again, firing a wisp of golden slash to intercept.
Boom!!
The two slashes collided, erupting into an explosive shockwave that tore through the battlefield.
Hiss!
Before the smoke and dust settled, another emerald-green slash sliced through.
Kuro’s eyes flashed. He slashed again without hesitation.
But as the blade completed its arc, a second slash struck from the side, catching Kuro mid-motion.
Whirrr!
The slash screamed through the air, faster than before, grazing Kuro’s body and sparking a ripple of energy.
Kuro vanished. Reappearing abruptly on Dracule Mihawk’s opposite flank, he bent his knees, adopting an Iaijutsu stance. Autumn Water arced upward, barely unsheathed, yet countless slashes erupted toward Dracule Mihawk.
"Hundred Shadows Slash!"
Before the slashes could fully form, Dracule Mihawk sidestepped with a single agile step, raising Black Blade "Night" for a downward strike.
Kuro parried with his sheath, but in that instant, he realized his opponent’s blade hadn’t struck yet.
"My blade’s trajectory isn’t that easy to predict."
Dracule Mihawk’s lips curled into a slight smile. The Black Blade descended at last, radiating Black Light. The instant it neared Autumn Water, the strike twisted like lightning in a "Z"-shaped arc, bypassing the guarding blade and slicing across Kuro’s neck.
Slash!
The blade connected, sending another ripple through the air. Kuro’s afterimage disappeared.
"Oi, this was supposed to be a sparring match."
Kuro’s voice called from a distance as he glared at Dracule Mihawk. "You’re coming at me like you want to kill me."
"I’ve staked my title as the World’s Greatest Swordsman. If you died at this level, that’d be a disgrace." Dracule Mihawk chuckled.
"Tch."
Kuro exhaled, eyeing the blade. "Fast and slow swordsmanship—balancing speed and power?"
"Oh? You noticed that quickly?"
Dracule Mihawk adjusted his stance, smirking. "Precisely."
From the moment Dracule Mihawk launched his first strike, Kuro had sensed it through his Observation Haki, reacting preemptively—only to realize Mihawk hadn’t attacked at all. His swordsmanship had created the illusion of a strike, luring Kuro into parrying an empty arc. By the time Kuro moved, the real strike landed.
Thankfully, his speed saved him.
Then, during Swallow Return, Dracule Mihawk displayed movements inconceivable for such a massive Black Blade—his slashes outpaced even Kuro’s technique.
Swallow Return relied on three slashes firing in succession, a technique designed to pin down close-range opponents. Yet Mihawk’s horizontal slash shattered it effortlessly. The only viable counter was to attack relentlessly—there was no room for defense.
Even in their exchange of slashes, the moment Kuro blocked two strikes, a third came faster. And that final overhead strike? Impossible to anticipate!
You thought he’d slashed—only for the blade to strike a fraction later, yet with the same blistering speed.
This mastery of fast and slow blade techniques, this unpredictable tempo—only someone of his caliber could pull it off!
The World’s Greatest Swordsman’s swordsmanship? Unquestionably terrifying!
"Kuro."
Dracule Mihawk spoke. "The first time we fought, I said you lacked a proper blade. Now you have one. Let me experience the full force of your power. Back then, we never finished properly. Today—"
Kuro closed his eyes, standing firm. He raised Autumn Water before his chest, his two fingers gliding across the blade. A golden radiance enveloped the sword.
"—As you wish."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
