Chapter 102 - Solid Punch
Sun rays illuminated the entire land. The battle between Blaize and Speed heated and the same could be said about Kuzan and Luke.
Blaize prepared himself and sharpened his Observation haki facing his opponent. As for Speed, his figure blurred and the next moment, he appeared before him in a flash.
'His Speed has increased!' Blaize's eyes flashed red and crossed his arms in front of himself at a quick speed, shielding them with Haki.
Speed's punch wasn't a regular one coated with Haki, he had sparks of lightning flashing around his arm. It felt more like some sort of Super Punch utilizing his speed.
'Bang!'
His punch collided against Blaize's Haki-covered hands and sent him flying backward. Though Blaize covered his arms with Haki, the sheer impact behind the attack is enough to level a small town.
What's more, Speed's punch contained vibrations that bypassed his Haki coating and directly injured his internal organs. How can he block that?
'Crash!'
Blaize's figure shot like a cannonball and smashed into the ice-covered region of Greenhill Island. His crash left a huge trail and destroyed everything in the path encased in ice.
Coughing a mouthful of blood, Blaize coated his legs with Haki and utilized 'Soru' before vanishing from the spot. The next moment, Speed's figure flickered next to the spot where Blaize crash-landed before flashing away.
Speed chased after Blaize who tried to dodge his strikes as quickly as possible by combining his Haki, Soru technique, and devil fruit power. Still, Speed's faster than him so some of his attacks connected.
Blaize found the reason for it. Speed's very good because he perfectly integrated his abilities into his fighting method; speed, stamina, haki, and endurance.
If described in simple terms: He found the balance point in his power. It's a terrifying concept, considering he's still young and in the prime of his life.
At the same time, Blaize is at a disadvantage since he can't utilize his devil fruit power to its fullest. He has some tricks up his sleeve but before revealing them he had to find Speed's limit.
Speed's every movement is swift and direct, and all his nonstop strikes are intended to kill or paralyze Blaize while trying to deprive his fighting powers.
Both Blaize and Speed engaged in rapid blows, running across the island, frozen ground, or jumping up into the air, all while exchanging attacks.
None of the spectators can follow their moves as there were only occasional blurs and afterimages left behind by them.
Aside from that, there were sparks of lightning and thunderous sounds when Blaize and Speed clashed, there's also shockwaves that destroyed everything in their way because of their super speed.
It's mostly Speed taking the initiative to attack while Blaize took defense and avoided direct confrontation. His attacks were like sharp swords trying to drill a hole in his body.
Most of Speed's attacks were unpredictable as he's calm so Blaize's having a hard time trying to predict his movements with Observation haki.
Some of his attacks connected and injured him to some extent. Thanks to Blaize's '60+' constitution attribute, they healed on their own.
The good thing is, trying to predict Speed's movement pushed Blaize's Observation Haki without himself knowing. Since he's also a calm person by nature, he easily grasped them.
--
Strangely, Blaize felt more alive than ever as his heart thumped faster and blood surged to all parts of his body in pure excitement. It's the feeling he's been seeking.
At that moment, his concentration is at its peak and his strength soared to a great height. The feeling of power coursing through his body, he hadn't felt for a long time.
His Haki and Constitution attribute increased by one point. It's unbelievable as even when he battled against Shanks it didn't happen.
Blaize didn't sense any of the changes as he focused entirely on Speed. He's searching for an opportunity to strike back, one that should heavily injure Speed and he found it.
His eyes flashed eye while in his mind he saw the image of Speed's movements and what's he going to do next. It meant only one thing, his Observation Haki has evolved and exceeded Speed's level.
So, he was able to predict the immediate future, allowing him to predict what Speed is going to do next, a few seconds prior in the form of pseudo-precognition.
However, it should not be confused with the actual ability to see into the future which is a completely advanced concept. And, Blaize took the first step.
--
Blaize knew his opportunity has come. The one thing that he noticed as a weakness in Speed, is his inability to control the Speed when it reached a certain limit.
For example, he can't stop in place as he wanted or change direction suddenly. Blaize's going to exploit the weakness to deliver a blow.
As for Speed, he didn't stop his assault on Blaize. Flashing here and there, he suddenly appeared before Blaize and pierced his arm that vibrated at extreme speed. Blaize who suffered before quickly evaded.
Speed retreated planning to strike again.
And, as Speed withdrew, the wait is over for Blaize so he acted. Bursting forward with tremendous speed, he pursued Speed who was surprised by his sudden rush.
With his Observation Haki, Speed sensed Blaize's intent and planned to move towards his left. But, Blaize already foresaw it.
When Blaize slightly showed signs of shifting towards the direction Speed chose, the latter was forced to make a decision. Speed didn't panic but it affected the level of his Observation Haki.
To be safe, he decided to back away without changing the direction. But, that little choice changed the entire outcome of the battle between them.
For the first time during the battle, he made a mistake. When Speed took a step back, he placed his left leg over an ice shard that's partially melted and stumbled back.
Of course, he reacted quickly and balanced his body but that small time frame is the opportunity Blaize sought. Speed too realized it. 'Oh no!'
Before he could even react and plan his next course of action, a fist filled with tremendous power hit him squarely in the face. Finally, Blaize delivered a solid punch that can't be evaded.
Speed can't escape the blow like other times because Blaize disrupted his center of gravity by sending a sweeping kick that sent Speed's entire body into the air for a second.
Blaize put everything in the attack. He channeled everything he got into his fist to form a bubble-shaped golden ball of miniature sun and further coated them with Armament Haki.
The punch is the display of Blaize's absolute strength.
--
For Advanced chapters, Check out my P.A.T.R.E.O.N page. I have '30 Plus' advance chapters there.
Patre on.com/FanficMortal