Creak~!
The heavy sliding door was slowly pushed open.
A man cloaked in a dark robe stepped into the room, holding the black blade Shusui in his grip, his gaze cold as ice.
Shogun Kurozumi Orochi's face twitched as he stared at the intruder, thoroughly startled. "You... how on earth did you get in here?! Captain! Captain! Damn it... what the hell do I pay you useless fools for?!"
"Save your breath. He's dead," Ryuma said flatly.
Reaching out with his free hand, Ryuma casually tossed the severed head of the ninja captain onto the floor.
"How pitiful," Ryuma mocked. "To think the current Shogun of Wano Country has reduced himself to such a weak, helpless coward."
Orochi took a step back, his teeth chattering. "Who... who are you?! Are you a survivor of the Kozuki Clan, or are you with the Moonlight family?!"
"Can you not comprehend basic words?" Ryuma sighed. "I told you clearly—I am the dragon-slaying samurai, Ryuma. I have no reason to hide my name!"
"Hmph... Impersonating a legend! I'll tear you apart myself!"
Roaring in fury, Orochi stood up as the skin on the back of his neck tore open with a sickening burst. His face contorted into a monstrous grimace, his eyes bloodshot with raw agony and madness. From the ruptured wound behind his neck, thick, vine-like appendages erupted, sprouting seven massive snake heads, while his own head transformed into an eighth serpent head!
The Mythical Zoan: Yamata-no-Orochi!
Ryuma's lips curled into a subtle smirk. "Even true dragons fall before my blade. What makes a overgrown serpent think it stands a chance? Even if you had a hundred heads, I'd slice through every single one!"
Ryuma focused his full attention on the hydra-like beast before him, his confidence unshakeable.
This guy... might look terrifying on the outside, but at the end of the day, he's just a soft target.
The Yamata-no-Orochi was considered a divine, mythical beast in Wano's folklore, but the monster standing before him was a grotesque abomination.
The hydra possessed eight heads and eight tails. Its heads resembled draconic beasts with blood-red eyes; moss and twisted trees grew across its scaled back, while its underbelly was a raw, rotting mass dripping with foul blood.
As Orochi fully unleashed his transformation, his massive body shattered the surrounding walls of the Shogun's palace, reducing the grand chamber to immediate ruins.
"Hundred Dragon Slash!" Ryuma bellowed, his eyes bloodshot with intense concentration!
The black blade Shusui vibrated violently in his hands. In a flash, hundreds of dragon-shaped sword beams erupted from the blade like a surging tide, roaring forward straight toward the monstrous serpent!
Ryuma wanted to see for himself whether those eight snake heads were tougher than hundreds of draconic slashes!
However, as the strikes clashed against the beast, the swarming dragon beams gnawed frantically at the Yamata-no-Orochi, yet failed to leave a deep wound—merely scraping off a few minor scales before dissipating!
Taking a deep breath, Ryuma's eyes flickered with genuine surprise.
This durability... it's absurd!
It's way tougher than a normal serpent!
In that moment, a harsh reality clicked in Ryuma's mind.
Kaidou was hailed as the World's Strongest Creature, yet in Kaidou's eyes, Orochi's scales were probably as soft as tofu. That alone gave a terrifying perspective on just how monstrous Kaidou truly was!
"Bwahaha! With a weak attack like that, you thought you could defeat me?!" Orochi mocked, taking a heavy, shuddering breath. In the next fraction of a second, he reared his body back and whipped his colossal tail around in a sweeping blow!
Ryuma's pupils contracted. Even with Observation Haki predicting the strike, the area of effect was simply too massive to dodge cleanly, and the sheer force swiped him off his feet!
Ryuma remained calm, having already braced for the worst-case scenario.
The impact sent Ryuma flying high into the air!
Looking up, Ryuma found all eight serpent heads looming directly over him, staring down with predatory hunger. Even knowing he had a backup plan, a chill ran down his spine at the terrifying sight.
"Haha! A weakling like you dares to claim the name of the legendary Ryuma? The real dragon-slayer would leave you in the dust!"
With a deafening roar, Orochi opened his massive, blood-dripping maw, snapping down to devour Ryuma whole!
If I take a direct bite from that thing, I'll be shredded into pieces!
"Shadow Clone!" Ryuma shouted!
The shadow beneath him surged upward in mid-air, coalescing into a dense mass before instantly swapping positions with his physical body!
CRUNCH!
The massive snake head clamped its jaws shut over the shadow decoy, believing it had crushed Ryuma to death, refusing to let go!
Meanwhile, Ryuma had already safely landed a distance away.
Gazing at the beast with cold, indifferent eyes, Ryuma let out a faint snort.
This oversized snake definitely has raw power and defense, but its vision and instincts are complete garbage.
Sensing something was wrong, Orochi opened his jaws and spat out the harmless shadow mass!
Glaring at Ryuma, Orochi growled, "Hmph! I almost forgot—you absorbed Gecko Moria's abilities!"
"That's right," Ryuma replied, taking a steady breath. "If you have any sense left, you should stop now. I'll give you one chance: according to Wano's traditions, you should commit seppuku to atone for turning this nation into a toxic, ruined pit."
Orochi's brows furrowed before he burst into hysterical laughter. "Bwahaha! Ridiculous! You? A rat who couldn't even block my tail strike? That attack earlier was your strongest move, wasn't it? It didn't even scratch me! What right do you have to negotiate?!"
Ryuma scoffed lightly. "Is that so? Have you ever heard the saying, 'A single spark can start a prairie fire'?"
"Shut your mouth! Don't preach your useless philosophy to me!"
"No, no... this isn't just philosophy," Ryuma said with a subtle grin, gently closing his eyes.
When he opened them again, his aura surged exponentially, radiating a crushing pressure across the ruined hall!
Orochi stared at him, a flicker of unease creeping into his tone. "You... you bastard, what are you trying to do?!"
Before Orochi could finish his sentence, Ryuma manipulated the surrounding shadows, molding and splitting them into numerous distinct shapes in an instant!
Within seconds, every shadow in the area reshaped itself into an exact replica of Ryuma!
Staring at the army of identical shadow clones surrounding him, Orochi froze for a split second before sneering back in contempt.
"Is that all?!"
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