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Slash!
A flash of sword light tore across the battlefield.
Doflamingo's eyes narrowed the moment Kyros attacked. Having already witnessed the speed of Thunder Breathing, Seventh Form: Flaming Thunder God, he knew exactly how dangerous Kyros was. Instead of attempting to dodge, he wrapped razor-sharp strings around his leg and kicked directly toward the incoming blade. Using Observation Haki to track Kyros's movements, he chose to confront him head-on.
Boom!
The collision ignited the air itself. Violent shockwaves erupted outward, sending rocks flying into the sky before crushing them into dust.
"Fufufufu... impressive," Doflamingo sneered. "Very impressive. But it's not enough. I won't make the same mistake twice, Kyros."
"I never expected to defeat you with a single attack."
Kyros's expression remained calm and resolute. The instant his first strike failed, he immediately followed with another, then another, his sword moving faster and faster. Doflamingo accelerated as well, launching a relentless counterattack.
At first, Doflamingo felt completely confident. Although Kyros's attacks were powerful, his aggressive style left numerous openings. Several times, Doflamingo's strings cut across Kyros's body, and his kicks landed cleanly.
Yet as the battle continued, something began to feel wrong.
No matter how sharp his strings were, no matter how much Armament Haki he poured into them, and no matter how powerful his attacks became, they simply couldn't inflict meaningful damage. At best, they could force Kyros back a few steps.
Meanwhile, Doflamingo himself was accumulating wounds.
Blood dripped steadily from multiple cuts across his body. None of them were serious, but compared to Kyros's apparent lack of injuries, the situation was infuriating.
"Are you made of steel?" Doflamingo finally demanded after kicking Kyros back once more. "Why can you withstand my attacks without even using Armament Haki to harden your body?"
Naturally, Kyros had no intention of answering. The dragon-blooded body of Siegfried was one of his greatest advantages. After being bathed in dragon blood, Siegfried's body had become extraordinarily durable.
"Do you really think I'd tell you?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, golden lightning erupted around him once more. Kyros took a deep breath, and thunder crackled across his body.
Although combining Thunder Breathing with Balmung consumed stamina at an alarming rate, he had already realized something during the battle. If he wanted to defeat Doflamingo before the Birdcage destroyed Dressrosa, he needed overwhelming power. Holding back was no longer an option.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash, Sixfold!"
BOOM!
Golden lightning exploded.
Kyros vanished.
Doflamingo's pupils shrank.
Before he could fully react—
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
Six strikes landed almost simultaneously.
Less than a second later, Kyros reappeared.
Doflamingo froze.
Then blood erupted from six deep wounds across his body. Each cut was deep enough to expose bone. Golden lightning still crackled within the wounds, and beneath the blood, fragments of white bone could be seen.
"Fufufufu..."
Doflamingo covered his face and laughed, but the killing intent pouring from him had become almost tangible.
"You're becoming more and more interesting, Kyros."
Kyros frowned. Although the attack had worked, it wasn't a technique he could use continuously. More importantly, Doflamingo had now seen it. The next attempt would be far less effective.
Just as Kyros was considering his next move, he suddenly noticed something strange.
The ground around Doflamingo had begun moving.
No—transforming.
The earth itself turned into countless writhing strings. Buildings suffered the same fate. Walls, roads, and stone structures rapidly transformed as everything around Doflamingo became string. The transformed area expanded until it reached Kyros's feet, forcing him to leap onto a distant slab of stone.
"You've transformed the entire area. Is this the power of your awakened Devil Fruit?"
Doflamingo laughed.
"Fufufufu... so you even know about Devil Fruit awakenings. Did Ikki tell you that as well? Fine. That saves me the trouble of explaining."
His expression gradually turned serious.
"Kyros, I admit it. I underestimated you."
The smile slowly vanished from his face.
"But you're not Ikki."
An overwhelming pressure descended upon the battlefield.
"And now... I'll stop holding back."
As he rose into the air, countless strings converged before him. One after another, they twisted together until twelve enormous thread-spears floated in front of him. Armament Haki flowed through every strand, turning them jet black and radiating terrifying killing intent.
Kyros immediately recognized the danger.
He's trying to decide the battle with a single attack.
Without hesitation, he lowered his stance and raised Balmung before him.
Boom!
Brilliant blue light erupted from the greatsword. Magical energy surged into the blade, forming a colossal sword aura more than twenty meters long.
"Oh?" Doflamingo raised an eyebrow. "So you still have another trick. Good. If you died too easily, I'd be disappointed."
The black thread-spears trembled violently.
"Let's see whether you can survive this."
Doflamingo thrust both hands forward.
"Sixteen Holy Bullets: God Thread!"
The Haki-coated threads tore through the sky, converging into a devastating attack as they descended toward Kyros.
Below, Kyros remained completely calm.
The magical energy within Balmung reached its peak.
Then he swung.
"Noble Phantasm—Release!"
Crimson lightning erupted from the blade.
"Balmung!"
The concentrated magical energy within the dragon-slaying greatsword instantly transformed into a colossal torrent of crimson lightning that surged skyward, colliding head-on with Doflamingo's ultimate attack.