NOVEL WEB Chapter 97: CHAPTER 97
"Cross Chop!" Rin carved a glowing "X" into the air with the tip of his thunder-infused blade, Raijin's Wrath. As he slashed downward, the vertical stroke pulsed with light, forming a blazing cross that surged forward, aiming to cleave Van der Decken IX's possessed body into four clean pieces.
"Cross Chop!"
To Rin's surprise, the revenant-possessed Van der Decken IX mirrored the same technique. Their crosses met midair, crashing together with a sharp flash that cracked the walls around them and sent shockwaves spiraling outward.
"Fighting indoors is a drag. Let's take this outside." Rin narrowed his eyes. He felt cramped here his photon-based powers demanded open space.
"No problem. I was thinking the same."
Even in combat, they had a strange, tactical understanding. Without hesitation, both leapt upward.
"Bang!"
The entire rooftop shattered beneath the force of their launch. Because Fish-Man Island's structures were underwater and Van der Decken IX, like most fish-men, couldn't swim post-possession due to Devil Fruit interference, the roof was coated in a protective Yarukiman Mangrove film to maintain interior pressure. As they burst through it, the two combatants donned bubble-like oxygen helmets, standard for surface-folk moving freely in the depths of the New World.
Above Fish-Man Island's sky dome, two figures streaked through the air one glowing golden-white, the other shrouded in dark mist. Sparks crackled with each clash. Rin, infused with the Pika Pika no Mi's speed, moved like lightning. The revenant, seemingly reborn within Van der Decken's corpse, wielded swordsmanship and dark energy with eerie precision.
"Fast!"
Van der Decken IX, now more revenant than man, was impressed. He hadn't encountered a swordsman of Rin's caliber since his soul had been unshackled from the mortal coil. Still, both combatants were holding back, probing each other's limits.
"You're not bad either. Controlling a new body so well? Impressive but still not enough."
Rin could see it: his opponent was hiding something. The true danger hadn't surfaced yet. Rin himself hadn't unleashed Ghost Slash, a forbidden light technique meant to sever even souls.
"Enough talk. Let's go!"
The revenant-possessed Van der Decken IX surged forward, blade raised. The nature of his move was unclear—it was either reckless or genius.
"Feel the light!"
Rin sheathed his blade and brought his hands together. Energy gathered between his palms photons condensed into a radiant orb. He snapped them open, unleashing a focused light beam that cut through the air like a divine lance, aimed straight for the revenant's heart.
"Hmph. Child's play."
A smirk twisted across Van der Decken IX's borrowed face. Shadowy fog erupted from his form black mist, alive and writhing. It weaved into a wall and intercepted the beam mid-flight. The collision didn't cancel the attack it froze it in place, locking light and darkness in a silent war of attrition.
"Is this the best you've got?"
The revenant sneered. He sensed Rin had more this felt like a warm-up. His experience spanned centuries, and the demonic black mist was just one of many weapons he wielded. In contrast, Rin still seemed to be experimenting with his light-based power.
"Then try this!"
Rin's fingers twitched. An idea struck him why keep light in beam form? He rechanneled the photons into a different shape. The beam shifted, curved, and expanded until a luminous phoenix exploded forth. It spread its blazing wings and screeched, shining so brightly it seemed a sun had descended upon Fish-Man Island.
"If you can materialize elements so can I."
The revenant laughed he was clearly enjoying himself. The black mist responded to his will, congealing into a massive form. It twisted, coiled, then formed the terrifying outline of a black dragon, smoke hissing from its nostrils. Between breaths, mist leaked like venom—it was a dragon forged of void and ancient malice.
A sword duel had evolved into a battle of mythical beasts. The phoenix soared upward, feathers trailing pure light, illuminating everything below. It dove, launching firestorms formed from compressed light toward the dark dragon. The black dragon was cunning it didn't try to tank the attack. Instead, it retreated momentarily, coiled to dodge the worst of the phoenix's fire, then countered with a blast of shadowy fog, attempting to engulf the radiant bird.
The phoenix wasn't fazed. With a shriek, it flapped once more, generating a mighty gust that disrupted the mist. Down below, both Rin and Van der Decken IX staggered as the wind rocked the battlefield. The phoenix surged forward and dove with claws outstretched, aiming to seize the dragon.
The dragon reacted instantly seeing the attack coming, it spun in place and countered with a stream of dense black mist from its jaws. The phoenix, committed to its dive, couldn't stop in time it plunged straight into the fog, vanishing in a flash of swallowed light.
"HAHAHA!"
The revenant roared in triumph, certain Rin's phoenix had been consumed.
But then the black mist thinned, revealing the phoenix still intact, now surrounded by a fiery red barrier. Just before the moment of impact, Rin had constructed a radiant shield around it, forged from pure light energy, a move taught to him by his former master during his training with the Pacifista Project division of Vegapunk's lab.
The phoenix struck back. Its claw caught the black dragon's body, and the dragon retaliated immediately—"ROAR!" biting the phoenix's shoulder, trying to rip off its wing. The two divine beasts collided in a furious scuffle, talons and fangs locked in a battle of light and void.
Watching from below, both Rin and the revenant-Van der Decken could do nothing. They knew the truth: elemental materialization had a cost. When the avatars were injured, their creators suffered backlash.
Finally, the phoenix and the black dragon struck one another's cores BOOM!—both exploding into white and black lights, then collapsing in on themselves. Twin shockwaves surged through the air, and the lights raced back into their creators' bodies.
Simultaneously, Rin and Van der Decken IX spat blood, staggering back from the shared pain. They understood perfectly why elemental avatars were a double-edged sword.
"Hmph... Not bad."
Rin wiped his mouth, blood still dripping. "So? Ever considered joining my crew?"
He wasn't speaking to Van der Decken anymore. That man was long dead. He addressed the revenant directly.
If someone this powerful could be recruited, he'd gain a rare ally—one capable of challenging admirals or even emperors. The idea was tempting.
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