As Wilder raised his right hand, a sizzle was heard, and a few wisps of green smoke rose from it. The smoke dissipated as swamp erupted from his hand, forming a giant fist that collided head-on with the two incoming attacks.
Crack!
BOOM!
"What?"
The faces of the distant onlookers were filled with shock as they watched the three attacks collide.
Sparks and arcs of lightning flashed at the point of impact, and a shower of fire erupted at the moment of collision, followed by a terrifying shockwave that blasted out from the center.
The two attacks and the giant swamp fist clashed, holding for a second before a series of cracking sounds reached everyone's ears. The next moment, everyone's eyes widened in shock as they watched the two powerful attacks rapidly disintegrate, crumbling inch by inch. The swamp fist, with the force of a battering ram, continued to crush the two attacks, its momentum unstoppable.
The roar was deafening. Katakuri and Smoothie's faces were pale with disbelief. A sudden sense of crisis snapped them back to their senses.
"Get out of here!" Seeing the giant mochi fist being shattered, the powerful force transferring back to his hand, Katakuri's heart filled with terror. No matter how unwilling he was to believe it, he had to accept the facts. He shouted anxiously to Smoothie, and at the same time, he pushed off the ground, his body retreating continuously.
Smoothie also began to retreat.
The two of them fell back again and again, but the giant swamp fist didn't stop. After completely dispersing the remnants of their attacks, it charged towards them with the weight of a mountain.
CRASH!
The boulders and rubble on the ground were all pushed aside, as if they were nothing more than flimsy plastic sheets, leaving a smooth path in the fist's wake. The scene was like a natural disaster.
The giant swamp fist continued to charge towards the retreating Katakuri and Smoothie. Their hearts were filled with anxiety. Seeing the deadly aura emanating from the terrifying fist, a cold sweat broke out on their foreheads.
"Damn it!" The giant swamp fist was like a hungry wolf, relentlessly pursuing its prey. Seeing the fist getting closer and closer, retreating was no longer an option. Katakuri couldn't help but curse through gritted teeth.
"We have to destroy it!" Smoothie tightened her grip on her sword, her face even paler than before, as she unleashed a horizontal slash at the giant swamp fist.
Seeing this, Katakuri knew that Smoothie had the same idea. To continue retreating was a dead end. They had to destroy this giant swamp fist before that happened. But that wasn't the main point. Their goal was to kill Wilder. The terrifying power displayed by the giant swamp fist was not just a momentary embarrassment; the thought that this was the power of the man they were trying to kill made both of their hearts sink.
Can we really do it?
The thought flashed through their minds for only a moment before their gazes became firm again.
For the strong, nothing is impossible!
In an instant, another giant mochi fist, following closely behind the sword wave, was launched from Katakuri's hand.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The sound of the impact was even more violent than before. Finally, the giant swamp fist disintegrated, scattering into a foul-smelling swamp. At the same time, Katakuri and Smoothie's attacks also dissipated.
"Aaargh!"
The swamp rained down across the entire battlefield. From time to time, some of it landed on the soldiers. In an instant, a soldier was clutching his face, which had just been covered by the falling swamp, rolling on the ground and screaming in agony. Wisps of smoke rose from where the swampy mud met his skin. Even after he managed to wipe the swamp from his face, his screams didn't stop. His face had been completely corroded by the swamp, leaving a rotten mess that was terrifying to behold.
The sight sent a chill down the spines of those watching from a distance. They couldn't help but look at Wilder, who was standing in the center of the battlefield, a cold fear rising in their hearts.
How can we fight against a swamp like that?
This question arose in the minds of everyone who saw it. The scene was impossible to erase from their minds. That swamp was no longer just a physical attack; it also had a corrosive effect. Most importantly, everyone knew very well that before this, Wilder's swamp hadn't been that powerful offensively. But what had just happened was Wilder's giant swamp fist taking on two opponents at once, and doing so twice in a row.
With such power and a corrosive effect, all that was left in the hearts of the onlookers was a deep-seated fear of that swamp, and of Wilder himself.
The battle continued.
After destroying the giant swamp fist, Katakuri and Smoothie once again charged at Wilder. The longer this dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for them. Both of them were now determined to end this quickly, so they held nothing back.
Feeling the surging power within him, Wilder was now full of confidence, no longer paying any mind to Katakuri and Smoothie's attacks.
"Alright, I'll play with you for a bit," Wilder said with a faint smile, looking at the two of them.
SWISH!
His body vanished, reappearing a hundred meters in the air. It all happened in the blink of an eye.
Below, Smoothie and Katakuri, who had been charging at Wilder, were stunned. They both looked up, and all they could see was Wilder, standing in the air, looking down on everyone below.
They exchanged a glance, their hearts filled with an unbelievable shock. How is that speed and explosive power possible?!
This was something that couldn't be achieved by mere speed alone. It was a straight ascent, not running on the ground. To leap a hundred meters into the air from a standing start, and to do it in the blink of an eye, how could it not be shocking?
In Katakuri's mind, not even his mother could do that. Not that she couldn't do it, but she couldn't do it in such a short amount of time with such a simple, effortless motion. And that was what they couldn't accept.
How is that possible?
If that's the case, is this guy already as strong as Mom?
Smoothie stared blankly at the figure in the sky.
After being strengthened twice, Wilder's power had grown even more. Now, facing the attacks of Katakuri and Smoothie, he no longer felt the same pressure as before. On the contrary, he felt a sense of ease.
Wilder didn't know what level his strength had reached, but he had a gut feeling that he wasn't far from the very top. At the very least, he was no longer without the power to fight against the top tiers.
Thinking of this, Wilder's heart calmed down, completely serene. There was a sense of tranquility that came from within, and he felt like a bamboo stalk standing between heaven and earth, exuding a sense of ease and freedom.
"Well then, let's see what other surprises this power has in store," Wilder said, closing his eyes gently. When he opened them again, his gaze was on the ground below, a faint smile on his face.
"What is he trying to do?" From a distance, people saw Wilder hovering in the air without moving and couldn't help but wonder, their brows furrowed in cautious anticipation.
Because of Wilder... no, because of Wilder's existence and performance, no one dared to look down on Morass anymore. The facts spoke for themselves. Even two Sweet Commanders working together couldn't gain an advantage against him and had even been injured. Such combat power could no longer be dismissed as mere arrogance. In fact, people would have to re-evaluate the force of Morass and the man named Wilder.
Therefore, seeing Wilder's strange behavior, everyone was not only curious but also clenched their fists in grim anticipation.
Similarly, on the battlefield, Smoothie and Katakuri were also puzzled and confused by Wilder's actions, but more than that, they were grave and vigilant.
Katakuri shot a look at Smoothie. His Observation Haki seemed to have vaguely seen something, and his expression grew more and more serious.
Damn it! I can't wait any longer. I have a feeling a terrible attack is coming. I have to act before that!
They exchanged a glance and nodded. Smoothie raised her greatsword, and mochi erupted from Katakuri's body. At the same time, they launched an attack on Wilder in the sky.
Wilder, who was just about to make his move, felt the fierce wind coming from below and raised an eyebrow slightly, but he wasn't concerned. He lowered his hand and let out a soft shout. "Dance of Corrosion!"
Below, Katakuri and Smoothie, and everyone watching from a distance, had their faces change drastically.
BOOM!
A massive column of swamp, about twenty meters in radius, shot out from Wilder's palm.
CRACK! CRACK!
With two dull thuds, the two attacks launched by Katakuri and Smoothie disintegrated within the swampy torrent that rushed down like the wrath of heaven, not even lasting for a second.
The giant stream of swamp continued to rush down.
Katakuri and Smoothie's faces changed completely. A cold sweat trickled down from their temples, and a fatal threat struck their hearts. Their backs were instantly drenched in a cold sweat. Without a second thought, the two of them quickly scattered, running for their lives towards the perimeter.
"Run!"
The surrounding soldiers and ministers who were watching all had their faces change as they saw the giant stream descending from the sky. With panic in their eyes, they turned and ran frantically towards the perimeter.
SIZZLE!
The first part of the swampy torrent finally hit the ground. Everyone was running for their lives. Even without looking back, they could guess what the scene behind them was like from the strange sounds they heard. Their pace quickened, afraid that a moment's delay would mean death in the next second.
The moment the descending swamp touched the ground, a corrosive sound was heard. A thick smoke rose from the ground and the swamp, and a continuous sizzling sound filled the air. And then... the boulders on the ground began to bubble, as if the entire area touched by the swamp was boiling. The stones gradually turned white, and the wood directly dissolved and corroded in the rising smoke and bubbling foam.
And it wasn't over. The giant stream of swamp, upon hitting the ground, quickly spread out in all directions, like an erupting mudslide. Its speed was less like flowing and more like a rushing tide. Wherever it passed, smoke billowed.
"Aaargh!" a soldier shouted. As he ran, he couldn't help but glance back. What he saw almost scared him to death. The swamp was rushing over at an incredible speed, and its range was constantly expanding. In the blink of an eye, it was almost upon him.
"Help me!" another soldier cried out. As he was running, he tripped on a stone. He looked back and saw the swamp right in front of him, his eyes filled with terror as he cried out in fear.
BANG!
The next second, the swamp directly engulfed his body. He didn't even have time to scream before he was gone.
The man who had looked back saw this, and his back felt as if it had been pricked by thousands of needles. A chill ran through his entire body, and even his running steps became stiff.
"Damn it! Run!" he roared at his own stiff legs, which felt as if they were running in place.
He glanced back again, and this time, he despaired. The reflection of the swamp filled his eyes, his pupils slowly dilating until the image of the swamp occupied his entire vision.
SIZZLE!
"Help me! Aaargh!"
More and more soldiers were overtaken by the swamp. These soldiers hadn't made any mistakes; they had been running at top speed from the very beginning. However, the swamp came at them even faster, pressing down on their backs, pushing them over, and then instantly covering and swallowing them.
The giant stream of swamp had finally been released, but it was still spreading outwards. It would only stop when the swamp had completely flattened out, and that time had not yet come. The swamp in the center was still piled up high like a small hill. Only when this hill was level with the surrounding swampy plain would it lose its momentum and stop spreading.
Wilder's eyes swept across the distance, instantly locking onto a figure running at extreme speed. His eyes turned cold, and he muttered to himself, "It's time to end this."
With that, his body flickered, and he shot towards the figure he had locked onto.
"Corrosion—Germ Spear!"
Smoothie, who had broken through the circle of soldiers and was running at the forefront, suddenly heard a cold, low voice by her ear. VMMMM! In that instant, her eyes widened, and a chill crawled up her back to her scalp.
Without a second thought, she was forced to stop, subconsciously raising her greatsword to block in front of her.
The next moment, a black spear suddenly appeared out of thin air. The tip was sharp and emitted a foul stench as it shot towards her. It wasn't until that moment that Wilder's figure suddenly appeared in front of her.
Wilder's eyes were calm and indifferent, and he thrust the spear in his hand without hesitation.
CLANG!
A metallic clang exploded, and sparks flew.
The next moment, Smoothie's pupils dilated slightly, and for a brief moment, her face went blank.
CRACK!
A cracking sound was heard. The greatsword shattered, and the sharp spearhead was unstoppable.
SPLAT!
Blood splattered in the air. Time seemed to stand still in that moment. Smoothie's pupils trembled as she slowly lowered her head. Her hands were still clenched around the spear shaft.
Blood dripped down, the sharp, blood-stained spearhead having pierced through her abdomen and out her back.