"Alright, then bring it on."
Though Hamr was covered in gri, none of the nine present dared underestimate him.
After all, they'd experienced this sa scene exactly one year ago.
A crushing defeat.
"Nearly a year of brutal training was all for this mont!"
"Ittō-ryū: Twilight Slash!"
Gion, wielding the golden sword Konpira, launched the first attack.
One of the 21 Great Grade Swords shone with unmatched sharpness at that mont.
Twilight Slash, a flying sword strike, represented Gion's mastery as a true swordmaster.
"One of the 21 Great Grade Swords… I wonder if my Frostbane can surpass it."
The Eight-Faced Hanjian, Frostbane, was Hamr's most prized creation to date.
And now, it was in his hands.
Its gleaming blade and majestic form drew the eyes of six of the nine instantly.
Aside from Shirley, Tokikake, and Dalmatia, who didn't wield swords, the remaining six were all sword users.
Their eyes were involuntarily drawn to the masterpiece.
"What a fine sword..."
"A true pearl thrown before swine."
Even Tokikake noticed its uniqueness, but the second part of his remark earned him a bunch of "#" marks on Hamr's forehead.
The other six nodded in agreent.
"You damn Tokikae! Last ti you shot your mouth off and got beaten senseless by those three idiots!"
"You're first! Soru!"
With old grudges piling onto new ones, Hamr targeted Tokikake to start.
Using Soru Hamr instantly appeared in front of Tokikake.
"What the hell! I was just being honest!"
"Tekkai!"
"Oh, daring to use that on ?"
Even though Hamr had changed his view of Tekkai, that didn't an its nature had changed.
"Freeze him solid! Frostbane!"
With a sweeping slash, Frostbane unleashed an intense cold that burst forth instantly.
Tokikake, who had just accelerated his blood flow for Tekkai, was instantly frozen like a popsicle.
Crack crack crack...
The chilling frost, accompanied by the sound of ice forming, instantly turned Tokikake into a human ice sculpture.
Even his stunned expression was frozen mid-reaction.
"Such intense freezing power... Can a sword really do that?"
As the most skilled swordsman present, Gion was stunned.
"Ittō-ryū: Starfall!"
After seeing Tokikake frozen right at the start, Gion dared not hold back.
After the flying slash ca a rapid barrage of thrusts.
Hamr used Seii Kikan to dodge.
"Sis, heads up!"
"Lightning Punch!"
Sherry, the most in-sync with Gion, saw her attack and imdiately unleashed her own crackling electricity, sparked across her white fur.
"Great, just what I needed, first it was Fire Punch, now Lightning Punch? Did I wander into the wrong ani or what?!"
Electricity flashed by. Hamr didn't dare be careless, dodging again with Soru. The others' attacks followed closely.
Dalmatian, in his half-beast spotted dog form, left afterimages as he unleashed a flurry of Shingan.
Momonga, Yamanakaji, and Doberman attacked with three swords.
Strawberry and Spider each wielded two, a total of four blades between them.
The scene quickly descended into chaos.
Yet Hamr remained calm. He fluidly used the Six Styles while Frostbane danced through the air, scattering frost and snow.
"Fang Thrust!"
"Ittō-ryū: Hound's Rush!"
Dalmatian and Doberman seized an opening and launched a fierce assault.
"In your dreams! Eat this Chest-Shattering Hamr!"
Cornered, Hamr smashed his left fist into his chest. A shockwave erupted, blasting all eight attackers back.
"Nice improvents."
Hamr nodded in approval at their growth.
Their teamwork had improved, too, while so pinned him down, and others decisive blows.
Forced into defense, he had no choice but to use his Devil Fruit powers to push them back.
"Since that's how you want to play… try this on for size."
Hamr grinned slyly, and his ring flashed.
A rocket launcher materialized in an instant.
The mont the others saw it, a recent mory popped into their minds.
"Oh no! The black smoke!"
Shirley shouted and bolted at full speed toward Hamr.
The others were equally alard and launched attacks of their own.
"Hehehe..."
But just as they charged at Hamr, the expected smoke didn't appear.
"Who said I had to use it once I took it out?"
"Freeze!"
With a sinister grin, Hamr swung Frostbane in a wide arc, unleashing a freezing blast toward all eight attackers.
"Damn! Ittō-ryū: Twilight Slash!"
"Lightning Punch!"
"Hyaaah!"
"Take this!"
"Fang Thrust!"
"Nitō-ryū: Cross Slash!"
The eight all struck with full power. Blades, fists, and piercing clashed with Frostbane's freezing power in a brilliant display, halting the freezing power.
But was that Hamr's true plan?
Of course not!
The frost was only step one.
After releasing it, Hamr plunged Frostbane into the ground.
He then shifted and charged power into his right fist, a terrifying force built up.
"Hehehe..."
"Sonic Boom Hamr!"
His heavy fist burst forth, breaking the sound barrier.
The blow was too fast to be seen, crashing into the eighth before they could react.
A sonic boom, a shockwave that only appears when you exceed a certain speed.
This was part of Hamr's evolved Devil Fruit power.
Then, a long-absent panel appeared:
Na: [Hamr]
Age: [20]
Devil Fruit: [Paracia: Hamr-Hamr Fruit, Developnt Level: 70%]
Armant Haki (Unlocked): [35%, Hardening]
Observation Haki (Locked): [Awakening Level: 80%]
Conqueror's Haki: [0! Nope. Keep dreaming, you deadbeat.]
Abilities: [Six Styles (Mastered), Six Styles Variant Techniques (Learned)]
Boom!
The supersonic hamr blow sent all eight flying.
"Not done yet!"
"Shingan: Modified, Breakpoint Hamr!"
Hamr extended his index finger, cloaked in Armant Haki, and jabbed the airborne enemies rapidly.
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
Eight muffled thuds rang out.
Who said hamr strikes had to be brute force?
They could also be precise. As long as the power was sufficient, even a fingertip could break through defenses.
Breakpoint Hamr, Hamr's custom variant of Shingan. It compressed the hamr force into his fingertip using Armant Haki, releasing it all at once.
Using the finger as a focus point, it caused an explosive, spreading shock. The damage was massive.
Already stunned from the first hit, the eight were now struck from both sides and fell hard to the ground.
"Ti to end this! Hamring of the Soul!"
Hamr delivered a final blow. A soul hamr struck their minds, instantly knocking them out of the fight.
"As your senior, let teach you sothing: in real combat, there's no such thing as fairness."
"No one's going to fight you with honor."
"Tricks, cheap shots, and sches are all part of the ga. Am I right...
Teacher Zephyr?"
Having taken down all nine, Hamr turned to Zephyr with a wicked grin.
Zephyr's face had turned black as the bottom of a pot.
"Get lost! Don't sound so righteous about fighting dirty!"
"Hehehe… all's fair in war!"
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