Chapter 41: Battle!
" HAgh! that was something else. I didn't think there'd be so many of Germa's soldiers running around. We were almost over run." Vyper stated. He collapsed down onto the deck of his ship and exhaled a deep breath. He was bleeding slightly from his head and had many scratch wounds all over his body.
" They weren't very strong. It was just their sheer amount of numbers that made them a deadly foe. That and their weapons are quite powerful." Long horn stated.
" And yet, we still won." Terris exclaimed. " That's a great big step in taking over the North. Now the people Lvneel owe us a debt. And the marines are still chasing our coat tails. By the time they catch up, it'll be too late." Terris stated. He was filled with pride. His plan was slowly starting to come together.
However, before the man could fully revel in what was supposed to be his victory, his Den-Den Mushi started going off.
Bidup Bidup bidup! Bidup bidup bidup! Ka-chank!
Terris pulled out his den-den mushi and answered it. " Hello? What is it, Goenma?" Terris asked.
" Well, I thought you might like to know that the Marines arrived at the island earlier today."
" What? Did anything happen?" Terris asked.
" No. Nothing happened on the island. But Jinshi..."
" HE DID WHAT?!" Terris exclaimed.
................
* Doom!
" Ugh!"
Markus and Jinshi each landed a solid strong blow against the other, both men hitting the other in his cheek.
" Damn it!" Markus cursed as he fell away from Jinshi.
" HA! Now this kid can dance!"
Markus jumped off the ground again, and Jinshi threw himself forward and the two men headbutted each other once again.
Markus and Jinshi exploded away from one another, the force of their collision sent both men flying backwards like rockets.
Markus jumped forward. Markus punched Jinshi in his face hard, and Jinshi immediately returned the favor by punching Markus in his face, his large hand engulfing the entirety of Markus' skull.
Jinshi's blows were as heavy as any as Markus had felt. Each punch felt like a cannon ball to his body.
Jinshi continued to land blow after blow on Markus. Markus' entire skeleton shook violently under each and every blow that Jinshi landed.
But Markus wasn't going to be outdone. For each and every single blow that Jinshi landed on him, with his large and powerful fists, Markus returned the blow in kind, hitting Jinshi in his stomach and face repeatedly with his fists.
' Guh! This kids actually pretty gutsy. Each of his hits feels like iron. And he certainly knows how to take a punch. It's not like I'm holding back.' " Heh! You're not half bad kid!" Jinshi stated, right before Markus punched him in his mouth. " HAAAA!" Jinshi's black hands started trembling with excitement. He lashed out at Markus with a punch so vicious that the shockwave rocked the nearby ships and created large waves across the ocean.
Markus was dazed. For just a moment he felt his entire world go black. His eyes turned a ghostly white and his body started to fall towards the ground.
Jinshi, feeling that he might have gone too far, thought the fight was over and scoffed internally.
*Swip!
Jinshi noticed something moving fast behind him and turned his attention away from Markus for a moment.
" I'll kill you!" Norin shouted.
Norin had jumped from the ship and appeared behind Jinshi in her transformed state. She then opened her mouth and blasted Jinshi in his back with a powerful burst of wind.
" GRAAAAH!" Jinshi grunted in pain, but quickly shook it off and laughed. " So, you're still alive? Good!" Jinshi yelled.
Jinshi started turning towards Markus, but in that moment that his attention was diverted, Markus caught himself and launched himself back up right.
" What?!"
" KUROTEKKEN!" Markus slammed his fist right into Jinshi's stomach.
" GahhH!" Jinshi coughed. His large body very nearly consumed Markus as his upper torso toppled over the man's fist.
It is a well-known rule throughout the entire world, that in a single moment's notice, one singular moment, that losing focus for one single moment, could cost you a fight.
As a veteran Jinshi should know that.
But in a single moment, he allowed his own selfish desires to get in the way of the battle, and now he suffered for it.
' That won't be enough to defeat him. No way!' Markus thought. Markus quickly followed up his attack by drilling Jinshi one more time in his stomach. He then hit him hard in his chin, lifting his body off of the ground slightly. ' No holding back! I have to give it my all!'
Markus wasn't the only one trying to bring down the mighty lion.
Norin lunged at Jinshi and slashed him across his back with her long claws. Cutting deep into his flesh.
Her anger was unbelievable, the destruction of her home. The death of her people. All of it together enraged Norin to know bounds.
But her rage could barely compare to the rage that Jinshi felt.
" HGRRRH!" Jinshi's head snapped up and his eyes were beat red. " HRRRRRRAAAAAAGH!" Jinshi let out a loud and vicious roar, knocking Markus and Norin. His body started shifting and black hair grew out from his body and along his arms a giant ring of black smoke started circling around him.
" Alright, let the slaughter begin!" Jinshi growled.
" Hagh?!" Norin gasped.
Jinshi exploded forward, no longer holding back and swatted Norin to the side with ease, sending her flying across the beach like a helpless child.
" Norin!!!"
* Swip!
Jinshi appeared next to Markus in a crouched position, almost like a beast. He barely jumped off the ground and twirled in the air, he then delivered a powerful kick to the side of Markus' chest.
Markus quickly raised his arms and barely blocked the kick that knocked him off of his feet.
' Ugh! Damn. He's faster!'
Jinshi rushed Markus, his already black arms, turning a shade blacker.
Markus readied himself in response.
Jinshi threw his punch at Markus and Markus threw a punch back to stop it.
The moment the two fists collided another large wave of black lightning went echoing around the beach.
Markus grit his teeth and tried to fight back, but he slowly found himself being pushed back.
" GAH!" Markus grunted. His whole hand felt like it was on fire. Why did his hand hurt if he used Haki, he wondered.
But Jinshi wouldn't give him time to think as he was already swinging at him once more with his right hand.
Refusing to back down, Markus haki'd up his left hand and slammed his fist into Jinshi's, breaking out into another haki infused clash.
" Your armament haki is strong. But in this world there are those that have reached an even higher level of armament!" Jinshi told Markus. He then pressed his full force down on Markus and once again, Markus was knocked down.
" GAAAH!" Markus shouted in pain. He grabbed his left hand and started holding it.
Markus looked down at his hands, as both of them were in pain.
" Where are you looking?!" Jinshi yelled.
Markus looked up from his hands, his face still twisted in pain, and Jinshi threw his entire leg right into Markus' face.
Markus felt a shocking pain course through every bone in his body as he was lifted off the ground.
Jinshi started raining down blows on Markus, repeatedly punching him all over his body as the man tried to keep his guard up to defend himself. " What happened, kid? Where did that fire of yours go?! HUH?!" Jinshi raised his right leg into the air and brought it down over Markus' head.
Markus raised his guard to try and defend himself from the attack, only for Jinshi to break right through it and slam his foot down on Markus' skull.
Jinshi landed on his feet and once again pressed Markus. Raising his hand back and extending his claws, Jinshi drove his hand straight into Markus' chest in a similar fashion to the finger pistol. " Lion's Claw!"
" GAAH!" Markus spit out a mouthful of his blood as the sharp claws pierced his body. He was sent flying off of his feet and hit the ground hard, rolling through sand until he finally came to a halt.
" What, finished already? What a disappointment." Jinshi muttered. He looked at Markus lying on his back and scoffed. " I'll at least give you the credit for staying alive as long as ya did. But it's over." Jinshi stated. He looked down on Markus one more time before turning his back on the man. " Now, where did that girl get off too."
" Hey..."
Jinshi jerked to a halt and looked back as Markus started to rise to his feet once more.
Markus was smiling.
' He's smiling?' Jinshi asked himself. " Not dead, yet? Interesting." Jinshi muttered.
Markus threw his head back and looked to the sky. He took in a deep breath. " HAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Markus shouted as loud as he could, spread his feet out and slammed his left hand down onto his left thigh and his right fist into the sand.
" Where do you think you're going? I'm not done yet." Markus told the man. " If it's a hot spirited battle you want, then come on. Let me show you, a true spirited battle." Markus said to the man.
" Hahahaha! Alright then, LET'S GO!" Jinshi shouted.
Jinshi exploded forward as did Markus.
Jinshi's arms turned black again.
' The same as before.' Markus noted.
Jinshi appeared in front of Markus and threw both of his fists down at Markus, ready to crush him once again.
But this time was different.
" HAH! IRON BODY!" Combining his haki with his Iron Body technique, Markus threw his own fists up and blocked Jinshi's attack.
* DOOM!
Sparks of black lightning danced around the two men as they glared at one another.
' What's going on? His fists are harder than before. My attack should have flattened him just as it did before.' Jinshi thought to himself.
" HAH! SORU!"
*SWIP!
Jinshi quickly turned around as Markus appeared behind him.
Markus raised his arms backwards and coated them with haki. He then threw both of his palms forward extremely fast. " DOUBLE IMPACT!" Markus shouted.
Jinshi coated his chest with haki to stop the power of the blow but was still knocked back by how hard and powerful the attack was.
Jinshi went skipping across the sand, until he managed to catch himself. Recovering, Jinshi quickly dashed forward again.
" RAAAAAAHJ!"
" HAAAAAAGH!"
Markus and Jinshi started trading blows again.
The two men danced around each other, throwing attacks and blocking them over and over again.
From the Marine ship, those that could stand were in awe by how fast the two men were moving, despite standing in one place.
But perhaps what intrigued them more, was the look of joy on the faces of the two men.
As they continued trading blows, Jinshi suddenly lifted his leg up and kneed Markus in his stomach, launching into the air. " RAAAAGH!" Jinshi shouted as he followed his prey. He appeared right above Markus and kicked him back into the sand below.
Markus hit the ground hard and quickly jumped back to his feet in time to avoid being impaled on the end of Janshi's foot.
Markus reeled his fist back and exploded forward and slammed it into Jinshi's chest. " BLACK STAR!"
" Gah!!" Jinshi was caught unprepared by the sudden swiftness of the attack and shot backwards.
' This kid. He's learning as he fights.' Jinshi remarked. Jinshi was actually hurting from that last attack.
However, he was far from being beaten. Jinshi landed on his feet and dashed forward again, his smile growing larger and larger with every passing second.
" Tempest Kick!" Markus threw his leg forward and sent out a single wave of compressed air in the shape of a blade.
Jinshi dodged out of the way of the attack and jumped into the air above Markus.
Markus jumped into the air and the two men punched each other.
As their fists collided and pushed against each other, Jinshi opened his mouth.
' What the hell?!' Markus remarked.
Jinshi fired a shockwave that hit Markus pointblank, blowing away the top of his outfit, and revealing his flesh beneath, along with the scars that were beginning to gather.
Markus hit the ground hard, but quickly bounced back to his feet. He wasn't about to give up. Not yet. But....
" Where are you looking?" Jinshi asked as he appeared behind Markus.
*Swip!
Markus quickly vanished from his spot and jumped over Jinshi's head, just as the man took a swipe at him with his claws.
" Shooting Star!" Markus dropped straight down and kicked Jinshi in his large back.
" Gahhh!" Jinshi grunted.
It was a heavy blow that did damage, but it would still take much more to bring down this feral pirate. However, more was what Markus intended.
Jinshi turned around, still gritting his teeth, just as Markus threw a straight kick at his face.
" Giga Impact!" Markus' foot slammed into Jinshi's face full on and sent the man flying like a cannon ball.
Jinshi went crashing into the ground. The result of his large body hitting the beach kicked up a large cloud of dust and sand that swirled around in the air for a good minute.
Markus stood still panting and gasping for air. It was beginning to get harder and harder for him to breathe every moment. His wounds from earlier were heavy and starting to take effect. But Markus knew he didn't have the luxury of resting just yet. He knew his opponent would be up again any moment, and when he was, Markus would have to face him head on.
And true enough, Jinshi exploded out of the smoke, bleeding from his mouth. The giant Lion-man threw a viciously powerful right and Markus blocked it with his left arm and quickly returned a heavy punch of his own, to which Jinshi copied Markus and blocked it with his arm.
Markus was struggling to keep himself up right. The veins in his forehead were throbbing from how much he was straining himself.
He and Jinshi both jumped back to get space from the other and then the two men threw themselves at their opponent once more.
Jinshi and Markus started brawling with one another once more.
" Hahaha! This is amazing! I haven't had this much in a long time!" Jinshi exclaimed. He and Markus danced around, throwing punch after punch.
Each blow they threw, landed, and sounded off like a crack of thunder. That was just how powerful these attacks were. The black Lightning of two conquerors clashing shrouded the entire beach in dark light.
" More! Give me more!" Jinshi exclaimed.
*DOOM!
Markus landed a solid blow right to the man's jaw.
* DOOM!
Jinshi returned the favor by punching Markus back in his face.
" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Jinshi laughed wildly like a maniac as they continued pummeling each other.
" HAAAAAAGH!"
" RAAAAAAAGH!"
*DOOM!
Markus and Jinshi both traded blows. Each of them threw a fist and together, their arms crossed over the other and they both hit each other in the face at the same time.
Jinshi grinned down at Markus, while Markus glared past Jinshi's large fist.
The two men jumped back and dashed forward again, slamming their head against the other.
Neither man said a word to the other.
No words were needed to know what was going on in the mind of the other.
For Markus, he wanted to bring Jinshi down no matter what it cost him. If it meant he could end the terror of at least this one monster, then he would gladly give it all away.
And for Jinshi, nothing mattered except the thrill of the fight.
The feeling of their fists smashing into each other. Their flesh ripping and tearing. The Brusies. The broken bones. The pain. The heat. The blood. THE RUSH!
This is all that matters! THE STRONG SURVIVE AND THE WEAK PERISH!
That was Jinshi's motto. His way of life. And nothing was going to change that.
Jinshi exploded forward and started running on all fours. " Hunting Lion!" Jinshi jumped off the ground and started spinning his entire body like a corkscrew.
Markus ran towards the man as he spiraled towards him. " KUROTEKKEN!"
Markus and Jinshi were just about to clash with one another once more. However, an unforeseen event occured.
From the thick forest a large object came hurtling out onto the beach.
' What?' Markus wondered. Markus' eyes widened in shock when the dust cleared. It was Vice-Admiral Dalmatian. " What the-"
Jinshi suddenly came to a screeching halt, the blood from his wounds trickling down his face. " DON'T YOU DARE!" Jinshi yelled.
*SHING!
Markus turned his attention back in front of him, to Jinshi. Unfortunately, it wasn't Jinshi standing in front of him right now.
Zohakuten appeared in front of Markus with his blade drawn. " Moonlight-Dark Moon Palace!" With a single swing of his blade, Markus was hit by a powerful wave that appeared to be moonlight. Markus was cut from his shoulder down to his hip, by the swordsman.
" Aghh....ghhhh.... ahhhhhh!" Markus felt the world around him going black.... And slowly he fell to the ground until finally he landed face first in the sand. His mouth started filling with blood, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't form a single word. He couldn't even move a finger.
" YOU BASTARD!!!" Was the last thing Markus heard before finally loosing conscious.
' Am... I.... Going to die?'
To Be Continued.
*DOOM!
............
Oh man, what a chapter. This one took me some time to fully think out. I hope you guys enjoyed the fight. And what do you think of the sudden arrival of the eldest brother? As always let me know what you guys think in the comments. I know it was a shocker for me writing Markus losing. I always want him to win. But hey, can't win them all am I right?
Anyways, later guys!!!
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