Heaven And Earth (Mihawk X Reader)

Gaia

It was all you could do to avoid his attacks. Every swing of his sword sent wind that played across your face or through your hair. The force of his attacks alone was enough to shred through the vines and roots you used to push and pull yourself to safety each time. The front of the castle was beginning to look overgrown now, though half of what you'd forced from the ground had already been cut down.

Yet, for all your effort, the man seemed bored. There was no straining for him as he swung around the massive blade and kept you on your toes. His movements were lazy, yet deadly accurate every time. In contrast, you were stumbling over your own two feet to get to safety.

It was frustrating.

You frantically weighed your options, tried to think of a way out, but kept coming to the same conclusion. You had to put your all into it, overwhelm him with attacks as quickly as possible the same way he had been doing to you.

"You're an interesting one." He spoke up as he slashed through a root you'd just used to shove yourself to the side.

"Why's that?" You gasped the question, very much winded.

"These creatures I share the island with have not destroyed you, in fact, they seem rather weary of you."

The blade swung past your head, missing your jaw by a hairsbreadth. Your eyes followed it and the metal was so clean, you could make out your reflection staring right back at you.

"I guess they respect their visitors?" You faced him once again as you gathered energy, preparing yourself to put him on the defensive.

"Hardly." He scoffed, oblivious to how the earth churned deep under his feet in response to you. "I'm just disappointed you aren't more of a challenge."

You pushed the black sword to the side with the back of your hand and let the energy flow out of your body like a tidal wave. The ground rumbled and groaned as roots snapped up, flinging earth around and scattering the apes that had come too close for a better view of the fight.

Everything began to grow at an impossible rate. The roots grew thick and corded, ivy sprouted up and curled around anything nearby. Tree seedlings and sprouts that had laid dormant were suddenly turning into saplings. And to your relief, your opponent's eyes widened in a moment of disbelief.

Lush greenery was surrounding his feet and climbing up his legs quickly, pulling him down into the freshly turned earth. You didn't want to kill him, but you'd gladly pull him down enough to subdue him so you could make a quick retreat.

He had sunk down to almost his knees when the heavy roots began to encase him as well, an added layer of protection to hopefully keep him down longer. They pulsed like veins, wrapping around him more tightly with each movement until you were almost sure you could turn tail and run.

"Interesting." The warlord remarked with a tone of slight intrigue.

He raised his sword with a single arm, various plant leaves now quickly wrapping around the blade itself, and then brought it down with enough force to make the ground tremble.

You felt the plants beneath your feet sever further than you thought possible. At least half of what kept him in place suddenly stopped moving, now lifeless. The rest paused and shrunk back momentarily before continuing their growth over the rest that had died, but at a slower place.

He continued to slice through the growth, though now there was a slight upturn to his lips. The man was finding some enjoyment in the turn of events. But you could feel your energy draining quickly from the effort. It obviously had proved ineffective, much to your dismay, and he had already almost freed himself from his confines.