The predator stared Takeshi down, blood-red eyes locking with his.
The air between them felt thick.
Heavy.
Hirito: well a little puppy walked into my den, what can those little fangs do
Takeshi's jaw tightened. He forced himself fully upright, pain screaming through his body, but he didn't let it show.
Takeshi: ever since my grandfather told me about you, I've been dreaming of hunting you down myself and throwing you right back in impel down where you belong
Hirito didn't bristle.
He didn't glare.
He smiled.
Slow. Amused.
Then he raised one hand and crooked two fingers toward himself, beckoning Takeshi forward like he was calling an animal.
The Vice Admiral exploded into motion.
The ground cracked under his feet as he charged, then launched upward.
Takeshi: pressure fang!!
His fist drilled forward, compressed air screaming around it as it shot straight toward Hirito's jaw.
Hirito shifted his head.
That was all.
The punch tore past him.
Before Takeshi could even register it, Hirito's hand was already moving.
Blood coated his knuckles like liquid steel.
The punch sank into Takeshi's stomach.
No Haki.
No shockwave.
Just raw impact.
All the air was ripped from Takeshi's lungs. His feet slid backward across broken stone. His vision swam as he barely kept himself standing.
Hirito grinned wider.
Hirito: so you're a stubborn little pup, good that means you'll be fun to torture
Takeshi planted his feet, forcing breath back into his chest.
Then he rushed him again.
This time he skidded to a halt and twisted his body into the strike.
Takeshi: Storm!
The air warped.
Takeshi: Rupture!!
The punch detonated outward, a violent burst of compressed force tearing across the ruins.
Hirito lifted one arm.
The shockwave hit him.
And stopped.
His coat fluttered. His hair streamed back.
He didn't move.
Hirito: what a lovely gentle breeze
Takeshi's teeth ground together. Frustration burned behind his eyes as he stared at the pirate who hadn't even shifted his stance.
Takeshi: fight back! Or are you a coward as well as scum!
Hirito exhaled through his nose, rolling his eyes as if he were bored.
Then he lifted his hand.
Five tiny spheres of blood formed instantly.
They launched.
