After a moment of silence, Ugetsu Asari immediately threw his three short swords into the air. Imbued with the Rain Flame, these three short swords directly entered the clouds, and then a layer of dark clouds condensed from the Rain Flame appeared in the sky.
Gentle rain fell from the sky, dripping on the earth.
Hawkeye, who had already concentrated his maximum power for his next strike, suddenly felt weakened. It was as if the rain was washing away his strength and the fighting spirit in his heart.
"Tik...Tik"
The sound of the rainfall was clear, the more time passed, the more it felt like the rain was playing a serene music.
"It can't be. He can even alter the weather with swordsmanship!"
It was unknown how many people had this thought in their hearts. Some of them had seen skilled swordsmen before, but this was the first time they had seen someone like Ugetsu Asari.
"This is the strongest? This is really interesting. So this is what I need to set my sights on!"
Hawkeye did not give up because of the rain. He felt his blood boiling, and his determination allowed him to move his body. Even under the effect of the Requiem of Rain, Hawkeye forcefully mustered his strength again. Moreover, it was even stronger than earlier!
That's right, he had exceeded his limits and had taken a step further on the path to become the best swordsman!
However, Ugetsu Asari did not care about it at all. He walked forward step by step, strolling through the heavy rain. His presence slowly disappeared, and his expression became extremely cold.
If you did not keep your eyes on him closely, it was as if he did not exist at all.
Even Color of Observation Haki had no way of sensing his presence. Among everyone present, only Giotto could sense his presence thanks to Hyper Intuition.
"Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!"
The three knives in the sky hit each other and caused a strange bell-like sound, as if they were bidding farewell to this world, but also as if they were praying to this world.
"Now! Black Blade Brandish!"
Hawkeye no longer waited. He gripped the Black Blade in his hands and unleashed all the strength he had mustered to attack Ugetsu Asari.
The light greenish flying slash more than ten meters long was generated out of Yoru. It was so sharp that it could break mountains, split seas, earth, and even the sky!
This was his strongest attack. Before he met Ugetsu Asari, he couldn't use this technique, now that he could, it proved that he had surpassed his limit!
But at this time, Ugetsu Asari was still walking forward. Everything in this world became slow as if time had slowed down for him.
"Can you hear it? The Evening Bell!"
Ugetsu Asari seemed like he was talking to Hawkeye, but also seemed to just mutter to himself, "When the rain falls to the ground, it nourishes everything and also washes away the blood. This is what the gods gave to the world as he took away the dead. The evening bell of death, the song to wash away the soul... Freeing the soul of the person I wish and send them to an eternal sleep. The name of this ultimate move is...
"The Evening Bell Requiem!"
Ugetsu Asari took another step before completely disappearing from sight.
In the next moment, he reappeared behind Hawkeye. The long sword was not stained with blood. He continued to walk, as if the rain was like a music to him. Everything in the rain, except for him stopped moving.
Hawkeye was still in the middle of his striking motion, and the slash wave he discharged also stopped in front of him.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, as if the sky itself was crying!
Then, the three short swords fell from the sky and returned to Ugetsu Asari's hand. It was at this moment that a blue sheen flashed and cut the light greenish slash wave along with Hawkeye's body.
The rain then stopped and the slash wave dissipated. Blood spurted from his chest and fell back first. There was a clear wound on his chest, which was caused by Ugetsu Asari's sword.
No one that witnessed this scene could clearly see that slash, including those who watched from Morgan's broadcast. Only Giotto could catch a trace of it using Hyper Intuition.
This was Ugetsu Asari's unaparalleled swordsmanship!
"It's too soon for you to die, Dracule Mihawk!"
Ugetsu Asari turned around and looked at Hawkeye, who had fallen to the ground. His cold voice sounded at this moment: "Now that you have seen the world you want to see, you should strive to reach my level. If you think I am the strongest , then I shall await you at the top!"
To be frank, Ugetsu Asari didn't really think of himself as a swordsman. Although he wielded Four Irregular Swords, he had always thought of himself as a musician.
However, this battle with Hawkeye aroused his hidden spirit as a swordsman.
A certain feeling emerged in his heart...
It turned out there was still a swordsman chasing after his back!
Especially the guy who was chasing after him was an extremely talented swordsman, so he was looking forward to it.
"Cough cough..."
After coughing a few times, Hawkeye regained his consciousness. He weakly opened his eyes and looked at the sky that was no longer covered by Rain Flame. He then smiled, "I won't ... just reach your level... In the future, I will surpass you, Ugetsu Asari!"
Surpass?
Ugetsu Asari smiled and shook his head. At the same time, a fighting spirit ignited in his eyes. "If you can do it, then come. However long it may take, I will be waiting for your challenge!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he put away Four Irregular Swords. With a flash, he walked towards the ship. Since this duel had concluded, there was naturally no need to stay here any longer.
Moreover, he also ought to calm himself down. After all, he had encountered an interesting swordsman.
"Phew."
Giotto let out a sigh of relief. Only now did he recover from that stunning technique. "Crowley, I'll leave the guy lying on the ground to you. Don't let him die. If there are fewer swordsman like him in the sea, it will be boring."
Because of this battle, the future Hawkeye should be stronger than in the manga, right?
Moreover, in Giotto's opinion, he might show up in front of Ugetsu Asari in the future!