Dodging Lindbergh's relentless assault of his claws, I nimbly maneuvered around him and swung Naga-sa at him, though, of course, he easily blocked it and attempted to retaliate by pushing me off balance so that he could follow up with an attack; however, having fought against him for some time, I've adapted to his fighting style.
While it does assist me in fighting against him, it's not enough to turn the battle in my favor as he is simply superior to me in everything except lightning and combat, meaning even though I'm able to anticipate what he's going to do ahead a time, with his superior agility, he's fast enough to react and change it up before it too late, which in turn makes his fighting style harder to adapt to as I'm constantly forcing him to change it and there is nothing I can do about it.
'Urgh, fuck me, that hurt, pretty sure my shin is broken.' Thought Diddy as he landed on the ground after blocking Lindbergh's kick with his leg, which wasn't a smart thing to do, but it was better than the alternative, getting kicked in the face.
'Heh, sounds like you're having a hard time over there, Captain? Need some hel-Urgh!' Said Freyja through the mind link Sebas had created, though before she could finish her mocking statement, she grunted in pain, having taken a punch to the breast from Mini.
'Hehe, what was that, Freyja? I couldn't hear you; maybe after you beat Mini, you can talk to me.' Replied Diddy with a mocking grin as he landed on the ground opposite Lindbergh, his broken shin seemingly providing no hindrance to his agility.
'Unbelievable, even during a war, they're like children.' Muttered Scar quietly as he and everyone else listened to Freyja and Diddy argue.
'Tch, I heard that Scar. Don't think just because I'm fighting Lindbergh, I won't beat you up!' Yelled Diddy, his face twitching with a frown as he barely managed to block Lindbergh's attack with his bo-staff.
'Hehe, how does it feel to finally be on the receiving end of Captain's wrath?' Asked Trenza with a snarky remark, Grand laughing while Scar clicked his tongue, opting to stay silent lest Diddy beats him up.
'Haha, this fun; Father, we should do this more often!' Declared Grand loudly in excitement, his deep voice echoing within the minds of everyone present, causing two people to be punched in the stomach because of it.
'Urgh! NO!' Yelled Freyja and Diddy simultaneously, the rare time the two will ever agree on something.
'Hoho, the joy of being young.' Said Sebas with the hearty laugh of an Oldman while Freyja and Diddy grumbled in response.
'Tch, anyways, what's the plan you were speaking about, Sebas?' Asked Freyja, shifting the topic back to what it initially was before she and Diddy started arguing.
'Yes, about the plan; while I wouldn't normally mention fleeing, as I imagine Captain would most likely shut it down instantly. Neither you nor Captain are winning your fight, and if it continues like this, we'll eventually be defeated, with you two being first. So I decided to return to the ship and bring it around the coast near the battlefield, or at least closer to it; that way, we can make a quick getaway.' Stated Sebas, who was currently flying back toward the ship and was already more than halfway there.
'You mean to tell me that you linked our minds together, interrupting our battles so that you could tell us that?' Asked Diddy calmly, though his angry expression that was constantly twitching told a different story.
'Ho, before you get angry, Captain, I intend to sail the ship towards the western coast, so I need you all to move slowly towards the west to make a quick escape; though be subtle with your movements, we don't want the enemy getting suspicious.' Remarked Sebas lightly as he quickly stopped Diddy, lest he get angry for no reason.
'Not a bad plan, but it'll take a good amount of time to sail the ship that far, not to mention you're not exactly the fastest flyer; by the time you manage to get the ship in position, we may already be defeated.' Said Freyja with a slight frown as she lunged forward and attacked Mini with her sharp claws, which were on fire, slicing right through the air where he previously stood.
'You don't need to worry, Freyja; without Grand's presence, I'm moving quite fast, and in fact, I'm about to arrive at the ship. While your reason for concern about the ship's speed is understandable, I've already thought it through, so you leave everything to me; you and Captain just focus on your fight. I'll inform everyone once I've arrived.' Declared Sebas confidently as his voice vanished from everyone's minds, along with the mind-link breaking.
'That's much better. However, Sebas's plan will be rather difficult to execute; forget the fleeing part; just staying alive until then will be a challenge in itself.' Thought Diddy with a frown as he evaded Lindbergh's leg before counterattacking by swinging Naga-sa, hitting him, and pushing him back a few meters, but thanks to his Haki, minimal damage was dealt.
"Hehe, well, good thing I'm not afraid of challenges!" Remarked Diddy with a ferocious grin, exhaling hot breath as he dashed toward Lindbergh, the two engaging in an incredibly fierce fight, lightning dancing all over their vicinity.
___
___
Backing away, I jumped back, dodging his claw swipes before landing on the ground and lunging forward, yet as I dashed toward him, one of my legs momentarily gave out, causing me to trip and fall; unluckily for me, I was already close to Lindbergh, who obviously used that as an opportunity to land a devastating blow.
'F-Fuck!' Thought Diddy internally as he watched Lindbergh's blackened foot approach his face before colliding with it, causing immense pain and damage, flinging him far into the distance.
Skidding across the ground for tens of meters, I eventually regained my bearing as I leaped off the ground and did a few back-flips before landing on the ground, stopping my momentum by digging my feet into the earth below, finally stopping myself once my back hit something.
"Hehe, s-so, how a-are you feeling, F-Freyja? Think y-you c-can last l-long enough u-until Sebas a-arrives?" Asked Diddy, gasping for breath as he turned around and glanced at Freyja, who was leaning against his back after also taking a mighty attack from Mini, which happened to also fling her a good distance.
"O-Of course and w-while I-I'll admit, m-my reserves a-are rather l-low, I-I still haven't k-killed yo-!" Replied Freyja with a devilish grin amidst her heavy breathing, though she couldn't finish speaking as she kneeled to the ground, clutching her bleeding abdomen in pain.
"D-Dammit!" Muttered Freyja amidst her pain as she looked at the gaping wound across her stomach, though while doing so, all of a sudden, she noticed Diddy's hand's bloody tail appear from the corner of her eyes, causing her to turn and glance at him in confusion.
"H-Hehe, don't g-give me that l-look, F-Freyja; just t-take m-my t-tail and a-absorb some o-of my v-vitality; I've g-got more t-than e-enough anyways." Remarked Diddy as he observed Freyja's state, knowing she wouldn't be able to last much longer if she didn't heal, though she didn't take his tail and instead just gave him a blank look, which did end up pissing him off.
"Ugh, don't j-just l-look at me! T-Take my f-fucking tail! Y-You think I-I want t-to help you? I-If you end up d-dying, M-Mini m-may change his t-target to m-me next; I-I'm already h-having trouble with L-Lindbergh, a-adding Mini t-to the mix will b-be too much for me to h-handle!" Yelled Diddy angrily between his heavy breathing as he waved his tail around in front of Freyja's face, angering her, though she did as she was told and grabbed his tail, absorbing Diddy's seemingly endless vitality.
Despite having lived with her for many years, this is the first time she's ever absorbed my vitality or life force, and I'll say it was a weird sensation. Granted, while I imagine most people would feel their bodies weaken considerably, I wasn't even able to notice, though it wasn't like I allowed her to take a lot. I retracted my tail after a few seconds; I didn't need her healing back to full health and killing me after all.
"N-Not too much, F-Freyja; I'm not stupid." Said Diddy as he glanced at Freyja, who used the vitality she absorbed from Diddy to heal the gaping wound on her abdomen while using the remaining to heal various other wounds, though even so, she was still greatly injured.
"Tch, I was so close, too." Muttered Freyja with a click of her tongue as he stood back up and eyed Mini, who had been slowly approaching her this entire time, same with Lindbergh.
"Heh, I would suggest let's change opponents, as I really want to kill Mini for fleeing our battle last time, but you won't last even a minute against Lindbergh." Remarked Diddy as he crouched down, digging his nails into the ground, and eyed Lindbergh, ready to pounce on a moment's notice.
"Heh, what's this? Diddy thinking about dear Freyja's safety? That's a first; what's next, getting on one knee and proposing to me?" Questioned Freyja mockingly with a smirk as she spread her wings and brandished her claws, starring dagger at Mini,
"Hehe, the future is unknown territory, Freyja; anything is possible." Replied Diddy with a feral grin as the surroundings became quiet before he and Freyja suddenly launched themselves toward their opponents.
___
Created a discord server, so if anyone wishes to join, it also works this time; I've reset it again, https://discord.gg/5n7RV7Xu (Note: this link only lasts for one week)
___
___
Elven Legacy (Chapter 179: First Sign of Danger) || Hero of Harmony (Chapter 60: Beauty & Handsome) || One Piece: Chaos Kong (Chapter 95: Parting From Chandelier City!) at [patreon.com/Ozonelayer691]