Zoro froze at Arton's words, his expression stiffening momentarily. However, he quickly relaxed and showed a look of acceptance. Arton was right.
As a bystander and fellow swordsman, Zoro had no reason to interfere in a duel between Arton and Mihawk, just as Luffy wouldn't interfere in his own duel against Mihawk.
Even though Zoro desperately wanted Arton to survive so that he could challenge him personally someday, he understood his place.
"You're right, I overstepped."
"From now on, I'll keep quiet."
Taking a deep breath, Zoro silently took a step back.
Seeing this unfold, Mihawk couldn't help but reveal a faint smile.
"That Zoro seems very unwilling to let you die."
"But I'm curious – in your current condition, how exactly do you plan to stay alive?"
"Multiple organs in your body have already been pierced by my blade, haven't they?"
Mihawk maintained his stance, his black blade still impaling Arton, and spoke with a tone of curiosity. Yet, within him, there was a subtle sense of regret.
Originally, he hadn't intended to deal such a fatal blow to Arton – at least, not so soon. After all, he hadn't yet seen Arton's Unlimited Blade Works.
However, Arton's Nine Lives had forced Mihawk into a subconscious reaction, compelling him to unleash a killing strike. It wasn't until his black blade pierced through Arton's chest that Mihawk came to his senses.
"Arton, that strike just now – it's called Nine Lives II, correct?"
"While it seemed like just nine high-speed slashes, it gave an almost unavoidable feeling."
"Even with my Armament Haki defenses, I couldn't fully keep up with the speed of your sword strikes."
"Even when I tried to parry your blade, your attacks still landed on me."
"If not for the incomplete form of my Armament Haki and my sword's guard, one of your strikes might have split me in two."
"No, or rather, it might have reduced me to fragments instead?"
Mihawk said as he glanced down slightly at the wound on his chest caused by Arton's final thrust.
"You're praising me too much, Mihawk. It's making me a bit embarrassed."
"Even though I managed to wound you, it wasn't a fatal injury."
"Even the wound left on your chest pales in comparison to the damage inflicted on me by your strike."
"As expected of the world's greatest swordsman. When faced with my final thrust, you abandoned your defensive strategy and countered while blocking."
"Though it seemed like a simple thrust, it precisely found the opportunity to deflect my weapon aside."
Arton glanced at the massive ax blade lying near Mihawk and shook his head with a hint of admiration.
"Nine Lives is, after all, a borrowed technique."
"If it were that great hero using it, you wouldn't have had the chance to block it."
Hearing this, Mihawk raised an intrigued eyebrow.
"A great hero? Who are you referring to?"
"A god."
"A god?"
"Exactly! Perhaps you won't believe it, but it's the truth."
As Arton spoke, the massive ax blade in his hands suddenly disintegrated into specks of light and vanished.
Arton then placed both hands on the hilt of Mihawk's black blade that pierced his chest.
Crack!
With a forceful movement, Arton pulled himself back, extracting the blade from his body.
In an instant, a surge of blood poured out. However, it was only momentary. Moments after Arton removed the black blade, a translucent crystalline structure began to form over the wound, sealing it entirely.
"So, this is why you don't care about fatal wounds?"
"Fascinating. The crystals on your body… they seem to carry the essence of a sword."
Mihawk's expression revealed curiosity as he observed the crystalline material on Arton's wound.
"You're absolutely right. These crystals are, indeed, swords!"
"The essence of the swords within me is crudely repairing my body."
"To put it metaphorically, it's like using threads to sew up a torn garment. The essence of swords within me is crudely stitching my wounds together with blades."
"Rather than a healing method, it's more like a backlash."
Arton touched the translucent crystal on his chest, felt the changes in his spirit, and frowned as he spoke.
"Backlash?"
The curiosity on Mihawk's face grew even more intense.
"Indeed. After all, I used power exceeding what I can currently control."
Arton said while looking at the arm belonging to the Heroic Spirit Emiya.
*
Tashigi: "The essence of the sword is running rampant? It can even do such a thing?"
Charlotte Smoothie: "This wasn't shown during Arton's battle with Shiki. So, this version of Emiya Shirou that Arton is using cannot fully control the arm of Heroic Spirit Emiya?"
Gion: "Using swords to re-stitch a body, such a thing is unheard of!"
Whitey Bay: "The essence of the sword can even do this… incredible."
Kozuki Hiyori: "The sword's essence running rampant — is this the reason why this version of Emiya Shirou is not the ultimate version?"
The holders of the diary copies quickly understood the implications of his words.
However, for Mihawk, there was only a puzzled look as his gaze followed Arton's to his arm.
"This arm seems to be sturdier than your other one."
"Could it be… this arm belongs to someone else?"
"When you mentioned using someone else's power, were you referring to the owner of this arm?"
Mihawk asked with great interest.
"Yes, but that's not the whole story."
Arton replied as faint lights shimmered in both of his hands.
In truth, the power he borrowed was not just from the arm's owner but also from the Heroic Emiya version of Shirou.
Of course, it wasn't necessary — nor did he intend — to explain all of this to Mihawk.
In the next moment, two short swords, one black and one white, appeared in his hands.