"Pant… pant…"

  The holy light glowed steadily, gradually healing Saint Howard’s injuries. Yet, his forehead was slick with sweat as he struggled to catch his breath; the cost of such extensive healing was draining, taking a signifit toll on his stamina.

  "Looks like your healing ability isn’t as strong as I thought…" El sneered, the struggle. Though impressive, Howard’s regeive powers clearly fell short of the near-immortal regeion of the Phoenix Fruit’s 'Mythical Zoan' type. While Howard's 'Angel Form' owerful and banced in offense, defense, and healing, it couldn’t match the single-minded regeive capacity of the Phoenix.

  Still, El mused aloud, "But I’m curious if your ‘angel’ form handle something like… regrowing a limb."

  As he spoke, El's body surged with lightning, intensifying his power. With his fmes extinguished and his strength at full capacity, he was a fearsome force, charging forward like an a beast on the hunt, ser-focused on his prey.

  ‘Whoosh!’

  In an instant, El moved with lightning speed, c hundreds of meters in a fsh. With the natural speed of the Lunarian rad the power of the 'Mythical Zoazalcoatl', he blurred, moving far too fast for the eye to track as he closed in on the Supreme ander.

  "So fast!"

  Howard’s pristine wings beat frantically as he instinctively tried to retreat, struggling to maintain distance from this Lunarian nightmare. His expression shifted from ao shock at El’s overwhelming speed.

  "Heavenly Dragon Strike!"

  Howard braced himself, every muscle tense. He locked onto El with advanced Observation Haki, gathering his energy. His bde, ed in advanced Armament Haki, sshed forward with all his might, ung a blinding dragon-shaped bst of holy light—a fierce, winged western dragon with its maw open wide.

  "ic Tiger!"

  El, unfazed, surged forward, muscles coiling as he brought his fists together. ed in lightning and swirling air currents charged with Armament and queror’s Haki, he unleashed a tiger-shaped shockwave that roared through the air, fearsome and unstoppable.

  ‘Boom!’

  The impact was deafening, with a burst of blinding light as the tiger’s powerful form collided with the dragon. But El’s attack proved superior—the r tiger tore through the dragon and tis deadly path toward Howard.

  "Holy Shield!"

  ‘Boom… boom…’

  Desperately, Howard jured a radiant shield to halt the attack, but it shattered almost instantly. The powerful tiger crashed through, engulfing him. Howard was thrown back, battered and bloodied, spiraling out of trol across the skies.

  "Fsh Strike: Dawning Peacock!"

  El, relentless in his pursuit, surged forward, eaent crag with deadly i. His fists lit with fierce fire as he struck out repeatedly, a blinding dispy of fmes resembling the feathers of a peaco full bloom—all aimed at Howard, determio end this.

  "Holy Shield!"

  Howard summoned another radiant barrier, strengthening it with all his Haki. Yet the brutal assault shattered it once more, sending him reeling. Burned, bruised, and bleeding, he gred at El, the weight of his own mortality dawning on him.

  "Fallen Angel, El!!" Howard’s voice was thick with fury and desperation, his pride battered along with his body. Now he fought for his life, his regeion struggling to keep up with the endless barrage of attacks.

  "I’ll see how much longer you st," El said in a deadly whisper, closing the distance more. His body pulsed with lightning as he desded upon Howard, a fearsome executioner.

  Howard looked up at the unyielding assault closing in. His wings struggled to keep him aloft, his strength focused on holding off the monster before him. His holy light flickered, healing him as fast as possible, but it was clear he was reag his limit.

  The o below boiled relentlessly, turbulent waves whipped up by powerful gusts.

  ……

  …

  A battered figure flew backward, blood spurting from his mouth.

  "Huff… huff…"

  But before Saint Howard could catch his breath, the terrifying figure with four wings surged forward, his aura fierd intense, like a lightning bolt streaking through the sky. El gave him no ce to recover.

  "Fsh Strike: Dawning Peacock!!"

  With a series of humming sounds slig the air, the atmosphere around El ed as he released massive, bzing punches. Each strike crackled with deadly Armament and queror's Haki, moving with interic heat in a beautiful yet deadly dispy.

  "Holy Shield!"

  In desperation, Howard jured a radiant barrier, fog all his Armament Haki for maximum defense. But the sounds of impact were relentless, each strike growing in iy. The shield wavered, then quickly shattered uhe onsught.

  El's fists, ed in bziricity, pounded into Howard, deepening the cracks in his armor.

  "Ahh… ahh!" Howard screamed as his chest caved uhe impact, blood spurting as he was thrown back like a projectile. His clothes were scorched, his body charred and sm in pces, leaving him in a shog state.

  "Fallen Angel El!!" Flying backward, Howard’s eyes locked onto El, filled with rage and desperation—and now, a growing fear. This monster genuinely wao kill him—the Supreme ander of the Holy Knights—and he just might succeed.

  "Huff… huff…"

  But El, relentless, fpped his wings and closed the gap with terrifying speed.

  "I’ll see how long you hold out!" El growled, murder fshing in his eyes as he pursued Howard, lightning dang across his body and whipping up gusts of wind.

  "Holy Shield!"

  ‘Boom... boom…’

  Another brilliant light shield formed before Howard, only to shatter again. Though holy light bathed him, healing his wounds, the pani Howard's eyes was clear. He fought back frantically, swinging his sword in defiance.

  ‘g!!! g!!!’

  High above, the two figures cshed fiercely, locked in a brutal fight for survival.

  …

  Time slipped away as Saint Howard’s blood spilled steadily through the air, the battle between them being increasingly brutal.

  Like prey trapped by a relentless beast, Saint Howard couldn’t shake off El’s pursuit. Despite being pletely overwhelmed by this Lunarian monster, he fought back with all his might, refusing to surrender. His 'Mythical Zoan Angel Form' healed him as quickly as possible, radiating a glow that attempted to ter his injuries.

  “Damn it… Saint Howard!”

  Ba the isnd of Franca, Steelbone Kong grew anxious. If the Supreme ander of the Holy Knights were killed, it would be impossible to justify to the Wover. More ing still, if Saint Howard were to die, Fallen Angel El’s arget would be him, the Navy Admiral.

  "Mamamama… maybe you should worry about yourself first!" With a menag sneer, Linlin charged at him, raising her sword.

  "Mighty Nation!"

  "Get out of my way… King Kong Chariot!" Steelbone Kong gathered his enormous fist, cloaked in potent Haki, and cshed directly with Linlin’s brutal shockwave.

  ‘Boom! Boom!’

  The coastline shook violently as the resounding explosion echoed and gusts of energy swept across the beach. Although he had just struck Linlin back, Steelbone Kong quickly disregarded pursuing her and shouted urgently at the distant sky, “Saint Het back here!”

  They o biheir efforts against El. A one-on-one fight was vastly different from a two-on-two.