“Weak? Ending this quickly?”

  High in the sky above the sea, Saint Howard’s usually proud and self-assured expression darke El and Linlin’s sful words.

  “Chirp—” With a single powerful beat of his holy wings, he lunged forward like lightning. “A mere remnant of the Lunarian Tribe—do you have any idea who you’re fag?”

  Bathed in radiant holy light, his sword, ed in advanced Armament Haki, sshed furiously toward the t figure before him.

  'g!'

  However, sparks flew as El, surrounded by bzing fmes, stood unmoved, allowing Saint Howard’s bde to strike him directly—yet not a drop of blood was drawn, nor a scratch left behind.

  “What!?” Saint Howard’s eyes widened in shock. He had heard tales of the Lunarian Tribe’s resistao physical harm, particurly the monstrous endurance of the Fallen Angel El, but witnessing it firsthand was something else entirely.

  “If you ’t even scratch me, who do you think you are?” El sneered.

  The fmes behind his head extinguished, and in the instant, a powerful heatwave surged as he unched a massive fist ed in Armament and queror’s Haki, entwined with crag lightning and fierce fmes. The sheer power of the attack distorted the air as it barreled forward.

  “Ultimately, you’re nothing more than a slightly better css of trash than those pt Celestial Dragons who only know how to squaheir status!”

  The privileged Celestial Dragons, unlike Marine Admirals who fought on the front lines and hoheir strength in the fires of battle, rarely pushed themselves to their true limits. Even though they might spar with sves or hunt pirates and gover enemies, few ever itted fully to risking their lives in battle. Under such ditions, no amount of resources, training, or powerful Devil Fruits could allow them to fully tap into their potential.

  “Damn you... Holy Shield!” In a fsh of panic, Saint Howard’s face twisted as he raised his left arm, creating a radiant, imperable shield of holy light to guard himself. He began to retreat, sensing the danger.

  'Boom!'

  In a devastating csh, the holy shield shattered under El’s relentless force. The fierce impact tinued, pushing Saint Howard back as he barely mao block the blow with his sword, now heated to a glowing red from the intense heat aricity of El’s Haki-irike.

  “What... is this monstrous strength?” His arm trembled, struggling to grip his sword as his wings fpped frantically, sending him flying backward. He stared in shock at El’s terrifying form.

  'Whoosh... whoosh...'

  El moved like lightning, his body glowing with power. He had abandoned defeirely, entering his stro attack state as he charged forward with unparalleled speed.

  “Arrows of Holy Light!” Radiant wings spread wide as Saint Howard, bathing in a blinding aura, unched a storm of searing light arrows that poured down like an uing rain of purifying, burning projectiles.

  “Child’s py… Stale!” El’s expression turned icy as his four wings beat in unison, geing a terrifying windstorm. tless wind bdes surged forth, colliding with the holy arrows in a brilliant explosion of light and sound.

  'Boom... boom...'

  Through the blinding light, El, moving with lightning speed, charged forward, closing the distao the now-armed Saint Howard. His massive fists, cloaked in fierce fmes, desded like a hailstorm.

  “Dawning Peacock!”

  A flurry of fiery punches, each casting dazzling fmes like the fannihers of a peacock, filled the air, creating an overwhelming dispy of deadly beauty.

  'g... g...' Saint Howard, resolute, deflected El’s strikes with his bde, but he was quickly overwhelmed, each punch driving him backward until one blow nded squarely on him.

  'Thud!' His expression twisted in pain as he coughed up blood, his body bsted away like a onball.

  “Holy Restoration!” he muttered, quickly summoning a glow of divine light that mended his injuries instantly.

  ...

  “Judgment Bde!” With a determined gaze, Saint Howard activated his Observation Haki, pinpointing El’s approach as he lifted his radiant sword, transf it into a massive bde of light.

  “Hero’s Spear!” Unfazed, El’s muscled right arm, infused with immense queror’s and Armament Haki, struck out like a storm, smashing through the light bde with ease.

  “Fme Dragon Supreme!” In a moment, the air around El ignited into a r firestorm, f a massive, serpentine dragon that luoward Saint Howard, who retreated in terror.

  In the blink of an eye, El, shrouded in fmes like a demon from the depths, surged forward in pursuit. The colossal fming dragon twisted and roared as it closed in, threatening to e everything in its path.

  “Divine Judgment!”