Summon the Twelve Kizuki at the Start!

"Bang!"

Akaza's right foot slammed into the ground, and for a brief moment, a glowing hexagonal snowflake pattern flared beneath him.

His battle spirit had been completely ignited.

This was the kind of fight he lived for.

"Brat! Don't get cocky!"

Liver snarled, surging forward with explosive speed, turning into a blur as he charged straight at Akaza.

He was no ordinary opponent—

A former general of the Empire,

A man forged in blood and war.

To be underestimated by a demon was an insult he would not tolerate.

Liver's punch flew toward Akaza's head with deadly force.

He had seen it earlier—

How Akaza had recovered from being torn apart, how even Spear's brutal strike hadn't ended him.

Liver understood now:

Ordinary injuries wouldn't kill Akaza.

But that didn't mean he wouldn't try.

He struck fiercely, aiming to end it before it became a battle of attrition.

Akaza didn't bother dodging.

He simply let the punch connect—

Right in the face.

"Bang!"

The sound echoed like thunder.

A normal man's skull would have been pulverized.

But Akaza only staggered back a few steps.

Blood trickled from his mouth, but his grin remained intact.

Liver's eyes narrowed.

He had hit with everything he had—

And Akaza was still standing.

"You're strong," Akaza admitted, wiping the blood from his lip.

"Your reflexes are sharp... but you're old, Liver."

"At most, you're fighting at eighty percent of your prime."

Liver's gaze hardened.

Akaza was right—

His aging body no longer responded the way it used to.

But even so...

"Eighty percent is still more than enough to kill the likes of you," he growled.

But even as he said it, doubt crept into his heart.

His strongest punch hadn't done much.

And Akaza hadn't even begun to fight seriously.

"Why reject something so simple?"

Akaza's voice was calm, almost disappointed.

"You could have had strength. Immortality. A second life."

"But you turned it down. Clearly, you lack the heart of a true warrior."

"Destructive Death: Compass Needle — Foot Style: Meteor Thousand Kicks!"

The snowflake pattern beneath Akaza flared again.

He vanished—

Then reappeared beside Liver in a blur of motion.

Liver barely had time to raise his arms before the kicks began.

They came from every direction—twisting, spinning, blurring like shooting stars.

"Boom!"

A crushing blow struck Liver's wrist.

Crack!

His right forearm snapped violently.

Pain flooded his senses, and his vision blackened for a moment.

"Damn it! Don't underestimate me!"

"I won't disgrace General Esdeath!"

Blood poured from his mouth,

But he roared in defiance.

From the ring on his hand, a red light pulsed.

His blood shimmered unnaturally,

gathering around him as if alive.

"Water Dragon — Blood Blade Technique!"

His Teigu, the Water Dragon, activated.

Though it required contact with liquid to manifest weapons—

he had more than enough of that:

His own blood.

A crimson saber formed in his hands, honed sharp by sheer will.

Liver launched forward again, slashing furiously at Akaza.

The demon didn't back down.

They collided head-on.

Each strike created shockwaves that cratered the battlefield.

Blood poured from Akaza's body—

and Liver used it.

The more blood there was, the more weapons Liver could form.

Each drop turned into another blade, another attack.

And yet...

Akaza never weakened.

No matter how much he bled,

his speed and strength never dipped.

"What the hell is this monster...?"

"Is he really immortal?"

Fear seeped into Liver's heart.

He had served Esdeath loyally, and death had always been an accepted part of his path.

But now, facing it head-on—

The real thing—

his instincts screamed to survive.

Akaza grinned amid the carnage.

"You're doing well, Liver!"

"But that's all you've got, isn't it?"

In truth, Akaza was deliberately letting Liver draw out more blood.

He was enjoying it.

Feeding his opponent power, only to crush him with it.

Not far away—

The battlefield where Niwu had been fighting Spear had ended.

Spear, covered in cuts and blood, picked up a discarded weapon.

She rushed toward Akaza and Liver.

But Akaza turned his head slightly,

his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Stay out of this."

His words were soft.

But the killing intent behind them was suffocating.

Spear froze in place—

her entire body trembling.

A nearby Imperial soldier, Boros, rushed forward to pull her back.

"Spear, don't. You'll only die."

Liver sensed his end approaching.

He gritted his teeth, pulling out a vial from his belt.

Without hesitation,

he plunged the needle into his neck.

A red serum coursed through his veins—

A forbidden enhancer developed for the Empire's elites.

His aura exploded.

The blood-soaked earth trembled.

All the blood surrounding them surged upward,

coalescing into a massive crimson serpent.

"Blood Serpent — Annihilation Fang!"

The serpent lunged at Akaza with a hiss loud enough to shake the skies.

Akaza raised his fists.

A flicker of interest returned to his eyes.

"Let's see it then."

He launched forward, meeting the serpent head-on.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

His fists crashed against the blood construct with blinding speed.

Each blow echoed like thunder.

The serpent shrieked and writhed—

but after only a few seconds—

It shattered.

Blood rained down like a storm.

Liver gasped for breath, his entire body shaking.

That was everything he had left.

And Akaza...

stood untouched,

smiling.