The Multiverse Hunter

"Tall foreigner with a massive spear on his back, you're the one who killed Tsuda," Akaza said as he tossed the man's head to the ground between Ali and him.

Ali glanced at Akaza before smirking and retorting, "Weak midget with an attitude and ugly markings, did I get that right?" Ali's grin widened as thick veins pulsed on Akaza's forehead.

"I'm going to kill you slowly for that," Akaza snarled, wiping the leftover blood from his mouth.

Ten meters separated the two. Ali took his spear off his back and stabbed it into the ground, surprising Akaza.

"I heard you're a martial artist who specialises in hand-to-hand combat. Let's see what you've got," Ali said, taunting him with his right hand.

Akaza instantly vanished from his spot, closing the distance between them in less than a second. He launched a fist straight at Ali's head, but Ali weaved to the right to avoid the deadly strike.

WOOOOOOOOOOV

Akaza's punch sent a shockwave behind Ali, striking the trees and causing the branches and leaves to sway violently, showcasing the demon's ridiculous strength.

Ali took a step back, his hands ready at his sides, while Akaza continued the assault with a left hook. Ali sidestepped, then countered with a punch of his own.

Ali's hand was covered with black veins, which surprised Akaza, who slid backward a meter just from blocking Ali's punch.

Akaza lowered his blocking arm and stared carefully at Ali before asking, "Who are you?"

Ali didn't answer. He took a quick step forward and attacked with a spinning kick aimed at Akaza's face, who leaned his head back to avoid the kick. Ali instantly dropped low and followed with a perfect sweep kick, forcing Akaza to backflip.

Akaza barely landed on his feet before sidestepping to the left to avoid Ali's massive frame, who had attempted a flying knee. The knee struck the centre of a tree trunk.

Ali glanced to his left at Akaza, who had taken a stance with his markings glowing shades of dark blue.

THUD

The massive tree fell backward as Ali smirked and slowly walked into Akaza's range. Akaza launched seven quick strikes, which Ali blocked perfectly. Then, on the eighth strike, Ali responded with a fist of his own. Akaza and Ali's punches collided.

BOOOOOOOOM

A shockwave spread through the forest when both fists met, a sheer display of raw power and high-level combat skills.

They both stepped back. Akaza flexed his right fist, where three of his knuckles were crushed, and they healed instantly. On the other hand, Ali held his right elbow, popped it back into place, and flexed his right arm.

Up in the air, the silver eagle watched all this, torn on what to do. Should it go to report to HQ to send reinforcements, or should it stick with Ali in case he needs its help? The eagle made its decision when it saw Ali matching Akaza in combat.

Akaza grinned at Ali from ear to ear. 'This is it; this is what I have been craving, a worthy opponent,' Akaza thought as he readied himself for the next round with Ali.

'I see,' Ali thought as he looked at Akaza before walking up to him. The fight continued with Akaza performing an acrobatic spinning high kick, which Ali had to evade. But Akaza spun again mid-air, landing his kick on Ali's blocking forearm, sending him sliding back two meters. Akaza landed and lunged at Ali again, his left knee raised for a flying knee of his own, which Ali sidestepped.

Akaza followed the knee with a combo of sixteen punches, but Ali perfectly blocked or evaded each one. On the last punch, Ali moved his head forward slightly, giving Akaza a fake opening. 'Got you, you slippery bastard,' Akaza thought excitedly, frustrated at not landing any direct hits on Ali.

Akaza twisted his back to gather all his strength into the heavy overhand punch he was going to launch. 'Idiot,' Ali thought as he saw the heavy punch incoming and reacted by expertly guiding the punch with the palm of his left hand downward. Akaza missed, and Ali used the momentum from the punch against Akaza, leaving him wide open. Akaza realised his mistake too late.

BOOOOOM

Ali hit Akaza square in the face with his right elbow, using all the strength he could muster with perfect timing. Akaza was sent flying across the forest, his flight stopped when he smashed into a tree, causing it to fall over.

Silence returned to the forest, but it was cut short by the sound of Akaza standing up from the tree rubble as Ali approached step by step. Akaza's face was a mess; he was missing the skin on the left side of his face, with his eye socket and canine teeth broken from the elbow strike. His left ear was nowhere to be seen.

"You're not as good at martial arts as you thought, huh? How can you call yourself an expert when you've never fought someone your own size, dickhead," Ali said with a condescending tone.

'That's the problem with Akaza,' Ali thought as he analysed his opponent. 'He hit a roadblock with his technique when he got stronger and faster than anyone in hand-to-hand combat, which made him unable to improve any further. Of course, he fought other Hashira, but that was never hand-to-hand, which was the challenge for him.'

The blood stopped dripping from Akaza's face as the wounds regenerated. He stood up and looked at Ali, his face now red with anger, the veins on his face and neck bulging as if they were about to explode.

"AAAAAAAH, I-'m going to kill you," Akaza shouted in rage. He grabbed the thick stem of a fallen tree, lifted it with his raw strength, and swung it sideways at Ali.

CRASH

The tree smashed into Ali, who stood his ground with both arms protecting him.

The wood shattered upon impact, but Ali stood firm as the purple bruises on his arms healed instantly.

Akaza slammed his foot into the ground, causing dirt to fly into the air and blind Ali's vision momentarily. Ali looked around after the dirt settled, but there was no trace of the crazed demon. Ali smirked at Akaza's tactic and closed his eyes.

Ali stood in the forest with his eyes closed, focusing on his other senses to track Akaza. Meanwhile, Akaza sprinted in a circle around Ali, hidden by the surrounding trees, before he suddenly stopped, plunging the forest into silence once again.

Ali calmly waited and prepared himself. Suddenly, his left ear twitched slightly as a thick wooden missile was launched at him. He slapped away the sharp piece of wood with his left hand and performed a backward karate kick at Akaza, who was using the distraction to attack from the opposite side but was forced to halt his approach and block the kick from Ali.

Ali didn't wait and closed in on Akaza, who swiped with his left hand. But Ali was too close already and seized Akaza's left arm before using his left leg to kick the back of Akaza's knee, causing him to lose balance. Ali executed a perfect high-level jiu-jitsu manoeuvre, pinning Akaza to the ground with Ali on top.

Akaza tried to free himself from Ali's grip but was unsuccessful as Ali rained down elbow after elbow while holding Akaza's forearms tightly. Akaza tried weaving the elbows, but Ali was relentless, delaying the strikes until he landed a perfect hit, making it harder for Akaza to defend.

BOOM BOOM BOOM

Hit after hit from Ali left Akaza in a miserable state, his head now deformed.

"Is this it? The Flame Hashira died to this? Truly pathetic! What a waste of my time," Ali taunted between each strike.

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Five extra chapters on patreon.com/Rondo312