Unknowingly, Kaido sobered from his drunken state, and with that, the surge of power he had gained also diminished.
But in the earlier clashes, he had already dealt the God of Oaths and Covenants, Deldort, an even graver injury.
It was only because the God of Vastness and Order, Zufmuut, kept covering for him that Kaido couldn't land the final blow.
As for Duncan, he paid no mind to them at all—he fought Kaido single-handedly, snarling now and then, cursing that they were getting in his way and telling them to get lost!
While this still subjected Kaido to an unrelenting offensive—
—it was nonetheless far easier than facing the combined assault of three gods in sync.
This, in truth, was one of the reasons why Kaido, though battered and disheveled on the surface, was still in relatively good condition.
Even so, Duncan, Zufmuut, and Deldort could not hide their shock at the combat power Kaido displayed.
[BOOM!!!]
The spiked club wreathed in violet lightning clashed fiercely against the flame-burning axe-hammer.
Ferocious Haki collided with searing divine power.
And as before, both were blown backward amid the explosive surge of energy.
But just as Zufmuut and Deldort joined forces once more to strike at Kaido—
—the latter's panting frame suddenly halted. His ferocious dragon eyes widened, and he tightened his grip on the club with both hands, his aura flaring violently.
The two gods instantly realized Kaido was about to unleash some great and devastating move.
"Take one down first!"
Kaido knew he couldn't keep dragging this out. Against three main gods, there was no chance of victory.
Even against two, it would be nearly impossible.
But even if he died here, he would drag at least one down with him.
So he burned through his strength, pouring terrifying power into the club in his hands.
"Hakoku Sovereignty!!!"
In the next instant, with a perfect batter's swing, Kaido smashed the club infused with power enough to shatter the very earth.
[BOOOOOOOOM————————]
At once, a shockwave visible to the naked eye—but moving so fast that even the main gods could barely evade—twisted the very void around it and blasted straight toward Zufmuut and Deldort.
The two gods were suddenly struck by a sensation they hadn't felt in centuries—
The fear of death!
But just as Zufmuut was about to move, he felt a force clutching at his waist, holding him back.
Startled, he looked down—and saw a silver chain coiled around him.
In that instant, Zufmuut understood.
"You!!!"
Yet before he could turn his glare on Deldort—
—the chain snapped taut and flung him forward.
"No!!!"
In that moment, Zufmuut felt as though time itself slowed down, forcing him to watch as the shockwave loomed closer and closer.
[BOOOOOOM——————]
The impact of the Hakoku Sovereignty tore past in a flash, engulfing Zufmuut completely. In the skies, it left behind a white column nearly 1 000 km wide, splitting the clouds clean apart along its path.
"Deldort, doesn't this count as breaking your covenant?"
Duncan's voice was deep as he looked at Deldort, who had, by borrowing his strength, barely escaped the shockwave at the last possible instant.
A chain had just flown toward him.
They had known each other for many years, so Duncan hadn't minded lending a hand.
And the moment to think had been too short—he had simply pulled hard, saving the other god's life.
"Of course not. Zufmuut didn't die by my hand. Just now, I merely helped him close the gap. Who could have thought that attack would be so terrifying? A pity, really."
Deldort spoke flatly, his words sly and evasive.
And it seemed the power of the covenant accepted his claim, for no punishment came.
But with his covenant partner dead, the power born of that pact naturally faded as well.
Deldort's aura began to sink at a speed visible to the naked eye.
His face, already pale from pain, turned ashen and tinged with blue.
Still, trading temporary borrowed power for a chance at survival—Deldort felt it was worth it.
"Duncan, now you can have your one-on-one duel with him. Please."
The God of Oaths and Covenants forced an ugly smile.
"Of course, if you're willing to sign a covenant with me, your strength could be raised even further."
"But it would be hard to reach the same scale as before—after all, you're already very powerful."
At those words, silence blanketed the battlefield. The atmosphere grew unbearably heavy.
Across from them, Kaido's chest heaved violently with ragged breaths, his body covered in wounds of every size.
"No need!"
Under Kaido's gaze, Duncan refused firmly.
Deldort's face darkened to iron, and inwardly he cursed.
"Lord Kaido, I am deeply ashamed—truly ashamed!"
"But I am, after all, a god of this world, and I bear the responsibility to protect it!"
"So now, I must strike and defeat you!"
Duncan lifted his blazing axe-hammer high, its firelight illuminating the night sky, his voice firm and resolute.
"Worororo~~~~"
Kaido threw back his head and laughed wildly at those words.
Even while straining under exhaustion and agony, he raised his spiked club high.
"I've always been ready to die! That is what makes a true battle!"
[BOOM! BOOM!]
The words had barely left his lips when Kaido and Duncan both exploded into motion.
With deafening sonic booms, they appeared at the center as if by teleportation.
[BOOOOM!!!!]
Lightning and fire erupted in all directions.
Deldort, himself a main god, once again felt the cold gaze of death upon him.
At once he transformed into a streak of silver-white light, desperately fleeing.
But on Kaido's side, something unexpected happened—Duncan was sent flying back!
"What?!"
Duncan felt his arms go numb, his pupils trembling violently.
He couldn't comprehend it—where had Kaido found such a surge of strength?
Wait… just now, between the purple and black-red lightning, had he glimpsed a fleeting flash of blue?
But when he looked again, there was no trace of blue lightning on Kaido's club.
What's more, Kaido coughed up another mouthful of blood—his injuries were clearly severe.
"My apologies, Lord Kaido! We must use you to restrain the World Government!"
Duncan's furious roar rang out as divine power burst from his body, scarlet light flooding the entire sea.
The heat grew so searing it turned the heavens into a blazing inferno.
"This is my full-strength strike—my highest respect to you, as the God of Flame and Forging!"
Duncan's figure was swallowed in the blinding fire.
In the void above, a massive fireball hundreds of meters across swelled into existence.
It then condensed into a colossal flaming axe-hammer.
With earth-shattering force, it came crashing down toward Kaido.
"I won't just stand here and take it!"
Kaido snarled through clenched teeth.
In the next instant, he transformed into his Azure Dragon form and charged headlong at the falling axe-hammer.
[BOOOOM!!!]
The explosion that followed was no different from a nuclear blast.
A massive fireball rose high into the heavens, blooming into a gigantic mushroom cloud.
Ripples of fire spread outward in concentric waves.
At that moment, Kaido's Azure Dragon form vanished.
Back in human shape, his eyes grew unfocused—he could only feel himself falling.
Through his blurred vision, he caught sight of that massive flaming hammer descending toward him once more.
Just as Kaido was about to sink into darkness, he seemed to hear a familiar voice.
"Kid, impressive. One against three—you even managed to take one down. And that lightning just now…"
But there was no time to think further—he completely lost consciousness.
In reality, within the blazing giant hammer, Duncan was reeling at the sudden appearance of a white figure beside Kaido.
Duncan swore he had kept his eyes fixed on Kaido from start to finish, not even blinking once.
Yet the figure had materialized from nowhere, impossibly sudden.
"Doesn't matter!"
The flaming hammer came crashing down.
Garp seized Kaido by the collar with one hand, slowly lifting his gaze toward the inferno filling the entire sky above.
"You're not bad. I'll put in a word for you with Lord Imu."
The instant he finished, a silver-gray sheen spread across Garp's right fist. Then, without flourish, he swung it upward.
[BOOM!]
His fist met the surface of the flaming hammer from a distance of barely 10 m.
There was no earth-shaking explosion.
But on the surface of the axe-hammer, forged from compressed, boundless fire, cracks spread like spiderwebs, accompanied by the brittle sound of stone shattering.
"Wh-what!?"
Duncan stared, dumbfounded, as the fissures raced outward.
[BOOM!!!]
In the next instant, the firelight around him—dense as if solid—shattered apart.
He stood there, staring blankly at Garp, who had suddenly appeared before him, holding Kaido's massive body aloft with one hand.
"You're my prisoner now. No objections, I trust?" Garp asked.
Duncan nodded instinctively, his mouth open, unable to force out a sound.
"Good. Then follow on your own."
With that, Garp carried Kaido and flew off toward Alnus Hill.
[BOOM!!!]
Moments later, a massive shockwave snapped Duncan fully awake.
"Eh————"
The dwarf-born main god hesitated for a moment.
In the end, he let out a long sigh before transforming into a stream of fiery light and giving chase.
Not long after they had departed, a figure appeared out of thin air—Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, a red gourd in his hand.
Within it were sealed the souls of the God of Vastness and Order, Zufmuut, and the God of Oaths and Covenants, Deldort.
"So this is the 'Warrior God, Iron Fist'?"
"First subdue the fleeing Deldort, then return to the Azure Dragon General's side…"
"And that punch just now—it seemed to carry a force akin to a law itself."
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo gazed after Garp's rapidly retreating figure, his expression thoughtful.
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