On one side was the Golden Lion Fleet attacking Marine Headquarters, and on the other was Alucard launching an assault on Mariejois.
Since Shiki's people had only tampered with the broadcasting equipment on Sabaody Archipelago, it wasn't possible to achieve a worldwide live broadcast like the Summit War. For now, the live situation could only be seen on Sabaody.
However, Sabaody was home to many reporters. Upon hearing the news, countless reporters scrambled out of bed, grabbing their pens and paper to rush to the scene. Despite it being late at night, the bloody, hellish scenes on the screens made people want to rip out their eyeballs and press them against the displays.
The broadcast of Alucard and Mariejois was shaky and unstable compared to Shiki's, but the name "Mariejois" was more than enough to attract a huge crowd.
To ordinary people, the Government was a mysterious entity. They only knew the name Mariejois from newspapers. Very few people actually knew what it looked like.
"What is that monster?!"
The visual Den Den Mushi modified by Dr. Indigo was now broadcasting the scene of Alucard and Mariejois. Because the Blacklight-infected beasts were in a frenzy, the camera was constantly shaking. Most of the time, it only managed to catch a glimpse of Alucard and the Government's shadows before shaking to another view.
Alucard stood atop one of the infected beasts, watching the battle in the distance. The Government's agents were fighting the monsters, and the unending cannon fire was stopping the monsters from advancing.
"As expected of the World Government's last line of defense. It's not so easy to get in."
Even with Dr. Indigo's improvements, the infected beasts' combat effectiveness only lasted for about half an hour on average. After that, Alucard would have to fight alone. Before that happened, he needed to get inside the palace.
"I can't just stand here and watch... I'll have to make my move!" Alucard jumped across several infected beasts, rapidly closing in on the palace.
Among the agents in suits blocking the monsters' path, one of them saw Alucard charging towards them and shouted, "Watch out! That Alucard is starting his attack!"
"Haaaa~" Alucard stood in front of the horde, letting out a heavy breath. The infected beasts were bloodthirsty, frenzied creatures, but they wouldn't attack people or animals who were also infected with the Blacklight Virus, which was now on a higher level. This meant that while Alucard couldn't perfectly control them yet, they also wouldn't attack him.
"Fire! Fire!"
"Shoot! Open fire!"
Cannons roared, and bullets rained down.
In an instant, Alucard's body was torn to shreds, yet it eerily remained standing; the smile on his face sent a shiver down the spines of the Government agents.
Suddenly, a black wind blew by, and Alucard's body rapidly regenerated at a speed visible to the naked eye. It wasn't easy to kill the infected beasts with bullets. They had high or low self-healing abilities, and as long as they weren't one-shot, their wounds would heal automatically.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
A blue flash of light appeared as Alucard leaped into the sky, beginning a relentless barrage of gunfire. Countless agents were shot dead on the spot, and those who managed to survive the gunfire were swallowed by infected beasts after a moment's lapse in their defenses.
But as their subordinates were killed and Alucard drew closer to the palace, the Gorosei in the office remained calm, as if everything was under their control.
The blond Gorosei sat on a single-seat sofa, looking at the battlefield outside the palace through the visual Den Den Mushi's projection. He asked, "How are the preparations coming along?"
"The Celestial Dragons are still being evacuated. Knowing about this has caused quite a commotion, so it's taking a little time." The curly-haired Gorosei explained. "There are still some nobles in the slave colosseum, the performance arenas, and other places. It'll take some time to get to them."
The sword-wielding Gorosei noted, "Those monsters have a limited lifespan and are already beginning to show signs of weakening."
"That leaves only one immortal. Who's the best person to take care of him?" The elder with long white hair asked a crucial question.
As the five of them pondered, a call came in. The curly-haired Gorosei reached out and took the Den Den Mushi. After listening to the report, he frowned. "It seems the enemy hid a visual Den Den Mushi. The battle scenes at Marineford and Mariejois are being broadcast live on Sabaody Archipelago."
"What?!" The other four looked shocked. The white-haired Gorosei stroked his mustache. "In that case, we can't take our time with Alucard. Even if there are some losses, we have to deal with him quickly."
"Can't we cut off the broadcast?" The Gorosei with the birthmark and curved white mustache asked with a ferocious look.
"The other side's people have some skill. We can't do it in a short amount of time, even if we wanted to." The curly-haired Gorosei stood up. "We'll deal with Alucard immediately. According to our intel, there is only one visual Den Den Mushi broadcasting the Government's side of things. It's a mobile one, so it must be installed on one of those monsters."
"Then we'll get rid of those beasts first."
....
Alucard, just a few miles from the Mariejois palace, was slaughtering people on the Red Line under the watchful eyes of countless viewers. However, in the next instant, a flash of light streaked by, horizontally slicing Alucard's body and countless infected beasts behind him in two.
Since it didn't hit his heart, Alucard's body regenerated in less than two seconds, but the monsters behind him that were cut in half didn't have that ability. It would take them some time to regenerate.
Far away on Sabaody Archipelago, the audience watching the situation at Mariejois only saw a sudden flash of white light on the screen, followed by a spray of blood, and then nothing.
The visual Den Den Mushi... was it destroyed?
After they snapped out of their shock, many people guessed the reason and couldn't help but curse.
"I took my pants off for this!"
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