The super-meteor, as large as a small island, burned through the atmosphere, painting the entire night sky a hellish orange-red. Below, Saint Marcus Mars, having just climbed from the crater, saw the shadow of true despair reflected in his enormous eyes for the first time. He could not survive that impact.
Just as the meteor was about to strike the ground, a black afterimage slammed into it with unimaginable speed.
"Roar—!"
Saint Topman Warcury let out an earth-shattering roar. Black clouds of Haki surged around his mountain-like boar form, and his two massive tusks became indestructible battering rams, striking the very center of the meteor.
Boom—!!!!
The meteor's descent came to a sudden halt. The Red Line beneath Warcury's feet cracked and shattered, spiderweb fissures spreading for miles in every direction. His muscles bulged as he pushed his brute strength to its absolute limit. Cracks spread across the surface of the meteor until, with a final groan, it disintegrated.
Countless burning fragments rained down, gouging deep craters in the ground, but they failed to kill Saint Mars. Kyle wasn't surprised. He never expected a purely physical attack to finish one of the Five Elders; crippling them was enough.
His figure drifted down from the sky. The moment his feet touched the ground, the earth erupted. Dozens of sharp rock spikes burst from beneath him without warning, trying to impale him. At the same time, the wind whipped up a storm of sand that formed into sharp blades, sweeping toward him.
The Warrior God of Agriculture, Saint Shepherd Ju Peter. The old schemer was hiding underground, playing games.
Kyle moved nimbly through the storm of rock and sand, but the attacks were everywhere. A flicker of impatience crossed his eyes. "Hiding underground like a coward?" he snorted.
He stopped dodging. He flipped his naginata, Nidhogg, and slammed the end of its handle hard onto the ground.
"Earthquake: Ground Roar Wave!"
An invisible, high-frequency vibration instantly shot deep into the Red Line. The earth began to churn violently. The hard rock layers shattered and flowed like boiling water. The ground for several kilometers transformed into a turbulent sea of stone.
A pained roar echoed from deep underground. A moment later, Saint Ju Peter's enormous sandworm body was blasted out of the earth by the violent force, landing clumsily on the churning ground.
Now!
Kyle vanished, closing the distance in an instant. A seven-colored, arc-shaped wave of energy left his blade, tracing a brilliant path through the air before striking Ju Peter's massive body. The sandworm didn't even have time to scream as its mountain-like body was cleanly cut in half. Foul-smelling blood and organs gushed out.
Kyle didn't stop. He twisted in mid-air, unleashing several more slashes. Ju Peter's body was instantly diced into eight pieces, scattered across the ground.
Seeing his comrade dismembered, real fear appeared in Saint Warcury's beast-like eyes. In the distance, Saint Nusjuro was still locked in a desperate battle with the swordsman, Mihawk. Here, in just a short time, Kyle had severely wounded Mars, crippled Saturn, and now butchered Ju Peter.
What kind of monster is he?! Warcury thought, a cold sweat trickling down his forehead. If Lord Imu found out that the five of them together had been brought to this state, the consequences would be unimaginable. He couldn't drag this out any longer.
"Roar—!"
The black Haki around Warcury surged, completely covering his body. He became a bolt of black lightning, too fast for the eye to see, and charged directly at Kyle, putting all of his remaining strength and fury into one final attack.
It was too fast. Kyle's eyes widened. He only had time to bring Nidhogg up to block.
Boom—!!!!
An immense force struck him. Kyle felt his bones groan under the strain, as if he'd been hit by a high-speed train. He spat out a mouthful of hot blood and was sent flying backward like a meteor, slamming into a rock wall a thousand meters away and causing the entire cliff face to collapse.
…
On the other battlefield, the ground was a crisscrossing mess of sword marks and ice shards. Hawkeye Mihawk was on one knee, using his Black Sword, Yoru, to support himself as he gasped for breath. His body was covered in wounds, the deepest of which ran from his left shoulder to his right hip, his clothes stained dark with blood.
Across from him, Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro stood in his human form. He held the Shodai Kitetsu, his breathing also ragged, his white robes torn in several places. He looked at the kneeling Mihawk, and for the first time, a complex expression of respect appeared on his cold face.
"Junior," Nusjuro said, his voice no longer cold but filled with genuine admiration. "In my long life, I have seen countless swordsmen, but very few have been as skilled as you. In some ways, I must admit, you have surpassed me."
He paused, his gaze falling on the Black Blade in Mihawk's hand. "In the way of the sword," he said, his tone incredibly solemn, "I, Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, declare you the strongest!"
It was the highest possible praise. But praise could not change reality. Mihawk was at his limit. His power, Haki, and stamina were no match for an immortal being who had lived for centuries.
Nusjuro slowly raised the Shodai Kitetsu, its tip pointed at Mihawk's throat. "However, this is where it ends."
The cold blade was about to fall.
Just at that moment, a sudden gust of wind swept across the battlefield, filled with countless tiny, sharp blades. Nusjuro's expression changed, and he leaped back to avoid them. When he looked up, he saw a man in a green cloak with red tattoos on his face standing in front of Mihawk. He stood there silently, yet he seemed to have merged with the wind itself, exuding a chilling, immense pressure.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary Army, Monkey D. Dragon, had arrived.
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New Year Giveaway Update
To celebrate the New Year, I'll be randomly dropping a membership giveaway code in the Patreon community chats on January 2nd.
It will be first come, first serve—the first person to use it gets the membership access.
Keep an eye on the Patreon community chats. Once the code is claimed, the giveaway ends.
Happy New Year 🎉
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion