The colossal waves continued to crash relentlessly, and even though Whitebeard and his crew remained ten kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion, the force of the ocean could still be felt.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Seawater surged high into the sky, crashing against the Conqueror's Haki wall. Everyone inside the barrier frowned tightly, their ears ringing from the distant, thunderous detonation. The sheer scale of the attack made clear how devastating the explosion had been.
"Ashveil, you must not fall. Keep pushing forward!" whispered the hearts of those watching, silently cheering for him.
On the battlefield, the Overlord Color Domain erupted from beneath the seabed as Ashveil surfaced, immediately facing a massive dark greatsword swinging toward him.
"This Imu truly won't give up," Ashveil muttered internally, shaking his head in slight exasperation. Without hesitation, he plunged back into the seabed, evading the incoming strike.
Imu, observing from the cockpit, sneered. "Foolish human. Do you truly believe this ocean can withstand my attack?" With a tremendous boom, the Heavenly King's greatsword struck the water. The surface split violently, forming a lasting vacuum as terrifying currents radiated outward, saturating the entire ocean.
Seabed creatures—whales, Sea Kings, schools of fish, and seals—were thrown to the surface. Carcasses even drifted toward Whitebeard and his crew, intensifying their concern. Imu's killing intent was clear: Ashveil would not survive unless he proved himself overwhelmingly powerful. The rest of the world, unprotected by his Conqueror's Haki, had no such luck.
Imu's grin widened. "Hahaha! Ashveil, this strike fuses Conqueror's Haki, Rumble-Rumble Fruit energy, and sword energy! Even you will be obliterated under this blow! Tremble, humans! The dominion of the world belongs only to me, Imu!"
The electric currents intensified, annihilating all living creatures in the vicinity. Yet, Ashveil remained unseen.
"Strange… why can't I sense Ashveil's aura?" Imu muttered, frowning, activating the Heavenly King's detection ability. A massive telescope extended from the machine, scanning the ocean.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. Ashveil was not underwater. The ruler of the world, usually composed, was utterly bewildered. Observing closely, she realized the Heavenly King itself had disrupted her Observation Haki, diminishing her perception.
Imu pressed a button, revealing Ashveil's position ten kilometers ahead. The young man had activated his Overlord Color Domain underwater, instantly teleporting to a safer vantage.
"Troublesome fellow," Imu muttered, pressing the activation lever and racing toward him.
Meanwhile, Ashveil gathered a massive sphere of molten magma—the "Flame Emperor"—and hurled it at the Heavenly King.
"Hmph, boring," Imu said coolly. An ice dragon condensed above the machine, roaring as it descended upon him.
Just before collision, the Flame Emperor vanished and reappeared, expanding rapidly in her vision. Imu scrambled to dodge, only to realize a second, massive white sphere was following her—a fusion of Ashveil's Conqueror's Haki and Tremor-Tremor Fruit energy. The surrounding ocean trembled violently.
Inside the cockpit, she remained oblivious to the full force, cushioned and insulated by the machine. Nevertheless, the Heavenly King reeled under the impact. Items inside the cabin rattled violently, throwing Imu off balance.
Ashveil allowed a faint smirk. "Just as I thought. Inside the Heavenly King, her power and speed are enhanced, but her flexibility suffers. This is a behemoth, after all…"
The ice dragon, with precise control and elegant flips, was guided by Ashveil into the ocean, freezing the waters instantly. Dense mist formed, and the deep sea solidified beneath him.
"This attack rivals a hundred of Aokiji's Ice Ages," Ashveil murmured, impressed. Unlike Aokiji, whose Ice Age only froze the surface, Ashveil's ice extended to the ocean floor, a deep-freeze that reached unimaginable depths.
Suddenly, the frozen ocean cracked violently, shattering into countless ice blocks. "Imu mixed Tremor power into this… underestimated her, but not a problem," he said with a smile. He had strategically led the Heavenly King into the ocean, leveraging its own power against it.
Rumble! Rumble!
The damaged Heavenly King plummeted from the sky, crushing eight mountains in its path. Ashveil hovered above, scanning for weaknesses.
A pitch-black greatsword slashed toward him, infused with combined Haki energies. The strike hit, and while Ashveil's Conqueror's Haki shield saved him from death, it shattered under the impact, sending him flying skyward.
His eyes widened at the sheer resilience of the Heavenly King. Even fused attacks, empowered by Golden Conqueror's Haki and Tremor-Tremor Fruit strength, could not crack its body. This legendary machine, whoever piloted it, might truly dominate the world.
Ashveil shook his head. "I refuse to believe that. Even if this is the rumored world-ending weapon, I am outside its scope. I possess something stronger: my Overlord System. I am born to be a king, not defeated!"
He planned meticulously from the outset: intentionally revealing some vulnerability to lure Imu and move the battlefield away from the Whitebeard Pirates, protecting his allies while analyzing the Heavenly King's weaknesses. His Phoenix ability remained active, his Conqueror's Haki boundless.
Ashveil's lips curved into a confident arc. "Time to glide further." Using the residual force from the Heavenly King's strike, he soared through the sky.
Imu, bruised and battered, piloted the Heavenly King in fury. Half her power had been diverted to the machine, compromising her own abilities—an unforeseen drawback. "Ashveil… just wait. I will kill you!" she roared, chasing him relentlessly.
Ashveil, sensing her anger, activated his Conqueror's Haki defense and accelerated further.
Onlookers on land saw the titanic clash in the sky, pointing and exclaiming in awe. "What are those two moving so fast? That massive object behind—how can it move at such speed?"
"This is beyond meteoric velocity! And the tremors… those roars… could they be caused by these two?"
Spectators scrambled to capture footage, unable to believe their eyes. The battle between Ashveil and the Heavenly King had begun in earnest, reshaping the very ocean and sky in its wake.
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