Across the world, countless viewers held their breath as the live broadcast played out—the immortal phoenix and the flame-wreathed fighter streaked through the sky, one in blue fire, the other in orange, diving straight toward the monstrous skeletal beast below.
"Immortal Phoenix Seal!"
"Great Flame Ring: Fire Fist!"
The first and second division captains of the Kiryuu Clan—Souta Kiryuu and his comrade—unleashed their ultimate moves. A majestic blue phoenix and a colossal orange fist of fire converged from opposite directions, colliding in perfect sync against the terrifying bone stallion ridden by Lord Nasu Shuro.
"The son of the traitor still breathes?" Nasu Shuro raised his head slightly, the golden rims of his glasses flashing with cold light. The cursed sword in his hands—the First Oni Blade—burst forth with a chilling, ghostly aura.
"Then I'll erase you completely."
"Spectral Bone Tempest Slash!"
Half-beast and half-skeletal horse, Nasu Shuro swung the enormous blade with monstrous strength. The arc of spectral energy cleaved through the air, splitting the phoenix and the blazing fist into shreds of flame.
The strike didn't stop there. The wave of cutting energy surged onward toward Souta and his ally with terrifying speed.
"Move!"
The phoenix warrior lunged forward, shoving Souta aside. His vast wings of blue flame were instantly severed by the attack—but within seconds, his immortal fire began to heal, the torn feathers of flame reforming as if time itself rewound.
When his wings had fully restored, he seized Souta and soared back toward the flagship.
"Souta and the Phoenix are here!" shouted the Ice Witch, Waidibe, her eyes fierce. She rallied the remaining captains and sub-commanders of the clan. "Everyone—attack with everything you've got!"
"We're here!" Souta's voice thundered with defiance. "Hold the line! Victory will be ours!"
His flames shifted from orange to blue-white, the heat rising until the very air distorted. His fighting spirit exploded outward like a blazing storm.
Those around him—bloodied, exhausted—felt their strength returning. Their eyes lit up with fury and purpose. They raised their weapons high and roared:
"For Kinuto and Fosa!"
"With the First and Second Captains here, we can take this monster down!"
Swords, hammers, and chakra-infused weapons struck together, the combined might of the Kiryuu Clan blazing across the battlefield.
"This whelp can unite hearts and ignite courage… is this the power of the traitor's son—one of the D-bloodline?" Nasu Shuro's brow creased. His killing intent grew colder, sharper. He had decided—Souta Kiryuu must die.
The failure of the previous Sage Lord to annihilate the pirate's heir would not be repeated. He would complete the task himself.
Power crackled around him, swelling to monstrous levels. Black-red lightning scattered through the air, and his pupils turned a haunting, ghostly blue.
"Sin… purged!"
The bone horse reared high as Nasu Shuro vanished into an afterimage. His blade gleamed—a cut meant to slice through heaven and earth—its target, Souta Kiryuu's head.
Ignoring the phoenix warrior and all others, he sought only the bloodline he despised.
"Careful! Souta—he's aiming for you!"
"Immortal Thistle!"
Sensing the overwhelming killing intent, the phoenix warrior threw himself between Souta and death. He conjured a blazing blue shield of flame—the strongest of his defenses, capable even of withstanding the fire breath of the Storm Emperor himself.
The impact shook the heavens.
The spectral strike smashed into the flaming barrier, sending a quake across the battlefield. The phoenix warrior's face twisted in agony, blood spilling from his lips.
"You blocked my strike? Impressive. But your power—your immortality—it will be ours soon enough."
Nasu Shuro's expression froze into something inhumanly cold. At last, the combined attacks of the captains and sub-commanders crashed into him like a storm.
"Fire Fist!"
Seeing his comrade wounded, Souta unleashed a furious punch, blasting Nasu's massive bone form backward. The bone armor cracked and shattered—but the Sage Lord stood, unbroken, his wounds knitting together instantly, flesh reshaping as if molded from clay.
"Kill him!"
Rallying cries echoed. The captains surged forward as one. With Souta and the phoenix at their side, they believed victory was finally within reach.
Even Nasu Shuro, surrounded and harried from all sides, was forced to pull back and defend himself, striking opportunistically, waiting for the perfect moment to kill.
The battlefield dissolved into chaos and flame. The air burned. The world trembled.
From afar, the strategist Waidibe noticed the Diamond Guardian struggling to hold his ground. She ordered the Sixteenth Division's marksman, Izan, to cover him—firing chakra bullets forged from sea-stone crystals to disrupt the flying oni-bird that Nasu's ally controlled.
Meanwhile, watching from a distant monitor, Aralong, one of the world's silent observers, narrowed his eyes. The Kiryuu Clan—against all odds—had held their own against three of the Sage Lords.
Perhaps… there was still a chance.
As time bled away, dawn drew near.
On another front near Fortress G18, the Red Lotus Armada had fallen to the Beast Vanguard's assault. The surviving lieutenants and berserkers joined forces with the Twin Calamities and the Five Fangs to crush the remaining commanders of the Red Lotus pirates.
Realizing the tide had turned, Vice Commander Beckman—bleeding but unbroken—shouted over the chaos.
"Retreat! Souta! Fall back!"
For once, his calm had shattered. The cost had been too high—this war had brought nothing but ruin.
Red-haired Commander Shanks hesitated, torn between pride and pragmatism. But when he saw the Kiryuu fleet battered and the Beast Legion surging forward, his jaw tightened. If they continued, they would all be annihilated.
"Kaido," he growled, "you win. Beat another Sage Lord, and I'll call you the strongest among us."
Kaido's laugh was pure contempt. "I don't need your approval to be the strongest!"
"Whitebeard was your comrade once. You really want to let those Sage Lords slaughter him like that?"
With one last clash, Shanks released a surge of crimson lightning and used the rebound to retreat, summoning his red dragon to extract his men.
Kaido watched them go, his expression flickering between fury and calculation. Pursue Shanks… or strike at the Sage Lords and their prey?
The war raged through the night. By dawn, only embers remained.
And just as sunlight touched the deck of the great ship Moby Dick, a massive teleportation sigil ignited across its surface.
From the heart of the light stepped yet another Sage Lord.
The world held its breath again.