Under Imu's terrifying assault, the Golden Lion Shiki was struck down in an instant. His massive body plummeted from the sky and crashed into a glacial plain, leaving behind a deep crater. Whether he lived or died was unknown.
The members of the Kiryuu Pirate Group scattered in fear, fleeing in all directions. Imu's shadowed figure had already manifested halfway through the teleportation array, the aura radiating from him growing even more oppressive.
Thunder rolled. The suffocating storm clouds above burst into violent rain, drowning out the bright morning sun. The world once again fell into darkness, as if the end of days had arrived.
Imu slowly turned his head. Those ringed pupils fixed themselves on Souta Kiryuu, who was about to finish off Saint Saten. The killing intent that erupted was boundless.
Pitch-black divine spears materialized in the sky—towering, ancient, and countless—descending like pillars of the heavens toward Souta.
"All rebellious flames**… shall be extinguished."
The cold voice echoed through the shattered heavens. It held no emotion at all. It was the voice of something that did not consider itself mortal.
Boom.
Souta had just smashed Saint Saten into the ground, one foot planted on the Spider-Demon's ruined body. He looked up at the countless shadowed spears above him, and a wild grin split his face.
"Heh… hahaha!"
"Imu!"
"Are you really coming?! Are you going to descend in person?!"
"Vegapunk and the Revolutionaries are watching Mary Geoise right now! The moment you leave, the Heavenly King Uranus will either change hands… or be destroyed!"
"No one in this world expected the Celestial Dragons' greatest secret treasure to actually be the legendary Ancient Weapon—Uranus!"
"And it's been hidden… by you. You immortal old ghost!"
Souta's Conqueror's Haki surged violently from his body, darkness and lightning intertwining around him. Even while stepping on Saint Saten, even while facing the rain of divine shadow-spears, he showed not a flicker of fear.
His laughter was a challenge thrown straight into the face of a god.
The world itself trembled.
Even Imu's half-manifested figure paused. The shadowy half of his body halted mid-emergence.
"Uranus… is in the hands of the World Government??"
"The weapon that can erase entire islands with a single strike?"
"The King of the World… holds the power to destroy the world?"
"Is Souta Kiryuu trying to lure Imu away? If Imu leaves Mary Geoise, the Revolutionary Army could seize Uranus!"
"No… he wants to threaten Imu. He knows he can't win if Imu fully descends!"
The global broadcast chat exploded. Thousands exulted. Thousands trembled.
Some thrilled at the idea of hidden world history being exposed. Others feared the reawakening of weapons that should have remained forgotten.
At the same time, deep in Wano, in the heat of battle against Saint Valkyrie, Kaido glanced toward the distant sky with a rare look of solemn awe.
"So the Heavenly King is in Imu's hands…" he muttered.
He had once dreamed of awakening Pluton after gathering an army of Zoan users. Now he understood. Even if he obtained Pluton… it meant nothing. Not while Uranus remained.
"Even with only half my form descended, I can suppress all defiance."
Imu's voice rippled through the storm.
The divine spears rained down.
He had halted the descent of his full body—but he did not need to descend to kill. If he did not fully manifest, he could instantly return to Mary Geoise should anything threaten Uranus.
He suspected Souta might be bluffing. But Dragon and Souta were cunning, dangerous men.
They would risk everything.
And so Imu… hesitated.
Souta laughed. Not with arrogance. But with the sharpness of someone who had predicted this moment.
"So you won't descend. Just as I thought."
Imu treasured Uranus too much. And that was exactly what Souta and Dragon gambled on.
As the rain of divine spears fell, Souta seized the half-dead Saint Saten. He bathed himself in the sacred beast's blood, feeding power into the evolution of his Azure Dragon form.
"Looks like you don't care whether this dog lives or dies."
The spears did not hesitate. They would tear Saten apart just as readily as they would Souta.
"Teach!" Souta shouted.
Blackbeard appeared instantly, monstrous greed burning in his eyes.
Saten's Zoan—The Bull-Oni Phantom Beast—would become Teach's third Devil Fruit.
Darkness. Earthquake. And now… Oni.
This was how Souta forged kings.
"Imu! You know this power, don't you?"
Origin Overlord Strike!
The primal spark within Souta ignited. Conqueror's Haki surged—layered, ancient, absolute.
A colossal dragon of lightning and flame erupted into the heavens. Its roar tore through the storm, smashing aside the descending spears of shadow.
The world—watched. Held its breath. Then erupted.
The Kiryuu crew roared. His supporters across the world screamed.
Souta Kiryuu had just shattered the attack… of the King of the World.
"You've mastered… Origin Power?"
For the first time, Imu's voice wavered. Even the Five Elders had failed to unlock this force. Yet Souta had.
Imu's killing intent surged. Fierce. Sharp. Personal.
Because a new threat had emerged. One rivaling the Sun God Nika.
Souta met that killing intent head-on. Grinning.
"What's wrong? Tempted to descend after all?"
"I found Pluton's blueprints in Water 7. Vegapunk may already be aiming the Pluton battleship at Mary Geoise."
"If you come here… Uranus is gone."
"And in this era, both the Sun God Nika and the Sea King Poseidon have already appeared."
"Are you ready to lose the Heavenly King… and face everything that follows?"
Behind the fearless words, Souta's heart beat hard. He truly feared Imu's descent. Imu's Haki and Origin Power were terrifying beyond measure.
But Souta Kiryuu… was done bowing.
The era of gods was ending.
And the era of humans—
was ready to begin.
...
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