Above the void, Imu and the others felt their hearts tremble. An unfamiliar emotion was taking root: fear.
Yes, fear!
For hundreds of years, ever since the founding of the World Government, they had forgotten what this felt like. Now, it was resurfacing, quietly but undeniably.
It was humiliating.
The moment this feeling appeared, it only fueled Imu's rage. They had lived for eight hundred years, yet they were being outperformed by a mere brat—worse, they were actually afraid of him!
This was a reality they refused to acknowledge.
However, the white-haired elder was already out of the fight. Relying on Imu and the remaining ancestor alone was no longer enough to stop Lin Xuan's onslaught.
"Bastard! Die!" the white-robed middle-aged man roared.
"Hah!"
His face flushed a deep crimson, his expression contorting with effort. With a sharp shout, the air around Lin Xuan was abruptly sucked dry. An invisible, spherical barrier manifested, trapping him inside a localized vacuum.
Lin Xuan looked around, mildly surprised. Until now, his opponent had relied solely on physical strength; he hadn't realized the man was also a Devil Fruit user.
"Is your power air manipulation? And what is this barrier?"
Lin Xuan tapped the wall of the circular barrier. It was incredibly sturdy, and the air within was still being rapidly evacuated. The Devil Fruit abilities of these Celestial Dragon ancestors seemed significantly more potent than those of the modern era.
Furthermore, this man seemed to be using two distinct types of powers—controlling air and generating this barrier.
I wonder how Devil Fruits are actually created, Lin Xuan mused to himself. The truth behind them is becoming more intriguing by the second.
Seeing the man's smug expression, Lin Xuan realized his intent and couldn't help but chuckle. "Is he really trying to suffocate me?"
In the past, that might have been a problem. However, during his last trip to the Dragon Ball world, he had used the Namekian Dragon, Porunga, to grant him the ability to survive and move freely in the vacuum of space.
A simple vacuum trap wasn't going to kill him.
Lin Xuan's lips curled into a smirk. "Well, being tied up like this isn't exactly comfortable. I might as well break out."
Without another word, he summoned the Susanoo. A massive blade of energy materialized in its hand and slashed downward!
To Lin Xuan's surprise, the barrier didn't shatter. Instead, it seemed to absorb the impact.
"Interesting. It absorbs attacks and converts that energy into defensive strength? That's a decent ability," Lin Xuan praised.
Outside the sphere, the white-robed man was laughing.
"Hahaha! This barrier can absorb any attack, and it is linked to my very life force. As long as I live, the seal will not break! Even if you are strong, you cannot escape. The air is gone; you'll be dead of asphyxiation in moments!"
But his laughter died in his throat.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Lin Xuan's silhouette vanished. He reappeared instantly right next to Uchiha Madara.
"Hey! Lin Xuan, you bastard! You actually put a Flying Thunder God seal on me?" Madara roared in frustration.
Only then did Madara realize that Lin Xuan had secretly marked him with a teleportation formula. Even with his perception, he hadn't noticed a thing until Lin Xuan actually triggered the technique.
Lin Xuan ignored the complaint and immediately charged back toward Imu and the others.
Gabus was initially startled by the sudden reappearance, but he quickly sneered. "I was worried about that guy keeping me busy, but you've delivered yourself right to me!"
His body erupted with a purple-gold radiance as he lunged at Lin Xuan.
However, in the next second—
BANG!
Gabus was sent flying like a meteor, hurtling toward the ground at a terrifying speed.
As luck would have it, he was falling straight toward Akainu. The Fleet Admiral had transformed into a massive magma giant and was currently in the middle of a focused, frenzied attack on the surrounding enemies.
BOOM!
A direct hit.
The earth groaned as a massive crater opened up. Akainu, who had been rampaging just a moment ago, was nowhere to be seen.
Holy crap...
The onlookers were stunned into silence.
"What the hell was that?" Garp asked, blinking in confusion. It had happened too fast for him to track.
"I think... it was one of the Celestial Dragon ancestors," Roger said tentatively.
The crowd wondered if Akainu had just been flattened to death by his own side.
Soon, a figure erupted from the crater. It was Gabus. Cracks had appeared across his body, and blood seeped from the fissures. He didn't stop to look back; he had no interest in killing "weaklings" like Akainu. He shot back into the sky to resume his clash with Uchiha Madara.
Meanwhile, Luffy and several others ran to the edge of the pit to peek inside. They found Akainu lying at the bottom, mangled and unrecognizable. Whether he was alive or dead was anyone's guess.
At that moment, the pirates gathered before Mary Geoise let out a deafening cheer.
"Chairman Lin is invincible!"
"Even the ancestors are no match for him! He's too strong!"
"Charge! Today we break down the gates of the World Government!"
Morale for the New Era Alliance skyrocketed. The revolutionaries and pirates launched a frenzied renewed assault, forcing the World Government forces into a desperate retreat.
But then—
"Do you really think you've won? You will all die here today!"
A cold, resonant snort echoed across the battlefield. It was the voice of the long-bearded ancestor. Immediately following his words, a terrifying, suffocating pressure swept out from the depths of Mary Geoise.
Simultaneously, a massive disturbance began to stir from the depths of the nearby ocean...
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T/N:
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