The battle had lasted a full six hours.
The clouds above the Red Line had long been scattered by the aftershocks of their clashes, revealing a brilliant starry sky.
Setsuna's breathing grew heavy. Cracks proliferated across his earthen-yellow crystal armor. The once-dazzling golden aura had dimmed considerably.
"Is this the limit?" Setsuna finally felt exhaustion setting in.
To withstand Imu's storm-like assault, he had to expend ten times the usual energy.
Realizing this, Setsuna began deliberately, yet subtly, shifting the battlefield back towards the palace where the Empty Throne stood.
"What's wrong? Already done so soon?" Imu's voice held mockery as she looked down upon Setsuna. "Imu thought you could last longer."
Her fingertip traced an elegant arc through the air. A dark purple energy streak shot forth like a venomous serpent.
Setsuna barely dodged sideways. The energy grazed his shoulder, exploding into a crater dozens of meters wide behind him.
The shockwave made him stagger back again, crashing through a ruined stone pillar.
"You're deliberately leading the battle back here," Imu suddenly stated, a mocking curve at the corner of her mouth. "Do you intend to borrow the strength of those ants?"
"A pity..." Imu's six wings slowly spread. Dark purple energy formed a vortex around her. "Even if you kill them now, you cannot possibly gain a power boost like Imu's."
She abruptly accelerated. Her fist smashed solidly against Setsuna's chest. The triple defense shattered under the terrifying impact.
Blood gushed from his mouth. Setsuna's body plummeted towards the ground like a meteor.
The palace completely collapsed under this blow. Countless massive stones tumbled down, burying his figure entirely.
Witnessing this, Garp and the others were incredulous. Setsuna had been trading blows with the enemy before. How was he being suppressed so badly now?
Amidst the billowing dust, Zephyr's tall figure blocked Imu's path. "Everyone! Now is our time to step in!"
Hearing his words, Imu laughed. "With just you? Can you stop Imu for one second or two?"
Zephyr's eyes held no trace of hesitation. "No matter what, we won't let you pass!"
"Let us Marines take the lead!" Sengoku transformed into a golden Buddha, unleashing his full-power shockwaves.
"Ice Age!" Aokiji's frigid air surged forth.
"Yasakani no Magatama!" Kizaru's light bullets fell like rain.
"Meteor Volcano!" Akainu's colossal magma fist struck out.
"Galaxy Impact!" Garp's Haki-wrapped iron fist descended like a meteor.
"Yami Yami no Mi: Dark Vortex!" Zephyr released darkness into the earth.
"Overestimating yourselves." Imu's six wings merely fluttered lightly, dissipating all the assaults.
Even more terrifying was the speed of her counterattack.
In a continuous series of dull thuds, the Marine powerhouses were sent flying one after another, smashing heavily into distant buildings.
"This... impossible?" Dragon's pupils contracted violently.
He had never imagined the Marine Admirals, representing the World Government's peak combat power, would be so utterly outmatched before Imu.
"Don't just stand there!" Rayleigh's sword left its sheath in a flash. Conqueror's Haki coiled around the blade like flames. "This is no time for shock!"
"Wororororo, what a punch!" Kaido charged forward with maniacal laughter, his kanabo crackling with Conqueror's Haki lightning.
Big Mom's Napoleon followed closely. "Mamamamama, never thought we'd join forces one day."
Whitebeard's Murakumogiri cleaved down with the power of the Gura Gura no Mi, space itself fracturing around it.
Shanks's Gryphon gleamed coldly. Where its edge pointed, all sound seemed to die.
Yet, reality was cruelly hopeless.
"Scram." Imu merely waved a hand lightly. Pitch-black energy surged forth like a tide.
Everyone attacking her was blasted away in an instant, blood drawing tragic arcs in the air.
In just one exchange, all the Emperors and the legendary pirates were defeated.
"What a monster!" Zephyr knelt on one knee, gasping heavily.
He finally understood what kind of monster Setsuna was facing… it was a level of power beyond human reach.
"Hah, truly foolish..." Imu sneered, about to continue her mockery, when her expression abruptly changed drastically.
Perhaps because Setsuna's energy had fallen to its absolute lowest, her Future Sight finally pierced through the interference of Setsuna's Observation Kill.
In that fleeting fragment of the future, she actually saw herself being defeated by Setsuna.
"Impossible! How can this be?!" Imu had no time to ponder where this absurd future came from. She frantically charged towards the rubble where Setsuna lay.
In that moment, she abandoned all elegance and composure, leaving only the most primal killing intent.
"Stop her!" Garp roared, leaping up again.
"Give back my father's life!" Loki bellowed as he attacked.
"Quake the Heavens and Earth!" Whitebeard unleashed his strongest strike with all his might.
Everyone fought desperately. They knew clearly that if Setsuna died, only death awaited them.
But reality was that even combining the strength of all the world's top powerhouses, they only delayed Imu for a little over a second.
"Out of my way!" Imu's six wings rotated like blades. Everyone in her path was sent flying.
Blood blossomed in the air but couldn't slow her down even for an instant.
Just as she was about to charge into the rubble—
"Gravity Blade: Tiger!"
A sudden, mountain-like gravity pressed down upon her.
Though this force only hindered Imu for less than 0.1 seconds, it was precisely in that fraction of a moment that Setsuna's energy abruptly skyrocketed!
The dust was instantly blasted away, revealing a completely renewed figure.
Setsuna's injuries had fully healed. He seemed even stronger than before.
"A 30% increase this time?" Setsuna clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within.
Though this near-death recovery's effect wasn't as dramatic as the previous two, Setsuna wasn't surprised.
After all, his accumulation time was still too short. Gaining this much enhancement just from Imu, this gold-medal sparring partner, was already a pleasant surprise.
"How is this possible?!" Imu's face contorted. How could such a thing happen?
'Recovering from injuries to full health was one thing, but how could his energy surge so much? Was there no justice?'
She glared viciously at the source of the gravity… a blind swordsman smiling slightly. "It seems I made it in time for the battle after all."
"And who are you? Daring to ruin my plans!" Imu angrily shot out a purple energy sphere.
Setsuna instantly appeared before Issho, casually batting the energy sphere away. "Imu, this is called 'Those who have justice on their side have many to help them, and those who have lost justice have few to help them'."
In truth, even Setsuna was surprised.
He hadn't specifically sought out Issho. He never expected Issho would appear at the critical moment to hinder Imu.
Of course, even without Issho, he had a backup plan.
Don Slime was only temporarily unable to lend him power. That didn't mean it couldn't leak its aura to intimidate Imu.
But there was no need to explain these things to Imu.