"What!!!?" Nearly everyone's jaw dropped simultaneously, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief. Including the few Revolutionary Army members observing in secret, their expressions were also shaken at this moment, their eyes full of horror.
"How is that possible...!" The Revolutionary Army member standing on the rampart opened his mouth, his lips trembling, and finally uttered these words.
However, these reactions had no effect on Wilder. He retracted his fist, turned slightly, and looked towards the Grand General of Conquest. The other man also looked over at the same time. Staring at the iron fragments littering the ground, his pupils flickered, his face extremely grave.
"A terrifying punch! Where do you come from, you bastard?" He was almost certain in his heart that the person opposite him was definitely not from the East Blue; otherwise, he would have been famous long ago!
"Heh… I can't say, can I?" The white mask gleamed with a sinister, cold light. At this moment, Wilder appeared mysterious and eerie in everyone's eyes.
The battle strangely paused at this moment. Everyone's gaze turned in this direction, filled with tension and gravity.
"Hmm? Not planning to fight anymore?" Wilder, wearing his mask, faced the surrounding crowd, scanned them, and spoke.
"Of course, if… you still don't intend to stop," the Grand General said, his face regaining its resolute and steady composure as he took a step forward, looking at Wilder.
Time's almost up…
Beneath his mask, Wilder's gaze hardened. He paid no heed to the Grand General's words. Right now, he just wanted to end this battle quickly… or rather… shift the battlefield to the Royal Palace.
"Well then… if the King is killed, this war should end, right? Why not use such a direct method?" Wilder said with a low chuckle. His words made everyone, including the Grand General, change expression.
Especially the Grand General; his face was now filled with killing intent. "Something like that, I will absolutely not let a guy like you accomplish it!" As his words fell, the short blade in his hand—enormous compared to an ordinary person's—had already swept towards Wilder!
WHOOSH! It brought with it a hurricane, the short blade making a piercing, sharp sound as it cut through the air. The expressions of those nearby changed, and they hastily moved away from the area.
"A pity," Wilder said, tilting his head up. His gaze shifted towards the Royal Palace, and he grinned. His figure flickered and instantly vanished from the spot.
The terrifying strike hit the spot where Wilder had been standing, instantly kicking up a huge cloud of earth and rock debris! The Grand General gritted his teeth, his face extremely unsightly as he watched the figure speeding towards the Royal Palace under the night sky.
"Don't even think about it!" he roared angrily. The muscles in the Grand General's thighs bulged, and then with a BOOM! a whirlwind erupted where he stood. Dust and smoke billowed as his entire massive body shot forward!
Leaving behind a group of terrified Royal soldiers and the rebels, whose grave expressions held a hint of anticipation, both sides stood still for a moment. Then, the chilling sound of swords being drawn rang out, and the two forces suddenly drew their blades and clashed once more.
On the outer walls of the Royal Palace, the soldiers here were already in stern formation, staring at the figure gradually approaching in mid-air, filled with both tension and resolute conviction. Everyone looked death in the face, their eyes fixed unwaveringly ahead.
"Archers, prepare!" a general with a full beard standing on the city wall suddenly waved his hand and shouted!
Swish, swish, swish! In groups of three or four, the uniform mechanical sounds of giant ballistae being set up echoed from the city walls. Sharp, thick bolts were aimed at the ever-approaching figure. The general's gaze remained fixed there from beginning to end, his expression calm yet grave. Everything that had happened in the square was still vivid in their minds. That person… the one constantly approaching, was chillingly powerful. Just thinking about the might of that punch induced a sense of helplessness.
But… they still had to defend! At this thought, the general's eyes narrowed, his expression turning resolute. Finally, at this moment, Wilder entered firing range!
"Fire!"
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH...! Instantly, ten thousand arrows flew as one, their sharp whistles filling the air! Countless thick bolts shot out from the city walls, dense and overwhelming, covering the entire sky!
Wilder stepped on the air, his figure continuously advancing. In motion, he tilted his head slightly, glanced at the unavoidable sky full of arrows, then retracted his gaze, his face beneath the mask remaining utterly impassive. His black robes fluttered in the fierce wind. Wilder's body suddenly dropped, descending in a stance that was feet-down, head-up, resembling both standing and gliding! The myriad bolts rained down from directly above his head, as if in pursuit. Simultaneously, countless arrows closed in from all surrounding directions. The entire scene looked as if Wilder was enveloped by a circle made of arrows, and this encirclement was rapidly shrinking.
BOOM! The battle in the square below had also reached a white-hot stage. At this moment, some people were drawn by the arrows in the sky, looking up towards that spot. Wilder's figure seemed so tiny amidst those thousands of bolts. The battlefield gradually shifted towards the Royal Palace, and at the same time, more and more eyes turned towards the sky.
The Revolutionary Army member on the rampart was also staring there, his hand under his robe unconsciously clenched into a tight fist. Of course, he wasn't worried about Wilder's personal safety, but rather worried whether he… could survive the arrow storm and kill the King!
"The situation looks really bad," he murmured, wondering if he himself were in that position… could he dodge it… no, could he even survive. Each bolt was as thick and long as a javelin, and the ballistae that launched them were large machines operated by four men each. The force they carried was unimaginable.
Naturally, in everyone's eyes, Wilder was already in an incredibly dangerous situation. The rebels, unaware of the deal, couldn't help but sweat nervously for him.
When the Grand General saw those arrows, he had already stopped his pursuit, landing at the base of a wall. He glanced at the situation above, his eyes narrowing slightly, then in a few quick leaps, he advanced along the ground, rushing towards the Royal Palace.
It takes a long time to describe, but in reality, everything happened in an instant. The arrows were swift, striking from all directions with the speed of lightning!
"Iron Body," Wilder said faintly, his tone devoid of any fluctuation. His advance was not disturbed in the slightest; he continued to step on the air towards the Royal Palace, seemingly oblivious to the arrows shooting at him from all around.
In the blink of an eye! A dozen of the thousands of bolts were the first to arrive, striking Wilder's body at terrifying speed.
Clink! Clink! Clink! Clink!
A series of metallic impact sounds rang out, crisp and loud, continuously radiating down to the battlefield below! The sharp bolts struck Wilder's body, sending out sparks, as if hitting steel. The originally astonishingly powerful arrows ricocheted off in less than a breath, their momentum dissipated, and fell downwards.
The sound carried from above down to the battlefield. At the same time, this scene was witnessed by everyone, and for a moment, there was dead silence. Only the continuous clink-clank of impacts from above echoed in everyone's ears, unceasing.
"How invincible can one be?!" someone exclaimed loudly, recovering from their shock!
Invincible… Yes, in the eyes of the crowd below, this indeed counted as invincible. Shattering a massive iron gate with one punch was one thing, but now, even arrows striking his body couldn't harm him and were instead deflected. If such a person wasn't invincible, what was?!
Thousands of arrows shot from all directions, yet in the end… Wilder still pressed through the arrow storm and stepped onto the city wall!
Thwip! Reaching out, he caught a handful of bolts that flew past him. Wilder's gaze shifted, then with a flick of his wrist, the bolts instantly pierced through a defending soldier. The remaining soldiers finally snapped out of their panic and attacked Wilder. The general also charged forward, sword swinging!
"Take this!"
"BRRRRRRRRT!" The two machine guns suddenly appeared in Wilder's hands. He pulled the triggers. Bullets flew out. The general stared, holes appearing on his body, and collapsed with a rigid expression.
"Sir!" Seeing this, the surrounding soldiers' eyes turned red. They roared and charged recklessly at Wilder.
Wilder glanced at them, expressionless, turned his muzzles, and merciless fire erupted. The charging soldiers fell in droves without even uttering a scream.
"I don't have time to waste on you now," Wilder said, glancing at the Royal soldiers rushing from the distance to block him again. His eyes flicked slightly backward, and a massive figure appeared in his peripheral vision. With that, Wilder raised his muzzles, and bullets roared out! The Royal Army soldiers had no way to resist; Wilder easily broke through.
For Wilder, bullets were practically infinite. He had the equivalent of an entire warehouse of machine gun ammunition stored within his body, all already loaded into linked belts or magazines, requiring only a slight push under his cloak to reload. However, the overheating problem caused by firing the machine guns for an extended period still forced Wilder to temporarily put them away. Anyway, he had already broken through. It didn't matter whether he had the machine guns or not; his powerful physique and combat skills alone were enough to prevent the surrounding soldiers from getting within a single step.
Behind him, the Grand General pursued relentlessly, but Wilder had no intention of stopping to fight him. Right now, he just wanted to end this war as quickly as possible, and then… hurry to the next one!
"Everyone! Stop him!" The Grand General behind, seeing Wilder getting closer and closer to the main hall of the Royal Palace, anxiously shouted to the distant soldiers! He wanted to use the soldiers to delay Wilder, buying himself time to catch up. That way… he could stop him!
"Yes, sir!" The Royal Army soldiers, fearless of death, rushed from all directions. Soon, a large group of soldiers had gathered in front of Wilder!
Bang, bang, bang! Swish, swish, swish! "Kill!"
Gunfire constantly shot from the front, striking the ground around him, kicking up a layer of white smoke from the bullets hitting the ground and shattering stones. Wilder's figure flickered, continuously advancing through the hail of bullets. But even so, his speed inevitably slowed. Though his physique was powerful, he was ultimately flesh and blood; bullets could still harm him. Otherwise, someone as strong as Whitebeard wouldn't have indirectly died from a bullet in the final moments of the Summit War. Although these were just ordinary bullets, not imbued with Armament Haki, even ants could be fatal in large numbers. Blocking dozens didn't mean he could block hundreds!
Therefore…
The white mask suddenly tilted up slightly, gleaming with a deathly, pale cold light under the moonlight. Wilder's low, icy voice sounded from beneath the mask: "Great Serpent!"
As his words fell, a deafening roar shook the air. Time seemed to slow infinitely. Invisible shockwaves spread out, and the terrified expressions of the Royal Army soldiers in front froze on their faces. A transparent, whitish fist imprint rushed forward, shaped like a transparent white tube, passing through the crowd of blocking soldiers.
BOOM! An explosion erupted in the silence! A violent storm burst forth from the long, white fist imprint, sweeping out in a circular pattern from the point of impact. The surroundings looked as if they had been scraped by a giant shovel. Raging air currents, dust, ash, rubble, chunks of earth… and Royal Army soldiers were all flung outwards!
Great Serpent—Wilder's currently strongest fist-and-foot attack technique! It possessed terrifying penetrative power and impact force! The pinnacle of his physical combat skill!
"Hah!" A deafening roar came from behind. The Grand General had finally caught up!
Wilder turned to face the Grand General. "Looks like I'll inevitably be delayed for some time."
"But it doesn't matter… anyway…"
BOOM! Before Wilder could finish his sentence, his body shot forward! Black robe and armor—two formidable bodies collided!
A massive roar transmitted from the Royal Palace, making those on the battlefield outside look over in alarm. After the roar, the dust settled, revealing a devastated ground. The surrounding city walls were broken, and a giant crater had appeared within the Royal Palace grounds!
In the giant crater, the massive nine-meter-tall body lay quietly on its back in the center. Its armor was tattered and ruined, its body covered in numerous gashes, bleeding.
"No… no resistance at all." The person in the crater stared up at the night sky, eyes wide and bloodshot, pupils flickering with surprise, unwillingness, and even more so, shock!
...…
Outside the Royal Palace walls, the rebel army had already surged forward. With Wilder unintentionally clearing the way, the Royal Army had already suffered heavy losses and was being pushed back steadily by the rebels!
Meanwhile, Wilder himself now appeared in the King's palace. It was very quiet around him, a stark contrast to the thundering cannon fire outside. Blood flowed on the ground. At his feet lay the corpses of a dozen guards.
Wilder stepped over the corpses, his mask tilted up slightly, his gaze fixed on the man seated on the throne. An old man with a grizzled beard, wearing a crown, his expression calm with a hint of a smile.
"Have you come to take my life?" he asked, looking down at Wilder. His voice was old yet firm, carrying an indescribable nonchalance.
"Yes. You are a king. Eventually, every generation must walk this path. You are unfortunate."
As Wilder spoke, he had already stepped onto the dais and arrived before the throne. Blood flowed in this great hall—on the floor, on the throne. Wilder turned indifferently and walked out of the hall. Behind him, on the throne, lay the slumped corpse of the King. The corpse was intact, its attire neat, still maintaining royal dignity.
BOOM! A massive explosion erupted from the Royal Palace!
The huge palace… and that national treasury all collapsed in this explosion, falling into a giant chasm, and were buried.
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