"That idiot lion… it's him, isn't it? The one with the 'Living Glove'—Edvishen?!"
Aeridar narrowed his eyes, gaze fixed on the plain black glove on the 'Lion's' left hand. Something about it gnawed at him.
"Could that glove… be the source of this entire army? Is that how he's controlling or creating them?"
"Wait… he said it was a Living Glove. Don't tell me that thing can animate the inanimate, bring lifeless matter to life?! That's something only a Devil Fruit should be able to do! And even then, there are only a handful of fruits that can grant life to non-living things… What the hell is that glove?!"
"Two-Sword Style: Garuda Slash!!!"
With a thunderous roar, a massive slash in the shape of a blue-white bird of prey carved through the ranks of the stone army, streaking across the battlefield in a flash.
Shnk, shnk, shnk, shnk—!
In an instant, everything within thirty meters of Oliver was sliced clean in half. At least a dozen stone beasts were obliterated.
RROOAARR!!
CRACK—BOOM!!
Otto, transformed into his orc form, let out a thunderous roar as he barreled forward. One swing of his massive palm shattered a knight wielding a stone shield and sword. The force of the blow sent chunks of shattered stone flying in all directions, even damaging nearby formations.
BANG!
A flash lit up at the muzzle of Dimitri's flintlock pistol, blasting apart the head of a stone gargoyle swooping in from the skies.
"Get the hell outta my way!!"
Backan swung his enormous battle axe, effortlessly cleaving through stone beasts and knights alike. Each swing sent shattered rubble flying.
Crack, crack, crack…
Sparks sizzled as arcs of lightning danced around Vito's body. Thunder serpents slithered through the air, disintegrating a phalanx of over a dozen stone knights in a blinding flash, their remnants raining down in a storm of debris.
The Triangle Pirates weren't faring much better under the onslaught.
As a Cannon-Cannon Fruit user, Rock had turned himself into a walking artillery platform, relentlessly blasting the stone raptors attacking from above.
Marcus stood firm in front of him, cleaving through monsters erupting from the earth, seamlessly syncing their defense and offense.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of explosions rang out overhead. Thick, choking black smoke billowed through the skies.
Fwoosh—
Suddenly, a figure burst forth from the haze, black wings slicing the air, scattering the smog with a single beat. The figure wore a white eagle-shaped mask, eyes hidden but deadly sharp.
"A bird-type user, huh? Now that's rare," Arlan muttered, feet stepping across the air as if it were solid ground, closing in one step at a time.
True flight was exceedingly rare. Even techniques like Geppo only allowed for short aerial dashes. Flight, true and free, remained one of humanity's eternal dreams.
"Tch. So you can fly too, and you're a Devil Fruit user? I got sloppy," the 'Eagle' hissed, spinning a golden short spear in his hand, his cold eyes locked onto Arlan.
He'd never seen that kind of aerial movement before. If he hadn't dodged at the last second, the earlier explosion would've torn him apart.
SHNK—!
A blur of steel flashed. A stone knight, armed with both gun and axe, was cleaved clean into three. The cut was mirror-smooth, surgical.
Nekk, catching his breath, stood amidst a heap of rubble, beasts and knights alike, dozens of shattered stone guardians at his feet. He gripped a golden scimitar, the blade gleaming under the moonlight.
"Damn it… I've been guarding this damn altar for twelve years, and I never knew it had this many stone statues hidden in it!"
His face twisted in anger. "That bastard 'Lion'… He's been hiding this whole damn army!"
Twelve years. He had watched over that altar for twelve whole years. He recognized some of the statues, they'd always been part of the décor, but most? Completely unfamiliar. Clearly hidden away, likely sealed by some mechanism… one he'd never even known existed.
ScreeEEE!!
Shrill cries echoed through the sky. Seven—no, eight giant stone raptors, including grey hawks and golden eagles, dove toward them like dive-bombers.
"Stupid toys, get lost!!"
Aeridar shouted, leaping high into the air. His foot lashed out, shattering a diving hawk into a cloud of rubble. Before the debris even fell, he drove a fist forward, air rippled in its wake, and detonated a golden eagle mid-flight, the shockwave slamming through the flock.
He vaulted higher, stepping into the sky itself. In midair, he grabbed a gargoyle by the wing and tore it clean in half, hurling the pieces down like garbage. The shattered remains exploded across the battlefield.
Another eagle streaked toward his back, its speed blistering. But Aeridar didn't even glance behind. He spun—CRACK!—and punched straight through its skull.
Then came more. A whole swarm of stone birds rushed him from every angle. Aeridar twisted midair and swept his right leg in a wide arc.
SHINK—!!
A crescent-shaped vacuum blade flashed out like moonlight, slicing clean through the flock. The sky rained gravel.
SKREEEE—!!
Suddenly, an eagle with a wingspan nearly six meters swooped in from the flank. Its talons aimed straight for the back of Aeridar's head, gleaming like blades. Bathed in moonlight, its metallic body shimmered coldly.
This was no ordinary statue, it was a masterwork. Forged from metal, every feather carved with uncanny realism. Its eyes gleamed with a strange intelligence.
The screech it released echoed across the battlefield, sharp and chilling, as it beat its massive metal wings and soared through the air like a beast of flesh and blood.
Aeridar's instincts flared, his back chilled as he felt the rush of air behind him. Without hesitation, he spun and launched a punch behind him.
BOOM!!!
His fist, wreathed in black Armament Haki, collided with the eagle's bronze talons.
The resulting clash sounded like an ancient war gong, a deafening resonance that seemed to ripple through the air itself.
A shockwave burst outward, rings of white compressed air expanding from the point of impact, followed by warped, violent vibrations that rippled across the field.
Several of the nearby stone raptors shattered on the spot, crumbling into dust.
"Damn it, what kind of metal is this thing made of?! That's solid as hell!"
The moment their powers met, Aeridar's expression twisted. A jolt shot up his arm as he felt the sheer force behind the blow, and the eerie hardness of the metal talons. Even through his hardened Haki, the impact stung.
And that was no ordinary Haki-enhanced strike, this was a blow strong enough to punch clean through the steel plating of a Marine battleship.
Yet the mechanical eagle didn't so much as crack. Not even a scratch.
In midair, the metal eagle tumbled backward, hurled away by Aeridar's monstrous strength. But the force of its talons had knocked Aeridar down as well, his boots slammed into the earth as he landed hard, skidding back.
Before he could catch his breath, dozens of stone beasts and an entire squad of stone knights surged toward him in formation, surrounding him the moment he hit the ground.
"Tch. Out of my way!"
His expression darkened. Without hesitation, he threw a punch at the air.
The space before his fist warped violently, and a powerful Impact Wave exploded outward.
In the blink of an eye, over a dozen stone guardians shattered beneath the invisible blast. Shards of stone shot like bullets in all directions, some tearing clean through even more statues behind them.
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