This agonized scream was far too sudden!
Everyone, whose attention had just shifted elsewhere, instantly snapped their focus back to the battlefield where Uchiha Madara and the others were.
What they saw left them utterly bewildered.
The Second Elder Star, Longbeard, who moments ago had been the picture of unwavering composure, calmly providing healing support to his allies, was now impaled on several grotesque trees!
The one screaming was, naturally, him.
Lin Xuan's attention was also drawn by the commotion. To be honest, even he hadn't anticipated this turn of events.
In all fairness, while he had deliberately shouted loudly to disrupt the Elder Stars, he never expected Uchiha Obito would seize the opportunity so precisely, landing a major blow on their enemy's healer!
One had to admit, Obito's attack was brutally effective!
His "Hell's Chaos" technique was originally a standard killing move developed from combining Wood Release and Kamui. Against opponents like the Elder Stars, it should have been largely ineffective. But now, augmented with Six Paths Yin-Yang Power and even Armament Haki, it was a different story altogether!
The other four Elder Stars were temporarily held at bay, forced to watch helplessly as Longbeard was violently torn apart by eighteen monstrous, thorny wooden vines!
"Bastard!"
Seeing this, the other Elder Stars nearly went insane with rage. Roaring, some attacked the bizarre trees Obito had created, while others targeted Obito directly.
But Obito had anticipated this. The moment his strike connected, he immediately used Kamui, phasing away to retreat safely.
Thus, he escaped unscathed, while Longbeard was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground.
Covered in blood, Longbeard was clearly severely injured. His four companions' faces were twisted in fury, their eyes flashing with panic.
In the distance, Kong, fighting against Tobirama Senju, was stunned by the scene. He inwardly gasped, "This is bad!"
Undoubtedly, Longbeard, with his healing abilities, was crucial to their team.
But Kong knew an even more critical secret: Longbeard wasn't just a healer; he was the central link coordinating their entire battle strategy! His supreme-grade Kenbunshoku Haki allowed him to communicate telepathically with the others. Their flawless coordination so far had been entirely due to Longbeard orchestrating the battle from behind the scenes.
Now, with Longbeard gravely wounded, that coordination was shattered.
While a healer could theoretically tend to their own wounds, doing so consumed far more stamina, especially for injuries this severe. In the ensuing fight, their teamwork would inevitably suffer drastically!
If Kong was aware of this, the Elder Stars themselves knew it even better. What baffled them was why Longbeard, always the epitome of calm, had made such a fatal mistake, giving the enemy an opening?
"Stay alert!" the First Elder Star, Curly, barked sharply.
The others snapped back to attention, immediately forming a protective circle around Longbeard.
To their surprise, Longbeard didn't immediately begin healing himself with his Devil Fruit ability as they expected.
Was he so badly hurt he couldn't even heal himself? Curly, Goldbeard, Mustache, and the Bald Monk grew increasingly anxious.
The only thing that gave them a sliver of relief was that Uchiha Madara and his group didn't press the attack.
Gasping for breath, Longbeard fixed his gaze fiercely on Lin Xuan and demanded hoarsely, "Where did you send that woman just now?!"
At these words, the others also snapped their attention to Lin Xuan, finally realizing that Kaguya Ōtsutsuki had vanished!
They understood now why Longbeard had inexplicably left such a glaring opening. The key lay with Lin Xuan!
Based on previous events and Longbeard's reaction, Curly and the others instantly guessed Kaguya's possible destination. Their faces contorted with shock and rage.
Mustache couldn't contain his fury, cursing loudly, "Lin Xuan, you卑鄙无耻 (despicable and shameless)!"
Lin Xuan wasn't angered. Instead, he asked with mild interest, "How exactly am I卑鄙无耻 (despicable and shameless)? If you can't give me a proper reason, I might just have to show you what真正的卑鄙无耻 (truly despicable and shameless) looks like by joining the fight and ganging up on you right now."
The Elder Stars paled with renewed fear and anger. Mustache, in particular, dared not retort. He was genuinely terrified that Lin Xuan would make good on his threat and attack them together!
Before the battle, they had been confident. They believed that while the Ninja Association was powerful, their personal intervention could suppress it. But discovering that Lin Xuan's "Edo Tensei" could bizarrely summon members from across the globe instantly, and that these members had all grown significantly stronger in just half a month, many learning Haki, had shattered most of their confidence.
Seeing the Elder Stars genuinely cowed by Lin Xuan's words, Uchiha Madara and the others couldn't help but sneer contemptuously.
A wave of despair washed over the World Government forces. A single thought echoed in their minds: Even the revered Elder Stars are intimidated into silence by a single sentence from him... Do we really stand any chance of winning?
Morale plummeted instantly.
It was then that Longbeard revealed another shocking piece of information.
Staring intently at Lin Xuan, he said grimly, "You sent her to launch a surprise attack on Holy Land Mary Geoise, didn't you?!"
"What?!"
This exclamation came not only from Kong, Sengoku, and the other World Government personnel but also from Whitebeard, Roger, and their allies.
Holy smokes!
No wonder Longbeard had panicked and left an opening! Lin Xuan had ruthlessly sent someone to attack their headquarters without a word!
They finally understood why Mustache had cursed Lin Xuan as (despicable and shameless).
Lin Xuan merely shrugged. "So what if I did? So what if I didn't? I never said I wouldn't attack your base. How does that qualify as (despicable and shameless)?"
These words nearly made the Five Elder Stars vomit blood in sheer fury.
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T/N:
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