Dark clouds shrouded the sky.
Doberman held a microphone: "Repeating once more—Marines below the rank of Rear Admiral must immediately evacuate Reverse Mountain! Do not gaze upon the noble visage!"
In an instant, an abnormal evil aura enveloped the battlefield.
Every Marine felt their bodies turn cold.
"Hey, what's happening?"
"The Five Elders???!"
"Don't just stand there—retreat now!"
The Marines scrambled away in panic, rushing toward their warships.
Hoenn's soldiers also received orders to quickly return to their fleet. Though they didn't understand the exact situation, the mere title of "Five Elders" was enough to put the Hoenn Navy on high alert.
"CRACK!"
Black lightning struck the earth!
A massive pentagram magic circle appeared on Reverse Mountain's coastline, thick black smoke billowing upward.
"The Five Elders?!"
Gurd, Aokiji, Fujitora, and Ryokugyu.
All four men's expressions changed instantly. They immediately ceased fighting, turning toward the distant magic circle spewing pitch-black smoke.
A substance resembling black sludge surged forth!
"The Five Elders actually came personally!"
Reverse Mountain was over ten thousand miles from Mariejois—there was no way the Five Elders could teleport directly from such a distance. This meant they'd been hiding within the Marine fleet all along.
They came prepared!
Gurd's eyes burned with intensity.
As the current Supreme Commander of the Hoenn Government, his position directly opposed the Celestial Dragons. The arrival of a Five Elder made his blood boil with excitement!
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!"
Haki lightning scattered wildly, destroying everything around the magic circle as the writhing black sludge gradually solidified into form.
An enormous skeleton warhorse emerged, radiating ominous energy. Black flame ribbons floated around its neck—the telltale sign of an Awakened ability!
The warhorse's upper body twisted and morphed into the form of a bald samurai, wielding one of the Supreme Grade Swords—the First Generation Ghost Cutter.
"Finance God of War" Saint Nusjuro!
"How long it's been... the mortal world."
Nusjuro's gaze locked onto Gurd.
Gurd grinned fiercely.
"To think the Five Elders—the world's highest authority—would turn out to be such rare monsters. Are the other Elders the same?"
"Mortal, you are unworthy of such knowledge."
Nusjuro moved his limbs—in the blink of an eye, he appeared before Gurd, the massive Demon Cutter slashing downward!
So fast!
Gurd's heart pounded as he crossed his arms defensively, Haki coiling around them!
"CLANG!"
The blade struck Gurd's forearms. An overwhelming force erupted, sending Gurd flying backward—crashing into the Red Line!
"BOOM!!!"
The cliffside trembled violently as countless boulders collapsed. A massive slash mark tore across the mountain face, stretching beyond sight!
A slash rivaling even Hawkeye's!
Aokiji and the others paled.
None had anticipated that a member of the world's highest authority would possess such terrifying power!
"BOOM!"
The rubble exploded!
Gurd emerged from the wreckage, both arms dripping blood—the slash's wound clearly visible.
Saint Nusjuro raised his blade.
"Your death will restore stability to this world."
"Kekeke! Old bastard, I want to slaughter you all the same!"
Gurd laughed wildly, his eyes blazing with intensity.
It had been ages since he last tasted injury—that slash had made him keenly aware of the danger before him.
His body began expanding and transforming.
"ROOOAR!!!"
Groudon Form!
The dark clouds dispersed, revealing clear blue skies.
Gurd roared at the sky, his entire body radiating waves of scorching heat that swept across the battlefield, melting the ground beneath him into magma.
A searing Flame Beam spewed forth!
Nasujuro's expression shifted slightly. Instead of slashing through the flames, he swiftly dodged to the side.
The Flame Beam swept across the land, extending all the way to the horizon!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The ice shattered, and towering waves erupted!
Gurd's pupils moved, locking onto the charging Nasujuro. The opponent's speed was astonishing, covering a hundred meters in an instant!
"Brick Break!"
Claws clashed with blades!
"Zzzzt!"
Haki lightning crackled wildly, obliterating everything around them!
Gurd grinned.
"Cliff Sword!"
A pillar of molten rock erupted from the ground, stabbing toward the skeletal horse's abdomen!
Nasujuro pushed off with all four limbs, leaping effortlessly into the air to evade the Cliff Sword's assault. At the same time, he channeled his strength into his arm and unleashed a massive circular Slashing Wave!
Having suffered once before, Gurd knew full well the sharpness of his opponent's slashes. Under the clear sky's enhancement, a dazzling light gathered in his mouth.
"Solar Beam!"
The beam of sunlight struck the center of the Slashing Wave. The two forces clashed for several seconds before Gurd's relentless output overwhelmed the slash, shattering it completely!
The light beam gradually dissipated.
Gazing at the skeletal horse hovering in the air, Gurd didn't hesitate for a moment. His body began to glow with a golden radiance!
"Thunderbolt!!!"
Golden lightning descended from the heavens. With its near-impossible-to-dodge speed and the First Generation Ghost Cutter acting as a conduit, the bolt struck Nasujuro with pinpoint accuracy.
Within the blinding golden lightning, Nasujuro's contorted face could faintly be seen—clearly injured.
Though called a "Thunderbolt," the voltage under Gurd's full power was far beyond a mere hundred thousand.
Pressing the advantage!
"Cliff Sword!!!"
A massive Cliff Sword erupted once more, piercing into the heart of the lightning storm before erupting in a blinding white light!
"BOOM!!!"
A mushroom cloud exploded in the sky!
This time, it was a direct hit!
From the very first exchange, both sides had gone all out, skipping any probing and diving straight into a white-hot battle.
The rapidly shifting tides of battle left the three onlookers—powerful figures in their own right—tense. Aramaki, in particular, was terrified that something might happen to the Five Elders.
Soon.
Nasujuro plummeted from the flames, half of his upper body gone and most of his lower skeletal frame shattered.
"It's over!"
Aramaki's face turned pale.
With such grievous injuries, survival was practically impossible. If one of the Five Elders died here, even as a Navy Admiral, he would undoubtedly be sentenced to death!
But then, the unexpected happened.
Nasujuro's broken body began to regenerate rapidly. Even severed limbs regrew, the eerie sight sending chills down Aramaki's spine.
Regeneration?
What kind of monster was this?!
"So he really is immortal!"
Gurd stared intently at Nasujuro, unsurprised by this outcome.
The Celestial Dragons—or rather, that being known as Imu—must have harnessed some unknown power, granting the Five Elders and the God's Knights immortality while also retaining the ability to strip it away at will.
It was like a demon's contract!
Perhaps Imu's ability truly was connected to demons—maybe the Five Elders' souls were indestructible, rendering their bodies unkillable.
But every ability had a weakness. He just hadn't found it yet. He'd need to uncover it through battle.
"Aokiji, Fujitora, and Ryokugyu—you'd better stay back. I can't guarantee I won't accidentally hit you next."
Gurd gave a warning, then closed his eyes to focus on sensing the rhythm of the earth, his will reaching straight to the core!
He intended to turn this place into a world of Magma!
Nusjuro also ceased his movements, communicating with the other Five Elders through consciousness. Alone, he might find it difficult to deal with Gurd.
No matter the cost, they had to eliminate Gurd here!
This might be their only chance!
(End of Chapter)