No matter how violent Dragon's storm attacks became, they were powerless before the Sword Saint's single descending slash.
The sky split apart as one tornado after another was cleaved cleanly in half.
A suffocating pressure burst outward, sweeping across the battlefield. The sky, once dim and overcast, was suddenly illuminated by blinding radiance.
"You insects cannot withstand my power. This is the difference between us," Sword Saint Bickley declared with cold arrogance, his expression steeped in disdain.
A devastating sword aura surged forward, dragging broken earth and debris along with it. The overwhelming pressure made even seasoned warriors freeze in fear.
"It's coming! Even Dragon can't hold back that ridiculous slash!" Ivankov shouted, his eyes stretched wide with terror.
If Dragon failed here, then the rest of them—alone and exhausted—stood no chance of defending themselves.
Dragon's expression hardened. He turned sharply toward the forces behind him and roared:
"Run!"
"Our objective is escape! We cannot win against him!" Dragon shouted. The moment Bickley entered his transformed state, his power rose to a realm far beyond their reach.
His warning jolted the fleeing Revolutionary Army members, who activated their abilities and retreated with desperate urgency.
Dragon stepped forward, planting himself between them and the incoming holy slash. His arms were coated in dense, surging Armament Haki, swelling with blackened muscles thick enough to dwarf his own legs. The flowing Haki around his arms writhed like living creatures.
The concentrated Armament Haki twisted into the shape of two dragons coiling around his forearms.
With a fierce roar, Dragon thrust both arms forward.
Two massive Armament Haki dragons erupted from his fists, launching toward the oncoming holy dragon unleashed by Bickley.
Black dragons clashed with the radiant white dragon in midair, lightning crackling violently across the sky. The difference in power was immediately clear. The white dragon's talons pierced through the black dragons' bodies, sizzling with destructive force.
The black dragons groaned before dissolving entirely—yet even in death, they successfully halted the Holy Dragon's first advance.
Bickley's lips curled.
"I didn't expect you to stop my Holy Sword. But it's useless."
"Even its remaining power is more than you ants can withstand!" he sneered.
The remnants of the white giant dragon surged forward once again, racing toward the fleeing Revolutionary Army.
With a deafening roar, the holy dragon detonated upon the ground. The explosion resembled a miniature sun erupting, flooding the battlefield with blinding light and horrifying destructive energy.
Dragon, standing at the front, was struck first.
He activated full-body Armament Haki instantly, barely keeping himself alive. Even so, the searing light tore through him, hurling him backward as blood erupted from his mouth and scattered across the burning air.
Behind him, the South Army Commander had already fled nearly ten thousand meters into the sky. He turned, only to see white light swallowing everything.
His eyes widened.
The holy light engulfed him completely.
A sharp scream echoed—then his figure vanished amid exploding fuel, torn metal, and blazing fragments.
Back on the ground, Ivankov and East Army Commander Betty fled as fast as shattered terrain would allow. Using powerful leaps, they covered distance rapidly, yet still far too slowly compared to the incoming slash.
A brilliant flash appeared behind them, swelling outward like a second sunrise.
Ivankov turned and nearly froze, his heavily made-up face contorting in horror.
"So this is… the power of the Celestial Dragons? I always thought they were useless parasites… but this… this is beyond anything I imagined!" Ivankov gasped, trembling.
Betty gritted her teeth, face pale but resolute. She swung her flag forward, its glow intensifying. The surrounding energy responded to her call, swirling toward the incoming holy slash.
For a breath of time, the brilliance dimmed.
Ivankov's eyes lit up.
"You did it, Betty! You actually stopped—"
"Idiot!" Betty snapped, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. "If Dragon couldn't block it, how do you expect me to? Prepare yourself!"
The paused attack resumed, surging toward them with renewed speed.
"What do we do? We're going to die!" Ivankov screamed.
With no time left, he snatched a syringe from his waist and plunged it into himself. Betty did the same in her own way—forcing her exhausted body to stay alert, fully aware that hesitation meant certain death.
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