The recovered Junzi looked up at Rune. Her heartbeat echoed like war drums.
His body was covered in steam and a burning aura, making him look like a demon.
Surrounded by Conqueror's Haki lightning, he stared down at her.
Her eyes trembled wide, and fear welled up from her heart.
The other six God's Knights had already retreated to cover the Celestial Dragons.
The six who stayed behind had intended to clean up the battlefield, but they never expected to be the ones cleaned up instead.
Junzi looked fearfully at Chirringom beside her. After being struck by that massive Haki earlier...
...his body showed no signs of recovery. This meant the "Power of Immortality" he possessed had been shattered by Rune's previous move.
This mortal fear suddenly triggered unfamiliar memories in Junzi's mind.
"Ah!" A sharp pain shot through her brain, and Junzi grabbed her head, screaming.
Scenes from her childhood surfaced. She saw herself being led by a kingdom knight holding a violin, while the Dark Power within her began to dissipate.
Rune frowned as he watched. She looked like an ordinary little girl now; he could no longer feel her arrogant attitude or the Dark Power within her.
Boom—! In that instant, a burst of Conqueror's Haki lightning erupted from her body.
The pale, head-clutching Junzi instantly calmed down. Her eyes and body began to undergo a drastic transformation.
Massive, demon-like bat wings sprouted from Junzi's back.
The black flames in her left hand rapidly shifted into a several-meter-long Demon Trident, while an ancient book appeared in her right hand.
She exuded an aura that made even Rune feel a chill. Haki surged out, instantly sweeping across the entire island, as she flew into the air to look down at Rune.
It was as if the situation had reversed in an instant... Rain soaked Rune's entire body, and countless eerie bolts of lightning streaked through the pitch-black clouds above.
An apocalyptic scene unfolded before Rune's eyes.
He felt a familiar aura coming from Junzi—it was the same aura of Imu that had possessed Satan Saint earlier.
"You...!"
"I really want to know, are you a human who ate a Devil Fruit, or a demon who calls yourself a god!" Seeing Imu, Rune's brief chill vanished, replaced by hot blood surging through his veins.
In an instant, he channeled all the power he had gained from decades of slaughter, combat, and cultivation into his right fist.
He was currently at the peak of his strength. If he could shake this monster who truly stood at the top of the world, then becoming the strongest would only be a matter of time.
"A fellow like you!!!" Imu was furious. Sensing Rune gathering a massive amount of Haki, he controlled Junzi to focus a great deal of power into the Demon Trident, roaring at Rune in anger:
"How dare you, a mere mortal, offend a god!"
"Heh, if a god gets angry so easily, then you're a pretty cheap god." Rune didn't believe he was a god at all.
In Rune's understanding, Imu was just a powerful being whose strength surpassed everyone else in the world for now.
In this world where power was paramount, if a person's strength exceeded the comprehension of all other living things...
...then they could call themselves a god. Rune understood this logic well.
"I will make you sink into the sea along with this island!" Imu hovered in the sky above God Valley. The weapon in her hand grew continuously until she swung the Demon Trident, wreathed in her power and thousands of lightning bolts, straight at Rune in the center of the island.
Rune watched Imu's move, the flames on his body burning even more fiercely.
"I will not retreat a single step!"
The moment his fist technique was ready, Rune's eyes snapped wide. He threw a punch toward the sky, rallying the strength of every inch of muscle in his body!
"Conquerors Fist: Sky Incineration!!!"
The sea boiled as his punch, carrying inextinguishable Haki flames, confronted the peak of the world.
Having lived in this world for decades, he had lived a full life. His eyes had always been filled with a burning light, and he had never feared death.
"Can I not even shake him?" Despite his hot-blooded spirit, Rune watched his flames being gradually extinguished by Imu's Haki and whispered, "It seems... I must eat a Devil Fruit..."
Boom—! After a brief stalemate, Rune's body turned into a streak of white light. Struck by Imu's Haki, he was sent hurtling toward the depths of the ocean.
Every inch of muscle in his body was instantly torn apart by Haki that far exceeded his own strength.
Beneath the deep sea, sinking alongside countless island fragments, Rune nearly lost consciousness.
His mouth hung open as he agonizingly spat out blood, his expression twisted in extreme pain.
As he was unable to breathe, the cells in Rune's body rapidly evolved. Gills grew behind his ears, converting water into air and giving him the ability to breathe, speak, and survive on the seabed.
"My strongest punch... was easily neutralized." As his body sank further, Rune's eyes grew vacant. "I need a Devil Fruit to contend with him. I need a Devil Fruit..."
Not even Rocks or Garp had ever pushed him to such a desperate state.
Tasting defeat for the first time, Rune felt a bitter sting in his heart. Yet his consciousness remained, and his body made its final stand, constantly adapting and evolving.
"Can Imu only descend by possessing others? Could this be your weakness?" Rune's consciousness was crumbling, but he swam forward relying on sheer willpower.
Above the sea of God Valley—
Rayleigh and the others, who had already returned to the oro jackson, gazed at the island of God Valley.
Even from several kilometers away, they could clearly feel the intense heat spreading from the island to the sea.
Even the clouds in the sky were being scorched by Rune's flames, and the raindrops in the air were instantly evaporated by the high temperature. All that remained were the traces of two powerful Haki clashing.
"What is that! The sea looks like it's opened a giant mouth!"
"Vice-Captain Rune! Whose is that other terrifying Conqueror's Haki?!"
"The island is sinking into the sea! That's impossible... Rune hasn't come back yet!"
Rayleigh's face was full of astonishment. Based on Rune's strength, it should have been impossible for him to lose to those God's Knights.
One had to realize that Rune's overall strength was currently even greater than Roger's.
When Rune was in good condition, those God's Knights were just characters to be instantly crushed.
Since the founding of the Roger Pirates, no one had ever seen him truly suffer a defeat.
On the deck, Shakky held Rayleigh, watching God Valley as it was swallowed by the sea. A non-affiliated island had just vanished from the world.
A short while later—
Rune endured the excruciating pain, using his last shred of willpower to surface from the seabed and climb onto the deck along the side of the oro jackson.
Once on the deck, his last bit of strength was exhausted. Covered in blood, Rune collapsed onto the deck with a "thud," motionless.
Hearing the noise, everyone turned around, only to see a familiar figure lying in a pool of blood.
"Rune!" Rayleigh recognized him instantly. He pushed Shakky aside and ran quickly toward the back of the deck.
The others followed and gathered around, staring at the unconscious first mate in disbelief.
"Don't just stand there!" Marcus arrived with bandages and handed them to Rayleigh. "Quick, find a way to stop the bleeding, Vice-Captain Rayleigh!"
"Everyone, move aside. Jabba, Rayleigh—injuries like this must be left to the professionals."
Gloriosa and Shakky arrived and pushed the others aside to examine Rune's wounds.
The medical skills of Amazon Lily were very advanced. As former and current Empresses, their medical skills were naturally much better than anyone else's on the oro jackson.