Just as Rowen had predicted, once the battle resumed, it was no longer sluggish or probing; it became as ferocious as fire and as swift as the wind! The techniques themselves hadn't changed, but the tempo of the fight had accelerated by an unknown multiple.
They had barely separated in one instant, and in the very next moment, their attacks collided again.
There was no rest, no pause. The continuous explosions merged into a single roar as terrifying energy shockwaves erupted across the East Blue. The sky shattered, the land trembled, the ocean boiled, the scene was like…
No.
It was the end of the world.
In the face of the three combatants' overwhelming personal strength, even the Blue Sea islands tens of thousands of meters below the battlefield risked being shattered by the aftershocks alone.
Whoosh, xiu xiu!
At that moment, a shower of azure meteors streaked across the sky, illuminating the heavens. But no living being had the leisure to admire such beauty.
That suffocating, terrifying aura told them one thing clearly: If they didn't flee, they would die.
And even if they fled… survival wasn't guaranteed.
Boom!!
Amid the chaos, a thunderous explosion erupted. Roaring black lightning spread into a vast curtain, blocking most of the Sea Crystal cannonfire, but even the few that slipped through were a catastrophe for the sea below.
Clang…!!
High in the sky, a piercing tremor rang out. Rowen knocked aside Shiji's attack, then swung his arm. Two annihilation lightning cannons pierced in from behind Shiji, forcing him to dodge.
There was no elemental suppression between them, but divine power was an utterly unreasonable form of energy, its destructive force was immense. It could forcibly latch onto even Rowen's Logia elemental body. If he took a direct hit, even he wouldn't be able to endure it.
And just as Shiji commanded the power of the ocean, Rowen wielded a force representing destruction and rebirth. His attacks were not something Shiji could afford to take lightly.
Shua!
"Hah!"
Achieving the result he wanted, Rowen let out a breath of relief.
He was just about to pull back when, unexpectedly, Rayleigh, who had been holding position nearby, suddenly stepped forward. In a blink, as if frames were skipped, he appeared at Rowen's side. In the brief gap where Rowen's previous force had been expended, Sea Crystal light burst from Rayleigh's protruding knuckles, and a punch slammed into Rowen's abdomen.
"Pff!"
Spitting a mouthful of blood skyward, Rowen was sent flying.
At that moment, he was in a miserable state: his chest had been torn open by Shiji's Sea Crystal blade, exposing his organs; the muscles at his waist were unnaturally caved in, stamped with bluish-purple fist marks; his entire body was covered in cuts.
Under such dense, relentless attacks, even his regeneration had almost failed to keep up.
"This is troublesome…"
Dodging Rayleigh's follow-up attacks, Rowen frowned in thought.
"I thought Rayleigh would be a weak point… didn't expect him to be this strong too."
One-on-one, Rowen had the ability to defeat, or even kill, Rayleigh. But with Shiji, who was far stronger, working alongside him, the odds were slim.
After awakening the divine power within his bloodline and combining it with Rayleigh's battle-hardened combat instincts, even though his essence was inferior to Shiji's true form, his strength rivaled Imu's seven–Devil Fruit burst state.
Rowen could only marvel at how cunning Shiji was, this backup plan truly deserved to be a trump card. Without such strength, what confidence would Shiji have had in it?
Of course, Rayleigh's own combat awareness accounted for only a small part of this. What truly made Rowen wary was Shiji's divine power itself.
Without divine power augmentation, Rayleigh alone would be easy prey.
"But this also proves one thing, he's very weak!"
Rowen clenched his fist and roared. Black lightning erupted, blasting Rayleigh away.
At the same time, he lunged forward, appearing above Rayleigh. A massive fist plunged straight down.
Military Wrist · Deep Gate!
At Rowen's current level, lightning had long been fused into this esoteric physical technique. The condensed power wrapped around it dragged the atmosphere into a storm. Even before the punch landed, orange-yellow firelight compressed the surrounding space into a pseudo-vacuum.
BOOM!!!
A colossal roar resounded across the world. A sound wave exceeding 200 decibels tore through everything, traveling from the eastern hemisphere to the western. Gale-force winds swept the sea, mountains shifted, and oceans were displaced.
Rowen felt something shatter beneath his fist and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"For just a puppet… isn't this a bit too desperate to protect it?"
Up to now, Rayleigh's bones had been gradually assimilated by divine power, turning into a Sea Crystal–like substance. The knuckles had even grown beyond the skin, glowing faintly.
But elsewhere, as expected, he remained at the mortal limit.
So Rayleigh alone couldn't possibly block the devastating killing blow Rowen unleashed after devouring vast amounts of Imu's and Shiji's divine power.
At best, he could dodge and reduce the damage.
The difference in essence transcended the power granted by divine force.
Rowen dared to assert that, in the entire world, only one being could block that punch,
Shiji.
Under normal circumstances, Shiji could have seized that moment to launch a sneak attack, inflicting severe damage on Rowen, or even deciding the battle outright.
But…
Fwoosh,
A light breeze dispersed, fine dust drifting through the air. Shiji stood between the two, arms crossed in defense, a deep, finger-shaped indentation visible on the outer side of his right arm.
In Titan Mode, Rowen stood ten meters tall. With Shiji barely three meters in height and Rayleigh just over two, it was impossible for either of them to leave a fist mark on his body.
Shattering it, on the other hand, would be another matter entirely.
Having deliberately taken the loss to receive that punch head-on, Shiji snorted coldly.
"That's exactly what I wanted to ask you… when did you figure it out?"
Is a mere puppet really worth you going all out like this?
"Just… figured it out while fighting."
Rowen rapidly retreated, dodging Rayleigh's slashing punch.
"After all, if you could deal with me easily, there'd be no need to call him out, right?"
"If I'm not mistaken, he's not just your puppet clone,
the divine power hidden in his bloodline is also a supplement you absolutely need after reviving."
Hearing this, Shiji's expression darkened.
Rowen seized the chance to catch his breath, rolling his shoulders.
"So really… you gods are such a hassle. If you've got trump cards, why not just carry them with you? Why all the theatrics?"
"Hmph. A dead man doesn't get to lecture me on how to act!"
Despite his words, this was the first time Shiji had truly realized how terrifying Rowen was. In Rayleigh's memories regarding the Soryu (Azure Dragon), that intense warning was impossible to ignore.
Be careful of his every move. Be careful of your own every move.
That was Rayleigh's summarized countermeasure.
Which was basically saying nothing at all.
Careful, careful, and more careful, wasn't that how all battles went?
Suddenly, a deep sense of apprehension rose in Shiji's heart. Not the anger he'd felt earlier toward Rowen's disrespect as a great heretic, but genuine fear toward Rowen himself, toward this man as an existence!
The weakness brought on by revival had kept Shiji in a state of constant anxiety.
Added to that were the saintess's betrayal, Rowen's disdain, and Imu,
the rage of having half the duck right at his mouth snatched away,
All of it made him desperately want to kill Rowen and restore his strength.
As long as he had power, he could make everyone who betrayed or belittled him pay the price!
However… obsession created flaws.
Calling out Silvers Rayleigh, his trump card, too early had instead let Rowen seize his weakness.
"This is what you forced me to do, Soryu (Azure Dragon)!"
Buzz!!
Heaven and earth trembled. A nameless sense of danger pressed down on Rowen's heart. Shiji's Seastone-formed body began to glow, a blue radiance gradually saturating his entire form.
"So that's it, everyone's got a berserk phase, huh?"
Feeling that surging aura, Rowen let out a quiet sigh.
Then he bared his teeth in a fierce grin.
"But I suggest you turn around and take a look first."
"Hm?!"
This wasn't a trap. Shiji's heart jolted, and he instantly turned his head.
Shua!! Zī zī!!!
The thunder crescent halberd that had flown off earlier shot straight at his face, sudden and deadly. Rayleigh rushed in to block it, knocking the weapon away, but his arm was sliced open in the process.
Shiji had no time to care about that.
Staring at the enormous black silhouette slowly struggling to its feet in the distance, he ground his teeth in fury.
"That attack just now…"
"That's right!"
Rowen recalled the thunder halberd, gripping it like a dagger as he burst forward.
"Some idiots sleep too deeply, you can't wake them unless you make a real racket."
ROAR!!!
As his words fell, Mountain Ancestor, trembling as it stood, let out a thunderous bellow.
Fluorescent light flared as its eyes turned in this direction.
It felt it,
An aura even more repulsive than the lightning that had kept it unconscious for years,
even more hateful than the current that had nearly killed it earlier.
It was the aura from countless years ago.
The aura that had slain its mate and sealed it beneath the Red Line.
The scent of an enemy!
"Come, count your sins!"
"Someone's here to collect your debt, God!"
Chi, !
As he spoke, Rowen suddenly twisted his body, slipping past Shiji and appearing before Rayleigh.
Rayleigh threw a punch, but the gap created in that brief moment of hesitation was something speed alone couldn't make up for. Before the punch could land, Rowen dispersed Titan Mode, dipped low, slipped through the center line, circled under Rayleigh's armpit to his back,
And without even looking, swung the thunder halberd backward.
Creek…
The crescent blade cut into flesh, snagging on something hard. Rowen grinned coldly and yanked.
BOOM!!
Blood and flesh exploded from Rayleigh's shoulder, along with glittering fragments of Sea Crystal bone.
(End of Chapter)
This novel is finished, and I have posted all the advanced chapters on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395