Around the battlefield, over a dozen smoking volcanoes slowly rose from the earth.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Scorching magma erupted violently, forming countless Volcanic Bombs that rained down upon the ground. Simultaneously, molten lava continuously gushed from the volcanic craters, spreading across the battlefield.
In an instant, the battlefield was transformed into a world of magma.
"The environment... has changed!"
The Five Elders' expressions grew increasingly grave.
In their understanding, only Sakazuki could create such phenomena. Yet Sakazuki was a Logia Type User—environmental manipulation was practically the signature ability of such devil fruits.
Mythical Zoan users could also wield elemental powers, but the gap between them and true Logia abilities wasn't slight by any measure.
Simply put, Mythical Zoan users created or controlled elements through their own power, while Logia users were the elements themselves.
Yet Gurd had achieved this!
"Volcanic Eruption!"
The earth split apart as magma surged forth once more.
Gurd, transformed into his Groudon Form, emerged slowly from the searing lava, his crimson eyes locking onto the Five Elders.
In conventional combat, he stood no chance against five top-tier fighters—each of their transformed states was nearly his equal.
Thus, controlling the battlefield was his only path to victory!
They stood upon the Red Line—the world's largest Earth Vein—with boundless Natural Energy flowing beneath its surface.
He would draw up the Earth Veins!
Turn the environment into his domain!
This way, the extreme conditions alone would hinder the Five Elders, limiting their capabilities to the utmost.
Moreover...
Bathed in the rising Natural Energy, Gurd felt unprecedented vitality coursing through him—like a phone at 5% battery suddenly plugged into a charger.
The Magma Markings across his body began glowing brightly!
He felt no possibility of defeat!
"Kekekeke!"
Gurd threw his head back in laughter, opening his maw as the surrounding Natural Energy condensed into crimson ribbons, converging toward his mouth to form an orange-red energy sphere.
Nearly materialized power!
Drawing upon every ounce of his strength, he channeled everything into the sphere, its color shifting from orange-red to blazing blue-white!
This strike would contain his full might!
The Five Elders braced as if facing their greatest nemesis, clearly sensing the impending danger!
"Omega Ultimate Fire Blast!!!"
Gurd roared!
The superheated Flame—now evolved from orange to blue-white—erupted forth with enough heat to melt all existence into liquid!
Simultaneously, all Five Elders launched their counterattacks—Conqueror's Haki, Menacing Gaze, Chaotic Wind Blades, Frigid Shockwave, Gravel Barrage—five utterly distinct powers colliding with the blue-white pillar of fire!
The blinding radiance rivaled the sun itself, stealing vision from all present while deafening screeches overwhelmed hearing.
When the light finally faded...
"The sky's been pierced!"
Soldiers from both sides gaped upward at the colossal hole torn through the black clouds, their breath nearly stopping from sheer terror.
As if the heavens themselves had been ruptured!
What monstrous collision could achieve this?!
At the battlefield's center, the ground had vanished.
The bottomless chasm nearly reached the magma layer below, its depths glowing orange-red while the surrounding walls had melted into molten rock.
A maw leading straight to the abyss!
One leap would send you plunging into the depths!
Gurd stood at one edge of the abyss, the Five Elders at the opposite side—each bearing grievous wounds that regenerated at a visibly slowed rate.
"Still not enough?"
Gurd's brow furrowed deeply.
The energy explosion just now was an all-out attack, even he himself was shaken to the point of vomiting blood. The Five Elders shouldn't have come out unscathed.
As for Haki, he had Coating too.
If even this didn't work, then he'd have to find a way to lure those old bastards into the earth's core and bury them alive!
He refused to believe they had no weaknesses.
Thinking this, Gurd canceled his transformation, shrinking his body before half-kneeling on the ground, his cheeks puffing as he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Pfft, cough cough!"
Blood poured out as if it cost nothing!
"That guy's injured!"
The Five Elders were the first to notice Gurd's condition.
But staring at the gaping abyss ahead, the Five Elders frowned in unison. With no foothold to stand on, how could they fight? Any further out would be the open sea.
If they fell into the earth's core, even they would be in mortal danger!
No, they were already in danger!
That earlier attack wasn't just an energy explosion—it contained a clash of Conqueror's Haki from both sides. Excessive Conqueror's Haki could suppress Devil Fruit abilities.
They were injured too!
But precisely because of this, they couldn't let Gurd go. That last attack must have drained a massive amount of his stamina—his inability to maintain his transformation and the blood he coughed up were proof.
Now was the perfect moment to finish Gurd off.
"Hmm?!"
Almost simultaneously, the Five Elders turned their heads toward the sea.
A black ship was approaching!
On its deck stood Dragon of the Revolutionary Army, Chief of Staff Sabo, Queen of Kamabakka Kingdom Ivankov, and East Army Commander Betty.
The Revolutionary Army!
And not just any members—their leader and top officers were all here!
"Why are they here?!"
The Five Elders' eyes darkened with fury.
The Revolutionary Army's ship docked.
Dragon stepped forward, his icy gaze fixed on the Five Elders. If possible, he would love to kill them right now—but he knew that was impossible.
He was also aware of the Celestial Dragons' teleportation abilities.
"I'm here to stop this war!"
"Dragon!"
The Five Elders' faces darkened.
The two greatest threats to the World Government had appeared here at the same time!
"Five Elders!"
Dragon said coldly, "The whole world is watching this war. Continuing it won't achieve anything. If you insist on dragging this out, then fine—we'll be your opponents!"
"..."
The Five Elders' expressions darkened as they canceled their transformations.
With the Hoenn Government and the Revolutionary Army combined, the balance of power had shifted to the enemy's side. The cramped battlefield also limited their movements.
Most importantly, unlike the Hoenn Government, Dragon knew their secrets—they couldn't recklessly rely on their immortality.
What a disgrace!
A magic circle appeared, and the Five Elders vanished one after another.
Soon, the Marines retreated.
Dragon glanced at Gurd, gave a slight nod, then left with his subordinates.
"That's it? They're just leaving?"
Gurd spat in annoyance.
Couldn't they read the room?
He had deliberately faked severe injuries, planning to make a leap of faith into the magma pit in a desperate move to lure the Five Elders in and see if he could bury them alive.
If that didn't work, he'd dig a tunnel to flood the area with seawater. Since Devil Fruit users couldn't swim, maybe he could drown the Five Elders.
And if that still failed, he'd resort to Sea-stone. At worst, he'd expose his ability to swim—but he had to take at least one of them down.
Heh heh heh~
But before the Five Elders could take the bait, the Revolutionary Army had jumped in first. Even if they were leaving, couldn't they at least drop some intel before going?
Tch. Always so damn mysterious!
"Forget it, the objective has been achieved."
Gurd stretched his body, feeling slightly fatigued.
Before finding a way to counter the Five Elders' immortality, the chances of victory were practically nonexistent. The Five Elders wouldn't be easily fooled, but with enough attempts, a solution would eventually be found.
"What about this hole?"
Staring at the gaping abyss before him, Gurd pondered for a moment before shifting his gaze to Reverse Mountain. A solution quickly came to mind.
Fill it up!
(End of Chapter)