Chapter 435: Cut the Red Line and the Will to Fight

"Ma ma ma ma..."

"Everyone, attack!!!"

"Take these guys down…"

"World Government bastards, it's time to settle your debt!"

"You lot finally have your day—go to hell!!!"

Linlin laughed grimly.

Her aura kept surging upward.

Dark, sinister flames billowed around her body, and demonic-looking wings sprouted from her back.

She took flight first, flapping her wings. The eerie great saber, Napoleon, flashed out like lightning, emanating a murderous aura.

By now, this natural-born monster had fully matured, possessing terrifying power unimaginable to ordinary people. She locked onto the Five Elders—who had tumbled into the ruins in a pitiful state—as well as the massive Western dragon.

Gerd, "Thunder Calamity" Oka, "Wind Calamity" Irene, "Fire Calamity" Afar, "Little Devil" Little Oars, "Ant King" Quinn, and even the Pegasus Swordmaster, "Evil Eye" Lilian…

One after another, these immensely powerful warriors radiated murderous intent, keeping their eyes on the enemy like tigers stalking prey.

Their presence continued to build.

Some soared upward on their own wings,

Others raced through the air on foot…

All of them, in unison, raised their weapons,

Unleashing a harrowing aura that made hearts pound.

"Hakai!!!"

"Boom, boom, boom…"

A colossal shockwave, unstoppable and overwhelming, Immediately blasted away the Western dragon—trying its hardest to block—and the Five Elders who had transformed into various monstrous forms.

Clearly, no one could withstand a joint strike from so many top-tier fighters at once.

Not even Imu, lacking the Five Elders by his side, could manage it.

There was no need for El to personally step in.

The battle was fierce.

Imu's side fell to a disadvantage.

But relying on their immortal bodies—both Imu and the Five Elders clung on, holding off Linlin and her allies' encirclement.

"Blood Calamity" Charlotte Linlin, this monstrous talent whose strength skyrocketed under El's tutelage, led the calamities—Gerd, Thunder Calamity Oka, Wind Calamity Irene, and Fire Calamity Afar.

The five major calamities could barely fight Imu, the King of the Celestial Dragons, to a draw.

Or, more accurately, it wasn't a true draw—they held the upper hand.

But Imu's undying body left them at a loss.

Time passed.

The sun set.

By dusk, the battle was nearing its conclusion.

El, who had been watching coldly and no longer wished to wait, finally made his move.

"Divine Edict~~~~"

That towering figure shot forward as swiftly as a specter,

Like a streak of lightning, fast beyond imagination.

Even Im, possessing future-sight–level Observation Haki, couldn't react in time, let alone predict.

"Crackle… crack…"

A bloodcurdling aura soared ever higher.

Black and red lightning visibly wove and arced around him.

"Tsk—" The ornate dragon sword, carrying immeasurable force, ripped through the air at blinding speed,

And smashed down upon the Western dragon's body,

Unstoppable.

"Slash—"

Blood gushed.

The massive black dragon was torn apart like rock turned to dust.

Its abdomen was brutally split, blood pouring out—

A ghastly sight.

"Roar—!"

The Western dragon, wreathed in black flames and brimming with ferocity, howled in pain.

With one sword strike, wrapped in black-and-red lightning and brimming with terrifying Haki, it shattered Im's supposedly impenetrable black scales,

Instantly nullifying his regenerative ability.

"Tsk—"

In an instant—

A terrifyingly brilliant blade gleam shot outward,

Splitting straight through the Red Line, piercing it mercilessly, unstoppable.

Far into the distance—beyond sight on the sea—a towering slash of searing brilliance cleaved the ocean hundreds of kilometers away.

"Boom, boom… rumble…" Maintaining its momentum, it tore through Marineford, splitting the entire island in two, cutting apart its grand, imposing Marine Headquarters building.

It left behind a vast trench that refused to close, a blood-chilling sight that struck awe into all who beheld it.

Through his actions, El showed the entire world what "world's strongest" truly meant.

In terms of sheer destructive might, it rivaled a single blast from the ancient weapon Pluton.

Everyone's hair stood on end.

It was hard to believe.

"Gasp—"

"He cut open the Red Line!"

"Gulp! That's just way over the top!"

"So this is El-sama's real power?"

Linlin, Gerd, Thunder Calamity, and the others were shaken to their core.

After so many years, they were witnessing again what it meant when El, the world's strongest creature, went all out.

Even Linlin—whose Haki was slightly weaker than Im's—saw him grievously injured by El in a single strike.

That gaping, bloody wound refused to regenerate.

"Imu-sama—!"

Seeing Imu severely wounded, the Five Elders cried out in fear,

Their bodies trembling, cold sweat flowing, faces filled with despair and terror.

In their eyes, their king—who had been unbeatable—could not withstand even a single blow from the fallen angel El.

What's more, El had not even used his full transformation. From start to finish, he'd only used swordsmanship and Haki, yet he still inflicted a grievous wound upon the King of the Celestial Dragons.

Unbelievable,

Terrifying.

"Imu, you've basked in your glory long enough… It's time to step down."

That majestic figure stood tall,

Fallen angel wings unfurled behind him, a strange radiance shining around his head, demanding awe.

El's expression was cool as he gripped his eerie King's Sword and aimed it at the bloody black dragon, speaking calmly.

"Hahahahaha…" Imu reverted to human form.

His abdomen had been ripped apart, guts spilling, blood everywhere.

He looked at Fallen Angel El and laughed bitterly: "Foolishly, I thought that as long as I guarded against Joy Boy, I could rule this world forever… I never expected a monster like you to appear!"

A 'kill via Observation Haki' wasn't something he'd never heard of,

Yet he couldn't respond at all to it just now.

It was clearly not mere carelessness;

The opponent's "Observation Haki nullification" was even more advanced, completely countering him.

The gap between them was plain to see.

"Still, I believe the fate I meet today may well be yours tomorrow!"

"Ma-ma-ma-ma, as expected of El-oniichan…"

Linlin, tall and imposing, hefted her giant saber onto her shoulder.

She shot Imu, already on the brink of defeat, a mocking glance and laughed coldly: "We're seeing your 'today,' but you won't be around for our 'tomorrow'!"

"You can watch from Hell if you want to see whether that day arrives!"

El wasted no further words. His figure blurred with overwhelming speed.

With terrifying quickness and advanced Observation Haki nullification that he'd honed to perfection, Imu almost couldn't react in time.

(Or perhaps the King of the Celestial Dragons had already lost the will to fight.)

His resistance was far weaker than one might have imagined.

"Tsk—" The ornate dragon blade sliced downward.

A blood-drenched head flew into the air,

Then tumbled across the ground.

Immediately—

Even with his body and head separated, Imu tried to speak.

"The dead don't need to prattle on." El gave him no chance.

Black and red lightning crackled,

He stomped down hard.

"Boom…"

The earth shook.

A large swath of ground collapsed.

That bloody head was crushed on the spot,

Leaving only a few shards of bone and splattered blood, an utterly grisly sight.

"Ah…ah…"

At that same moment,

The Five Elders shrieked in terror.

Black flames danced atop them,

And, visible to the naked eye, they withered and shrank…

"Boom… Boom…" Accompanied by eerie black lightning, one after another, they were unable to resist. Their bodies exploded in turn,

Leaving behind only skeletal remains.