Page 536

The walls surrounding the hall were incredibly sturdy, made of a special alloy.

Under the impact of this pure willpower energy, it collapsed on a large scale!

Huge rocks rained down like raindrops!

The ground cracked and churned inch by inch, and countless fragments of rock were swept up by the shockwave and then pulverized into dust in the next moment!

The entire city of Pangaea, and indeed the entire Mary Geoise, shook and trembled violently at that moment!

Gern gripped the knife with both hands, maintaining his downward slashing posture, his face more solemn than ever before, refusing to budge an inch!

Im bent one knee slightly (pressed down by the blade), his right fist braced against the blade, his face contorted in a ferocious expression!

Pure, of will, of conviction, without any frills...

A fierce exchange of fire!

This time, there was no flashy clash of Devil Fruit abilities, only...

A clash of Conqueror's Haki!

A clash of wills!

The crushing power of beliefs!

A battle between existence and existence itself!

Whoever backs down first, whose will falters, will perish in this most extreme clash.

Utter defeat!

.........

The destructive beams of light, a blend of dark purple and pitch black, continued to ravage the dome of the palace.

The raging Conqueror's Haki continued to destroy this ancient building that symbolized eight hundred years of power.

Unfortunately, the two sides were evenly matched.

It was clearly visible tens of seconds after the collision.

Gern's Conqueror's Haki.

Its quality has reached the pinnacle of the world!

The quantity, along with him, grew ever stronger and more vast as the sea, his belief becoming increasingly firm and boundless!

In contrast, Im.

It unleashed Conqueror's Haki through Blackbeard's body, even with an attempt to elevate its power...

The nature of Conqueror's Haki is inherent; it cannot be cultivated or shortcuts taken.

Therefore, Im's problem lies in his carrier.

The ceiling of Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach's Conqueror's Haki is simply there!

He may have awakened his Conqueror's Haki through ambition and opportunity, and even gained the ability to entangle.

However, the strength, purity, and alignment of its Conqueror's Haki with its own beliefs are all crucial factors.

There is a fundamental difference between them and a monster like Gern, who sustains himself through war and whose conviction is as strong as steel!

No matter how ancient or powerful Im's will is, it cannot fundamentally elevate the domineering "quality" of this body in a short period of time!

All it can do is forcefully drive itself according to its own will.

To the greatest extent possible, the body's domineering "quantity" is squeezed out, and its unique "characteristics" are endowed with it.

But in the face of Gern's Conqueror's Haki, which was at its peak in both quality and quantity...

not enough!

Far from enough!

The stalemate lasted for less than half a minute.

Im's face then showed astonishment.

It could feel that the Conqueror's Haki it released through this body was being gradually and irreversibly disintegrated!

Conversely, at this very moment, above the eight wastelands of Gern...

The spark is burning!

"Break it!!!"

Gern gripped the Eight Desolations tightly, pouring his last, overwhelming power and will into the blade without reservation!

"Buzz!!!!"

Dark purple lightning, intertwined with sparks, crashed down with a deafening roar!

The two powerful energy balls intertwined to form an energy sphere

Finally, it was completely cleaved in two by the dark purple blade light!

The tear widened rapidly!

The blade flashed without hindrance, cutting straight in through the gaping hole in the Conqueror's Haki!

Time seemed to be stretched infinitely at this moment, or compressed into a single instant.

Gern's figure seemed to merge with the dark purple, destructive blade of light.

Transformed into a thin thread that runs through everything.

It pierced right through the center of Imna's body, which was slightly stiffened due to the collapse of his Conqueror's Haki!

There were no scenes of blood and gore.

There was only a smooth, mirror-like slash with subtle spatial cracks remaining at its edges.

Appearing silently on the central axis of Im's body

Starting from the forehead, passing through the bridge of the nose, chest, and abdomen, it extends downwards.

Immediately afterwards.........

Gern appeared about five meters behind Im.

With his back to Im, he slowly lowered the Eight Desolations, still wreathed in dark purple domineering energy.

The tip of the knife pointed diagonally at the ground beside him.

Slightly out of breath, the knuckles of his hands gripping the hilt of the sword were split open, and blood dripped down the tsuba.

A few small blood flowers bloomed on the cracked ground.

The clash of Conqueror's Haki and the ultimate slash just now also took a huge toll on him.

But he stood very steadily.

His back view was as straight as a spear.

Dead silence.

The violent aftershocks of Conqueror's Haki finally subsided, leaving only the sound of falling gravel and dust within the hall.

And in the distance, the faint rumble of battles in other areas of the Holy Land gradually subsided.

Im remained frozen in place, his right fist still extended upwards.

"How is this possible..." Im's thoughts hadn't even finished processing.

Then, it slowly lowered its head and looked at its own body.

The smooth slash that stretched from its forehead to its abdomen was now clearly visible to it.

No blood flowed from the cut, as if it had been temporarily sealed off.

But through that hair-thin incision, one could almost see something writhing wildly inside.

It attempted to transfer the burden to other contract holders.

However, it was severely hampered by the presence of the spark and was sealed inside.

This strike not only cleaved through its Conqueror's Haki defense.

It not only slashed its body but also left an extremely troublesome, severing will deep within the wound.

It continues to undermine its proud rebirth.

Im slowly retracted his right fist, his movements appearing somewhat sluggish.

It did not turn around immediately, nor did it let out an angry roar.

After a moment of silence, a look that remained calm seemed to have gained a touch more...

A voice, brimming with indescribable complexity, emanated from its mouth, echoing through the deathly silent hall.

"Eight hundred years..."

"You are the first person... to be able to use 'Conqueror's Haki'... to directly defeat Mu's will."

However, if it weren't for that 'flame,' you still wouldn't have been able to kill Mu.

After speaking, Im slowly turned around.

The movements were very slow, as if each movement was slow.

The slash that pierced through his body was causing him excruciating pain and obstruction.

When it turned completely around, facing Gern's back...

The ferocity and rage on Blackbeard's face were gone.

They even lost that condescending indifference they had before.

Only one kind of scrutiny remains.

“Gern Reginald Sigma…”

Im slowly uttered the name.

"Hmm, I acknowledge you."

"As a 'challenger'... you've passed the test."

"This time, Yum has become the defeated 'Joyboy'..."

You are a successful hero.......”

Its gaze passed over Gern's shoulder and landed behind him.

The empty throne still stands in the center of the hall.

Im's lips twitched upwards slightly.

immediately.....

It didn't look at Gern again, nor at its own wounds.

Just lift your foot

Start step by step

They walked towards the empty throne.

His steps were somewhat unsteady, hindered by the slash mark.

But it moved forward with unwavering determination.

Gern remained with his back to it, neither turning around nor stopping it.

He simply stood there quietly, gripping the knife, breathing slightly, waiting for something.

Im walked up to the throne.

It stopped, raised its head, and gazed at the statue it (perhaps) had once erected with its companions.

Symbolizing the ideal of "no one to rule," it has become the greatest irony over eight centuries, a cold metal creation that is itself a symbol of power.

Looked for a long time.

Then, it reached out and gently stroked the cold, rough armrest of the throne.

next second.