On the entire battlefield, Ashveil soared into the sky, emitting golden light like a divine Arhat, the radiance surrounding him dazzling all who looked on.
The sudden spectacle shocked every person present.
Especially the Gorosei — they all stood frozen.
Saint Saturn opened his mouth wide, his scar-faced features trembling in disbelief. "Impossible, impossible, our combined attack with so many powerhouses actually did not kill him?" he gasped aloud.
"Did my Conqueror's Haki Great Axe fail to penetrate his defense?" Senator Saturn cried, voice echoing across the ice.
Saint Warcury and Saint Peter likewise stared in stupefaction; the strange flames burning on their arms and legs wound down one after another.
"I truly did not expect this boy's defense to be so abnormal!" Warcury said through gritted teeth.
"Even our strongest combined strike could not break through Ashveil's defense… how are we supposed to wage this war now?!" Fleet Admiral Sengoku's glasses flashed white as his shoulders slumped in despair.
Around them, figures like Kaido of the Beasts, Big Mom, Admiral Kizaru, Fujitora all swallowed hard.
"Yes," they whispered among themselves, "how are we supposed to fight this war now?!"
"Ashveil's terrifying strength is simply impossible to face!"
"If all our full-force attacks cannot even harm him, then only one outcome awaits us: utter defeat!"
The entire World Allied Forces, confronted with Ashveil's impenetrable defense, trembled ever more the longer they thought about it. Some even felt fear of fighting at all.
This terrible man seemed to have no limit. No matter the attack, he could resist it effortlessly.
Facing such an absolute defensive opponent, not even the Army of the entire globe could hope to succeed.
Golden Lion and the others, bound with Sea-Stone, burst into mocking laughter as they watched from afar.
"Hahahaha! World Government, you scoundrels, your doomsday has arrived!"
All over the world, people stared in stunned silence before the shock turned to frenzy.
"Oh my god, so the World Allied Forces might fail??"
"Is the World Government, which has ruled for so many years, about to be overthrown by one young man acting alone?"
"This world is truly going to change!"
Even Revolutionary Army Dragon wore an expression of utter shock on his tattooed face.
"Ashveil… this man, he actually withstood attacks from so many powerhouses?!"
"Unbelievable… perhaps the entire World Government might be toppled… Ashveil is truly too terrifying!"
Sabo's excitement was visceral. "He did it… he survived that barrage…"
"I've never seen such a strong man before… No, I should say I've never even heard of such power!"
The world was changing now. The outcome that the Revolutionary Army had fought for over decades was surprisingly being broadcast worldwide.
Above the Red Hair Pirates, senior cadres like Benn Beckman, Lucky Roux and Yasopp shared looks of stunned awe.
"Shanks… Look, Ashveil didn't lose. He rose up from the terrifying attacks of so many powerhouses!" Lucky Roux's sunglasses slipped down in excitement.
Beckman blinked, staring at the Den Den Mushi screen. On it, Ashveil stood completely unharmed.
Shanks leaned forward, voice low and solemn.
"The World Government this time… I fear it really may fall," he murmured.
On the battlefield, Ashveil hovered in mid-air, looking down at the sea of ice below, a faint smile curving his lips.
"I say, I truly underestimated you all," he spoke softly, his voice carrying across the silent wind.
"You forced out my Conqueror's Haki's greatest defensive form, Invincible Golden Body!"
"You have earned my respect. Accept this singular attack of mine as your reward." Ashveil's voice bristled with rare excitement as he gathered power.
To maintain his Invincible Golden Body — compressing his Conqueror's Haki to its extreme and coating his entire body like gold — Ashveil had already expended a tremendous amount of his Conqueror's Haki. His Phoenix-style recovery had kicked in, yet there was little Conqueror's Haki remaining.
Therefore, Ashveil resolved to finish this in one blow. He gathered all his remaining Conqueror's Haki, condensing it into a sphere of power and then forged from it a great golden sword high overhead. The blade crackled with bizarre Devil Fruit powers: the white Tremor-Tremor ability, crimson flame power, and surging yellow Light ability flowed within it.
The giant sword hovered suspended, the surrounding space ripping apart, lightning striking from dark clouds above, the land itself growing dim beneath the sky.
A vast, terrifying aura swept across the heavens, the oppressive force cracking the ice layer, the sea boiling furiously, threatening to engulf the entire World Allied Forces.
Upon the ice, the United Army froze in horror, eyes wide as they gazed at the golden sword looming in the sky. Even Four Emperors Kaido's lips trembled as he stared blank-eyed upward.
"This… is this Ashveil's true strength?!"
"It's too terrifying…" Kaido muttered, his Club dropping to the ground.
Beside him, Big Mom mirrored the expression.
"Kaido… now… we… we invoked someone we should never have!"
Big Mom's roar shattered the air, Napoleon, Zeus, Prometheus and many spirits clustering behind her, trembling in fear.
Kong, commander of the entire allied forces, looked at the immense aura and felt his guts twist. He knew in his heart: this time, even if the Gorosei themselves stood here, the tide could not be turned.
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