Chapter 7
After thinking this to herself, Esdeath began channeling the freezing magic power within her body to shatter the sealing barrier around her.
She struck several times in rapid succession.
Yet the barrier didn't tremble in the slightest.
At this moment, Esdeath realized the sealing barrier was far stronger than she had imagined. An unprecedented thrill surged through her heart.
Her battle intent skyrocketed. An icy-cold aura transformed into frost, filling the entire Celestial Palace hall.
"Great Emperor, please be careful—the cold is about to intensify."
Esdeath suddenly spoke in warning.
"No need to worry. Give it everything you've got."
Tian Chen smiled faintly. In the next instant, he teleported from the throne to stand right in front of her—close enough to savor every change happening on her body.
Strange black symbol chains appeared on her snow-white skin, like dark shackles.
Upon closer inspection…
These black symbol chains originated from the center of her ample chest, spreading outward from a 'Y'-shaped mark.
They slithered like black phantom serpents, extending across her arms, up her slender neck, and even onto her delicate face.
Tian Chen knew exactly what this was.
This was Esdeath's Teigu—Demon's Extract: Mahapadma (Demon God Manifestation)—the external sign of her deep-level power liberation.
However, Esdeath's Teigu was perfectly fused with her body. No matter how much power she unleashed, she could fully control this violent, overwhelming ice-based force without suffering any backlash.
In this moment, Esdeath's overall combat power surged several times over—terrifyingly so.
Tian Chen couldn't help but chuckle silently to himself.
Esdeath! Just submit to this Emperor already!
This Emperor is fully stacked with cheats. No matter what you do— You will never break through the seal created by the Supreme King's Power!
Within the Giant Empire, this Emperor is the one and only sovereign under heaven. Even if a true god descended, they would be powerless to resist.
Of course, Esdeath had no idea Tian Chen was invincible inside his domain.
She only felt things were getting more and more interesting. This was the first time she had encountered such an overwhelmingly powerful seal.
Even after drawing on the deep-level soul power of her Teigu, she still couldn't shake it.
If that was the case… She had no choice but to use her ultimate hidden trump card.
If even that failed, then the Great Emperor had truly conquered her with absolute power. In that case, she would willingly offer everything— And might even try to fall in love with him!
However… The next move, once her magic was fully unleashed, could instantly turn thousands of miles into a frozen wasteland— A frozen hell that might last for years without melting.
In the original manga, this technique was called Ice Storm General.
By storing excess magic power over time… The reserves she had accumulated, once fully released, could instantly create an army of over a million ice soldiers.
Under her command, these ice knights could fight autonomously, hunt enemies, and wage war.
Even more terrifying— They could self-destruct.
The freezing power released in those explosions was nothing short of a natural disaster.
In the manga, this single move had turned the entire vast Empire into an eternal ice field. It took years for the cold to finally thaw.
Esdeath spoke once more in warning.
"Great Emperor, this is this one's final counterattack—and my strongest power. Please be on guard."
"Very well!"
Tian Chen replied gently.
Then Esdeath began unleashing the full might of Ice Storm General.
A terrifying wave of freezing magic power exploded outward with a deafening BOOM!
It surged from her body, instantly flooding the entire Celestial Palace hall— And soon spreading throughout the whole Sabaody barrier space.
The freezing magic continued to intensify without stop. The bone-chilling cold expanded outward, eventually reaching beyond the Sabaody Archipelago.
In the end… This wave of freezing power engulfed thousands of miles in every direction.
Inside Sabaody Archipelago, Tian Chen's King's Power shielded everyone from harm.
But everything else… Was instantly coated in a thick layer of frost.
In the sky above, snow began to fall across thousands of miles—cold, relentless, and unnatural.
Even though the people inside the archipelago were protected by the King's Power, they still felt the terrifying chill, a primal fear of being frozen solid.
"What an insanely powerful freezing force…"
"I thought Admiral Aokiji was attacking us—turns out this power is coming from the Celestial Palace!"
"Calm down!"
"This must be Tian Chen the Great Emperor casually showing off a bit of his strength!"
"But look—we're all surrounded by faint golden light. Clearly, the Great Emperor is protecting us. Meanwhile, the enemies outside the barrier…"
"Tch tch, look at them—covered in frost, right?"
...
They had no idea… This wasn't Tian Chen dealing with the outside enemies at all.
This was all the doing of his beloved concubine— Esdeath's unleashed freezing magic.
...
Meanwhile…
Outside the barrier, the countless Marines were shocked and furious.
"What the hell?! Since when did Sabaody have such a terrifying ice ability user inside?!"
"This frost coverage is way too huge!"
"It's suddenly freezing cold!"
"Hmph, no need to guess—it's definitely that Tian Chen the Great Emperor's trick. They say his abilities are insanely mysterious."
"Damn it! The guy's on the brink of death and instead of begging for mercy, he's still provoking us?!"
Some hot-tempered Marines flew into a rage.
At that moment, Admiral Aokiji (Kuzan) stood with arms crossed, eyes wide with astonishment.
He could feel just how powerful this freezing aura was—and how vast its range.
After all, no one understood cold better than he did.
This power… was strong. Very strong.
Realizing this, Aokiji began to emit his own chill from his body.
He couldn't let the Marines lose face. Countless soldiers were looking at him right now, clearly expecting him to make a move— To intimidate Sabaody and show who was boss.
So…
Aokiji activated his Ice-Ice Fruit ability.
He unleashed his signature technique toward the faint golden barrier surrounding Sabaody Archipelago—
Ice Age.
...