The Vacant Throne
Pangaea Castle: The Vacant Throne
Deep within Pangaea Castle, Roy, surrounded by the Five Elders, stepped into the dark hall, where an ancient and heavy atmosphere permeated the air.
His gaze fell on the very center—the Vacant Throne surrounded by swords.
Twenty weapons are inserted diagonally around the perimeter, still exuding a solemn sharpness after eight hundred years.
That was the oath left by the "First Twenty Kings"—"The world does not need a single king."
Roy narrowed his eyes, a cold smile playing on his lips.
"Ha... this so-called equality is nothing but a joke."
Right now--
"Da... da... da..."
Heavy, long footsteps came from the shadows, the sound seeming to strike everyone's heart, freezing the air instantly.
A tall, slender figure slowly walked out.
The towering crown obscured most of his face, revealing only a pair of scarlet eyes that seemed to be the eyes of Rinnegan, deep and unfathomable, as if they could pierce through time and soul.
The long, black robe trailed on the ground, as if a silent death were shrouding the entire scene.
He strode toward the Throne, a symbol that "must never be touched," and sat down.
Ignoring the twenty swords of oath,
Ignoring the 800-year-old "lie of equality",
Ignoring all so-called rules and history.
The Five Elders knelt on one knee the instant He took His seat, bowing their heads deeply, their voices filled with absolute awe:
"Imu!!"
Roy's pupils contracted slightly, and he murmured coldly to himself, "As expected... the 'One and Only King' has never been absent."
Those crimson eyes of Rinnegan finally landed on him, carrying an oppressive force capable of freezing everything.
Time seemed to stand still.
After a long silence, a deep, ethereal voice echoed throughout the hall, as if from the depths of nothingness. "Roy..."
"You've finally arrived."
Roy slowly grinned, his eyes sharp as knives. "Yes, I've come."
"So, what did you want to say to me?"
"Presumptuous!!"
Saint Nusjuro looked up, his eyes blazing with fury. "How dare you be so insolent before Lord Imu?! Kneel down!!"
That's enough.
Saint Saturn raised a hand to stop him, his icy gaze fixed on Roy: "Boy, watch your words."
Roy scoffed dismissively. "Words?"
He stepped forward, fearless, his voice sharp. "A 'god' who broke an eight-hundred-year-old oath and secretly sat on the Throne..."
"You dare to command my respect?"
"Boom!!"
Imu's Eye of Rinnegan suddenly lit up.
In an instant, an invisible force swept across the entire hall.
The air froze, space collapsed, and even the Five Elders' bodies stiffened abruptly, cold sweat pouring from their foreheads, as if they were being crushed and suffocated by the supreme will.
Imu's voice echoed slowly beneath the dark dome, deep and mysterious. "Roy..."
Do you know about the 'D. Clan'?
The air froze instantly.
In the suffocating silence, only the powerful confrontation between the two echoed, making the entire space seem to tremble.
Roy still had a smile on his lips, and he didn't even flinch in the face of that soul-crushing pressure.
"I'm sorry..."
His voice was flippant, yet sharp as a knife. "I'm not some 'D. Clan' member, you know~"
Imu's crimson eye of Rinnegan suddenly flashed, its light deep and unfathomable, as if confirming something.
"Yes..."
"That's why..."
His voice was ethereal, as if drifting from an endless abyss. "One of the reasons I haven't laid a hand on you."
As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his long, black sleeves and casually waved them.
"Whoosh!"
An invisible force swept through the entire hall, and the Five Elders' bodies suddenly stiffened. The next second, they seemed to be swallowed by the void and completely disappeared!
The heavy Throne room doors closed silently, the sound echoing, leaving only Roy and Imu in the entire Empty Throne Palace.
Roy's fingertips twitched slightly, sensing the connection to his Teleportation ability.
"Hmph... You can leave anytime, so I'll keep you company for a chat."
Imu slowly raised his eyes, his Eyes of Rinnegan staring intently at him, as if trying to dissect the depths of his soul.
"Hmm..."
"Aren't you afraid at all?"
"Roy, what exactly is your trump card...?"
Roy smiled slightly, but his eyes were so sharp they seemed to pierce the sky.
"Rely on? Ha..."
He countered with a resounding voice, "Imu, eight hundred years ago..."
What are you still afraid of?
--boom!!
The air between the Empty Thrones suddenly exploded!
Imu's aura was like a volcanic eruption, like a collapsing tsunami; the pitch-black energy tore through the hall, as if it would crush the entire Pangaea Castle into dust!
What do you know?!
Instead of retreating, Roy advanced, his body erupting with jet-black lightning!
The Conqueror's Haki erupted instantly, and the black and red Inazuma collided head-on with Imu's oppressive aura, causing the Air Quake and time to distort!
He stared directly into those bloodshot eyes, speaking slowly and deliberately, his tone as cold as a knife. "Still afraid of this so-called Joy Boy..."
"That idiot who just laughs and shouts about freedom?!"
In an instant, Imu's Eye of Rinnegan suddenly contracted! The entire space of the Empty Throne twisted violently, as if even the flow of time was being torn apart.
"You... so you knew."
The air was still trembling, and the lingering Haki of black and red had not yet dissipated.
Imu's Rinnegan, gleamed with an eerie light in the shadows, like two crescent Crescent Moons soaked in blood.
His voice came from the depths of the Empty Throne, deep and resonant, as if traversing eight hundred years of time, carrying the dust of decaying history:
"Roy..."
Do you know what it symbolizes for people whose names contain the letter 'D'?
He slowly opened his hands, and an ancient stone tablet projection appeared in the void, inscribed with words long forgotten by time.
"That's the mark of 'hostility'."
"The name D is a curse."
"From the Void Century onwards, they have been evil spirits seeking to overthrow this world, a wound in this ocean that will never heal."
Imu's voice grew lower and lower, each syllable like a heavy hammer striking a judgment seat. "For eight hundred years, I have erased them one by one from history, not even leaving a tombstone."
Because as long as "D" exists, this world will never be at peace.
Roy listened quietly, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
Ah...
"That's a very sweet thing to say."
He strode forward, his military boots making a crisp sound on the cracked marble floor, each step seeming to tread on the wounds of history.
"If it were truly a curse, why would you pathetic worms who call yourselves 'gods' be so afraid?"
"Even a single letter will be erased from history..."
Roy sneered, a dangerous flame igniting in his eyes. The "eight-hundred-year-old taboo" wasn't hatred, but a deep-seated, unforgettable fear.
Imu's pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints, and a crimson light surged forth like a blood tide.
The entire Empty Throne began to tremble violently, ancient stone pillars cracked, and a decaying pressure filled the air.
Are you provoking the gods?
Roy neither dodged nor evaded; his dark Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body as if it were a tangible force, colliding fiercely with the divine pressure in mid-air and unleashing blinding lightning.
"Provocation? No, I'm just stating the facts."
He slowly raised his Right Hand, palm up, "D--it was never a curse."
"But..." Roy's voice suddenly became incredibly clear, "For eight hundred years, what has been burning your throats..."
"The spark!"
Boom!
The Empty Throne trembled violently, ancient stone walls cracked with spiderweb-like patterns, and a scorching atmosphere filled the air.
Just as tensions were about to rise, Roy suddenly withdrew his imposing aura and revealed a meaningful smile:
"Imu, let's make a deal!"
(PS: Starting today, updates will be 2-3 chapters per day, because my previous outline might have been a bit slow, and I need to re-adjust the pace...)
Please give me a gift...