Nightmare

The wind subsided, but the fire still raged.

Between heaven and earth, only embers fluttered and the wind whispered.

The Death at Maffey

This caused the entire Battlefield to come to a sudden standstill.

At that moment, everyone, whether it was the remnants of the Holy Knights or the Five Elders of the Mythical Zoan were still fighting in the sky, froze.

That unyielding faith, once regarded as a "divine blessing," was utterly shattered by reality within half a day of the start of the war.

Saint Warcury, Maffey --

Two beings protected by the "Gift of Imu" and symbolizing eternity were utterly destroyed one after another by mere humans.

Shock, fear, anger, and chaos spread through their hearts like a virus.

Even the air seemed to grow heavy, and an unprecedented sense of despair and unease filled the air.

"This... this is impossible..."

A deep voice echoed through the chaotic dust and mist.

Saint Killingham raised his head, his crimson pupils trembling slightly.

His breathing was rapid, and the fiery mane on his chest swayed in the wind, like a flame being torn apart by anger and fear.

It was a posture that chilled the hearts of all who witnessed it: the neck was stretched extremely long, surrounded by white mist, like the air currents of breath;

Its head resembles both a dragon and a beast, with fiery horns curving backward from its forehead;

His skin was dark brown with a flowing, reddish-gold sheen, as if molten magma was flowing through his veins;

The mane on both sides of his cheeks burned wildly like fire, connecting with his fiery eyebrows and extending from his neck all the way to his chest.

Like God of War's cloak in the wind, it burns, twists, and roars;

Behind him, the fiery tail swayed in the gale, its flames swelling with his emotions.

His face, ashen like a nightmare, murmured softly, "Why... why did this happen..."

It was a soliloquy tinged with shock, confusion, and fear.

His oddly shaped Trident, with its asymmetrical blade, trembled slightly in his hand.

The shrill sound of metal scraping against metal lingered in the wind, like the weeping of someone awakened from a nightmare.

In that instant of hesitation—

"Boom--!"

A gigantic, fiery red lava fist roared down!

Wherever that fist passed, the earth was burned through, and the air turned into scorching Shockwaves.

"Get out of the way!!"

A furious, anxious roar pierced the chaos of the Battlefield!

The Princess Gunko's hands transformed into a barrage of arrows, dozens of silver arrows bursting forth and piercing the armor on the chest of the Saint Killingham!

"Whoosh--!"

With a twisting pull in space, the arrow suddenly retracted, forcibly dragging Saint Killingham away from his original position!

"Boom--!"

The giant lava fist slammed heavily onto the spot where he had been standing.

Lava exploded like a waterfall, a raging shockwave swept around, heatwaves rolled in, metal melted, and the ground warped!

"Don't stand there like that!!"

The Princess Gunko roared, his gaze sharp as a knife.

She looked up at the sky—

Atop the towering ruins of the Holy Temple, a blurred Throne still stands amidst flames and clouds.

That's Imu.

His figure was obscured by light and shadow, only his blood-red, Rinnegan Eye coldly surveyed all living beings.

Silent, yet with a divine aura that enveloped the entire area.

Princess Gunko gritted his teeth and whispered, "Lord Imu... is still watching us!"

Saint Killingham shuddered, his breathing became rapid again, and his eyes gradually rekindled with a twisted fanaticism.

"Yes..." he murmured, biting his tongue, and blood dripped onto the scorched ground of the Battlefield.

The blood seemed to be drawn into some kind of magic circle, evaporating and transforming into burning runes.

He gripped the Trident tightly with both hands and roared—

"Your Highness... is still watching us!!"

That was the fury of faith, and the sacrifice of despair.

The aura of the Saint Killingham, surged instantly, flames soared into the sky, and the sky turned red!

"Then let Your Highness witness the return of the Nightmare of God!!"

The Trident plunged violently into the earth!

" --Dream Manifestation: Nightmare Cave!!"

"Click--click--click--!"

The entire Battlefield ruins trembled violently!

The earth beneath my feet twisted, convulsed, and cracked as if it were alive, with scarlet fissures spreading along the surface like veins extending in all directions.

Dark energy erupted from the depths of the earth, accompanied by low, mournful howls. The sky suddenly darkened, the clouds churned, and were pressed into an abyss-like blood red.

The gale subsided, and even the flames seemed to be swallowed up by some force, plunging the Battlefield into a suffocating silence.

Then, the light was swallowed up.

"Boom--!"

A strange light erupted from deep within the ground, followed by the emergence of a vast and complex magic circle.

The array patterns seemed to be woven with blood as ink and dreams as thread, resembling a vortex that devoured light, spinning wildly!

"Heh... heh... heh--"

Accompanied by a chilling low murmur, countless twisted shadows emerged from it.

The shadows were all different shapes:

Some resemble humans, but have deformed limbs and inverted facial features;

Some resembled beasts, yet were covered by countless eyes, their mouths constantly chewing air;

They have no eyes, yet they can "see" life;

They have no bodies, yet they can tear flesh apart;

They have no soul—because they are a collection of nightmares themselves.

Every time a shadow is born, it is accompanied by a cry that sounds like the cries of a human soul.

The sound came from the depths of the earth, echoing with countless sounds of pain and despair.

Saint Killingham stood in the center of the magic circle, his Trident planted in the ground, his eyes filled with madness.

His burning mane, illuminated by the night, resembled a burning nightmare.

"Ha ha--!"

"Behold! This is His Highness's blessing! It is the embodiment of dreams and terror—a hell from which even death cannot escape!!"

"Nightmare Legion, heed my command!"

He roared, his arms outstretched, and flames gathered behind him into a huge red curtain.

"Destroy them--!"

"Ah--! Ho ho--!"

Countless nightmare creatures erupted amidst howls and roars, surging forth from the earth like a tidal wave.

The ground was swallowed by the black tide, the air was distorted, and the sky was obscured.

"They're here--!"

Sabo instinctively pulled out the Iron Pipe, his eyes scanning the area ahead warily. The footsteps of those things were erratic, as if they were walking in a dream.

"What the hell is that?!"

The Crow's wings suddenly unfurled, its black feathers fluttering wildly, and it coldly replied, "That's not life... it's the embodiment of fear, a soul devoured by nightmares."

"Ha--fear?"

Sakazuki snorted coldly, the lava on his shoulder churning, and the blazing red light illuminated half the Battlefield.

His eyes were like knives, and a cruel sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.

"That's perfect—I'm their nightmare!!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his arms, and lava surged forth, instantly turning the sky red with fire!

"Meteor Volcano--!"

"Boom--!"

Lava erupted from the sky, transforming into hundreds of burning meteorites that streaked across the heavens and crashed onto the Battlefield with Sky Splitter.

Flames and black tides intertwine, light and darkness collide in the same instant!

The Nightmare Tide Impact with a roar, transforming into countless claws and fangs as it lunged at the naval lines;

The volcanic meteor that fell from the sky pierced the heavens and earth like divine punishment!

"Bang--Bang--Bang--!"

Explosions and screams intertwined, lava evaporated the nightmare's body, and black mist condensed again in the high temperature—they had no concept of death, but were constantly being destroyed and reborn.

Sakazuki's eyes burned with a crimson light, and his fists erupted with blazing flames.

"Then I'll burn you all until you have nothing left to dream!!"

Behind him, Tesoro's gold spread across the ground, coalescing into thousands of Golden Chains that swept across the land;

The dark shadows of Crows spread across the sky, Cut the nightmare apart;

Sabo's Armament Haki Haki-infused iron rod, accompanied by the rotating wind pressure, shattered the oncoming nightmares one by one!

Fire, gold, shadow, and wind—four forces converge, tearing apart the tides of hell!

Just as the Battlefield was engulfed in chaotic and fierce fighting, to the point that the heavens and earth seemed to crumble, one figure remained remarkably calm.

Roy moved with the unhurried pace of death, like a grim reaper walking on the crest of a storm.

Flames and hurricanes parted automatically beneath his feet, and lava and nightmares vanished upon touching him.

Each step felt like walking on air, steady and silent.

He raised his head, his eyes as deep as the starry sea.

High above --

The Throne, floating among the ruins of the broken palace, finally came into his view.

Imu sat quietly at the intersection of light and shadow, his body shimmering with an eerie black-gold glow.

His expression remained calm, his eyes cold and devoid of any emotion.

But deep within those blood-red pupils that looked down upon all living beings, a long-lost... interest flickered.

The wind has stopped.

The clamor of the Battlefield seemed to be isolated into another world between the two.

Roy slowly raised his head, his gaze cold and sharp, like a sword blade pointing straight at the sky.

Imu finally turned his gaze away from the chaos of the Battlefield and focused on him.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

Silence, yet it shook heaven and earth.

The aura slowly gathered, and the air began to crackle slightly.

Space began to distort the moment their eyes met.