"Hey!!!"
"Austin!!!"
All of Elegia was now bathed in black-red lightning that blotted out the sky.
Even elite fighters with the strength of Vice Admirals rolled their eyes and collapsed straight to the ground.
Only those with strength at least on the level of the Shichibukai could remain conscious and standing amid this sea of lightning.
Forcing everyone around him back, Austin, driven to unleash nearly all his power by the stress response, instantly leaped toward Shanks and Redfield in the distance.
The two men's pupils contracted as they condensed their Conqueror's Haki to the utmost limit.
In theory, two King-level experts joining forces had no reason to fear a Super King-level monster head-on.
Experts who had reached the King level were already tough, Haki-wielding powerhouses who were extremely difficult to defeat directly.
Just as Roger and Garp had once joined forces to hold the demonized Rocks in place, then defeated him after a grueling battle.
But...
Austin was another special case.
His raw strength truly was on the level of someone whose Conqueror's Haki could shake the seas, someone who could treat Admirals and Emperors as mere speed bumps—roughly comparable to Rocks.
Yet because of how bizarre and overbearing his ability was, even Rocks would likely meet his downfall before him.
That was exactly how Shanks and Redfield felt.
They could fight him, but it was incredibly dangerous. One mistake, and they could be taken out by some underhanded move.
With Austin's ultimate strike behind them and Tot Musica, the [Music Demon King], ahead of them, the fighting spirit gradually vanished from Shanks's face.
He seemed to have figured something out.
Redfield beside him could clearly sense the change in Red-Haired's state of mind.
It seemed to have changed from hostility in battle to...
A sincere plea?
"Austin... Uta