Summit War 24

Another powerful punch.

Natsu parried with his Tachi held horizontally in front of his chest, but the punch sent him flying backward, his back crashing through a crumbling section of the fortress wall.

The rubble crashed down on him, burying him halfway in the ruins.

Kong did not pursue.

He stood there, his mountain-shaped white hair slightly gray from the smoke, and his chest rose and fell slowly.

He watched as Natsu staggered to his feet from the rubble, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, and gripped his Tachi again. His aged and deep voice carried a complex emotion that was hard to describe as either regret or lament.

"Kid, with your talent, why become a pirate?" Kong's voice wasn't loud, but it pierced through the surrounding shouts of battle, each word landing in Natsu's ears.

"If you were in the navy, I would risk my old bones to train you to become the next Fleet Admiral."

With your strength, you could conquer the Four Blues in less than ten years and bring true peace to this ocean.

Why hang out with Whitebeard's crew and risk your life on this meaningless battlefield?

Natsu coughed twice, clutching his chest, and spat out a mouthful of dark red blood onto the gravel at his feet.

The Sage Body was repairing its broken ribs. The stabbing pain in its chest made it furrow its brow slightly, but when it raised its head to look at the sky again, there was still no anger or hatred in its scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan, only a chilling indifference.

"Pirates or Marines, it doesn't matter." His voice was slightly hoarse from his injuries, yet as cold as a wind blowing from the depths of a glacier, each word carrying a condescending, self-righteous indifference.

"It's just a game of make-believe by a bunch of idiots. Would you care about a fight between a group of ants?"

He held the Tachi horizontally in front of him again, the remaining purple lightning on the blade reflecting on his expressionless face, his tone as calm as if stating a fact that needed no proof.

"I have no interest in justice or evil. To me, the navy and pirates are no different—they're all ants." He raised a hand to wipe the remaining blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze passing over the empty shoulder and landing on the ruins of Marineford in the distance.

"A mere mortal dares to point fingers at me?"

"I will restore peace to this world in my own way." Natsu's voice was not loud, but it steadily drowned out the crackling sound of flames burning on the surrounding ruins.

He slowly raised his right hand, his five fingers spread wide, and purple Lightning Release Chakra condensed in his palm.

The purple was different from the dazzling bright purple of the Chidori Sharp Spear, and it was not as deep and restrained as the Purple Flash: Heaven-Splitting Blade. Instead, it was an extremely pure, almost liquid, dark purple.

The electric arcs no longer hissed or darted around, but instead, like a tamed creature, quietly circled his fingers, slowly rotating and growing denser.

"Sage Art: Lightning Release: Purple Lightning." The moment the words fell, a bolt of purple lightning shot out from his palm.

Not just one path, but an entire area.

Countless fine purple arcs of electricity intertwined to form an all-encompassing electric grid, spreading outwards from him in all directions. Wherever it passed, the air was ionized into pungent ozone, and gravel was suspended in the electric field before being instantly pulverized.

This is Lightning Release enhanced by Senjutsu Chakra; it's not meant to penetrate, but to cover, to crush, and to melt away all resistance into pure lightning.

Steel Bone Kong ' pupils shrank to pinpoints in the reflection of the purple electric grid.

He didn't back down. He clenched his fist, and Armament Haki condensed into a dark iron halo on his fist. He then unleashed his heaviest punch of the day to meet the oncoming purple lightning.

His fist slammed into the center of the electric grid, and purple arcs of electricity spread wildly along his arm, shaving away layers of Armament Haki only to have them covered up again.

Kong gritted his teeth, the stone slab beneath his feet shattering from the shockwave of their collision.

He stubbornly withstood the purple lightning, refusing to retreat an inch.

Natsu could feel her eyes undergoing a transformation.

It wasn't the quantitative change of increased pupil power, but something deeper and more essential was slowly being nurtured as the three Tomoe rotated—like something that had been sealed away for a long time, finally sensing the scent of breaking out on this battlefield of corpses and blood.

Almost there.

Almost there.

It was so close.

He grinned, his smile almost maniacal under the crimson-gold aura of his Sage Mode. He clasped his hands together in front of his chest, and four Wood Clone silently emerged from his shoulders, simultaneously forming Hand Seals with his main body.

"Sage Art: Lightning Release - Hellfire!"

"Sage Art: Fire Release - Great Fire Annihilation!"

"Sage Art: Water Release - Water Dragon Bite Explosion!"

"Sage Art: Earth Release - Dark Sandstorm!"

"Sage Art: Wind Release - Gale Tornado!"

Five types of Sage Art Ninjutsu exploded at the same moment.

Purple thunderstorms descended from the sky, crimson-gold seas of fire swept across the ground, hundreds of meters of water dragons burst forth from the ice, and sandstorms and tornadoes entangled in mid-air, creating a dark and apocalyptic scene.

Most of Marineford Square was completely covered by this overwhelming spell. Before the Ninjutsu could land, the ice surface was crushed into pieces by the air pressure, and seawater poured in from the cracks, only to be instantly evaporated into scalding white mist by the high temperature.

Steel Bone Kong's face turned a mix of pale and ashen under the purple light; he had never before unleashed his Armament Haki to such an extent in his life.

On the Execution Platform, Sengoku could no longer stand.

He didn't care whether Uchiha Natsu had any backup plans, or whether the pace of the war had completely spiraled out of control—if all those overwhelming Sage Art Ninjutsu were to come down, it would be a miracle if half of the nearly 100,000 elite Marines in Marineford Plaza survived.

Golden light suddenly emanated from his body, turning the entire cloudy sky into a dazzling gold.

Sengoku's body rapidly expanded in the light, tearing the Justice Coat of the Fleet Admiral to shreds. In its place stood a Golden Great Buddha tens of meters tall, its countenance lowered and its palms outstretched.

"Shockwave!" The giant Buddha Form's hand slammed out, and the transparent shockwave, like an invisible giant wall, crashed violently into the tornado that was sweeping towards the center of the square.

The two forces were locked in a stalemate in mid-air, and the surrounding air was compressed, producing a piercing crackling sound.

In the distance, Akainu had just broken free from the entanglement of the two Susanoo, his magma-transformed right arm still dripping with scorching lava, when he caught a glimpse of the dark sandstorm descending upon the Marine formation.

He didn't care about the casualty figures, but he absolutely couldn't stand by and watch Uchiha Natsu wipe out a wave of Marine Headquarters ' elite troops right in front of him.

"Crimson Lotus Explosive Flame!" Hundreds of meters of magma surged around him, piling up layer upon layer to form a dazzling crimson lotus of magma, which crashed head-on into the sandstorm.