Time ticked by, second after second.
Above the Sabaody Archipelago, the mass of dark purple demonic energy continued to churn, blotting out the sky.
Imu floated at the heart of the demonic energy in his full demon form, the Uranus Scepter clenched in his palm. The pure white gem at its tip shone with a blinding light.
His scarlet, almond-shaped eyes were fixed on Madara Uchiha in the distance, the echoes of his roar still reverberating through the heavens. The entire world was taut, like a bowstring drawn to its limit.
Below, everyone had stopped moving.
Killing Hall stood in the shallow water, his gray-white uniform snapping in the shock waves.
He tilted his head back, the shattered-cage pattern in his Mangekyō Sharingan turning slowly as he took in every detail in the sky.
Beside him, Taki, Yan, Mei, Kūga, Chinatsu, Yelan, Blaze, Qinglan, Iron Sand, and four elite members of the Night Owl Guard stood in a tight circular formation, thirteen pairs of scarlet Sharingan all looking skyward.
No one spoke. No one moved. Everyone was waiting.
The Marines were equally silent.
Garp stood atop the highest stretch of ruined wall, his arms coated in black Armament Haki, black currents of Conqueror's Haki swirling around him.
The surviving Marines huddled behind him. Some crouched behind piles of rubble, some leaned against broken cannon barrels, and some gripped their guns, their fingers whitening outside the trigger guards.
Akainu stood to Garp's left, magma churning over his fists, yet he still held back.
Kizaru stood to his right, golden photons flickering at his fingertips, though their light moved far more slowly than usual.
Aokiji's ice spread silently beneath his feet, while Ryokugyu's vines wove a thick wall behind him.
In the distance, Fugaku's Complete Susanoo still towered over the sea, its