Aramaki fell silent for a moment, seeming to think. Then he gathered his words and said in a deep voice:
"Adams, I admit that you are strong. You have what it takes to stand at the pinnacle of these seas. Your strength, your abilities, and your will have all earned my recognition."
Then his tone shifted.
"But if that is all, it is still far from enough to make me change my mind and abandon what I stand for!"
As the saying went, if reason did not work, then force would. Clearly, Adams had made a convincing argument with his fists, enough to shake even the twisted-minded Aramaki.
But only slightly. He still needed one final push to completely convince Aramaki.
Just then, the last trace of the setting sun finally vanished beyond the horizon.
A bright moon quietly rose, its cold silver glow spilling over this ravaged land and draping the brutal battlefield in a mournful beauty.
"You're right."
Adams suddenly smiled, brimming with confidence.
"The warm-up and testing each other are over. We've played around for seven days. It's time to get serious."
His words clearly reached Aramaki's ears.
"How arrogant!"
Anger instantly surged across Aramaki's face.
"There is a limit to arrogance! Let me show you firsthand what true... Nature's Wrath is!"
"[Forest God: Thousand-Handed Wood]!"
Rumble—!
The earth shook violently, as though some colossal being were awakening from its slumber. Countless giant trees, vines, and roots surged madly toward Aramaki from every direction in the forest, twisting, squeezing, and merging together!
In the end, a thousand-armed giant over a hundred meters tall, seemingly holding up the heavens, appeared within the massive crater!
The giant was formed entirely from the hardest ancient timber and the toughest vines, immense life energy flowing through its body. Behind it stretched