roar...
With a roar, the giant ape that George had transformed into arrived behind Orange and swung its thick arm at him.
"No, you mustn't hurt my companions..."
Swoosh...
"Haven't you learned your lesson yet? Oracle... Boulder Hands!!"
Splash...
As Orange's voice faded, two rocky arms, roughly the size of George's fists, stretched out from behind him to meet the hairy, Giant Fist.
Thump!!
The Hand of Rock opened its palm, gripped George's arm, and immobilized him, its surging fists sweeping around.
"Damn it, I can't break free!!" George tried desperately to break free of his grip, but to no avail.
"There's no need to waste any more time on those futile efforts. With my enhanced abilities, even a true Giant's strength is inferior to mine, let alone yours!!"
"Honestly, one by one, if you hadn't come and disturbed this wedding banquet, I wouldn't have planned to take action. You forced me to do this, Oracle... Giant Dragon!!" As soon as he finished speaking, golden gas emanated from his body. In the high sky, the atmosphere gradually condensed, and in a short while, a pure white Giant Dragon formed from a large amount of condensed air took shape.
"This strike will give you a quick and painless end!!"
"No! Get out of the way, George, Monbuma!!" Catherine, who was on the other side, saw the massive Atmospheric Compression a Giant Dragon after she had slain the attack. The Giant Dragon exuded a sense of danger, which made Catherine realize that it was not to be trifled with. She immediately warned the two of them and then drew her sword to meet it.
"Heh, there's no escaping it now. Looks like my old bones are going to die here in the end!!" Lying on the ground, Monbuma was manipulated by Orange to rise from the earthen coffin and face the Giant Dragon. Although he wanted to dodge, his body wouldn't allow him to.
Orange ignored them and Great Dragon Dive.
roar...
"Open it!!" In the critical moment, George forcefully broke free of his Bind and strode towards Monbuma.
"Don't waste your time anymore. This is the only way I can repay the captain's kindness with my old bones!" Monbuma shook her head and advised as she saw George rushing anxiously toward her, still lying there unable to get up.
"Shut up! We're all going back together!!" George yelled at him, then shielded him with his body.
Rumble...
At that moment, the Giant Dragon charged down.
" Eight Virtues. Sacrifice... Shatter for me!!" Catherine, in mid-air, wielded the Sword in the Stone and slashed at the Giant Dragon, forcefully using the sixth move, Sacrifice, which she had not yet fully mastered.
Clang!!
Pure white and flawless, willing to sacrifice its life for others, its flawless strike Flying Slash into a winding Roaming Snake that disappears into the distance.
call out...
boom!!!
The two forces collided like a bomb exploding, with bursts of energy Soaring Skyward, waves of air surging and the atmosphere roaring and trembling.
call out...
boom!!
The stalemate lasted less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before a clear victor emerged. The pressure Giant Dragon, which Orange could freely control and compress, ultimately triumphed over Catherine's attack. The explosion was aimed directly at her, but at the last moment, the Sword in the Stone Flowing Light, and strands of golden starlight enveloped and protected her.
Thump!!
Even though she was protected by that mysterious energy, Catherine was still Charge by the Impact. She was shaken down from the air and crashed heavily to the ground. The light dissipated instantly, the ground cracked inch by inch, and a large crater was formed in an instant.
clatter...
"Don't force me to deal with you again, Catherine. You need to understand your place. You've provoked me time and time again. Do you really think I wouldn't dare kill you?" Orange said as he walked to Catherine, who had half-knelt on the ground, preparing to get up and come back to her.
"Heh, if you don't spare my companions, then I'll have no choice but to continue fighting you!!" Catherine glanced at George's bloodied back and Monbuma's injured, unable-to-get-up state, and said firmly.
"Hmph, don't be silly. They are the culprits behind this incident. If we can't arrest and execute them all, everyone in the Holy Land will lose face. You can't stop this. Step down!" Orange shook his head and did not agree to her.
"No, I will never let you lay a hand on them again..." Catherine said stubbornly as she stood up.
"Ha, interesting!! With your current strength, do you still dare to stop me?"
clatter...
clatter...
clatter...
Orange ignored Catherine and walked toward George and his companion.
Cough cough...
"This is bad! I thought this would be a good job, but I didn't expect it to attract such a big dragon!" George had already lost his form and reverted to human form. He forced himself to turn around and look at the other two walking towards them, and said with a wry smile.
"Heh, a dragon?! Indeed, to you I am an invincible enemy. The gap between us is like the distance between heaven and earth. You mere ants dare to covet the Giant Dragon's throne? I must say, you are truly audacious!!"
laugh...
As he spoke, Orange had already walked up to the two of them, looking down at them as he spoke.
"Ha... I never thought I'd see that look in his eyes again!!" Seeing that his behavior was exactly the same as Mammon's when he looked down on them a year ago, George clenched his fists until they turned blue, and said unwillingly.
"So, is there anything else you want to say to her?" Orange his hand gently, and the muddy ground beside him trembled, sending two halberds flying out once more.
"What else is there to say?! We're just outmatched, we admit defeat, let's fight!!" George glanced at Luo Chen, who was still fiercely fighting Samael, gritted his teeth and said directly.
"Is that so?! Then die!! Oracle... Heavenly Punishment!!"
With a whoosh, the originally earthen yellow halberd was covered with a layer of golden luster, and flew towards the two of them like a weapon pierced by a god.
Swoosh...
brush...
A blue Shadow Flash, surveying the devastated scene around him, muttering to himself.
"Am I late? But I still made it in time, Blue Light... Sky Shatter!!" After saying that, he looked ahead, blue light swirling around his fists and arms, and swung them fiercely at the two halberds.
boom!!
The force of the punch, amplified by energy, burst forth from the body, and the blue-white fist imprint shattered the atmosphere before them, hurtling towards them.
"Hmm?! This is... interesting. Did you deal with the opponent who rushed to save your companions?!" Orange Phil with his ability the moment he appeared, his brows furrowing as he turned around and asked.
brush...
boom!!
The fist imprint met the two halberds, and the air exploded once again. The air waves surged and ripples spread, and the strong Impact spread in all directions, causing the atmosphere to roar again.
"Hahaha, one just fell, and another one comes! How many people did you send this time?! They're all rushing in like madmen, but none of that matters to me. Before my Oracle power, no matter how many come, it's all in vain!!" Seeing yet another person enter, Orange laughed, his eyes revealing excitement, disdain, and a hint of unease and fear.
"Hmph, Singh!!" Phil didn't answer him. With a gesture, another figure understood and quickly darted in front of George and his companion, grabbed them with both hands, lifted them up, and immediately left.
brush!!
clatter...
"That's enough..." Singh grabbed the two of them without Singh, not daring to linger for One Flash a moment, and quickly placed them on the ground beside Phil, replying.
"Heh, in the end, you just want to attract my attention so your accomplices can take advantage of those two good-for-nothings, right? Even if you succeed, so what?!"
"Wasn't your initial target Catherine? As long as she's still here, none of you will leave so easily..." Orange didn't care that George and his companion had been taken away by Phil and the others. To him, they were just two pieces of trash, and it didn't matter if they were taken away by the other party.
After speaking, he reached out his sinful hand to Catherine, wanting to bring her to his side so that he could use her as a trump card to coerce them into surrendering.
"Oh no..." The group's expressions changed drastically. They tried to save Catherine, but it was too late. Orange grabbed her white wedding dress, pulled her up, and brought her to his side.
"Damn it, I won't let you threaten my companions!!" Catherine's eyes darkened as she remembered that everything that had happened today was caused by her. If she were gone, the others would still have a chance to escape. So she held the Sword in the Stone to her fair and slender neck, preparing to use her death to make her companions stop and go back.
"Hmm!? You think you can make your companions back down by dying? You're too naive!!" Orange sneered at her actions and reached out to grab her sword.
"No, Catherine, please don't do anything foolish!!" Phil, seeing Catherine's actions, couldn't help but shout loudly to her, hoping she would give up this silly idea.
"I'm sorry, everyone. It's all because of me that you risked your lives to come here. Once I'm dead, you won't have any other burdens and can leave here in peace... Goodbye!!" After saying that, Catherine closed her eyes, her slender hand gripping the hilt of her sword, and gently drew it across her neck.
brush...
"Damn it!!"
"Don't want!!"
They still couldn't stop her. A bright white sword flashed, and a bright red wound instantly appeared on her fair neck. Blood gushed out, staining the rusty Sword in the Stone red. An unknown energy continuously emanated from the sword.
"Huh?! This is..." After Catherine committed suicide and fell to the ground, the group, who were originally about to leave with sorrow and despair, suddenly saw the sword in Catherine's hand change and then transfer to her body.
Instantly, everyone, including Luo Chen and Samael who were fighting, stopped and turned their gazes in this direction.
"This is..."
"Hehehe, I see. No wonder a sword that was once as famous as our ancestor's was so easily defeated. There must be another reason..." Seeing the change in Catherine, Orange thought for a moment before nodding and saying.
"Hahahaha, has this truly Awakening? The sword of the former Glücksburg Clan, the Knight King... the Sword in the Stone!!" Samael was clearly no less knowledgeable Orange, and quickly guessed the reason for Catherine's changes.
" The Sword in the Stone?!" Luo Chen, George, Monbuma, and Singh were all puzzled.
"Captain, don't you all know about this? It's a legendary sword, hailed as the strongest blade, surpassing Supreme Great Grade Sword!" Phil explained, seeing that none of his four companions, including his captain, seemed to recognize the sword.
"Surpassing the ranks of the Supreme Great Grade Sword?! No way, that sword's level is actually that high?!" Everyone was astonished upon hearing this.
"Indeed, that sword is a powerful artifact that established the Holy Land and created this world. It possesses the great power of the Knight King and surpasses countless precious swords, having long since transcended that category..."
"I never imagined I'd actually witness its Awakening in my lifetime!" Samael exclaimed.
"If that's the case, then what about Catherine...?"
"Hahaha, keep watching, everyone..."
"It will be over soon. Even if you truly inherit that power, how could you possibly be my match?!" Orange said confidently.
Wow...
Sure enough, shortly after he finished speaking, Catherine underwent another change. The radiance faded, the wound on her neck was healed without leaving a trace, the bloodstains disappeared, and Catherine stood up.
Buzz...
An incomparably powerful sword intent soared into the Soaring Skyward.
"Huh?! This is..." At the same time, the powerful being in the Holy Land noticed this scene and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"You're awake? Then let me see just how powerful you really are after receiving your ancestral inheritance!!"
Oracle... Thunderbolt of Immense Force!!
Sizzle sizzle...
As Orange speaking, golden energy emanated from his body, the sky suddenly darkened, dark clouds gathered, and lightning flashed.
Wow...
The next second, all the dark clouds dispersed, and the lightning transformed into a blue-purple longsword before everyone's eyes, slashing towards Catherine with immense force.
brush...
Although this attack was merely a test from Orange, it showed no mercy whatsoever; even a pirate with a bounty of over 100 million would be reduced to dust upon contact.
"What a powerful attack! Was this really just a test? Even I would have to go all out with this attack. Saint Orange, the most outstanding successor of the Gustav Clan, is truly an amazing person!" Samael carefully sensed the attack he had just launched using his Observation Haki, a rare look of caution on his face, and he smiled bitterly.
Then Samael looked at Catherine, who had stood up, her face calm, her eyes sharp as lightning, and said, "So, Catherine Palace, how will you respond to this attack?"
Catherine calmly watched the longsword fall from the sky, then gently swung the Sword in the Stone forward.
Clang!!
Golden sword energy slashed out, sword intent soaring to the heavens, transforming into Flying Slash to meet the attack.
Whoosh~
Bang!!
Sizzle~
Boom! Boom!
As the sword energy slashed down, the sky exploded, the atmosphere roared, air waves rolled continuously, lightning streaked everywhere, and bursts of energy were released.
boom!!
In less than four or five seconds, the sky cleared, all the sword energy and Inazuma dissipated, and the sky returned to its usual calm.