Lin Yuan had always been wary of Imu's Devil Fruit ability, after all, it was Space-Space Fruit comparable to his own Time-Time Fruit.
Furthermore, he wasn't sure if the other party only had one Devil Fruit, as that kind of eye technique wasn't part of the cultivation system of this world.
Therefore, the moment Imu activated his spatial ability, he decisively retreated, while simultaneously reacting quickly to dodge.
He's not like those old guys who like to go toe-to-toe with each other.
A silver crescent-shaped slash flew past, leaving a crack in the space it passed through before quickly disappearing into the Red Line.
Lin Yuan's Observation Haki was incredibly powerful; he sensed that Imu's attack had actually pierced through the Red Line at an angle before disappearing, a line that was dozens of miles thick.
This made Lin Yuan even more vigilant. He hadn't expected Imu's attack to be so powerful; he wasn't even confident he could withstand that attack.
The idea that Armament Haki counters Devil Fruit abilities depends on the strength of both sides. This level of damage would probably be too much for even Garp to withstand.
"He didn't even take the hit head-on, what a cautious little piece of trash! Die!"
Imu scoffed, then raised his blood-red spear and slashed fiercely at Lin Yuan.
Having just regained his footing, Lin Yuan quickly raised his sword to defend himself.
"Boom!"
The sky exploded again, and Lin Yuan, who was hastily trying to defend himself, was blasted several kilometers away.
"Heh heh, an eye for an eye, Imu, watch me kill you!"
"Divine Sword - Demon Suppressor!!"
With a stomp that shattered the air, Lin Yuan's body flew into the air, and he slashed down with the " Mandala " in his hand.
Imu's pupils contracted; she felt as if time itself was freezing around her, and her body slowed down.
" Blade of Space!"
Faced with Lin Yuan's attack, Imu activated his Devil Fruit ability without hesitation, and the two terrifying energies collided fiercely.
However, Lin Yuan's attack contained the power of time, Imu's spatial power did not shatter it, but instead caused it to explode.
The surrounding space was blasted and shook violently, with rolling energy ripples sweeping across hundreds of miles.
Even the powerful figures on the Red Line felt their scalps tingle upon sensing this terrifying fluctuation.
The two men stared coldly at each other, then attacked simultaneously once again.
However, Imu was even faster. With her spatial abilities, she was quicker than Bartholomew Kuma, arriving behind Lin Yuan almost instantly and thrusting her blood-red spear towards Lin Yuan back.
"Snort!"
Lin Yuan snorted coldly. Although he was not as fast as Imu, suddenly, his body emitted ripples, and Imu's speed immediately slowed down.
Without even turning his body, Lin Yuan suddenly thrust out the " Mandala " in his hand.
The crimson spear and the " Mandala " collided once more, and the violent energy explosion sent both of them flying.
However, after Lin Yuan and Imu stopped moving, they charged at each other again.
Imu's spatial abilities are difficult to defend against, and he will occasionally launch Blade of Space for surprise attacks.
Lin Yuan, of course, didn't hold back either. He was surrounded by the power of time, so no matter where Imu attacked from, the attacks slowed down as they reached him. With Lin Yuan's strength, he could react to them with ease.
This battle is not only a clash of the World's Strongest forces, but also a display of top-tier Devil Fruit abilities. Neither of them can gain the upper hand in the short term.
However, the terrifying energy from the collision shattered the space itself. If this were on the Red Line, with their combined strength, they could probably destroy even a space ten thousand meters long.
Both of them were stronger than the other had imagined, but Lin Yuan was not in a hurry. He still had many trump cards up his sleeve, but he believed that Imu was the same.
"Boom boom boom!"
The two fought from the sky to the sea, creating waves thousands of meters high. However, the seawater, which could suppress Devil Fruit abilities, couldn't even get within a hundred meters of the two.
Imu's eyes no longer held any contempt; instead, they were filled with even greater indifference as his body flashed and teleported repeatedly.
As for Lin Yuan, although he was constantly adjusting his direction, he remained as steadfast as a rock.
"You're quite a worthy opponent, managing to fight me this far. But you'll only die here."
"Heh, old woman, so much talk, you only say these two sentences. If you've got the guts, come at me, and I'll beat you up."
Imu cleaved the Red Line with Blade of Space, while Lin Yuan sliced open the sea with a sword light; their attacks reached their peak.
" Blood Spear Thousand Strikes!"
Suddenly, the crimson spear in Imu's hand exploded into countless spear shadows, enveloping the entire space within a thousand meters around Lin Yuan, as if trying to pierce him into a sieve.
"Hmph, Shadow Devour!"
Lin Yuan let out a cold laugh, and the " Mandala " in his hand suddenly trembled, unleashing the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit, forming huge black holes around him that devoured all the blood spears.
Upon seeing this, Imu's pupils constricted sharply, as if he had seen through the power of " Mandala," and he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"How is this possible? Your weapon actually ate the Dark-Dark Fruit!"
Lin Yuan casually twirled his knife and said with a smile.
"Heh, nothing is impossible. You should be very familiar with this fruit, right? Didn't it bring you Celestial Dragons profound suffering in the past?"
Lin Yuan was naturally referring to Rocks, but Imu remained unmoved and instead sneered.
"He was just an arrogant piece of trash. I didn't even have the desire to lay a finger on him. Besides, I turned his corpse into a puppet. You should remember him, right?"
Lin Yuan was taken aback, then instantly recalled the thing he had encountered at the Abyss Headquarters. Although he had exhausted himself at the time, he had to admit that the puppet had indeed caused him some trouble.
Lin Yuan had no idea that it was actually Rocks, and that he was being manipulated by Imu to test him.
Rocks probably never imagined that his body and Devil Fruit would be used in battle by the two people in front of him.
"Heh, Rocks, you're truly honored to have run into us. But thankfully, your probing gave me time to make my preparations."
Imu didn't speak. She knew she had been deceived by Lin Yuan. She never expected that one of her puppets could make Lin Yuan vomit blood. It was all because of this guy's deliberate actions.
"Boy, who exactly are you? In my eight hundred years of life, I have never seen anyone like you. How do you, in your thirties, possess such strength?"
Imu couldn't understand it; given Lin Yuan's current age, it was impossible for him to have such combat power.
"Hahaha, who am I? I'm just an ordinary person, of course, not that beast from Mary Geoise!"
Imu gritted her teeth, gripping the blood-red spear tightly, wishing she could pierce Lin Yuan's body, but she also became even more curious about Lin Yuan.
"Hehehe, it doesn't matter if you don't talk. I'll kill you and turn you into my puppet, which will further consolidate my rule."
Lin Yuan raised the " Mandala " in his hand, pointed it directly at Imu, and spoke coldly.
"You want to turn me into a puppet? You'd better see if you have the ability!"
The two exchanged another glance, then launched their attack simultaneously. Instantly, the entire space shattered once more, and the sea surged violently.
Neither of them spoke another word; both only wanted to kill the other.