"You're already flustered?"
Before Vic could finish speaking, his figure suddenly transformed into a blur, vanishing into thin air like ink torn apart by a raging wind.
Almost simultaneously, Imu's crimson halberd, carrying immense force, cleaved fiercely into the center of the pentagram array—
Boom! The earth let out a mournful howl as if it were about to collapse, and bottomless ravines spread outwards from the tip of the halberd, like the ferocious fangs of a giant beast.
The entire island trembled violently. The already precarious mountain peaks could no longer hold on, and tens of thousands of tons of boulders poured down like a torrent, creating a deafening roar.
Such a cataclysmic scene was nothing more than a speck of dust to the tens-of-meters-tall Imu; but to ordinary people on the ground, it was an absolute apocalyptic picture, terrifying and horrifying.
Although Imu's speed is astonishing, Vic's speed is even faster. Whether it's the space-tearing technique equivalent to Flash or the Speed Domain equivalent to Sprint, both are super speeds that easily surpass Imu's, which cannot be compensated for by her increased body size!
This is one of the reasons why Vic has been able to hold out for so long. If you can't win with Conqueror's Haki, you can just temporarily avoid the limelight. You can't just tough it out on everything, can you? Vic is very flexible and not that stubborn!
"Clang"
After disappearing from his spot, Vic leaped into the air and unleashed a Sword Gang without hesitation!
It's often said that offense is the best defense. This doesn't mean there are no weaknesses when you're on offense; it just means that the defense shifts to the opponent, making it impossible for them to exploit your weaknesses.
However, Vic is faster than Imu, which allows him to avoid defensive issues and launch counterattacks when Imu's offense shows weaknesses!
Therefore, Vic's Sword Gang hit Im's chest before Imu could retract the Devil Trident. Although protected by scales, it still tore open a bloody gash!
However, the wound quickly shrank and healed. The ability of immortality remained powerful, and it was not something that Vic could easily inflict with a single Sword Gang.
One possesses unparalleled speed, and the other possesses miraculous recovery abilities; this is the fundamental reason why the two have been able to remain locked in a stalemate until now!
With a slash, Vic pushed off with his feet, immediately moving away from Imu's attack range. Against such a powerful enemy with such a wide attack range, one cannot get too close, otherwise one might really be caught and crushed. Kizaru is a prime example of this.
"Huh?"
Scanning the battlefield below, Vic noticed that a demon had already been killed. The first to strike was Ace, using pure fire without any Haki. The demon was then burned to ashes and could not be resurrected. What did this mean?
This means that the native demons summoned by Imu from the Demon World do not possess immortality; only Imu can grant true immortality!
Either they were personally transformed into demons by her, or they signed a deep Soul Contract; nothing else will do!
Therefore, even without Haki, they could defeat a Devil Fruit user like Ace. It's not that those demons weren't strong enough; it's just that Ace and his group were stronger!
Vic thought the others were about to face another fierce battle and worried they might be too exhausted to hold on, but it turned out to be a one-sided fight, so it was fine!
Vic turned his attention back to Imu, and the two fought for another thirty-odd rounds before the fighting on the other battlefields gradually subsided until it completely died down!
All the World Government members have been wiped out, leaving Imu all alone, feeling utterly besieged on all sides!
"You're the only one left. Do you want to summon the demon again?"
Everyone's attention was focused on the battle between Vic and Imu. After dodging a spear strike, Vic created distance!
At a time like this, if Vic didn't say something, he felt it would be a waste of this somber atmosphere. Although the enemy was still powerful, it was precisely this ability to rally people and boost morale!
"So what if only Mu is left? What's there to fear from a bunch of frogs in a well!"
Although all his subordinates were wiped out, Imu remained powerful and domineering, showing no panic or fear in his eyes, only disdain for the onlookers!
Having been invincible for so many years, do you really think that gathering all the current strongest individuals will be enough to overthrow her? You are underestimating her, the King of the World who overlooks the long river of history.
"Boom!"
A violent and powerful Conqueror's Haki was released from Imu, causing the entire island to tremble and even dispersing the Haki in the sky!
Those on the ground fared even worse; some were staggering and falling, while others were completely out of control, flying away with the force of the attack. Even a veteran Conqueror's Haki's Haki user like Garp had to take a step back to stop himself, his face grave.
Vic, who was in the air, was at the center of the storm. If Imu's outburst had ten layers of power, then only two layers were used elsewhere, while the other eight layers were applied to Vic!
Vic was as if he had been hit by an invisible air cannon. After leaving a mouthful of blood, he was sent flying at such a speed that he left a blur. He finally came to a stop after crashing into a mountain peak, where he was buried by the shattered debris!
" Vic!..."
" Vic! Where are you?"
" Vic! Are you alright? Don't scare me!"
As luck would have it, the mountain that Vic crashed into wasn't far from Gion. She witnessed Vic flying over, spitting blood, and smashing the mountain!
Her heart was in turmoil. She abandoned Chaton and the other marines and headed towards the mountain where Vic was buried. She shouted loudly with a sob in her voice and pushed the boulder to try to dig Vic out, just like a little woman whose husband was buried under the rubble!
"I'm fine, move aside, I'm going to blast this pile of boulders!"
A clear voice rang in Gion's mind, still so calm and composed, without a trace of weakness after being injured!
This wasn't the first time Gion had witnessed such a voice resonating directly in her mind. Although she didn't know how Vic did it, it reassured her that Vic should be alright. Following Vic's advice, she immediately left the pile of rubble!
The technique of Thousand-Li Sound Transmission is achieved through Observation Haki, and the tone and pitch of the sound are simulated, so it doesn't reflect Vic's physical condition at all!
Actually, he was really injured this time, not because he crashed into the mountain, but because of the impact of Imu's Conqueror's Haki from a distance. That was the real reason for his injury!
Vic thought that Imu's previous display of Conqueror's Haki was all she had to offer, but he didn't expect her to be hiding her true strength. This sudden attack caught him completely off guard, and he still suffered some internal injuries!
"Boom!"
With a deafening explosion and a burst of Haki, the entire stone ruins were blasted away, the debris falling like snow and rain. The stone ruins vanished completely, leaving only a figure standing in the center of a white field!