Another quarter of an hour passed, and neither Vic nor the God-Descended Imu could gain the upper hand. It wasn't that they were truly powerless; Vic had already tested Imu's combat strength after descending upon Saint Mars, and he was confident he could defeat this hybrid.
However, there's no need to do that. As long as everyone's safety is guaranteed and Imu is rendered powerless, that's enough. He doesn't need to fully reveal his strength; he just needs to make Imu feel that things are hopeless and leave with peace of mind!
Vic didn't think that killing this hybrid here would make Imu dead or unaware of what was happening here. This was possession or descent, not an independent clone or anything like that; their five senses were already interconnected!
After gazing intently at Vic, Imu decided to leave. His men were either unconscious or tied up—a bunch of useless trash. His avatar couldn't unleash the full power of his true form, and continuing would only make him weaker. It was better to save some prestige and retreat back to the city!
"Ah!"
Vic waited for Imu to leave, but instead heard a chilling scream. The screamer was Saint Warcury, the wild boar Hoki who had been tied up by Vic!
At this moment, black flames were burning on the wild boar's body, which seemed to be melting away, rapidly aging and loosening.
First, his skin burned away, then his flesh vanished, and his massive skeleton broke free from the lightning's restraints, crashing to the ground and shattering. It didn't stop there; the black flames continued to burn the bones until everything was consumed. Hoki Warcury dead!
"This is what happens to fools!"
After saying that, Saint Mars, who was possessed by Imu, was completely enveloped in black flames, as were the other three Five Elders. As the flames died down, the people inside disappeared!
"Is the wild boar dead?"
Rebecca stared in horror at Hoki, now reduced to ashes. He was a powerhouse on par with her, and he'd died so easily?
If that powerful being possessing Saint Mars treated them the same way, wouldn't they all be wiped out? Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine!
"Dead!"
Vic knew that Imu had no need to put on an act at this moment, and what would be the point of Warcury faking his death and hiding?
Moreover, it's not like Imu is incapable of taking all Five Elders away; there's no need for him to put on this act. Vic suspects that Imu is using the contract to monitor the Five Elders, and that everything they've done and said has been seen by Imu!
The reason why Imu was able to decide Warcury's fate with a single word was probably related to the information he extracted from Warcury. This was the very reason why Warcury met his end!
"What about them? They've all turned into monsters!"
Rebecca looked at the still-screaming demons and asked with some worry, "I escaped demonization using my Conqueror's Haki, but the others either don't have Conqueror's Haki or their Conqueror's Haki isn't very strong. They definitely don't stand a chance on their own. And the person who used this ability has already escaped. How can we save them?"
"Try using your Conqueror's Haki and see if you can save them!"
Vic had already figured it out, but he didn't say it. Rebecca and Hancock were able to get rid of their Conqueror's Haki, so his Conqueror's Haki could definitely eliminate the demonic effects on others!
Even if the three of them can't do it, it can still motivate them and let them know what it means to regret not having studied enough when you need it. If you don't work hard usually, you'll fall behind at the crucial moment. And this isn't an exam, but a real life-or-death battle. It's going to be a life-or-death situation, so the warning effect should be even better!
Rebecca agreed and then urged Luffy and Hancock to give it a try. However, with their Conqueror's Haki, they had already reached their limit in dealing with their own demonization problem. They simply couldn't remove the demonization from others!
"You guys still need to practice. Next time you encounter such a troublesome enemy, you'll just be sitting and waiting to die. If you're not strong enough, use your brains. Actually, there's another way to break the demonization. If you can find it, I'll personally cook you something delicious. Go find it, I'm going to check on Vegapunk!"
Vic is no longer in a hurry. Even Imu has gone home, so there's nothing to worry about. He's not afraid that Imu might come back for a surprise attack. Imu can't take away people who haven't signed a contract with him using the teleportation array, as has been proven before!
Otherwise, Imu wouldn't have turned people into demon henchmen; he would have simply teleported them away. That method would have posed a much greater threat to Vic and was the best option.
But Imu didn't do it, not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't. So even if Imu returned, Vic would still have time to rescue him!
"How's it going, Doctor? Is your super brain ready yet?"
Back at the research institute, Vic saw Vegapunk panting heavily, his face covered in sweat. He didn't seem tired; he looked more like he was terrified. It must have been the aftershocks of the previous battle that had reached this place. He had unleashed all sorts of Conqueror's Haki indiscriminately. It was quite remarkable that Vegapunk hadn't passed out. This was undoubtedly related to his super brain!
"Phew! Is the big battle over over there over there? Is Kizaru really that strong? That was so intense! It almost scared the old man to death!"
Vegapunk's research facility is empty, so the surveillance equipment is useless. He's also busy processing his own brain, so he has no idea how many formidable figures have come from outside!
However, the violent aura generated by the battle and the powerful intimidating effect of Conqueror's Haki reached him, so he knew that the battle must be very intense, and the person he knew was naturally Kizaru. However, based on his understanding of Kizaru and Vic, this was very abnormal!
"Everything's taken care of. Now you can find someone to move it!"
"That's good, Doctor! Do you know how attractive your life is?"
"Hmm? How big?"
"Not long after Luffy and Kizaru fought, Saturn, one of the Five Elders, landed on the island. You must have felt that evil aura too!"
Luffy defeated Kizaru in a two-on-one battle. Of course, it's also possible that Kizaru did it on purpose. In any case, Kizaru was taken down not long after Saturn joined the battle!
Saturn is no match for Luffy, but he has a very troublesome ability: he is indestructible and can revive infinitely!
Saturn couldn't handle Luffy, so he summoned the other Five Elders. It's bizarre, right? But that's the truth. You should have felt it even more clearly when they appeared. Later..."
Vic gave a general overview of the battle's development, but omitted the story of Imu's possession of Mars. He was afraid of frightening Vegapunk and angering Imu; it was best to keep Imu's existence a secret for now, as the real opportunity had not yet arrived!
"This... this! Is my life so unforgivable? Is this how the World Government operates? Thank goodness you came, Vic!"
Vegapunk was terrified. He never expected to attract the pursuit of five such powerful figures, and he never imagined he was worth so much!
Even Vic, with a $6 billion bounty, didn't get personally hunted down by the Five Elders. What makes a scientist like him so special? Are they really that afraid of exposing the Void Century of history? How shocking must the filth behind it all be?
"Alright, stop lamenting. You've become a thorn in the side of the World Government. The moment you appear in the outside world, you'll be hunted down."
You'll likely have a bounty on your head, and the amount will be substantial. Pirates and bounty hunters will be very interested in you. You don't have much of a way out now, so hurry up and pack your things, let's get out of here!"