The emergency meeting had just ended, the resolutions had just been issued, and many people hadn't even left the meeting hall when an urgent, encrypted communication was poured over everyone's heads like ice water.
The communication came from a forward reconnaissance squad deployed to the East Blue. The signal was extremely unstable, interspersed with violent explosions and a teeth-grinding roar.
"Headquarters... cough... this is Reconnaissance Team ' Hawk Eyes '... Carnival Island... fallen! Repeat, Carnival Island completely fallen!" The communications officer's voice was filled with pain and despair. "They... they didn't stop! They're spreading to the surrounding islands! At least three islands have already lost contact!"
"Their numbers... the more we fight, the more they seem to increase! The areas they occupy seem to... create an energy field, and the monsters emerging from the rifts are even stronger! Their colors... note their colors! Black... dark purple... ah--!!"
Communication was abruptly cut off after a violent explosion and screams, leaving only a jarring busy tone.
A deathly silence fell over the council chamber. Everyone's hearts sank. The situation was worse than they had imagined, deteriorating far faster than anticipated!
"Color?" Sabo immediately seized on the key point. "Quick! Analyze the color information mentioned in the communication! Compare it with all the transmitted images!"
Intelligence personnel worked swiftly, and soon, a preliminary, chilling analysis report was generated:
Preliminary assessment of the Rift Demons's strength (based on body color and observed combat record):
• Black: Basic unit, possessing strength and speed Transcendence ordinary human soldiers, capable of absorbing small amounts of energy. Threat level assessment: Colonel.
• Dark purple: Stronger, with higher energy absorption efficiency, capable of releasing simple energy shocks. Threat level assessment: Rear Admiral General.
• Dark purple: Demonstrates command behavior; possesses powerful energy breath capable of distorting the surrounding energy field to some extent. Threat level assessment: Vice Admiral.
• Purple: Larger in size, possesses flight capabilities (if not previously), extremely threatening energy attacks, and exhibits clear intelligence. Threat level assessment: Admiral Candidate level.
Dark red: Extremely rare sighting, terrifying energy fluctuations, suspected to possess domain-type abilities. Threat level assessment: Admiral level.
• Red: Only a blurry long-distance image was captured, but the oppressive feeling was suffocating even through the screen. Threat level assessment: Four Emperors level.
• Note: Faint energy signals suggest that entities Transcendence the red level may exist deep within the rift, yet to descend. The intruder-occupied areas appear to stabilize the rift and provide it with energy, allowing stronger entities to pass through.
"Are you kidding me..." Ace stared at the report, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked. " Admiral Candidate, Admiral, even Four Emperors- level?! There are even stronger ones yet? How are we supposed to fight this?"
"They're not invading," Allen's voice was icy cold, "They're 'infecting' and 'assimilating.' Every piece of land they occupy is transformed into their 'nest,' thereby supplying them with even more powerful forces. Their spread must be stopped, otherwise..."
Otherwise, the entire world will be submerged by this terrifying army of rifts!
"There's no time to hesitate!" Long abruptly stood up, his voice like thunder. "The original plan remains unchanged! But the operational objective is revised: at all costs, stop the Rift Demons outside the currently infected island chain! Establish Blood-Red Defense Line! We absolutely cannot allow them to advance another step!"
" Allen, Ace, Luffy! You must depart immediately! The front lines need our strongest fighters!"
" Sabo, analyze their energy cores and nest weaknesses with all your might!"
"All units, high alert! This is not an exercise! This is a battle for survival!"
The order was absolute! Without further hesitation, everyone rushed to their respective posts as quickly as possible.
When Allen (via space jump), Ace (on a high-speed ship), Luffy (using Pluton Overload) arrived at the designated defensive line— Loguetown (a symbolic former headquarters of the Navy) located on the outskirts of the infected zone—the scene they witnessed was chilling.
On the distant horizon, the once beautiful islands, scattered like stars, are now covered by an ominous purplish-black fungal carpet-like substance. The sky is shrouded in dark red light from cracks, and countless winged black dots hover in the air. On the sea, the burning wreckage of ships that were unable to evacuate in time can be seen.
Even more chilling was the powerful energy fluctuation emanating from that polluted area! Several of these auras were at the level of Admiral or even the Four Emperors! They hadn't yet launched an attack, seemingly still consolidating their occupied territory, but the terrifying pressure was tangible, pressing down on everyone's nerves.
The vanguard of the Civilization Barrier Army has already clashed with the advance force of the Rift Demons attempting to spread. The battle is extremely fierce! Conventional artillery fire has little effect. Relying on new energy weapons (prototypes urgently developed by the Science Department ) and their fearless courage, the soldiers are struggling to hold back the tide of black and dark purple monsters. Every kill comes at a great cost. Dark purple monsters appear from time to time, often requiring several officers of general rank to work together to barely hold them off.
"Damn it!" Ace roared as he saw a soldier struck by the energy breath and instantly turn to ashes, then transformed into a white light and charged into the battlefield!
" The World-Purifying Flame - Burning the Wilderness!"
A platinum-gold firestorm swept out, instantly clearing out a large area of black monsters, but its effect on black-purple monsters was reduced, and it could only cause burns rather than fatal damage to dark purple monsters.
Without saying a word, Luffy activated Gear Fourth: Boundman, and his giant fist, wrapped in advanced Haki, slammed into a dark purple monster!
Boom!
The monster was sent flying, its carapace shattered, but it roared and got back up, its wounds slowly absorbing the surrounding energy to heal!
"So hard!" Luffy exclaimed in surprise.
Allen didn't immediately join the ground battle. He hovered in the air, his deep purple vertical pupils locking onto the largest crack and the most polluted island below. He could sense that the dark red and red aura within were becoming clearer and more stable.
"We must seal the rift or destroy their lair," Allen calmly assessed. "Otherwise, no matter how fast we fight, we won't be able to keep up with their reinforcements."
However, breaking through these layers of demonic tides and reaching the core of the rift is no easy feat. These "colonel-level" and "general-level" demons are already so troublesome; how will they deal with the Admiral, Four Emperors, and even stronger beings deeper within?
Above the Blood-Red Defense Line, everyone gazed at the distant cracks that resembled the entrance to hell and the countless hideous demonic shadows. They all understood that a war far more cruel and desperate than the one against Imu had just begun. What they were about to face was a terrifying calamity from another dimension, designed to devour everything.