The Thousand Sunny, having torn through space, shot out of the jump tunnel like a silver meteor, and the sight before them made everyone's hearts tighten.
Above Iron Shield Fortress, dark clouds gathered, not from natural weather, but from the condensation of dense, dark red destructive energy. Three terrifying, dark red figures, like demons from hell, hovered above the fortress. They were of different forms: one resembled a giant mantis covered in bone armor, its arms wielding energy scythes that gleamed with a cold light; another was a floating, ever-changing aggregate of shadows; and the last maintained a roughly humanoid shape, but its body was covered in flowing lava-like armor, and it held a spear made of pure destructive energy.
The energy fluctuations emanating from these three entities were all at the level of near- Four Emperors! Far exceeding any monsters encountered before! Instead of large-scale destruction, they concentrated their firepower and launched a frenzied attack on the center of the Iron Shield Fortress —the energy tower that served as the core of the " Will Lighthouse," jointly maintained by Pluton and the allied forces!
Around the energy tower, Ace transformed into a platinum-gold sea of fire, desperately blocking the Lava Demon General World-Purifying Flame and the destructive energy clashed fiercely, each collision triggering a violent explosion. Blood trickled from Ace's mouth; he was clearly at a disadvantage. Sabo, relying on his Dragon Claw Fist and agile movements, fought off the Shadow Aggregator, but his attacks had little effect. On the ground, the Allied soldiers formed battle formations, using their lives and energy barriers to withstand the aftershocks and the occasional scythe-like energy blades swung by the Mantis Demon General, suffering heavy casualties!
The light of the " Will Lighthouse " has dimmed considerably and is in grave danger!
"Damn it! How dare you beat Ace and Sabo like this!" Luffy's eyes widened in fury, and he instantly activated Gear Fourth, shooting towards the Lava Demon General like a cannonball, " Gum-Gum King Kong Gun!"
" Moss Head, Curly Brow! Let's go deal with that giant mantis!" Zoro and Sanji didn't need to say anything more; their swords flashed and their legs moved straight at the mantis demon general.
" Franky, Brook, Chopper, Usopp, ground support, treat the wounded!" Jinbe calmly commanded, then leaped down, the massive water surge blasting towards the Shadow Aggregator to relieve pressure on Sabo.
Allen's gaze was fixed on the crumbling energy tower and the three powerful auras attacking it. He knew he had to stabilize the lighthouse immediately, otherwise its destruction would not only damage the defense system but also deal a devastating blow to the morale of the allied forces.
He took a step forward, hovering in mid-air, without even glancing at the three powerful demon generals. The silver-purple Power of Zhulong surged around him like Tide, and a newly born, deeper, and more majestic dragon might spread out, instantly enveloping the entire battlefield!
The oppressive aura, imbued with the supreme power of time and space, caused the three demon generals to pause their attacks, looking with astonishment and uncertainty at the tiny yet seemingly inseparable figure in the sky.
"This place and its time are under my control."
Allen's voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of every living being, carrying an undeniable power of law. He formed hand seals, his eyes shifting between light and darkness, his left eye like a beacon of creation, his right eye like an Abyss desolation.
"Time Reversal - Partial Rewind!"
He didn't use it on the entire battlefield, as that would be too costly. Instead, he precisely applied the Power of Time to the energy tower and its core device! The parts of the energy tower that had been eroded and damaged by the destructive energy, as well as the overloaded and collapsing rune circuits inside, rapidly recovered at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if an image had been played in reverse! The dim light became brilliant again!
"Spatial Reinforcement - Severed Realm Barrier!"
Immediately afterwards, he waved his hand, creating an invisible spatial Severed Realm around the energy tower, shimmering with a subtle silver light! The mantis demon instinctively swung a probing scythe-like blade of energy, but it struck the Severed Realm without even causing a ripple, like a mud ox sinking into the sea!
In an instant, the precarious core of the " Will Lighthouse " was stabilized, and its light shone even brighter than before! The allied soldiers erupted in thunderous cheers, their morale soaring!
"How is this possible?!" the Lava Demon roared in shock and rage, unable to comprehend such a method of reversing time and reinforcing space.
Only then did Allen turn his icy gaze to the three demon generals.
Your mission is over.
He raised his hand, aiming at the Lava Demon General who posed the greatest threat and was engaged in fierce combat with Ace.
"Spatial Imprisonment, Wormhole Exile!"
The Lava Demon instantly hardened the space around it, making it as solid as steel, firmly imprisoning it! At the same time, a tiny Wormhole opened behind it, and a powerful suction force came, trying to banish it into an unknown, chaotic space!
"Roar! Don't even think about it!" The Lava Demon General roared, its lava carapace erupting with terrifying destructive energy, frantically impacting the spatial confinement. The Wormhole's suction couldn't pull it in for the time being!
But Allen never expected to defeat his enemy in one move. This brief restraint had already created an excellent opportunity for Ace!
"Thanks, Allen!" Ace's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he poured all his power into his right fist, compressing the platinum-gold World-Purifying Flame to its limit, making it resemble a miniature sun!
"Purification of the World's Profound Truth - Great Flame Commandment - Flame Emperor - Piercing the Sun!"
A beam of platinum light, condensed to its utmost, instantly pierced the chest of the temporarily imprisoned Lava Demon General! Purifying power erupted within him, igniting him from the inside out into a massive platinum fireball!
At the same time, Allen flashed and used short-distance spatial teleportation to appear on the side of the shadow aggregate.
"Light and Darkness Intertwined: The Primordial Lock!"
The forces of light and darkness did not attack, but instead transformed into countless chains shimmering with Chaos hues, coiling around the shadow aggregate as if they possessed a life of their own! The purification of light and the devouring of darkness acted simultaneously, causing this aggregate, which was already afraid of pure light and darkness, to emit a painful scream, and its form became extremely unstable!
Sabo and Jinbe seized the opportunity and launched a fierce attack together, completely scattering and purifying it!
The last remaining Mantis Demon General, already badly wounded from the combined attack of Zoro's " Three-Sword Style: Black Rope Dragon Twister "Diable Jambe and Sanji's "Diable Jambe: Dragon's Eye SHOT", was filled with fear upon seeing his two companions fall instantly and tried to flee.
"Want to leave?"
Allen stared at it indifferently, without even moving.
"Time Attack: Morning Flowers Gathered at Dusk!"
An invisible wave of time instantly enveloped the Mantis Demon General! It let out a shrill scream, and its massive body visibly withered and aged. Its hard bone armor lost its luster and became cracked, and its wielding energy scythe became powerless... as if it had completed the entire course of its long life in just a few seconds!
Zoro and Sanji's final blow easily shattered the decaying body completely!
In the blink of an eye, three Four Emperors demon generals at the level of near-Emperor of the Sea were completely wiped out by Allen's swift and decisive actions upon his return!
The battlefield fell silent, then erupted into a tsunami of cheers! Everyone looked at the figure in the sky, who seemed to be a god descending, with reverence and fervor.
Allen slowly descended and came to Ace and Sabo's side.
Are you alright?
"I'm not dead yet." Ace wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and grinned. "You're a monster now, kid."
Sabo breathed a sigh of relief and adjusted his glasses, "You've come back just in time."
Allen nodded, his gaze fixed on the still-cloudy sky and the faint, deeper spatial fluctuations emanating from it.
"This was just a probing decapitation strike. The real threat lies ahead." He felt a faint pulsation emanating from the " World Seed " within him, resonating with the World Barrier. "We must find a way to completely eliminate this hidden danger as soon as possible."
The first battle was a victory, but everyone knew the crisis was far from over. With greater power, they would face even more severe challenges. The war to protect their homeland had entered a new phase.