The crystal coffin shattered completely, its fragments scattering like meteors. The awakened ancient powerhouse hovered in mid-air, his clothing both ancient and magnificent, but now corroded by Chaos energy, its patterns twisted like those of a living being. His face still faintly retained its former majesty, but his eyes, now completely transformed into Chaos vortexes, radiated a suffocating malice.
"My name is ' Star Speaker ' Alpha," his voice echoed directly in everyone's minds, carrying a harsh, metallic quality, "I was once one of the guardians of the seal... Now, I have seen a higher truth. Chaos is the destiny of all things."
An immense pressure swept across the entire temple, far surpassing the strength of the previous guards. The jade on the walls began to crack, and the ancient runes inscribed upon them gradually faded away.
"He's been completely controlled by the ' Shadow of Origin '!" Allen stretched out his Definition Domain, struggling to resist the pressure, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth again. He could sense that Alpha's power level was extremely high, far exceeding any enemy they had encountered before, even more solid and threatening than that wisp of " Eye of Origin " aura, because he possessed complete combat awareness and skills belonging to ancient powerhouses.
"Accept Chaos, merge with eternity!" Alpha raised his hand and made a grasping motion. The Chaos energy of the entire temple seemed to be summoned, transforming into countless gray chains that wrapped around the Straw Hat Pirates!
" Gum-Gum - Giant Battle Axe!" Luffy's massive foot, imbued with Conqueror's Haki, slammed down, only to be tightly bound by several suddenly condensed Chaos chains. The chains even began to erode his Haki, emitting a "sizzling" sound.
" Three-Sword Style: Black Rope Dragon Twister!" Zoro's slashing storm swept out, severing many chains, but the broken chains instantly absorbed the surrounding Chaos energy and reformed, seemingly endless.
" World-Purifying Flame!" Ace and Sanji simultaneously unleashed white flames, which scorched the chains, causing them to hiss in pain. It was indeed effective, but Alpha merely snorted coldly. More Chaos energy surged in like a tide, continuously compressing the range of the flames.
"ROOM Scan!" Luo activated his ability, attempting to analyze Alpha's energy structure and find weaknesses, but the feedback was overwhelming and chaotic, almost instantly causing him to overload mentally. "No! His energy is connected to the entire Cradle of Chaos, almost inexhaustible!"
"It's useless," Alpha said indifferently. "Here, I am the embodiment of Chaos. Abandon Resistance, accept the gifts of 'Origin,' and you will become the cornerstones of the New World."
Usopp and Chopper attacked desperately from behind, but their attacks were like stones sinking into the sea when they hit Alpha. Nami tried to manipulate the weather rules to create a thunderstorm, but found that the lightning was easily diverted by Chaos energy. Franky's General Cannon fire was blocked by an invisible barrier in front of Alpha.
The gap in strength is too large.
"Successor..." Alpha's gaze locked onto Allen once more, filled with a twisted longing, "You bear the ' World Seed,' the perfect vessel to hold the 'Origin'... Come, accept this glory!"
A beam of Chaos light, condensed to its extreme, ignored everyone else's obstruction and shot straight at Allen's forehead!
" Allen!" Luffy and the others were horrified, but it was too late to help.
At this critical moment, a resolute glint flashed in Allen's eyes. He did not choose to confront it head-on, nor did he dodge it. Instead, he made a move that surprised everyone—he deliberately released part of his mental defenses, guiding the Chaos beam of light, along with the fragments of Alpha's will contained within it, into his mental sea!
"Ah--!" Allen let out a painful roar, his body trembling violently, his eyes instantly filled with Chaos colors, and twisted patterns similar to Alpha began to appear on the surface of his skin.
" Allen! Are you crazy?!" Robin exclaimed.
"He's gambling." Luo instantly understood Allen's intention, his expression incredibly grave. "He wants to confront Alpha's will head-on on a spiritual level, seize control of its connection to the Cradle of Chaos, or... find a way to completely defeat him!"
This was an even more dangerous battle, taking place deep within Allen's consciousness.
Within Allen's spiritual sea, chaos reigned. The radiance of the " Torch Dragon Divinity," representing his own will, clashed fiercely with the invading Chaos gray mist. Alpha's will manifested, like Chaos demon god, carrying endless chaotic rules as it assaulted Allen's will defenses.
"Foolish! With your meager will, you dare to tolerate my existence?" Alpha's will mocked.
"It's not about accommodating..." Allen's will wavered amidst the shock, yet remained exceptionally firm, "It's about... understanding, and then... Definition!"
He frantically circulated the power of the " World Seed," no longer rejecting Chaos, but rather, in a near-self-destructive manner, analyzing and understanding the rules and information contained within the Alpha Will regarding the Cradle of Chaos, the ancient seals, and even the " Shadow of Origin "! He was using Alpha as a bridge to forcibly read those sealed and dangerous ancient knowledge!
This process was incredibly painful. Each analysis felt like branding one's soul with a red-hot iron. His consciousness was constantly being Chaos Erosion and then forcibly condensed by him. His physical body was in even worse condition, with blood seeping from his seven orifices. His form flickered violently between human and indescribable Chaos forms, making everyone who saw it shudder.
"What is he doing?!" Sanji asked anxiously as he fought off the Chaos Chains, which had weakened slightly due to the restraint of Alpha's Will.
"He's... studying." Robin looked at Allen, her eyes filled with shock and worry. "He's using himself as a battlefield and a crucible, forcibly absorbing the power and knowledge of his opponents! This is insane!"
Time ticked by, and the Chaos patterns on Allen's body grew denser and his aura more unstable, as if he were about to completely collapse at any moment. Luffy and the others could only desperately resist the remaining Chaos attacks from the outside to buy time for Allen, and everyone's heart was in their throat.
Suddenly, Allen opened his eyes wide!
At this moment, one of his eyes remained a vast vertical pupil, belonging to his own divine nature; while the other eye had transformed into a Chaos vortex similar to Alpha's, but upon closer inspection, a glimmer of orderly light shone stubbornly deep within the vortex, like a lighthouse!
"I... I saw it." Allen's voice Echo in two ways, one his own, the other a whisper of Chaos, "The structure of the seal, the weakness of the ' Shadow of Origin,' and... you, Alpha, the guardian spirit that has never truly died out deep within you!"
He raised his hand, no longer simply Definition Domain, but a new power interwoven with the light of order and the patterns of Chaos! This power forcibly severed part of the connection between Alpha and the Cradle of Chaos!
"Impossible!" Alpha roared in shock and anger. He felt his power draining away. The original will of " Star Speaker " Alpha, which had been suppressed by Chaos for countless years, was beginning to awaken under Allen's guidance and was fiercely clashing with the Chaos will that was eroding him!
"Now!" Allen shouted to his companions, "Attack him! Attack the true will awakening within him! That's the key to breaking the Chaos's control!"
A double blow, both external and internal!
"Understood!" Luffy roared, unleashing his full power in Nika Form. The Drums of Liberation resounded throughout the temple, " Gum-Gum - Giant Bajrang Gun!"
Zoro's three swords combined into one, his sword intent severing cause and effect, locked onto Alpha: " Three-Sword Style: Secret Technique: Death - Lion Song!"
Sanji and Ace's World-Purifying Flame merged into one, transforming into a pure white phoenix that burned away all filth!
Luo's Scalpel cuts into the node where Alpha energy operates!
At this moment, everyone's strongest attack was unleashed without reservation upon Alpha, which was temporarily frozen due to internal conflict!
Rumble--!!!
The massive explosion completely destroyed the entire temple, and the star remnant trembled violently, as if it were about to disintegrate.
As the smoke and turbulent energy dissipated, Alpha knelt on the ground, the Chaos patterns on his body receding like the tide, and his Chaos vortex-like eyes regained their clarity, turning back into a deep blue, filled with exhaustion and relief.
He looked at Allen, then at the Straw Hat Pirates, and gave them a complex and desolate smile:
"Thank you... for helping me find myself again before I completely lost my way..."
"Young successor... you have passed the test... but have also shouldered... the true mission..."
"Beware of Imu... What she seeks is not sealing, but... control..."
Before he finished speaking, Alpha's body began to transform into starlight and gradually dissipate. This ancient guardian, who had been Chaos Erosion for countless years, finally found liberation in his final moment.
As Alpha dissipated, Allen groaned and knelt on one knee. The Chaos vortex in his eyes slowly faded and returned to normal, but his face was as pale as paper and his aura was extremely weak. Forcibly absorbing and analyzing the will and Chaos rules of the ancient powerhouse had been too much of a burden for him.
" Allen!" Chopper rushed over immediately to treat him.
Luffy over to Allen, patted him on the shoulder, and grinned, "Well done! I didn't quite understand it, but it seemed really impressive!"
Allen looked up at his companions' concerned eyes, then gazed into the depths of Chaos, where the safe path projected by the temple's crystal ball remained clear.
"We've obtained the route, and we know more of the truth..." he said breathlessly, " Imu's goal is probably more dangerous than we imagined. She doesn't want to stop the ' Shadow of Origin,' but rather... to control it."
This deduction weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.
After a brief rest, the Thousand Sunny set sail again, following a safe route to the deepest part of the Cradle of Chaos. There, they would find the ultimate truth and the final battle against Imu.
After absorbing some of Alpha's memories and knowledge, Allen's understanding of the power of " Definition " has reached a new level. However, he also clearly senses that the Chaos rules within him, which have been forcibly suppressed, are like a time bomb that could explode again at any moment. His path is destined to be full of thorns and dangers.