The blue light of the Wormhole dissipated over the sea between the North Star Base and Newborn Island No. 1. Allen, Rena, Ge Xiaolun, Angel Yan, Zhui, Leng, and some of the elite Super Soldier Company who had been urgently teleported back arrived at the crisis area in an instant, like divine soldiers descending from the sky.
The scene before them plunged everyone's hearts into despair.
Smoke billowed from the makeshift port and fortifications of Newborn Island No. 1, indicating a fierce battle had taken place. Usopp, Chopper, and Brook were at the island's edge, using plants, medicine, and soul music to construct a crumbling defensive line, holding off sporadic attacks from the Triangle Bodies Units. Zoro and Nami were nowhere to be seen.
The real battlefield, however, is on the sea several kilometers away from the island.
The seawater there was no longer azure, but had turned into a strange, ever-churning, deep purple vortex! The vortex was over a kilometer in diameter, bottomless, with lightning flashing at its edges and emanating chilling energy fluctuations. At the center of the vortex was the silver-blue device of that deep-sea ruin, now radiating an ominous dark purple light, exactly like the gray mist energy characteristics seen in Kunlun!
Even more unsettling, tens of thousands of Triangle Bodies units hovered above the vortex! They were no longer the jellyfish or manta ray forms encountered before, but had evolved (or rather, revealed their true forms) into more ferocious and enormous polyhedral crystalline structures. Each facet shimmered with a ghostly purple light, and they were connected to each other through a mental network, forming a massive, constantly pulsating energy array that covered the sky. The center of this array, directly facing the deep-sea vortex below, continuously poured some kind of powerful mental energy into the relic device.
Zoro and Nami were on a swaying speedboat at the edge of the vortex! Zoro kept slashing with his sword, trying to cut off the beams of psychic energy projected from the Triangle Bodies array, but with limited effect. Nami, on the other hand, wielded her Clima-Tact, creating violent thunderstorms and tornadoes around the speedboat, barely managing to resist the approaching Triangle Bodies units and the energy turbulence generated by the vortex.
As for Franky... piloting the battered " General Franky," he was right at the edge of a deep-sea whirlpool, half his body submerged in the churning purple water, his mechanical arm gripping a part of the relic device, seemingly attempting to physically interfere with or disrupt its energy transmission!
" Franky! Come back quickly! It's too dangerous there!" Nami shouted into the communicator.
"SUPER~ No! This metal lump's energy circuit is being forcibly rewritten! If we don't stop it, it'll become a transmitter that releases that gray fog energy!" Franky's voice was filled with the noise of metal friction and energy overload.
Just then, at the center of the vortex, the blue core of the relic device flashed suddenly, and a dark purple energy pulse burst outward in a ring!
"Careful!"
The energy pulse swept across, shattering Zoro's sword energy, destroying Nami's Weather Storm, and nearly capsizing the assault boat! General Franky was even blasted away, tumbling several times in the sea and air before barely managing to regain his footing.
The seawater where the pulse passed turned a deeper purple, and even began to bubble up with fist-sized, translucent purple bubbles. These bubbles slowly rose into the air, with faint gray mist flowing inside, emitting a repulsive aura that was the same as the gray mist of the " Shadow of the End " in the Kunlun images.
"Gray mist energy materialized?!" Angel Zhui exclaimed in shock.
"They're forcibly transforming the relic device into a 'gray fog energy conversion and release device'!" Lian Feng's analysis came through the communication, her voice urgent. " The Triangle Bodies's mental field is rewriting the device's energy matrix! We must stop it immediately! Otherwise, once the conversion is complete, a large amount of gray fog energy will be released into the ocean and atmosphere, potentially causing irreversible erosion to the entire planet's ecology and spatial structure!"
"How can we stop it?!" Ge Xiaolun asked urgently.
"Two methods: First, completely destroy the relic device, but this may trigger an uncontrollable energy explosion or even accelerate the leakage of the gray fog. Second, purify the core of the device, expel the mental control of the Triangle Bodies, and then stabilize or shut it down!" Lian Feng quickly offered a solution.
"I'm going to purify the core!" Without hesitation, Allen transformed into a silver streak and rushed straight towards the center of the deep-sea vortex!
"Cover him!" Angel Yan commanded, and she, Angel Zhui, Angel Leng simultaneously raised their Flame Sword. " Heavenly Blade Judgment - Cluster Mode, aim at the Triangle Bodies array energy node!"
Three blazing golden beams of light descended from the sky, striking precisely at several key connection points of the Triangle Bodies spiritual array! The holy Heavenly Blade energy clashed violently with the Triangle Bodies's dark purple spiritual energy, triggering a chain reaction of explosions. The entire Triangle Bodies array shook violently, causing a momentary disruption in the energy infusion into the relic device.
"Well done!" Rena attacked simultaneously, " Solar Flare - Focused Bombardment!" She compressed the originally spreading flare energy into several high-temperature rays, cutting through the weak points of the Triangle Bodies array like Scalpel.
Ge Xiaolun, Liu Chuang (who has returned from Kunlun ), Zhao Xin, Rui Mengmeng, and other Super Soldier Company members also rushed into the battlefield, engaging in fierce battles with the Triangle Bodies Units that were trying to intercept Allen and attack the island.
Taking advantage of the moment the Triangle Bodies array was disrupted, Allen rushed to the top of the relic device. He could clearly feel that the ancient energy of "water" and "star" that was originally pure inside the device was now being frantically eroded and polluted by a cold, twisted, grayish-purple energy full of the will of "unity". The blue light at the core of the device was being swallowed up by the dark purple little by little.
Even more terrifying, the " Star Core Mark " within his body resonated with clear "pain" and "cries for help" at such close range! It was as if the device itself was a living, tormented kin!
"Hold on!" Allen shouted, pressing his hands on the core shell of the device and activating the Light of Purification with all his might!
Pure white light flowed into the device like a sweet spring, and wherever it passed, the corrosive gray-purple energy quickly receded and was purified as if it had encountered its nemesis. The blue Light of the Heart of the device seemed to regain a trace of clarity.
But the Triangle Bodies clearly wouldn't stand idly by. At the center of the array, several exceptionally large Triangle Bodies "elder" units, resembling purple crystal mountains, simultaneously turned their "gaze" towards Allen. An indescribable, terrifying mental shock, amplified by the chaotic thoughts of billions of living beings, instantly engulfed Allen's consciousness like an invisible tsunami!
It wasn't just a simple headache; it felt as if countless voices were roaring, whispering, and screaming in his mind, trying to tear apart and assimilate his self-awareness, dragging him into an eternal, meaningless Chaos!
"Ugh--!" Allen's body trembled violently, the veins on his hands pressing on the device bulged, and the Light of Purification dimmed instantly.
" Allen!" Robin, who had just arrived through the Wormhole, felt a pang of anxiety upon seeing this scene.
"Mental attack! That's what the Triangle Bodies excels at!" The Angel Leng.
"Let me do it!" a clear and firm voice rang out. Luffy had somehow already rushed onto the assault boat. He stood at the bow, took a deep breath, and then—
" Conqueror's Haki - Full Power!"
boom!!!
An invisible, domineering aura, like a raging sea, erupted from Luffy! This aura was not a physical attack, but rather directly affected the spirit and will of the living being!
Luffy's Conqueror's Haki, honed through countless battles and adventures, has long since reached its pinnacle, even containing a supreme will of "liberation" and "freedom"!
When his Conqueror's Haki clashed head-on with the combined mental impact of the Triangle Bodies—
Sizzle!
Like a scalding hot iron plunged into cold water! Luffy's Conqueror's Haki actually "torn" a hole in the Triangle Bodies's massive and chaotic mental field! The terrifying mental pressure surrounding Allen suddenly eased!
"Well done, Luffy!" Zoro exclaimed.
"Now's the time!" Sanji used Geppo to charge towards the Triangle Bodies Elders who were trying to regroup their mental energy. " Diable Jambe - Rapid Fire!" His kicks were as fast as Inazuma, each one hitting the Triangle Bodies Elders' fragile mental energy nodes (those shimmering crystalline surfaces) precisely. Although they couldn't cause fatal damage, they effectively disrupted their spellcasting.
Allen gained a precious respite, immediately regrouped his will, and a stronger Light of Purification surged into the core of the device!
This time, with Luffy's Conqueror's Haki's Haki and Sanji's restraint, the purification process went much more smoothly. The blue light from the core of the device grew stronger, and the dark purple pollution receded at a visible speed. The bubbles that rose from the seawater, containing gray mist energy, also broke and dissipated one by one.
Success was within reach--
"A massive spatial fluctuation has been detected! Directly beneath the deep-sea vortex! Something... is coming up!" Lian Feng's warning suddenly rang out, her voice filled with disbelief and horror.
Almost simultaneously, the entire deep-sea vortex suddenly contracted inward and then exploded with a deafening roar!
It wasn't an explosion, but rather as if some kind of "lid" had been opened!
From the bottom of the whirlpool, an indescribable, viscous, ink-like "darkness," mixed with an even denser gray mist, surged forth like a geyser! This darkness and gray mist rapidly spread and rose in the seawater, swallowing up even the light in its path, turning the seawater deathly still and icy cold.
From the heart of this surging darkness, a vast, indescribable "being" slowly rose.
It seemed to have no fixed form, like a constantly churning and coalescing polymer of darkness and gray mist, its surface covered with "eyes" and "cracks" that opened and closed, flowing with eerie light. Its size was several times larger than the Void creations that appeared in Kunlun. Its mere existence caused the surrounding space to groan under its unbearable burden, and the rules began to distort and collapse.
The aura it exudes is more ancient, more profound, more "essential" than any creation of the Void. It is a pure "negation" and "hunger" for all "existence" itself.
When Allen's Light of Purification touched the aggregate of dark gray mist, the feedback sent a shiver down his spine—
This is no longer a simple creation polluted by the Void.
This is... a fragment of the true form of the " Shadow of the End," imprisoned and bound for countless millennia!
Or rather, it is a "cancer lesion" formed from the remnants left deep within the planet (perhaps the Earth's core, or perhaps some folded space) when the " Observers - Shadow of the End " attacked the Kunlun Homeworld. After it became entangled, polluted, and mutated with the planet's own energy and the Kunlun Civilization's defensive forces, it was created!
The Triangle Bodies Army forcibly activated and distorted the deep-sea relic device. Its fundamental purpose was not to release the gray fog energy, but rather... to break the seal on this "lesion" and release this fragment of the " Shadow of the End "!
"Gah... cluck cluck cluck..."
A non-human noise, seemingly a mixture of millions of years of geological friction and the wails of souls, emanated from within the dark gray mist aggregate. Its countless "eyes" all turned to Allen, who was purifying the relic device.
The goal is clear—this " Key " carrier exudes an aura that is both contrary to its "essence" and yet possesses a certain "familiarity" and "temptation."
"Retreat! Everyone, retreat immediately!" Angel Yan's expression became incredibly solemn for the first time, even carrying a hint of... preparedness for a formidable enemy. "This is something we can't confront head-on! This is... a divine-level, no, a source of rule contamination from an even more ancient level!"
But it was too late.
The dark gray mist aggregate extended a tentacle composed of pure " Void " and "negation," ignoring spatial distance, and instantly appeared in front of Allen, grabbing down fiercely at him and the relic device beneath him!
This grab seemed to erase Allen, along with the very meaning of this space, from existence!
Crisis, a close call!