Under the relentless assault, the defenses of the passage were finally breached.
The cost was heavy. Several Deep-Sea Guardians and Fish-Man Warriors fell forever in the bizarre and chaotic energy turbulence. A Revolutionary Army cadre was dragged into a spatial rift by the Void Predators's dying counterattack. The Naval Task Force also lost several heavy mechs and some soldiers. The Ark Maxim's barrier was on the verge of collapse several times, and the hull was damaged in many places. Franky did his best to maintain its basic functions.
But no one backed down.
Through the breached defensive line, the dark red light at the end of the passage was almost within reach. The suffocatingly dense aura of corruption surged in like a tangible tide, accompanied by the increasingly clear fury of that ancient, evil will and... a hint of barely perceptible solemnity.
"Charge out!" Allen's voice was hoarse but firm. He maintained the " Rule Penetration Line " and the stable runes laid out along the way with both hands. The last complex silver-blue rune was gathering in his palm, ready to be thrown at the end of the passage—the core anchor for building the "bridgehead" energy node!
With a final roar, the Ark Maxim's engine, carrying the wounded yet fiercely fighting spirit of the crew, burst forth from the narrow and chaotic energy channel!
The view suddenly opened up before them, but the sight that came into view made everyone's hearts sink and their breath catch in their throats.
This is not the "cave" or "nest" you might imagine.
Rather, it was a vast and terrifying "domain" that defied description.
The sky (if it could be called a sky) was a dark red, fleshy dome that constantly writhed and dripped viscous liquid, like an inverted ocean. The ground was a thick, pulsating dark purple fungal carpet, soft and elastic to the touch, as if stepping on the organs of some enormous creature. Countless thick, mountain-like dark purple energy channels rose from the fungal carpet, winding and twisting, eventually converging at the center of the domain.
There stands the ultimate goal of this journey—the source of Source of Corruption itself.
It was far larger and more malevolent than the one I had glimpsed in the passage. Its main body was a gigantic, dark red tumor, over a kilometer tall and with an immeasurable diameter. Its surface was not smooth, but covered with countless pustules of varying sizes, eyes, mouths, and constantly extending tentacles. The tumor throbbed slowly and heavily like a living heart, each beat triggering an energy Tide throughout the entire area, radiating a chilling malice and oppressive aura that could freeze one's soul.
At the "top" of the tumor, a darker, more cohesive "core" can be vaguely seen, like an evil one-eyed gaze coldly "overlooking" the intruders. That is the convergence point of the Source of Corruption's consciousness, and the core of its power.
Around the giant tumor, like stars surrounding the moon, several smaller but equally grotesque "daughter tumors" were connected to the mother tumor by thick energy umbilical cords, seemingly providing it with additional energy or performing some function. The shape of one of the daughter tumors vaguely reminded Allen of Callistos's original body, a combination of shell and rotting flesh...
Further outwards, there was a dense, black, surging army of corruption!
Besides the Void Predators, Abyss Giant Scorpions, and Corrupted Heroic Spirits encountered in the passage, there are many more monsters of various shapes and powerful auras here: there are "Corrupted Sea Beasts" that resemble a combination of a rotting whale and a coral reef; there are "Wraith Aggregates" composed entirely of twisted energy and skeletons; there are "Spore Turrets" whose lower bodies are integrated into the fungal carpet and whose upper bodies resemble deformed plants; and there are even a few "Fallen Believers" who vaguely retain the racial characteristics of the Deep-Sea Council, but whose bodies are highly mutated and whose eyes are fanatical!
They stood in neat rows, roaring silently, their eyes burning with hatred for all that was not corrupt. Their numbers were so vast they seemed endless!
This is the "Royal Court," the Source of Corruption, its ultimate fortress that it has cultivated for countless years, the "heart" and "brain" that nurtures and commands all corrupting forces!
"How... how are we supposed to fight this?" Usopp's voice trembled with despair. The scale of the enemy before him and their overwhelming evil aura far exceeded anyone's imagination.
Even top-tier fighters like Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji wore extremely solemn expressions. They could clearly sense that the power emanating from the central tumor had likely Transcendence the peak of the Four Emperors, reaching an incomprehensible level! Not to mention the almost endless army of corruption.
Tortuga of the Deep-Sea Council, Jinbe of Fish-Man Island, Sabo of the Revolutionary Army, and Fujitora of the Navy—these leaders and powerful figures, accustomed to weathering many storms, all felt a heavy weight in their hearts at this moment. The elite troops they brought seemed so insignificant in this Corrupted Royal Court.
However, Allen's gaze remained unwavering.
His gaze was fixed on the relatively open area of fungal carpet beneath the fleshy tumor of the Source of Corruption —that was directly in front of the passage exit, and the best location for him to establish a "bridgehead"!
"There's no turning back." Allen's voice, amplified through the megaphone and telepathic link, resonated in the ears of all Alliance warriors. "Either purify it here, or... we will all become new nourishment for this corrupted land, helping it to erode our world even faster, and perhaps... threaten other universes!"
He raised his right hand, and the silver-blue core rune in his palm, which had been condensed for a long time and contained his complete understanding of the rules of space and the essence of Sparks power, suddenly burst out with dazzling light!
But we come carrying Spark! Sparks may be small, but it can dispel darkness, ignite hope, and purify filth!
"Now! With this rune as our anchor, with Sparks as our guide, and with our will as our foundation—"
"Establish a foothold! Build a bridgehead!"
" Sparks of Order Field Deploys! ' Purification Outpost ' Arrives!"
boom--!!!
The core rune flew out of his hand, shooting towards the designated area like a meteor, and slammed into the creep!
Immediately afterwards, a dazzling silver-white light exploded outwards from the point where the rune landed! Wherever the light passed, the dark purple fungal carpet hissed and dried up rapidly, carbonized, and turned to ash as if it were being burned! The low-level corrupted monsters that tried to rush over screamed and turned to ashes as soon as they came into contact with the light!
The light did not attack indiscriminately, but precisely constructed a hemispherical " Order Field " with a diameter of about 500 meters! At the edge of the domain was a semi-transparent energy barrier flowing with silver and blue runes, emitting a strong aura of "purification", "order" and "spatial stability", firmly isolating the dense corrupting energy and mental pollution from the outside!
Inside the realm, the ground was purified into solid, shimmering rock, and the air was fresh, as if we had returned to the normal world. Even more remarkably, at the very center of the realm, a complex pattern resembling a small teleportation array, composed of pure energy, was slowly taking shape—the prototype of a "coordinate gate" connecting the passage to potential reinforcements!
This is the "bridgehead" that Allen has been preparing for so long—the " Purification Outpost "! A temporary sanctuary of order and life forcibly carved out within the Corrupted Royal Court!
"We did it!" Nami exclaimed in delight.
"Well done, Allen!" Luffy grinned.
All the Alliance warriors were greatly encouraged! With this foothold, they were no longer rootless duckweed; they could take turns resting, rely on defense, and... launch an organized counterattack!
However, the Source of Corruption will clearly not stand idly by and allow its territory to be "polluted."
"Blasphemy!!!"
A terrifying roar, Transcendence hearing and resounding directly at the soul level, a mixture of endless rage and savagery, erupted from the core of the central tumor!
The entire Corrupted Royal Court was shaken!
The fleshy dome of the sky cracked open in countless places, raining down viscous "blood rain" that was highly corrosive and mentally polluting! The fungal carpet on the ground writhed wildly, and more corrupted monsters surged in from all directions like a tide, frantically assaulting the Order Barrier of the " Purification Outpost "!
At the same time, the several "daughter tumors" surrounding the mother body lit up simultaneously, each releasing different forms of terrifying attacks!
A sarcoma-like offspring opened its Maw, spewing out a torrent of dark green energy tens of meters in diameter, which bombarded the barrier, creating violent ripples!
The eyes on the surface of the other sub-tumor simultaneously fired dense beams of mental pollution, attempting to penetrate the barrier and directly attack the souls of those inside!
Another sarcoma (the one suspected to Callistos's) emitted eerie fluctuations, affecting the surrounding spatial structure and attempting to distort, compress, and even tear apart the Order Field!
Although the Source of Corruption itself did not move directly (perhaps it was too large or constrained by some rule), a dark red beam of light, condensed to the extreme, shot out from its core "single eye," like a spear of judgment, slowly aiming at the Order Field, clearly brewing an attack powerful enough to destroy the world in one blow!
"Defense! Maintain the barrier at all costs!" Allen roared, hovering in the center of the domain, his hands pressed against the teleportation array pattern on the ground, pouring all his Sparks power into it to accelerate its formation and stabilization. The bridgehead was established, but the teleportation gate had to be completed as soon as possible, otherwise they would be a lone army trapped here and doomed!
"Leave it to us!" Tortuga, Jinbe, Sabo, Fujitora, and other powerful warriors each led their troops, relying on the Order Barrier to defend the four directions and resist the onslaught of the corrupted army. Ranged attacks, energy cannon fire, slashes, fists and feet... all means were unleashed, forming a deadly firepower net outside the barrier.
The Straw Hat Pirates, as a mobile elite force, specializes in dealing with powerful individual monsters that break through the firepower network or attack the barrier from special angles. Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji are like three sharp knives, charging back and forth through the monster hordes; Nami's lightning, Usopp's special ammunition, Franky's artillery fire, Robin's giant arm, Chopper's medical treatment and enhancement, and Brook's sonic waves fill in the gaps and eliminate threats.
The battle turned into a fierce war of attrition from the very beginning.
The corrupting army seemed endless; as soon as one died, more would immediately take its place. The attacks from the tumorous offspring were relentless, each strike causing the Order Barrier to tremble violently, and the energy maintaining the barrier was rapidly depleted. Allen could feel that the runes he had laid out and the Sparks power he had infused were being consumed quickly.
"The portal will take at least ten more minutes to open stably!" Allen gritted his teeth. Ten minutes seemed like an incredibly long time under this level of attack.
"Then hold out for ten minutes!" Zoro shouted without turning his head as he cleaved Corrupted Heroic Spirits that lunged at the barrier in two with a single strike.
"Ten minutes... that's enough time for me to kick away a lot of seafood!" Sanji's figure left countless fiery afterimages in the air as he kicked several Void Predators to pieces.
" Gum-Gum... King Kong Gun Gatling!" Luffy's fists, like a storm, cleared away the monsters in an area.
However, the enemy's offensive grew increasingly fierce. In particular, the dark red beam of light emanating from the core of the Source of Corruption finally completed its charging, carrying an aura of annihilation, and slowly moved, ultimately locking onto— Allen, who was maintaining the portal!
"Oh no! Its target is Allen!" Robin cried out.
"Stop it!" Jinbe tried to deflect the beam by manipulating the water flow, but the water was evaporated by the high concentration of corrosive energy emitted by the beam as soon as it got close.
Fujitora's gravitational field applied to the beam only slightly slowed it down.
"Damn it! This thing's energy level is too high!" Sabo's dragon claw flames struck it, but it was like throwing a stone into the sea.
The dark red beam ignored all obstacles in its path, shooting straight towards the center of the Order Field, towards Allen!
A close call!
Allen looked up at the beam of light that was powerful enough to annihilate him and the entire core of the bridgehead, but a resolute glint flashed in his eyes.
He couldn't dodge. If he did, the construction of the portal would be interrupted, and all his previous efforts would be wasted. Moreover, if this beam of light hit the core of the domain, the bridgehead would likely collapse directly.
"Then... let's just take it."
He freed one hand, spread his fingers, and aimed at the incoming beam of light. In his palm, silvery-white Sparks burned more intensely than ever before, while at the same time, ripples of spacetime violently rippled within the Eye of the Torch Dragon.
"Using Sparks as a shield, and time and space as a buffer..."
"Order: The Barrier of Spacetime Deflection!"
A translucent, silver, diamond-shaped shield, composed of countless intricate spatial folds and pure Sparks, instantly appeared in front of Allen, blocking the path of the dark red beam of light!
There was no earth-shattering explosion.
The moment the beam struck the shield, time seemed to stretch out. Some of the terrifying corrupting energy contained within the beam was purified and annihilated by the power of the Sparks, while the rest was forcibly "deflected," "diverted," and "delayed" by the folds of spacetime, like waves crashing against rocks, forced to disperse in all directions. Only less than 30% of the power actually impacted the shield itself and Allen behind it.
puff!
Allen coughed up blood, his body trembling violently. The combined strain of maintaining the portal and the shield had pushed him to his limit. Cracks covered the silver shield, but ultimately... it didn't shatter! He had withstood a blow that was enough to severely injure or even kill Four Emperors!
" Allen!" his companions exclaimed.
"I'm fine!" Allen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes still fierce. "Keep guarding! The portal... will be ready soon!"
His tenacity seemed to enrage the Source of Corruption and shocked everyone in the alliance.
"For our homeland! For the ocean! We will fight to the death!" Tortuga roared, and the Deep-Sea Guardians, as if injected with adrenaline, unleashed even greater fighting power.
"I'll stake the Navy's justice on this! We absolutely cannot let this thing endanger the world!" Fujitora's eyes widened, and he unleashed the full power of his Press-Press Fruit, crushing a large group of corrupted monsters into a bloody pulp.
"Revolution is about creating a world free from this terrifying threat!" Sabo's flames burned even brighter.
"The hatred and future of Fish-Man Island begin today!" Jinbe and the Fish-Man warriors are united in their hatred of the enemy.
The Straw Hat Pirates did their utmost to protect Allen in the center.
Time, amidst blood and fire, sacrifice and perseverance, slipped away second by second.
Eight minutes... nine minutes...
The Order Barrier had dimmed to its lowest point, and its area was slowly shrinking under the corrosive energy. Alliance warriors suffered continuous casualties, each bearing wounds and breathing heavily.
But no one gave up.
finally--
Buzz!!!
The teleportation array pattern on the ground suddenly burst forth with a stable and dazzling silver-white light! The complex spatial coordinates were successfully anchored, and the energy channel was completely stabilized!
"The portal is stable!" Allen shouted hoarsely, his voice filled with a mixture of relief and excitement.
Almost simultaneously, as if sensing the completion of the portal, the source of Source of Corruption roared even more furiously, and the corrupting energy throughout the royal court surged like boiling water! All the sub-tumors and the corrupting army launched a suicidal all-out attack! Dark red beams began to brew again, and more than one of them!
It will stop at nothing to destroy this " Nail " driven into its heart before reinforcements arrive!
"Hold on until the very last moment!" Allen forced himself to his feet, gathering Sparks in his hands once more. "The bridgehead is established, the coordinate gate is open! Our reinforcements are on their way!"
"Let this corrupt hell see—"
"Break free from the light and fury of the world of order!"
The silvery-white portal shone brighter and brighter, and the spatial fluctuations became more and more intense.
And from the depths of that light, the faint rumble of war drums and countless shouts filled with fighting spirit could be heard!
The final stage of the final battle...