The spiral staircase was deep and cold, as if leading to the Earth's core. The energy concentration in the air was frighteningly high, and the oppressive feeling of "order" was almost tangible, making each step feel like wading through sticky glue. The walls on both sides of the staircase were no longer cold metal or rock, but a translucent crystalline wall that seemed to be solidified energy. Within the crystalline wall, countless complex streams of light could be vaguely seen surging, like the blood vessels and neural networks of the world, all eventually converging downwards.
"These energy flows... all ultimately point to one source." Allen's Torch Dragon pupils could clearly see the direction of the energy flow, "It's right below."
"Be careful, I feel... we're approaching the heart of a living thing," Robin whispered, her archaeologist's intuition sending a chill down her spine.
Sabo was completely focused, his Omniscient Domain contracted to its limit, wary of any possible traps or guards. But unexpectedly, there were no defensive structures on the stairs, as if Imu was extremely confident, believing that no one could reach this place, or... that anyone who did reach this place was no longer a threat.
Finally, the staircase came to an end. Ahead was an enormous, intangible gate of light, composed of pure white light. Light flowed within the gate, obscuring the view beyond, but a vast, ancient energy fluctuation, tinged with a discordant twist, surged forth from behind it.
Above the lintel were two enormous characters, of the same origin as the Poneglyph but even more ancient. Robin recognized them and softly read them aloud:
" Chamber of the False Throne "
" False Throne..." Sabo chewed on the word, the Guardian's warning still ringing in his ears.
Without hesitation, the three of them stepped into the Gate of Light simultaneously.
The scene before them was breathtaking, yet it exceeded everyone's expectations.
They seemed to be in a pure white space without any sense of up, down, left, or right. At the center of the space, suspended in the air was a huge, strange structure made up of countless complex light wheels and nested runes. It slowly rotated, emitting pure light and energy like that at the beginning of creation—that must be the core of the stolen " Primordial Light ".
However, this light source, which should have been incomparably sacred, was now entangled and bound by countless dark and cold chains! These chains were not physical entities, but rather formed from the purest rules of order and the will of Imu. They were deeply embedded in the light source, like parasites drawing on its power and twisting and transforming it into that suffocating "absolute order" force field that permeated the entire holy land!
Below the " Primordial Light " that was bound by chains, floated a massive throne made of dark metal and pale jade.
A figure sat regally on the throne.
He (or she) was not particularly tall, dressed in a simple yet extremely noble white robe, his face indistinct, as if shrouded in a flowing halo, only his eyes were visible—what kind of eyes were they!
Cold, indifferent, and empty, it seemed to contain eight hundred years of time, yet it was devoid of any emotion, like a deity looking down on ants, or a precisely operating machine. Just looking into its eyes made one feel as if their soul was frozen, analyzed, and drawn into some kind of cold calculation.
Imu!
The supreme ruler of the World Government, the master of the Empty Throne, a monster who has lived for eight hundred years, is sitting right in front of them!
Beside Imu's throne stood two others respectfully. One was dressed in a sharp white suit and draped in a "Justice" coat; he was the Chief of CP0, his aura unfathomable. The other was shrouded in a large cloak, obscuring his face, but held a huge book in his hand, radiating an eerie aura (perhaps the holder of the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia?).
"Finally... we've come this far." Imu spoke, his voice flat and without any inflection, yet it seemed to resonate deep within the three's minds, " Sabo, the beacon of the Revolutionary Army; Nico Robin, the Key to history; and you... the variable of time and space."
His gaze finally settled on Allen, and his empty eyes seemed to flicker slightly. " The Power of Zhulong... what an unpleasant surprise. A power that should have been completely annihilated in the river of time has actually reappeared."
Sabo, enduring the terrifying pressure, stepped forward and shouted, " Imu! Your rule is built on lies and theft! You've used the ' Primordial Light ' to distort the world and trample on freedom! Today, it ends here!"
"Freedom? A breeding ground for chaos," Imu said calmly. "Only absolute order can ensure the eternal existence of this world. The diversity, emotions, and dreams you cherish... are nothing but inefficient errors, redundancies that need to be eliminated."
He slowly raised a hand, pointing to the " Primordial Light " bound by chains. "Look, this is the true face of the world—pure, efficient, and orderly. And I am merely returning it to its 'right track.' Resistance is meaningless."
As he moved, the chains of order binding the " Primordial Light " suddenly lit up! An even more terrifying sense of oppression surged in like a tide, attempting to completely crush and assimilate the wills of the three!
"Don't even think about it!" A deep purple light shone brightly in Allen's eyes, and the Power of Zhulong erupted at full force, forming a barrier that distorted spacetime around the three of them, struggling to resist the all-pervasive erosion of order!
"Attack!" Sabo roared, his Dragon Claw Fist covered in top-tier Ryuo Haki, lunging straight at Imu! Robin also instantly activated her Flower-Flower Fruit ability, countless arms grabbing towards the CP0 Chief and the cloaked figure beside the throne!
The battle erupted instantly in the Chamber of the False Throne," a place that would determine the fate of the world!
However, Imu didn't even get up. He simply watched Sabo attack indifferently and flicked his finger lightly.
Bang! Sabo seemed to have crashed into an invisible yet absolutely solid wall, flying back even faster than he had gone, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth! His attack couldn't even touch Imu!
The CP0 commander moved with ghostly speed, blocking all of Robin's attacks. His physical skills and Haki had reached their peak! Meanwhile, the cloaked figure opened the book in his hand, the pages moving without wind, and a strange power field spread out, actually interfering with and even nullifying Robin's Devil Fruit ability!
"It's useless." Imu's voice remained calm. "Here, my 'order' is the rule. Your abilities, your power, are all under my Definition."
He raised his hand again, this time targeting Allen directly. "The variables of time and space must be eliminated first."
A phantom of chains of order appeared out of thin air, coiling around Allen, attempting to "format" him along with his Power of Zhulong!
Allen felt the surrounding spacetime repelling and squeezing him, and the Power of Zhulong became extremely sluggish! He gritted his teeth and persevered, his left eye gleaming white light while his right eye shone with darkness. "Light and Darkness Reversal - Order Collapse!"
He attempted to use the power of " Definition rules" within the Power of Zhulong to fight against and dismantle the order of Imu!
Two forces, almost at the level of rules, collided violently! The pure white space trembled violently! Allen groaned, staggered back several steps, his face even paler, but he managed to barely withstand the attack!
"Oh?" Imu seemed slightly intrigued (if it could be called interest), "To be able to initially resist the order of the ' Primordial Light '... it seems we can't let you live any longer."
The battle had barely begun when the raiding squad found themselves at a complete disadvantage. Imu's power far exceeded expectations; he was practically one with this space and the stolen " Primordial Light "! To challenge him here was to challenge the very rules of the world itself!
How can they, Chamber of the False Throne," shake the "god" who has ruled the world for eight hundred years?