In the void, the giant sword in Imu's hand radiated a blinding light as an aura of pure destruction manifested.
"Void: Heaven's Decapitation!"
Countless specks of light converged into blades before tens of thousands of sword beams merged into a single entity. Like a silver river tearing through the heavens, the strike pierced the sky, surging toward Lin Xuan.
As the strike left his blade, Imu's face turned deathly pale. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth; it was clear that this technique demanded a staggering price from his own vitality.
"Wood Style: Wood Locking Wall!"
Lin Xuan didn't even bother with hand signs. A wooden shield carved with a monstrous face materialized before him, instantly coated in the metallic sheen of Armament Haki.
After a brief thought, Lin Xuan layered a Susanoo ribcage over the shield for good measure.
In the distance, the expressions on Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama's faces were priceless. Seeing their signature jutsu used with such casual efficiency by Lin Xuan made them feel as though their lifelong arts were being reinvented right before their eyes.
Boom!
The deluge of sword beams crashed down, triggering a terrifying spatial storm. The impact tore a jagged rift into the bright sky that refused to close.
Lin Xuan's wooden shield shattered completely under the pressure, but the silver sword beams dissipated along with it.
Imu didn't seem to mind the failure of his attack. Instead, he began to laugh. "Lin Xuan, look at the situation below. It seems luck isn't on your side. Your people will be dead soon enough!"
Below them, the Gorosei were launching a frenzied assault on Whitebeard and the others.
The "Long-Bearded" Saint was wielding Uranus, the Ancient Weapon. Kaguya Otsutsuki was currently pinned down, while the "Bald" Saint and the others were pressing their advantage.
Imu believed that as long as they stalled Lin Xuan, it was only a matter of time before Whitebeard's forces were annihilated. Once the threat to Mary Geoise was extinguished, Imu would be free to use his remaining trump cards to finish Lin Xuan off.
Seeing Lin Xuan frown, Imu assumed the youth was at his wit's end and let out a derisive sneer. The other "Creators"—the progenitors of the Celestial Dragons—joined in the mockery. They had been suppressed by Lin Xuan since the start of the battle; seeing their subordinates gain the upper hand below provided a much-needed sense of catharsis.
Suddenly, Lin Xuan's lips curled into a smile. "You're right. I can't let this drag on any longer."
"Heh, and what can you do about it?" the middle-aged man in the white robe sneered. "You think I'll just let you go down there and save—"
His words caught in his throat. His eyes widened in shock.
Lin Xuan was already standing directly in front of him. Having entered Sage Mode, Lin Xuan thrust a Truth-Seeking Ball straight through the man's chest.
The white-robed progenitor's face twisted in agony. He felt his heart being utterly shredded. Blood sprayed from his mouth as his life force withered.
Bang!
With a casual palm strike, Lin Xuan sent the man's body hurtling toward the ground. He plummeted like a meteor toward the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.
Crumble!
The body slammed into the massive outer walls, causing a section of the fortifications to collapse. The sudden, violent impact terrified the surrounding World Government soldiers who had been fighting with renewed morale.
As the dust settled, everyone's eyes were drawn to the crater. There lay the white-robed progenitor, devoid of any signs of life.
"What? That's one of the Progenitors!" The Long-Bearded Saint's pupils constricted.
He couldn't believe it. One of the eight original Creators had been killed and swatted out of the sky like a fly.
Who did this? Lin Xuan? Could even the Progenitors not hold him back?
"Dammit, what is happening up there?" His expression shifted rapidly, but he gritted his teeth and redirected his fury toward Kaguya. They had gone too far to turn back now.
The Bald Saint followed suit, his blade, the Shodai Kitetsu, erupting with a devastating aura as he lunged toward Roger and the others. Despite their desperate defense, Roger's group was beginning to sustain heavy injuries. The shockwaves from the clash were so intense that many nearby fighters were being caught in the crossfire, turning the battlefield into a bloody quagmire.
Meanwhile, Kong began organizing a counter-offensive, leading the remaining forces to charge at the New Era Alliance.
High in the void, Imu was shaken to the core.
When Lin Xuan struck just now, Imu hadn't even been able to see what happened. The attack felt eerie and disjointed—as if Lin Xuan had simply appeared at his destination while everything else in the world had been slowed down to a crawl.
Time!
The realization hit Imu, and his face paled even further. That feeling of "wrongness" was the manipulation of time.
He had seen Lin Xuan slow down time in small pockets before, but the Progenitors had dismissed it as a parlor trick with no real combat application against masters of their caliber. But just now, Lin Xuan had distorted the flow of time so precisely that he moved unaffected while his opponent was frozen in place.
"Dammit, what kind of power is that? An Awakening?" Imu's brow furrowed.
When Lin Xuan used Ninjutsu, they could sense the flow of Chakra. But this temporal manipulation left no such trace. Imu began to suspect that this—the mastery over time—was Lin Xuan's true Devil Fruit ability.
Uchiha Madara was equally stunned. What was that? And this brat... he's actually mastered Six Paths Sage Mode as well?
With his Rinnegan and his own experience with Six Paths power, Madara could see the truth more clearly than Imu, which only served to deepen his shock.
"You're right, I really should wrap this up," Lin Xuan said, looking toward Imu with a calm smile.
Lightning began to crackle and chirp in his palm.
"Sage Art: Chidori!"
In a flash, Lin Xuan vanished.
Imu's expression shifted to pure terror. He desperately unleashed his Void power, warping the space around him until his own figure became a blurred distortion, disappearing from his original position.
Boom!
When Lin Xuan reappeared, he was standing before the white-haired elder who had already been weakened. The lightning in his hand plunged through the old man's torso.
Bang!
With a heavy punch, the white-haired progenitor was sent screaming toward the earth, following his comrade into the ruins of Mary Geoise.
"You run pretty fast, don't you?"
Lin Xuan turned his head. Imu had reappeared several kilometers away, using his mastery over the Void to put as much distance between them as possible.
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T/N:
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