It appeared that even after the Demon Mother Tree bestowed its powers upon the Devil Fruits, it could still manifest those same abilities itself. Lin Xuan recognized several familiar powers—the flare of the Flame-Flame Fruit and the chilling frost of the Ice-Ice Fruit—despite Ace and Aokiji still being very much alive.
In other words, Lin Xuan was facing an onslaught of countless Devil Fruit abilities, all of which were being wielded at their absolute peak.
Yet, Lin Xuan's expression remained stoic. Instead of retreating or dodging, he charged straight ahead.
"In that case, let's see just how much bite these 'mastered' powers actually have!"
As his voice fell, the Complete Body Susanoo materialized, transforming into a colossal armored giant. He didn't stop there; he ignited the Eight Inner Gates, lunging directly toward the Demon Mother Tree.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Violent tremors echoed through the void. Beneath the deluge of bizarre and destructive Devil Fruit attacks, Lin Xuan navigated the chaos with calm precision. Powerful ninjutsu erupted from his hands one after another in a spectacular display of force.
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host! Reputation +99,999!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host! Reputation +99,999!]
System notifications flashed incessantly. These were the reactions of the global audience watching the live broadcast, their souls shaken by the sheer intensity of the battle.
Lin Xuan had no time to manage the notifications. He grew more exhilarated as the fight progressed. Wielding a Greatsword of Lightning, he carved a path through the onslaught, closing the distance to the Mother Tree.
The Demon Mother Tree mirrored his ferocity, lashing out with its powers. Realizing its massive size left too many openings, the tree began to compress itself, shrinking until it stood only a thousand meters tall. Countless vines, hard as steel and imbued with elemental energy, whipped toward Lin Xuan.
The slaughter reached a fever pitch. The surrounding seas had long since been reduced to a chaotic wreck of whirlpools and steam.
"Sage Mode! Open!"
"Seventh Gate: Gate of Wonder, Open!"
Lin Xuan let out a low growl. As he entered Sage Mode and pushed the Eight Inner Gates to the seventh level, his Susanoo began to emit a massive volume of blue steam—the sweat of the user evaporating from pure physical heat.
His speed reached a new dimension; his power surged to a terrifying peak.
"What kind of technique is that? The pressure is incredible!"
"Is this Chairman Lin's true strength? It's legendary!"
"With this kind of power, maybe... just maybe he really can kill the Demon Mother Tree!"
Whitebeard and the others watched the broadcast, unable to suppress their gasps of awe.
"Madara, that looks a lot like the move that almost kicked you to death," Senju Hashirama remarked suddenly.
Uchiha Madara's face instantly darkened. He knew exactly what Hashirama was referring to. Lin Xuan had shared memories with them of the "original" timeline—the events they were supposed to have experienced.
In those memories, a Konoha brat named Might Guy had opened the Eight Inner Gates and beaten Madara into a pathetic state. If not for his Six Paths regeneration, he would have been killed by a single kick.
Hearing Hashirama bring up that particular sore spot made Madara's eyes flash with irritation.
"It never actually happened, so stop saying I was almost killed," Madara snapped. "Hashirama, you're getting awfully bold lately. Do you want to dance?"
However, Madara couldn't help but look at the technique with a hint of interest. He figured he might learn it himself later. Since he possessed a Reanimated Body (Edo Tensei), he didn't have to worry about the lethal side effects of the final gate. If he used it, he'd likely be even more terrifying than Lin Xuan.
With Lin Xuan's current foundation, the combination of the Seventh Gate and Sage Mode far surpassed the power Might Guy had possessed. In terms of both speed and raw destructive force, there was a qualitative difference.
Under the relentless assault, the Demon Mother Tree finally began to buckle, forced into a steady retreat.
CRASH!
Finally, Lin Xuan swung his blade, cleaving through the forest of lashing vines to stand directly before the trunk of the Demon Mother Tree.
"Daytime Tiger!"
Lin Xuan roared. The blue steam of his chakra erupted, condensing into a colossal, thousand-meter-tall tiger of compressed air. The beast let out a silent, vacuum-shattering howl and bit down directly on the main trunk of the tree.
The shockwave was catastrophic. The air pressure alone shredded the tree's defenses, while the surging chakra vapor ground the wood and branches into fine dust.
BOOM!
Under the weight of this ultimate physical strike, the Demon Mother Tree finally reached its limit. The massive trunk splintered and exploded. A blinding light erupted, and a thunderous roar shook the world in all directions as the Demon Mother Tree collapsed.
"Did we win?"
Across the world, everyone watching the broadcast held their breath, their eyes wide with disbelief.
A moment later—
"He won! Chairman Lin defeated the Demon Mother Tree!"
Cheers erupted everywhere. The Demon Mother Tree, a nightmare that had brought the world to the brink of despair and suffocation, had finally been toppled. Joy and relief washed over the faces of the masses.
Conversely, the Celestial Dragons—who had been rounded up and bound—looked on in terrified dismay. Their "god" had fallen.
However, the celebration was short-lived.
The smile on Gol D. Roger's face suddenly froze. "Something's wrong!"
"What?"
Whitebeard and the others turned to him in confusion. Roger gestured urgently toward the screen.
On the broadcast, the Demon Mother Tree—despite having most of its trunk and branches pulverized by Lin Xuan's fist—was regenerating at a visible, sickening speed. In less than two seconds, it stood tall once more, as if it had never been touched.
The Demon Mother Tree's piercing, grating voice rang out again.
"You are indeed strong. To think you could damage me to such an extent."
"But it doesn't matter how much you destroy. I can restore myself in an instant!"
"Jie-jie-jie! I told you long ago: only the combined power of the three Ancient Weapons can truly eliminate me. It's a pity. It's far too late for you now. You have no chance left!"
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T/N:
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