The moment Imu's voice fell, there was no earth-shattering explosion. Instead, a chilling and silent "erasure" began to take place. The very space surrounding Takuro started to vanish, looking like pencil marks being rubbed away by an eraser. This was not a simple shattering or a distortion of reality. It was a complete return to "nothingness." Behind the vanishing space, a deep and absolutely dark Void Realm appeared—a place so dark that even light could not escape its pull.
This annihilating power spread like an invisible tide toward Takuro and the allied forces standing behind him. Wherever it passed, all matter, energy, and even the concepts of existence turned into nothing! This was an attack that transcended the power of Haki and went beyond any Devil Fruit abilities. It existed at the level of the fundamental rules of the universe.
Even the strongest fighters in the allied forces, like Whitebeard and Kaido, felt a deep fear. It was a primal instinct, the feeling of total helplessness that an ant feels when the entire world collapses around it.
"Is this... Imu's true power?!" Monkey D. Dragon's face was filled with shock beneath his hood. The truth that the Revolutionary Army had searched for over many years was backed by such a terrifying and despair-inducing existence.
"Hee-haw! Are you kidding me? This kind of power is impossible!" Ivankov's massive body trembled in fear. Gion tightly gripped her sword, Konpira. Her face was pale as she finally understood just how deep the reserves of the World Government truly were.
However, in the center of this erasing force, Takuro's scarlet pupils held no fear. Instead, they ignited with a flame of excitement that burned like a stellar explosion!
"Interesting! Now this is more like it!" Takuro burst into a wild laughter. The golden Ki Aura already surging around him erupted with violence, as if nuclear fuel had been tossed into a fire. It was no longer a steady burn. It was a violent expansion, like a supernova explosion. The golden light instantly cleared the air, dispelling the pressure brought by Imu. It even managed to temporarily force back the spreading "nothingness."
"Hraaaaaaah!"
With a roar that tore through the sky, Takuro's hair transformed. It changed from jet black to a dazzling, glowing golden yellow. It stood straight up, completely defying gravity. Fine, silver-white arcs of lightning began to leap within the surging Aura around him.
He had become a Super Saiyan!
This was the peak state he could currently achieve. His Ki and energy levels had undergone a massive change. "I don't care what you are!" Takuro's voice echoed like a clap of thunder. He compressed the golden Aura into his hands, forming a terrifying and highly concentrated sphere of energy. Inside that sphere, it looked as if galaxies were being born and destroyed. "Before my power, your so-called rules will be shattered! Kamehameha!"
This was no casual blast. It was a sure-kill technique executed with his true strength. Driven by the Profound Truth of the Turtle Hermit Style, the intensity of the energy increased tenfold. A colossal azure beam of energy, much wider than before, slammed toward the "nothingness" and Imu. It was wreathed in golden light and silver-white lightning, looking like the first light of the universe's creation.
This was the ultimate clash between two completely different power systems. On one side was the power of rules attempting to reduce everything to nothing. On the other side was absolute energy, fueled by the confidence that raw power could crush anything in its path.
The two powers met with a strange, deep hum. It sounded like the background noise of the universe itself. The space near the point of contact began to crack like a shattered mirror. Time and light were completely disrupted, forming a zone of chaos that devoured everything near it. The blue energy wave and the power of "erasure" frantically fought to cancel each other out.
The residual energy spread outward in a massive ring. Wherever it touched, whether it was the stone buildings of Pangaea Castle or the soldiers of the Marines, they instantly turned into tiny particles.
"Retreat! Quickly!"
"Get away from that area if you want to live!"
Everyone on the battlefield fled in terror. This was no longer a battle they could even watch. The mere leftovers of the energy were enough to kill them many times over. The Five Elders changed their expressions. They joined together to raise a powerful barrier to protect the ground behind them. Their eyes were wide with shock as they looked at the center of the fight. They had served Lord Imu for countless years, but they had never seen anyone capable of resisting the power of "erasure."
The stalemate lasted for only a few short seconds. Under the continuous output of Takuro's massive energy, the dark nothingness began to recede. It was being pushed back and squeezed. Finally, the pure, destructive energy of the Tenfold Kamehameha won.
A massive sound, like the birth of a galaxy, erupted! Imu's power was violently blasted apart. Although the blue energy wave had shrunk by nearly half, it still carried an unstoppable force. It tore through the chaotic space and smashed toward Imu, who was shrouded in a halo of light.
Imu's presence had always been calm, like an ancient well. But now, it showed a very small fluctuation. Imu had not expected that an "anomaly" could be strong enough to break a rule-based attack. Imu raised a hand—a hand that looked like it was made of pure energy—and lightly clenched it toward the incoming blast.
"Return to Silence."
An invisible force field expanded around Imu. The leftover Kamehameha energy, which was still strong enough to destroy a continent, instantly calmed down. It melted away like snow and dissolved into harmless particles in the air. With one simple gesture, Imu had neutralized the strike. However, the hazy halo surrounding Imu seemed to dim slightly. Neutralizing that attack had come with a cost.
Takuro hovered in the air, his golden hair burning like fire. He was panting heavily because the Tenfold Kamehameha had taken a lot of his strength. But the smile on his face grew even wilder.
"Hahaha! You didn't disappoint me! I'm glad you could withstand that!" He licked his lips, and his battle intent became even stronger. "It looks like I won't be able to make you kneel today without showing you what I can really do!"
Imu's blurred face seemed to look at Takuro. The gaze was still cold, but deep within it, there was a trace of a question.
"Your power does not belong to this world," Imu's voice sounded again. It was cold and sounded like a machine. "Does it originate from beyond the stars?"
"Who knows?" Takuro cracked his neck, making his joints pop loudly. "Perhaps I'll tell you after I beat you down."
He put his hands together at his waist once more. This time, the golden Aura and silver-white lightning gathered even faster than before. The energy level began to surpass everything he had done. The entirety of Mary Geoise and the entire Red Line began to wail and tremble under the weight of the energy he was gathering.
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