Chapter 62: Lord of the Sky
Taking advantage of the moment while Ren's group was tending to Molly's wounds, Gan Fall grabbed a handful of weeds, crushed them, and smeared them over his injury. He had rushed out in a hurry and had not brought any medicine, so he could only stop the bleeding this way for now.
Then he bent down to pick up the weapons left behind by the fallen guards and looked at Ren and the others with vigilance.
One woman among them had already defeated him, and the man standing at the bow was clearly even stronger. The sense of helplessness weighed on him, yet even so, he could not simply give up the fight—the existence of the Holy Land was of utmost importance to him.
"Do you still intend to fight?" Ren said when he saw Gan Fall pick up a weapon once more.
"This is our Holy Land. Even if it costs me my life, I cannot allow you to act recklessly here!" Gan Fall replied sternly, clearly prepared to fight to the death.
"I admit your strength is formidable, but the entire Divine Squad will arrive shortly. When that happens, even you won't be able to leave alive," Gan Fall said. "Rather than losing your lives here over some wealth, you would be better off leaving now."
"What do you think?" Gan Fall believed that although Ren and his group sought gold, they were not inherently evil. Otherwise, he would not have survived the girl's attack.
In fact, while stopping his bleeding, he had already noticed that most of the guards here were not in immediate danger of death.
"If you come to Skypiea with friendly intentions, we Skypieans would gladly welcome you."
"Losing your life over some wealth?" Ren shook his head, finding it somewhat amusing. "That description suits you better. Guarding these material possessions and standing in our way—that is what truly shows disregard for life."
Ren did not take the so-called Divine Squad seriously at all. If any of them could even walk up to him under the pressure of Conqueror's Haki, he would consider it worthy of praise. As for becoming an obstacle to him, that was pure fantasy.
"As far as I know, this so-called Holy Land was originally blasted up here from the Blue Sea by the Knock-Up Stream. You Skypieans are guarding something that never belonged to you. Losing your lives for it would be the real foolishness."
In truth, Upper Yard was not especially useful to the Skypieans.
They did not live on it, nor did they take the gold of the City of Gold for use. They simply revered it as sacred land because of their longing for soil. Though that pilgrimage-like devotion was moving, Ren had always been a pragmatist.
Gan Fall was about to say something more when a distant sound suddenly reached his ears.
He quickly looked into the distance and saw a large group of knights riding giant birds flying toward them.
"It seems the main force of the Divine Squad has arrived. Seeing their numbers, will you still refuse to withdraw?"
The Divine Squad of Skypiea numbered in the thousands, appearing from afar like a dark mass surging forward.
"God!" they shouted loudly from the air before even reaching him.
Ren merely watched them approach with an expressionless face. Then he slowly walked toward the shore, advancing step by step under Gan Fall's gaze.
Ren was slightly taller than Gan Fall—not particularly tall in the world of pirates. Yet for some reason, Gan Fall felt an inexplicable pressure, as if a ferocious beast were steadily closing in, causing the hairs on his back to stand on end.
"Stop, outsider! Do not approach God or the Holy Land any further!" The knights in the air, seeing Ren draw closer, shouted anxiously and hurled their spears at him with all their strength.
"Insolent fools!" Molly's eyes flared at the sight. The bandages on her hand were not yet fully wrapped, and she nearly dragged along the female pirate tending to her.
However, Shiyado was even faster, soaring forward like a streak of black shadow. With a single claw, she kicked the spear aside.
If these insignificant insects managed to injure Ren, it would be their failure.
Though such an attack could never harm Ren in the first place.
"Are you unharmed, God?" The guards saw their attack fail but paid it no mind. They quickly landed and shielded Gan Fall behind them.
"I'm fine…" Gan Fall let out a breath of relief. With his men present, he felt somewhat reassured and regained a measure of confidence.
Compared to Gan Fall, these guardians were far harsher—perhaps even hot-tempered. After confirming that Gan Fall was safe, they immediately leveled their spears at Ren. In an instant, thousands surrounded him.
"Outsider, leave the Holy Land at once!"
Ren ignored the spearheads, yet paused with interest. His Observation Haki had sensed an enormous lifeform awakening.
Boom—
A tremendous rumble echoed from deep within the forests of Upper Yard, like an earthquake or rolling boulders.
Gan Fall and the Divine Squad grew tense.
"That sound…"
"Could it be that creature has awakened?"
Fear appeared on every face. Within this Holy Land slumbered a monster they revered as the Snake God—the true master of Upper Yard, the Lord of the Sky.
"Has the Lord of the Sky awakened?"
The massive rumbling rapidly drew closer. The giant serpent crushed trees beneath its enormous body as it advanced. It had slept for a long time, and upon awakening, its first instinct was to feed.
The heat emitted by so many people had clearly drawn its attention.
This was a hunt.
The serpent's colossal body surged forward, scattering the Divine Squad in an instant. Though they were numerous, they were no match for such a monster.
They could only leap onto their birds and attack from the air using Dials.
Yet whether it was the Slash Dial, the Impact Dial, or the Heat Dial, none proved effective. The Lord of the Sky's scales were far too tough.
"Damn it, even the Slash Dial doesn't work?"
The Slash Dial was not native to Angel Island and was scarce among the Divine Squad, imported from other sky islands.
Even so, it could not pierce the defenses of the Lord of the Sky.
The serpent twisted its massive body, launching attacks at the people. Its mere existence was a disaster, flattening vast areas simply by moving.
Now it lashed out at those flying at low altitude and sprayed venom from its jaws.
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