hotmtlnovel Chapter 393: Thorns and Struggle
Chapter 393: Thorns and Struggle
"Everyone on alert!"
Dorag's roar, wrapped in a domineering aura, swept through the sky. It was not just a simple aura of pressure, but turned into a tangible storm torrent - the green gale swirled around him in the shape of a dragon, with sharp claws and fangs that came to life. When it collided with the thorny vines that suddenly rose up from Saint Somaz, it directly tore the tough vines into charred cracks.
The domineering lightning moved like a silver snake, spreading along the thorns. Every time it flowed, Saint Somaz's healing speed slowed down a bit.
Thanks to the information provided by Yakumo Bai, Dragon did not give the opponent a chance to test from the beginning. The power of the Conqueror's Haki and the Wind-Wind Fruit were intertwined, and he had the upper hand as soon as the fight started.
The task before him at this moment was very clear, to suppress the opponent's immortality ability as much as possible while ending the battle as quickly as possible!
"Heh, quite interesting." Saint Somazi looked at the wind blade scars of varying depths on his body. The healing speed was obviously much slower. He spat out in shock and anger.
"As expected, you also possess the so-called king's qualifications! You are truly a heinous criminal!"
The mace made of thorns in his hand suddenly burst out with dense spikes and hit Dorag like a rainstorm.
"It seems that you, the Knights of God, have weaknesses after all." Dorag turned around and swung his arms without changing his expression. The wind wall around him instantly crushed the spikes into powder. Only a few escaped the net and brushed against his arms, leaving a burning pain.
But the fighting spirit in his eyes grew more intense like a prairie fire. "If your immortality fails, will you still be able to fight like you do now, without feeling any pain or fatigue?"
"How shameless!" Saint Somazi's thorns suddenly tightened. "With your domineering aura, you dare to oppose the gift of God? You are not even close to it!"
------
"Betty, full on encouragement!"
At the same time, on the other side, the huge body of Big Bear was like a rushing chariot, and the pale white halo of the Meatball Fruit flashed violently in the palm of his hand. With a casual palm, he slapped a nightmare monster and sent it to the distant seabed.
Looking at the monsters that continued to emerge from people's dreams, Big Bear's Adam's apple rolled as he shouted, "Mori! Build a defense line with the rock wall! Block their movements! Lindberg, please cover me!"
The Push-Push Fruit's power instantly activated, Mori manipulated the ground to raise a massive rock wall. The spiked gabions snapped like fangs, clearing a path for the bear in the blink of an eye. In the air, Lindbergh continued to pour fire on the Kirin Gorm Saint. Although he couldn't damage the opponent's immortal body, he successfully attracted most of its attention, creating a perfect opportunity for the bear to launch a surprise attack.
"This strange creation ability is the biggest threat!" Big Bear used the Meat-Ball Fruit to teleport in the monster group, and secretly felt fortunate in his heart - thanks to the use of Yakumo Bai's anchor point to transfer most of the people this week, otherwise there would be even more monsters in front of him.
"They can teleport in both directions regardless of distance. Only Dorag can cause any real damage right now... We must at least separate these two Knights of God first!"
He gradually approached Kirin Gorm Saint and shouted at the moment when Lindbergh's artillery fire was at its most intense: "Now!"
The shockwave from the Meatball Fruit was compressed to its limit. Kuma launched towards the target like a cannonball, the aura in his palm solidifying like substance. If this strike could send the opponent flying ten thousand meters into the sea, perhaps it would buy Dragon time for a decisive victory! Even if he had to use himself as bait, he had to hold the opponent back!
"Innocent!"
However, having learned the intelligence in advance, Kirin Gorm Saint had already seen through the Great Bear's thoughts. His body in human-beast form suddenly spun, unconcerned with Lindberg's attack. Instead, he swung his trident fiercely, and those monsters condensed from nightmares seemed to receive a command, turning in unison and forming a black barrier in front of him.
The big bear's shock wave hit the barrier, and the blast blew away several monsters, but most of the force was absorbed by this "flesh and blood shield".
"Don't underestimate the Knights of God, you bastard! We are the true elites. Do you think I'll give you a chance to get close to us?"
Seeing this, Qilin Gom Saint couldn't help but shout in triumph, and at the same time drove the monsters towards the big bear again. He was determined to nip this possible threatening ability in the bud!
"Cheer up! Nightmares cannot defeat us! You are your own worst enemy!
Fight it... and wake up! Fight for our cause! "
At this moment, a high-spirited and energetic female voice sounded from a distance. Betty had already jumped onto the spire in the city. The moment the inspiring flag was unfurled in the night breeze, the inspiring power poured down like a waterfall.
"Wake up! Look who is trampling on your homeland!"
The reflection of the flag swept across the sleeping street. A soldier lying in the corner twitched suddenly, his eyelashes trembling. The nightmare in his mind seemed to be suppressed under the shadow again. At the same time, an upward force turned into a warm current, flowing in his heart.
"Uh... I... can't sleep..."
The soldier struggled to stand up, the long sword in his hand drawing a trembling arc in the moonlight. Although the sound was faint, it was like a stone dropped into a dead pond, instantly causing ripples.
Faced with the power of Kirin Gorm Saint, although the Encouragement Fruit can only do so much, it is enough to awaken the strong-willed soldiers from their slumber.
As more and more soldiers picked up their weapons again, the nightmare monsters on the field were visibly reduced under the slightly gloomy gaze of Kirin Gom Saint. Soon, the big bear with a halo in its palm rushed forward again!
"You're in the way! Get out of my way!"
At the same time, Mosifu Kirin Gorm Saint's human-beast form fully unfolded. He gently raised his front hoof, and the trident in his hand drew afterimages. More nightmare monsters were born from the dreams of the sleeping people, surging out like a tide.
"Hey ha! It's time for us to take the stage! - Death Wink!"
The black feathers of the crows were like dark clouds pressing down on the city, carrying thick coal dust that covered the monsters' heads, while the leader of the demon army moved flexibly between the nightmare monsters, constantly restraining them.
However, Qilin Gom Saint's ability was far more troublesome than they had expected. Just as the previous wave of monsters was cleared out, three breaths later, new monsters struggled to emerge from the original spot.
Seeing this scene, everyone present suddenly realized that
Unless everyone can be awakened from their slumber, as long as the nightmare exists, these things in front of us cannot be killed at all!
------
High in the sky, with the power of thunder of domineering color, Dragon has temporarily suppressed his opponent. Every wound torn by the dragon claw hand is showing scorch marks burned by domineering power, and Saint Somaz's healing ability is on the verge of stagnation.
But just as he was concentrating all his strength to launch the final attack, the sound of vines twisting suddenly came from below—
Saint Somaz had somehow manipulated the thorns to spread across the streets, sweeping dozens of sleeping civilians high into the air! Those innocent people, their eyes closed, breathing weakly, their bodies tightly bound by transparent vines, hung like hostages in mid-air.
Even more insidious was that Saint Somaz hid himself in the center of the hostages, with thorns woven around his body into an airtight cage, the spikes only an inch away from the throats of the sleepers.
"Stop, Dorag." Saint Somaz's voice came from deep within the cage, tinged with sick pride. "With every step you take, these thorns tighten a little. Tell me, which will be faster, your wind or my vines that cut their throats first?"
Dorag's fists were clenched white at his sides, and the gust of wind surged violently in his palms, but they couldn't fall down.
He could clearly see that the barbs on the vines had pierced the clothes of some of the sleepers, oozing out tiny beads of blood - those were ordinary people affected by the war, the people they were supposed to protect.
"You dare to use innocent people as shields?!" There was suppressed rage in Dragon's voice, and the domineering lightning crackled around his body, but deliberately avoided the direction of the hostages.
"Innocent?" Saint Somaz sneered and suddenly activated his ability. The thorns on the outside suddenly rose up and stabbed at Dorag who was trying to approach like a venomous snake.
"In the land of rebellion against God, no one is innocent! Don't you want to save them? Then taste this!"
Dorag instinctively dodged, but a thorn still grazed his left arm. Unlike the previous one, this thorn seemed to possess some strange power. The stinging sensation wasn't from physical cutting, but like countless red-hot needles piercing his bone marrow, traveling along the nerves straight to his brain. It was a mixture of worry for the hostage's safety, anxiety about his own powerlessness, and the venomous malice inherent in the thorn.
"Ugh!" He groaned, cold sweat instantly soaking his back. The pain was several times more intense than previous battle injuries, as if every inch of muscle was being torn apart.
"Do you feel it?" Saint Somaz's voice was filled with cruel joy. "Your concern is the nourishment of these thorns. The more you want to protect them, the more you will be devoured by pain! This is the price of rebelling against the Knights of God!"
He manipulated the cage to move slowly, the thorns sometimes tightening to threaten the hostage, sometimes extending their spikes to attack Drago. The latter could only retreat and dodge, his originally fierce offensive instantly disappearing.
"Despicable villain!" Dorag's gaze swept across the peaceful faces of the sleepers, the rage and anxiety in his heart nearly burning him. He could sense Saint Somaz's aura slowly recovering, the wounds suppressed by his domineering aura quietly healing in this gap.
"Despicable? That's called wisdom." Saint Somazi's voice became increasingly proud. "Don't you and your companions always say you'll fight for the people? Now, let them be the witnesses of your failure!"
Thorns rained down again. Dorag dodged them, but his evasion was too great, and another thorn entangled his ankle. The piercing pain instantly shot through his body, causing him to freeze. In this moment of weakness, Saint Somaz controlled a thick vine and whipped it towards his back with a whistling sound that tore through the air.
If this attack had hit, even Dorag would have been seriously injured. But as he looked at the child behind the vines, awakened and moaning softly, he twisted his body and blocked the attack with his arm.
"boom!"
With a dull thud, Dorag was knocked back, and the clothes on his arms were instantly shredded by the thorns. The pain was far beyond the physical damage, and it made his vision go black.
"Using innocent people as bargaining chips will only make it clearer to me that you so-called knights of God do not deserve to live on this land."
He took a deep breath, and the air around him began to gather again. The next moment, his whole body turned into invisible wind and slowly dissipated.
Every gust of wind surrounding Somaz could be his figure, and every gust of wind could bring about a storm that destroys everything. Now that things have come to this, Dorag can only try his best to find a fleeting flaw, an opportunity to defeat the opponent with thunder!
Upon seeing this, Saint Somazi immediately tightened all the thorns. "You're still stubborn even when death is imminent! If you have the guts, try it and see which is faster, your wind or their blood that dries up first!"
The confrontation in the sky fell into a suffocating stalemate. On one side was the anger of fear of failure, and on the other side was the cruelty of confidence in victory. The innocent people caught in the middle were still being dragged into this fateful fight without knowing it.
As time passed, the battle intensified. Dragon and Somaz Saint clashed in the sky, the clash of Conqueror's Haki and thorny vines tearing the night sky apart. The Great Bear's meatball shockwaves continued to explode, but they could never penetrate the Nightmare's defenses. Betty's banner's radiance and Moshifu's hypnotic halo repeatedly clashed, and awakened soldiers and newly born monsters clashed in the streets.
At that moment, deep within the palace, on King's Rise, ripples suddenly began to form. The unique spatial fluctuations of the Door Door Fruit were like a pebble dropped into a lake, and the scabbard of Butsugu Mikyou shone coldly in the moonlight.
Yakumo Haku's figure stepped out from the anchor point, and the moment his fingertips lightly touched the sword's guard, the blade vibrated and hummed - as soon as he appeared, he could sense the chaotic situation of the entire island and the difficult battle that the revolutionary army was currently engaged in.
The Thorn Fruit and the Kirin Fruit may not be very powerful abilities in a head-on confrontation, but they are the sharpest weapons in such a large battlefield, especially for the revolutionary army with great righteousness in mind.
"It seems that I have arrived at the right time."
Butu Mikyou slowly unsheathed his sword, and at the moment the blade light cut through the night sky, several figures appeared behind Yakumo Haku.
As one of the founders of Azur Lane, Inazuma can't just sit back and watch!