"Ripley-sensei!"
Several giant children holding short swords saw Ripley fall and rushed forward.
"Stay back!"
The sharp command halted their steps.
Ripley struggled to her feet amidst the dust, stumbling slightly from the bites on her legs, but stood straight, leaning on her lance. Ripley was a teacher at the Walrus School… these were her students.
She knew clearly that these two humans were far more dangerous than all the demon giants around them. To put it dramatically, without Ragnir's help, Shamrock alone might have been able to kill them all.
"Cough…"
A coughing fit brought Ripley back to reality. She looked down at her husband, who was barely propped up against her chest.
"Gaban, how are you?"
"Cough… fine. Not dead yet."
Gaban sat up straight, wiping the blood trickling from his temple with a trembling arm. Despite his words, the bones in his hand and fingers were shattered from blocking Shamrock's blow. He couldn't even grip a weapon now.
Not that it mattered… his weapon was even more shattered than his hand.
"Damn it! Still no good!"
Compared to her husband, Ripley's injuries weren't as severe. She could still fight.
She tucked Gaban into the crevice of her chest, ignoring his yelp of pain, and once she felt he was secure, she raised her lance again.
But Gaban, wedged between the two mountains, knew the battle was effectively over. Ripley was no match for Shamrock. Ragnir, without its master's power, would be worn down by Gunko's immortality. Even the demon giants, stunned by lightning, were beginning to recover.
He could tell from the cries of the giants around him. Though they had managed to defeat several demon giants larger than themselves while they were paralyzed, the sheer number meant these losses were negligible. The remaining demon giants still held a decisive advantage.
Even the defeated demon giants seemed to be getting up. Their immortality wasn't as potent as the God's Knights', but it far surpassed ordinary creatures.
"Squeak squeak!"
Ragnir squealed anxiously, but this time, it was the one trapped. It could only watch as Shamrock walked towards Gaban and the others, Cerberus's heads snarling with cruel hunger.
"Squeak!!"
Ragnir steeled itself, loosening its defense to focus on the clouds above, letting Gunko's drill bore into its side.
Boom!
Its sacrifice summoned a lightning strike of terrifying magnitude, far larger than a giant.
But…
"Useless."
Gunko even had time for a mocking remark. An arrow appeared between the lightning and Shamrock, and Shamrock didn't even pause.
Zzzzz—
Even such fearsome lightning lost its lethality as the arrow grounded it. Ragnir's sacrifice seemed for naught.
But… was it really?
Woom—
The air groaned. The clouds howled. Elbaf itself seemed to tremble at the approach of something terrifying.
Shamrock, since his rebirth, showed a different expression for the first time. His scarred visage was suddenly overtaken by hatred, pain, and madness, as if all the 'living' parts he had suppressed these days were erupting at once.
How could Shamrock forget that familiar presence?
'Uzumaki Naruto!'
'The Great Sinner!'
With a boom, the ground beneath Shamrock shattered radially as if crushed by an immense force.
It was Shamrock's Conqueror's Haki, rivaling his twin brother's, capable of physically destroying the world around him. Even Gunko seemed affected, slowing her assault on Ragnir.
Seizing the chance, the large squirrel pulled away. Gunko couldn't pursue.
"Leave it."
Gunko's advancing foot stopped at Shamrock's command. Despite her usual aloof arrogance, she became humble and obedient before Shamrock.
"Summon all God's Knights."
"Yes…"
Though Gunko believed their demon giant forces were enough to handle Naruto, she obeyed her captain. Raising her hand, a dark pentagram array bloomed on the ground. Black lightning flashed, and Sommers, Maffey, and the other God's Knights appeared instantly within the summoning circle.
It happened so fast that Gaban didn't even have time to tell Ripley to try and stop it.
"Oh my? This is—"
Sommers let out a delighted sound upon seeing the giants struggling, but the next moment, he too sensed that familiar presence. The perverted old man's smile vanished, Maffey's expression was similarly grim. They had both suffered at Naruto's hands before.
Shamrock's judgment proved correct.
Because in the next instant, Naruto appeared in mid-air, his Conqueror's Haki, even more terrifying than Shamrock's, descended like a natural disaster. The summoning pentagram shattered upon contact with the Haki, making it impossible for Gunko to maintain it. The God's Knights' expressions darkened as they felt the Haki wash over them.
'This monster… had he grown stronger again!?'
In their perception, Naruto was far more dangerous now than during the Marineford War. Even though he appeared alone in the sky, the pressure he exerted was no less than the entire Pirate Alliance at Marineford. Some might even say, judging by the sheer force of his Haki, he was more terrifying than Imu himself.
Gaban, seeing Naruto's familiar silhouette, finally exhaled in relief.
"You brat… you made it."
Ripley looked down at her husband, puzzled. Sensing her confusion, Gaban offered a concise explanation.
"We're saved."
That was enough for Ripley. She trusted her husband completely, even though she didn't recognize this sudden stranger.
Above, Naruto exhaled, the weight lifting from his shoulders.
He made it.
Thank goodness. If Ragnir hadn't set off that thunderclap, Naruto wouldn't have pinpointed the battle's location so quickly. The instant he heard the thunder, he used his Shadow Clone technique, letting a clone continue leading the main force while he essentially flash-stepped to the Underworld.
"What's this? Shouldn't a hero's entrance get some applause?"
No one responded. The God's Knights were on high alert, and the giants were bewildered. But Naruto didn't mind.
He raised his hand.
In the next instant, crushing pressure descended upon every demon giant.
Boom… Boom…
Those monstrous giants, so fierce moments ago, were slammed into the freezing ground, their impact serving as the 'applause' welcoming the hero.