Matthew Atkinson
Global Layer of the Supernatural Realm
When Arno Hornberger saw the red-haired man draw his sword, he immediately shouted, "I surrender".
There was no other option. His mental attributes weren't high, and his willpower wasn't strong either.
Although he could withstand Shanks' Conqueror's Haki without fainting, he was still unable to move easily, and his brain was slow to react.
In a duel between experts, such a negative debuff was extremely fatal. Therefore, Arno Hornberger quickly surrendered.
He knew Shanks' reputation. If the fight continued, he feared he wouldn't even last a single blow and would die instantly.
In the eighth round of the competition, only three people remained.
With Arno Hornberger's elimination, all that remained were Matthew and Ma Dongwu's battles with Shanks.
At this moment, Matthew suddenly stood up and said, "It's my turn."
Everyone's expression changed.
Even a fool knew that, without knowing Shanks' full strength, the one who goes first would definitely be at a disadvantage.
The person who would enter the ring last could watch the previous fights, observe Shanks's moves, and devise countermeasures.
"Matthew, be careful." Professor Holland said.
"Winning or losing doesn't matter. Your life is the most important thing." Professor Isabel Grant said.
Even Natalie said softly, "The professor is right, if you sense any danger, just surrender."
The previous marine admiral was intimidating enough, but Shanks was even more powerful than the admirals. He was a Yonko.
Even though Natalie was full of confidence in Matthew's abilities, she couldn't help but be cautious at this moment.
"Okay, I understand." Matthew nodded and said.
His expression was serious, but not because of the risks involved in fighting Shanks, but because finally, he could fight with all his might.
He then stepped through the portal and arrived at the island ring.
The moment he appeared, the entire audience perked up.
In everyone's eyes, Matthew, this freshman, had already created enough miracles. Every step he took forward was setting a new record.
Matthew was now a strong contender for the championship.
Everyone was watching him, wondering if he could pull off a final miracle and win the championship.
Right now, not a single person in the arena spoke. Everyone looked serious, their eyes fixed on the island at the stage.
On the small island, when Matthew appeared, Shanks, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.
-Buzz
A surge of ferocious Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body, sweeping across the entire island like a hurricane.
In an instant, the island was dyed crimson, accompanied by lightning and thunder.
This was the first time Matthew had directly experienced a hostile Conqueror's Haki, and it was the highest level of Conqueror's Haki at that.
In previous layers, he had been exposed to Natalie's Conqueror's Haki, but since they weren't enemies, he only felt a slight sensation.
But the moment the Shanks' Conqueror's Haki swept over him, he felt as if his brain had been struck by a heavy blow, a slight pain shooting through him, and a feeling of dizziness.
If Matthew's mental attributes were still around 1000 points...
This blow would probably knock him unconscious.
Even though he didn't faint, Matthew felt uncomfortable under the influence of the red-haired man's Conqueror's Haki.
Truly, Conqueror's Haki was something else entirely.
But Matthew could feel his own Conqueror's Haki boiling and wanting to burst out from being exposed to Shanks' Conqueror's Haki.
The reason he had suppressed it until now was simply to see how he would feel against the highest level of Conqueror's Haki with just 16,000 mental attribute points.
And now that he had the answer he wanted, there was no need for him to hold back.
-Buzz
Just like Shanks', a powerful wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body in an instant, colliding with the aura surrounding the island created by Shanks' Conqueror's Haki.
In contrast to Shanks' red Conqueror's Haki aura, Matthew's aura was dark blue, and instantly, the dark blue aura repelled Shanks' aura, taking over half the island.
Now, in the center of the island, where the two auras collided, crimson lightning flashed incessantly.
But Matthew wasn't satisfied with that, and he immediately activated his Armament Haki.
Buzz—
Matthew's full body instantly turned completely metallic black. Now he really looked like a Man of Steel.
Black lightning also emerged from his body, making him look more ferocious.
[Conqueror's Haki – Infusion]
Conqueror's Haki, from beginner to legend level, only allowed for mental attacks called Incapacitation. At Legend level, it also granted Matthew the Observation Killing ability.
This ability allowed him to prevent other users of Observation Haki from seeing the future.
However, even at Legend level, Conqueror's Haki didn't directly benefit the user in terms of defense and attack power.
But this changed completely at the Supreme Level. The Imbuement ability allowed the user to wear Conqueror's Haki like armor.
When Conqueror's Haki reached the Supreme Level, according to Matthew's skill description, using Imbuement increased his defense and attack power tenfold.
Moreover, this was a boost on top of the effect of Armament Haki.
With the top-tier Armament Haki, top-tier Observation Haki, and top-tier Conqueror's Haki, Matthew felt invincible.
At the moment, his gaze was fixed on the red-haired figure in the distance, his expression extremely serious.
Then, Matthew lifted his foot and began walking towards Shanks. With each step he took, the ground beneath his feet collapsed and cracked.
This was the effect of him activating "Demon God's Descend".
Matthew obtained this skill in the 6th layer as a reward for the 5th layer, but he had few opportunities to use it.
With the boost of "Demon God's Descend", Matthew's aura became increasingly terrifying.
Right now, he was already going all out.
His body crackled with crimson and black lightning, and a terrifying aura surged, engulfing the entire ring.
The earth trembled and collapsed beneath his feet. He looked like a true demon god emerging from hell.
Seeing this scene, everyone was utterly shocked.
"Is this... is this the kid's true strength?"
"Does he also possess Conqueror's Haki? That's terrifying."
"He not only possesses Conqueror's Haki, but he also has a level of Conqueror's Haki equal to Shanks', who is the most powerful Conqueror's Haki user."
"Just based on that kind of aura, he's no less than those top experts."
"His aura seems to overpower even Shanks' Conqueror's Haki…"
...
Even the Shanks on the ring noticed Matthew's strength, and a hint of seriousness appeared on his face.
Then, the Shanks slowly drew the sword from his waist with one hand.
At this moment, Shanks' raging Conqueror's Haki actually condensed into a huge "griffin" shape above the island.
Upon seeing the griffin appear, countless supernatural individuals felt a chill run down their spines, and their hands and feet turned ice-cold. Many freshmen even felt weak all over.
They clearly were intimidated.
The Shanks' Conqueror's Haki was so terrifying that it penetrated the protective barrier of the arena and affected the audience.
When Matthew, who was on the other side, saw this, he understood immediately.
Shanks' next attack would likely be earth-shattering.
Maybe he would use the legendary "Divine Departure".
But Matthew wasn't about to be outdone by Shanks. Like Shanks, he pushed the limits of his Conqueror's Haki, and a symbol appeared above the island, opposite a giant griffin.
Those who first saw it might have thought it was an S inside a diamond shape, but those familiar with Superman's and the Kryptonians' history would recognize it as the symbol of House El, meaning Hope.
After that, Matthew dared not delay and clenched his right fist immediately. Like Shanks, he was preparing to unveil his own signature move.
A crimson light, like fire, appeared on his fist, and it began to gather strength.
[Galaxy Impact]
As Matthew spent more and more time gathering his strength, the crimson light on his right fist grew brighter and brighter.
A few breaths later, it was like a little sun, illuminating the entire arena.
...
In the audience seats, everyone was shocked as they realized what was about to happen was likely to be an unprecedented collision.
When Grand Magister Russell saw this scene, he felt a sense of déjà vu.
On the small island, Shanks made the first move.
Wielding a sharp blade, moving like a fierce tiger, he charged swiftly towards Matthew.
His figure, seemingly carrying immense power, tore through the void.
"Divine Depar—"
The deep voice, like the ancient mythological sound descending from the heavens, resounded throughout the arena.
The entire arena heard it.
It was truly Divine Departure.
At this moment, the domineering aura emanating from Shanks was like a monstrous wave, unstoppable.
Everyone was stunned.
Even those seventh-rank experts were terrified, and their expressions changed drastically.
If they were standing on the island, facing such a blow, there would be no chance of survival for them.
'And what about Matthew? Could he withstand it?' Many people thought and immediately turned their attention to Matthew.
At this moment, Matthew's expression was extremely solemn.
Because his Danger Sense was frantically warning him... There was danger!
A huge danger!!!
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.188: War of Gods
Ch.189: The Competition Ends
Ch.190: Before Leaving the Global Layer