Matthew Atkinson
Global Layer of the Supernatural Realm
Matthew's Danger Sense was frantically warning him... There was danger!
A huge danger!!!
The safest option at this point was to shout his surrender. Matthew, however, remained resolute and did not choose to back down.
He also wanted to know if he could withstand the Shanks' "Divine Departure".
-Boom
The ground beneath Matthew's feet collapsed instantly, and his figure shot out like a bolt of lightning.
He actually chose to confront the attack head-on, facing off against the red-haired man.
In the blink of an eye, the two clashed into each other.
Shanks delivered an all-out blow of his life.
Matthew also delivered his strongest punch to date.
-Thump
Fist and sword clashed at this moment, and it produced an indescribable impact sound.
Then, a terrifying phenomenon has emerged.
Between Matthew's fist and the Shanks' sword, a distortion of space appeared, quickly forming a pitch-black sphere.
From the audience's perspective, the collision between the two created a "black hole".
Terrifying energy continuously erupted from the black hole, forming violent shockwaves that ravaged the island.
-Snap
The sky was falling, and the earth was cracking.
It was a true cataclysmic event.
The entire island quickly split open from the middle, revealing a huge crack that ran through the entire island.
The shockwave devastated the island, uprooting flowers, plants, and trees and sending them flying everywhere.
The seawater in the distance was boiling, forming towering waves.
Even the protective barriers surrounding the ring lit up completely, doing everything they could to prevent the destructive energy from leaking out.
All the supernaturals watching the battle were dumbfounded. They were completely stunned and speechless.
They knew that the battle between Matthew and Shanks could be very intense, but they never expected it to be this intense.
If one had to describe the clash between the two, only one word would come to mind: War of Gods.
...
-Whoosh
When Matthew and Shanks separated, the entire island had already been split in two, and a chasm a hundred meters wide appeared before the two of them.
A large amount of seawater began to flow back in, filling the chasm and quickly forming a new river.
A single collision altered the terrain.
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, who would believe it?
But the battle between the two did not end there.
Shanks leaped up and jumped directly to Matthew's side, delivering a powerful slash in mid-air, bringing the blow down on Matthew's head.
The sword had not yet arrived, but the powerful slash had already reached Matthew.
Matthew quickly clenched his fist, and a white energy aura immediately appeared. When he threw the punch, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power immediately erupted.
-Snap
The void shattered as if the sky itself had been shattered.
The Shanks' slash was also instantly shattered.
The powerful Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability even affected Shanks' hands.
However, the fact that Shanks became one of the Four Emperors without relying on any Devil Fruit power showed that his physical skills were also extremely formidable.
-Buzz
Armament Haki covered Shanks' body, blocking Matthew's Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability.
Even while in mid-air, Shanks still wanted to continue his counterattack against Matthew.
But Matthew was one step ahead, and he threw a punch in mid-air. This punch was an air tremor.
Instantly, the red-haired man in mid-air felt dizzy, and his body flew far away.
An air tremor that could alter airflow and even shake the sky caused Red-Haired Shanks to lose his footing. If he were then struck again, he would naturally be thrown out of the island.
However, Shanks possessed formidable physical skills and quickly regained his balance before landing steadily.
Matthew, at the moment, had already decided not to give Shanks a chance to shine.
He looked like he had just blocked Shanks' Divine Departure move, but in reality, he had blocked only most of it and had borne some of that attack.
And the Divine Departure's penetrating power was terrifying.
On the surface, Matthew's Galaxy Impact, unleashed with maxed-out Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki, seemed to block the Divine Departure. However, the hidden slash within the Divine Departure still reached his body.
It's no coincidence that Divine Departure is considered such a famous and decisive move.
If it weren't for Matthew's Steel Body, Supreme Level Armament Haki, and Conqueror's Haki's Imbuement, he would probably be seriously injured.
As for why he chose to use "Galaxy Impact" to counter Shanks' "Divine Departure" instead of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability.
This was because the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power was pure destructive force. But it had no blocking effect.
Although Galaxy Impact didn't have purely destructive capabilities like its tremor feature, it was just the right move to block the Shanks' "Divine Departure" slash.
...
Matthew looked at the Shanks in the distance and suddenly grinned maliciously.
He clenched his right fist, and a massive white aura appeared as he activated the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power.
This terrifying punch, however, was not aimed at the Shanks in the distance.
Instead, it blasted towards the ground beneath his feet.
-Snap
One punch, and the earth trembled, and the entire ring was shaking.
Numerous cracks appeared on the ring floor, spreading rapidly across the entire island like a spider web.
Then, before everyone's eyes, the already ravaged island collapsed and sank. The central area of the ring had been transformed into a vast expanse of water.
Everyone was stunned.
One punch wiped out the island.
That was a real island wiped out with a single punch.
...
Matthew could fly. His body stood suspended in mid-air, like a god looking down.
As for the Shanks...
This guy didn't seem to be able to fly. With his excellent physical skills, he could stay in mid-air, but he could not stand in mid-air as freely as Matthew.
And Matthew wasn't about to pretend he didn't have an advantage he did have.
So, the rest is simple.
Matthew threw punch after punch, each punch causing violent air vibrations, altering atmospheric flow, and creating turbulence.
A violent hurricane appeared, blowing Shanks so hard he could barely stand.
In the end, Matthew punched him into the ocean.
Although Shanks was not a Devil Fruit user, falling into the sea was still extremely disadvantageous for him.
Matthew's Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability had long ago stirred up the sea, causing the sea surface to surge and even creating a tsunami.
Under such circumstances, Shanks didn't last long.
Despite Shanks's desperate counterattack, even splitting the sea with his sword to give him a chance to catch his breath, Matthew was not someone to be trifled with.
With another "Galaxy Impact," the red-haired man was shoved straight to the bottom of the sea.
And he never resurfaced again.
...
Matthew has finally won.
This battle was the longest and most difficult he had ever fought in the entire Supernatural Realm.
It took Matthew almost all of his strength to defeat Shanks.
As expected of a powerhouse at the level of one of the Four Emperors.
But at the same time, this was the fight Matthew had enjoyed the most so far.
When Matthew became victorious, he left the ring.
In the audience, countless supernatural individuals remained deeply disturbed. This battle was truly astonishing for them.
Matthew and Shanks were both incredibly powerful and awe-inspiring.
To the spectators, these two guys were simply monsters. Monsters capable of destroying the world.
A good while passed, and discussions and murmurs gradually started.
"That was terrifying..."
"Yes. I was completely terrified."
"One punch created a black hole, another punch destroyed an island... Is this Matthew Atkinson's true strength?"
"The Four Emperors Shanks is not weak either. He can even split the ocean with one sword slash. It's a pity he can't fly. Otherwise, the two of them would have a better chance of equal fighting."
"I wonder if the legendary Whitebeard is as powerful as Matthew Atkinson?"
"The key point is that he has only just passed the ninth layer of the Supernatural Realm. Give him a few more years, what will he become?"
"Perhaps, a god will appear on Blue Marble, a true god among mortals."
"Having defeated Shanks, this guy's championship title should be secure now, right?"
"It's hard to say. Ma Dongwu has not yet faced Shanks. We'll have to see how he will perform next."
"Hehe, Ma Dongwu had a hard time fighting Fujitora before. I don't believe he can defeat a terrifying powerhouse like Shanks, unless he is also hiding his strength."
"Let's wait for Ma Dongwu to take the stage and see."
If Ma Dongwu could also win against Shanks, he and Matthew would advance to the next round and fight a new champion in the ninth round.
However, if Ma Dongwu lost to Shanks and failed to advance to the next round, Matthew's points from this round would be enough to propel his team to the championship, eliminating the need for the tournament to continue.
Therefore, Ma Dongwu's current match was crucial to determining the tournament's fate, and everyone was eagerly awaiting it.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.189: The Competition Ends
Ch.190: Before Leaving the Global Layer
Ch.191: Are We Really the Champions? (End of the Global Layer)