Dark red lightning tore through the sky like countless thunder serpents, turning the battlefield into a world drowned in black and crimson.
Lucien did not possess Conqueror's Haki, yet his presence carried a will of its own. Still, whether he wished to admit it or not, his aura was noticeably weaker than his opponent's. Above them, the heavens churned violently. Rolling black clouds flashed with red and black lightning, splitting apart as if forming an endless abyss.
The raging winds drove the sand backward again and again until the entire battlefield spiraled into chaos.
A deafening roar erupted from the heart of the storm as two elbows collided from above and below once more. The air shattered instantly, pressure rippling outward in crushing waves. The ground trembled and split apart, massive landmasses prying upward only to collapse moments later.
The destruction was beyond description. After merely two exchanges, the terrain across tens of thousands of meters had already been completely reshaped.
Lucien pushed his aura to its absolute peak. Across from him, Ace entered Life Return, abandoning all restraint. From the very beginning, both fighters went all out. Each of them could clearly sense the threat the other posed.
Their clashing auras distorted the atmosphere itself, shockwaves radiating outward and causing the entirety of Dressrosa to quake.
Two figures, one towering and one smaller, shot into the sky. Their attack speed was so overwhelming that, to Diamanti and the others watching from afar, Ace and Lucien appeared almost slow, as if time itself had been dragged down by their power.
Shockwaves burst outward again and again from their point of impact. Each pulse caused mountains to crumble and the earth to split open.
Crack. Rumble.
Black and red lightning surged endlessly around them, casting both fighters in an almost divine light.
With heavy, muffled explosions, they fought in the most direct way possible, fist against flesh.
Lucien grew more exhilarated with every blow. It had been far too long since he had fought with such freedom. The primal urge to exchange raw power, to beat his opponent down head on, surged uncontrollably through him.
Pfft.
Ace spat out a mouthful of blood, his body bending like a drawn bow. The shockwave behind him tore through the clouds high above, scattering them across the sky.
Lucien pulled his fist back with a wild grin and immediately swung his right leg in a sweeping arc.
In that split second, a massive hand clamped around his leg and hurled him straight toward the ground.
The earth shook violently. Countless enormous stones were launched into the air like meteors as the ground split open into a vast chasm.
A storm swept through the battlefield. Lucien crashed into the giant crater, blood spilling from his mouth as his body vanished into the depths with a thunderous explosion.
Ace followed close behind, his eyes blazing with fury and excitement as he descended.
Moments later, tens of thousands of meters away, a massive mushroom cloud rose into the sky, leaving behind a desolate crater that lingered long after the dust settled.
Another roar followed almost immediately. Mountains were forced upward from the ground, only to collapse again moments later. In another direction, a valley stretching for tens of thousands of meters was carved out in an instant.
The collisions were so violent that no figures could be seen at all, only relentless explosions and dull, echoing roars.
"Damn it, I cannot see anything."
Diamante and the others could only watch in frustration. Explosions filled their vision, but neither Ace nor Lucien could be seen. The speed of the battle was simply too fast.
"Fire Fist."
"Great Might Heavenly Dragon."
The sky twisted as a massive vortex formed overhead. From opposite directions, a colossal Fire Fist descended like a blazing meteor, colliding head on with a red and black divine dragon.
For an instant, the world went completely silent.
Then a towering mushroom cloud erupted, tearing through the atmosphere and revealing blinding golden sunlight beyond.
Dressrosa swayed like a fragile leaf upon a raging sea. Both Lucien and Ace spat blood as they were thrown backward, only to transform into streaks of light and crash into each other again the very next second.
Another explosion rose skyward. Moments later, far in the distance, a mountain collapsed and a tsunami surged forth.
"This is…"
Diamante and the others felt their hearts pound violently. Only by witnessing it firsthand could one truly understand how terrifying this battle was. Nearly everyone still standing had formidable willpower. Anyone weaker would have long since perished.
Blinding light flared once more as storms of lightning and thunder tore across Dressrosa. The world descended into chaos, order completely shattered.
A radiant halo spread outward, ripping apart towering mountains raised by the battle. Massive stones turned into falling meteors, slamming into the ground with world shattering force.
Within that storm of destruction, two figures shot forward like beams of light, chasing one another relentlessly.
They tore through several mountain ranges in succession, carving a horrifying gully that stretched all the way to the horizon before collapsing into ruins.
From within the wreckage, a bloodstained right hand suddenly emerged. A disheveled figure slowly stood up.
Lucien coughed up blood, his condition visibly battered. His wounds were healing far more slowly than usual. Ace's flames burned at a temperature he could not fully endure at the moment.
The power his opponent displayed left him genuinely surprised. Ace was far stronger than he had anticipated.
Compared to the Ace recorded in history, this version was undeniably terrifying.
Lucien had never fought the Four Emperors directly, so he could not be certain. Still, by his estimation, Ace's combat strength had already reached that level.
Lucien's aura was fully unleashed. The burden enhancement had been removed entirely. Aside from not activating the so called war background music, his Armament Haki, Hardening, and body temperature were all pushed to their absolute limits.
Even so, he could not gain a decisive advantage. In fact, he was gradually being pressed back.
Even his ever victorious Great Might Heavenly Dragon could be endured head on. Since its creation, who had ever withstood it directly?
"This is troublesome, but exhilarating."
Leaving a bloody footprint behind, Lucien stepped forward and lifted his gaze toward Ace, who emerged from the dense fog in the distance.
Blood stained the corner of Ace's mouth. His aura still radiated like a scorching abyss, heat rolling off him in waves. Beneath his feet, the ground melted into flowing magma.
Flames danced within his eyes, his gaze sharp and commanding.
"I have never heard of someone like you in these seas."
Ace spoke with clear solemnity as he stared at the translucent, red and black crystalline figure before him.
Lucien was fully Hardened, his Armament Haki and extreme heat fused together into a red and black crystal exterior. White flames enveloped his body, while golden lightning flickered intermittently across his surface.
The visual impact alone was overwhelming.
"Whether you have heard of me or not does not matter," Lucien replied calmly. "What matters is that it has been a long time since I fought like this. Do not disappoint me."
Before his words had even finished echoing, Lucien surged forward, sweeping his leg out as he closed the distance.
The air shattered layer by layer. A fist and a leg collided violently.
Two shock halos exploded outward from the point of impact, rising from ground to sky. The earth and mountains rolled and buckled as valleys twisted violently under the strain. The destructive force shook all of Dressrosa once more.
Boom. Boom.
One large figure and one small stood locked in combat, their arms blurring into afterimages as they exchanged countless blows.
Time itself seemed to slow.
After a final collision, both fighters arched their bodies, forcibly suppressing the metallic taste in their throats as they unleashed their strongest attacks yet.
"Fire Fist."
"Great Might Heavenly Dragon."
The world fell silent again, leaving only a blinding light at the very center as it rapidly expanded.
A colossal mushroom cloud rose into the heavens, tearing apart sky and land alike. Mountains and valleys were reshaped in an instant as the terrain transformed violently.
Lucien was hurled away, tumbling uncontrollably through thick black smoke. He smashed through heaps of rubble before finally forcing himself to stop, his feet digging deep into the ground. His hands slammed down as he roared, halting his momentum.
"How can he be this strong?"
"This battle…"
On the distant horizon, Diamanti and the others regrouped. A massive heatwave continued to radiate from the battlefield's center. If this fight continued, Dressrosa itself might collapse.
More importantly, countless forces beyond the island had already become aware of the clash.
A battle of this magnitude could never be hidden.
___
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Milestone
100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
200 Power Stones = 3 Bonus Chapters