[Let me handle this.]
Nusjuro's Black Blade continued to swing, but he changed its direction. Instead of attacking Nereus, he slashed toward the towering wave of blood.
The flying slash carried a bone-piercing chill. Wherever it passed, the blood was instantly frozen solid.
But this was still not enough; the river of blood continued to flow, and the blood itself had a temperature that was nearly boiling.
The freshly frozen blood was quickly melted by the boiling tide surging from behind. Once fused into the new wave, it continued rushing forward.
"Don't be so polite. I went through all the trouble of preparing this gift, how can you refuse it?"
Nereus had already arrived beside Nusjuro, throwing a punch straight at that bald head.
A certain bald-headed figure once said, remember to go for the head. But for people as special as the Five Elders, it seems it doesn't matter where you strike.
The fist wrapped in Conqueror's Haki shattered Nusjuro's head. Even so, Nusjuro did not change his movements.
He neither defended nor counterattacked. Before his headless body fell, it still swung several frigid slashes toward the sea of blood ahead.
Though he didn't completely freeze it, he did slow its surging momentum.
At the same time, Mars, soaring high in the sky, suddenly dove downward and spat a stream of blazing fire toward the rushing sea of blood.
These days, Zoan-types can play with fire, and not just ordinary fire, but flames with all sorts of special effects.
Without a Devil Fruit, racial talents can also be used to play with fire, often with even finer control.
And if none of that applies, rubbing your hands together can also spark a flame.
Mars wanted to evaporate the blood with fire. Nusjuro wanted to freeze it solid. In a sense, neither of their ideas was wrong.
But when both happened at the same time…
"You two really do coordinate well."
Because of the intensity of Conqueror's Haki, Nusjuro's head hadn't fully regenerated yet. Otherwise, his expression would surely have been a sight to see.
"Roar!"
At that moment, Peter made his move as well. His massive sandworm body carved a deep trench across the Red Line.
Then, with a strange screech, the sandworm opened its enormous maw. A terrifying suction force erupted from within, and the sea of blood, temporarily separated by the trench, was drawn toward the worm's mouth.
[Nicely done!]
Warcury's own ability was of little use at this moment, so he could only act as a human wall with Haki.
Boom!
But just as his praise reached Peter's ears, the enormous sandworm body suddenly exploded.
"Eating recklessly isn't a good habit. My river of blood isn't so easy to drink."
The wave formed by the sea of blood had been halted, but with Peter's body exploding, the splattering blood was like a bomb, unleashing a new wave of destruction.
Seemingly worried that the attacks might spread further back, Saturn and Warcury chose to block the aftermath with their own bodies.
"Clearly you were the ones who destroyed half the city, yet you're risking your lives to protect the remaining half. What exactly is in there?"
"That's not something you need to know. The dead have no need for too many secrets."
Nusjuro's head had fully regenerated, and he immediately charged at Nereus. He would not give Nereus another chance to launch a blood wave toward that side.
But this also confirmed something else for Nereus. The Five Elders believed he didn't know about Imu, but in truth, Nereus knew very well. Though he didn't understand the mechanism, he could call out the full name.
Still, Nereus had no interest in shouting Imu's name. Since they thought he didn't know, he would simply pretend not to know.
Holding cards in reserve is always important. Just like the river of blood flowing outward now, it wasn't in its complete form.
The army of the dead within the blood river had not been released. What flowed outward was merely surging blood.
Therefore, it was only a river of blood, not the River of Death.
[Stop wasting words with him, kill him!]
Nereus had taken down Peter by means of the blood river Peter had voluntarily swallowed. There had been no Conqueror's Haki infused in it, so Peter recovered quickly.
Seeing that Peter's ability could effectively restrain Nereus, the Five Elders adjusted their strategy. Peter took position at the rear to block, while the other four began to surround and assault Nereus.
[A man who has provoked the Government's authority again and again. If we let him escape, where will we put our face?]
As Nusjuro unleashed a continuous barrage of slashes, Saturn spat several explosive poison spheres from afar. This time, Mars's flames did not interfere with Nusjuro; the attacks of the three detonated simultaneously on Nereus's body.
Warcury followed close behind, ramming into Nereus with his massive body, his enormous tusks seemingly intent on impaling him through.
"Throughout the long course of history, you are indeed the strongest of the Fish-Men."
"But in your ignorance, you are challenging an existence you cannot possibly rival."
After dozens of exchanges, the bodies of the Five Elders had been shattered countless times. Though their regeneration was gradually slowing, their lives were never truly in danger.
Several times, Nereus nearly reached the remaining castle, but they managed to stop him each time.
In the eyes of the Five Elders, Nereus was weakening. He had begun to reduce the Haki used for defense, channeling more of it into offense instead.
Boom!
Nereus smashed half of Warcury's head with a single punch. At the same time, he himself was pierced through by Warcury's tusks, his life force beginning to show signs of dissipating.
"However, a body like yours… is worth studying…"
Slash!
Before Saturn could finish speaking, a blood-red sword suddenly cleaved him in two. The battered, ruined body of Nereus dissolved into the River of Death, replaced by another Nereus whose aura had fully returned to its peak.
"Your immortality is indeed troublesome. Killing you is truly difficult. But unfortunately for you… I am also… immortal."
Seeing Nereus revived in perfect condition, the Five Elders fell into silence at the same time. At last, they realized a problem.
Nereus could not kill them outright, but at this rate, they could not kill him either.
Worse still, the time required for their self-healing was gradually increasing. Without rest, they would not fully recover.
And if Nereus seized an opening and disturbed Imu…
"You b*stard… what exactly are you trying to do?!"
Having lived for so many years, Saturn believed he understood this world well. Yet he could not see through Nereus's intentions at all.
"Hm? Didn't I say? I'm here to negotiate terms. Perhaps you're too old and didn't hear me."
"…"
Everyone present was certain Nereus had never said such a thing. Of course, even if he had said it at the start, they wouldn't have listened.
"You think that will make us… Fine. State your conditions."
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