After a two-second pause, the ground suddenly split open. A deafening roar echoed as a massive fissure tore through the earth, radiating invisible destructive power.
In an instant, Kel'Thuzad was struck by a shockwave and shattered into pieces mid-air.
"I can still sense his presence!"
The Titan brought a foot large enough to block out the sky crashing down, crushing the Lich completely beneath it.
They called it the fruit that makes one invincible as long as they stand on the ground. While that might be an exaggeration, the fact that such rumors existed proved just how fearsome this ability was.
The silver-haired elder carefully sensed the aura. Even if this monster could resurrect like his master Grimm… so what? He still couldn't win.
Suddenly, white mist and pools of thick, dark red liquid began to seep out from under the Titan's foot. The substance was as viscous as mercury, black and putrid, resembling the decaying blood of a long-dead corpse.
"In the name of Kel'Thuzad… I summon you! Obey me, souls of the dead!"
Kel'Thuzad's voice drifted slowly from the pool. It sounded calm, yet it sent cold sweat pouring down the backs of these two Admiral-level powerhouses.
Watching the screens in Sabaody, everyone held their breath.
What did he just say?
Souls of the dead?
So he was summoning spirits. It made sense—he certainly didn't look alive.
Kel'Thuzad's voice continued: "Those forsaken by the Holy Light shall fall into hell for eternity… and become my servants!"
The silver-haired elder trembled and shouted urgently, "Quick! Lift your foot! Now!"
Under normal circumstances, he would have mocked the other guy with a nickname, but right now, he was too terrified to care.
The old Titan heard him and jerked his foot back in panic. But the moment he did, massive hands—thicker than his own arms—shot up and grabbed his legs tight.
Looking closer, they weren't hands… they were people.
No, not exactly people. They were half-dead corpses, rotting all over, blood flowing from every orifice. They reached out with clawed hands, screaming and wailing with sounds from the deepest pits of hell, as if trying to drag the two Celestial Dragons down with them.
Seeing this, both men were horrified. Especially when countless smaller figures swarmed up their bodies. It felt like having millions of ants crawling over your skin, turning their limbs black.
"Filth like this… what can you do to me?!"
The Titan roared and slammed a massive hand down on his leg. Coated in Haki, the blow swatted the undead away instantly.
But it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough.
He had knocked them down, but more kept coming, wave after wave, endless and relentless.
The crowd in Sabaody stared in absolute shock.
"Wait… am I seeing things? Isn't that 'God Spear' Kendar? And 'Blade Ender' Blicas…?"
"And 'Double Blades' Dransbill!"
"That's 'Traitor King' Durant…!"
"'Dream Chaser' Grimm… 'Devourer King'…!"
"Weren't all these pirates killed by Grimm?!"
"Is it true what that skeleton said… those forsaken by the Light became… monsters from hell?"
A murmur spread through the crowd.
Everyone swallowed hard.
Far away, Rayling narrowed his eyes and took a slow sip of his drink. "Grimm… are you starting to build your own army of the dead?"
Back on the Red Line, although the two Celestial Dragons rarely left their home, they kept themselves informed about everything happening on the seas through newspapers and reports.
They recognized these faces instantly. Pirates with bounties over 50 million Berries.
Most of them had been killed—or rather, "purified"—by Grimm.
Especially noticeable was a group wearing red armor, clearly identifiable as royal guards who had been confirmed dead.
Now, they were here, twisted into unholy abominations, summoned by this skeleton. The silver-haired elder could no longer maintain his composure. And slowly, the horde of undead began to shift their focus toward him.
They looked like monsters from fairy tales, snarling and reaching out, moving together like a tidal wave that blocked out his entire vision.
"The elite royal knights of the Carlsuce Kingdom…!"
When he saw figures resembling Death Knights, wielding lances and riding skeletal horses with glowing red eyes, the elder shouted out, his voice carrying through the Den Den Mushi to everyone in Sabaody.
"Is this… is this the real reason Grimm interferes in wars all over the world?!"
Kel'Thuzad let out a dry laugh. "Naturally. Believe in the Holy Light, and gain eternal life. But sinners who refuse to believe have nothing to do with my Master. They belong to me! I am the Archmage of the Scourge!"
SWISH!
The silver-haired elder teleported instantly, appearing kilometers away on top of a mountain peak. But the moment he landed, a short, emaciated man covered in blood crawled out from the dirt itself. A terrifying aura of death surrounded him. One of his arms had transformed into a massive drill, spinning at high speed as it slammed forward!
"In the name of the Scourge… CRUSH!"
"Ground Dragon, Blaine… killed by Grimm two years ago. Paramecia Screw-Screw Fruit user, and a Haki master…!"
The elder gritted his teeth and took the hit head-on, but remained unharmed. He retaliated with a single hand-blade, slicing the undead pirate into chunks of meat.
ROOOOAAAR!!!
Suddenly, a massive bird swooped down from the sky. It had the head of a crocodile, wings of an eagle, and claws of a dragon.
A Four Symbols Beast—an incredibly rare monster even in the New World!
"Damn it all!!"
The elder could no longer maintain his calm, dignified demeanor. There were just too many of them!
His entire field of vision was filled with these ugly undead creatures. Individually, they weren't strong, but if he killed one every ten seconds, that was six a minute… when would it ever end?!
Worse still, some of them were quite powerful. If they swarmed him all at once, he could be overwhelmed. He could try to escape using his Devil Fruit, but what about the prestige of the World Government?!
He looked around. Every direction was blocked. Where could he run? The entire area was sealed off by the undead. How could he move freely?
Kel'Thuzad had unleashed everything stored in his phylactery—about ten thousand souls in total. Such a force might not be enough to storm Marineford alone, but against just two people… it was more than enough.
They only had themselves to blame for being so arrogant. Did they think they were Whitebeard, capable of wiping out armies with one swing?
Did they really think sending just two Admiral-level fighters would be enough to deal with Kel'Thuzad?!
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