69novels Chapter 661: A Gaze Back to an Older Era
Chapter 661: A Gaze Back to an Older Era
The camera zooms out.
The wind whipped up ice shards.
The screen is divided into two.
Half of it was Im hovering in mid-air, with dark red patterns flowing like snakes.
The other half is on the east side of the battlefield.
The battle situation was equally dire.
A fierce battlefront roughly the same size as the main battlefield.
The ice field was torn open with countless deep ravines.
Seawater flooded in and froze into black icicles.
Monster remains and ice shards were scattered everywhere, and the air was filled with the stench of blood and demonic energy.
The blades and claws clashed, repeatedly tearing away the snow.
The charred rock layers beneath were exposed.
Whitebeard stood at the very center of the battle line.
His bare upper body was covered in claw marks, so deep that the bone was visible.
The blood had scabbed over and mixed with the rough skin, making it impossible to distinguish between the new and old wounds.
He gripped the Murakumogiri blade, its surface coated with the monstrous, foul-smelling slime that dripped down.
"shock--"
A low growl.
Push the handle of the knife forward sharply.
The air was distorted.
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit unleashed a spatial shockwave to its extreme.
The impact spread out in a fan shape from him, shattering the three black water monsters that lunged at him into pieces of flesh scattered everywhere.
But it didn't work.
There are too many Blackwater Monsters.
Like ants in a tide.
One after another, they went on to do it.
Shatter one end, then replace it with two more.
Cut in two, the mangled body was still crawling on the ground.
"laugh--"
A severed arm slid across the white-bearded man's left side.
The claws sliced through the skin, leaving a deep gash on the ribs.
Whitebeard Z grunted and unleashed a horizontal slash, splitting the severed-armed master along with the two monsters behind him.
But his movements had already slowed down.
Whitebeard's chest heaved violently.
I'm completely exhausted.
Tong Ling's bloodshot eyes were still open, but every time he swung his knife, the muscles in his arm would twitch.
His breathing grew heavier, and the white mist he exhaled condensed into a cloud in the air.
He is old.
After fighting for almost a day and a night, all my old wounds flared up.
At its peak, the Murakumogiri could be wielded with ease, but now every movement feels like pulling a millstone.
But he kept waving.
A knife.
Another cut.
A stubbornness etched into one's bones.
He will not back down.
No refunds.
Behind them are many more companions.
Every second he holds on, the pressure on those behind him eases a little.
"Dad!"
Marco's anxious shouts could be heard from afar.
The phoenix's flames were surrounded by several monsters, and it couldn't break free at all.
The white-bearded man didn't turn around.
He slammed the Murakumo onto the ice, using the momentum to pin a monster that was lunging at him to the ground.
The blade pierced his skull, and black liquid sprayed all over his face.
He prepared to draw his sword.
The sky darkened.
A massive, dark golden shadow crashed down from a height of ten thousand meters.
The wind from the flapping of wings can tear flesh apart.
"Hey——!"
A single eagle's cry drowned out all the noise on the battlefield.
There was a kind of imposing force in that voice.
The monsters that were attacking the white-bearded man froze in their tracks.
Their heads, filled with demonic energy, sensed danger.
But it's too slow.
The dark golden figure flapped its wings violently with an overwhelming force.
"boom--!"
The gale was compressed into a dark golden shockwave.
Sweep.
Those few frozen monsters were instantly smashed into countless pieces.
Black powder splattered.
A brief "clear space" appeared in front of the white-bearded man.
He narrowed his bloodshot eyes slightly and looked up.
A huge object was hanging overhead.
A divine eagle with dark gold feathers all over its body.
Its wingspan could cover half the battlefield, and its feathers were like blades, gleaming with a cold metallic light.
His eyes were like two drawn swords.
The white-bearded creature recognized it.
"That one with Chenye..."
He murmured softly.
The divine eagle glanced down at him.
There was no arrogance in his eyes, only the affirmation between comrades.
It didn't stay any longer.
After clearing the area, it quickly flapped its wings and flew to the other side of the battle line.
There, Lox was surrounded by a dozen monsters.
"Hey——!"
Another eagle's cry.
Several more monsters were smashed to pieces.
The arrival of the Divine Eagle was like a shot in the arm, pulling the defense line back from the brink of collapse.
Its combat strength is at the level of a general.
Speed, strength, and resistance to demonic energy.
It's a tireless meat grinder.
However, just as the Divine Eagle cleared the area in front of Lox and was preparing to expand its victory—
It stopped.
Those sharp, dagger-like eyes suddenly narrowed.
The massive body came to an abrupt halt during its dive.
The gale, due to its lingering in the air, formed a cyclone, blowing the surrounding monsters to the side.
Its clever head suddenly turned to the other side of the battlefield.
It smelled it.
The atmosphere on the entire battlefield has changed drastically.
The black water monsters that had been attacking so frantically suddenly slowed down and became chaotic.
Some were spinning in circles.
Some were confused and wailed softly.
Some started attacking each other.
They have lost their "owner".
The eagle's wings tucked in high altitude.
A look of alertness flashed in those sharp eyes.
Then it saw it.
Where the sea meets the sky.
A pure white light rose from the sea.
White.
Pure white, without a single impurity.
The light pierced through the clouds and through the sky.
A hole.
The dark blue starry sky was revealed.
Immediately afterwards, the beam of light began to expand.
It transformed from a line into a colossal pillar, tearing away all the dark clouds that stretched for dozens of miles around.
Centered on the pillar of light, a continuously expanding hole appeared in the sky.
Then there are the ripples.
Warm yet violent energy spreads rapidly in the form of ripples.
Wherever the ripples passed, the dark red demonic energy in the air trembled violently.
A tremor of despair.
The dark red mist churned wildly, trying to retreat.
But white light is everywhere.
They had nowhere to escape.
The remaining monsters on the battlefield were in even greater disarray.
The demonic energy within them has gone out of control.
It runs rampant in the blood vessels.
Twisting within the muscles.
It expands and contracts within the bones.
Fear spread like a plague.
The eagle's wings flapped suddenly high in the sky.
It understood.
The real variable has arrived.
"boom--"
The ripples of the pure white beam of light swept across the eastern front.
The moment the ripples brushed across the white-bearded, rugged face, his sword-wielding motion abruptly halted.
The pillars of the old era slowly raise their heads.
He was covered in blood.
The wound on my left rib is still bleeding.
His breathing was like a broken bellows.
But when he looked up and saw that beam of white light piercing through the heavens and earth—
His eyes changed.
The pupils constricted, then suddenly dilated.
The tense muscles relaxed.
The hand gripping the knife hilt slowly lowered.
He smelled it.
That power.
The pure white power belonging to "Nika".
A slow smile tugged at the corner of the white-bearded man's mouth.
Glad.
look forward to.
Satisfy.
There is also a sense of relief in the passing of the flag by veterans.
He plunged the heavy Murakumo sword into the ice with a loud "boom".
The blade sank several feet into the ground, and the hilt trembled slightly in the cold wind.
He freed his left hand and wiped the blood off his face.
Blood mixed with the monster's black liquid, leaving several bloody streaks on his face.
He looked up at the horizon and spoke in a deep voice.
Hoarseness.
Yet his voice was full of energy.
"Which brat is it?"
He paused.
The smile in his eyes deepened.
"It seems the true protagonist of this war is—"
His gaze pierced through the wind and snow, through the dark clouds, and locked onto the ever-expanding white light.
"It's finally time to make our appearance."
There was no resentment or resistance in his tone.
It's pure expectation.
The most sincere expectation of an old pirate who has roamed the seas for decades, witnessing the opening of a new era.
This old man, who stood at the pinnacle of the old era, now resembled a master craftsman waiting for his apprentice to take the stage.
His eyes held only the expectation of "Let me see what you can do."
Not far away.
Rocks smashed a monster to pieces with a single punch.
The monster's head exploded like a watermelon, splattering black blood all over him.
He was breathing heavily.
This man, who once challenged Roger for the throne, is also not in good condition.
Only a few pieces of the tattered armor remained on his body.
The muscles are covered in wounds, and they are healing very slowly.
The corruption caused by demonic energy was more severe than expected.
He slowly turned around.
My gaze pierced through the swirling snow and locked onto a ray of light.
Those arrogant, overbearing eyes held a complex expression.
Shock.
fear.
There was also something he himself didn't realize—acknowledgment.
He has seen too many strong people, too many geniuses, and too many miracles.
He never thought he was inferior to anyone else.
But now—
In the aura of that white light, he smelled something he had never smelled before.
It's not brute force.
It's not about being domineering.
It is a fluctuation of some higher, more fundamental law.
Lockes lowered his voice.
His tone was more solemn than ever before.
"This power..."
He paused.
"That's terrifying."
These three words were spoken very softly.
But it's very heavy.
The word "terrible" that came out of his mouth, Rocks, carried enough weight to crush a mountain.
The word "terrible" doesn't exist in his dictionary.
But now, for the first time, he used those three words to describe another force.
The divine eagle beside them let out a low "coo".
It sounds like agreement.
The beast's reaction was more convincing than any words.
Its sharp, piercing eyes were filled with vigilance.
Whitebeard paused for a moment after hearing Rocks' words.
He stared at the increasingly dazzling white light.
The light is still expanding.
Most of the sky was as bright as day.
The white-bearded man nodded slowly.
He gripped the handle of the Murakumogi knife tightly, his knuckles cracking.
Then he made a judgment that even he himself found unbelievable.
"That brat—"
His voice was calm.
"I'm afraid you and I—"
He paused for a moment and glanced at Lox beside him.
"None of them are his match."
These words came from the mouth of a man who once rivaled Roger.
The weight was so heavy that it seemed to freeze the air.
Rocks did not refute.
He glanced at the light again.
The pure white light continued to expand, eclipsing even the dark clouds in the sky.
Lox let out a deep breath.
The white mist instantly froze into ice crystals.
He squeezed out two words through gritted teeth.
"Too verbose."
He did not deny it.
In his personality, this is simply tacit acceptance.
He never admits that anyone is better than him.
But now, he has replaced "You're right" with "long-winded".
For the first time, two men who stood at the pinnacle of the old era stood side by side in this almost reverential manner.
They were all looking.
Looking in the same direction.
Waiting for the same person.
Behind them lay a devastated battlefield.
The monster was still struggling in front of him.
They were covered in blood and exhausted.
But they didn't go to see the monsters again.
Because they know—
The outcome no longer depends on how many more monsters they can kill.
The divine eagle cried out in mid-air.
The sound pierced through the wind and snow, breaking through the clamor.
It flapped its wings and soared high.
The dark gold wings drew a graceful arc, rising to the highest point of the battlefield.
Its sharp eyes surveyed the entire scene.
The monster is retreating frantically.
The remaining Celestial Dragons, having lost their will to fight.
Everyone who was still fighting a bloody battle suddenly felt the situation change.
The divine eagle is highly intelligent.
It is high enough that it can understand everything that is happening.
The front it guarded—the "key defensive line" where Whitebeard and Rocks were located—was about to cease to be the core.
The real turning point has shifted from this icy plain to another place.
Right in the center of the main battlefield.
Between those two forces that are about to collide.