Chapter 338: Immortal Body vs. Immortal Body!

"Then so be it, as you wish!"

"Let you witness with your own eyes the power of a god!"

Wales was truly enraged and had already made up his mind; no matter the cost today, he would completely bury Gao Wen and his group.

If the news that sea salt suppresses his ability were to spread, it would pose a fatal threat to his rule!

This had already shaken the very foundation of his standing in Britannias!

Whoosh—!

Six wings flapped.

Wales's figure rapidly expanded; in the blink of an eye, he transformed into a giant god form over ten meters tall, his body covered in golden stripes, with a striking golden ring on his chest similar to the halo atop his head.

His originally graying hair turned jet black, the wrinkles on his face smoothed out, and at this moment, his visage appeared more than ten years younger.

"This is the feeling of youth!"

Wales raised his hand and clenched it in the air, feeling the powerful strength within his body; he felt as though he had returned to decades ago, to the peak of his energy, stamina, and combat power.

It even led Wales to harbor the illusion of being invincible.

The power 'shared' from millions of believers had grown to an unimaginable magnitude, with extremely violent dominance surging endlessly within his body!

Boom!

Invisible dominance spreads like a wild wind, ravaging the earth!

"Hahahaha—!"

Wales laughed wildly and unrestrainedly, his features twisted ferociously:

"With what do you presume to oppose me!?"

"To defy the will of a god, one can only be erased, crushed, and blasted into hell!"

Yet in the next instant, it was forcibly pushed back by a dominance that was stronger, fiercer, and more intense!

The wind between heaven and earth came to a complete standstill at this moment!

Even more strangely, this kingly presence manifested in a crimson color.

Gao Wen's gaze was indifferent; crimson scales emerged over his entire body, a pair of dragon wings unfolded, and he stood facing Wales, his eyes filled solely with endless fighting intent:

"Kingly presence, is it?!"

"Though lacking slightly in both quality and quantity, it is sufficient for some after-dinner entertainment."

"So you are the so-called god, are you?!"

"How long will you be able to entertain me!?"

Wales's breath hitched, his inner rage intensifying:

"You will see!"

"The gap in quality between you and me!"

As soon as his voice landed,

the two figures struck simultaneously.

Only a massive explosion was heard in the air as a golden fist collided with a pitch-black blade across the void.

Zzzzt—!

Crimson lightning in the air danced wildly like giant snakes, while a shockwave exploded outward from the two figures as its center, the scattered aftermath alone sufficient to collapse the surrounding buildings.

Boom boom boom—!

The earth was torn apart.

Many commoners indirectly affected by the Angel Fruit regained a moment of clarity.

Their expressions were blank, yet upon feeling this violent shockwave, they subconsciously lifted their heads.

Their faces were deathly pale.

"Is that... my lord the Pope?"

"My lord the Pope is fighting a mysterious person!"

"Wait, why am I here!?"

"I..."

In the next instant, his consciousness could no longer withstand the two kingly presences in the air; his eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness.

Such situations were not uncommon on the battlefield.

Some realized something was wrong and turned to flee, but unfortunately, they hadn't taken more than a few steps before collapsing headfirst.

Similarly, others were startled by the battle high above, losing control of their bladders on the spot, their whole bodies trembling.

"Monsters!"

"Monsters are slaughtering each other!"

"Is this the end of the world?!"

Shouts of alarm rose one after another.

Xiang Keluo and the others couldn't help but look up at the two figures battling fiercely in the high sky, their eyes filled with nothing but confidence in Gao Wen!

"Has that fellow Gao Wen gotten excited?!"

Xiang Keluo curled the corner of his mouth:

"It has been a long time since I've seen that fellow wear such an expression; it seems the opponent this time is not weak."

"Ah."

Ah Jin nodded:

"However, no matter who the opponent is, the Captain will not lose!"

Victory after victory, coupled with an almost monstrous rate of growth, had long established Gao Wen's image as invincible in the hearts of his crew.

The Captain will not lose!

Everyone in the Gao Wen Pirates firmly believed this, to the point that they no longer paid attention to the two figures battling high above, focusing instead on the commoners before them.

Yet there were also those who felt worry over the battle in the high skies, their expressions growing increasingly grave.

"Do not be careless!"

Beville narrowed his eyes, watching the fight high above, a sense of unease rising in his heart.

It was simply because the current state of the battle reminded him of that fight between Arthur and Wales from years past.

It had been just like this: starting as an even match, only for Arthur to become increasingly hesitant later on, eventually daring not to strike at all.

"That fellow Wales possesses strength far beyond this level!"

"That fellow likely still has hidden trump cards!"

"Rest assured."

Zoro forcibly stuffed a salt ball into the mouth of a believer of the Heaven's Perception Church; the latter's body trembled, immediately collapsing into a limp heap.

Only then did Zoro turn his head to look at Beville:

"Rest assured."

"The Captain is invincible!"

"Even the former World's Greatest Swordsman was far from being his match; that battle, in terms of both imposing presence and commotion, was far greater than this one before us."

"The Captain is merely having some fun."

Beville paused for a moment, recalling how Gao Wen had previously fought two alone, simultaneously repelling two of the supreme powerhouses, then stiffened his resolve and nodded, shifting his focus back to the believers of the Heaven's Perception Church before him.

"Tsk—!"

"Just when I was getting excited!"

Chopper felt slightly bored, casually flinging aside the unconscious commoner, then turned to target another person; just as he prepared to strike, his movements suddenly froze, and he immediately withdrew with explosive speed!

Boom!

A giant bird over twenty meters in length landed exactly where Chopper had been standing, like an arrow released from a bowstring!

Crack-crack-crack-crack—!

The ground shattered, spiderweb-like fissures spreading outward.

Chopper extended his tongue to lick his lips; that faint sense of crisis made goosebumps rise on his arms.

Even with his physique, being a step slower would have resulted in injury.

"Interesting!"

"This is a worthy opponent, and also the perfect opportunity to practice my Way of the Ship's Doctor!"

"Bomb all enemies into slag, and no comrades will be injured!"

Chopper turned around, facing directly the ferocious beast charging from afar, smashing through the city walls and bursting into the Avalon district!

"Uraa!"

Bepo let out a roar, rushing toward the distant beast herd a step ahead of Chopper, colliding with a giant ape over twenty meters tall and forcibly blasting it away!

"Bepo, you are too cunning!"

Unwilling to show weakness, Chopper likewise plunged into the beast herd, beginning a deadly struggle with a giant lion!

The officers of Gao Wen's group all struck out at the same time, killing their way toward the distant beast herd.

Beville looked up at the two figures entangled in combat high in the sky, and for some reason, felt an even deeper sense of unease in his heart.

It was as if something extremely dangerous was about to happen!

"Perhaps..."

"... it is just an illusion."

"If Knight Gao Wen truly possesses the resolve to kill all the commoners of Britannias just to slay Wales, then with his power and the Red Dragon's vitality, there should be no problem." Having said this, Beville turned and charged into the beast herd, blood spraying and severed limbs filling the sky!

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

High above, the deadly struggle between the two grew increasingly fierce; the leaking fighting energy became more violent with each exchange, wave after wave rising higher than the last.

In merely a few seconds, countless collisions occurred in succession.

The dense barrage of impact sounds in the air resembled the buzzing of bees, continuous and unending.

Hiss!

Blood splashed down.

One of Wales's arms was severed by Gao Wen, yet not a single drop of blood flowed from the wound; instead, only a faint golden qi emanated, and in the next instant, a brand new arm grew forth from the wound.

"Did you see that?!"

"This is the vitality of a god!"

Wales let out a sinister laugh; just moments ago, he had also struck Gao Wen's chest with a fist, driving his Conqueror's Haki into Gao Wen's body.

"Is that so?!"

Gao Wen twisted his neck; where his chest had been injured, a mist of pale blue leyline energy swirled, restoring it instantly as well:

"This is the Red Dragon's home turf!"

Gao Wen lifted his head, looking at the opponent before him, his eyes brimming with excitement:

"An immortal body?!"

"In that case, I should be able to slay you many times over, right?!"

"How wonderful!"

The corners of Gao Wen's mouth gradually curled upward, his excitement twisting his features nearly out of shape.

This was both because he could unleash his inner desire for battle without any reservation, and because endless combat would likewise allow him to grow endlessly!

From the brief exchange just now, Gao Wen had already formed a rough estimate of Wales's power.

Slightly stronger than Big Sister, and about on par with Xia Mu Luo Ke, but due to their undying bodies, neither of these two could possibly defeat him in a one-on-one duel.

An undying body, which would be a thorny problem for others, was actually good news for Gao Wen.

The leyline energy of Britannias was abundant enough to sustain his endless fighting; every daily system settlement would yield a massive amount of Conqueror's Haki experience.

Furthermore, since Wales commanded the faith of the people of Britannias, he could instantly heal his wounds.

In other words, if both parties were willing, this battle could proceed almost endlessly!

It would continue until the moment Gao Wen blasted his current opponent into dust.

"Again!"

A fierce shout exploded like thunder; Gao Wen's aura erupted, even more violent than during their initial clash.

Combined with the dragon scales covering his body like soft armor and the ferocious dragon horns atop his head, he looked like a demon stepping out of hell.

Wales's gaze was ice-cold, his killing intent even stronger:

"I will blast you to death!"

He thrust out both fists simultaneously; like two giant whips dancing through the air leaving afterimages, an overwhelming barrage of fist shadows pressed down upon Gao Wen.

Every fist was infused with Conqueror's Haki, and every single blow could easily blast a Gold-rank expert to death.

Wales had ignited his true fury; even at great cost, he intended to kill Gao Wen.

This battle was taking place before the countless believers of Avalon; for whatever reason, he could not lose, and he would not lose.

Zzzzt—!

Guanshi Zhengzong emitted a humming sound, its blade trembling, excited to the extreme.

Gao Wen swung the blade with one hand, and within a few breaths, he spread out an extremely fine mesh of sword nets to collide with Wales's fist shadows.

Clang—!

Dense sounds of collision merged into a continuous roar; shockwave-like sound waves spread outward, directly shredding the eardrums of those with weak tolerance.

Even the elites among the Crusaders could not help but cover their ears with their hands, suffering immensely.

"Ahhh—!"

"My brain is about to explode; I can't withstand this kind of impact!"

"As for His Holiness the Pope, that is understandable, since he has received divine revelation and is a god walking among men, but what kind of monster is the person fighting him?!"

"Could it truly be the resurrection of Arthur's ghost!?"

No one answered their questions.

Only the struggle high in the sky entered a state that was more intense, more unrestrained, and more bloody!

Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!

Wounds burst open one after another on Wales's body, yet golden light circulated, and the injuries healed instantly.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Fist marks appeared on Gao Wen's chest, but blue leyline energy surfaced, rapidly repairing his wounds and restoring his stamina.

Both possessing undying bodies, after the initial probing, their battle turned completely white-hot, devolving into a bloody slaughter where they attacked without defending, trading injury for injury.

Blood rained down from the high sky, like patches of thin mist!

Bevier, who was currently fighting off ferocious beasts, was completely dumbfounded:

"What kind of battle is this?!"

"No!"

"Rather than calling it a battle, it would be more accurate to say that two thoroughbred wild beasts are slaughtering each other!"

"This is the most primitive, bloody slaughter!"

"It is like a kill-fight between a lion king and a challenger; the loser loses everything, even their life!"

"Simply... simply..."

Bevier could not find suitable adjectives to describe his feelings at this moment.

The understanding of combat he had built over several decades of his knightly career had completely collapsed.

It turned out that not all battles involved dismantling move by move, exchanging precise attacks and defenses, and finally finding an opponent's opening to deliver the finishing strike.

Attack without defense, trade injury for injury!

Whoever collapses first is the thorough loser; it is simple, pure, yet possesses an overbearing dominance that crushes everything!

"Could it be that this is the correct way to use the Red Dragon Fruit?!"

"That's right!"

"It must be!"

"Arthur was fundamentally wrong!"

Suddenly.

A sharp aura surged toward Bevier.

He turned his head and saw a giant tiger biting toward him, its canine teeth like blades, sufficient to tear any flesh-and-blood body to shreds.

But in the next instant, the fierce tiger was blasted apart by a pure white cannonball; its flesh and blood scattered, splashing all over Bevier.

Ah Jin said indifferently:

"If you get careless, you will die!"

Having said that.

Ah Jin swiveled the cannon muzzle toward the herd of ferocious beasts attacking from afar and launched a bombardment; the bone bullets leaving the barrel instantly tore the beasts along their path to shreds.

Bevil looked at the man who had once been his captive; besides guilt, his heart also held a measure of gratitude.

He gripped the long sword in his hand, turned, and charged toward the distant herd of ferocious beasts.

……

Outside Avalon.

Atop a Shanfeng.

Junzi and two members of the Divine Knight Corps stood at the summit, gazing toward the distant battlefield, watching the fight between Gao Wen and Wales.

"Too primitive, too bloody, too violent!"

"Simply... simply..."

"This cannot even be called a battle!"

A member of the Divine Knight Corps exclaimed, voicing his reproach, yet his trembling pupils still betrayed the unease and fear within his heart:

"Two thoroughgoing monsters!"

"Even possessing an immortal body, it should not be like this; battle ought to be elegant, ought to be beautiful and noble!"

He spoke forth his understanding of battle.

Junzi swept him a glance, his eyes holding nothing but unspeakable contempt:

"The greatest aim of battle is to destroy one's opponent with the utmost speed."

"Elegant? Splendid?!"

"Foolish!"

"Such a battle is the true splendor; only these two have truly unleashed the advantage of an immortal body!"

"If my lord Im were here, he would surely feel excitement rising from the depths of his heart!"

(End of Chapter)