Chapter 344: The Kamaitachi Awakens

The crowd near the epicenter didn't even have time to let out a single cry of despair before being vaporized instantly, leaving not even a trace of ash behind!

"Damn it!"

Xiang Keluo cursed loudly, his clothes billowing behind him, the stray hairs on his forehead curling from the intense heat radiating from afar.

He had witnessed a doomsday scene like this once before, in the Drum Kingdom.

That was Gao Wen's trump card, the Crimson Emperor's Blue Star.

Yet, in terms of both scale and power, it paled in comparison to the scene unfolding before his eyes.

Starting from the center of Avalon, a tidal wave of magma covered more than half the city.

Countless people died on the spot, while countless others, grievously wounded, watched helplessly as their bodies were completely swallowed by the magma.

Such power was beyond what any human could achieve!

Could there truly be a monster in this world that Gao Wen cannot defeat?!

Just as Xiang Keluo stood stunned, a hand slapped onto his shoulder!

"Stop spacing out!"

"Save people!"

Xiang Keluo finally snapped back to reality, turning his head to realize the speaker was Bevil.

Bevil continued:

"At the very least..."

"At the very least, we cannot let more people die because of this!"

His eyes were rimmed with red.

Although he had long anticipated that the magma lake underground could not contain Joan, he never expected the backlash to arrive so swiftly and so viciously.

A single strike had destroyed more than half of Avalon!

And this was merely the beginning; her true goal was to completely annihilate Britannias.

Yet this time, Bevil did not regret his decision.

Blind compromise ultimately yields only even more tyrannical rule.

Just like Wales, just like the Joan before his eyes—they were fundamentally the same kind of people, placing their own will above everything else and unleashing all their desires without hesitation!

In comparison, Gao Wen was far more restrained and cautious regarding his own immense power; at the very least, he harbored no malice to dominate the weak above all else!

"Once that man arrives, everything will be settled!"

"Either this nation will be reborn from the ashes, or it will be utterly destroyed!"

Bevil finally understood what exactly was lacking between himself, Arthur, and Gao Wen.

Deluding oneself into finding a perfect solution was, in reality, a lack of courage to bear failure!

How could one possibly lead the people of Britannias out of their predicament without being able to bear the hopes of the entire nation, and without being prepared to shoulder every consequence?!

Morgan, returning from the outer seas, possessed such awareness but lacked the corresponding immense power!

Arthur possessed both such awareness and such power, yet ultimately died because of the hearts of men!

Only Gao Wen, only Gao Wen, possessed all three!

Bevil's Adam's apple bobbed, his gaze burning like a torch:

"If we can survive, if we can repel this monster before us, I am willing to enthroned Gao Wen as King!"

Xiang Keluo was somewhat surprised; just as he was about to speak up and ask further, he saw that in the center of the distant impact crater, Joan's massive, pure-white form had risen once again!

The high temperature of the magma scorched the feathers covering her entire body, leaving many charred marks, yet her body healed at an even faster speed.

Born from a ritual of flesh, blood, bones, heart, and soul, the White Dragon's physique had approached true immortality and indestructibility.

Even the scorching of lava would only cause her pain, unable to take her life!

"That sort of matter doesn't matter to that guy Gao Wen; given his personality, he would never do something like seizing this nation from Morgan's hands."

Bevil shook his head:

"Morgan lacks that kind of power."

"Gao Wen lacks that kind of intention and would never do such a thing, but as his second-in-command, you should know what Britannias means to him, especially regarding his dreams!"

"No place is more suitable as a battlefield for the Red Dragon than here!"

"And no one is more suited to become the King of this place than him!"

"Not having the blood of Britannias does not mean he cannot become the King of Britannias!"

A light sparked in Xiang Keluo's eyes:

"You mean..."

Bevil nodded:

"If I remember correctly, Morgan is not yet married, and according to the traditions of Britannias, the Princess's husband also qualifies to inherit the throne!"

"However."

He turned his head, gazing at the gigantic figure in the distance, unable to help but swallow hard:

"Everything depends on surviving first!"

"Agreed!"

Xiang Keluo responded.

"By the way!"

Bevil pressed on:

"What exactly is the nature of these pirates?!"

He asked this question once again.

The corners of Xiang Keluo's mouth curled upward:

"You want to know?!"

"Then survive, and see with your own eyes!"

"This world is far greater than you can imagine!"

Boom—!

A pale breath landed beside the two of them; the fierce impact blew them flying.

Worse still, scorching heat baked them, making their whole bodies burn!

Yet Beville's heart burned even hotter now, nearly igniting:

"Good!"

"Then I shall see with my own eyes!"

He nodded heavily, glanced back at the crowd still struggling in the lava, and asked:

"How long until Gao Wen arrives?!"

Xiang Keluo held up two fingers:

"I've already notified Gao Wen of the situation here; it will take at least another hour!"

A shadow flickered across Beville's eyes:

"We can't wait that long."

"Xiang Keluo, stall that monster for now. I'll use the power of the Door-Door Fruit to create portals throughout the inner city and evacuate the survivors to the outskirts of Britannias!"

"Thirty minutes! Thirty minutes will be enough!"

"Hold that thing off for thirty minutes?!"

Xiang Keluo's mouth twitched; he glanced at Jeanne charging again, cold sweat beading on his forehead, yet he still nodded heavily:

"Looks like... I'll have to stake my life on this!"

Xiang Keluo drew a deep breath; in the next instant, he transformed into a gale and shot wildly into the distance!

He did not know why he had immediately accepted Beville's request.

He only knew that if Gao Wen were here, he would not hesitate for an instant, would not retreat an inch, even facing a battle destined to be lost.

Whoosh—!

A wild wind swept through!

The moment Xiang Keluo turned, he felt his body growing lighter; the air currents flowing around him grew faster, more intense, and easier to control.

He vaguely saw his own reflection in a mirror.

It was still the familiar human-beast form of the Sickle-Weasel Fruit, yet upon his shoulders seemed to blaze a pure white flame!

Hiss—!

A piercing cry rang out beside Xiang Keluo's ear; in a daze, he saw a grotesque, slender, translucent sickle-weasel flash before his eyes.

Yet in the next instant, it vanished.

The reflection in the mirror returned to normal; everything seemed to have been nothing but an illusion. But Xiang Keluo knew it was no illusion; something was awakening!

At the same time.

Throughout Britannias.

Every member of Gao Wen's group received Xiang Keluo's message; those who had planned to retreat all halted in their tracks, without a shred of hesitation turning to move against the fleeing crowds, heading straight for the heart of the battlefield.

"Thirty minutes, huh?!"

The cigarette in Sanji's mouth burned right down to the filter; his face wore a Solemn Face.

The monster before them was almost the strongest existence Gao Wen's group had encountered since entering the Grand Line.

Even the Golden Lion, who had once fought Gao Wen to a standstill, and that Hawkeye, both paled in comparison; moreover, it possessed a physique and a tenacious vitality that neither of them could match!

"The pressure's a bit much!"

Sanji turned to look at Zoro beside him and teased:

"Moss-head, don't drag me down!"

Zoro's brow twitched; he shot back immediately:

"Number Five, don't be so full of yourself! You're the one who'll be dragging us down!"

"Tch!"

"Just don't come crying for help when the time comes!"

With that, Sanji leaped into the air; aided by his Invisible Black Battle Suit, he hovered midair and sped toward the heart of the battlefield!

Unwilling to be outdone, Zoro likewise moved against the crowd, charging straight for the heart of the battlefield!

At the same time.

Law, Cavendish, Van Augur, Chopper, Bepo...

Every member of Gao Wen's group joining the fight accelerated at the same moment, rushing toward the white dragon at the center of Avalon!

Beneath wings that blocked out the sun and sky were heroes moving against the tide of refugees!

Countless fleeing civilians of Britannias even halted in their tracks for a moment, staring blankly at Xiang Keluo and his companions on the battlefield.

"Are these guys mad? At a time like this, instead of fleeing, they're moving closer to that monster!"

"You're the one who's utterly foolish; they're clearly staking their lives to buy us time!"

"These people..."

"These pirates from the outside world..."

"These fellows..."

For a moment, everyone was at a loss for words, unable to find any suitable term to describe the shock stirring in their hearts.

"Perhaps those enshrined and worshipped within the Temple of the Heaven-Awakening Cathedral should not be some vague, ethereal gods, but them!"

"No!"

"That is not a temple of the Church of Divine Awakening, but rather a hall dedicated to the souls of heroes; it should be called..."

"Valhalla!"

Yet at this very moment.

Inside Avalon City, transparent teleportation gates opened one after another before the fleeing crowds.

And beyond the gates lay beaches, an endless sea, the border of Britannias, and furthermore, their hope for escape!

In the center of the battlefield.

Jeanne gazed at the teleportation gates opened by Xiang Keluo, the fury in her eyes gradually subsiding, even becoming increasingly calm.

"They are merely worthless ants; let them flee if they wish."

"However..."

With a Solemn Face, Jeanne lowered her gaze to her massive body, feeling an indescribable strangeness:

"My nature was never so impulsive and tyrannical; it is the lingering instincts within this body causing this!"

After a brief moment of thought, she understood the reason.

After Fafnir's consciousness dissipated, the immortal dragon corpse left behind was simply too powerful; even as a user of the Mind-Mind Fruit, she could not avoid being influenced by its instincts, becoming tyrannical, impulsive, and out of control!

Forcing herself to calm down, Jeanne lowered her eyes toward the attacking Xiang Keluo and others, then lifted her head and let out a dragon's roar.

Roar—!

A tangible shockwave blasted Xiang Keluo and the others back; the sound waves kicked up dust and smoke, blotting out the sun and sky!

When the dust and smoke cleared.

The massive white dragon, resembling a mountain range, had vanished; appearing in the center of the battlefield was a figure over twenty meters tall.

Pure white wings spread from its shoulders, fierce dragon horns coiled atop its head, feathers covering its entire body adding a hint of avian beast, while its slender, robust form spoke of explosive power surging within.

It was precisely the White Dragon—Hybrid Form!

As time passed, Jeanne gradually gained complete control over this body, able to wield more and more power, her aura becoming increasingly domineering:

"Submit!"

"Or die!"

A mighty pressure erupted from around Jeanne; combined with her twenty-meter giant-like height, standing in the field made her resemble an insurmountable divine statue!

Any normal person seeing such an existence would absolutely not dare to harbor even a shred of thought to resist!

Yet the reply he received was nothing but a series of extremely ferocious slashes!

Hiss—!

Sparks flew from the pure white wings as several feathers were sliced off.

Jeanne stood calmly in place, a smile once again appearing on her face, filled with divinity and mercy just as before:

"You will understand the distance between yourselves and a god!"

She raised her dragon claw and swept it horizontally toward Zoro!

Despite her height exceeding twenty meters, her movements were hardly hindered, moving with hair-raising speed!

Zoro only had time to guard with his twin blades before being struck.

Crack—!

Blood overflowed from between Zoro's lips and teeth; he was directly blasted flying, crashing through several buildings in succession before being caught by Law's Ope Ope no Mi ability.

Although Zoro's combat strength approached the Gold level, he ultimately had not reached Gold; there was a full two orders of magnitude difference between him and Jeanne, resulting in him being heavily injured in an instant!

"Did you see that?!"

"This is the power of the first monarch of Britannias; in this era, I am an invincible existence!"

Jeanne threw back her head and laughed wildly.

A nearly immortal body, special abilities that strengthen and dominate all non-human lifeforms, and an extremely powerful physique.

All these elements converged, ultimately creating the extremely powerful existence standing before them!

Even giving up the abilities of the Mind-Mind Fruit for this was entirely worth it.

Jeanne was exceedingly proud:

"Even if it is Mary Geoise—!"

Hiss—!

A clear breeze blew past; a burst of blood mist exploded on Jeanne's chest, completely cutting off her words.

"What is this..."

Jeanne lowered her gaze, looking at the crisscrossing wounds on her chest that resembled death by a thousand cuts, her eyes filled with immense astonishment.

The White Dragon's physique was not as sturdy as Gao Wen's Red Dragon, yet it still could not be injured by ordinary means.

Even Zoro's slashes wielding Muramasa could only slice off a few feathers, unable to harm the flesh and blood beneath.

Yet now, she had been injured to this degree by a sudden gust of wind?!

"How is this possible?!"

For a moment, Jeanne felt somewhat dazed.

Instinctively, she looked into the distance, seeing only a familiar yet strange figure standing in mid-air.

A tail bearing blades swayed uneasily behind him, invisible air currents suspending his body in the air; it was precisely Xiang Keluo in his Kamaitachi Form.

Jeanne had long seen Xiang Keluo in such a form, yet what truly astonished him was the pure white flame clouds burning like fire upon Xiang Keluo's shoulders!

An abnormal posture and an aura far stronger than before even gave Jeanne a momentary sense of crisis, causing her to blurt out:

"Is this... Awakening?!"

Xiang Keluo raised his hand, removed his glasses, and the corners of his mouth split open, revealing the fangs of his Hybrid Form.

The already restless air currents around him grew even more frenzied, until a gale swept across the entire sky above Avalon!

Cold and hot air currents converged high in the sky, triggering flashes of lightning and peals of thunder!

Xiang Keluo stood high in the air, looking down at Jeanne below, the corners of his mouth curling into a sinister grin:

"If you say so... then so be it!"

(End of Chapter)