radicalducati Chapter 306 Im's Underhanded Tactics, 13 Heroic Spirits
Chapter 306 Im's Underhanded Tactics, 13 Heroic Spirits
Chapter 306 Im's Underhanded Tactics, 13 Heroic Spirits
The night in Mary Geoise was without stars.
The sacred site atop the Red Earth Continent is forever shrouded in some artificially maintained holy light, but that light cannot penetrate the temple deep beneath Pangu City.
Here, only the faint, cold light of the magic crystals on the eternal stone walls and the iridescent glow flowing across the surfaces of the thirteen metal containers on the central altar.
Im stood before the altar, with the ever-changing phantom of the human evil behind him.
The Five Elders stood on either side, like five lifeless sculptures.
The sound of chains dragging on the ground came from the direction of the stairs, along with suppressed breathing.
Three new prisoners were brought in.
Kizaru captured "Sabertooth Tiger" Temper and his soon-to-disappear heroic spirit, Fuuma Kotaro.
The Revolutionary Army Master and his rock-controlled Heroic Spirits suppressed by Green Bull.
The young swordsman whom Fujitora tried to persuade to surrender had already lost his knightly spirit due to his Master's wavering faith.
The three were forced to kneel before the altar.
They still bore the scars of battle, their eyes filled with anger, fear, or confusion.
"Welcome to the crucible of order," Im said, his voice still echoing. "You are fortunate to become part of the cornerstone of the new world."
Temper struggled to lift his head. The spirit of Fuuma Kotaro behind him had faded to almost invisible, but the ninja still tried to form hand seals to protect his master.
"Luck—you call this luck?" Temple spat out a mouthful of blood.
"To seize others' power and deprive them of their freedom—is this the justice of you Celestial Dragons?"
"There are many kinds of justice," Satan said coldly. "And what Lord Im has chosen is the highest justice that ensures the survival of the race. Individual freedom and power are insignificant in the face of the survival of civilization."
"The survival of civilization?" the Revolutionary Army Master gritted his teeth. "Stop with the high-sounding rhetoric! You're just afraid of losing power!"
Im did not respond to the argument.
He stretched out his hand, his pale fingers tracing lines in the air.
The patterns on the altar lit up one by one, and ten metal containers opened simultaneously.
"Let's begin," Im said.
The stubborn, decaying phantom emitted a pleasant chirping sound.
It spread out from behind Im, transforming into countless translucent black tentacles, reaching out towards the three prisoners and also towards the floating points of light in the air.
"First, there's the stripping."
The tentacles pierced the back of Tempel's right hand.
"Ughhhhhh—!"
Temple screamed.
It wasn't physical pain, but the feeling of something deeper being forcibly torn apart.
The three Command Seals on the back of his hand seemed to come alive, twisting and struggling wildly, emitting a final red light, but in the end, they were slowly pulled out by the black tentacles.
At the same time, Kotaro Fuuma's last spiritual body completely disintegrated, turning into countless particles of light, which were compressed by another tendril and condensed into magical fragments.
"The essence of Command Seals is authority; they are temporary passes connecting the roots of two worlds," Im explained calmly, as if giving an academic presentation.
"The essence of Heroic Spirits is a concept, a crystallization of miracles extracted from history."
"In a normal Holy Grail War in another world, they should have been returned to the throne after the war. But here—"
We need them to stay.
The whiskers turned towards the Revolutionary Army Master. The same process, but with even more intense resistance.
Before the rock-wielding spirit completely dissipated, it let out a deafening roar that shook the entire temple, but the stubborn, decaying tentacles remained unmoved, ultimately pressing the roar and its power into the crystal core.
The young swordsman closed his eyes and did not scream.
His Command Seals offered almost no resistance as they were stripped away, as if he had already resigned himself to his fate.
"A commandment whose conviction wavers will lose much of its value."
"But it doesn't matter," Im said.
"Anchor points need diversity. Steadfastness, hesitation, anger, despair—all emotions and concepts are building blocks for constructing order."
"Next comes the restructuring."
On the walls surrounding the altar, the ancient, undecipherable patterns began to resonate.
More specks of light appeared in the air; these were the materials stored after the other ten wild Masters and their Heroic Spirits were stripped of their bodies.
Thirteen groups of materials converged, collided, and fused under the control of the black tentacles.
Countless overlapping wails, roars, and whispers echoed within the temple—the lingering echoes of the last consciousness of the deprived.
Finally, the awarding ceremony.
Its whiskers snapped back suddenly.
All the light and sound were compressed to the extreme, and then exploded.
Thirteen new, more complex and sophisticated Command Seals were created.
They are no longer simple three bright red lines, but strange creations with flowing gold and silver patterns and miniature conceptual symbols embedded in their core.
Im waved his hand, and thirteen new Command Seals flew toward the thirteen people waiting around the altar.
Three senior CP0 agents, four elite members of the Knights of God, five chief researchers from the Science Unit, and a person standing in the shadows, his face obscured by a hood.
They raised their hands simultaneously, and the Command Seals were precisely imprinted on the backs of their hands.
The magical energy rippled outwards.
The thirteen people shuddered simultaneously, a brief moment of confusion flashing in their eyes, which was then replaced by determination and fervor.
"Now, summon your heroic spirits," Im commanded. "In the name of absolute order, based on the concept of guardians permitted to manifest here, call upon the pillars that can stabilize this world."
Thirteen people sang in unison.
It was not the incantation they originally knew, but a summoning spell imprinted in the Command Seals, which had been altered by Im and the evil of humanity.
The altar shone brightly.
Thirteen summoning circles unfolded on the ground, but unlike the dazzling light of ordinary summoning, these summoning circles presented a cold, silvery-white color, and the runes within the circles were filled with a sense of solidification.
One figure after another appeared.
Before the CPO agent Bai Ying appeared a knight clad in brass armor and carrying a giant shield.
His gaze beneath his helmet was calm and unwavering, and the surface of the shield in his hand was engraved with inscriptions indicating an absolutely insurmountable line.
"Heroic Spirit, Leonidas, answer the call. My shield will draw the line for the established order."
Before the members of the Knights of God, an old man dressed in a classic judge's robe, holding scales and a legal code, appeared.
Every wrinkle on his face is etched with the strictness of the law.
"Hammurabi, the hero. By this code, all things must remain in their proper place and not overstep their bounds."
Before the chief of the science unit appeared a man with a semi-mechanical body, whose eyes shimmered with data.
"Heroic Spirit, Hephaestus, reason, efficiency, and standards—this is the only path to progress."
One after another, all thirteen heroic spirits appeared.
They are not the heroes of history, full of contradictions and legends, but rather versions that seem to have been purified by some kind of filter.
It retained power and rank, but eliminated all aspects of human nature that could lead to unpredictability.
Excessive personal will, untimely kindness, and a yearning for freedom.
They became the embodiment of order, perfectly matching Im's needs.
"Very good." Im surveyed the newly born Black Faction Heroic Spirits.
"Go and carry out your duties. Strengthen the defenses of the Holy Land, hunt down the remaining variables, and suppress any unrest that may disrupt the process of order."
"Yes!" The thirteen new Masters and their Heroic Spirits responded in unison and turned to leave the temple.
Now, only Im and the Five Elders remain in the temple, along with the three former Masters who collapsed to the ground, their eyes vacant, after losing their Command Seals.
"What did they do?" asked the five elders with knives.
"Life force is exhausted, and the soul is also damaged." The evil voice of humanity carried a lingering aftertaste.
"Just get rid of them. Their value has already been transformed into something more stable."
The Five Elders waved their hands, and the guards stepped forward and dragged the three away.
A faint, final struggle could be heard coming from the direction of the stairs, then silence fell.
Im walked to the edge of the altar and reached out to touch the patterns that had not yet completely faded.
"Thirty-six anchor points are still needed," he said in a low voice. "The speed is too slow."
"Don't rush it." The stubborn, decaying phantom coiled around him, its voice resounding directly in Im's mind.
"A brutal approach to exploitation will trigger a backlash from global consciousness. Although the arbitrator seems lenient, he will definitely intervene if we cross the line. We must complete our strategy within the rules."
"His bottom line—" Im sneered, "What is his bottom line? To watch two worlds collide and destroy each other?"
"His bottom line is possibility," Wanfu said. "That guy believes that humans can always find an unexpected way out of desperate situations."
"So he's setting up a stage, introducing variables, and then letting things develop freely, betting that an unexpected answer will eventually emerge that can resolve the crisis."
The phantom coalesced on Im's shoulder into a blurry, small beast shape.
"It's romantic, isn't it? But it's also naive. The collision of two worlds is no child's play, not a disaster that can be glossed over with miracles and possibilities."
"That is mutual annihilation and contamination at the level of laws. Only by completely solidifying the laws of a world, like coating an egg with a thick plaster shell, can it become hard enough to deflect impacts before being shattered."
"Even if the life inside the shell will live forever in frozen time."
Im remained silent.
He certainly knew the cost.
A world that is eternally still has no future, no change, no birth or death, only perpetual existence.
But that's better than complete extinction.
"The Navy," the long-bearded Five Elders began.
"According to the plan, it's about time to qualify them. They have proven their loyalty and efficiency."
"Indeed." Im nodded. "Let them come. It's time for the Navy to wield the sword of order as well."
In the New World, the Navy's G-1 branch temporarily commands the three admirals Kizaru, Green Bull, and Fujitora, who are urgently recalled to their warships.
There was no one else in the meeting room except the three of them and a projector Den Den Mushi.
The image projected by the Den Den Mushi is that of Satan.
"You three have been loyal to carrying out the most difficult tasks for a long time. Thank you for your hard work."
The voices of the Five Elders came through the Den Den Mushi, lacking their usual majesty and sounding more like appreciation.
"It's my duty to uphold justice," Fujitora replied in a deep voice. Kizaru remained silent, his mouth twisted in a crooked way, while Green Bull grinned broadly.
"You already know part of the truth about the Holy Grail War. You are also aware of the crisis facing the world," the Five Elders continued.
"Now, the time has come for the Navy's highest combat power to advance further. Lord Im has decided to grant you official qualifications to participate in the Holy Grail War."
The three men had different expressions.
Kizaru's nonchalant attitude lessened somewhat, Green Bull's eyes flashed with greed, and Fujitora frowned slightly.
"Acceptance means being completely bound to the chariot of order, with no way back."
"Refuse. You can retain your current position, but you will no longer be involved in core decision-making. The choice is yours."
A brief silence.
"I accept." Kizaru was the first to speak, his tone still languid, but his eyes sharp.
"Anyway—it's safer to keep things under control than to let those messy pirates and revolutionaries cause trouble, right?"
"Of course I accept!" Green Bull laughed. "Greater power! Greater justice! This is the stage worthy of me!"
Fujitora gripped his cane-sword and remained silent for a long time.
He recalled the empty eyes of the young swordsman he had persuaded to surrender, and the atrocities he had witnessed during his suppression campaigns in various places.
I was also reminded of the future described by Im, where "two worlds collide and only absolute order can guarantee survival."
Finally, he slowly knelt on one knee.
"If this body and this strength can truly find a way out for this chaotic world—even if that path is full of thorns and sacrifices, I am willing to bear it."
The three Command Seal patterns flew out from the projection, transformed into tangible light, and were imprinted on the back of the three people's right hands.
The intense heat was fleeting, followed by a clear sense of connection, as if a passage had been established with some vast and cold source.
"The summoning circle is ready for you," said the Five Elders.
"It's in the secret chamber at the bottom of this ship. Go forth and call upon the heroic spirits who belong to you and who uphold naval justice."
Dressrosa, the pre-dawn meeting had long since ended, but Luffy was still awake.
He sat on the lion's head of the Sunny, gazing at the sky that was beginning to lighten.
Saab and Napoleon left overnight to prepare for the South China Sea Conference.
Luo and the Polar Diving vessel are temporarily docked at port; Luo needs time to analyze Punk Hazard's data. The Crusaders are taking inventory of the military equipment.
Roger walked over to him and handed him a can of juice.
"Can't sleep?"
"Hmm." Luffy took it and gulped down a big mouthful. "Sabo said that Dad got involved too. And so many strangers were arrested—the Navy must be up to something big too."
"Worry?"
"It's not that I'm worried." Luffy put down the juice can, his eyes shining brightly in the morning light under his straw hat.
"I feel—we can't be any slower. We need to find everyone faster, become stronger faster, and then go and defeat that so-called King of the World! That's not right!"
Roger laughed and vigorously ruffled Luffy's hair.
"That's more like it! Listen, kid, there's never been a single right way to live in this world."
"The ocean is called the ocean because it's vast enough to accommodate countless shipping routes! It's their business if some people want to confine themselves, but to try and cage everyone in like that? They'll have to see if my fist will allow it!"
He looked towards the horizon, where the outline of the red earth continent was faintly visible in the morning mist.
"The government is afraid of the world ending, so they want to build a cage that will never break. Sounds reasonable, doesn't it?"
Roger's smile sharpened.
"But I've personally seen the final island, and I've seen a part of the truth about the world!"
"The most amazing thing about this world is not how solid it is, but that it always produces unexpected scoundrels who break the rules and forge new paths!"
"If we stifle all possibilities out of fear of breaking apart, then this world would have died eight hundred years ago!"
Luffy nodded emphatically: "That's right! So, we have to win!"
"That's right, we have to win." Roger looked at Luffy, his eyes filled with undisguised pride.
"And it's not just us who won."
"I, that old bastard Dilt, let everyone move freely because I was waiting—waiting for all those bastards who were driven to the brink, unwilling to be locked up, and wanting to live freely, to find a path that no one had ever thought of!"
He clenched his fist.
"This is the path we take! Sabo and the Revolutionary Army are, and all those who are still resisting are!"
"When all these paths converge, converge on that final stage—"
1
The sea breeze blew by, lifting the hems of their clothes.
On the horizon, the first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, turning the sea into a burning gold.
"—That's the final and greatest adventure that will determine the future of this world!"
The port bells rang in the distance, marking the start of a new day in Dressrosa.