"Boom..."
Just as the pirates were frantically pillaging, an extremely terrifying aura suddenly rose from the depths of Pangaea Castle.
That aura was like a massive pressure gathered from the heavens and earth, instantly sweeping across the entire battlefield, making it almost impossible for everyone to breathe.
"What's going on?!"
"What is this thing? Why can't I move!"
"..."
Those pirates, who were originally arrogant and domineering, were now being pressed hard against the ground as if by a pair of invisible giant hands.
Many of them didn't even have the strength to lift their heads, their limbs trembling, their knees uncontrollably buckling, their hands desperately grabbing the ground in an attempt to maintain balance.
However, the pressure continued to increase, eventually forcing their bodies to sink into the ground, the surrounding stone bricks shattering, resembling small craters.
"Wh-what's happening?!"
A pirate screamed loudly, his face pressed against the ground, his voice becoming sharp and hoarse due to fear and pressure.
His companions around him were also falling one after another, some unable to even cry for help, their eyes rolling back, saliva streaming from their mouths, looking like a group of dying fish.
Golden Lion's legs trembled slightly, veins popping out on his forehead.
He knew that this kind of pressure could not be exerted by ordinary people. At this moment, the frivolous smile that he usually wore had disappeared without a trace, replaced by an unbelievable solemnity.
"Who is it?!"
He roared through gritted teeth, his voice as deep and heavy as if struck by a giant hammer.
He tried to swing his arms to break free from the invisible shackles, but his body was as if trapped in a quagmire, every movement seeming so difficult.
Golden Lion's heart tightened. Recalling his past experiences fighting these Celestial Dragons and World Government powerhouses, he almost immediately realized—this was definitely a heavyweight making a move.
And this person's power was probably far beyond his imagination.
Just then, a cold voice came as if from beyond the nine heavens, yet it seemed to be right next to his ear. The voice carried a kind of indifferent and unquestionable majesty, "Insignificant ants, daring to run wild here."
Before the voice faded, the aura soared again, as if the entire sky was torn apart by this force, the pressure like a tide, wave after wave.
"Damn it!"
Wang Zhi struggled to support his body, his back as if pressed by a weight of ten thousand pounds, cold sweat already soaking his clothes.
He gritted his teeth, desperately mobilizing the power within his body to resist, but no matter how he struggled, it was like futilely fighting against an immovable mountain.
"Mamamama, such a strong aura..."
Charlotte Linlin's expression was also extremely gloomy, her giant axe slammed heavily on the ground, her legs slightly bent, looking extremely strained.
Her breathing was rough as a bull's, her eyes flashing with a hint of fear, yet she still stubbornly stood in that pressure.
"Just who is it?!"
Several pirate leaders roared in their hearts, their eyes searching around for the source of the voice.
However, under that boundless sense of oppression, even their vision seemed to be covered by a layer of haze, a blur.
As the aura continued to approach, a blurry figure gradually walked from the distance, each step seeming to leave a deep footprint on the ground, like a moving, towering mountain.
The figure gradually became clearer, but the face was still shrouded in a fog. It was none other than Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, one of the Five Elders, holding a long blade emitting black mist.
His gaze was indifferent, as if he saw through all the life and death in the world, but he had no pity for these struggling pirates.
"Daring to break into the Holy Land, today I will bury you all here," he murmured, his voice cold and ruthless, like a judgment from hell.
Golden Lion's pupils shrank violently, and he suddenly realized that he seemed to have been forced into a desperate situation, but the unyielding madness in his heart had not been extinguished.
He clenched his fists and roared, "Even if you Five Elders have improved your strength, I'm not afraid!"
But his voice seemed a little weak, as if even he himself doubted the truth of his words.
As Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro's footsteps approached, the atmosphere of the entire battlefield suddenly became heavier.
The air seemed to be compressed to the extreme, and the surrounding scenery seemed to be trembling.
The pirates could no longer maintain their arrogant momentum, and the shadow of fear spread in everyone's hearts, until it completely swallowed their fighting spirit.
Although Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro was surging with unprecedented power, the power did not bring a sense of relief, but an unspeakable heaviness, as if his heart was about to be squeezed out of his chest.
His every breath seemed dull and difficult, as if his lungs were filled with cold lead.
He gripped the weapon in his hand, the veins on the back of his hand bulging, his knuckles slightly white, and the look in his eyes becoming complicated.
The enemy in front of him was certainly terrible, but what made him even more uneasy was the true source of this power—Imu.
Thinking of this, a chill could not help but rise in his heart.
Imu's power was like an abyss in the night, powerful and unpredictable.
Although they, the Five Elders, stood at the top of the world, in front of Imu, they were just subservient tools, chess pieces that could be discarded at any time.
This time, in order to suppress the pirates, they had to turn to Imu's power, further deepening their invisible contract.
But what was the price?
That Lord never bestowed favors on others.
They were all too clear about her coldness and ruthlessness.
Every gift of power was bound to be accompanied by an unbearable price.
And after this battle, what awaited them was likely to be the realization of that price—punishment.
"If we fail to win here, what awaits us will be a fate worse than death..."
A sense of inexplicable fear surged in Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro's heart, as if countless hands were reaching out from the darkness, ready to drag him into the abyss at any time.
He dared not think about what the punishment would be like, but he was sure that Imu would not forgive losers.
Her coldness and lofty majesty were enough to make anyone despair.
It was not the first time the Five Elders had seen Imu's methods—she never tolerated any form of betrayal or incompetence, her anger was like black flames that devoured everything, easily burning them to ashes.
"We are betting our lives."
Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro's eyes flickered, knowing that they had no way out at this moment.
Either they would exchange the lives of the pirates for a glimmer of hope, or they would face an ending more terrible than death—Imu's merciless judgment.
His gaze involuntarily swept to the other four companions, and what he saw was a complex expression similar to his own.
The five looked at each other, as if reading from each other's eyes that desperate struggle.
It was a heavy consensus—they had to win, no matter the cost.
"Rather than fearing the future, it is better to solve the immediate threat first," he thought fiercely in his heart, forcing himself to suppress his fear of Imu to the bottom of his heart, and ruthlessly throwing away those thoughts.
After all, the enemy at the moment was still in front of him.
Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro raised his head, staring coldly at Golden Lion and the others, the powerful force churning in his body, as if waiting for the opportunity to vent.
He took a deep breath, forcibly concentrating his attention on the battlefield, forcing himself to believe that this power was enough to allow them to turn defeat into victory.
But he also knew in his heart that this was just deceiving himself.
The real battle was not over, and every time they made a move, they were gambling with fate.
The shadow of fear had not disappeared, but was hidden behind the power, ready to devour them at any time.
...
