"Since that's the case..."
Jin An leaped up suddenly, his blade slicing through the air as he charged towards one of the Five Elders.
His movements were as swift as lightning, the light of his blade like freezing ice, carrying an intense pressure.
"You will never understand what we want to do!"
The Five Elder sneered, waving his hand. Instantly, the surrounding air seemed to freeze, and the entire battlefield became eerily silent.
The next second, he lunged at Jin An, his weapon instantly colliding with Jin An's longsword, unleashing a deafening roar.
At the instant the two forces collided, Jin An's body trembled slightly, but he didn't take a step back, his eyes still resolute.
"Hmph, as expected of Jin An."
The new Five Elder snorted, his eyes flashing with disdain.
"However, you are facing more than just us."
As those words fell, the other clone Five Elders followed like shadows, launching swift attacks.
Each Five Elder's movements were extremely precise, their coordination seamless, almost filling the entire battlefield.
Whether it was blades, spears, swords, halberds, or strange energy fluctuations, all were impacting Jin An and his comrades' defenses in an instant.
"Prepare to meet your doom."
Another Five Elder spoke coldly, a hint of mockery on his face.
Jin An's eyes narrowed slightly, he felt immense pressure coming from all directions, and cold sweat quietly trickled down his forehead.
He knew that if he didn't break through the encirclement of these clone Five Elders quickly, the battle would be completely out of control.
"Everyone be careful, do not get surrounded!"
Jin An shouted loudly, abruptly turning around, his longsword flashing like lightning as he slashed out a blade of energy, directly cutting through one of the Five Elder's attack trajectories.
However, he was still clear in his mind: this was just the beginning.
Just as Jin An's blade had cut open a Five Elder's offensive, a strange sound suddenly rang in his ears, as if the sound of bones breaking and flesh churning was echoing in the air.
Then, he suddenly noticed that the aura around those cloned Five Elders was changing drastically.
"This is..."
Jin An's brow furrowed, he looked down at the Five Elder he had just cut open, and the other's originally stern face was twisting in just a few seconds.
That face seemed to be forcibly pulled by some force, the eyes gradually becoming blood red, the flesh on the face collapsing, teeth exposed, like a demon just crawling out of hell.
"What's going on?"
Loki widened his eyes, looking at the changes before him in shock.
His voice revealed a rare seriousness.
"These guys... what kind of monsters have they become?"
Whitebeard's gaze sharpened, he tightened his grip on his spear, and his voice deepened:
"They haven't become monsters, they were never human to begin with.
This is their true form."
The Five Elders around them began to change one after another, their bodies swelling and twisting, their skin becoming like scorched rock, veins bulging, bone spurs protruding from various parts of their bodies, emitting a disgusting stench.
Their eyes turned completely blood red, and their mouths let out a low and hoarse roar, a sound that seemed to tear eardrums and make the air even more stagnant.
"This... is really the Five Elders?"
Loki clenched his fists, his voice already carrying a hint of suppressed anger and shock.
"It is the Five Elders."
Jin An replied coldly, but there was no panic in his eyes.
Although his heart was shaken, he quickly calmed down, gripping his sword even more tightly.
"It's just that they have now abandoned the identity of 'human'."
The Five Elders' transformation continued.
Their limbs became thicker, the nails on their fingertips extending into black claws, sharp fangs emerged from their mouths, and bone structures resembling horns even grew on their foreheads.
Behind them, a layer of twisted black mist faintly churned, and countless wraiths seemed to be wailing softly in the black mist, making people shudder.
"These guys..."
The smile on Whitebeard's face disappeared, replaced by deep solemnity.
He felt that the aura emanating from the Five Elders was even more ferocious than before, as if releasing endless killing intent from the inside out.
This killing intent was so strong that it was suffocating, and even the surrounding air became ice-cold.
Jin An didn't respond, his eyes locked firmly on one of the Five Elders in front of him.
That Five Elder had completely transformed, his height had doubled compared to before, standing there like a giant black statue, exuding an irresistible sense of oppression.
He raised his head, his blood-red eyes staring straight at Jin An, the corners of his mouth splitting to the ears, revealing a strange and hideous smile.
"Do you feel fear?"
The Five Elder's voice was low and hoarse, like iron scraping against stone, making people shudder.
"Fear?"
Jin An smiled coldly, his longsword swaying gently, the tip of the sword slicing through the air, making a crisp sound.
"Sorry, I don't have that feeling."
The Five Elder's laughter became even more insane, his voice seeming to come from the depths of hell, echoing throughout the battlefield:
"Is that so? But soon, you will understand that facing our power, your so-called calmness and confidence is just the beginning of your own destruction!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Five Elder rushed forward suddenly, the speed was so fast that it was almost impossible to capture.
His body pulled out a black shadow in the air, and his claws stabbed straight at Jin An's chest.
That force carried a violent airflow, and the ground exploded wherever it passed, dust flying, as if even the earth could not withstand this force.
Jin An's reaction was surprisingly fast.
His eyes were as calm as water, his body slightly to the side, and his longsword instantly blocked in front of his chest, colliding fiercely with the Five Elder's claws.
The powerful impact made his body vibrate for a moment, but he did not retreat at all, instead using the blade to cleverly unload that force, quickly turning around to counterattack.
"Bang—!"
The collision of the blade and the claws made a loud noise, and sparks flew everywhere.
The Five Elder's movements were even more violent, he gave Jin An almost no chance to breathe, and the claws of his other hand quickly grabbed at Jin An's shoulder.
However, Jin An was prepared, he stomped hard on the ground, and his body retreated like a gust of wind, avoiding the fatal attack.
"These guys..."
Loki gritted his teeth as he watched the scene around him.
He tried to rush to Jin An's aid, but the other Five Elders had already locked him in place.
Several ghost-like figures pounced on Loki at the same time, and the pressure made him feel a little tricky.
"After turning into this kind of thing, their combat power has indeed improved a lot."
Whitebeard said in a low voice, his eyes becoming sharper.
"However, this kind of battle is more interesting, isn't it?"
He suddenly raised the spear in his hand and burst out a burst of violent shock waves, directly shaking back the few Five Elders who rushed towards him, then laughed loudly:
"Jin An, opponents like this are worth fighting with all our strength!"
Jin An gripped the hilt of his sword and said in a low voice:
"No matter what they become, our goal remains the same - tear through this defense and go straight to Pangaea Castle."
His words were steady and powerful, like a battle drum, rekindling the fighting spirit for his companions on the battlefield.
Even in the face of these hellish enemies, their steps did not retreat in the slightest.
"Kill!"
Jin An shouted in a low voice, his longsword waving, re-entering the battle.
His figure was like lightning, rushing directly towards the hideous Five Elder, welcoming the coming storm of slaughter.
