kvmb Chapter 677: Sword Pointed at Im
Chapter 677: Sword Pointed at Im
The giant sword crashed down.
The potential energy at an altitude of ten thousand meters tore through the clouds. A stark white vacuum tunnel hurtled straight toward the battlefield. The speed had already exceeded the limits of what the naked eye could perceive. A flash of white light streaked across the sky. The next instant, the sword's pressure crashed down.
An invisible, terrifying pressure materialized into a transparent wall. It crashed across the battlefield. The white flames of the sun god burning around Luffy abruptly stopped. Most of the flames were extinguished. The dark golden demonic energy swirling around Im surged violently. The column of smoke encountered a hurricane. Both of them felt a sharp pain in their chests. Then, a blast of air hit them.
"Bang!"
The shockwave propelled Luffy backward for over ten meters, his feet carving deep furrows in the ice. Im swayed. Cracks appeared on the surface of the dark gold shield. The two were forced to disengage from combat. They regained their balance and looked up.
The giant sword hovered.
It suddenly stopped three zhang (approximately 10 meters) from the ice surface. The kinetic energy released from the stoppage crashed into the ice field.
The ice surface cracked.
Cracks radiated outwards from directly beneath the greatsword, each one seemingly bottomless. Beneath the ice, the deep blue seawater was revealed. The greatsword's spine had carved a hundred-meter-long trench into the icy plain. Gale-force winds whipped up shards of ice, which reflected a ghastly white light, swirling and dancing in the air. A blizzard raged.
Smoke and dust billowed into the sky.
Everyone held their breath. Whitebeard gripped the handle of the Murakumochi sword tightly. Rocks' eyelids contracted. Loki, lying heavily wounded on the ground, struggled to lift his head. They looked towards the billowing smoke and dust.
The smoke and dust had not yet dissipated.
The giant sword has already moved.
Without pause. Without hesitation. The broad blade, as wide as a city gate, suddenly spun. The edge traced a sharp arc. A piercing sound exploded through the air. The tip of the sword pointed directly at Im.
Luffy was less than five meters away from it. The giant sword turned. The blade grazed Luffy's gigantic white arm. A gust of wind stirred the flames in his arm. It didn't even raise its eyes.
Luffy became invisible.
Its only target is Im.
Im's dark red eyes narrowed.
His fingers gripped the Sword of the Codex tightly. The pure white aura that rushed towards him was extremely familiar. A primal shudder rose from the depths of his soul. Eight hundred years ago, he had faced this aura countless times. Danger and rage were etched into his very being.
The greatsword will no longer wait.
It was engulfed in pure white flames, its momentum unstoppable. White lightning bolts hurtled straight at Im. The force was pure, without any probing. This sword had broken free from its eight-hundred-year seal. Its sole purpose was to extinguish the darkness before it. The white flames left a trail of light as it moved at high speed. The dim sky was cleaved in two.
10,000 meters above the ground.
Chen Ye used his Observation Haki to lock onto the giant sword the entire time. His brows were furrowed. An overwhelming will revealed the fundamental information: This sword and Im were natural enemies. Not out of hatred. Not out of anger. This was a clash of laws.
Free will versus extreme order. The fire of the sun versus the darkness of the earth.
It was instantly etched into the marrow of the greatsword, into every inch of its texture. This was an unwavering instinct. It needed no human intervention. It awakened solely to kill Im.
Chen Ye's doubts vanished. This sword was the weapon of the first Nika. Legend has it that it was forged by the first sun god. Free will materialized.
On the battlefield, the greatsword slashed towards Im.
Im's pupils trembled. The greatsword posed a deadly threat. The fundamental laws suppressed and dismantled his power system. Eight hundred years of memories burned intensely. Every strike of this sword would burn through his very essence.
He dared not accept it directly.
But he had no way out.
"snort."
A low groan escaped Im's throat. The power of the Earth God erupted suddenly. Ancient, dark gold patterns spread along his arm, climbing onto the Codex Sword. The jet-black blade was coated with a heavy golden light. He gripped the sword tightly with both hands. The Codex Sword was raised above his head. He met the attack with all his might.
Divine weapons spanning eight hundred years collided with a deafening roar in mid-air.
"clang!"
The metallic clang was deafening. Blinding light burst forth in all directions. Pure white and dark gold intertwined. A shockwave, visible to the naked eye, spread out. Ice fragments and debris within a hundred-meter radius were crushed into dust. The earth trembled. The air distorted.
Black lines tore through space at the point of impact. Space could not withstand this force.
In a clash of pure power, the greatsword erupted.
Its will was unmatched. Eight hundred years of unyielding spirit sealed within. Eight hundred years of the World Tree's obsession. Eight hundred years of accumulated fighting intent. All of it poured out at this moment. Its will transformed into suppressive force, flowing along the sword and into the point of impact. Im's power was forcefully crushed.
Im lowered his arms.
The sword of the Codex was lowered by half an inch.
Just half an inch. For eight hundred years, the god of the earth has never yielded. This half inch is a resounding slap in the face.
The greatsword, having gained the upper hand, refused to let up.
It possessed its own will. Its attacks were agile and unpredictable. The broad blade suddenly changed trajectory. The frontal assault transformed into a sweeping motion. The blade, trailing whistling white flames, hurtled towards his waist. Im was forced to parry with his sword raised. The two swords clashed. The greatsword spun rapidly. The sweeping motion became a downward slash. This was followed by a sharp upward thrust. Then came a powerful, heavy diagonal slash.
The strikes were as fast as lightning.
The strikes carried white flames that burned the very essence of life.
Four or five ferocious slashes rained down in quick succession. A storm of attacks. Im had no chance to catch his breath. The greatsword tactics were clear and brutal. Frequent changes in moves. Continuous suppression. Speed and will overwhelmed his opponent.
"Clang clang clang clang clang!"
The dense metal clanged and clashed, each impact exploding with white light. The dark gold shield trembled incessantly. Cracks multiplied, growing denser and denser.
Im retreated again.
He retreated step by step.
The Sword of the Codex struggled to parry the attacks. Each block brought a growing numbness to its arm. Dark gold patterns flickered wildly as it desperately tried to repair the cracks scorched by the white flames. But the repair speed couldn't keep up with the destruction.
The greatsword's power did not surpass his. In terms of sheer quantity, the Earth God's foundation was in no way inferior. But he couldn't unleash it.
He just can't get it right!
In each moment of all-out counterattack, the pure white will deep within the sword pierces like needles, revealing the source of power and awakening the nemesis who drove him to the brink of despair eight hundred years ago. His muscles instinctively stiffen. This is not fear, but a deep-seated dread of the source of power.
The transition between offense and defense was a beat too slow.
His sword strike was drawn at a conservative angle. He released power with restraint. His body reacted instinctively at the crucial moment. This was a reaction ingrained in his very bones for eight hundred years. He was facing the remnants of his nemesis's will.
The greatsword grasped the hesitation.
The rhythm faltered. The offensive suddenly escalated. Three consecutive heavy slashes descended, each heavier and faster than the last. The first slash shattered the dark gold shield, scattering golden light. The second slash blasted away the Codex Sword, tearing a huge gap in the defense.
The third split.
The giant sword, wreathed in towering white flames, crashed down with overwhelming force.
"boom!"
Im was blasted away, sword and all. His figure transformed into a streak of dark gold light. He tumbled several times in mid-air, his feet carving hundreds of meters of furrows into the ice. He crashed into three icebergs before finally coming to a stop.
Ice dust filled the sky.
The dark gold shield shattered completely. Im's chest heaved violently. His hands trembled. Clear white burn marks appeared on the Codex Sword. Irreparable. Irremovable.
The battlefield fell into dead silence.
Everyone held their breath.
Whitebeard's eyes widened. Rocks clenched his teeth. Luffy's mouth gaped open, staring up at the giant sword hovering in mid-air, his face filled with shock and ecstasy.
It won. The Sword Without a Master defeated the King of the World head-on.
Not far away, Locke's fingers unconsciously tightened, crushing the ice into powder. He stared intently at the greatsword, his pupils constricted.
He had seen countless divine weapons. He had seen countless powerful figures. But he had never seen a weapon fight on its own, let alone one that could force Im to retreat repeatedly. The power of an unowned sword was terrifying. What if it found a master?
Lockes did not speak.
His expression said it all. This was the first time he had shown any fear of weapons. A deep-seated fear of weapons capable of autonomous killing.
"Gararara!"
A hearty laugh echoed across the icy plains.
The white-bearded man leaned on his hands, supporting himself with the Murakumo-giri sword. He laughed loudly, his laughter booming like thunder. The surrounding ice hummed. He laughed with unbridled joy, without reservation.
"What a fine sword!"
The white-bearded man praised loudly, his eyes shining brightly.
"This divine weapon is still alive! Did you notice? That fighting spirit, that spirituality... it's as if its master never left!"
He turned to Lox and grinned.
"This is no ordinary weapon, Rocks. This is a sword with a soul."
Lox fell silent. He offered no rebuttal.
far away.
Im, who had been blasted away, stood up from the shattered ice.
His dark red eyes were locked on the greatsword. His expression was extremely complex: anger, fear, killing intent, and even a hint of nostalgia.
He did not retaliate immediately.
Logically, he should have been furious. He should have unleashed all his power to crush that piece of junk into pieces. This has been the standard response to provocation for eight hundred years.
But he didn't.
He stared intently at the swirling, pure white light. His gaze swept across the sword's blade, then its hilt, finally settling on the ancient, mottled patterns along the sword's spine. He had seen these patterns countless times, each time accompanied by danger and pain.
His lips opened and closed. His Adam's apple bobbed. In the end, he said nothing.
His eyes changed.
Eight hundred years of absolute coldness and arrogance. Cracks spread. Through this sword. A past that had been ended crawled out.
The greatsword didn't give much time for reminiscing.
After repelling Im, it traced an arc in the air, then turned its sword. Pure white flames danced on the blade. The fierce killing intent vanished instantly, replaced by a calm and patient aura.
It started to move.
It didn't rush towards Im. It didn't rush towards any enemy. It drifted towards Luffy.
The massive sword, as wide as a city gate, contracted its imposing aura. With an incredibly gentle posture, it stood steadily horizontally before Luffy.
The sword tip hangs down.
A pure white flame burned quietly, reflecting the patterns on Luffy's gigantic face. The mottled, ancient patterns shimmered with white light. The eye, which had waited eight hundred years, opened. It found its gaze.
There was no sound. There was no vibration. There was no extra movement.
It stood there, lying horizontally, waiting quietly.
Luffy stared at the broadsword before him. A fierce resonance emanated from its blade. His heart pounded wildly, each beat louder and more rapid than the last.
The entire battlefield is waiting.