Inside the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Zhongli, who had been hesitating about whether to make a move, couldn't help but smile upon seeing Su Han's message in the group chat.
"He really is full of clever ideas. Very well. It has been many years since I have acted. It is time for a walk."
Zhongli stood up and accepted the mission.
The nearby Hu Tao was astonished. "Zhongli, you're an adeptus?"
"Mm. I suppose you could say I once followed the Lord Emperor. It's just that I am not skilled in battle, so I came to the city to be a scholar. Director Hu, I will be taking my leave."
Zhongli, afraid that he would reveal his cover if he continued speaking, prepared to depart, leaving the excuses to Su Han.
Hu Tao nodded repeatedly and smiled. "Alright then, you'd better do your best! Don't bring shame upon our Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Otherwise, I won't be paying your bills next time!"
"Deal."
Zhongli's figure vanished, and in the Multiverse Mission Group, the live stream began.
Ningguang:So Mr. Zhongli is an adeptus? This is the first time I've heard of it. But with his level of knowledge, he is indeed no ordinary person.
Ganyu:Su Han, how did you know? My master never mentioned him.
In her memory, there was only one adeptus who lived in the city: the mortal-loving Madame Ping. Where did this one come from?
Su Han:He enjoys peace and quiet. He was injured during the Archon War, and to avoid certain troubles, he took on the name Zhongli and has been living in seclusion. So, you should all stop asking.
Keqing:No wonder I always felt Zhongli was so mysterious. So he's an adeptus who followed the Lord Emperor. But there's one thing I find strange. Every time we chatted and I spoke ill of the Lord Emperor, Zhongli would always just smile. I thought he had some problem with the Emperor.
Kaedehara Kazuha:Mr. Zhongli is a very good person. Last time, when I didn't quite understand Haki, he even gave me some pointers.
Mona:I can't believe we have an adeptus in our group. That's great! When I have time, I should treat him to a meal. I've never had a proper conversation with an adeptus before.
In fact, even her old master had never had a long chat with an adeptus. According to her, the adepti disliked mortals, especially mortals from other nations. This was one of her regrets.
Xiangling:The battle is starting! It's so intense!
As they were chatting, the battle in the video feed erupted.
"Charge! Don't let the Whitebeard pirates look down on us!"
"We have a hundred thousand troops! We're not afraid of Whitebeard's men!"
The scene was one of total chaos, filled with the sounds of battle. The Seven Warlords and the Vice Admirals were all locked in combat with the enemy. The intensity of the fight deeply shocked everyone in the group. They had heard Su Han describe the brutality of this battle before, but only now, seeing it for themselves, did they understand. If the five of them had gone, the mission probably would have failed very quickly.
Just then, the man standing on the prow of his ship made a move.
He swung his fists violently to both sides.
BOOM! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Space itself shattered. Massive tsunamis rose from both sides of the island, hundreds of meters high. The sight was enough to make one's scalp tingle.
In the Multiverse Mission Group, there was an uproar.
Hu Tao:Is this really a human battle? I suspect I'd be dead in one second if I went there.
Kaedehara Kazuha:My swordsmanship is nothing before him. With this level of combat power, no wonder the Master said the mission was too dangerous.
Ningguang:Is this also the power of a Devil Fruit?
Su Han:Yes. Its name is the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. It can create vibrations. Tsunamis, earthquakes, shattering space… but even so, he still lost. Although it was due to his age, the Navy is also very strong.
Just as his voice fell, a man flashed into the air.
"Ice Age!"
Two beams of freezing power shot towards the tsunamis. The terrifying giant waves were instantly turned to frost. Not only that, but the nearby sea surface was also frozen solid. Another Devil Fruit user had appeared.
At that moment, a man with hawk-like eyes swung his sword at Whitebeard. A massive black slash tore through the ice, sending dozens of people flying. A deep fissure was cut into the entire ice sheet.
Kaedehara Kazuha drew in a cold breath as he watched the attack. Is this the third stage of Haki? It's too strong.
However, the incredibly powerful slash was blocked by a man whose body was shining with the light of diamonds: Diamond Jozu.
"Hehe, as expected of Hawkeye. The name of the world's greatest swordsman is well-deserved!"
Yet another Devil Fruit user appeared. Of course, the battle only continued to intensify. The Straw Hat kid tried to charge forward several times but was beaten back each time, until he was kicked right next to Whitebeard. The top-tier battle had officially begun. Admiral Kizaru fired a volley of light beams, only to be kicked away by Marco the Phoenix.
The intensity of the battle caused the group chat to fall silent. They even began to wonder if Mr. Zhongli could really defeat such opponents.
Mona:If we had known, we should have gone with Mr. Zhongli. Even if it was just to buy some time.
Although the enemy was terrifying, they weren't completely unstoppable. She still had some fighting power.
Su Han:Calm down and just watch. The strength of an adeptus is not so weak.
As he spoke, the third Admiral entered the fray.
"Great Eruption!"
A scorching fist of magma erupted, its intense heat twisting even the space around it, but it was easily blocked by Whitebeard. The power of his tremors burst forth, and the two of them fought to a draw. The shockwave rapidly spread out, sending everyone nearby flying.
"Whitebeard, you've finally gotten old! Even your Haki has started to decline!"
"Heh, I'm still more than enough to deal with a brat like you." Whitebeard twisted his naginata and sent Akainu flying, but the Admiral did a flip and landed easily on the ground, his gaze dark as he stared at Whitebeard. In terms of pure strength, he was not Whitebeard's opponent. He would have to think of another way.
The battle continued, and with Straw Hat's entry, it reached a fever pitch.
Ganyu:Why hasn't Mr. Zhongli made a move yet? Isn't now the best time?
Mona:He's probably observing this world's way of fighting. After all, these are all masters; it would be beneficial to learn from them. Besides, Ace is very safe, isn't he?
On the execution platform, Ace was naturally very safe, because he was the bait. They wouldn't kill him so easily.
At this moment, Zhongli was standing on a glacier, silently observing the battle below. Although to others, this battle was intense, in his eyes, it was merely "interesting." Only those who had experienced the cruelty of the Archon War knew its true terror. A war where one could sever an island with a wave of their hand, or easily destroy a mountain. A battle of that level could easily change the terrain of an entire region.
However, this world is indeed very interesting. I had originally thought that Haki was just a type of internal energy, but to think it has such applications. Mm, very interesting, Zhongli thought, a faint smile on his face as he watched the people below fighting with Haki.
Then his gaze fell on Whitebeard, and he shook his head. "This is the erosion of time. If he were in his youth, this man would have been a true hero." His heart was injured, and his body's functions had declined significantly. To be able to remain standing now was already a rare feat. Unfortunately, he did not have the ability to heal. Otherwise, he would have liked to befriend such a hearty man, and even sit down for a drink with him.
The battlefield was ever-changing. With the help of the Whitebeard Pirates, Luffy soon arrived before the execution platform. Looking at Ace, who was just within reach, his heart was filled with joy.
"Ace! Hahahaha, I'm here to save you!"
"Luffy, run!"
"I'm not running! I'm here to save you!" Luffy leaped forward, completely ignoring Garp, whom he had just sent flying.
At this moment, Fleet Admiral Sengoku was also forced to make a move. But for some reason, he also held back, which resulted in Ace and Straw Hat being sent flying away from the platform. The one on the platform was the candle-man, Mr. 3, who directly created a key and saved Ace.
Everyone's heart skipped a beat. Had he finally been saved? The reunion of the two brothers was always filled with joy.
"Let's go! Let's get out of here!"
"Of course! Hahahaha!"
The two brothers began to retreat towards the edge of the battlefield. At that moment, Akainu appeared before them.
Before the Magma-Magma Fruit, the Flame-Flame Fruit was completely useless. Adding to that the fact that Ace didn't know Haki, he was beaten into a sorry state in just a few seconds.
"The Flame-Flame Fruit is just a small candle flame before me! And Whitebeard is a complete and utter failure!"
BOOM! Hearing his declaration insulting Whitebeard, Ace couldn't help but swing his fist, only to be sent flying back. The power of the Flame-Flame Fruit was too naive before the Magma-Magma Fruit. There was no room for a counter-attack.
Luffy, too, was at the end of his rope. Looking at the defeated brothers, Akainu sneered. "It's all over."
He flew into the air, his fist turning into scorching hot magma.
Akainu's attack was not aimed at Luffy, but at Ace!
This one blow made the scalp of everyone on the scene tingle.
"ACE!!!"
He had clearly been saved. Was he going to fall here?
BOOM!
A stone spear landed in front of Akainu, blocking the entire attack.
"I am protecting this child," a voice said.
At some point, a figure had appeared in front of Ace.
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