Even though terror gripped their hearts—
The God's Knights did not stop their charge.
These knights, whose courage had already shattered, were now driven by a final injection of madness.
They skirted around the humanoid monsters writhing within the golden light threads, their target singular and unmistakable.
The man in the pure white mask.
Their formation was in tatters, their movements warped by fear.
Hum.
The gentle golden radiance around Lucian rippled faintly.
He didn't even bother pulling his focus away from the "human demons" still undergoing purification.
Irritation flickered through him as he tilted his head slightly.
Behind the mask, no one could see his expression.
The purification ritual had reached its most critical stage.
He could clearly feel it—the corrupt power inside those humanoid demons, bound by golden threads, was being dismantled bit by bit by the power of the Sun God Apollo.
Give him just a little more time, and these members of the Davie Clan truly could break free from Im's control.
And yet—
There were always blind, buzzing ants that chose this exact moment to be annoying.
How… disappointing.
"A bunch of pitiful creatures whose very selves have been kidnapped by fear—by Im and by Garling Saint…"
Lucian thought calmly.
He had originally planned to deal with these ants after finishing his experiment.
But if they were so eager to die—
Then he would grant their wish.
Clear out the trash first.
The experiment could wait.
At the rear of the suicidal charge, one staggering figure stood out in sheer absurdity.
Figarland Garling Saint.
The supreme commander of the God's Knights was now the picture of disgrace.
Dragging a body shattered by a single punch, he used his ceremonial sword—the symbol of his honor—as a cane, limping forward with stubborn determination behind his subordinates.
He, too, was trying to stop Lucian.
"Heh… hngh…"
Every step tore at the sunken wound in his chest. The ripping pain made his vision swim.
But physical agony had long been drowned out by limitless regret and resentment.
"Damn it… damn it… DAMN IT!!!"
Garling Saint's face twisted under the weight of rage and humiliation.
"If I'd known there was a monster this strong on this island—"
"I never would've split up Somaz Saint and the others! I wouldn't have left myself with nothing but this useless cannon fodder!"
"Why?! Why did I have to run into something like this at my weakest moment?!"
If the elite core of the God's Knights—those wielding powerful Devil Fruit abilities—were here, how could things have ended like this?!
How could he have been forced into such utter humiliation by some masked bastard who came out of nowhere?!
He regretted it.
He hated himself.
He hated his arrogance, hated dividing his forces, hated pushing himself into this disgraceful corner.
If only the God's Knights' true top-tier strength were present—
But there were no ifs in this world.
Watching the moths rush toward the flame—
The amusement in Lucian's eyes vanished.
What replaced it was pure indifference.
He made his decision.
He would spare one hand.
Erase these flies from the world—
Then continue his purification experiment.
Hum!!!
Lucian didn't even bother moving.
He merely prepared to raise his right hand.
And just that intent—
A terrifying aura of destruction surged upward from his body!
The surrounding air—
Became unbearably heavy.
The soft, life-filled healing light transformed in an instant into an absolute, tyrannical divine flame of destruction—one capable of incinerating all existence!
The golden light was no longer warm.
It radiated annihilation.
The foremost Knight was less than ten meters away.
He felt that power more clearly than anyone else.
A terror that could vaporize his soul, his flesh, and even the traces of his existence—ten thousand times over.
Faced with death, he became strangely calm.
Abandoning all defense, he tightened his grip on his sword and delivered the final, weakest slash of his life toward the golden god before him.
He closed his eyes.
Ready to be erased.
And yet—
Destruction did not come.
At the final thousandth of a second, just before Lucian's attack was unleashed—
A figure appeared.
Without warning.
Materializing directly in front of Lucian.
Its arrival obeyed no logic, no rule.
Abrupt—
Yet carrying an absolute inevitability that suppressed everything!
A towering presence instantly severed Lucian from the charging Knights!
Thud!!
The Knight, eyes still shut, was moving too fast to stop.
He slammed headfirst into that figure.
The result—
The figure didn't move an inch.
Instead, the Knight rebounded as if he'd struck a mountain, the overwhelming counterforce crushing his chest and sending him flying.
Blood sprayed from his mouth midair as he nearly lost consciousness.
This sudden intervention brought the suicidal charge to a dead halt.
Every gaze locked onto that newly arrived back.
It was broad.
Overbearing.
Majestic as a mountain.
No Haki was released—
Yet a pressure capable of subduing the seas flooded the battlefield.
So heavy, so domineering, that everyone present—including the gravely wounded Garling Saint—found it hard to breathe.
Seeing that back, Lucian's raised right hand slowly stopped.
The destructive energy he had gathered receded like a withdrawing tide.
Beneath the white mask, unseen by all, the corner of his mouth curled into a knowing, amused smile.
"So you finally came back…"
"I thought you'd wait until I finished cleaning up all this trash before showing yourself."
The charging Knights froze in place.
The resolve to die still lingered on their faces, now replaced by shock and utter confusion.
They stared blankly at the suddenly appeared, mountain-like man, their minds empty.
That man…
Why was he back?
Even Garling Saint, limping at the rear, came to a sudden halt. He plunged his sword into the ground to steady himself.
He stared at that back, a deeply familiar—yet lethally dangerous—premonition crawling up his spine.
That silhouette…
That build…
That presence…
Impossible.
How could he be back?!
The entire battlefield fell into an eerie, absolute silence.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl.
Under the gazes filled with shock, fear, and confusion—
And under Lucian's faintly amused eyes—
That vast, mountain-like figure slowly turned around, as if loosening stiff joints, accompanied by a crisp crack of bone.