"Bang!"
At this moment, what was unfolding on Dreamland Island was undoubtedly a spectacle unlike anything else across the entire sea.
Two enormous forests were intertwined and colliding with one another. Branches wrapped around branches like giant serpents, tearing and biting at each other.
Tree trunks moved like giants, smashing against one another.
The overturned soil looked like shattered chunks of meat, while the splattering sap resembled blood.
But the key point was this… Whether it was the Fairy Tale Forest or the Raging Forest summoned by Aramaki…
Every tree that was destroyed would regenerate in an instant.
This made the battle between the two forests virtually endless. The scene looked as though "nature" itself was waging war against "nature."
And at the center of the battlefield…
"Hong long!"
Aramaki's body had already transformed into a gigantic tree giant, rampaging through the forest. Both of his fists were covered in Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) as he continuously tried to charge toward Hitsuji's position. But every single time he got close, countless Dreamland trees would suddenly sprout from nowhere and block his path.
Naturally…
"Bang!"
They posed little real obstacle, and Aramaki would usually shatter them with a single punch, but during the brief moment it took to destroy them, the ground beneath him would mysteriously retreat, widening the distance between him and Hitsuji once again.
Since the battle began, he had not even managed to touch Hitsuji once.
This made Aramaki extremely irritated, he felt as though the entire island itself was alive.
Still, irritated as he was, he was neither overly anxious nor worried.
He knew his own power well. In an environment like this, he believed there was no one on the sea he needed to fear.
"Hey, don't tell me this is all you've got?"
"I don't know what's going on with this forest, or why it isn't considered part of 'nature.' But if you think you can rely on it to defeat me, then all I can do is laugh."
His gaze locked onto the figure in the distance.
But then…
"How could that be?"
Aramaki saw Hitsuji casually sitting atop a distant tree branch, leisurely crossing his legs.
He was even holding some kind of drink, happily sipping it.
"Mr. Aramaki is a precious guest of Dreamland Island. I certainly wouldn't want a guest to feel neglected."
There was even a trace of amusement in his voice.
"So to be honest, I've already prepared suitable opponents for you. Judging by the time… they should be arriving soon."
Opponents?
Hearing this, Aramaki was startled.
Could it be other members of the Twelve Zodiac?
The thought had only just surfaced in his mind… When suddenly, an intense sense of danger exploded within him.
And above his head…
"ROAR!"
A massive beastly roar descended from the sky.
Then, in the next instant…
"Slash!"
Aramaki suddenly realized that his tree body had been split apart in a single strike!
No, not merely split apart.
"Boom!"
Aramaki clearly saw flames erupting from the severed section of his body.
"So hot!"
The scorching fire instantly forced a painful growl from his throat.
As a being made of wood, fear of fire was instinctive.
However…
"Fireproof Forest!"
Aramaki had long since overcome that instinct, and he immediately prepared to activate his flame-resistant ability.
At the same time, he finally got a clear look at the creature that had struck him.
It was a gigantic beast holding a sword in its mouth, possessing a single horn, its body as massive as his Tree Personification form.
It resembled both a dragon and a hound.
Within the beast's eyes, Aramaki could see burning fury.
[Phantom Dream Legion · Wrath Phantom Beast Lord · Yazi]
"What the hell are yo…"
Aramaki began to shout, only to abruptly stop midway. Because at that moment, the surrounding forest had already informed him…
Creatures similar to the monster before him were far from alone.
"…"
He instinctively tried to turn around, only to discover that his body could no longer move.
Even his "Fireproof Forest" ability, which he had been in the middle of activating, had been interrupted.
Instinctively lowering his head, he saw that within the soil where his roots were embedded, a bizarre creature shaped like both serpent and fish was swimming through the earth.
Wherever it passed, the ground transformed into a swamp, entangling his roots and preventing him from pulling himself free.
At the same time, his arms were experiencing something entirely different.
"Crack…"
He could hear the sound of freezing. His arms were rapidly being covered in solid ice.
At the source of the frost stood a creature resembling a mermaid.
Yet she was fundamentally different from the mermaids of Fish-Man Island.
She floated in midair, cold mist surrounding her body, appearing dreamlike and unreal.
The eerie frost remained unaffected by the flames burning on his body, yet it made Aramaki feel a chill deep within his soul.
[Phantom Dream Legion · Lust Phantom Beast Lord · Leviathan Eel]
[Phantom Dream Legion · Sorrow Phantom Beast Lord · Abyss Siren]
"These two monsters… are trying to restrain me?"
Aramaki did not know what these strange creatures intended to do. But the flames burning across his body made him realize he could not simply sit still and wait.
Yet just as he prepared to resist…
"ROAR!"
Another furious howl and a sharp tearing sound came from behind him.
Relying on pure battle instinct, he instantly made a judgment, the opponent's size, strength, and speed were all astonishing and the power behind this attack was undoubtedly…
"Slash!"
In the next instant, razor-sharp giant claws pierced straight through his tree body, causing his already fire-scorched and fragile form to begin violently collapsing and disintegrating.
Behind him stood a massive beast resembling a crimson leopard…
Except it possessed five tails, and was letting out a piercing roar.
[Phantom Dream Legion · Hatred Phantom Beast Lord · Zheng]
"You bastards…"
Aramaki was completely enraged.
He no longer cared about the flames burning his body or the agony of his flesh being torn apart.
"Forbidden Hatred Shards!"
With a furious roar, the shattered fragments of his body that had scattered through the air suddenly began growing wildly, transforming into countless sharp wooden spikes that shot toward the beasts.
But moments later…
Aramaki saw that those razor-sharp spikes, capable of piercing steel, had all been blocked.
The one stopping them was a gigantic monster that looked as though it were carved entirely from stone.
[Phantom Dream Legion · Joy Phantom Beast Lord · Stone Oni]
"Another one…"
Aramaki had barely reacted when he suddenly sensed a violent gale roaring above his head.
Instinctively, he looked up.
There, he saw a massive beast with the body of a tiger and a pair of enormous wings glaring down at him with furious eyes, and within its jaws, dazzling lightning had already gathered and taken aim at him.
[Phantom Dream Legion · Fear Phantom Beast Lord · Dreadclaw]
Then, in the very next instant…
"Bang!"
All six powerful Dreamland beasts attacked Aramaki simultaneously.
Flames raged.
Lightning exploded.
Frost spread.
Massive stones crashed downward…
"Hōng lóng!"
Centered around the two endlessly clashing forests, the entirety of Dreamland Island violently trembled. As for Aramaki's already heavily damaged tree body, it was annihilated into fragments in an instant.
Scattered leaves and splinters of wood drifted through the air.
However…
"ROAR!!" ×6
The six Phantom Beast Lords did not relax in the slightest.
Their eyes remained firmly locked downward.
Moments later…
"Buzz!!"
A single seed emerged from the ground, and sprouted.
Aramaki's figure reappeared upon the earth once more.
"Hah… hah…"
His body seemed weakened.
Yet at the same time, it was regenerating at an extremely visible speed.
"So these monsters… are the Phantom Beast Lords of Dreamland Island?"
Looking at the six creatures before him, each possessing different appearances and different abilities, yet all radiating terrifyingly powerful auras, Aramaki recalled the legends surrounding Dreamland Island.
It was said that among the many Dreamland creatures inhabiting this island, six beings were known as the Phantom Beast Lords.
They were the guardians of the Fountain of Youth and the island's gods.
The strongest and most beautiful rulers among all Dreamland lifeforms.
"What kind of joke is this!?"
For the first time, Aramaki truly understood the absurdity those mercenaries who had landed on the island must have felt before him.
What the hell did these savage, violent monsters have to do with a "Dreamland"?!
Creatures of this level were rare even among all the countless beings across the vast sea.
Still…
"They are powerful, sure… but at the end of the day, they're still just beasts."
"And yet they dare act so arrogantly against me—the embodiment of 'nature' itself…"
The pain of having his body annihilated moments earlier further stimulated Aramaki's nerves, driving his anger even higher.
"Don't think for a second…"
"HŌNG LÓNG LÓNG…!"
His body expanded once more, transforming again into the gigantic tree giant form.
Beneath his feet, massive roots surged violently. Pitch-black Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) flowed across them, staining every newly grown tree in absolute blackness.
Those trees themselves radiated the hardness of steel and the sharpness of blades.
They continuously wrapped around Aramaki's body until his entire form became pitch black.
And finally…
The blackened trees transformed into a suit of armor and a gigantic wooden odachi that covered his body.
[Forbidden Hatred Forest · Great Tree Armament]
In the next moment, Aramaki violently swung the massive wooden blade in his hand.
The tremendous force instantly generated a raging storm. The earth split apart in an instant, carving enormous trenches deep into the ground.
"You think you'll get away unharmed?!"
He charged directly toward the gigantic beasts.
"…"
Far away, Hitsuji remained seated with his legs crossed.
From beginning to end, he appeared completely calm. Behind the mask, his eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed toward the surrounding forest.
At the same time, Aramaki and the Phantom Beast Lords began clashing… The roots of the forest and trees Hitsuji had created were continuously swelling and pulsing, as though absorbing something from deep beneath the earth.
"Just this much still isn't quite enough…" He muttered softly. "You'll need to try a little harder than that, Mr. Aramaki."
The commanders of the legion were the ones who moved the pieces across the board.
Naturally, they would not easily step onto the front lines.
Unless…
Victory had already been decided.
——
(End of Chapter)
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