Candy Wave—!" Perospero provided support from the side, turning the ground beneath Saint Maffey's feet into a sticky syrup swamp!
Saint Maffey's feet instantly sank into it, hindering her movement.
"Perfect opportunity!" Katakuri's eyes flashed with sharp light as he closed in!
His trident, coated in black Armament Haki, stabbed directly at Saint Maffey's abdomen.
Thud—!!!
The trident pierced through Saint Maffey's body, emerging from her back.
Katakuri, gripping the trident, appeared behind Saint Maffey, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
He had poured all his strength into this strike, not only piercing a vital spot but also ensuring the Armament Haki would continue to wreak havoc inside her body.
Even if she didn't die, she would surely be severely injured.
However—
Saint Maffey slowly lowered her head, glanced at the wound in her abdomen, and sneered disdainfully:
"Boy... did you really think this could kill me?"
Katakuri's pupils contracted sharply.
He watched as the edges of the wound in Saint Maffey's abdomen began to writhe.
Muscle, skin, internal organs... all regenerated and reconnected at a visible speed.
Within three seconds, the wound had completely healed, even her clothes restored to their original state.
"What...?!" Katakuri was incredulous.
Saint Maffey spun around abruptly, gathering another Light Cannon in her mouth!
"Watch out!" Perospero shouted.
Katakuri's Observation Haki screamed warnings! He hastily raised his trident to block—
Boom—!!!
The Light Cannon slammed squarely into the trident!
The explosive impact sent Katakuri flying dozens of meters, crashing heavily against a tree, blood spurting from his mouth.
"Katakuri!" Perospero cried out in alarm.
Saint Maffey turned her gaze to him, opening her mouth to release another Light Cannon.
Perospero attempted to defend with a Candy Wall, but the Light Cannon easily pierced through the sugary barrier, blasting him away.
The battle in the forest began to tilt in favor of the God's Knights.
Though these young Officers of the Four Emperors were exceptionally talented, they were only fifteen or sixteen years old, far from their peak.
The members of the God's Knights not only possessed strength equivalent to that of Vice Admirals but also had near-immortal regenerative abilities.
As long as the injuries weren't inflicted by Conqueror's Haki, they could fully recover within seconds.
"Dammit..." Marco fell from the sky, a deep, bone-revealing claw mark on his chest—left by Kirin.
His Azure Flame was repairing the wound, but the speed was noticeably slower than his opponent's.
"These monsters... they just won't die..." Diamond Jozu gasped for breath, cracks appearing in the diamond covering his body.
Though Sommers' thorn attacks couldn't pierce his defense, the continuous Haki impacts had already injured his internal organs.
Vista was in even worse shape, with seven or eight additional wounds on his body, his clothes stained red with blood.
"Give up, kids." Saint Killingham, in his Kirin form, hovered in the air, looking down condescendingly:
"Your talent is indeed remarkable. Given time, you might surpass us. But today... you will all die here."
Saint Maffey wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.
It was from the injury Katakuri had inflicted earlier, but now it was completely healed: "What a pity, such promising sprouts."
Sommers flexed his wrists. "Let's finish this quickly. We don't know how the Five Elders are doing, so we must withdraw as soon as possible."
The masked man said nothing, but the killing intent emanating from his twin blades grew even more intense.
The four God Knights prepared to launch their final assault.
But just then—
A calm voice, without warning, echoed through the forest.
"Stand down."
The voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.
"You cannot kill these monsters."
The faces of the God Knights changed drastically, and they all turned their heads in unison.
Ahead of them, the air began to distort and ripple.
Like a stone dropped into a still lake, waves of ripples spread outward.
Then, a figure emerged from the ripples.
Clad in black, with black hair and crimson eyes.
A pitch-black longsword hung at his waist.
He stood there, releasing no Haki, yet the very air of the forest seemed to freeze.
All sounds—the crackling of flames, the wind, the sound of breathing—vanished.
Only one thing remained:
Pressure.
Pure, crushing pressure, like a mountain collapsing.
"The world's strongest man…" Saint Killingham's Kirin form began to tremble. "The God Slayer… Raiver!"
At that moment, two more figures emerged from the depths of the forest.
"Gurararara! Marco, Jozu, Vista!" Whitebeard laughed heartily, his Cloud Cutter resting on his shoulder. "I forgot to tell you—to deal with monsters like the God Knights, you must use Conqueror's Haki to inflict effective damage.
Ordinary Armament Haki… is useless."
"Pops!" The three exclaimed in delight.
"Mamamamama! Katakuri! Perospero!"
Linlin flew in on her Thundercloud Zeus, her eyes flashing with anger as she saw her two sons injured. "Who did this?!"
Saint Maffey paled.
Raiver, Whitebeard, Charlotte Linlin.
The three Emperors of the Sea from the New World, gathered here.
The four God Knights faced them as if confronting a formidable enemy.
Raiver slowly raised his right hand, placing it on the hilt of his sword.
"Any last words?"
The God Knights exchanged glances, determination flashing in their eyes.
"Kill—!!!"
Saint Killingham was the first to attack!
He transformed into the Kirin once more, hooves aflame, charging toward Raiver!
From his mouth erupted a fiery breath even more scorching than before!
Sommers pressed his hands to the ground, and countless thorny vines burst forth from the earth, entangling Raiver from all sides!
The masked man swung both blades, unleashing two intersecting vacuum slashes!
Saint Maffey opened her mouth, condensing her Light Cannon to its utmost limit!
The attacks of the four arrived almost simultaneously.
Raiver's eyes sharpened, and he uttered softly, "Samadhi Seal."
Hum—
Within a hundred-meter radius centered on him, space froze.
The fiery breath halted mid-air, just ten centimeters from his face.
The thorny vines stiffened in place, their thorns a mere three centimeters from his skin.
The vacuum slashes hung suspended in the air, and the glow of the Light Cannon solidified.
Time had not stopped—space itself had been immobilized.
The four God Knights remained frozen in their attacking postures, unable to move.
True fear finally appeared in their eyes.
The so-called Samadhi Seal was, in fact, Space Imprisonment. As Raiver deepened his mastery of the Space Fruit, the effects of all his spatial abilities gradually intensified.
For now, he could not completely control individuals of Emperor or Admiral-level strength.
"Listen to your lullaby."
Raiver drew his sword.
The moment the Supreme Grade Sharp Blade "Black Dragon" was unsheathed, a dark red Conqueror's Haki erupted like a volcanic explosion!
Black-red electric arcs danced along the blade, each pulse causing the surrounding space to fracture further.
Raiver teleported close!
First strike—slashing toward Saint Killingham. A flash of blade light, and the Kirin form was split in half from head to tail.
Second strike—slashing toward Sommers. Thorny vines, along with his own body, shattered.