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OPI Chapter 236: Winds of Destruction and Flames of War
🕑 Added 2024-09-23 23:48:36 +0000 UTC"Fire!"
"Open fire!"
Against the army that gathered tens of thousands of soldiers, the bombardment of the two hundred tanks was scattered everywhere, without causing much impact immediately.
However, as the soldiers in black, riding armored motorcycles, came within about 300 meters, the commanders of the army formation shouted the order to attack in unison.
Immediately, the deafening sound of gunfire echoed through the air.
Soldiers armed with automatic rifles positioned themselves behind the soldiers with spears, firing frantically through the open spaces between them.
At the same time, the artillery guns on the walls were quick to react. Fiery shells began to fall from the sky, heading for the ground with deadly precision.
Just then, General Browning saw a towering figure among the black-robed warriors.
From the rear, a gigantic scarlet figure, comparable in size to a high-ranking dangerous beast, wielding a naginata, rose into the air.
[Boom!]
In a single movement, the scarlet giant brandished his naginata, which instantly began to emit scorching heat. Suddenly, a gigantic wave of fire spread through the air. The incoming bullets and shells melted on contact.
"What is... that?"
The inhabitants of Angluo City looked at this scene in astonishment.
"Is that the Logia type Devil Fruit user?"
Sten narrowed his eyes.
The hundreds of meters separating the armored motorcycles from the army formation were rapidly shortening. The closer they came, the more terrifying the scarlet giant looked.
The scarlet giant, when he was about 30 meters away from the formation, raised his naginata again, which now radiated an intense red glow.
[Boom!]
The fiery waves of fire swept away all the white-armored soldiers around them, reducing them to ashes in the blink of an eye. There was no trace of bodies left, only black dust, molten metal, and a scorched ground, turned into magma.
No one could move freely within a hundred-meter radius around the scarlet giant. That entire space was engulfed in flames and an incandescent red glow.
"…"
Sten, witnessing the scene, was stunned, unable to utter a word.
Meanwhile, at other points along the front, armored motorcycles hit the army formation hard.
The black-clad warriors leapt from their vehicles and soared into the air, dodging the first line of enemy spears.
In the next instant, flames, lightning, water, and wind erupted with every slash of the black-clad warriors' swords, unleashing chaos of blood and destruction in the ranks of the army.
Within seconds, battle cries and screams of agony shook the snowy plain.
[Slash!]
Sanemi Shinazugawa cut down twenty white-armored soldiers with five sharp gusts of wind.
At the sight of such carnage, Sanemi smiled with emotion.
"Hmm?"
At that moment a sharp sound broke through the air from behind Sanemi.
[Clang!]
At the last second, the blade of his sword blocked a grayish object that was coming dangerously close to his head.
"Is it… a nail?"
Sanemi looked at the long nail he had blocked in amazement, and then fixed his sights on the white-armored soldier in front of him.
From his index finger extended a sharp claw that had nearly decapitated Sanemi.
[Swoosh!]
Suddenly, another white warrior appeared behind Sanemi with astonishing speed. The five claws on his right hand sliced through the air, heading towards Sanemi's neck.
"¡Tekkai!"
Sanemi stood still, steeling his body to withstand the attack.
[Clang!]
"What?"
The Imperial Fist Temple disciple, shocked by the toughness of Sanemi's body, exclaimed: "How can you use our secret technique?!"
Sanemi, furious at being on the brink of death, was in no mood for small talk. His katana flashed with flashes of cold light.
"Eighth Form: Primary Gale Slash!"
Suddenly, a huge spiraling gust of wind surged around him, cutting off most of the soldiers within a 50-meter radius.
To their surprise, the two strange soldiers managed to evade their almost certain fatal attack.
One of them then shot his sharp nails at Sanemi, while the other, from the air, manipulated his hair to transform it into black spears.
"Seimei Kikkan?"
Sanemi finally acknowledged the technique.
...
The next day.
The hundreds of thousands of troops outside the city of Angluo were reduced to ashes in the sea of fire that burned all night.
...
The Imperial Capital, the government office of the Secret Intelligence Department.
"Minister, there have been many rumors about the unrest in the north recently, and the matter of the world government from another world has also spread." Said Green, who had entered Najenda's office with concern.
"It's normal. With so many people in the court, it's impossible to completely block the information."
Najenda paused as she looked at the intelligence document, raised her head and looked at the other party calmly: "And the people will know about this sooner or later."
"But now the atmosphere is gradually developing towards panic. Some rumors even say that the empire and even the world will be completely conquered by the world government."
Green's face showed resentment and anger.
"When we got the information about the World Government, weren't we panicking?"
Najenda looked up at the ceiling with a solemn expression, speaking softly as if muttering to herself.
"A massive organization that has already unified its own world and conquered three more... Why would we think we couldn't be next?"
"Green, you should know that the Empire has not even unified its own world but has to face an existence that combines the power of four worlds."
"So, it is normal for the people to feel fear."
Green fell into silence because he didn't know what to say. After a long time, he suddenly raised his head and clenched his fists and slammed them on the desk.
"Minister, if that's the case, I think it would be best for the Empire to negotiate a truce with the Alchemy Kingdom and the God Islands. Then, we could reveal all the information we have about the World Government and unite the forces of the entire world to counter this invasion."
Najenda thought that Green's idea was little more than an impossible fantasy. But after some thought, she realized that with the strength shown by the World Government, it seemed like a feasible idea to achieve.
Just then, the door was flung open, and Amuria rushed in, her face full of worry.
"Minister!"
"News just came from the north. After Volga City, Angluo City has also been lost. The 60,000 troops and the 500 disciples of the Imperial Fist Temple who went to support them were wiped out. The remaining 50,000-plus defeated soldiers fled to the Seika Fortress!"
Najenda frowned. "And the master of the Imperial Fist Temple, Sten?"
"He has retreated to the Seika Fortress along with the survivors and sent a message requesting to be brought back to the capital via Dimensional Formation. Apparently, he has obtained important information regarding the enemy leader."
Amuria replied in a heavy tone.
"In addition, the city of Montero, south of the frozen northern lands, is also in danger. They have already sent out three requests for help, claiming that there is a black, spider-like creature that controls eight long swords. Each slash generates an energy wave over a hundred meters long."
Najenda, keeping calm, nodded and said: "Understood."
Then, without wasting any time, she quickly left the office.
Shortly after, Najenda arrived at the imperial palace at full speed.
Once she was allowed to enter and inspected by the guard, she was led to the Audience Chamber. There she also met General Budo.
Najenda quickly relayed the information just received from the north and then proceeded to explain the need for a truce with the neighboring kingdoms.
"Your Majesty, I think the ceasefire proposal is excellent. If we can achieve a truce on both fronts of the empire, General Esdeath and General Bulat's forces could be free to confront the threat of the World Government."
The emperor nodded thoughtfully.
"So how can we convince the Alchemy Kingdom and the God Islands that the World Government is real and not some ploy of ours?"
"And joining forces with them to fight against the World Government means that we have to open the defense lines on the east and west sides and let their large troops enter the Empire. How to deal with the risks involved?"
Najenda and Budo were deep in thought.
Finally, Najenda spoke again. "Convincing them won't be difficult. We just need to send them the prisoners we captured. They have their own methods of obtaining the information they need."
"As for the second question."
""The north is already practically lost, so we could allow the Kingdom of Alchemy to enter through Partas. And in the east, it would only be necessary for the Navy to allow the fleet to temporarily pass through the Eastern Sea."
Najenda continued: "The mountain range where the Dimensional Gate is located is on the edges of the continent, near the East Sea, so an attack from the sea would be the most strategic option."
"In this way, they don't need to enter the heartland of the empire at all. As for how to get them to leave after the war, I personally think it is meaningless to consider this now."
"Fine. At the next assembly, I will put this matter up for discussion. In the meantime, send the prisoners away immediately. It is crucial that both kingdoms learn of the threat of the World Government as soon as possible!" The emperor declared.
"Yes, your Majesty!"
Najenda and Budo bowed. At this time, Budo suddenly suggested: "Your Majesty, how about we try launching a ballistic missile at the Dimension Gate base? If all goes well, not only would we cause damage, but we could slow down their advance. And if we find that they don't have the ability to deal with our missiles, we could follow up with a massive bombardment."
