Wood was acutely aware that his remaining life force might not be sufficient to sustain the activation of the Heart of God until the end of the battle. Even he had no confidence in surviving this fight if he relied solely on it.
However, he was more than capable of enduring the side effects of the Winter Knight's secret technique.
The consequence? His body would be eroded, transforming him into a half-human, half-dragon monstrosity. But what did that matter? This was the final battle, and Wood had already resolved to stake his life on it!
As Skasa shattered the crimson laser unleashed by Shikoutazer, the snowflakes falling from the sky grew heavier until they formed a massive blizzard.
The dragon-type super-dangerous beast Skasa, after obliterating Shikoutazer's laser, let out an earth-shaking roar before transforming into an enormous icy gale. It soared into the sky and merged with the thick clouds overhead.
Soon, the thick clouds were pierced by a ray of dawn light, like a sword slicing through the sky. A figure slowly descended from the opening in the clouds.
Wood's appearance had undergone a dramatic transformation.
Previously, when the Winter Knight was activated, his body was clad in armor, and his height reached just under two meters. Now, however, his armor had become significantly thicker, and his body had swelled to over twice its original size, standing nearly four meters tall.
In addition to the changes in size, his armor now featured a pair of dragon wings with a wingspan of nearly ten meters, as well as a long, sinuous dragon tail extending several meters behind him.
The gauntlets that once resembled human hands had morphed entirely into dragon claws.
While the armor retained its blue hue, it now bore a metallic dragon-scale texture, giving it an even more ferocious and intimidating appearance.
As Wood's clawed feet touched the ground, the icy aura emanating from his armor instantly froze the surface beneath him, causing a wave of frost to spread outward.
And this was without Wood employing any special abilities—simply the passive chill radiating from his transformed armor was enough to alter the surrounding environment.
In this state, Wood no longer resembled a human. He appeared to be a dragon incarnate.
The young Emperor, seated in Shikoutazer's cockpit, was momentarily stunned by Wood's sudden transformation. However, he quickly regained his composure. No matter how much Wood changed or what powers he unleashed, the Emperor's faith in the ancestral might of Shikoutazer remained unshaken.
"Rebellious fool! No matter how much you struggle, you will be judged by me today. No Imperial Arm can defeat Shikoutazer!"
The young Emperor couldn't understand why so many people opposed him. He had tried so hard to be a good ruler, yet the nobles, the Revolutionary Army, and even Wood all stood against him. Why did everyone betray him?
With a roar of frustration, the Emperor unleashed dozens of crimson lasers, all hurtling toward Wood at incredible speed.
By this point, the Emperor had grown more adept at operating Shikoutazer, and the trajectory of these lasers was calculated with precision. No matter how fast or agile Wood was, this barrage of lasers would inevitably cause him some injury.
Seeing the lasers converging from various angles, Wood clenched his dragon-clawed fist, feeling the immense power coursing through his transformed body. A confident smile spread across his face beneath the armor.
Wood raised his fist and slammed it into the ground with tremendous force.
The impact caused the ground to quake, and an icy chill surged outward. Massive ice pillars erupted from the earth, extending forward to intercept the oncoming lasers.
The crimson beams collided with the ice pillars, shattering them into countless shards. Yet, as the lasers dissipated, their energy spent, the barrage failed to reach Wood.
When the young Emperor attempted to lock onto Wood's position amidst the flurry of ice fragments, he found that Wood had completely vanished from sight.
"Hyakki Yagyō Sword Style: Kamaitachi!"
A chilling voice echoed from behind Shikoutazer, and the Emperor, startled, frantically tried to turn the massive machine around. But before he could react, a powerful tremor shook Shikoutazer's colossal frame.
Clad in his dragon armor and now standing nearly four meters tall, Wood wielded a long, tail-like sword fashioned from his dragon tail. With this enormous blade, he unleashed a fierce slash imbued with icy winds.
The crescent-shaped slash struck Shikoutazer with tremendous force. Despite its ability to absorb 70% of incoming impact, the strike still left a massive gash nearly ten meters long, stretching from its shoulder to its chest.
The deep gash, several meters in depth, caused sparks and electrical discharges to erupt from Shikoutazer's damaged frame.
Momentarily panicked by the unexpected blow, the young Emperor quickly regrouped and initiated a counterattack.
Though Shikoutazer resembled an immobile fortress, it was equipped with a vast arsenal of weaponry. Its limited mobility didn't render it powerless, as its limbs were fully functional and capable of retaliation.
The shoulder damage was severe enough to be considered a critical hit for most Imperial Arms, but Shikoutazer's massive size ensured that it remained combat-capable despite the injury.
A palm the size of a building descended from the sky. While it didn't completely block out the sun, it cast a massive shadow that entirely engulfed Wood's nearly four-meter-tall form.
Seeing the massive hand hurtling toward him, Wood initially planned to dodge. However, as if anticipating his move, the young Emperor, who had gradually mastered the operation of Shikoutazer, unleashed steel cables from the machine's abdomen, binding Wood's limbs.
In his current state, even cables as thick as an adult's thigh were no match for Wood's sheer strength. With a violent pull, he snapped the bindings.
Yet, the delay was all the Emperor needed. The moment Wood broke free, Shikoutazer's colossal palm came crashing down on him.
With no time to escape, Wood had no choice but to brace himself and face the attack head-on.
As Shikoutazer's hand descended, Wood thrust both arms upward to meet it.
At first, the young Emperor was certain of his victory. The size difference between Shikoutazer and the Winter Knight was incomparable. One was a towering behemoth over a hundred meters tall, while the other, even in its enhanced state, stood merely four meters.
In terms of scale, the Winter Knight seemed like a child before a giant. Even if Shikoutazer were reduced to scrap metal, its weight alone could flatten the Winter Knight into a sheet of steel. How could Wood possibly resist?
However, to the Emperor's shock, his expectations quickly unraveled.
As he directed Shikoutazer's arm downward, he felt unexpected resistance. Looking back at Wood, he saw the dragon wings on his back emitting a fierce jet of light and fire, creating a powerful thrust that counteracted Shikoutazer's immense force.
Despite the massive disparity in size, the two opponents appeared evenly matched in this clash of strength—a scenario that defied all logic.
No, calling it a stalemate wasn't entirely accurate. The Emperor soon realized that Shikoutazer's arm wasn't just held in place; it was slowly being pushed upward!
Even with Shikoutazer operating at maximum output, the strain on its joints caused sparks to fly. Yet, the arm continued to rise, the pace gradually increasing.
"This is impossible! Shikoutazer: The Supreme Throne is the strongest Imperial Arm, one that only the Imperial bloodline can wield! How could it lose to an ordinary Imperial Arm?"
As more sparks erupted from Shikoutazer's arm, it finally gave way under the immense strain. With a deafening crack, Wood violently tore the arm from its socket.
"Boom!"
The massive arm, several dozen meters long, crashed to the ground, shaking the earth and demolishing nearby buildings. The young Emperor let out a hysterical scream, slamming the button to fire Shikoutazer's laser again.
A thick crimson beam erupted from Shikoutazer's mouth. This time, the proximity gave Wood little time to react. Despite the assistance of Observation Haki, the beam was already upon him in the blink of an eye.
"Hyakki Yagyō Sword Style Ultimate Technique—Yuki-Onna: Snow Makeup!"
With no chance to evade, Wood made a desperate gamble.
He could feel the invasive effects of Skasa's dragon essence growing more severe, his body nearing its limits. A prolonged battle was no longer an option.
Wood had pinpointed the young Emperor's location. Shikoutazer might be incredibly durable, but if he bypassed its armor and eliminated its operator, the battle would be over.
The snow falling from the sky grew heavier and denser.
Amidst the raging blizzard, the young Emperor, seated in the cockpit, caught a glimpse of an enormous snow mountain forming in the distance. A deafening roar echoed as a colossal ice dragon emerged from behind the mountain.
Atop the ice dragon's head stood a breathtakingly beautiful woman wielding a longsword. She appeared like a knight of legend—a dragon rider exuding a commanding, regal aura that seemed to transcend the mortal realm.
"Boom!"
The crimson laser collided with the snow dragon knight, unleashing a catastrophic shockwave that shook the entire capital. The ground beneath the clash cracked and split, forming massive fissures that spread outward like an apocalyptic scene.
The intense heat of the crimson laser clashed with the freezing cold of the snow dragon knight, creating a collision of extreme temperatures. The sheer force of the impact warped the very air around them.
The resulting shockwave obliterated everything within a ten-kilometer radius, generating ring after ring of destructive force that inflicted secondary damage on the surrounding area.
Neither attack immediately overpowered the other. Instead, they remained locked in a fierce stalemate, their energies colliding in midair.
At times, the crimson laser pushed the snow dragon knight back several meters. At others, the knight's roar forced the beam upward. The battlefield had devolved into a prolonged exchange of ultimate attacks—a "beam struggle" in the truest sense.
"Why are you going to such lengths? I only wanted to be a good Emperor. Why do you all choose to defy me?"
Seated within Shikoutazer, the young Emperor could see that Wood's power was burning through his life force with every passing second.
This knowledge only deepened the Emperor's confusion. He wasn't a tyrant, nor had he done anything heinous. Why would these rebels sacrifice everything to overthrow him?
Fueled by frustration and rage, the Emperor pushed Shikoutazer's output to its maximum. The intensified laser beam forced the snow dragon knight back another ten meters, bringing the crimson energy perilously close to Wood.
The enormous crimson beam was now just meters away from Wood. If Shikoutazer delivered another surge of energy, Wood would be struck by the full force of the attack, likely suffering double the damage from the beam struggle.
In his current state, not even Armament Haki could save him from such a direct hit. Survival was impossible.
Faced with imminent death, Wood no longer hesitated. The runes of the Heart of God on his chest began to glow brightly, their silvery light piercing through his armor.
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