Chapter 313: The Legendary Sky-Burying Dark Tempest

"Give it to me!"

Weitian suddenly stepped up beside Drake, thrusting an open palm in front of him.

Drake's heartbeat instantly spiked. Though caught off guard, a faint flicker of anticipation stirred within his chest.

"What is it?" he murmured, starting to reach out his own hand. At a critical juncture like this, she surely wanted to stand side-by-side with him in battle.

Hand in hand...

The thought made his breath quicken ever so slightly.

Isn't our relationship progressing a bit too fast?

Forget it, why overthink it? Whatever happens, happens—just let nature take its course.

"The medicine!" Weitian snapped in exasperation.

"The medicine?" Drake froze instantly, his outstretched hand stiffening mid-air.

"Of course! The miracle healing bean you gave me earlier!" Weitian gestured toward Kizaru, who sat slumped not far away. She had come to ask for a Senzu Bean.

"Uh... here." Drake pulled out a Senzu Bean and handed it to Weitian, desperately trying to mask his utter embarrassment beneath an expression of flawless, unshakeable composure.

Taking the Senzu Bean, Weitian turned on her heel and walked away, not sparing another word as if speaking to him was a chore.

Watching her leave, a twinge of disappointment tugged at Drake's chest. He had assumed that after everything that had just happened, the distance between them had closed somewhat.

From the looks of it, they seemed even more estranged than before.

What on earth am I thinking about right now?!

This is hardly the time for such nonsense!

Drake gave his head a vigorous shake, refocusing his gaze on the sky above, where Im was weaving countless dark filaments across the heavens.

The absolute priority right now was stopping Im!

Just then, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy gathered at Drake's side.

"Not good! I've got a terrible feeling about what's coming next," Luffy said, his expression unusually grim.

The foreboding sensation grew stronger by the second, hammering against his instincts like a bodily alarm. Im was undeniably preparing a cataclysmic maneuver.

Gradually, the entire sky was swallowed by dark mist until not a single sliver of sunlight could pierce through. The surrounding battlefield was plunged into pitch-black gloom, as if night had fallen in an instant.

"What's happening? What is that person trying to do?" Every combatant on the battlefield looked up at the sky in sheer horror as the black fog completely blotted out the firmament.

The new generation of Marines led by Weitian stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Revolutionary Army. Dragon had already charted a blueprint for their future—a future where they could pursue their dreams without restraint!

Everything was for true justice!

And for a brighter tomorrow.

"It's over. Everything is over," four of the Five Elders murmured, casually seating themselves on nearby boulders.

Each wore a melancholy, resigned expression, tinged with a strange sense of finality.

"Perhaps... this isn't such a bad conclusion after all..."

Their cryptic, half-spoken remarks left the surrounding revolutionaries grinding their teeth in frustration. Can't you old bastards just spit it out instead of keeping everyone in suspense?!

It was infuriating.

"Hey! Old men, what the hell are you talking about? Why are you acting like everything's finished?"

"Then again, it makes sense. You don't have any cards left to play anyway. After today, the World Government will be nothing more than a relic of the past!"

Belo Betty, Commander of the Revolutionary Army's East Army, took a drag from her cigarette and sneered.

"Yeah! Commander Betty is right! We won this war! The world is about to welcome a brand-new era—a grand age where peace and freedom coexist!" The eyes of the Revolutionary soldiers shone with boundless hope.

"Tch!" The bald Elder curled his lip in utter disdain. "We will not lose, and the World Government will never fall. You have no future!"

"Babbling about freedom and dreams... how laughably pathetic."

"What did you say?!" A hot-blooded young Revolutionary soldier immediately lunged forward to attack the Elder, only to be seized by the collar by Belo Betty.

She threw him clean across the ground, sending him crashing hard onto the pavement.

"Commander!" the soldiers cried out in confusion.

Betty snapped coldly, "Know your own limits! If anyone else wants to throw their life away, I won't stop you!"

"The Revolutionary Army has no use for brainless fools!"

"..." The scolded soldiers lowered their heads in silence, shame burning in their chests.

Put that way, they had indeed been far too reckless. Although the Five Elders were heavily wounded, the combat prowess they had demonstrated earlier was still far beyond anything rank-and-file soldiers could contest.

The young soldier, in particular, was flushed with embarrassment, realizing his impulse could have cost him everything.

Having witnessed the Elders' terrifying strength firsthand, challenging one head-on was pure suicide.

In the heat of the moment, he had felt fearless with so many comrades around him. Looking back, that wasn't bravery—it was sheer idiocy!

He felt only deep gratitude toward Betty for saving his life.

Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Betty turned back toward the Five Elders, her gaze growing increasingly stern.

She couldn't understand why they remained so utterly confident when the tactical situation was plain for all to see.

She could tell their confidence was no bluff.

The World Government's remaining forces consisted solely of the Five Elders, Hero Garp, and a few other veterans.

Their military was completely neutralized.

The only remaining wildcard was that mysterious figure floating high in the sky.

Betty's pupils suddenly contracted as a realization struck her, and she snapped her head upward.

High in the heavens, Im remained completely composed, her expression unreadable.

Was she truly that strong?

Strong enough to single-handedly overturn the entire battlefield?

As if reading Betty's doubts, the Five Elders abandoned their cryptic silence and began speaking aloud, as though the outcome had already been carved in stone.

"The Sky-Burying Dark Tempest..."

"The ultimate power that eradicates all creation. Calling it an apocalyptic force is no exaggeration in the slightest. Everything ends here..."

"No... it would be more accurate to say that everything starts anew from zero."

The Elder shook his head, a faint sigh of pity escaping his lips.

"What do you mean by that?!" Betty narrowed her eyes. She needed actionable intel; securing complete information on the enemy was a vital step toward victory.

At a decisive turning point, crucial information could overturn the tide of war.

Right now, they knew virtually nothing about Im, placing them at an extreme tactical disadvantage.

At this point, their only option was to pry whatever information they could from the Five Elders.

The Elder cast an indifferent glance at her before continuing, "In truth, you never stood a chance from the very beginning. I merely pity you all."

"After all, staking everything you have, pouring all your blood and effort into a struggle that was doomed to fail from the start... isn't that truly tragic?"

"You bastard...!" Betty gritted her teeth, glaring venomously at the Five Elders, her fists clenched tight.

Suddenly, a gruff, resonant voice broke through the tension.

"The Sky-Burying Dark Tempest... I seem to recall hearing that term somewhere before. Just what is it...?"

Everyone turned toward the speaker, discovering none other than the Commander-in-Chief of the World Government Military, "Cyborg" Kong.

"What is it, Commander Kong? Do you know what that phrase means?" Garp asked.

Beside him, Sengoku wore an equally grave expression. Though he didn't know the exact meaning of the term either, the solemn demeanor of the Five Elders made it clear that this was no ordinary technique.

"I remember now... Isn't the Sky-Burying Dark Tempest that legendary colossal cataclysm from eight hundred years ago?" Kong said, his voice laced with disbelief.

"It was precisely in the aftermath of that cataclysm that the World Government rose to stand supreme over the entire world!"

"WHAT?!"

Both Garp and Sengoku stared in wide-eyed shock.