But his weaknesses were equally glaring.
An arrogant personality.
Shallow experience.
An ordinary physique.
When these weaknesses converged...
The result was exactly as it appeared now.
Facing Zane—who bypassed all pleasantries and unleashed his ultimate move upon sight—he was instantly obliterated.
Of course, all the above was predicated on the fact that Zane had intel on Enel beforehand.
Otherwise, even soone with his level of strength might not have been able to handle Enel so decisively.
After all, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was truly a prize worth coveting.
Grasping it firmly, he refined it in an instant!
His hands moved as fast as lightning.
Zane, who had been expressionless monts ago, finally couldn't help himself; he cast aside his dignity as a powerhouse and excitedly grabbed the attribute light orb representing the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
*Crackling!*
The attribute orb rged into his body, quickly occupying the fifth Imprint Entry that had only recently condensed.
In the next second, countless bolts of lightning erupted from Zane's body, transforming him into a living lightning bolt.
"This power..."
As a figure of living electricity, Zane stood in a daze, feeling the boundless energy surging through him.
He pushed his hand forward.
*BOOM!!!*
Brilliantly wild electricity surged forth, coalescing into a massive pillar of thunder that blasted forward. The earth pulverized wherever it passed, creating a terrifying fissure.
He took a step down.
Pillars of lightning rose into the sky like towering sentinels, circling around Zane.
"Heh heh... Hahahahaha!!!"
Covering his face with his right hand, Zane lowered his head with a light chuckle, but the sound gradually grew louder until it culminated in a wild roar toward the heavens.
*Rumble...*
Wild thunder raged.
Accompanying his frantic laughter, endless storms of lightning erupted from Zane.
In an instant, the entire Equality Space seed to transform into a lake of thunder, completely saturated with electricity.
"I'm not lacking. Now, I truly have everything I need..." He violently tore off the headband tied around his forehead.
As tears of manic laughter welled in the corners of his eyes, arcs of lightning flickered, lting and vaporizing the headband.
At the sa ti, without the headband to obscure it, his third eye—which had been hidden in darkness and rarely saw the sun—shone with divine brilliance under the lightning's glow.
*
*
*
On this day, the old god t his end, and a new god ascended the throne.
Inside the God's Shrine.
The new god, Zane, sat with his legs crossed on the golden throne that had once belonged to Enel.
He sat in a casual posture, fingers interlaced over his knees, looking down with a smile at the people kneeling before him.
"Well? I've given you all night to think about it. Can you give your answer now?"
His posture was relaxed, yet his presence was overwhelming.
Especially with that third eye on his forehead no longer hidden.
The mystical appearance of his three eyes.
Compared to the old god, Enel.
At this mont, as the new god, Zane exuded an even greater sense of divinity.
Zane's words caused many of those kneeling before him to break out in a cold sweat.
The people kneeling before Zane were divided into two factions.
One faction was the high-ranking Skypieans of Angel Island, led by the forr God, Gan Fall.
The other faction was the high-ranking Shandia, led by their Chieftain.
After disposing of Enel, Zane clearly had no intention of leaving; instead, he led the Hunting Team to subjugate both local factions.
"Don't even dream—"
Their kneeling was not voluntary.
Aside from being shackled, every individual had a mber of the Hunting Team behind them, keeping them pinned down.
Just then, one of the Shandia stood up in a fit of rage.
However, both his attempt to stand and his words were imdiately cut short as Manlong, standing behind him, slamd him back down.
*THUD!!!*
His face collided violently with the floor.
"Kid, think carefully before you open your mouth," Manlong said in a low, heavy voice, keeping him pinned firmly to the ground.
As the second-strongest mber of the Hunting Team, Manlong's one-on-one service was not sothing an ordinary person could endure, and the suppressed Shandia was certainly no commoner.
This man was the descendant of the great Shandia warrior from Ancient Jaya four hundred years ago—Wyper, known as the War Demon.
He was also the most aggressive and valiant warrior among the Shandia, dedicated to reclaiming Ancient Jaya.
Zane had replaced Enel as the new god.
Now that Zane wanted the Shandia to submit to him, Wyper naturally continued to resist.
Wyper ignored the pain from his face hitting the floor; instead, veins bulged on his neck as he desperately tried to break free from Manlong's grip.
"Wyper, don't be reckless!"
The Shandia Chieftain, who had been deliberating on how to respond, hadn't expected Wyper to be so rash. Seeing him still struggling, he quickly moved to stop him.
Then, he hurried to plead with Zane on the golden throne. "I am deeply sorry. Wyper has a reckless personality. Please forgive his impetuousness."
"So, what is your answer?" Zane remained noncommittal.
Impetuous? Reckless?
It all depended on the answer they provided next.
If it satisfied him, it would be a trivial matter to laugh off.
But if it didn't, then they couldn't bla him for being rciless.
From his high position in the sky.
Whether for the sake of the Golden City or to establish a secure base.
He would not allow any unstable elents to exist here in Ancient Jaya.
Being a Chieftain, the man certainly did not lack wisdom.
He could clearly hear the underlying aning in Zane's words.
Taking a deep breath, the Chieftain pressed his forehead heavily against the ground and spoke loudly. "Since you are willing to let us return to our holand, we will naturally not be ungrateful.
"Here, in the na of the current Shandia Chieftain, I am willing to lead the entire tribe in pledging fealty to you!"
Yes.
The Shandia Chieftain ultimately chose to submit.
It wasn't that he had lost his warrior's heart.
If that were the case, he wouldn't have supported Wyper's repeated rebellions against Enel.
Even though every rebellion resulted in significant casualties.
What truly made the Chieftain willing to submit were the generous terms Zane had offered.
Just as Zane had said at the beginning, he was, in fact, very benevolent.
Although he chose to rule this place for the sake of stability in his rear, he also provided excellent conditions for the Skypieans and Shandia.
For instance, he would establish two autonomous regions within Ancient Jaya, allowing both the Skypieans and the Shandia to reside there.
Ancient Jaya held special significance for both groups.
One was their holy land.
For the other, it was the holand they had been separated from for four hundred years.
Setting the Skypieans aside for a mont.
On the Shandia's side.
Not just the Chieftain, but many of the high-ranking Shandia present were actually very moved by the terms Zane offered.
Otherwise, Wyper wouldn't have been the only one resisting.
At this mont, after the Shandia Chieftain declared his stance, the other Shandia leaders remained silent, and even the struggling Wyper's body went stiff.
It was as if the final straw had broken the cal's back.
Like a deflated ball, his strength to struggle rapidly diminished until he knelt powerlessly on the ground.
'He couldn't hold out in the end...'
A sense of unwilling bitterness filled Wyper, but it was overshadowed by a greater sense of bewildernt and sorrow.
How could he not know that continued resistance would only bring about total annihilation?
But as a descendant of the Great Warrior, how could he easily give up?
'Sigh... let it be. At least the tribespeople can survive.'
'And we, the Shandia, can finally return ho.'
[ Author's Note : If you're loving the story, a power_stone, review or comnt ans the world!
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