[109] Dawn of Pride (III)

[2790 words]

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The Sin Incarnate and the Dark King stood side by side; their adversary, Sol, remained in the sky.

"Another one joins the fray," Sol disparagingly said. "But it won't change a thing!"

*Fwwm!* The sounds of metal echoed as Damien's body was armoured up in Empyrean Form once more, all the while Rayleigh coated his saber and arms in dense Haki.

Boom!

The ground blew up as the two pirates exploded from their positions and whizzed towards the Sunbird in an unforgiving assault.

*Clang!* The Overlord's talons collided with Rayleigh's saber in mid-air, sparks flying off their collision.

Sol's eyes sharpened as he saw Damien leap from the Dark King's shadow with his weapon raised. 

"Crusher Configuration."

With a snap, the weapon shattered into the image of a warhammer dancing with black lightning and slammed into Sol's torso.

*Fwoooo!* He was then shot back like a rocket as a streak of golden flames followed. Damien and Rayleigh capitalized immediately.

The warhammer was swung once more, giving Rayleigh a platform to launch himself ahead. *Whizz!* The burst of silver was easy to miss, zooming through the air to land a downward strike on the Overlord.

Damien landed with a thud, wasting no time to command Ryushi to return to its Vanquisher configuration and shoot it out like a spear.

The silver and crimson lights were at most a meter from Sol. The saber was cutting at the Sun Bird's skull while the giant clawed blade was nearing his chest.

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"Solar Burst!"

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Damien was forced to close his eyes while the dull tremor of Ryushi being swatted away echoed through the ruined hillside.

Rayleigh retreated to the volatile humanoid, glaring at the rivers of magma born from Sol's burst.

"Buy me a second." The Dark King returned to verbal reply and crouched down a little. *Crack* The earth below Rayleigh's boots was quickly decorated with a spider-web pattern, indicating the sheer force swelled around his knees.

*Boom!* It took a mere half a second as the stationary swordsman exploded in a road of silver energy and appeared within reach of the Sun Bird.

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"The Night Sky!"

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One wing came flying down, clashing hard against the simple saber. Arcs of black lightning echoed in their clash, sparking a silver and red air around them.

Sol growled under Rayleigh's clear eyes. "I find your optimism insulting!" he roared, converting nearby terrain to pure sunfire and fuelling his attack.

The bespeckled man grinned, ignoring his tethering blade, "A fearsome Overlord of the Sea shouldn't feel threatened against two optimistic pirates."

"Do I look threatene–!" Sol's Observation sparked as a dark red hue fell nearby. His eyes shot to the towering monster behind the Dark King, its roar shaking the nearby land. 

*Purrup* Volatile crimson liquid fell from its maw; it resembled lava!

Rayleigh's eyes shone red in Observation, and he instantly gave up his attack. The remaining sunfire swallowed him whole and shot him outside the coming attack.

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"Extinction Order!"

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The attack landed before the Overlord could put up a defense. His furious eyes glared at the unforgiving blades of Ryushi digging at his chest, sending streams of Haki and crushing energy in.

"Guuhh!" Sol cried out in pain in his Sunbird form as his body took the full force of Damien's attack.

*Crack!* The Empyrean's crooked mouth warped into a grin, hearing the sweet sound of broken ribs. He continued shuttling more and more pulverizing energy in, wrapping it with Ryuo and Infusion.

Sol grunted under the destructive force, but his miserable cry was lost in the trembling lands. Not long before, he was again sent rocketing away.

Damien landed on the ground with a thud, free of injuries, with Rayleigh quickly joining him. 

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"That should leave a mark," The Dark King muttered as he saw the dust clouds afar and led up to a bubbling magma trail.

Damien nodded, "Yeah, but it's not enough."

"Ugh!" Sol woke up to see his body stuck in the ground; his Zoan-like form had collapsed. 

"I bet he's gonna roar in indignation at his bloody state," the Sin Incarnate guessed.

Rayleigh wiped some blood off his trusty blade. His eyes were still on the blade, but the carnage in the distance reflected a golden colour. "I second that."

*Purrup* Molten flames began dripping from Sol's pores, masking the blood. "How dare you put me in such an unsightly state!"

The waves of heat doubled, rippling through the area like a heartbeat. Its temperature was beyond what the likes of Damien and Rayleigh could interrupt.

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"Radiance Reborn!"

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The figure imploded on itself in a fiery spectacle, gracing the island with boiling flames. 

An ominous wind rained down as a new sight stood proud.

It was a humanoid figure that glowed as bright as the sun in the sky! His hair resembled a sun, his entire body leaking rays like a star. 

A golden ring floated behind the Overlord's back, floating in its heat.

Damien examined the humanoid figure with narrowed eyes. The new Sol stood 5 meters tall (16' 5") in his majestic new form.

"This is my 'Warrior of Liberation' form; be proud that you can lay your eyes on it." His golden irises carried a touch of supremacy as he declared, "It's time to end this!"

[Warrior of Liberation Image (in Discord)]

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[At Another Battle]

Shiki and Redfield have been clashing for hours now.

Redfield, a grandmaster of Observation, saw the slightest of flaws in any movement and took advantage of them with quick and clean strikes.

Shiki raised his swords into the sky as they shone a sharp light.

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"Golden Paradise!"

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He spun into a golden tornado and flowed downward the elegantly dressed pirate.

Redfield smiled while his umbrella-turned-polearm shined black with powerful Haki. Seeing the single concentration point of Shiki's attack, Redfield struck his polearm forwards.

*Clang!* A loud bang resounded as both Golden Lion's swords were stopped mid-air!

"Jihahaha!" Shiki used his Float-Float Fruit to retreat, his hands quickly tapping the ground along the way.

*Fwoooo* The air rumbled as large boulders of earth were raised above.

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"Lion's Threat: Imperial Earth Bind!"

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The hundreds of flying boulders suddenly swirled around like a belt of rocks before shooting forth mercilessly at the pirate below.

*Poof* Redfield exploded in a purple mist as he flashed through the flurry of attack, dodged most and cut a few while inching closer to the man in the sky.

Shiki responded by slashing tens of times in the sky, generating an equal number of sword arcs. Yet the energy arcs floated in the air—Shiki combined his powerful swordsmanship with his fruit power!

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"Lion Majesty: Scattering Valley!"

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It was a flurry of sword slashes that rained down with absolute dominance!

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[Nearby]

Two titanic pirates laughed and clashed with great zeal.

"Oye, Newgate," Roger called out amid the battle. "Is that kid going to be alright with Sol?" 

"Gurarara!" Whitebeard laughed. "Damien will be fine. You should be worried about Rayleigh." The towering pirate twirled his giant weapon around and slashed at Roger's Ace, "I bet you wouldn't want your right-hand man to die, now would you, Roger!"

BOOM!

The two Supreme Blades sparked black lightning all over while a future flashed by Roger's eyes. The weather above whirled around to his desire, reflecting his deep mastery. 

Whitebeard saw the change and attacked. 

A white bubble formed around the tip of his glaive, pulsing like a heartbeat. It then descended with unseen power, reflecting in Whitebeard's popping muscles.

Roger may have been a master of Haki and swordsmanship, but he was also a pirate! Seeing such a disastrous attack from his enemy, the man could only return with an equally powerful attack of his own.

Ace was clad in overwhelming Haki and crashed onto the coming glaive.

BOOOM!

The tremor bubble popped with extreme bursts of power, leaving the entire region cracked like glass to shatter apart.

Roger gave a crazy grin while his Haki flooded forth and pushed back the natural disaster, matching Whitebeard's strength—he brought a katana to tackle an underquake!

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[Upon the Raised Platform]

A lone figure sat in the center of the once-raised platform, which had already collapsed due to earthquakes, tornados, and other natural disasters.

*Gurrug* The man inhaled his alcohol as if it were oxygen; empty gourds of saké could be seen nearby.

"Xahaha! I knew that Sun fruit was special," Rocks muttered. His eyes were fixed on the scene three kilometers away.

The Abyssal Sin's eyes were locked onto the three figures in the distance: an unholy figure, a Haki-clad swordsman facing a reborn sun god.

"How far can that power of yours go, Sol?" Rayleigh questioned as he saw the new Overlord.

The man smirked, "My powers are infinite. You should bow down like the hundreds of thousands worldwide."

Meanwhile, Damien hummed at the change in temperature, feeling his skin under its armour starting to dry up. 'Looks like he's embodying the Radiative Zone of the Sun; no wonder the flames are like molten hell; even my skin is starting to boil.'

From his senses, Damien concluded that the Overlord had gone beyond the current Whitebeard and Roger, reaching that tippity-top of the Yonko Stage.

The Sin Incarnate pointed his weapon and questioned his enemy, "Oye, Sol," he called out, "you really have an obsession with Nika, don't you? Seriously, the 'Warrior of Liberation' Form."

The Overlord boomed with a laugh, "Sohohoho! I've heard the despairing cries of the weak since I was a child at Moraino Island. It's the same now as it was then—calling out for a legendary figure…me!"

Rayleigh bopped his glasses into place, finding the situation quite unnerving. "Quite arrogant."

Sol grinned past his divine form, "That is the Sin of Pride."

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"!!!"The Overlord's mellow expression soon warped into anger at the memory of his previous setbacks. 

*Bruuu* The heat began to churn, liquefying into a golden blaze, forming a weapon. It was a longsword of exciting design, sporting a guard in the shape of a sun, taking up the familiar golden majesty. 

[Weapon Image (in Discord)]

The allied pirates both saw grim futures ahead and jumped to defend. Not a moment later, the heat of the sun appeared before them.

*Clang!* Ryushi's clawed blade rumbled as the weight of a mountain crashed upon it. Crimson torrents of pulverizing energy swirled out, hoping to crush the attack.

Yet to no avail; with a boom, Damien's body was shot back at incredible speeds, blood leaking from his mouth.

Rayleigh coated himself with impressive Haki and spun around in a silver spectacle; his saber collided with Sol.

BAM!

The same scene repeated as if it were a broken record. Rayleigh, too, was rocketed back, his saber shaking with excess energy.

Sol did not stop. His body churned with molten flames, soon forming hundreds of fiery miniature suns.

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"Heliacal Solar Storm!"

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*Pew!* *Vooo!* *Zing!*

The wind howled at multiple frequencies as the attack raged onwards to the area where Damien and Rayleigh crashed.

The Sin Incarnate had healed from his injuries, all but his stamina.

His eyes shone red as his Future Sight kicked in. The thousands of mini-suns showered as if rain from a thunderstorm. No matter how fast they were, some pockets of hell were bound to slip by, dousing them in sunfire.

The two grimaced under the heat with their Haki barely holding up to defend.

Meanwhile, the large fiery ring floated behind Sol's back and suddenly moved.

*Whuru* *Whuru* It was spinning at incredible speeds and generated boiling-hot winds that rose into the sky and were pointed at the youngest of his adversaries.

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"Gaze of the Sun God!" 

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The halo acted like a magnifying glass, concentrating the sunbeams from above and directing them onto the two enemy pirates.

*Krrrrr* Damien felt the raging heat as his Empyrean Body began to melt; his Haki was ravaged!

"Damn!" Rayleigh's Haki fell apart, too, forcing him to use his sword in hopes of reflecting the light.

*Whir* *Whir* *Whir*

The halo spun faster, resembling a car wheel; the speed doubled, tripled, and even quintupled the concentration of the sunbeams.

""Ugh!"" the duo collectively grunted, their Haki melting off like clothes.

Sol scoffed, taking the open shot with his magnificent sword raised high. *Crackle* Black lightning arched around the blade, mixing with the divine heat and fire.

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"Los Helios!"

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The sword exploded with strength as it crashed into both pirates, ringing them with sunfire, Infusion Haki and booming strength.

Like stars, the two were sent across the burnt remnants of Glint Island, leaving behind a corroded trail of ruined rock.

…

*Cough* *Cough*

Under the considerable volume of dust was a broken humanoid figure; his mouth leaked with blood as his body was caved in a boulder.

Pieces of armour clattered to the floor, meeting a pool of blood.

The coughing was followed by an audible crack. "Haaaaaah," Damien exhaled, finally fixing the itch in his chest. It turned out that one of his ribs had broken and was stabbing at his heart! 

The Sin Incarnate clawed out, shaking his head from the ringing.

Crashed not far from the young pirate was Rayleigh.

"...Quite the monster he is…" he mumbled as his beard was dripping in blood. The senior pirate's clothes were ripped, and his upper-right torso had a deep scar that was caused by Sol's attack.

Damien looked over with solemnity, "Rayleigh… might wanna have that eye checked out."

The swordsman touched his right eye, tracing a large vertical cut, yet his eyeball was miraculously intact.

"Huhaehahaha! I got quite lucky there, isn't that right, young man?" 

Damien rolled his eyes, "You seem quite cheery for a man who was shot a thousand meters by a humanoid star."

"I guess we're in the same boat then."

"Hmm, let's agree not to let this boat sink any further, no, old man?" Damien grinned in reply.

"I'm only thirty-nine," the golden-haired pirate muttered, "don't make me sound so grey."

*Rumble*

They both looked into the distant rumbling. Sol slowly walked towards them as if trying to seem menacing. The lands behind him were scorched and charred black, crackling with orange flames.

"If our captains remain so laid-back, then I'm afraid this will be rather difficult," Rayleigh chuckled.

Damien then saw Rayleigh puff out a deep exhale.

*Fwwm!* The air flooded around his entire body as both arms and legs were covered in Haki, and rather detailed lines extended over his chest to his back; all the while, it formed a black crown of sorts upon his forehead.

Sparks of black lightning arched about the majestic figure—a true Dark King, so to speak.

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"I suggest we take advantage of the only thing we surpass him on."

Damien hummed in agreement as the future was open to them.

"A speedy and unforgiving assault—got it."

Ryushi, which was held in his grasp, suddenly shook under its user's command.

*Vrrrr* The clawed blades started to boil and warp into a fluid-like shape: the metal flowed around as the wooden staff shifted in size—the blade was changing forms!

The resulting shape was a staff mixed with a sword, 10 feet long (~3 m). It featured a sleek, crimson blade with intricate patterns, giving it a fiery and menacing appearance. Its hilt was adorned with elaborate, silver-like designs, strikingly contrasting the blade. 

The craftsmanship suggests a balance between elegance and deadly efficiency.

[Ravager Image (in Discord)]

Rayleigh admired the Supreme Weapon, but what he saw in the immediate future was even more surprising, "I've never seen that before."

"I had some spare time after G-2," came a casual reply. The pulverizing-red bubbled, "My fight with Basara left me wanting a more flexible and sustainable mode of attack."

Clicks and clacks went off as the bubbling energy was armoured in Haki. But it wasn't before a few unsecured energy streams burst out from the figure's back, forming wing-like appendages.

*Hiss* The frantic energy was quickly dialled down, going from the Empyrean form's unstable mist to a very silent and dormant version.

What remained was a formidable, armoured figure exuding raw power and menace. It was encased in dark, jagged Haki with glowing red fissures up to its masked face and wings.

"Haaah," Damien exhaled, feeling the transformation; he looked like an angel from hell. 

Sol was too prideful to interrupt the transformation of his enemies and smirked in reply. Damien's words were music to his ears as he welcomed the challenge:

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"Hadean Release."

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[Image (in Discord)]

To Be Continued…

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Author's Corner.

The original Hadean was just something I found on Pinterest. It didn't really connect with what I wanted, but it was all I had. Now, I can generate what I want, to a degree.

Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q