Chapter 286

The sky was filled with thunderous bursts of lightning, and an overwhelming surge of Haki radiated through the battlefield.

In the high-speed clash between Zyhark and Kaido, even the air seemed to explode with booming roars, causing the very earth to tremble and crack wherever they collided!

The magnitude of their battle was so immense that even pirates and marines observing from the seas surrounding Wano Country could feel the waves churning beneath their ships.

For members of the Beasts Pirates and Big Mom Pirates on Onigashima, this was a spectacle that shook them to their core.

Simply being in the battle's outskirts was a trial of endurance, with its own risks as stray lightning and cutting winds occasionally threatened their lives.

"You're able to match me in sheer physical prowess to this extent? You're really something…" Kaido muttered, blocking Zyhark's twin blades aimed straight at his throat. He was truly shaken as he observed Zyhark, whose strength seemed only to climb higher with each clash.

Though it was subtle, Kaido could feel his own Haki and power depleting with every strike, as if it were being forcibly drained rather than simply expended.

Though he had heard rumors from Linlin about this ability, experiencing it firsthand left Kaido with a sense of its inescapability.

If Zyhark could indeed absorb without limits, not even his formidable Zoan recovery could withstand such attrition!

"You all claim I have a unique racial gift, right? So, absorbing a bit of power shouldn't be too much to expect," Zyhark said, acknowledging his power as he clashed with Kaido again.

With Kaido being a master of all three types of Haki, it was impossible to hide such an ability from him.

Still, Zyhark couldn't help but be impressed by Kaido. The title of the world's strongest creature was not for nothing; Kaido's stamina seemed bottomless, never waning even as it was drained. Had this been Big Mom, her breathing and Haki would already be irregular!

"Interesting, Zyhark! This is far too interesting!" Kaido laughed, his eyes turning steely and ruthless. "Let me show you that in the face of absolute strength, all these tricks are futile!"

With a roar, Kaido's right arm swelled, infusing his entire Haki into his spiked club.

"Thunder Bagua!!"

The strike crashed down with mountain-like weight, sending Zyhark, despite his full defense, hurtling backward.

Yet Kaido showed no intention of halting his onslaught. His dragon form twisted, crushing the ground beneath as he launched himself forward with explosive momentum.

Purple lightning shattered the air as he caught up to Zyhark mid-flight, his massive shadow casting an unparalleled sense of dread.

With crimson eyes glinting fiercely, Kaido raised his spiked club, gathering all the unleashed purple lightning into a devastating Haki-infused blow that could rival a nuclear explosion.

"Daibutsu: Raimei Hakke!"

BOOM!

Kaido's club shattered Zyhark's lightning armor, tearing it into fragments of arcing electricity.

The impact drove Zyhark downwards, crashing through layer upon layer of solid ground until he reached the depths of Onigashima.

With Kaido's relentless Observational Haki tracking every move, Zyhark's high-mobility power from the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was rendered nearly useless. Though Zyhark had honed his Haki to elite levels, he was still stretched thin compared to Kaido's centuries of training.

In such an intense battle, even a small gap in strength became glaringly apparent.

Kaido withdrew his club, resting it on his shoulder as he gazed down at the smoldering crater below, assuming victory was near. But just as he prepared to press his advantage, a strange sight flashed before his eyes—a scene of him shattering the ground to unleash his ultimate attack.

'What's going on? Why is my Future Sight showing me moments from the past?' Kaido's brow furrowed in confusion.

He trusted his Haki implicitly, ruling out any lapse in focus.

Before he could understand the phenomenon, ripples of mysterious energy emerged from the point where Zyhark had fallen, spreading outward in a distortion of time and space.

In that instant, time froze. Everyone, including Big Mom and the onlooking pirates, was suspended with expressions captured in perfect clarity.

Dust retreated, stones reversed course, and the shattered ground restored itself. Kaido's raised club swung again, Zyhark's lightning armor reformed, and even Kaido's aggressive pursuit rewound to its origin point.

Normal time resumed.

BOOM!

The dragon's claws struck the ground once more.

'This…familiar feeling…'

Poised to strike, Kaido paused, his battle-honed instincts sensing something amiss.

In battles of this caliber, victory was often determined by the slightest shift, so he pushed down his suspicions and lunged after the airborne Zyhark, once again encircling himself with purple lightning as he charged.

As Kaido approached from above, ready to deliver a devastating blow, he noticed a shocking sight: between Zyhark's hands, blackened lightning was crackling ominously.

Zyhark, having reversed time, looked up with a calm smile. "At this range, even for you, it won't be a walk in the park."

With a smirk, he released the energy between his palms, pressing it against Kaido's massive chest.

"300 Million Volts: Black Flash Railgun!!"

ZAP!

A colossal pillar of black lightning surged skyward, disintegrating everything in its path.

The ferocity of the blast was such that even seasoned pirates hundreds of meters away turned pale, stunned by its sheer might.

Were it not for King and Katakuri intercepting the shockwave, the devastated land would have taken the spectators with it.

Only then did the onlooking pirates, sheltered by the aura of the Four Emperors, fully grasp their utter unworthiness to even watch this battle.

Some, overcome by fear, began to slowly retreat, wishing to escape the hellish battlefield.

Surprisingly, the officers of the Emperors did nothing to stop them, recognizing that escape would be futile if Kaido and Big Mom fell.

"Kaido…"

Big Mom, who had been observing from her cake throne, finally stood, grabbing Zeus and Prometheus, ready to intervene at any moment.

"Not bad for this generation's fighters. I'm not sure, but I may have sensed a trace of time power," murmured Ishtar, the goddess skilled in combat yet poor in strategy, but with extraordinary perception.

Seeing Big Mom's stance, another eager goddess clenched her fists, itching to join. The thrilling battle had stirred her blood.

Amidst the tense standoff, Kaido's voice rang out from within the black lightning pillar.

"Don't underestimate me, you hag! Who do you think I am?!"

With dark red lightning crackling around him, Kaido's muscles ached and throbbed painfully, yet he hadn't been flung away.

Barely holding his ground, he raised his fist from within the 300 million volts of Armament Haki-charged lightning.

"A monster…" Zyhark admitted, in genuine awe.

Even after deploying one of his trump cards, time reversal, and gaining a massive advantage, Kaido had endured. The world's strongest creature, indeed.

But...

Zyhark halted the Black Flash output, focusing all the energy into his right fist, electricity arcing as he prepared his final move.

I have nothing to fear now!

As the black lightning faded, both combatants' Haki-infused fists swung in unison, striking each other's faces with comet-like force.

Blood sprayed, and a terrifying shockwave erupted from their impact.

Zyhark was driven deep underground, while Kaido was blasted high into the sky.

Though both were monstrous in endurance, neither blow was enough to conclude this ultimate showdown.

Recovering first, Zyhark thrust his hands into the solid rock.

"Sword of the Abyss: Divine Punishment of the Twelve!"

The earth fractured as twelve towering magma pillars shot skyward, striking Kaido mid-air with explosive impact.

A mushroom cloud of smoke and fire billowed, as Kaido's dragon head emerged, scarred but furious.

Transforming into his Azure Dragon form, Kaido's maw filled with glowing energy particles.

"Heat Breath!!"

A blazing beam fired downward, aiming for Zyhark as he climbed from the crater.

Red lights flared in Zyhark's eyes as he increased his speed to narrowly evade the beam.

But Kaido, anticipating this, turned his head, the beam sweeping toward Zyhark, cutting a deep trench through the land.

Realizing he couldn't escape, Zyhark surged with electricity, becoming a blur of lightning as he leapt skyward just as the beam hit.

BOOM!

The Heat Breath blasted far into Wano's seas, triggering an explosion that evaporated at least ten pirate ships watching from afar.

"Wind Destruction!"

High above, Kaido continued his relentless attacks, unleashing torrents of wind blades coated in Armament Haki.

Zyhark, observing the incoming assault, smirked. "A multi-directional assault with no blind spots? Perfect, let me show you my new skill, Kaido."

As the blades neared, Zyhark raised his right arm, slicing the air with a graceful motion.

Golden rings appeared behind him, reflecting countless divine weapons—swords, axes, spears, tridents—poised for attack.

The sight left Kaido momentarily stunned.

Big Mom, who'd previously fought Zyhark herself, broke into a cold sweat, recognizing the caliber of those weapons, each comparable to a great sword of the finest craft.

This brat… had he been raiding arsenals over these years? How else could he have acquired such an arsenal?!

"Impossible, is that…?"

Even the normally unphased Ishtar couldn't remain calm.

From her view, a proud, golden figure overlapped with Zyhark, "Gilgamesh's ability?!"

In her brief shock, Zyhark lowered his hand with a commanding gesture.

"By my will, heed the call, weapons of the gods—go!"

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

The divine arsenal launched in a relentless assault, instantly shattering Kaido's wind barriers and detonating against him in a series of destructive explosions.

(End of Chapter)