Jin An stood there, with the blade lowered, the faint cold light reflecting a faint glow in the sunlight.

He stared quietly at the soldiers swarming towards him.

There was no trace of fear on their faces, only an expression of indifference that was almost mechanical. They pounced on him like zombies, regardless of their lives.

"what happened?"

He frowned slightly, feeling something was wrong.

These are no ordinary enemies.

He had seen countless enemies become fearful, hesitant, and even collapse in desperate situations.

But the people in front of them were completely different - even though they knew they were no match for their opponents, even though their companions fell one after another, they remained unshaken, as if some invisible force was driving them to charge forward.

Jin An did not act rashly. He swept his eyes across the battlefield, taking in every detail.

The broken land, the fallen corpses, the soldiers' chaotic yet persistent offensive... everything points to some strange order.

He suddenly raised his head and locked his gaze on the Five Elder Stars in the distance.

The five men stood quietly on the high ground, looking down at the entire battlefield, their expressions normal, even with a faint smile on their lips. This smile was like a cold knife, piercing Jin An's heart.

"Could it be..."

Jin'an's heart was shocked, and an uneasy guess emerged in his mind.

In the following battle, he deliberately slowed down his offensive and focused more on the enemy.

He noticed that every time the soldiers were about to fall, an inexplicable force would surge out of them, allowing them to stand up and fight again.

What concerned him even more was that the eyes of those soldiers were always empty, as if their souls had been taken away.

"Sure enough."

A chill ran up Jinan's spine.

His gaze turned to the Five Elders again. They were still standing there with indifferent expressions, as if they were watching a play.

Their hands did not move, but Jin An knew in his heart that the real control was in their grasp.

“These people are not fighting for themselves at all.”

A huge rage rose up in his heart.

This was the method he hated the most - depriving a person of their will and turning them into a zombie-like puppet.

He remembered the conceited expressions of the Five Elders and Jaygolucia Satan's words, "The fun has just begun."

This isn't just a battle, it's a test.

"These soldiers are nothing more than pawns in the hands of the Five Elders. What is their real purpose?"

Jinan's gaze became sharper.

He knew he had to break this situation as soon as possible.

Otherwise, not only the immediate battle, but the entire Elbaf and even the New World may become their testing grounds.

"In that case, I will cut off your 'thread' first!"

Jin An took a deep breath and raised the blade again.

His gaze no longer lingered on these soldiers, but pointed directly at the location of the Five Elder Stars.

Before the sword flashed, the aura between heaven and earth had already solidified.

Even those puppet-like soldiers stopped involuntarily, as if they felt an irresistible pressure.

"Let's end this farce."

His voice was low but firm, like an order that could not be disobeyed, echoing in every corner of the battlefield.

......

On the battlefield of Elbaf, the killing is in full swing.

The smell of blood and fire permeated the air, and the shadow of death shrouded every corner.

However, in a slightly higher place, the Five Elders looked so leisurely that it was chilling.

Izambalon V. Nasujuro Saint narrowed his eyes and stared at the battlefield below. There was no trace of pity in his eyes, only indifference and expectation of death.

His fingers gently stroked the long staff in front of him, as if touching some mysterious power.

He murmured in a low voice:

"Kill them. The more you kill, the better... The thicker the blood, the stronger the effect of the ritual."

Shepard ten Peter Saint on the side casually smoothed his sleeves, as if he was preparing for an upcoming performance.

He raised a scornful smile and said lightly:

“I was worried that there wouldn’t be enough sacrifices, after all, the number of people Jinan brought was limited.

But unexpectedly, this battle became a boost for us.

Seeing how fiercely they fight, wouldn't it be better to have more sacrifices?"

He spoke in a light tone, as if he was discussing the dishes of a feast rather than tens of thousands of lives.

Saint Jaygolucia Satan simply sat on a protruding rock, as if this battle was a stage prepared for him.

He clapped his hands lightly and smiled with great pride:

“Come to think of it, my previous performance was pretty good, right?

It attracted the big fish Whitebeard, and also attracted so many giants and new navy to join the battle."

His tone was somewhat sarcastic.

“These people are so easy to deceive, they are all rushing to die.

They don’t know that everything about them has already been part of our plan.”

Before he finished speaking, he raised his head, as if he saw a higher existence through the layers of dark clouds.

His voice lowered a little, and a fanatical light flashed in his eyes:

“With so many sacrifices, Lord Yimu will surely be satisfied.

When that moment comes, the world will once again have true order."

Upon hearing this, Izambaron V. Nasujuro showed a sinister smile.

He looked at the battlefield in the distance and seemed to see the lives of those people slipping away bit by bit, turning into some kind of invisible energy gathering together.

He whispered:

“Their blood and souls will become the most perfect gift for this ceremony.

Whether it's Jin'an, Whitebeard, or Loki...

They will eventually realize that it is futile to resist us."

The conversation between the Five Elders was faintly discernible in the wind, and the coldness and calculation revealed in their expressions made people shudder.

They did not feel nervous at all because of the situation on the battlefield. On the contrary, they enjoyed it all, as if this brutal battle was just a game they had carefully designed.

"The more complex the game, the more exciting the outcome,"

Jaygolusia Satan Saint laughed softly,

"Now, all that's left is the last step of the ceremony..."

......

In Mary Geoise, the holy place perched high atop the Red Earth Continent, the empty throne hall was filled with an oppressive chill.

In the deep shadows, Yim's figure loomed, like the embodiment of darkness itself.

The huge instrument in front of her emitted a dim light, like a silently beating heart, emitting strange energy fluctuations.

This mysterious instrument seemed to be greedily devouring something. It was a mass of mist-like energy, mixed with the faint whimper of blood and soul, which was gathering into shape little by little.

Yim stared at the slowly growing energy body, his eyes flashing with a strange light that was unfathomable.

She stretched out a pale and slender hand and gently touched the surface of the energy body, feeling the strong life fluctuations and painful echoes within it.

“It’s not enough.”

Her voice was low, with an inexplicable coldness and dissatisfaction, as if all these efforts were just preliminary preparations and were still a long way from her goal.

She turned and walked to the side of the hall, where a huge black mirror was embedded in the wall.

The battlefield of Elbaf emerged in the mirror, a chaotic purgatory:

The blood dyed the earth red, corpses piled up like mountains, and the Titans, the New Navy, the Whitebeard Pirates and even the World Government’s army were all struggling desperately in the intertwined killings.

Yim stared coldly at the scene in the mirror, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, as if she was disdainful of those struggling lives, and seemed to have the current situation under control.

She raised her hand and gently stroked the mirror, as if trying to capture the breath of souls from the distant battlefield:

“War is the perfect harvest ground.

However, the current offerings are not rich enough.

Those useless guys need to step up their game.”

Her voice was light, but it was as chilling as the biting cold wind in winter, which made people feel cold.

...

...