One Piece: The Unrivaled Dragon Man: I am God's Agent!

Chapter 291: The Abnormal Distortion of the River of Time

Although the core of nothingness was destroyed, the rules of the universe did not return to complete stability; instead, they exhibited a more profound distortion. The Guardians' ships restarted, heading towards a completely new anomalous region—the River of Time, a flowing timeline traversing the universe, connecting different dimensions of spacetime. Selena, through instrumental analysis, discovered that the uncontrolled flow of time originated from this River of Time.

“It is facing an unprecedented shock.” Selena said gravely, “These distortions are not natural time anomalies, but some external force forcibly interfering with the flow of time.”

Ares stood before the spaceship's control panel, his gaze profound. "The power of nothingness has not only destroyed the rift, but its aftershocks have begun to erode the very foundation of the universe. Now, time and space are collapsing, we can feel its presence, and every corner of the universe is gradually moving towards nothingness."

Wagner gripped his battle axe and smiled. "That's right! I'm just waiting to fight it! These rule-breakers are taking on us. It's time to show them the determination of humanity."

Selena pulled up the star map, her gaze sweeping intently over the area. "The place we're heading to now is the entrance to the River of Time. There, once the flow of time completely collapses, the past and future of the entire universe will vanish."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Wagner strode forward, clearly impatient. "Let's break down these illusory 'barriers'!"

The spaceship entered the boundary of the River of Time, and as they traversed the rift in spacetime, the scene before them underwent a startling transformation. The flow of time and space was no longer linear; past, present, and future intertwined, and all matter began to take on a blurred form.

"This is impossible!" Selena stared at the data on the screen, her expression one of astonishment. "The surrounding energy fluctuations have become completely disordered, and the trajectory of time no longer conforms to any known rules."

“We must delve deeper and find the source of the rupture,” Ares said calmly. “The power of nothingness is tearing the river of time apart, and we must stop it.”

The spaceship passed through the first time rift and entered a seemingly normal area, but the scene around them stunned the three. Before them lay a familiar sight—they had returned to several months earlier, to the moment the spaceship had just entered the rift's core. Everything seemed to be repeating itself.

"This...is a memory from the past?" Wagner looked at the scene before him in confusion.

“No.” Selena stared intently at the data. “This is a distortion of time. It not only brings the past back to life, but also introduces the possibilities of the future into reality. What we are seeing is not the real past, but a time illusion manipulated by nothingness.”

"Is this the power of nothingness?" Ares's voice was deep. "It not only manipulates reality, but also affects time itself."

Suddenly, the scene before them began to shift drastically, with past, present, and future flashing alternately, as if the entire universe was on the verge of collapse. The spaceship began to go out of control, the flow of time became increasingly rapid, the surrounding space began to compress, and the cracks grew ever larger.

"We're going to die!" Selena gripped the control panel tightly. "The ship's systems are collapsing, and the distortion of time is destroying us!"

The spaceship's propulsion system began to malfunction, and the three of them were struggling to breathe under immense pressure. Ares closed his eyes slightly, concentrating his mind, trying to sense the changes in his surroundings.

“The flow of time must be stabilized,” Ares said firmly. “I need to find the core of this space.”

"You're going alone?" Wagner frowned. "It's too dangerous here! This isn't something you can handle alone."

“I don’t plan to go alone,” Ares replied softly. “The three of us are a team, and the Void is our common enemy. We must work together to defeat it.”

Selena quickly activated the spaceship's energy system, attempting to reverse the surrounding spacetime energy. She understood that the essence of nothingness was the destruction of rules, and only by re-establishing the balance of spacetime could she find a way out of this chaos.

"Give me five minutes." Selena began adjusting the spaceship system without hesitation.

"I'll hold them off!" Wagner raised his battle axe, ready to meet the fragments of time that appeared around him. As time fluctuated, battles of the past and monsters of the future appeared in this space, and the void seemed to be constantly creating new threats.

"Selena, hurry!" Ares's voice came through the communicator. "If we can't stabilize the flow of time, this space will devour us."

As the fragments of time collided violently, the entire space collapsed instantly, and the spaceship shook violently. Ares's runic sword began to emit a brilliant light, and with the vibration of the blade, an invisible force gradually stabilized the surrounding space. The cracks that were touched by the sword energy began to shrink the instant they were touched, and the chaotic flow of time began to slowly return to normal.

But at this moment, the true nature of nothingness finally revealed itself—it is not merely a form of energy, but a consciousness that transcends rules and exists beyond all dimensions. This consciousness is almost imperceptible and intangible; it is intimately connected to every fragment of time and every ounce of spatial energy in the universe.

"Do you think that nothingness is merely destruction?" The voice of nothingness was deep and hollow. "All the suffering you have endured is a trial I have given you. Your existence is nothing but a product of the failure of the universe's rules. You cannot change your predetermined fate."

A resolute glint flashed in Ares's eyes: "You're wrong, nothingness! Your so-called failed creations have value. We are not slaves to the rules; we fight for ourselves, for the universe!"

The void's consciousness let out a cold laugh, and space began to fluctuate again. "Your existence, no matter how you resist, will eventually be erased. Even if you destroy the rift, you cannot stop the void's return."

"Then I'll show you what hope is!" Ares roared, and the rune sword once again burst forth with endless light.

With Ares's roar, the energy within the spaceship erupted in a tremendous shockwave, and the flow of time began to return to its normal course. The power of the Void was suppressed once more, and although its consciousness still permeated every dimension, the power of the Guardians gradually surpassed its control.

The time rift began to close gradually, and the collapse of the star cluster was temporarily averted. The void consciousness did not completely dissipate; it still lurked in every corner of the universe, waiting for its chance to strike.

“The Void won’t give up easily.” Selena stopped what she was doing and sighed deeply. “But at least for now, its threat has been suppressed.”

Ares stood on the deck of the spaceship, gazing at the distant stars, knowing full well that the consciousness of nothingness would never truly disappear, just as the laws of the universe could never completely control everything. His gaze was resolute, realizing that the task ahead was not just to save a star cluster, but to stop the expansion of nothingness on a larger scale.

“This battle may only be the beginning,” Ares murmured to himself, “but we have found a way to face it. The power of nothingness is strong, but it cannot destroy our faith.”

Wagner walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder: "Then let's keep fighting, shall we?"

Selena nodded in agreement: "Yes, the battle is far from over. What we must do is keep going until the shadow of nothingness is completely gone."