Seeing Ryuen's attack, the winged Yatagarasu was the first to act.
His eyes were burning with rage as he flew straight toward the falling fireball. But at that moment, Kong—the Supreme Commander—shouted to stop him:
"Saint Mars!"
"Something's wrong with that fire—don't touch it!"
But Saint Mars ignored the warning and charged at the fireball without hesitation.
Even the massive sandworm on the ground reared up like a sea dragon, raising its huge, snake-like body. Its jaws opened wide, as if it wanted to swallow the entire fireball from the sky!
"AHHH!!"
Suddenly, a terrible scream echoed through the air like the cry of an owl at night.
Kong, Saint Garling, the sandworm, the skeletal horse, the tusked beast, and Gyuki—all looked up at the sky in pure shock.
They saw Yatagarasu, who had just touched the fireball, and in that instant—half of his body had already been burned away.
And the truth was...
~~~~~~
Itsumade was already able to control a special flame with extremely high heat!
With only half a head left, he endured the searing pain from the terrifying flames and flapped his wings with all his strength, trying to fly his half-burned body away from the fireball.
"What the hell is this flame?! It's insanely hot—so hot even Saint Mars, who has trained in the way of fire for 800 years, can't take it!!!" Satan Saint, in his Gyuki form, stared with wide eyes.
His face was full of shock, and he shouted loudly, his voice filled with fear and awe toward this unknown power.
"Get out of the way!"
Saint Garling's eyes were wide with fury, and a thunderous roar shook the air, as if sounding the alarm for everyone to escape the danger.
The group of old men snapped out of it like waking from a dream.
Their reactions were shockingly fast—almost as if they had been filled with some kind of endless power. They darted off in all directions at lightning speed, each one racing away from the shadow of that fireball like it was hiding a demon that could destroy everything.
"BOOM!!!"
A deafening explosion rocked all of Mary Geoise!
The massive, blazing fireball—like a burning sun or falling star—slammed straight into the solemn and imposing Hall of Power, the symbol of the world's highest authority.
In an instant—
All of Mary Geoise seemed to shake from the impact.
The Hall of Power vanished the moment it touched the fire. Even Pangaea Castle was completely wiped out, leaving behind a huge, lava-filled crater.
Flames and lava churned all around, lighting up the sky.
It felt like the order of the world had collapsed in that moment, falling into total chaos.
All over Mary Geoise—
Anyone who had been close to the crater was burned by the unbearable heat. The entire area was filled with screams, and countless Celestial Dragons were either killed or badly hurt in the blast!
Far from anyone's eyes—
A few strange-looking birds, moving like humans, operated cameras and recorded everything that had just happened.
Even the moment the fireball struck was caught on film.
This was proof of the Dream Team's counterattack against the World Government!
Not far from the lava crater—
Kong, Saint Garling, Sandworm, Bakotsu, Fengxi, and Gyuki—
All of them were full of fear and relief—relieved they had dodged that terrifying fireball just in time, and deeply disturbed by the strange and deadly flames Ryuen had used.
Not far away—
Saint Mars, who had just returned to his normal form, was pale and gasping like a panicked animal.
The burning pain from just moments ago felt like it had been burned deep into his very soul, something he would never forget!
(Lindgas: Lord Ryuen, please don't! That strange bird is the ancestor of our whole family!)
In a flash—
"Ryuen!!!"
Suddenly, all of Mary Geoise shook from a thunderous roar. Fengxi, like a wild boar, let out a deafening bellow toward the sky!
The roar exploded like thunder—and it carried Conqueror's Haki with it!
In that instant, black and red lightning spread out like a spiderweb. The sea of clouds, already red and burning from Ryuen's fire, scattered completely under Fengxi's roar!
Even Ryuen in the sky was shaken by the sound, his mind thrown into chaos.
Ryuen steadied himself and shouted:
"Hiss~"
"What a terrifying Conqueror's roar. If I were any closer, I might've been hurt by it~"
"But, oh so noble Celestial Dragons, I still want to ask—facing *my* version of a 'Buster Call,' how do you feel? Like you've fallen into an icy pit? Feels great, doesn't it?"
"Hahahahahaha!!!"
Up in the sky, Ryuen's wild laughter echoed, each note cutting like a sharp blade straight into the hearts of Kong, Saint Garling, and the Five Elders.
At the same time, Ryuen stayed on high alert.
He wasn't about to come down so easily.
Though he had full confidence in his flames—and based on his own calculations—even if the Five Elders had some kind of strange regeneration granted by Imu, if they were completely turned to ash by his fire, there should be no way for them to come back.
Still, his advantage now was his ability to fly, and his powerful flames. If he got into close combat with those old monsters, he knew he didn't stand a chance.
At Pangaea Castle, in the Room of Flowers—
"This ability is truly extraordinary. It's a pity it doesn't serve me. What a shame… those old fossils are getting more and more useless…"
A voice came from within the Room of Flowers. It was hard to tell whether it was male or female, like a ghost whispering from the shadows.
No one knew if others could hear it.
But—
Ryuen in the sky, Kong, Saint Garling, and the Five Elders—they all clearly heard the voice.
In the very next instant—
Kong, Saint Garling, and the Five Elders dropped to their knees as if under a spell, all facing the Room of Flowers, shouting in unison:
"Lord Imu~"
As the Supreme Commander of the military, Kong, and the leader of Imu's knight guard, Saint Garling, still managed to maintain some composure.
But the Five Elders looked as if their spines had been ripped out. Their bodies shrank back into human form, and fear overtook their faces. They trembled uncontrollably, like candles flickering in the wind, barely holding on.
In the sky, Ryuen's expression turned heavy and cold.
This was the first time he'd heard the voice of the king of this world. It felt like the roar of a demon from the depths of hell, sending a chill straight down his spine.
Right at that moment, Admiral Kizaru, having received his orders, arrived at Pangaea Castle at lightning speed.
But—
The moment he arrived, the scene before him left him frozen in place, stunned and speechless.
"Sengoku-san~"
"Looks like... he doesn't really need my help after all…"
---
You can read 10 Chapters ahead on my
pat reon.com/GMadman