When Masato Seiryu learned that the Rebellion Corps and the Wild Dragon Division had simultaneously invaded the Land of Lucenia and the G1 Shinobi Command Post, threatening the sacred citadel of Marijo, he knew the truth immediately—
the Five Elders of the Divine Council could not possibly all be gathered at the G18 Fortress today.
And yet, he didn't care.
This was his chance to eliminate one of the Four Great Legends.
He could feel it—the energy around Elder Hakujin was unstable, his life force flickering like a torch in the wind.
If he didn't strike now, when would he ever get the chance again?
At that same moment, the Phoenix Sage and the Flame Fist were racing through the sky to protect Hakujin, while Lady Yonko, blazing with fury, launched her assault.
Thunder, fire, and slicing winds tore through the heavens toward the three figures midair.
Iron Fist Garo, watching from below, prepared to intercept Lady Yonko's storm to shield Aizo and Hakujin—
but before he could act, a wave of crushing pressure exploded across the battlefield.
A roar split the air.
Crimson lightning coiled like serpents through the storm clouds.
From that infernal light burst a massive winged creature—a monstrous serpent-bird, its body shrouded in divine energy. It descended from the heavens, its wings flaring as it dived toward Hakujin with murderous speed.
"Garo! As the Divine Elder, I command you—attack Hakujin at once! Destroy that treacherous shinobi!"
"Dominion Cry!"
"Feather Severance!"
Masato Seiryu, now fully transformed into the divine beast Yatagarasu, his voice echoing like thunder, issued the command that forced obedience from all beneath him.
His massive wings slashed twice, unleashing twin arcs of condensed chakra that ripped through the sky toward Hakujin's flagship below.
From his beak erupted a shockwave wrapped in blood-red lightning—the King's Aura of his divine will—ripping through the air straight toward Hakujin, engulfing not only him but also the Phoenix Sage and the Flame Fist who guarded him.
The sudden arrival of one of the Five Divine Elders left Iron Fist Garo momentarily frozen.
He'd been ready to shield Aizo from Lady Yonko's attack, but now, faced with a direct order from the Council—should he obey?
If he attacked Hakujin as ordered, the man would be struck from three directions at once—by Lady Yonko, Yatagarasu, and himself.
Even Hakujin couldn't survive that.
And if Hakujin fell, Aizo would surely die next.
Caught between family and command, Garo's mind flickered with doubt.
Then, after one sharp breath, he closed his eyes.
He had made his choice.
With a single step, he vanished into the air, reappearing beside Hakujin in mid-flight.
He drove his fist forward—
but his position placed him directly between Lady Yonko and Hakujin.
From below, Aizo's eyes went wide with disbelief. He shouted, "Old man—don't hurt him!"
But before the words left his mouth, a bolt of thunder-fire chakra smashed into Garo's back.
Iron Fist Garo—the hero of the shinobi world—was struck down.
The Elder's command had driven him into battle, but in his haste to obey, he'd "accidentally" taken the brunt of Lady Yonko's wrathful strike.
The explosion was deafening.
A torrent of blood burst from Garo's mouth as his body crashed into the sea below, raising a wave that dwarfed the ships around him.
Everyone froze.
Even Aizo—his breath caught in his throat.
Far away, aboard the floating fortress Ark Oracle, Souta Kiryuu shot up from his throne.
"Damn it!" he spat, slamming a fist on the armrest.
He didn't know whether to curse Garo for pulling his punches or the Elders for showing up at all.
And Masato Seiryu, watching through his divine projection, seethed in fury.
That cursed bloodline of the D-clan! Always unreliable!
Instead of aiding the strike, Garo had taken Lady Yonko's attack head-on.
The perfect chance to finish Hakujin—ruined.
A traitor. That had to be it.
Souta's father, once branded a rebel, and now Garo—clearly the same tainted lineage.
At that moment, not only Masato Seiryu but even the other Four Elders back in Marijo marked Garo for death.
No one—neither the Steel Fist Commander nor Sage Fukuro—could ever save him again.
At the Shinobi Command HQ, Sage Fukuro sank heavily into his chair, face pale.
"It's over," he whispered.
He'd long tolerated Garo's theatrics—pretending to miss, pretending to stall—but to openly defy an Elder's command in front of the world? It was suicidal.
The name "Hero of the Shinobi World" could no longer protect him.
Even if Fukuro gave up his rank, Garo was finished.
Then, in the sky above, something impossible happened.
Masato Seiryu's Dominion Cry—a technique infused with divine will—should have been unstoppable. He thought it had failed to harm Hakujin.
But then—
Boom!
Hakujin's massive frame convulsed. He clutched his chest, blood spraying from his lips as the shockwave hurled him through the air.
Aizo's horrified gaze was still fixed on Garo's sinking form when, in the next instant, his father figure—the man he called "Old Man"—was struck down as well.
Two pillars of his world, both crushed in a single moment.
Aizo's scream tore through the sky.
"Lady Yonko! Elders of the Divine Council!!!"
Blood trickled between his clenched teeth as raw chakra surged from his body.
A wild, immature yet ferocious King's Aura burst forth, clashing against Masato's divine pressure.
"Old man!" he roared again.
The Phoenix Sage, ignoring everything else, spread his azure wings and dove after Hakujin. He would not—could not—let him fall into the sea.
"Impressive… Roger's son indeed," Masato muttered coldly. "But this level of will is far from enough."
With that, his wings beat again, and he charged—this time straight at Aizo.
"Today, the bloodline of the Pirate King ends forever!"
On the battlefield below, the Diamond Division and the Flower Sword Unit struggled desperately to counter Masato's twin slashes.
Captain Jozu forced his crystalline armor to hold, absorbing one of the blows—but it sent him crashing through the ship's deck, leaving devastation in its wake.
The others diverted the second wave, yet even so, half the main mast split apart, crashing into the sea.
The fall of the great flagship felt like the fall of an era.
Viewers across the world, watching through projection orbs, held their breath. The legend of a generation seemed to crumble before their eyes.
The arrival of a Divine Elder changed everything.
Lady Yonko, once burning with rage, instantly retreated from the Elder's domain. She knew better than to challenge a god-tier opponent who could summon his peers at will.
Even she hadn't meant to blast Garo into the sea—it was too absurd, too perfect. He was probably lurking underwater, ready to strike again.
Elsewhere, Lord Akashi, the Red-Haired Sage, saw the balance of war tilt beyond repair.
He'd meant only to weaken the Beast Clan and the Wild Dragon Division—not to hand total victory to the Elders.
If the Elders purged all four of the Great Legends today, it wouldn't be balance—it would be domination by the Divine Council.
Then, he saw Masato Seiryu dive toward the furious, unstable Aizo.
His eyes narrowed.
"Aizo cannot die!"
For a split second, Akashi glimpsed the future—Aizo's body, torn apart by the Elder's wings.
He gritted his teeth, took a brutal blow from Kaido of the Hundred Beasts, and used the force to propel himself forward—straight toward Aizo.
"Aizo! Move!"
His shout tore through the chaos of war.