Gulp—
Gulp gulp—
Hissss—
Hissssssss—
The Sabaody Archipelago's live broadcast square had fallen into such complete silence that even a pin drop would have echoed.
Tens of thousands of reporters and spectators stood frozen, eyes stretched wide, jaws hanging open.
As they witnessed the impossible unfold on the battlefield, it felt as if their eyes might pop out and their chins drop to the floor.
The sound of hard swallowing and frantic gasps rippled through the crowd, again and again, without end.
"It… it actually… happened!!!"
"T-The… the Five Elders have fallen! The highest power of the world…"
"The Five Elders—those who stand at the absolute apex of global authority—those Five Elders… they actually…"
"Fairy Tail's president… the Four Emperor Sugisawa Yuuto… he… he KILLED the Five Elders!"
WOOOOAAHHH!!!
An explosion of disbelief and uproar swept across the entire square.
"This is enormous! An unprecedented global event!"
"The Five Elders! Two of the world's strongest leaders were killed!"
"Are you kidding!? Those were the Five Elders—they didn't even leave BONES behind!"
"This is it—the war is about to explode into a full-scale clash between Fairy Tail and the World Government!"
"With the Five Elders dead, Fairy Tail and the World Government are beyond reconciliation!"
"There's no stopping it now! A new era is about to erupt in chaos!!!"
"Hurry! Hurry! We need to send this news to every corner of the world!"
Reporters from every major news agency snapped into action, racing to broadcast the catastrophic event.
"Tsk tsk… as expected of the president. He actually went through with it! Looks like I'd better start preparing too…"
Shakky exhaled sharply, shaking her head.
"The Five Elders—the supreme powers of the world—were killed. No one can stop that man anymore."
Rear Admiral X Drake, once a Supernova, clenched his fists.
"A global war is about to break out. No one will be able to stay uninvolved."
Capone "Gang" Bege muttered from beneath his cigar smoke.
"Fairy Tail is just a small group of a few dozen people. Even if they're strong… can they really stand against the World Government with its eight hundred years of dominance?"
Killer said gravely.
"It's not just a few dozen. If that man wishes, he can summon an army of thousands at any moment."
The Sky Island monk Urouge said quietly.
Hearing that, the crowd froze—then realization struck.
"Underworld King!"
"Lord of Hell!"
"King of the Undead!"
"Behind him… is a limitless army of the dead!!!"
Holy Land Mariejois — Panic in the Hall of Power
The World Center — Red Line.
Holy Land: Mariejois.
The Hall of the Five Elders.
"Aaaaaaaaaargh!!!"
Angry roars from the world's highest authorities echoed violently throughout the chamber.
"He actually… actually dared to—!"
Saturn Elder Jogarcia Saitan's chest rose and fell rapidly, his face flushed with fury. He was too enraged even to complete a sentence.
"Shepard Pitt… Izanbaronas Shourō… they're gone forever."
Mars Elder Makamasu muttered, grief etched into his eyes.
"That brat… that bastard from Fairy Tail—do they intend to fight the World Government to the death!?"
Mercury Elder Wokyuuri trembled uncontrollably, a fresh scar on his head.
His shaking was not only from anger—but from fear.
For as long as they could remember—
for centuries—
they had never believed that anyone could topple their authority.
Yet today… someone dared.
"Even Joy Boy wouldn't have dared to do something like this!!!"
Saturn Elder Saitan roared.
"This event is ten—no, a hundred times more serious than the awakening of Straw Hat's Devil Fruit… or the reappearance of the Sun God Nika."
Mercury Elder Wokyuuri took a slow, tense breath.
"For eight hundred years, no one has dared to challenge the throne of the World Government. That foolish brat will pay the most excruciating price. The ruler of this world will never forgive him."
Mars Elder Makamasu growled.
Just as the three remaining Elders were preparing to report to Imu and request divine intervention—
The next moment, something even more terrifying occurred.
Sugisawa Yuuto—having finished the Summit War at Marine Headquarters—
was already heading toward the Holy Land, Mariejois.