This kind of bloody spectacle could only be described as sheer cruelty.
Yet the more than twenty Celestial Dragons present were wildly excited, cheering and laughing in delight at the slaughter unfolding before them.
The Celestial Dragons felt no sympathy, no mercy.
Just like eating pork—no one feels pity for the pig.
That was exactly how the Celestial Dragons viewed those who were not of their kind.
Their guards stood silently by, indifferent. Even as blood misted the air and the scent of iron grew thick, not a single person among them flinched.
Here in Mary Geoise, no one ever sympathized with slaves—because everyone had long since grown used to it. Even though all of them were human, this was simply how things were.
This was the entertainment of the Celestial Dragons. As long as their programs brought them pleasure, no matter how grotesque or barbaric, such events could be held freely in the so-called Holy Land to amuse its self-proclaimed gods.
To the Celestial Dragons, anyone outside their bloodline was nothing but a lowly creature.
They were the "gods" of this world — the descendants of the Creator — endowed with every privilege and the right to decide life and death at will.
But at this moment, the laughing Celestial Dragons failed to notice the massive crimson magic circle spinning high above them.
It was Elior.
Another glowing red sigil rotated beneath his feet in the sky.
Then—
BOOM!
A colossal surge of crimson energy erupted from the magic circle in Elior's right hand, ripping through the night and crashing down onto the arena below.
The dazzling red light instantly drew the eyes of the Celestial Dragons upward.
They didn't even have time to scream.
Within two seconds, they were swallowed by the cataclysmic explosion—flesh and bone erased from existence, reduced to ash.
The earth-shattering blast expanded in a blazing crimson hemisphere, annihilating everything within a three-hundred-meter radius.
Celestial Dragons, guards, slaves, buildings—everything vanished in an instant.
All that remained was a vast, smoking crater.
The sound of the explosion alone shattered eardrums for hundreds of meters around, while the shockwave spread nearly a kilometer in every direction, flattening everything like a tsunami.
This was Explosion Magic—but in Elior's hands, it was beyond devastating.
He didn't even need to chant an incantation, and yet the power he unleashed was far greater than the original wielder's.
And this—this wasn't even Elior's full strength.
It was a casual strike, nothing more than a test.
"So this is Explosion Magic, huh?"
Elior smiled, a faint, unhinged grin tugging at his lips. The destructive force thrilled him—a power so immense it could wipe out life itself with a mere gesture.
He savored the feeling—the thrill of absolute destruction.
Below, chaos reigned. The slaves screamed in agony, their cries blending with the roaring inferno.
But Elior's heart remained still.
Even as countless enslaved souls perished, he never once thought to save them.
After all, he was no saint.
Why waste effort freeing slaves?
The ground below blazed with hellish fire, the air searingly hot. The night sky glowed red from the reflection of the flames.
Bodies lay scattered—or what was left of them. The entire scene was pure devastation.
Then, within a minute, Elior unleashed three more Explosion Magics in rapid succession.
He avoided striking the building he had just infiltrated, of course.
Mary Geoise was vast, a nearly square city spanning more than sixty kilometers across.
Even so, the radius of Elior's explosions — about one kilometer each — caused unimaginable destruction.
No one could count how many Celestial Dragons died that night.
Three more deafening blasts shook the heavens.
The Gorosei and the many Elder Celestial Dragons who had just emerged were stunned as three massive crimson hemispheres of energy erupted across the distance.
Within those blazing domes, countless silhouettes and debris were vaporized, reduced to dust.
Screams filled the air—raw, desperate, and fleeting.
Celestial Dragons, guards, slaves, attendants—none survived. Even the most "fortunate" corpses were left in fragments.
"When I return to Mary Geoise next time" Elior muttered coldly, floating above the chaos, "this entire place will be reduced to rubble."
"Then… I'll build my own empire here."
"In other words—my Kingdom of God."
High above the sky, Elior smiled darkly.
He could still hear the screams far below—but his heart remained untouched.
Moments later, his figure vanished into the night sky.
He knew the major powers of Mary Geoise would now be on the move.
For now, he had no interest in confronting them directly.
This was just his warm-up.
"Who is it?!"
"Find the intruder! Block off Mary Geoise immediately!"
"A powerful enemy has infiltrated!"
The Gorosei and the Elder Celestial Dragons were furious and alarmed.
Within minutes, all of Mary Geoise had descended into chaos. The World Government itself trembled.
And inside the building known as "Chamber of Flowers" a woman stirred.
Her anger was silent but absolute.
In an instant, the magnificent garden surrounding her withered away, the sea of blossoms turning gray and brittle.
The butterflies dancing in the air fell dead to the floor.
Lifeless.
Im rose from her throne and left the chamber.
Meanwhile, at the center of the devastation caused by Elior's explosions, not even ruins remained—only a vast crater, fire still raging within it, the very air warped from the heat.
Armies of Celestial Dragon guards and World Government soldiers were dispatched.
The Marine and the scientific units were mobilized overnight.
Even Pacifistas were activated in large numbers.
Panic swept through the so-called "gods" of the world.
And while the world above burned—
Elior, the one responsible, had already slipped quietly into Dr. Vegapunk's laboratory.
Inside, all was eerily calm. Vegapunk was conducting the final phase of the living weapon experiment — the transformation of Kuma.