Chapter 196: The Fall of Kaelos [1]

The self-detonation of a cultivator is an ancient, taboo art—a horrific final act reserved only for those who have accepted their absolute demise.

When a martial artist realizes death is inevitable, they can forcibly rupture their own mana core, intentionally severing the spiritual dams holding back decades of compressed energy. Without a core to channel or stabilize it, the stored mana reserves spiral completely beyond control, expanding exponentially until the cultivator’s body can no longer contain the pressure, tearing both the user and their surroundings into oblivion.

Even the self-detonation of a low-tier Martial Warrior is a terrifying tragedy capable of leveling a neighborhood. But Mayor Henar was an Initial-enlightened Martial General standing at the entrance to the realm of Generals.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The explosion did not merely destroy the bedroom—it annihilated the very concept of the administrative palace.

Within a fraction of a second, a blinding dome of white-hot, volatile mana ruptured outward, expanding across hundreds of meters in every direction.

The massive stone walls of the mansion turned to dust instantly.

The shockwave tore through the surrounding cobblestone plazas, shattering granite foundations, uprooting ancient trees, and completely vaporizing the palace guard barracks.

The infernal blast wave surged down the main avenues like a tidal wave of molten iron.

The compressed heat burned the air itself, igniting every wooden structure, silk banner, and market stall within half a mile.

Thousands of helpless citizens who had survived the earlier clash between the Martial Generals were engulfed in an instant.

Buildings crumbled like dry biscuits, trapping families beneath hundreds of tons of flaming rubble.

The screams of the dying echoed across the ruined skyline, merging into a sickening chorus of raw agony.

Kaelos City was no longer a proud border metropolis; it had become a land of endless cries, smoke, and utter devastation.

WHOOSH.

Amidst the swirling storm of dust and fire raging near the edge of the crater, two figures materialized near the outer thoroughfare.

Roy and Eurenia stood on the cracked cobblestones, completely unscathed.

In the split second before Henar’s core detonated, Roy had effortlessly shifted their positions through space, pulling Eurenia out of the blast radius before the lethal shockwave could touch a single strand of her hair.

As an immortal divine spirit, the physical explosion of a mortal’s core would not have harmed Roy in the slightest.

However, he had no intention of allowing his elite beastman general to perish in such a crude, pathetic trap.

Roy took a long, deep breath, inhaling the sharp scent of ozone, burning timber, and metallic blood filling the night sky.

He turned his golden-crimson eyes toward Eurenia, his tone cool, steady, and absolute.

"Leave the city now, Eurenia," Roy commanded softly. "The lower districts are finished, and the survivors are scattered."

Eurenia straightened her posture, bowing her head deeply. "And what of your safety, My Lord?"

"Before the Glorious Mythical Sect realizes what transpired here tonight, we must ensure our traces are completely erased," Roy replied, his eyes narrowing as he gazed out over the burning ruins.

"The only true way to erase our existence from their sight... is to completely erase Kaelos City and everything remaining within it."

Understanding the grand design of her Master, Eurenia did not question his order for a second.

"By your will, Master Jarden," Eurenia declared solemnly.

She turned on her heel and surged forward like a silver streak of lightning, leaping over the burning barricades and disappearing into the dense, dark treeline of the surrounding mountain forest, leaving Roy standing completely alone in the dying heart of the city.

Roy stood amidst the falling ash, his long, golden hair fluttering in the hot draft.

"It is time," he whispered to the quiet night.

THOOM!

Roy’s sharp eyebrows furrowed, and in an instant, he unsealed the floodgates of his true power.

A suffocating, ocean-like pressure erupted from his frame as his raw, crimson divine essence burst forth.

The very atmosphere of the continent trembled under the sudden manifestation of the God of Beasts.

The space around him warped and cracked, unable to handle the divine presence standing upon mortal dirt.

Roy raised his right hand, extending his palm toward the sky.

He began to channel his divine essence, burning his reserves second by second.

Having fully replenished his divine pool prior to the infiltration, he possessed more than enough energy to execute total erasure.

Because Kaelos City was merely a small border regional hub, it did not demand his full, world-ending reserves.

Exactly one hundred of crimson divine essence flowed out from his core, swirling above his open palm.

ZZZZZZT!

The liquid red light condensed rapidly, compressing into a floating, swirling orb of concentrated divine annihilation no larger than a human skull.

Yet, the energy trapped within that tiny sphere vibrated with enough destructive potential to sink a mountain range.

"Perish," Roy murmured coldly, and flicked his wrist forward.

BANG!

The crimson orb shot into the high atmosphere above the center of Kaelos City—and detonated.

At first, there was no sound.

A blinding, absolute flash of crimson light instantly illuminated the night sky, turning the darkness into a bright, blood-red day.

The crimson light expanded rapidly, stretching across the entire landscape, swallowing every street, every alleyway, and every ruined building under its vast shadow.

Then came the storm.

RUMBLE... BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A catastrophic, apocalyptic rain of divine crimson fire erupted from the sky, cascading downward like the wrath of an angry god.

The storm of divine flames submerged the entirety of Kaelos City into a terrifying cauldron of absolute destruction.

The sheer thermal force of the divine essence did not merely burn stone—it melted granite, disintegrated steel, and turned the very soil beneath the city into a lake of bubbling, red lava.

CRASH! CRASH! BOOM!

Grand watchtowers that had stood for centuries were blasted into microscopic dust.

The heavy stone city walls folded inward like parchment, collapsing into the surrounding moats.

Hundreds of human survivors who were fleeing toward the outer gates were swallowed mid-stride by tidal waves of roaring crimson fire, their bodies vaporized before their screams could even clear their throats.

Panicked crowds ran helter-skelter through the blinding inferno, blindly stumbling over burning rubble, only to be turned to ash by the suffocating waves of divine pressure pressing down from the heavens.

The sky screeched, the earth shattered, and the entire city was violently systematically erased from the face of the continent.

Standing at the edge of the rising lake of fire, Roy watched the total obliteration with cold, beautiful detachment.

Within minutes, the roaring city of tens of thousands was reduced to nothing more than a wide, smoking, glowing crater of absolute silence.

Not a single stone remained standing. Not a single human soul survived to tell the tale.

Roy lowered his hand, his golden hair settling softly over his shoulders as his crimson divine aura slowly receded.

"Kaelos City is no more," Roy whispered, turning his back on the burning crater and walking silently into the shadows of the forest.

"Let the Glorious Mythical Sect come and search for ghosts."

What had befallen Kaelos was true divine judgment!