"Sarutobi!"
"Hokage!?"
"How could this happen...?"
The terrifying divine warrior killed the Third Hokage on the spot. The Konoha defense forces involved immediately fell into immense panic!
Ever since the Great Collective had gone completely berserk, these people had practically lost the ability to contend with the Connectors... Had Sarutobi Hiruzen not displayed overwhelming might, taking advantage of the Great Collective focusing most of its attention on Soji to wipe out more than ten Connectors surrounding them in one stroke, before engaging the Heroic Spirit that appeared afterward in battle, these battered remnants accompanying him would likely have died long ago.
And now, news of the Third Hokage's defeat and death became the final straw that broke the camel's back, pushing the already trembling suppression force to the brink of collapse!
They had no confidence whatsoever in fighting the monster before them, yet the flames of war rising throughout the rest of the village had cut off their retreat...
Just as most of them were about to despair and collapse completely, the blood-soaked divine warrior suddenly halted his conquest—he did not pull the spear as thick as a bucket from the Hokage's chest, and even the tentacles on his head stopped writhing.
Very soon, the Heroic Spirit's imposing body began to collapse completely!
The various terrifying visions lingering around him were likewise torn apart by an invisible force, vanishing without a trace.
Sarutobi's struggling corpse then slipped from the air, crashing into the mud and dust.
"..."
News of the Third Hokage's death was relayed to Bright Mirror the instant Yamada Soji set foot upon the path to godhood.
This meant that his duty as the revival contingency left behind by the Dean in case of emergencies had been fulfilled, and it also marked the end of an era