A flash of searing light scorched across the battlefield. The clash was escalating, the very air trembling as Edward Phoenix engaged the Methusela, an ancient colossus of a dragon whose very breath could erase existence.
"—Sun Burst!" Edward roared, thrusting both hands toward the sky. A golden orb exploded overhead, raining dozens of Light Falls like celestial spears.
They struck the dragon like hammers of divine judgment—not to kill, but to divert its gaze from the boy staggering a few steps behind. Reyon gritted his teeth, eyes bloodshot, arms shaking.
"Damn it," he muttered through clenched teeth. Mana backflow… not now!
Edward glanced behind for only a second. He's recovering. I have to buy him more time.
The Methusela growled, its molten breath leaking through the cracks of its jaw. The Grey Breath it had used moments ago still echoed in Edward's mind—its sheer power, its devouring presence.
If that had touched us… He shook his head. We'd have been gone. Not even a speck of ash left behind.
Even as the divine light cracked over the dragon's flesh, more than 90% of its body was obliterated—but the monstrosity didn't scream. It didn't falter. It simply pulsed... and regenerated, its ruined form reforming in a wave of reversed time.
"Not again," Edward hissed, sweat trickling down his temple. Even I'm beginning to fall behind…
Then it came. The Methusela opened its mouth again.
"No, no—" Edward raised his arms. "Light Wall! Prism Dome!—anything!"
But it was hopeless.
The Grey Breath screamed forward like the void of death itself. Edward's light-based barriers flickered and shattered like glass, unable to hold back the storm.
"Even light dissipates in that breath...!"
The moment of despair surged—
—and then, a howl of wind thundered across the battlefield.
WHOOSH!
A tempest slashed downward, slamming into the Methusela from above. Its wings were severed, the sheer gale flinging the grey breath skyward in a spiral, where it exploded like a dead star.
A figure floated in midair, her robes singed, her eyes alight with divine power.
"Evelyn…!" Edward whispered, half in disbelief.
She descended slowly beside him, the air bending to her will. Her aura was unmistakable.
"Just reached 9th circle… moments ago," she muttered, catching her breath. "Saw the sky turning black. Figured you'd need some extra hands."
Edward smirked, wiping blood from his cheek. "You always had great timing."
Now two 9th-circle mages stood against the Methusela. Yet—
Even together… we're being pushed back.
The Methusela was relentless, regenerating every wound, every fatal strike. Its scales gleamed with distorted time.
Reyon's knees bent, finally steadying himself.
He looked up. His pupils narrowed.
That damned lizard…
He raised a hand. "Aqua Blade."
Millions—millions of water blades surged like a tide, slicing the Methusela in a hailstorm of cuts. Flesh was shredded. Limbs dismembered. Wings torn, again and again.
Now three of them struck together—Edward, Evelyn, and Reyon.
They killed it again. And again.
Before it could even attack, it was already being torn apart.
The Methusela's body convulsed, grey aura coiling around it. It shrieked, a deep, metallic roar echoing from its throat.
It had finally grown enraged.
Then, the air stilled.
Edward's body froze mid-step.
Evelyn's sword halted in midair.
Time... stopped.
Reyon's eyes widened in horror. "No—!"
The dragon, with a cold glint in its eyes, focused solely on Evelyn, her figure frozen between a blink.
A hum echoed. The Grey Breath formed once more, now aimed directly at her—helpless, motionless.
"No… NO!"
Reyon moved instinctively.
His body blurred forward, arms spread.
"∞!"
A void erupted before him.
The breath collided with the darkness—and vanished into the chasm. Reyon groaned, his veins bulging, mana coiling like a hurricane inside him. He forced it—redirected the breath—back toward the dragon.
The Methusela didn't move.
Didn't evade.
The grey breath collided into its chest—and disintegrated it into sand.
For a moment, silence.
Then sand particles lifted, pulling back together, slowly reforming.
Reyon collapsed to one knee, gasping.
The dragon reformed fully this time, and stepped forward.
And now—it stood right in front of Reyon.
Its eyes narrowed.
It raised its claw, aura shifting again.
It tried to stop time.
But… nothing happened.
The dragon paused. Confused. It tried again.
Still… nothing.
"You..." the dragon growled.
"I knew you were different...i can't manipulate time around you, if this continued to you might become a variable"
Its voice trembled, distorted by ancient tones.
"So I'm going to eliminate you first."
It lunged.
Claws like scythes sliced forward, ignoring Edward and Evelyn entirely. All its attacks—now aimed at Reyon.
But—
That was a mistake.
The other two 9th-circle mages did not forgive it.
Edward's voice rang out. "Searing Comet!"
Evelyn followed with "Storming Eclipse!"
While the Methusela focused only on Reyon, they dissected it. Again. And again. Colossal limbs were ripped apart, its chest blown open, its neck severed thrice over.
And Reyon...
His body was...
Pitch black.
From head to toe, his entire form seemed to be made of void—not darkness, not shadow—just absence.
There were moments when the dragon managed to strike him—direct hits, claw slashes, even waves of mana—
But the attacks were swallowed whole by Reyon's body.
As if he was the void itself.
Edward clenched his fists. "What… is happening to him?"
But then, amidst the chaos—
A faint aura stirred from within Reyon's form.
Evelyn's lips trembled. "No… that… that's…"
Edward's eyes widened.
"That aura…"
"It's him," Evelyn whispered. "It's… Father."
There was no doubt.
Leywin Phoenix.
The strongest magician the world had ever known.
The aura pulsing from Reyon's body was weak—but distinct. Familiar. Ancient.
Something was happening inside Reyon.
Something massive.
Something that could very well…
End the Methusela.