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"With the Wise Dragon's power, yeah... he could easily solve this problem."Riku narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Looks like I've got one more thing to do."
After that, Riku basically started sightseeing again with Jibril and Zhubi ( Zhu Bi ), like they were just tourists. Not a hint of pressure, even though they were smack in the middle of the dragon elite's territory.
Then, a few hours later—
The sky suddenly shattered like broken glass.From the crack flew a massive, intimidating white dragon—easily several times larger than any other dragon elite.
Its overwhelming aura was like a bottomless ocean—absolutely dominant. The sheer pressure crushed everything around it.
"That's... the Wise Dragon...!"Riku muttered, face turning grim.This guy was ridiculously strong.
"Zhubi, for you guys to have actually taken down Flame Dragon and his seven subordinates... that's seriously impressive," Riku said with genuine admiration.
Now that he was facing someone like the Wise Dragon, he finally understood just how high the power ceiling was. Without pulling out his trump cards, he had no shot at beating this guy.
"Mm."Zhubi nodded hesitantly.Back then, they had defeated Flame Dragon, yes... but in the end, his death roar—caused by a command mistake from her—accidentally destroyed Riku's hometown.
"Yup! That battle between the Machine Species and Flame Dragon shook the whole world~ That's why no one dares mess with the Machine Species anymore!"Jibril chimed in cheerfully."Among us, the Machine Species leader ranks the same as the dragon elites—an official LV.5! A super rare class!"
"Alright, time for us to head over too." Riku's lips curled into a slight smile as he spoke slowly.
"Mhm." Hearing that, both Jibril and Schwi nodded.
"Lord Reigen Levi, you're finally back!" Zhuyue and the other White Dragons flew over first and greeted him respectfully.
"Yeah. Where are those little punks—Wade and the others?" Reigen Levi scanned the area with authority, then asked with a confused look.
"Uh… they went to mess with Riku and got their butts handed to them. They were so embarrassed they left," Zhuyue replied awkwardly.
"Oh? Riku, that human? Interesting…" Reigen Levi muttered, clearly intrigued.
For a human to take on four dragonkin at once and beat them down—that was seriously impressive.
"Greetings, wise dragon Reigen Levi. I'm Riku Dola." At that moment, Riku and the others floated into the sky, coming face-to-face with Reigen Levi's massive dragon eyes. Calm and composed, Riku gave his introduction with confidence.
The watching White Dragons couldn't help but secretly admire the scene. To be so steady and fearless in front of the great wise dragon—that kind of mental strength was rare. No wonder this human dared to set his sights on killing a god of war.
"Oh? What a fascinating human." Reigen Levi looked at Riku with clear interest. This guy wasn't just treating him like an equal—he was acting like he had every right to.
And on top of that, he'd managed to win over a Flügel and an Ex-Machina?
Reigen Levi glanced at Jibril and Schwi, who stood silently behind Riku, deep in thought.
"Human—no, Riku. You're here to discuss an alliance, aren't you? Tell me—how confident are you that you can actually take down Artosh the War God?" Reigen Levi asked with a meaningful tone.
"One hundred percent." Riku's eyes narrowed, and he replied without hesitation.
"Hahaha! Bold words—I like it!" The dragons, including Zhuyue, were stunned. Even Reigen Levi paused for a moment before laughing loudly.
He had expected Riku to say something like "I'll try my best"—but this answer? That's the right attitude. You don't go after a goal that big without absolute confidence. Saying "I'll try" is just a way of brushing things off.
"But Riku, before anything else—fight me. Depending on how you perform, I'll give you my answer. One more thing: you'd better be ready to die. Otherwise, you really will die." Reigen Levi's laughter stopped, and his dragon eyes locked onto Riku like a blade.
That intense stare alone made Riku feel like a mountain was pressing down on him.
Behind him, Jibril even trembled slightly—not out of fear, but instinct. Back at her peak she might've been able to withstand this pressure, but now that her power was low, her body reacted to the threat on its own.
Even so, Riku stood tall and returned the stare with calm, steady eyes.
"If I didn't have that level of resolve, then I might as well just go back to leading my people in a miserable life of running and hiding," he said lightly, like it was no big deal.
"Hah! Interesting, really interesting. Alright then—show me what you've got!" Reigen Levi laughed again, clearly pleased.
"You all, step back." His gaze swept over his dragonkin with unquestionable authority.
At his command, Zhuyue and the other dragonkin respectfully backed away, clearing the space.
"Be careful, Riku."
"Good luck, Master!"
Schwi and Jibril both spoke up before shifting away from Riku's position.
"Now then… let's get started. Show me your potential," Reigen Levi said, his voice booming with power.
His voice shook the air like thunder, creating gusts strong enough to feel like a level 10 storm.
Just facing that pressure was enough to make Riku wobble slightly.
But his expression stayed calm. His eyes were steady, and while his face was serious, he showed no sign of panic.
"Seventh Gate—Shock Gate, open!" He took a deep breath and activated the Seventh Gate without hesitation, pushing his power to its peak. At the same time, he gripped his Zanpakutō tightly.
No doubt, this was going to be the toughest fight of his life.
But if he couldn't even get past Reigen Levi, then going after the War God was just a pipe dream.
"Kyōka Suigetsu." Riku raised his sword slightly and muttered the name.
BOOM——!
Riku exploded forward, blasting through the air like a meteor as he charged straight at Reigen Levi.
ROOOOAR——!
In the next instant, the dragon let out a terrifying roar and unleashed a breath attack, engulfing Riku in pure destruction. The blast tore through the sky, ripping open a huge space-time crack that spread like a black curtain.
And that wasn't all—Reigen Levi's body twitched, and he fired another breath attack to the right.
——!
Riku's real body was forced out of hiding, narrowly dodging thanks to a quick use of his Ten'i teleportation.
A moment later, the dragon breath obliterated the spot he'd just left. The surrounding space rippled violently from the impact.
Good thing they were fighting in the air—if that blast had hit the ground, everything nearby would've been wiped out.
"....."