"I'll give you one last chance," Rowan said coldly, his voice echoing across the shattered battlefield. "Attack that Beast Emperor. If you can wound it, I'll forgive your mistake and spare your life."
Farah froze. Terror twisted her face, but she knew there was no other choice. If she wanted to live, she had to obey.
"You'd better keep your word," she hissed, her pride warring with fear. To a planetary-level being like her, injuring a Beast Emperor shouldn't have been impossible. Killing it, maybe not but drawing blood, that she could do.
Rowan released his psychic grip on her, his gaze sweeping coldly across the onlookers. "Anyone who dares to help her dies where they stand."
The air grew heavy. His killing intent rippled like a storm, pressing against every warrior nearby. None dared move. Even the strongest among the global factions those who moments ago had puffed their chests in pride now trembled under the suffocating weight of his presence.
They had just seen two planetary-level powerhouses from the HR Alliance fall unconscious in a single exchange. None of them wanted to share their fate.
Rowan's power was simply too terrifying. To him, planetary warriors were as fragile as infants.
Off to the side, Hong and Thor observed in silence, neither choosing to intervene.
Cornered and desperate, Farah unleashed her full strength. Flames burst from her skin, enveloping her body in blinding scarlet light.
"Alright then… let's see how strong you really are!" she shouted.
The air shimmered as a colossal fireball more than two hundred meters wide formed above her hands. The ground scorched beneath her feet, molten cracks spreading like veins. This was her ultimate technique, the full manifestation of her fire affinity.
At the same time, the Eastern Sea Azure Dragon the massive beast currently undergoing its evolution lifted its head. The moment it sensed danger, its golden eyes flared open.
"Die!" Farah screamed, hurling the fireball forward.
It blazed across the sky like a small meteor, searing the air in its wake.
Everyone thought she had done it that her strike would pierce through the beast's defenses. But the next instant, the dragon's wings spread wide, and with one mighty flap, a hurricane of lightning-infused wind tore through the heavens.
Thunder rolled.
The storm collided with the fireball midair, detonating it before it could even reach the dragon. A blinding explosion erupted, the shockwave tearing the earth apart.
The ground quaked violently. Craters formed. Flames and ash scattered like rain.
"Lightning… It can wield lightning!" someone gasped.
The crowd erupted in disbelief. Beast Emperors sometimes developed elemental powers upon reaching their stage earth, fire, water, wind, lightning, or even light but it was rare to see one with such overwhelming mastery.
Thor whistled appreciatively. "Now this is my kind of monster. A lightning dragon? I like it already."
Before his words could fade, the Azure Dragon opened its jaws and unleashed an earth-shattering roar.
The sound alone ripped through the air like a sonic bomb. Farah was too close her ears burst, blood spilling from her lips as she screamed in agony.
Still, she refused to yield. Her body flared once more, fire blazing around her fists as she shot forward, pummeling the dragon's scales with a flurry of fiery blows.
Each punch struck like an explosion, smoke and flame bursting across the dragon's torso.
But when the smoke cleared, her heart sank.
Not a single scale had been damaged.
"How… how is this possible?" she whispered, her face draining of color. Her attacks could crush kings and obliterate mountains yet this creature hadn't even flinched.
The dragon's golden eyes gleamed with fury. The evolution had already driven it into pain and rage, and now, after being repeatedly attacked, its killing intent reached its peak.
If not for Rowan's psychic restraint and the shared bloodline that connected them the beast would've torn Farah apart already.
"Do as you please," Rowan's voice echoed in its mind. "Just don't kill her."
The dragon's eyes lit up with savage joy.
Its colossal body stretching over twelve hundred meters long moved with thunderous power. The ground shattered beneath its claws, the shockwaves alone enough to send nearby warriors flying.
Bolts of violet lightning crackled from its body, each one thick as a man's arm. When they struck the earth, they scorched it black.
"Everyone, fall back!" someone shouted. "That energy is insane!"
The spectators scrambled to retreat.
Thor, however, stood his ground. The dragon's lightning danced harmlessly across his armor, absorbed into his body like fuel to a fire. He grinned, his eyes flashing. "Nice try. You'll have to do better than that."
Beside him, Hong's calm never wavered. With a flick of his fingers, a field of invisible energy expanded, effortlessly deflecting the storm.
Farah, however, wasn't so lucky. She darted frantically through the sky as bolts of lightning chased her, barely escaping each one.
Then the dragon lunged.
Its massive horn struck her midair, sending her hurtling thousands of meters away. Blood sprayed from her mouth as she crashed into a nearby lake, vanishing beneath the water.
The battlefield fell silent.
"She's… down," someone whispered.
It hadn't even been a fight. One strike just one and she was done.
But before anyone could process what had happened, Farah's unconscious body began to rise. A golden psychic field enveloped her, pulling her from the lake into the air.
The crowd froze.
"That psychic power… It's coming from the dragon!" Thor exclaimed. His usual confidence faltered, eyes widening.
Even Hong's expression grew serious. He summoned his armor, the metallic plates sliding across his body with a deep hum.
"Looks like we'll have to fight together," Thor muttered, drawing his battle blade. "Rowan, you in?"
But before any of them could act, the Azure Dragon turned its head and flew toward Rowan. It hovered before him, lowering its massive body until its head rested obediently at his feet.
The world stopped.
"Relax," Rowan said casually, placing a hand on the beast's snout. "He's my pet. You've got nothing to worry about."
His words hit harder than thunder.
Even Hong, who was usually unshakable, stared at him in disbelief. "You're telling me… that's your pet?"
Thor nearly dropped his sword. "A Beast Emperor? Your pet? Are you kidding me?"
Rowan grinned. "Not kidding. He's evolved from an Eastern Sea Azure Dragon. I noticed his psychic potential, so I tamed him. Figured he'd make a good mount."
The group fell into stunned silence.
Rowan chuckled, clearly enjoying their expressions. "I just fed him a few Muya Crystals that's why he's so strong now."
The moment he mentioned the crystals, several faction leaders nearly fainted. Those rare treasures were priceless, capable of elevating a warrior's cultivation and he'd fed them to a pet.
An absolute madman, they all thought.
Meanwhile, Farah slowly regained consciousness. When she saw the dragon kneeling before Rowan, realization hit her like a hammer.
So that was why no one else had been allowed to attack.
That "Beast Emperor" she had just fought with everything she had… was Rowan's companion.
She clenched her fists in frustration. You could've said that earlier!
Rowan's eyes met hers. His voice echoed directly in her mind. "You should thank Vanessa. If not for her, you'd already be dead."
He turned away, adding aloud, "Carry my order: from today on, Vanessa will serve as Chief Councilor of the HR Alliance. Anyone who disagrees can come find me. Now leave."
Farah bit back a reply, swallowed a healing draught, and departed with her remaining allies defeated and humiliated.
Thor sighed heavily, forcing a wry smile. "Alright, alright, you win again. First you surpass me, now even your pet outclasses me. Guess I'll retire as head of the Thunder Martial Hall."
Rowan laughed. "Come on, don't say that. Keep training. With your talent, you'll grasp your domain soon enough and when you do, even my dragon won't be your match."
Hong approached and patted Rowan's shoulder, his expression approving. "Well done." With that, he and his men departed, leaving Rowan and the dragon behind.
"Continue absorbing," Rowan ordered.
The Azure Dragon obeyed, returning to its evolution as Rowan sat cross-legged, focusing his mind on the Void Tower.
As he meditated, he considered the dragon's potential. A rare variant, capable of psychic communication perhaps it could learn techniques reserved for intelligent beasts like the Golden-Horned Giant.
"Barbata," Rowan said suddenly to the AI spirit hovering nearby, "is there a way to teach the dragon language and knowledge?"
Barbata froze. "You can't be serious. You want to educate a monster?"
Rowan's stare said everything.
The AI groaned dramatically. "You're insane. Do you even realize how rare it is for a beast's genes to evolve beyond instinct? Only ancient lineages like the starborn behemoths can truly learn or cultivate."
Rowan smirked. "Maybe. But I want to see how far this one can go."
"Unbelievable," Barbata muttered, throwing up his hands. "Fine! You'll need a pet-recognition crystal from the Silver-Blue Empire. Insert it into the creature's mind, and it'll instantly comprehend all universal written languages."
Rowan smiled faintly. "Good. Then that's our next stop."
The dragon rumbled softly, lowering its head again its golden eyes glimmering with loyalty and intelligence.
The world had just witnessed the rise of a man whose power could command even a Beast Emperor.
And his legend had only just begun.
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