While the Flügel were conducting their grid search across the world for the creator of the Ex-machina, Su Mo's group was not idle.
Under Jibril's guidance, Su Mo began to experience the local customs of this world.
And so…
"What kind of local customs are these, meow?!"
Watching the standoff between the Flügel and the Dragonia, Azriel couldn't help but complain.
"Why are we picking a fight with this Dragonia again? Doesn't Jii-chan know when to give up, meow?!"
Jibril had challenged the Dragonia several times before, and naturally, she had been defeated every time. Azriel had thought that now that she had found a master she acknowledged, she would settle down a bit. She never expected Jibril to bring Su Mo here and prepare for another challenge.
The "local customs" she spoke of apparently referred to the Flügel's hunting habits.
Seeing that Jibril had no intention of paying her any mind, Azriel had no choice but to turn to Su Mo.
"Um, Jii-chan's master, aren't you going to stop her? She's challenging a Dragonia!"
"So what?" Su Mo retorted.
"Huh?" Azriel froze, completely taken aback by his response. Suspecting her own ears, she repeated, "But that's a Dragonia, a powerhouse whose individuals are on par with a lower-ranking Old Deus! Aren't you worried, meow?"
Although she had been instantly defeated by Jibril once, she still didn't think Jibril was a match for a Dragonia. As mentioned before, the strength of a Dragonia was comparable to a lower-ranking Old Deus. Even the Flügel would need a squad of at least a hundred to have a chance of taking down even the most ordinary one.
Now, Jibril was going to challenge one alone. Even if she had gotten much stronger, she shouldn't be able to handle an enemy of that level by herself, right?
Faced with her concern and confusion, Su Mo just shook his head.
"Of course not. With Jibril's current power, it would be strange if she lost."
"?"
Another question mark appeared above Azriel's head. Only after remembering what Artosh had called Su Mo earlier did she have a slight realization.
She immediately explained anxiously, "Lord Su Mo, you're a powerhouse from another world, so you might not know. The Dragonia are a very special race. The Elemental power contained in each of their scales surpasses the limit of what we Flügel can control, and they have over a hundred million of those scales."
"Perhaps for a powerhouse like you, the strength of a Dragonia is nothing, but for a single Flügel, that power is terrifyingly strong, meow."
"Even an excellent Flügel like me can only shatter one or two of a Dragonia's scales with a full-power Heaven's Strike. Although Jii-chan is much stronger now, she still can't break through the defense of hundreds of millions of scales, let alone defeat one."
"If you truly care about Jii-chan's safety, please, I beg you, kill this Dragonia. Otherwise, you might not be able to save her in time, meow!"
It was clear that Azriel was truly anxious, to the point of putting aside her reservations and asking Su Mo for help.
However, even after hearing all this, Su Mo showed no intention of making a move. On the contrary, he asked with a leisurely tone, "If the Dragonia truly possess hundreds of millions of times the Elemental power of a Flügel, how can they only be on par with a lower-ranking Old Deus?"
The Elemental reserves of a Flügel were not weak; they were more than ten times that of an ordinary Godslayer.
To multiply that by a hundred million… forget Star-Busting, that was at least on the level of an entire solar system's energy.
Let alone a lower-ranking Old Deus, even the War God in his normal state didn't have that scale of energy.
Thinking this, Su Mo glanced at Azriel and shook his head. No wonder Jibril said the Flügel were all a bit dumb. To believe such a thing, they really weren't very bright.
"Eh?" Azriel was momentarily stumped.
The phrase "a hundred million times" was so exaggerated that it was obviously impossible upon reflection, but the Dragonia's nearly invincible defense seemed to support this claim, making it difficult to question.
After Su Mo's words, she felt the exaggeration even more keenly.
But…
"In any case, the strength of the Dragonia is truly immense, meow!"
"Not to mention Jii-chan can't even hurt its defense, even if she could, she'd be annihilated by the Draconic Language before then, meow!" She still prioritized Jibril's safety.
To this, Su Mo had no objection. However…
"I believe in Jibril."
Glancing at the distant battlefield, his attitude remained unhurried.
"An Old Deus is one thing, but if the opponent is just a dragon-serpent, she won't lose."
"But—"
"*Shatter!*"
BOOM!
Azriel wanted to say more, but just then, as the Draconic Language took effect, a world-shaking explosion erupted on the battlefield.
Sensing the storm of destructive power, Azriel's face turned pale, and she immediately looked toward the center of the explosion.
If her senses were correct, Jibril hadn't had time to escape and was hit directly by the Draconic Language!
The Draconic Language was one of the Dragonia's most common abilities.
Its main effect was that its words became reality. It was said to be a remnant of the power of creation, known as the universal language or the language of creation—the language of kings that could command all things in the world to submit unconditionally.
Although its power was not as great as the God-Slaying Bellow, which required sacrificing a Dragonia's life, even a single casual word of the Draconic Language was powerful enough to instantly kill a Flügel.
No matter how strong Jibril was, being hit head-on by the Draconic Language was surely a death sentence.
"Jii-chan—"
Just as Azriel was about to rush in to find Jibril, heedless of the danger…
"Don't come over, Senior Azriel! This is my fight!"
A familiar voice rang out from within the dust cloud.
"If you had even a tenth of the faith Master has in me, you wouldn't be making such a fuss and looking like you've never seen the world. But I suppose that's too much to ask of an idiot like you."
Then, Jibril's unscathed figure was revealed. Silver runes manifested around her body. With the Divine Protection of Steel, the power of a mere Draconic Language was not enough to break her god-level defense.
Sensing the special aura on Jibril, both the white Dragonia and Azriel were stunned. This was the first time they had seen a Flügel who could withstand the Draconic Language.
And what was even more surprising was…
"The aura of a divine essence?"
They sensed a power similar to that of an Old Deus coming from Jibril.
"That's right! This is a gift from Master!"
Jibril proudly lifted her head, then her gaze toward the Dragonia sharpened.
"Since I've taken a hit from you, big lizard, as a return gift, you should take a hit from me, right?"
Even before she said this, she had already raised her silver spear of light and aimed it at the Dragonia, leaving no possibility of refusal.
"Thou art a dragon—no, you were a dragon all along! So take this, my Sword of Certain Victory, Dragonslayer!"
The innate advantage of the Heroic Gods of Steel against dragons and serpents, based on the Divinities of gods like Michael, Siegfried, and St. George, formed the strongest possible special attack.
With a flash of silver light, before the Dragonia itself even felt anything, its tail was severed.
Thud.
It landed on the ground.
"She actually broke through the defense of the dragon scales? She even cut through the indestructible dragon bones?"
Seeing the result of the battle, Azriel's eyes widened, unable to believe what she was seeing. Those were dragon bones that even a hundred Flügel together couldn't destroy!
After her initial shock, she suddenly thought of something.
"Jii-chan! Be careful!"
The Dragonia's strongest attack wasn't the Draconic Language, but the life-sacrificing Bellow. By converting their entire existence into a dragon's breath, they could achieve a power capable of slaying a god.
If the Dragonia before them made a last-ditch effort to use the Bellow, even a god-level defense might not escape unscathed.
Azriel had spoken up to warn Jibril, but to her surprise, Jibril retorted, "The enemy is already dead. What should I be careful of?"
"?"
Azriel immediately looked at the white dragon and noticed that its flesh was dissolving into particles of light, leaving only the indestructible dragon bones as its remains. Having led the charge in hunting several Dragonia before, she knew this was the sign of a Dragonia's death.
"How did it die so easily this time?" Azriel asked, her eyes filled with confusion. Just cutting off its tail shouldn't have been a fatal wound, right?
"I don't know either." Jibril also tilted her head, unable to understand. She hadn't even gotten serious yet.
Hearing this, Azriel snuck up behind Jibril and hugged her.
"Don't worry about it. The point is, Jii-chan won, meow! Jii-chan is the first Flügel to ever defeat a Dragonia on her own, meow! Come, let your sister give you a hug to encourage you!"
Unable to find an answer, she gave up thinking and focused on cuddling with Jibril.
"Get! Off! Me!"
Faced with the clingy Azriel, Jibril slapped her away, then hid behind Su Mo and asked curiously, "Master, do you know what happened? It felt like that Dragonia just now died by suicide. I didn't even do anything!"
As the dragonslayer who had just cut off its tail, to say it committed suicide and that she had done nothing… in modern society, this kid would be a high-functioning sociopath.
Even Azriel thought Jibril's words were too much, showing no respect for the Dragonia's dignity.
Fortunately, Su Mo, at the side, completely understood what Jibril meant. He nodded, confirming her guess.
"That's right. In a way, it did die by suicide."