Outside the stone grotto.
Even those who couldn't see Luo Shu and the guardian's exchange could sense the change in atmosphere from their sudden cessation of combat and confrontation.
The one who understood the situation least, Ryōko Yakushiji, couldn't help asking during everyone's silence:
"What's wrong? Why have both sides suddenly stopped? How's the situation?"
Hearing her inquiry, Jun Tao, beside her, covered half her face with a talisman, her gaze grave as she said:
"At present, the situation should be that the Hidden Management Department side has the upper hand... Of course, such things can be seen with the naked eye. The key question now lies in what they'll do next."
"Greater Ability."
Kazuma Yagami, who was observing the battle through the Wind Spirit, uttered this name:
"It's said that after reaching the Demigod Rank, in addition to gaining terrifying methods like Concept Entanglement, sorcerers who become Demigods also undergo a sublimation of their abilities."
"And such abilities are called Greater Abilities."
"They mean abilities that exceed the upper limit of normal capabilities, yet haven't reached the domain of authority."
"This is information I obtained from the Spirit King of Wind."
Hearing this, not only Ryōko Yakushiji, but Krul also reacted:
"So you're saying Greater Abilities are the killing moves of Demigods, right?"
"Pretty much."
Kazuma Yagami nodded, simultaneously gazing at the human and dragon confronting each other in the hall as he narrowed his eyes:
"I've heard that when Demigods of similar strength clash, they often fall into prolonged stalemates."
"Their battles can even extend for several days or even months."
"Generally speaking, when Demigods of the same level fight to the death, it inevitably becomes a battle of willpower."
"But now... when there's clearly plenty of time..."
Hearing this, Giada, who was squatting on the ground looking bored, suddenly spoke up:
"We all seem to have forgotten one thing."
At her words, everyone looked curiously at Giada, their hearts puzzled.
What had they forgotten?
At that moment, Giada's lips curved slightly upward as she grinned and said:
"We know that Luo Shu is a Demigod, but whether that guardian is a complete Demigod isn't necessarily true."
Hearing this, Evangeline immediately realised something and exclaimed:
"The guardian is about to reach their limit?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
Giada said casually, though the pupils of her eyes reflected the guardian's tail that had been torn off by Luo Shu:
"If battles between Demigods of the same level can last for months, then why was that dragon's tail torn off in such a short time?"
Hearing this, even the expressionless Tatsuya Shiba understood what Giada was trying to say:
"The guardian's power has already begun to decline."
Reaching this analysis, even Kuroka, who wasn't participating in the discussion, understood what these people meant:
"So you're saying this is the decisive moment?"
Almost the instant Kuroka's words fell, the pupils of everyone observing the battle simultaneously contracted violently.
The person at the centre of the battlefield had made their move!
The first to lose patience was naturally the three-meter-tall dragon-man.
He fiercely stomped the ground with his bare feet, his claws embedding into the ground while dark grey radiance flickered from his abdomen downward!
Dragon Breath!
The signature ability of dragonkind that appears in almost all dragon-related media.
Through the concept that dragons inevitably use dragon breath and that dragon breath is a dragon's strongest technique, a Demigod possessing the Dragon Concept would receive a power boost when unleashing dragon breath.
Such enhancement isn't noticeable when crushing weaker opponents, but in battles between equals, it provides divine assistance.
Almost without any interval, as dark grey radiance lit up the guardian's abdomen, the dragonkind's breath was already announced.
Visible dark grey light surged forth from the dragon-man's mouth.
Like an eraser falling upon a portrait, wherever the dark grey light swept, both air and unsettled dust fell into decay.
Facing the dragon's breath that surged head-on yet appeared so suddenly, in that split second, Luo Shu pondered the essence of this exhalation.
The dragon's breath was not an attack, nor was it destruction—it was a bestowal, a blessing!
And what it bestowed was death!!
It was truly a breath of death in name and substance!
So that's it, your Greater Ability, the power you wield is death!!
In that instant, through the guardian before him and the Abyss Artefacts gathered from every corner within the True Dragon's body along the way, Luo Shu finally understood the nature of this True Dragon's power.
An Angel-level True Dragon that holds the Death Authority!!
Because its authority was death, it could extract concepts from all deceased beings, merging them into the True Dragon.
Because it was an Angel presiding over death, even though its true form had long perished, it could still cling to unyielding existence through this power, even intentionally leaving behind an inheritance.
Realising this, Luo Shu had already confirmed the true inside story of this struggle for the True Dragon Legacy.
That True Dragon still lived on in this world!!
As this crucial realisation dawned, Luo Shu was completely engulfed by the deathly breath.
The dark grey light enveloped him almost effortlessly, the power of bestowal breaking through his physical defences in an instant, imparting the concept of death onto Luo Shu's body.
And in that very moment,
A look of confusion appeared on the guardian's face.
Simultaneously with the emergence of this confusion,
The light in the guardian's pupils rapidly dimmed, and the maw that had opened wide for the breath, filled with sharp teeth, drooped as its master passed away.
The deathly breath swiftly dissipated with its master's demise, revealing Luo Shu within, his body ashen but rapidly restoring itself.
Facing the deceased guardian, Luo Shu's gaze was utterly calm.
He stood there serenely, feeling only pity for the guardian in his heart.
'The power of death is indeed formidable, but unfortunately, death is the power of outcome, whereas the calamity I command is the power that guides outcomes.
'When you decided to bestow the power of death upon me, even when your Greater Ability was to control death, your outcome was already sealed!
'Before the core Greater Ability of the Child of Apocalypse—Apocalypse—the power to manipulate outcomes, your death was inherently destined.
'The death that was bestowed upon me, I absorbed, then returned to you.
'This is the cause of death I bestowed upon you.'
All these explanations arose in Luo Shu's mind; he had no desire to proclaim his abilities, and after silently mourning the opponent he had countered, he stepped forward.
His target was clearly the body left behind after the guardian's death.
And at that very moment,
The surrounding atmosphere abruptly distorted visually!!
Faced with the True Dragon's legacy, those hidden in the shadows could no longer restrain themselves and launched a surprise attack!