The warrior stood before them without the slightest hesitation...
A faint trace of sorrow lingered within his voice as he spoke:
"Hasn't what you did to me been enough already…???"
His eyes narrowed...
"And even after all that… I forgave you..."
The air around him began to distort...
"But now… you dare lay your hands on her as well…???"
Raym and Aldous exchanged a quick glance...
A silent exchange...
A look that clearly asked:
What is this man even talking about…???
The warrior's expression twisted violently...
He clenched his fist so hard that blood dripped from between his fingers.
Then he bit his lip with enough force to stain it crimson.
His voice suddenly thundered across the battlefield:
"And now you pretend ignorance as well…?!!"
Flames erupted around him...
"This time… I will not forgive you!!!"
In an instant, the warrior lunged toward Aldous...
But unlike before… this time Aldous managed to keep up with him for a brief moment...
To Raym, however… that brief exchange was incomprehensible...
Their movements were far too fast...
Even his eyes could barely follow them...
A storm of collisions erupted between the two...
Blazing strikes...
Explosions...
Shockwaves tearing through the ruined surroundings.
Suddenly, the warrior unleashed a punch engulfed in fire...
Aldous caught it head-on...
At the same moment, he retaliated with a devastating magma-infused punch from his other arm.
But the warrior stopped it effortlessly.
As if it weighed nothing.
Despite the unbearable heat surrounding the magma itself… the warrior did not even flinch.
He stared directly into Aldous' eyes.
Then spoke coldly:
"So your arrogance has grown to this extent…???"
A monstrous pressure suddenly descended upon Aldous, forcing him toward the ground...
"You dare send someone with merely two elements… to stand against me???"
The earth beneath Aldous shattered...
He resisted with everything he had.
Veins bulged across his arms...
But this man… was on an entirely different level...
From behind, Raym rushed in to support him...
The moment he pointed his sword toward the warrior—
the pressure suddenly shifted...
It became unnaturally light...
Too light.
And before Raym could understand what happened—
a violent whirlwind exploded around him...
A mere glance from the warrior had created it...
Raym was thrown far away instantly...
Meanwhile, the crushing pressure on Aldous continued...
The warrior quietly muttered to himself:
"How much longer will you endure, I wonder…???"
Elsewhere…
The dragon emerged completely unharmed...
Not a single scratch marked his body...
He raised his head toward the heavens and roared loudly, declaring his overwhelming existence.
Nearby, both Round and Daniel lay collapsed on the ground, heavily injured...
The dragon looked down upon them with utter disdain...
Without saying a single word...
Then he turned and began walking toward the warrior.
"NO…!!!"
Daniel's voice echoed desperately.
"I'm not finished yet… you bastard…!!!"
His body refused to move...
Yet he still tried to rise...
At that moment, Arvela finally arrived...
The instant Daniel noticed her—
he forced himself back onto his feet.
As though he wished to appear strong in front of her.
Even now.
Even in this condition.
Arvela sighed deeply.
Disappointment filled her eyes.
"Stop forcing yourself…" she said quietly.
"You can barely even speak."
She immediately began treating both him and Round...
Meanwhile…
On the other side of the battlefield...
The clash between Lorian and Araki had reached its peak...
Lorian looked as though he was collapsing...
Not merely physically.
But mentally as well.
His beliefs.
His convictions.
Everything inside him was being shaken apart...
Meanwhile, Araki laughed loudly as he continued attacking...
"You are nothing more than the hollow remains of an abandoned creed!!!"
Flames surged violently around him...
"How many times must I repeat myself before you finally surrender and submit to me?!!"
"We both know I could kill you whenever I desire."
Lorian struggled to stand...
He took a deep breath.
Then thought silently:
Perhaps… he truly is right...
The dragons had been locked in endless war against humanity since ancient times…
But then—
Something flashed within his mind...
His eyes widened.
And suddenly he shouted:
"You know something…???"
"You're right."
Araki smiled proudly...
"At last—"
But Lorian interrupted him immediately...
"Yet you overlooked one very important thing."
The atmosphere changed...
"You believed I would never discover it…"
Araki's smile slowly faded...
"You…"
"Your entire ideology is built around the First Lord of Dragons..."
For the first time…
A clear look of irritation appeared on Araki's face...
Lorian continued:
"Yes… that reaction confirms it perfectly..."
"You're hiding part of the truth..."
"No…"
"The most important part..."
His voice grew louder.
"The age of war between humanity and dragons ended the moment the Primordial Dragon, ORGHION, fell from his throne..."
Araki immediately exploded with rage...
"Do not speak nonsense!!!"
He rushed toward him violently...
But Lorian did not stop.
Instead, he shouted even louder:
"The one who inherited that throne…"
"The supreme being…"
"The mightiest existence in this world…"
"The Great Dragon Lord—"
"SYLDRAX!!!"
Elsewhere…
Aldous still endured the crushing gravitational force imposed upon him by the ancient warrior.
Then suddenly—
A thought crossed his mind...
I'll gamble on this.
For a split second, he allowed himself to sink closer toward the ground...
Then—
His leg erupted with volcanic magma...
And in one explosive motion—
He launched a devastating kick directly into the warrior.
The attack caught him off guard.
The warrior was pushed backward.
Before he could recover, Aldous had already closed the distance...
A crushing punch followed instantly...
The warrior crossed his arms to absorb the impact...
Even so…
He was forced several steps backward.
The battlefield trembled.
Aldous stood before him smiling.
"Listen carefully..."
"I don't know who you are…"
"Nor why you're attacking us…"
"But I will never allow you to look down on me."
Behind him, Raym finally returned and stood beside him...
Then Aldous smirked slightly...
"Though I must admit…"
"It's unfortunate this fight isn't fair..."
The warrior smiled faintly...
"Oh???"
"Yes..."
"You require support..."
At that exact moment—
The dragon appeared beside him at blinding speed...
And before everyone's eyes…
The mighty dragon lowered himself...
The warrior stepped onto his back...
Then the dragon soared high into the sky...
The entire battlefield froze...
The dragon spread his burning wings...
Meanwhile, the warrior summoned a blazing spear into his grasp.
Together…
They took a battle stance...
The dragon prepared to descend...
And the warrior spoke...
His voice echoed across the heavens themselves:
"From this moment onward…"
A terrifying silence followed...
"I am the great warrior…"
"VALERIUS."
The flames around them intensified violently.
Then he raised his spear toward the battlefield below...
"And I swear…"
"No one who wounded Raya's heart…"
"Will remain alive..."