The battlefield had already descended into ruin.
Flames scorched the earth.
Blood soaked into broken soil.
The sky itself seemed darker—choked by ash, lightning, and the sheer pressure of clashing titans.
And at the center of it all—
Two monsters faced each other.
---
The Thunder-Horned Sub-Dragon rose to its full height.
Lightning crawled across its obsidian scales like living veins.
Its massive wings unfurled—
BOOM!
A shockwave of thunder exploded outward, forcing even distant fighters to stagger.
Its golden, slit-pupil eyes locked onto Kael.
Judgment.
Challenge.
Dominance.
---
Kael stood still.
Wand in hand.
Cloak torn.
Blood trailing from his lips.
But his aura—
Burned brighter than ever.
---
Behind him—
Zael lay barely conscious.
Lily supported him, her hands trembling slightly despite her composure.
Zane stood in front of them like a wall.
Unmoving.
Unyielding.
But even he knew—
If Kael lost…
There would be nothing left to protect.
---
The Sub-Dragon moved first.
It vanished.
Not truly—but its speed blurred reality.
A claw descended.
Kael's eyes flashed.
"—Draconic Edict: Sovereign Guard."
A massive barrier of condensed dragon-script erupted around him.
BOOOOM!!!
The claw slammed into it—
Cracks spread instantly.
Kael's feet dug into the ground as he was pushed backward dozens of meters.
---
He didn't stop.
"—Draconic Edict: Solar Ruin."
His wand ignited.
A massive beam of golden fire erupted forward—
Colliding with the dragon mid-charge.
The explosion swallowed both of them.
---
Silence.
For half a second.
---
Then—
The dragon burst through the flames.
Unharmed.
Its resistance to elemental damage was overwhelming.
Its jaws opened—
Lightning gathered.
Kael's eyes sharpened.
Too fast to fully evade.
So—
He stepped forward.
---
"—Draconic Edict: Starflare Collapse."
A condensed sphere of draconic energy formed at the tip of his wand—
Then detonated point-blank.
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
The explosion shattered the ground beneath them.
The dragon was forced backward for the first time.
---
Kael exhaled sharply.
Blood ran down his arm.
Cooldown.
Too many high-tier skills back-to-back.
His breathing grew heavier.
---
The dragon roared.
This time—
Anger.
---
Lightning surged violently around its body.
The sky answered.
Clouds twisted unnaturally.
Thunder gathered.
---
Zane's expression darkened.
"…That doesn't look good."
Lily whispered,
"That's a high-tier ability…"
---
The Sub-Dragon lifted its head—
And brought it down.
---
"SKYFALL THUNDER DESCENT."
---
The heavens broke.
A pillar of lightning descended from the sky—
Massive.
Blinding.
Absolute.
---
Kael didn't move.
Couldn't move.
Cooldown windows.
Energy strain.
Damage accumulation.
All of it converged in this moment.
---
For the first time—
Death approached him.
---
Then—
His eyes changed.
---
Calm.
Cold.
Resolute.
---
"…Fine."
---
His aura condensed.
Not outward—
Inward.
---
"—Draconic Edict: Dragon King Manifestation."
---
Everything stopped.
---
Then—
It exploded.
---
A colossal phantom dragon formed behind Kael.
Golden.
Ancient.
Overwhelming.
Its eyes opened—
And the world trembled.
---
The lightning pillar struck.
---
And the dragon… roared.
---
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!
---
The collision split the battlefield in half.
Shockwaves flattened everything nearby.
Students were thrown off their feet.
Even the Starfire squad paused.
---
For several seconds—
No one could see anything.
---
Then—
The smoke cleared.
---
Kael stood there.
Barely.
His body was covered in burns.
Blood dripped freely.
His wand trembled in his hand.
---
But he was still standing.
---
Across from him—
The Sub-Dragon staggered.
One of its horns—
Shattered.
---
For the first time—
It had been injured.
Severely.
---
Its roar turned feral.
Desperate.
Violent.
---
It charged again.
Everything it had left.
---
Kael raised his wand.
Slowly.
Painfully.
---
"…Last one."
---
His voice was hoarse.
But steady.
---
"—Draconic Edict: Eclipse Annihilation."
---
The air darkened.
Light itself bent.
A sphere of compressed destruction formed—
Small.
Silent.
Terrifying.
---
Zael's eyes snapped open weakly.
Even in his state—
He felt it.
---
Danger.
Absolute.
---
Kael released it.
---
The sphere moved forward slowly—
Then—
Collapsed inward.
---
And exploded.
---
Silence.
---
No sound.
No light.
No movement.
---
Just—
Nothing.
---
Then—
The world returned.
---
The Sub-Dragon stood frozen.
For one second.
Two.
---
Then—
Its body split.
---
CRASH!!!
---
The massive corpse fell to the ground.
Lifeless.
---
The battlefield went still.
---
Kael remained standing for exactly three more seconds.
---
Then—
His wand slipped from his hand.
---
And he collapsed.
---
"KAEL!"
One of the Starfire members rushed forward instantly.
---
Zane exhaled slowly.
"…That guy's insane."
---
Lily looked at Zael.
"…So are you."
---
Zael said nothing.
But his eyes were fixed on Kael.
---
Conflicted.
---
Because in that final moment—
He hadn't seen a commander.
---
He had seen—
A brother.
---
And yet—
Everything between them remained unresolved.
---
Above the battlefield—
The clouds hadn't fully cleared.
---
Because deep within the forest—
Something else was watching.
---
And this time—
It wasn't a beast.
---
It was waiting.
---
For what came next.
---
The battlefield was still.
Smoke drifted upward in thin, wavering lines.
The corpse of the Thunder-Horned Sub-Dragon lay sprawled across the shattered earth—its massive form unmoving, its presence finally… gone.
But peace did not come.
Because far beyond the scorched clearing—
Deep within the forest—
Something else had been watching.
---
A group of figures stood among the trees.
Cloaked.
Silent.
Unseen.
Even the lingering spiritual disturbances of the battlefield failed to touch them.
It was as if they existed… outside perception itself.
---
One of them lowered his hood slightly.
Cold eyes.
Sharp.
Filled with restrained fury.
"…Failure."
His voice was low.
Controlled.
But the anger beneath it was unmistakable.
---
Another stepped forward.
"This should have worked."
"The bait was perfect."
"A third-tier presence to draw out the camp authorities…"
His fists clenched beneath his cloak.
"And then the tide would erase everything else."
---
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
---
Then a third figure spoke.
"…And yet—"
His gaze shifted toward the distant battlefield.
"—it failed."
---
The first man's expression darkened.
"Twice."
---
A pause.
Then—
He spoke a name.
"General Malphas Vire."
---
Even among them—
That name carried weight.
---
"The dungeon incursion failed because of interference."
His eyes narrowed.
"An anomaly."
---
Another voice added quietly,
"The younger one."
---
Zael.
---
The air seemed to grow colder.
---
"The first time—coincidence."
"The second time—pattern."
---
A fourth figure, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
"…He disrupted the sequence."
---
Their entire plan had been precise.
Calculated.
Layered.
---
Step one:
Release a high-tier bait to lure out the strongest protectors of the camp.
---
Step two:
Trigger a large-scale beast tide while leadership was distracted.
---
Step three:
Overwhelm the weakened camp and erase the next generation of awakeners.
---
Clean.
Efficient.
Inevitable.
---
And yet—
---
"Kael Nightshade."
The first man's voice hardened.
"He was not supposed to survive that exchange."
---
Another nodded.
"We underestimated him."
---
A brief silence.
Then—
"…No."
The first man corrected.
"We underestimated both of them."
---
His gaze shifted again.
Deeper.
Sharper.
---
"Zael."
---
The name lingered in the air.
---
"That one…"
"…is worse."
---
"How"
A flicker of something unreadable passed through his eyes.
Not fear.
Not yet.
But—
Recognition.
"...how?..He survived a class with a third tier beast when he isn't even at the first tier".
---
"The General's plan during the dungeon incident…"
"…was also interrupted."
---
"And the variable?"
---
"Same individual."
---
This time—
No one spoke immediately.
---
Because the implication was clear.
---
Two major operations.
Two failures.
---
One constant.
---
Zael.
---
"…Then we adjust."
The fourth figure finally said.
Calm.
Decisive.
---
"We escalate priority."
---
The first man nodded slowly.
"Yes."
---
His voice turned cold.
Final.
---
"Kael Nightshade—"
"Reclassified."
"High-threat target."
---
A pause.
---
Then—
---
"Zael—"
---
The forest seemed to go still.
---
"Immediate elimination priority."
---
A faint killing intent leaked into the air.
Sharp enough to make even the surrounding wildlife fall silent.
---
"He interferes again…"
---
"We don't allow a third time."
---
Another figure tilted his head slightly.
"…Do we inform the General?"
---
Silence.
---
Then—
A slow shake of the head.
---
"Not yet."
---
"If this… anomaly… grows further—"
"Then we escalate."
---
His gaze turned toward the battlefield one final time.
---
"…But next time—"
---
"There will be no mistakes."
---
A faint ripple passed through the air.
---
And then—
---
They were gone.
---
No sound.
No trace.
---
As if they had never existed.
---
Back at the battlefield—
---
Zael's eyes suddenly narrowed.
---
For a brief moment—
A faint sensation brushed against his awareness.
---
Gone instantly.
---
But real.
---
He looked toward the forest.
---
Silence.
---
Nothing there.
---
Yet—
His grip on his blade tightened slightly.
---
Because for the first time since the battle ended—
---
He felt it.
---
Not danger.
---
But—
---
Something watching.
---
[END OF CHAPTER]