80 The White Giant Dragon
“Leon Casmod……”
The crimson dragon eyes reflected the figure of that man.
He had once been Constantine’s nightmare, making the proud Red Flame Dragon King suffer immensely.
But it was also Leon, this very nightmare, who became Constantine’s only motivation to survive through the darkest days when the Empire tormented him.
The relationship between Leon and Constantine is quite… complicated now.
Indeed, it was Leon who personally killed Constantine, severing his head and hanging it at the Silver Dragon border.
And when Constantine resurrected for the first time, he attacked Isar’s Red Dragon Holy Temple, causing significant damage to his eldest sister.
If one were to say they harbor hatred for each other, that’s definitely true.
But if we dig deep, the root of this feud lies neither with Leon nor with Constantine, but rather with the human Empire.
Had the Empire not dispatched traitors to assassinate Leon back in the day, none of this would have happened. Constantine wouldn’t have led an army to attack the Silver Dragon Holy Temple, ultimately getting taken out by General Leon like he was nothing.
That said, hoping these two would put their differences aside and shake on it? Yeah, not happening anytime soon.
Though Leon had lived with Roswiser for five years and seen so much of the dragon race outside of battle, he still held some preconceived notions when facing Constantine.
He was the epitome of a pure-blooded dragon—ferocious, brutal, wild, and willing to go to any lengths to grow stronger.
Plus—
“Roswiser, is Noia hurt?” Leon asked without turning around.
Roswiser checked briefly and replied, “Her right hand is burned by magic energy, and it’s kind of trembling. She must have taken quite a strong hit.”
As Leon heard about his daughter’s injuries, his gaze toward Constantine turned sharper and fiercer. He clenched his fist, lightning crackling around it.
“This time I have enough reason to tear you into pieces, old man.”
Constantine realized this guy was throwing a tantrum because his daughter was hurt.
Tsk, Moirin and the Empire’s intel back then really didn’t cover everything—they didn’t mention that Leon Casmod was a total daughter slave!
Though Constantine didn’t care much that Leon was furious, he decided it was best to clarify a bit for the sake of his reputation.
“I didn’t hurt your daughter.”
“You’re full of cr*p!”
“……”
Old Constantine sighed internally, feeling a bit drained.
Should he explain more?
Would that make him appear too soft for a Dragon King?
For once, Constantine found himself in a dilemma.
“Uncle… Noia’s injury really wasn’t caused by the Red Flame Dragon King.”
Yuna, the senior girl who was caught by a Red Flame Dragon guard, piped up, “She was hurt while protecting me and Anton, attacking a Stone Giant.”
Before Leon could express confusion, Constantine looked at Yuna.
“A kid with a sharp sense of right and wrong! Which tribe are you from?”
“The Thunder Dragon Race. My dad is Thunder Dragon King Odin.” Just wanted to make sure Constantine doesn’t go on a rampage and accidentally hurt her.
“Oho, no wonder you’re Odin’s daughter; you’re way more sensible than some people.” Constantine praised Yuna while casting a sideways glance at Leon, the underlying message loud and clear.
General Leon’s face turned red, and he immediately struck an attack pose, not planning to waste more breath on Constantine.
Constantine grew serious, slowly gathering Primal Power.
“Looks like you’ve grasped the power of the Primal Dragon King.” Leon got on guard.
He had experienced the might of Primal Power before, and that was just the power Roswiser had manifested herself.
But Constantine had surely absorbed the strength of Primal Dragon King Noah by now, which likely surpassed Roswiser’s.
Leon didn’t dare to underestimate him; today’s Constantine was no longer the same as when he invaded the Silver Dragon Holy Temple.
“Ah… such a powerful force, spanning over ten thousand years, finally all back in my hands.”
Constantine felt the surge of power within him, “Casmod, this time, I can take revenge myself.”
“Well then… let’s see what you’ve got.”
As soon as the last word left his mouth, Leon and Constantine simultaneously vanished from their spots.
When they reappeared, their wrists clashed, launching into a pure test of strength.
Leon opened the Nine Gates of Hell, enhancing his body with lightning magic;
Constantine’s fused form, combined with his new Primal Power, amplified his strength to new heights.
Even the first clash of their physical attacks sent shockwaves outwards, causing the entire ruins to tremble violently.
“You’re even stronger than before, Casmod.” Constantine remarked.
“Can’t afford to weaken if I want to truly send you to Hell.”
“Hmph, arrogant brat.”
The first round ended, both withdrawing to create distance.
Roswiser arrived, cradling the unconscious Noia, and quietly asked Leon, “How’s it looking?”
“I can clearly feel the surge of Primal Power.”
Leon’s tone was heavy, his expression grave, “He’s succeeded.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“It’s fine, I can handle it. You take care of Noia and get the kids settled.”
Roswiser opened her mouth, wanting to say more, but Leon seemed confident he could handle the current situation. She opted to trust him, “Alright, be extra careful.”
“Mm.”
At the same time, the Iron Wing Dragon King, Fair, stepped forward, “I’ll lend my strength to my elder.”
But Constantine raised a hand to stop him, “This is my grudge with Casmod; no one is allowed to interfere.”
Hearing this, Fair pondered for a moment.
He understood Constantine’s temperament; he means what he says—otherwise, he would really flip out.
Well, it looks like it’s going to be a real-man, 1v1 showdown.
“Elder.”
“What?”
“Will you win?”
“I will win.”
The two charged forward again, preparing for their second clash.
But just as both were about to launch their attacks, the entire ruins suddenly trembled.
Everyone bent slightly, lowering their centers of balance to maintain stability.
In a moment, the Stone Giant that Constantine had smashed to pieces earlier began to slowly restore itself.
Not only that, heavy footsteps echoed from outside the ruins.
Looking in that direction, dozens of Stone Giants crowded at the entrance, their foreheads adorned with glowing white crystals, their massive bodies capable of flattening everything in sight.
Before Leon and Constantine could react, the first Stone Giant charged toward them.
Leon knew his lightning magic wouldn’t do much against stone, so he quickly chose to dodge.
Constantine, however, activated his Primal Magic to smash it once again.
But this time, the Stone Giant visibly self-repaired, continuing its assault on Constantine.
“Was Noah’s power stolen, causing these stone guards to go berserk…?”
Faced with such a relentless opponent, Constantine hesitated to continue fighting and retreated to the side.
Meanwhile, the giant figures were slowly encroaching.
Fair rushed over, extending his dragon wings, looking at the ominous mass of giants ahead in a panic, “Elder, what do we do now?!”
Constantine scanned the ancient ruin, realizing they had burned through the ice layer from above to come down, which meant they weren’t familiar with the internal structure and had no inkling that stone giants were on guard.
Now, in the face of the rampaging giants, Constantine could indeed take them out if he took it to the max.
But he was uncertain if Leon would seize the opportunity to take his life.
While Leon’s style usually didn’t match up with such trickery, they were in a life-or-d*ath battle, and one couldn’t gamble their life on someone else’s character.
Leon, on his end, analyzed the situation and reached the same conclusion as Constantine.
Both the man and the dragon exchanged glances over the Stone Giants, seemingly understanding each other’s thoughts.
Leon turned his gaze away, looking towards Roswiser.
At this moment, she had dealt with the Red Flame Dragon guards, protecting the kids beneath her dragon wings.
“Hey, kid.” Constantine called out.
Leon turned to him.
“We’re not done yet.”
With that, Fair transformed into his giant dragon form, extending his steel-blue wings, carrying Constantine toward the gap in the ruins, the one they burned through as they came down.
Leon and Roswiser watched the retreating figure, knowing they could chase after them, but the priority remained escaping the ruins and ensuring the safety of the kids.
Leon gazed at the ascending Constantine, murmuring,
“You’re right, Constantine. We’re not done yet.”
The Stone Giants closed in, and Roswiser quickly transformed into her dragon form, lifting Leon and the kids through the crevice burned by Constantine.
Bursting out of the ruins and reaching the surface, the extreme cold of the Extreme North enveloped them instantly.
Roswiser activated a protective barrier around her back, shielding everyone from the frigid winds.
Leon held Noia in his arms, and the eldest daughter began to slowly awaken.
“Dad… did you defeat Constantine…?”
Leon gave a rueful smile, shaking his head, “There was a bit of a mishap; I have a temporary truce with that guy.”
After a pause, he added, “Just a temporary one.”
“Mm… I’m just glad you’re not hurt.”
She actually, I’m about to cry! I feel dizzy from the backlash of magic energy, and the first thing I do when I wake up is ask about my old man.
Leon fondly ruffled Noia’s cheeks, “I heard from your senior that you protected everyone again this time.”
Noia gave a tired smile, “I think if it were you, Dad, you’d also throw yourself into protecting your companions, right?”
Everything she did was to grow into the person her father was.
She didn’t care if people thought of her as just a kid or the laggard of the group; she only wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps and do what she could.
That was it.
Helena, dragging her weary body over, plopped down beside Noia.
“Thank you, Noia-chan.”
“Don’t mention it, Helena.”
The other seniors also came over to express their gratitude.
Even Anton, after hesitating a moment, approached.
“Th-thank you, Noia. And! … I apologize for what I said before. You didn’t drag anyone down; you’re really impressive.”
“I’m not mad at you, senior; you don’t have to apologize.”
“Noia, just accept it. Listening to Anton apologize is as rare as the sun exploding; if you don’t accept, he probably won’t sleep well!” Yuna teased from the side.
Noia couldn’t help but laugh, “Alright, I accept your apology, senior.”
“Mm…”
Anton scratched his head and silently retreated to the side.
“But we still let Constantine take the power of the Primal Dragon King.”
Helena sighed, “I wonder what he’ll do with that power next.”
Hearing this, Leon blinked and asked, “Constantine took all of the Primal Power?”
According to what he previously understood about Primal Power, Leon thought it could be “divided.”
The Empire initially formed the Sharp Blade Special Forces and Constantine’s fusion skill using a portion of the stolen Primal Power.
So when in the ruins, it was likely that Constantine hadn’t absorbed all of the Primal Power.
Helena shook her head, “I’m not too sure… but he did seem to absorb a lot of power back then.”
“Got it. Be sure to tell your mom when you get back.”
“Sure thing, Uncle Leon.”
Leon dropped the serious topic and instead chatted about the practical exam the kids just had.
Once the floodgates opened, everyone was quite chatty, and the kids had a pretty good impression of Noia’s old man.
Apart from the hero glow of arriving just in time, this uncle was also quite the talker, never letting the conversation fall flat, discussing things everyone was interested in.
As Noia listened to her dad chatting with her classmates, she felt the creeping heaviness of sleep taking over her, fatigue washing over her.
She leaned against Leon, savoring the warmth in his embrace, slowly drifting off.
It was hard to tell how much time had passed, and whether she was dreaming, but Noia seemed to see a white… giant dragon.
It lay before her, its inverted dragon eyes emanating the authority of Aug.
