At this moment, Old Constantine was still jogging his way over (5K8 shape).
The environmental aberrations caused by Dragon Extinction distracted Roswiser and her Sharp Blade Trio from their task of cleansing Dangerous Species as they glanced over at Leon.
Claudia stared up into the night sky, now shrouded in thick clouds, as the last slender beam of moonlight disappeared behind the haze.
A formidable power of lightning roared and howled, seemingly eager to break free.
“Is this intensity of lightning magic… a bit exaggerated?”
Even someone as well-versed as Claudia couldn’t help but marvel at the overwhelming presence of Dragon Extinction.
She had combed through countless ancient texts and pondered over innumerable skills that her ancestors had proudly wielded, but she’d never encountered lightning magic as majestic and devastating as Dragon Extinction.
“This is a rarely used killing move of Leon; I’ve only seen him use it twice so far,” Roswiser chimed in.
The first time was during the Rift Battle when the shining Star Dragon King, Star, went up against husband-and-wife duo Leon and Roswiser.
When Star was cornered and ready to go down in flames, Leon unleashed Dragon Extinction, an ultra-S class lightning magic, with the aid of a multitude of Silver Dragons.
Back then, Leon couldn’t use it alone; he relied on the Silver Dragon Race’s Dragon Flame to alter the weather, creating storm clouds to harvest sufficient natural lightning.
But six months onward, Leon had apparently refined his craft and could initiate Dragon Extinction all by his lonesome—
Though afterward, he was so drained he could barely walk, the image of General Leon taking down six dragons in ten seconds was forever etched in Roswiser’s mind.
Thinking of this, Roswiser’s lips curled into a proud smirk, with an inner feeling of, “See? That’s my husband!”
However, back to reality—this battle had just begun, and Leon had already pulled out such a trump card.
Was it because the Sharp Blade Trio was too strong that he felt pressured to end it quickly?
Or was Leon just impatient to stop playing with his food and wanted to wrap things up?
Lost in thought, a charred Fusion Beast suddenly plopped down at the feet of Roswiser and Claudia.
Her contemplation snapped back as she turned to see it was Constantine.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt, but shouldn’t we deal with the pesky trouble in front of us before admiring someone’s impressive physique?” he remarked.
Old Constantine knew all too well how strong Leon was, so no matter what Dragon Extinction or Beast Extinction was going on, he had no worries about Leon’s battle.
“The number of Fusion Beasts is growing, and they seem capable of entering a second stage of fusion,” Constantine said.
Roswiser raised an eyebrow, “Second stage fusion? What do you mean?”
Before Constantine could respond, she noticed a larger shadow looming over her own feet.
Turning around, the Queen’s brow furrowed even deeper, and an unusual expression flickered across her face.
She and Claudia watched as the Fusion Beasts behind them drew close, extending dark, sticky tentacles that bound several of their kind together.
Next, the skin of the Fusion Beasts began to meld as though it were melting tar.
Finally, a super-sized monster formed from multiple Fusion Beasts stood before the trio of dragon kings.
Its massive body defied any rules of anatomy with at least three heads to boot.
“Leon must have predicted this— the Empire has even more outrageous trump cards hidden up its sleeve.”
Previously, they had only known that the Empire was researching Fusion Beasts, but they had no idea they could initiate a second-level fusion on top of that.
And judging from the magic fluctuations radiating from this beast, its strength was certainly on par with that of a Dragon King.
Constantine stepped forward, aligning himself with Roswiser and Claudia as they prepared to fight side by side.
The three Dragon Kings formed a united front against the fearsome beast.
“Let’s torch this ugly brute,” Constantine declared.
Faced with a strong foe, the Dragon Kings naturally collaborated.
“Roar!—”
The second-stage Fusion Beast let out a sound that shook the heavens and earth, then charged at them, claws outstretched.
Roswiser and her companions did not flinch; instead, they concentrated their magical powers, and overwhelming flames erupted forth to meet the monstrous threat.
Three flames converged into one colossal fireball, incinerating everything in its path.
Flash! The trio combined their technique: Triple Dragon Flame Extinguish!
The fireball collided with the monster, instantly creating a massive explosion that reduced nearby buildings to ashes, illuminating the night like it was day.
The shockwave whipped Roswiser’s hair and skirt, the heat singeing her delicate face, as bits of embers floated by her silver eyes.
Before long, the fire subsided, leaving only the charred, barely-conscious giant beast on the ground.
“Heh, what a ruckus! Didn’t expect it to go down that quickly,” Constantine scoffed, expressing his disdain for the stitched-up monster— even his own body was pieced together.
“But… something’s off,” Roswiser said, not letting her guard down. “The battle on our side has been balanced, and Claudia and I were just testing each other’s abilities, so there’s no reason for them to bring out a second-stage Fusion Beast so soon…”
Claudia pondered for a moment and quickly realized, “These monsters were forced into the second stage not to fight us, but—”
As she spoke, all three turned their gazes towards Leon a few blocks away.
“They’re after Leon!”
As soon as the words left her mouth, hundreds of Fusion Beasts surged towards the battlefield where Leon was.
“So it turns out we weren’t the only ones noticing that powerful energy wave from Dragon Extinction; even these apparently brainless Fusion Beasts caught on,” Constantine said.
“But even so, they should be avoiding danger; why charge in like this?” Claudia questioned.
Roswiser’s dragon eyes glimmered as she arrived at the answer quickly, “They’re there to shield the Sharp Blade Trio!”
She had witnessed the destructive nature of Dragon Extinction firsthand, capable of throwing back the suicidal attack from the shining Star Dragon King— there was no way the Sharp Blade Trio could withstand that!
So, to protect those three treasures, the sorcerer controlling the Fusion Beasts must’ve sent this ‘cheap labor’ to take the hit.
With that thought, Roswiser and Claudia spread their dragon wings and raced towards Leon’s battlefield.
Leaving Constantine standing there, utterly bewildered by the wind—
What the heck! His stitched-up body didn’t have wings!
He had come there with Fair’s help.
“I hate the Empire,” Old Constantine muttered as he jogged toward the battlefield.
…
A lightning-formed lion poked its head out from the clouds, baring its fangs and sharp claws as it charged toward the Sharp Blade Trio below.
“B-Big Brother! That thing has too wide an attack range; there’s no way we can dodge it!”
Kite had completely skipped over the “Big brother, let’s work together to stop it” option.
Anyone with a lick of magic knowledge could tell you that nothing carbon-based could withstand the Thunder Lion on Samel Boulevard.
“Don’t worry, steady now; someone will help us,” Leon replied calmly.
“Help? How can we expect those useless troops to shield us?” Kite shot back.
“We certainly can’t rely on the army; I’m talking about—those things.”
Kite looked toward where Leon was pointing.
What awaited him was a sea of Fusion Beasts and Dangerous Species rushing toward them, already undergoing second-stage fusions in the process.
One-armed Jimei felt a chill run down his spine at the sight.
“Though it’s not my first time seeing a second-stage fusion, it still makes me want to puke.”
“Better to throw up than to be turned to dust by Leon—”
“Watch out! It’s coming!!”
The Thunder Lion unleashed its power and arrived with a flash, blinding white lightning swallowing the entire block.
Even the ground trembled from the powerful shockwave.
Energy rippled outward like concentric circles, and the ground-bound land ship almost shattered due to the impact.
Inside the land ship, King Cant fell backward onto the floor, clutching his racing heart, trying to figure things out.
“W-What do we do?! If even the Sharp Blade Brothers can’t stop that attack, who can stop Leon?!”
Meanwhile, Elizabeth stood firmly in place, casting a disdainful glance at Cant, “Look at you, “Lord Shadow” would surely regret handing over the throne to you if he saw this.”
The already terrified Cant froze on hearing the name ‘Lord Shadow,’ his brain momentarily shutting down.
“Sh-Shadow… Lord Shadow…?”
“Don’t worry; we will win.”
Elizabeth reassured him, “Look, those Fusion Beasts and Dangerous Species are blocking that one attack for the trio. And just now, the Royal Sorcerers reported that the intensity of that attack was Leon’s physical limit.”
A smirk appeared on the Queen’s face, confidence radiating off her.
“This means it’s our turn to strike back hard!”
…
As the lightning faded, Leon stood quietly in the center of the street.
Before him lay the corpses of numerous large Fusion Beasts, and the air reeked of burnt flesh.
Leon squinted slightly, “Did they block it?”
As the smoke cleared, the Sharp Blade Trio stumbled out from behind the rubble, supporting one another.
Even though the Fusion Beasts had cushioned the blow, they still bore some injuries.
But it was better than being directly hit— just look at the heaps of second-stage Fusion Beasts around!
“That was quite the powerful attack; my brothers and I have finally witnessed the strength of the greatest Dragon Slayer,” Gini stepped forward, “But too bad; that attack must’ve drained all your magic, right? Don’t think we haven’t studied you. This is your limit, Leon.”
Leon remained silent, listening quietly.
Before long, two familiar silhouettes—the silver-haired beauty and the blue-haired wonder—landed softly beside him.
Leon looked left and right, “Hey? Where’s the other dragon?”
“On the way here,” Roswiser noted.
“Oh… the pain of having no wings, I get it.”
“So what’s the situation now?”
Roswiser surveyed the ground littered with Fusion Beast carcasses, “So it’s true that these guys shielded the Sharp Blade Trio from the attack, huh?”
“Yep. And they even deduced that my magic reserves are running low,” Leon replied.
Upon hearing this, Claudia scrutinized Leon, her voice laced with concern, “You’re not really out of magic, are you?”
“No, actually, I still have quite a bit left.”
The blue-haired woman rolled her eyes dramatically, “Then why did you look like you were about to throw in the towel and make a desperate last stand?”
Leon shrugged, “It was just laying the groundwork for my unexpected magical explosion coming up.”
“Huh?” Claudia was clearly baffled by Leon’s approach.
“To put it in Rebecca’s words, it’s for fooling them into thinking they’ve got an upper hand and then slapping them in the face,” Roswiser earnestly explained.
“…Childish! How did you marry such a childish man?” Even Claudia couldn’t help but join in on the mockery.
The Queen covered her face with her hand and sighed softly, “Some things are better left unspoken, senpai.”
Leon stepped forward and slowly raised his right hand, addressing the Sharp Blade Trio.
“You just said that was my limit, right?”
Gini froze, “Wait, do you mean—”
Before he could finish, an explosive bird-like cry erupted, the energy pulsating around and blowing away the remaining smoke.
The Sharp Blade Trio stood dumbfounded at the sight.
This wasn’t what the intel had said!
Based on magic intensity, what he had just unleashed was supposed to be Leon’s limit!
How on earth could he easily unleash Thousand Birds now?
“You see, your intelligence gathering probably stopped once I emerged from the Rift, so your understanding of my limits is stuck there.”
“Exactly; back then, I truly could only manage that level of attack. Even if I broke Dragon Extinction into four parts, the total power remained unchanged.”
“Your assumptions are correct.”
“It’s just that… people improve over time, don’t they?”
Hearing Leon’s explanation, Gini was still in disbelief.
“How could a normal human possibly increase their magic reserves so drastically in just a few years? You… you’re just bluffing, right?!”
“Well, the average human wouldn’t get such a jump in a few years, but special methods can do wonders.”
Special methods:
Specifically referring to putting another Dragon Pattern on his arm!
Not long after the “Leon takes out six dragons in ten seconds” debacle, the couple had imprinted a second Dragon Pattern onto each other to store more magic.
And this was intel the Empire would never gather!
Thus, once again proving the value of the Dragon Patterns!
“As for whether I was bluffing—”
Leon raised his right hand high, and in an instant, the sky began to stir once more.
“Believe me, you injured my master. Every attack I make is aimed at taking your life.”
“So… if I use Dragon Extinction one more time, and you’re still breathing, then you can ask me again if I was bluffing.”
The chilling killing intent emanating from Leon enveloped the area around the Sharp Blade Trio.
In that moment, even those who had slaughtered countless Dragon Kings felt a chill run down their spines.
…
In the land ship, King Cant swallowed hard.
“The Sorcerer’s analysis was wrong; Leon’s magic reserves are still plentiful! But we don’t have any Fusion Beasts left to shield him from his next attack!”
At this moment, Elizabeth began to sense urgency, her beautiful brows knitted together, her face serious.
“Don’t panic! ‘Lord Shadow’ gave you a trump card, didn’t he? It’s time to use it.”
“B-but sacrificing the Sharp Blade Trio…”
“Hmph, Cant, after being a king for so long, you still don’t grasp the bigger picture.”
Elizabeth said slowly, “For the final victory, what’s a few pawns sacrificed along the way? Go ahead, the Gini trio will take this as the highest honor.”
Cant hesitated for a moment, but eventually pulled a black dragon scale from his pocket.
“‘Lord Shadow’… it’s all up to you now.”
With that, Cant tossed the black scale from the land ship.
It landed silently upon the corpses of Fusion Beasts.
Leon and the others turned their attention toward it.
“What’s that?”
Roswiser shook her head, “A black dragon scale? I’ve never seen it before.”
Claudia squinted her eyes and immediately muttered, “Oh no, that’s—”
Before she could finish, the pile of Fusion Beasts’ corpses began to writhe.
“What the? The Dragon Extinction should’ve killed them for good!”
That black dragon scale had become the key to unlocking the gates of hell.
Now, it was going to release the souls trapped within.
Of course, releasing required a sacrifice.
And the offerings were—
The Sharp Blade Trio!
Caught off guard, the Gini brothers stared at this scene in shock.
While they understood the concept of second-stage fusions, could these burnt-up Fusion Beasts really come back to life?
Just as the three were perplexed, three tentacles shot forth from the black mass of corpses.
The tentacles zipped through the air and wrapped tightly around the unsuspecting trio, rendering them immobile.
“What’s going on?! Are these monsters going crazy?!”
“Let go! This is so disgusting!”
“Big brother, what the heck is happening—”
Gini looked up at the king and queen aboard the land ship.
“Your Majesty, quickly order these monsters to release us!”
“Gini, now’s your time to be loyal to the Empire. You’re about to gain incomparable power and bodies— is that not what you’ve dreamed of?”
“…W-What?!”
Gini’s mind went blank in an instant.
The next second, the tentacles yanked the three brothers into the mass of black corpses.
With the sacrifices gathered, the dark spirits crossed the threshold of life and d*ath, returning anew.
“Roar!!!—”
Thus, the ultimate monster formed from the combination of hundreds of Dangerous Species, Fusion Beasts, and the Sharp Blade Trio—
The Primordial Nightmare, was born.
The hulking monstrosity slowly rose, with countless writhing tentacles adorning its massive body.
Heads from various Dangerous Species and Fusion Beasts peppered its form.
Atop this monstrosity, the Sharp Blade Trio was fully engulfed in darkness.
Their eyes were vacant, staring blankly ahead, allowing the black beast to siphon the Primal Power from their bodies.
A mighty gust blew past, forcing Leon and company to adopt defensive stances.
The appearance of this colossal creature sent shivers down the spines of all citizens within the Empire.
“Wh-What is that thing?!”
“The Empire has been hiding this disgusting monster from us…”
“Run… run! That’s beyond our understanding of living beings… not even Leon can—”
…
In no time, the previously chaotic streets of the Empire descended into even deeper pandemonium.
The clamor seemed to irk the Primordial Nightmare, which unleashed an unrestrained assault on the crowd.
Blackish-red Primal Power gathered in the mouths of its many monsters, shooting outward in various directions.
Leon, concerned for the safety of civilians, shouted to Rebecca and the others atop a low building nearby,
“Get everyone evacuated! Move everyone out of the upper city!”
“Yes! Captain!”
With the crowd’s evacuation in order, Leon and the two Dragon Kings turned their focus back to the terrifying Primordial Nightmare.
“What heavy resentment… I thought the second-stage fusion was the Empire’s bottom line, but it seems they have even greater mastery.”
“Judging by this monster’s physical strength, even your Dragon Extinction might not be able to take it down.”
“Exactly… if I can’t deal with it, then my magic reserves truly are—”
“Wait, is this foreshadowing?”
Leon smiled wistfully, shaking his head, “Nope. Two Dragon Extinctions really are my limit. Unless… should I give it a shot?”
Leon rarely lacked confidence in securing a victory and almost never uttered the phrase “give it a shot.”
But even without engaging, Leon’s group could deeply feel the horror of the Primordial Nightmare.
It was a convergence of resentment from the Gini brothers and countless Dangerous Species.
In its eyes, all living things were target practice.
So… it seemed they had no choice but to go all out.
“Hold on.”
Roswiser interjected.
“You all feel the powerful resentment emanating from this monster, right?”
Leon and Claudia nodded.
“Then that means… it harbors extreme negative emotions.”
With that, the Silver Dragon Queen took a bold step forward, standing under the looming shadow of the Primordial Nightmare.
Her slender figure appeared utterly minuscule compared to the towering monster.
But in the next moment, a rainbow-colored light burst forth, sending a powerful wave of righteous energy radiating outward.
“Primordial Magic—”
The Queen drew the seven-colored energy into her grasp, her silver hair sweeping wildly in the winds of energy. She spread her dragon wings wide for balance, that moment turned her into an ethereal flower gracing the battlefield, her elegant silhouette resembling an angel descending from the heavens.
“Soul Judgment.”
XXXX
At this moment, Old Constantine was still jogging his way over.
Also, after this five-thousand-character chapter, the next chapter will feature the Empire’s final dance,
General Leon will also deliver the most stylish kick of this volume!
Then there’s the beloved routine of returning home for some table love, eating, table love, eating, table love, and eating: )
