Boom—
A dull, thunderous crash slammed into the ground, sending sparks flying in all directions.
Pariston and Saiyu turned their heads toward the source of the sound, their eyes narrowing.
Inside the newly formed crater, there was a man.
Beyond recognition, Beyond lay sprawled in the shape of a cross, motionless.
All the hair on his body—and his clothes—had been burned away completely.
His muscular frame was charred in many places, the skin blackened like scorched coal.
Most of his right leg had vanished, leaving behind only a small stump still attached to his torso—so short it looked like the careless flick of an ink brush.
It seemed Beyond had failed to fulfill his promise.
Beyond felt a noisy commotion beside him.
One was a madman, muttering crazily about detonating the Poor Man's Rose inside his body.
The other was a monkey shouting loudly, wielding a chopping stick, a standing stick, and a stabbing stick, desperately fighting to survive.
The noise was so loud it made his ears ache.
But it wasn't just his ears that hurt.
His head, limbs, and torso all ached without exception...
No, wait—his right leg no longer hurt.
It was gone. Severed. Detached from his body.
Beyond couldn't move.
His body was out of his control, unable even to turn his head slightly, making his vision extremely narrow.
To make matters worse, blood flowing down from his forehead had stained his left eye.
The sharp sting forced him to close that eye.
So, in reality, only his right eye could see anything.
And all it could see was something in the sky.
That very thing—the one responsible for his current state—was right in the center of his right eye's view.
It looked like a huge burning fireball, roaring fiercely.
This fireball emitted a mocking roar, flapping its wings, growing larger and larger in Beyond's vision...
It was descending.
Coming straight toward him.
Beyond felt someone tugging his arm, trying to drag him away.
He didn't recognize who it was.
All he knew was that the person probably failed because they let go.
Amidst the dragon's roar, the scorching heat of the fireball approached, baking Beyond's whole body.
It felt as if all the moisture inside him had evaporated, leaving him dry and aching.
He opened his right eye wide.
The old scars crisscrossing his face twisted fiercely, gathering the last bit of his willpower.
He was ready to go all in.
"Come on, beast, come closer. Let me, with this mouth, bite through your neck one last time!"
In truth, that was impossible.
But at this moment, he had lost all logical thought—only instinct remained.
Yet the Flame Demon Dragon wasn't even willing to grant him such a wish.
Its massive body hovered at a height far beyond Beyond's reach.
Its overwhelming wings spread wide, the glow of fire and the dark of the wings completely engulfing him.
Its blood-red maw opened, and a raging inferno surged inside its throat, loaded like a cannonball, ready to be unleashed.
It was about to strike down, blasting and burning his flesh to ashes.
Screech—
At that moment, Beyond thought he heard a piercing, night-shattering scream that made his teeth ache.
Or maybe he was mistaken.
He barely trusted his own senses anymore.
Suddenly, the Flame Demon Dragon snapped its bloodthirsty jaws shut—or rather, was forced to close its mouth—and its enormous body veered sharply to the side.
This probably wasn't a hallucination.
Boom—
A thunderous sound shook the ground and mountains.
Beyond's fingers tingled with numbness.
Though he couldn't see the source, he sensed it was the sound of the Flame Demon Dragon crashing down.
But what had attacked it?
He forced himself to open his left eye.
The blurry and clear visions merged, focusing entirely on the center of the night sky.
After the Flame Demon Dragon vanished from sight, the crescent moon behind it appeared, shining with a cold gray light.
And now, in that direction, a figure was standing in midair, as if standing on the moon itself.
To Beyond, it felt like he was seeing Isaac Netero again — that image of him always looking down with a smile after defeating Beyond.
Isaac Netero...
Him again?
Was it really him again?
"Isaac—"
Beyond suddenly regained some strength and shouted out, "Netero!"
His roar carried both unwillingness and anger, though he didn't understand where such overwhelming emotions came from.
"Don't shout, don't shout."
At that moment, three figures emerged from the shadows of the forest, and the tallest among them spoke in a woman's voice.
"The old man never came."
"Beyond, open your eyes and look carefully. Who do you see there?"
Isaac Netero's son paused upon hearing this.
When he saw Bisky's face appear in his sight, his breath grew rapid.
He realized something.
His eyes rolled upward again, staring at the sky.
Germain...
It was Germain.
Germain's conjured airship was flying low and forward, following the direction and route confirmed by Bisky.
Along the way, they inevitably fought off or eliminated many monsters trying to prey on them.
Though it wasted a little time, they did not encounter any major obstacles.
Just as they were about to reach the volcanic area, those on the airship heard roars from the night sky — one after another, impossible to ignore.
Everyone quickly identified the roars as belonging to a giant dragon.
Germain's ultra-long-range "En" brought back more precise information.
Humans and dragons were fighting, and the humans were at an extreme disadvantage.
At this moment, in this region, it was clear who was battling the giant dragon.
So, they rushed over, and Germain launched the first wave of attack.
Germain spread his silver wings and stood in the air.
From his high vantage point, he looked down at the huge pit where the group was gathered.
Shizuku, Bisky, Morel, Beyond, Pariston, and Saiyu were all there.
Except for Beyond, who was unable to move, the others were confronting the dragon.
No matter what their previous positions were, they had now formed a temporary alliance.
Germain then turned his gaze toward the dragon that had set a large area of the mountains on fire and was climbing out of the blaze.
Its fierce head bore thick, curved horns like those of a bull.
Its skin was like molten lava — black with dark red glowing cracks all over.
Spreading its wings, it pushed off forcefully with its four legs.
The heavy, terrifying body shot up into the air like a column of fire from a flamethrower.
When the Flame Demon Dragon unleashed its clearly telegraphed fiery breath, Germain had already flashed away from the spot in a silver glow.
Boom—
By the time the Flame Demon Dragon noticed, Germain had already flown right beside it.
Ignoring the intense heat and flames hot enough to melt steel instantly, he raised one leg.
Just like before, the dragon was blasted back by a great force.
But this time, it saw clearly who was attacking it.
Boom—
The Flame Demon Dragon crashed into the mountain again.
The explosive flames burst, and the fire spread even more fiercely.
A whole mountain ridge caught fire.
Filled with rage, it immediately got back up.
But then, a loud crack sounded in the sky.
Under the command of the "Deep Sea Badge" in Germain's hand, dark clouds rolled in.
A thunderclap boomed, and then heavy rain poured down without mercy.
Patter—patter—patter—
The raindrops struck like bullets, dense and urgent.
The clouds were like squeezed sponges, forcing out water to try to control the raging wildfire.
However, to truly stop the fire, the source had to be dealt with.
Germain clasped his hands together, then slowly spread them apart.
A Burial Blade appeared in his right hand.
Whoosh—
Breaking through the almost continuous curtain of rain at incredible speed, Germain appeared in front of the Flame Demon Dragon in the blink of an eye.
He raised the Burial Blade!
*******
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