Impossible.
With overwhelming strength and physical superiority, except for being slightly slower—how could she lose?
She had already reduced her opponent to a breath away from death at the start.
How could she lose?
For Helena, who had lived for centuries but had little exposure to the vastness of the world and was still just a baby dragon, this was her first battle against such a freak with "Battle Continuation EX."
She was starting to doubt her life choices!
A life-and-death struggle, fighting with all her might!!
This was something she had always loved, something ingrained in her genetic instincts.
Though she also had the gentle and emotional side of a young girl, when it came to battle, she was a natural apex predator, unafraid of any challenge.
Yet, the scene before her was something she couldn't comprehend.
She wasn't afraid of being killed by a stronger opponent in battle.
After all, even though death was terrifying, and as an undead being, what would happen if she died again?
The most would be that she would just disappear?
But—
If she lost in battle, it would mean she was too weak.
Isn't it natural for the weak to be preyed upon by the strong?
Honestly,
To be born from the resentment of countless Carthaginian spirits and grow up in the underground temple, Helena's only real quirk was her love for battle and slaughter.
Her personality wasn't particularly twisted, which was already a miracle.
This obsession allowed her to maintain a pure heart, but now she was faced with a phenomenon that pure heart couldn't understand.
The strong kill the weak, overwhelm them with power!
If the weak want to defeat the strong, they must use technique to fight!
Yet, the man before her, who had also abandoned technique, was now fighting her on equal terms.
No—
Not equal terms.
Helena took a deep breath, enduring the pain of her bleeding wounds, and calmly stared at the "incredibly powerful" figure in front of her.
What shook her young heart to the core was the fact that every time they clashed, the man's injuries were worse than hers.
But no matter how severe his wounds, he just wouldn't fall.
Even when his bones were exposed to the air, with only shreds of flesh hanging on, his body still moved.
What is this?!!
Guts, willpower? Or some kind of will that exists only in fantasy, capable of resisting even death?
Even the epics of the mythological era wouldn't dare write something like this!
So weak, yet so strong! It made her deeply fascinated!
What is this?
...
Fight, use this power to battle, follow the purest desire for destruction.
The girl named Helena had taught Night how to truly fight, even to enjoy battle.
In the past, his battles had always been restrained.
Because he had reservations during battle, his movements became sluggish, his body heavy.
Or he relied on absolute power to crush his opponents, never once pushing his body to its limits!
Because he was so desperate to live, he absolutely resisted death, but that didn't mean he should resist danger itself.
Running might lead to death, but fighting could offer a chance at survival.
So, he actually enjoyed the thrill of battle!
In a certain moment, experiencing the same joy as the girl, Night's lips curled into a smile.
Then, he felt a familiar power surge within him.
Blue Flame mode—
Though he couldn't see his current appearance, Night knew he had entered that state again, and this time it was different.
There was a faint, thrilling sensation, as if his bloodline was surging even more intensely, being developed to an even deeper level.
In fact, he had already lost consciousness...
But, in the last moment before losing consciousness, he threw a spear and heard the girl's call and challenge.
He wanted to respond—!
But even that final burst of strength had exhausted him, not to mention his body was full of holes.
At the very least, he had to see this battle through to the end.
With that final thought of responding to the girl's expectations, even as his consciousness faded completely, his body moved on instinct.
And then, it was a fight to the death—!
By the end, the blessings of Apollo and the land of Rome were shining brightly.
Relying on the light of miracles and the continuation of battle, the blessing of Rome's land continuously increased his strength.
And during the battle, especially against the girl who was the dragon of Carthage's land, this blessing grew even deeper.
By the end of the fight, Night, who couldn't even defeat Helena in her normal state, had forced her into a semi-dragon transformation, maintaining her Crimson Flame form for an extended period, yet still unable to defeat him.
Unable to die, and continuously gaining buffs to grow stronger, finally—
After another clash, Helena felt like she was about to faint from blood loss.
She gritted her teeth, on the verge of bleeding.
How could she lose to someone so much weaker than her in a direct confrontation?!
Burn every piece of flesh, evaporate every drop of blood, it didn't matter.
She wanted victory!! Victory!! Victory!!!
She wanted to defeat the man before her!
Conquer this unbelievable man!
How could such a joyous battle end in such an absurd way?
"Let me see your limits, big brother—! I swear by the name Helena, I will kill you!" Her gaze, filled with unwavering killing intent, locked onto Night.
She didn't want to disappoint this man.
It was precisely because of his deep fighting spirit that Helena, despite her growing fear of his bizarre and unyielding form, found her passion overcoming that fear.
She would never retreat—!
Even if she were torn apart, even if she were ground to dust, she would absolutely respond to this fighting spirit.
...
*Roar~!!*
Time came to dawn.
On the ruins of the new city of Carthage, countless Romans had awakened, and the sun had risen.
Just as the workers were getting up to continue their construction, they suddenly heard the roar of a dragon.
In the next moment, from the abyss beneath the collapsed square, a crimson demon dragon shot straight into the sky.
On its back was a figure covered in blood, his limbs tightly locked onto the dragon's back.
*Boom~!!*
The atmosphere shook as the red dragon, with Night on its back, soared into the heavens.
This scene was witnessed by countless Romans, who were instantly stunned, their eyes nearly popping out of their heads, trembling in fear as if they were hallucinating, staring at the sky.
"What—what is that?!!"
"A dragon—!!!! A DRAGON!! An evil dragon!"
"Has the mythological era returned?!! Impossible—! Are dragons real?!"
At this moment, it wasn't just the ordinary Roman citizens and workers.
Even Scipio, who had already woken up and looked up at the commotion, witnessed the majestic form of the great red dragon, like a queen of the sky.
Scipio's pupils contracted—!
At this moment, he felt his worldview had been severely shaken.
A red dragon—a DRAGON?!