A cold chill ran down Reyon's spine.
His heart pounded as he activated Vector Vision, his eyes scanning the battlefield ahead with amplified precision.
And then—
He saw it.
A towering, pitch-black dragon, far larger than the white one. Its wings blotted out the horizon. Every inch of it screamed of death and ancient wrath.
"…Methusela."
Even from this distance, the aura of death was unmistakable. Suffocating. Decaying.
Reyon's hands clenched instinctively.
Behind him, even Edward flinched slightly, his expression hardening.
"That thing…" the emperor murmured. "So… this is what you were talking about."
Reyon nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
Edward exhaled, his voice steeling itself.
"If you and I fight it together… we can subdue it."
His tone was firm. Confident. But Reyon didn't miss the tension in his jaw.
"That beast is strong," Edward continued, "but… I've seen your grandmother in her prime. She was stronger."
Reyon gave a small, bitter chuckle.
"Yeah… a single strike of Elemental Spear would tear this thing apart…"
He paused.
"But it wouldn't end there."
Reyon's gaze turned dark.
"In my last life… I managed to slit its throat."
Edward blinked. "You—"
"But it rewinded its body's time back," Reyon interrupted. "And before we could even raise our hands… it stopped time for our bodies."
His breath hitched.
"We couldn't even launch an attack."
Edward's brows furrowed.
Reyon looked straight ahead.
"That's what makes this beast horrific. It can stop the time of any entity in a single direction. And if its breath touches us, our bodies will age rapidly… and turn to sand."
Edward tightened his grip.
"So what's the plan?"
Reyon raised his hand, drawing vectors mid-air.
"We attack from opposite directions. It can only stop time in one direction at once."
"If it stops your time…" Reyon's voice grew cold, "I'll cut its head off—before it can breathe again."
"And if it stops mine—"
Edward's eyes glinted. "Then I strike."
Reyon nodded.
"We still don't know its true weakness. So we find it while fighting. And most importantly…"
He turned.
"We protect each other. That's the best we can do."
Edward gave a faint smile.
Meanwhile…
Alice stirred in a healer's tent, groaning softly as the pain in her side returned.
"Reyon…?" she whispered.
No response.
Suddenly, a violent surge of mana shook the camp.
Alice's eyes flew open, and she hurried toward the border.
She barely reached the edge—
Only to see it.
The black dragon Methusela, its claws piercing straight through Arthur's chest like butter.
She froze.
Her eyes wide. Mouth agape.
"Brother…?"
Reyon, watching from a distance, could've saved Arthur.
But he didn't move.
"This was his doing," Reyon muttered under his breath. "You don't try to control something as ancient as a dragon."
Methusela turned its head, its golden-black eyes staring directly into Arthur's pale face.
"Hm… I was waiting to kill you, human," the dragon's deep, guttural voice echoed across the ruined land.
Arthur coughed blood, trying to speak—but the dragon cut him off.
"You tortured me… and my brothers," Methusela growled. "You broke their minds to control them. Silver… Blue…"
He slammed his claws deeper.
"And in the end… you led them to death."
He roared.
"That black-robed bastard… after Silver's death, his concentration wavered."
Methusela's fangs gleamed.
"That small moment… was all I needed to break free."
The dragon raised his claw and pierced Arthur again.
"I will take my kin's revenge by eliminating every human from this world!"
A shockwave exploded as Arthur's body hit the ground, lifeless.
Alice screamed.
"Brother—!"
She ran forward.
But it was too late.
She fell to her knees, trembling.
"No… Not him too… You were the only family i had…"
Tears fell freely.
And then—she fainted.
The nearby healers rushed in, dragging her unconscious body back before Methusela's rage could touch her.
Methusela lifted his head, and with a voice filled with killing intent, thundered:
"You… both…"
His eyes locked on Reyon and Edward.
"You killed Silver… and you 9th circle monster of a man—I can feel Blue's aura from you."
"You must have killed Blue."
The black dragon's breath thickened.
"You killed both of my kin."
A pause.
"I will start with you… and then wipe out every single human."
He spewed a grey breath, thick and hazy like death itself.
Reyon's instincts screamed.
"That's the breath that turns flesh into sand…!"
Without delay, he stepped forward, drawing σ mid-air.
"Stack σ!"
Mana surged around him.
He raised both hands.
"∞!"
The void opened—a swirling hole in space itself.
The grey breath approached.
Reyon guided the breath into the void.
But the power—
Crkk—crack—CRACK!
Cracks began to appear over the void.
"What…?"
Even Reyon's bones ached.
His muscles swelled unnaturally.
Veins popped under his skin.
The mana flow had become too much.
Even though Vector Magic drew from the surroundings—not from the body—it wasn't enough. The amount of mana required to keep the void stable was immense.
Mana started leaking from Reyon's body.
From his skin…
His hair…
His very pores.
Edward stared in horror.
"That's not mana flow… that's—he's becoming a conduit!"
It was as if Reyon's body had replaced air and blood with mana.
But still…
He endured.
Reyon screamed and launched the breath back through the void—hurling it straight at Methusela.
The grey beam hit the dragon.
His body vanished in the explosion.
The ground rumbled.
Silence.
Even Edward was momentarily stunned.
"That power… It's strong enough to absorb my ultimate Sun Burst and throw it back…"
Reyon stood hunched, breathing heavily.
"Haa… Haa…"
"Did it… work…?"
For a moment, all was still.
Then—
The dust began to swirl.
And reformed.
Methusela's massive figure reappeared, rising like a devil reborn.
He laughed.
"Haha…! You're quite strong, human. I didn't expect it."
He narrowed his eyes.
"A human as young as you… casting that magic."
He tilted his head.
"If it weren't for my time manipulation, I would've died."
Reyon gritted his teeth.
"Even that… didn't work…?"
He punched the ground, frustration boiling over.
"Shit!"
Methusela moved.
With a roar, he slashed his massive claws toward Reyon.
A gigantic slash formed, ready to tear him in half.
But before it could land—
Edward appeared, eyes blazing.
"You… ignoring me in front of my own son?"
He raised both hands.
"Laser Array—Fire!"
Multiple laser beams burst forth, slashing through the air.
They collided with Methusela's claws, barely scratching the skin—but enough to divert the attack.
Edward surged forward, a golden aura around him.
And so…
The true fight began.