The assault of thunder and fire came simultaneously, leaving no path for retreat from any direction.
But from the look on Star's face, there was no intention of dodging.
He intended to take the first wave of Leon and Rossweise's attack head-on.
The scorching dragon flames first struck the surface of Star's golden armor, triggering a series of chain explosions.
The impact of the blasts drove Star's feet into the hard ground, with cracks spreading outward in circles, centered on him.
Seeing Rossweise's attack succeed, Leon followed closely.
Raising his thunder sword high, he swung it down with arcs of lightning, accurately hitting the back of Star's golden armor.
But there was only a muffled sound of thunder, and Leon's sword broke in two.
The blue glow reflected off Star's black and gold helmet as Leon's gaze pierced through the shards of lightning, locking onto Star.
The old Dragon King slowly turned his head, staring at Leon through his heavy helmet.
"Is this all you have got?"
The ancient voice came from beneath the golden armor once more, but this time, it carried a hint of disdain and mockery.
Leon snorted coldly, "I will not let you down."
As soon as his words fell, the two broken pieces of the thunder sword and the surrounding lightning fragments suddenly flashed brightly, transforming into sharp thunder needles that all pierced toward Star.
The thunder needles pounded against Star's armor like a torrential storm, producing crackling explosions.
Such an attack, of course, could not cause effective damage to Star.
But Leon was not trying to harm him with this move.
The thunder needles fused into the golden armor, and at first, Star only felt it was another follow-up trick from the human boy, nothing painful or itchy.
However, as the thunder needles continued to strike, Star gradually began to feel a sense of paralysis.
The numbness crept into him like countless ants, crawling through his nerves and veins, spreading all over his body.
Seeing the thunder needles take effect, Leon and Rossweise immediately pushed to Star's left and right sides.
Once they had distanced themselves, the couple gathered their respective energies of lightning and fire, directing them all toward Star.
Dragon flames turned into balls of fire, shot from Rossweise's hands;
Lightning extended into long senbons, further paralyzing Star while also significantly increasing the damage.
The two elements bombarded Star from both sides without ceasing.
In an instant, the battlefield was shrouded in thick dust and smoke.
Yet the couple's bombardment continued.
Just as Rossweise had mentioned earlier, they were very in sync, no matter what they did, always in perfect harmony.
The smoke soon enveloped Star completely.
The two decided to finish with one last strike.
The bombardment stopped simultaneously.
Rossweise spread her arms wide, condensing blood-red flames in both hands, and then fused them into one.
The flames took the form of a dragon's head, roaring as it rushed toward the cloud of smoke.
S-Class Fire Magic · Modified Dragon Flames · Dragonfire Extinguishment.
But the queen's attack did not stop there.
As the fiery ball of Dragonfire Extinguishment hurtled toward Star, Rossweise spread the dragon wings behind her and flapped them vigorously.
The air currents from both sides formed air cannons, greatly enhancing the impact force of Dragonfire Extinguishment.
Leon, on the other hand, was not to be outdone. When the bombardment ceased, he also unleashed his ultimate move.
Leon tightly gripped his right wrist, gathering the power of lightning in his palm.
In the next second, a wolf formed of pure lightning shot out from Leon's hand, galloping toward Star within the smoke.
A-Class Thunder Magic · Thunder Wolf Breakthrough.
The couple unleashed their ultimate moves together, their attacks vanishing into the thick smoke, followed by a powerful magic shockwave.
Residual energy from the lightning and fire scattered into the sky like a brilliant fireworks display.
On the ground, the dust and smoke slowly dissipated The golden figure stood tall, unscathed.
Around Star, a massive ancient bell encased him.
The bell flickered faintly, with remnants of Leon and Rossweise's energy sparking across its surface.
Rossweise was stunned, her silver pupils trembling slightly. What is that?
Star, the Shining Star-Flame Dragon King, one of the oldest Dragon Kings still living today.
But no literature or ancient texts had ever recorded his abilities.
Without any prior information, engaging him in battle was bound to result in taking a few hits first.
From afar, Anna and the others, who were watching the battle, witnessed this scene with their own eyes.
Shirley was dumbfounded, staring at the ancient bell, her voice shaking. "That was a combined strike from Her Majesty and the Prince Even Constantine could not have withered such an attack. But it seems it did not do any harm to Star at all."
"No wonder Her Majesty teamed up with the Prince to face the enemy. This time the enemy far surpasses Constantine."
Anna's voice was low.
Even though she had not set foot on the battlefield, the oppressive aura from Star still made it hard for her to breathe.
The ancient Dragon King was far too mysterious and unpredictable, and this was only the opening act of the battle. He had already displayed a terrifying defensive power beyond their comprehension.
Who knows if Her Majesty and the Prince would be able to figure out a way to break through.
Meanwhile, a few kilometers away, in the general's stand, Ravi's gloomy face finally showed a hint of satisfaction.
"I admit, Leon Cosmodeous has some skill to make Star use this move right at the beginning, but this is the end."
Nacho looked at Ravi, That bell? What is the story behind it?"
"That is Star's strongest defensive magic, which he spent a thousand years creating Absolute Defense · Dusk Bell.
Ravi smugly explained the Dragon race's magical accomplishments to this short-sighted human.
"Four hundred years ago, deep in the unknown world of the Dragon race, Star engaged in a battle for the golden war armor he wears with four other Dragon Kings."
"Star, being the first to acquire the armor, became the target of the other four Dragon Kings, who attacked him simultaneously."
"But in the face of Star's 'Dusk Bell,' those attacks were like scratches, unable to cause any harm."
"In the end, the Shining Star-Flame Dragon King won the armor and earned the title of 'Absolute Defense.'"
Nacho listened silently, then pondered for a moment before asking, "So no one has ever broken through his defense, right?"
"Correct. In this world, no one has in the past, no one can now, and no one ever will."
Ravi exhaled slowly, gazing at the distant battlefield.
"That is why I said, it ends here. If they can not break their opponent's defense, continuing to fight is meaningless. Leon Cosmodeous now has two choices First, wait until his strength is exhausted and be slowly killed by Star;
Second, flee while he still has some energy, but he will still end up dead.
Different choices, same result, it is just a matter of time."
Having a clear understanding of the kind of monster the Empire had nurtured, Nacho took a deep breath and said softly,
"I think there is actually a third option."
Ravi was taken aback, frowning. "What?"
The answer to his question did not come from Nacho.
Instead, it came from the sharp cry of a bird that suddenly echoed across the battlefield.
Star slowly turned, following the sound of the bird's call.
A figure clad in silver armor stood there, hands charged with flashing, explosive lightning.
"Lightning Thrust? Oh no, in human terms, I suppose you would call it 'Chidori,' but it makes no difference. Are you planning to break my strongest defense with such childish magic?"
Star wanted to laugh, but held it back.
He had thought that someone capable of defeating Constantine might surprise him.
But as it turned out, they were nothing special.
Leon bent down slowly, one leg forward, knees bent, assuming a preparatory sprinting stance.
"The strongest defenses often require the simplest methods to break. Old Dragon King, watch closely."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the lightning in his hands surged, and the bird's cry reverberated across the battlefield.
Waves of energy rippled outward, scattering the dust and stones around Leon.
Simply using fifty percent of his magical power for Chidori would not be enough to penetrate that broken bell.
So, he needed to add some extra help.
For instance Nine Gate Of Hells · Fourth Gate Open!
Leon's right foot pressed against the ground, and he shot forward like a bullet.
The Chidori in his hand hovered just ten centimeters above the ground, and the violent lightning tore up a cloud of dust as it left a long trench in its wake.
The trench resembled a giant serpent, slithering rapidly toward Star with astonishing speed and ferocity.
It was not just that Leon dared not fully unleash his power; earlier, the distance between him and Star was not that great either.
If there was not enough room to sprint, Chidori would not be at full power.
Since there was not enough distance, speed would have to make up for it.
While speed would not change inertia, it could provide Leon with enough kinetic energy before the collision.
After opening the Fourth Gate of the Nine Hells, the user's movement speed increased significantly.
The new technique unlocked with it was named Godspeed.
Leon's speed exceeded Star's expectations.
However, it was of no concern. He still intended to take this hit head-on.
Absolute Defense · Dusk Bell! descended once more!
The imposing ancient bell enveloped Star, and he waited calmly for that reckless boy to throw himself into the flames.
If Leon really collided at such a high speed, without a doubt, Star's Absolute Defense would reduce him to a smear of flesh.
And now, it was too late to withdraw.
Star's lips curled up. "Constantine, how could you lose to someone as brainless as this? You are a disgrace to the dragon race"
The thunder exploded, and the cry of birds echoed across the heavens.
Under the impact of the lightning, the ancient bell surrounding Star began to tremble violently.
Waves of energy rippled out in circles.
Beneath the golden armor, the smile on Star's face gradually froze.
Crack!
A crack appeared on the surface of the Dusk Bell! "Wh-what how is this how is this possible?!"
"There is no defense in this world that can not be broken. If there is, it just has not met me yet."
The Chidori pierced through the so-called Absolute Defense with one strike, and following it came the overwhelming flames from above.