Thousands of dragons clashed in battle, magic blasting and dragons roaring almost no one would notice the movements of a child.
But even so, crossing a battlefield still required tremendous courage and an uncommon sharpness.
The lightning from Chidori illuminated that young face. Clearly, she was just a two-year-old child, yet the determination and courage in her eyes were no less than an adult's.
Some said that Noah C. Melkvey was merely a paper champion, a title for someone who excelled only on paper, or just a school bully who picked on her classmates.
But today, in the face of an opponent as formidable as the Star Wanderer Dragon King, her attack showed no hesitation.
Like her father, she had no need to prove herself to others; she would stop at nothing to do what she believed was right.
Even if that meant facing danger, risking her life, or embarking on a path with no return.
Ravi slowly turned his head, but before he could clearly see who had ambushed him, a sharp pain shot through his right shoulder.
His wrist trembled, but he quickly steadied himself, turning back to deliver a roundhouse kick that sent the small figure flying.
Ravi looked at Noah, a savage and violent glint in his eyes. "Just a child after all"
To be ambushed by a mere child was a tremendous humiliation for someone like him, a Dragon King.
But she must be the daughter of the Silver Dragon King and Cosmodeous, Ravi thought, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Noah, lying on the ground. She was indeed stronger than the average young dragon.
Much stronger.
But even so, she was still just a child. Even though she succeeded in her ambush, there was no way she could pose a real threat to him, the Star Wanderer Dragon King.
Ravi said, "Do not worry, little brat. After I take care of your parents, you will be next"
Leon shouted, "You dare lay a hand on my daughter?"
The moment that sentence was uttered, time seemed to slow down.
Ravi's heart sank as he thought not good, immediately shifting his gaze from Noah. But in that split second, the barrier in front of him shattered like fragile glass.
A large hand shot out from the shards, gripping Ravi's throat tightly.
In that moment, Ravi felt as if his throat and windpipe were about to be crushed.
He struggled to stay calm, trying to raise his hand to conjure a new barrier.
But it was too late.
His body was hoisted into the air like a ragdoll by Leon, before being swung through the air in an arc and slammed heavily into the ground.
The force of the impact created a shallow crater beneath Ravi, cracks rapidly spreading outward.
The shock to Ravi's back was immense, almost shattering his lungs.
At that moment, the Star Wanderer Dragon King was left speechless by the overwhelming power of the man standing before him.
He was a Dragon King!
How could the body of a Dragon King feel so fragile, as if made of thin paper, in the hands of this man, Cosmodeous?
Fire and disbelief flickered in his dragon eyes as he gripped Leon's wrist, trying to break free.
Steam began to rise from beneath the silver armor as Leon applied even more pressure to his hand.
Ravi groaned, his eyeballs bulging and his eyes instantly bloodshot.
After a moment, the man beneath the armor spoke in a low voice, "Do not move."
Just two simple words, devoid of any emotion, like an irrefutable command.
And that "do not move" was not directed only at Ravi, but also at the other two Dragon Kings.
While Leon had Ravi under control, Rossweise rushed over to Noah's side.
"Noah! Noah, are you alright?"
The queen knelt down and cradled her daughter in her arms.
Blood trickled from the corner of Noah's mouth. Although her ambush had momentarily distracted Ravi, giving Leon the opportunity to break the barrier, she was still just a two-year-old child. Taking a direct kick from a Dragon King it was impossible for her immature body to escape unscathed.
Rossweise used basic healing magic to ease Noah's injuries.
Noah soon slowly regained consciousness. Her first words after waking up were, "Did I help, Mom?"
Rossweise, tears brimming in her eyes, gently wiped the dust and blood from her daughter's face. "Yes, you helped. Noah helped us a lot."
The pain in Noah's furrowed brow gradually eased, and she managed a weak smile. "That is good."
Rossweise held her daughter in her arms as she slowly stood up and looked towards Leon in the distance.
Leon happened to glance back at her as well.
She nodded slightly, signaling that Noah was okay now.
Leon was about to respond when suddenly he noticed Ravi's breathing becoming slightly more pronounced, and then
Boom!
A heavy punch, powerful and direct, smashed into Ravi's face, driving his entire head into the ground.
Blood flowed into the cracks in the earth, and Ravi's limbs twitched slightly.
"I told you, do not move."
The last dragon who claimed Leon's wife and daughter were his weak points had already lost his head; As for this one who had actually harmed Noah what kind of fate awaited him?
Well, just this Even breathing was a mistake.
Leon tightened his grip around Ravi's neck and slowly lifted him into the air.
The sight of this left the remaining two Dragon Kings utterly dumbfounded.
This this was not what the Empire's intelligence had reported!
Was not Leon Cosmodeous supposed to be only slightly stronger than Constantine?
What was going on?
Did humans and dragons have different definitions of "slightly"?
One punch to take down Ravi this was "slightly stronger"?!
Bly and Jags began to retreat, and their spatial magic formations gradually dissipated. But the dark blue crack on the ground remained.
"So, what now? Star is dead, and Ravi looks like he is about to be."
Bly swallowed. "Is there any point in continuing to fight that monster?"
But there was no reply from his side.
"Jags? Jags? Hey?"
Bly turned his head, only to find that the space next to him was already empty.
Bly: ?
Space magic really was convenient his teammate had disappeared without him even noticing.
Seeing this, Bly immediately activated his own space magic and made a hasty retreat.
As for who was going to deal with a monster like Leon
Well, whoever wanted to could take the risk. Bly certainly was not going to.
With his two helpers gone, Ravi was left with no path to survival.
He hung in the air, held by the throat, on the verge of suffocating to death.
At this point was there any way to salvage the situation?
Should he go down in a blaze of glory, taking Leon with him like Star did?
No, that was not possible.
Who knew what other trump cards Leon might still have up his sleeve? Dying together might work against others, but it certainly would not against this armored monster.
In front of Leon, even the deeply ingrained dragon instinct for vengeance had to be reined in.
Ravi's muddled brain worked desperately.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the spatial crack nearby.
"Ah if that is the case" he muttered.
"What?"
"Leon Cosmodeous, let us make a bet. Let us see if you really can give up everything for the sake of your so-called family."
"What are you trying to"
Ravi suddenly surged forward, planting a foot on Leon's chest plate. With a forceful push, there came the sound of flesh tearing.
Blood spurted from Ravi's throat in an instant as he resorted to this self-destructive method to break free from Leon's hold. Leon was momentarily taken aback by Ravi's desperate actions.
By the time he regained his composure, Ravi had already staggered towards the space rift nearby. He clutched his bleeding throat with one hand, while the other was placed on his chest.
"I admit it, Leon Cosmodeous. With your power, even more Dragon Kings would stand no chance against you," Ravi's voice was raspy, damaged by the injury to his throat.
"Your admission means nothing to me, Ravi."
"Heh that is true. Someone as strong as you does not need anyone's recognition. But, as I just said, can you really sacrifice everything for the ones you care about?"
Leon inquired, "What are you trying to do?"
Ravi no longer responded. In the next moment, his heart began to glow. After a brief moment, Ravi forcefully tore a scale from his chest a dragon scale.
This dragon scale was different from the usual ones that adorned his body. It was more translucent, resembling a crystal.
Rossweise narrowed her eyes slightly. "Heart guard Scale"
Ravi was not trying to self-destruct like Star. After all, a dragon can only gather the energy needed for a self-destruction when the Heartguard Scale remains within their chest. So what exactly was Ravi planning to do?
"Say goodbye to this world!"
Ravi raised the scale high, then plunged it into the space rift beneath him.
The moment the scale entered the rift, a terrifying energy surged, instantly disintegrating Ravi, who stood closest to it.
Leon reacted swiftly, immediately rushing to Rossweise and Noah's side, activating the Gate of Nine Hells Godspeed in an instant, carrying them to a safe place.
Fortunately, the explosion had a small range and did not last long.
When the energy dissipated, Ravi's charred corpse lay nearby, and a nearly two-meter-wide space rift had appeared in the same spot. The rift continued to expand, with surrounding sand and rocks being drawn into it by a powerful suction force.
Even Ravi's body was sucked into the rift. Inside the rift, only swirling dark clouds and constant lightning could be seen. It felt entirely out of place, like a tear forcibly ripped open in reality itself.
"He forcibly activated that space magic with his Heartguard Scale."
Rossweise explained, "But clearly, the magic has gone out of control. The rift is expanding, albeit slowly. If it continues like this, it will not be long before everything around here gets consumed. And there is no telling when it might stop."
Troubles never come alone.
After Ravi's death, the Star Wanderer Dragon Tribe Astral Dragons soldiers retreated completely. The Silver Dragon soldiers arrived and also noticed the expanding rift.
Anna stood beside Rossweise, inquiring about Noah's injuries before beginning to discuss how to close the rift. "If we use equal amounts of magic to clash against it, could we forcibly stop it?"
Rossweise bit her lip. She was not well-versed in space magic and had no other ideas at the moment, so she agreed to give it a try.
After confirming the plan, the Silver Dragons simultaneously gathered their magic and blasted it at the rift.
However, all their magical attacks were absorbed by the rift without leaving any effect.
Anna wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. "How how can this be?"
As they spoke, the rift had already expanded to nearly five meters, and the suction had grown stronger.
Rossweise stared at the rift. If it was Ravi's Heartguard Scale that caused the rift to lose control, then conversely, using another Dragon King's Heartguard Scale might stop it.
But she was the only Dragon King present.
If she could, Rossweise would have no hesitation in using her own Heartguard Scale to end this crisis. But her scale had already
"I understand." Leon's voice was low and heavy.
Rossweise looked at him. "What?"
"Before Ravi opened the rift, he said I would risk everything for you. I think what he meant by that was"
He lowered his head, contemplating for a moment before slowly turning to his wife. "Only I can stop this."
Hearing this, Rossweise froze, her silver eyes trembling. She seemed to have guessed what Leon was about to do.
"Leon no, you can not absolutely not"
The queen's voice quivered slightly. She could not accept such an outcome. No matter what, she could not accept it.
Leon did not respond. He simply raised his hand and tried to remove the helmet of the Silver War Chariot Armor. This time, the helmet came off easily.
Beneath the helmet was the familiar, resolute face she had seen countless times. She knew every scar on his face by heart.
Leon showed no expression. Silently, he handed the helmet to Rossweise.
Clatter
The helmet fell to the ground. She did not dare to reach for it.
"No Leon, no"
Rossweise, holding Noah in one arm, reached for Leon's wrist with her other hand, her voice almost breaking into sobs. "We will think of another way. There must be another way."
Leon was silent for a moment before gently pulling away from Rossweise's hand.
He turned his gaze sideways, looking at the daughter in her arms. The pain had caused Noah to temporarily fall unconscious. That is good it is better this way
Leon raised his hand, gently pinching Noah's cheek. After a long while, a comforting smile appeared on his strong face.
"You will definitely protect your mother and your sisters, Noah."
He trusted his eldest daughter, just as she had trusted that by distracting Ravi, her father would surely turn the tide.
"Your Highness"
"Your Highness, I-I can take your place to seal the rift! The Silver Dragon Clan cannot lose you!" one of the dragon warriors said.
Hearing that a dragon was willing to sacrifice himself for him, Leon's heart felt complicated. He looked at the soldier and shook his head.
"Sealing the rift requires more than just courage and determination. I do not want to arrogantly claim that only I can do it, but unfortunately, that is the truth."
Ravi's dying words were both a farewell and a curse. He wanted Leon to make this crucial decision. Besides that, as Leon had said, among everyone present, only he had the ability to stop the rift.
Rossweise's power likely was not enough. Even if it was, Leon would never let her take the risk. Rossweise's description of him had been spot on:
Confident, a bit self-absorbed, and a foolish hero complex.
But then again, what boy has not fantasized about standing alone at the end of the world, walking against the current, saving the day in front of everyone's hopeful and astonished gazes, turning the tide just before everything collapses?
Leon was simply turning that fantasy into reality.
He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled before stepping toward the abyss-like rift.
"Leon! Leon, you can not go, you absolutely can not go."
Rossweise rushed forward, gripping Leon's hand tightly, almost pleading, "If you go, I will hate you for the rest of my life. I really will hate you forever, you are not allowed to go."
Leon blinked, his throat tight, but he did not look at Rossweise. Lowering his voice, he said, "You are the Dragon Queen, Rossweise. Do not show such weakness in front of your people."
"I-I will go with you"
"What about our daughters?"
.
.
Leon gently pushed down Rossweise's hand. This time, she did not stop him.
He stepped toward the rift, his back facing the Silver Dragon Queen. The rift's suction grew stronger, whipping up a fierce wind.
Her silver hair fluttered wildly, and she did not dare to look back at Leon.
"Rossweise Melkvey."
Whenever he called her by her full name, it always seemed like he had something important to say.
Rossweise hesitated for a moment, but finally gathered the courage to lift her eyes and look at him.
That tall, imposing figure stood before the abyssal rift, half-turning his head, a relieved smile on his face.
He spoke three more words.
But they were drowned out by the howling winds of the rift.
In the next second, Leon's figure disappeared into it.
The immense power of lightning surged within, causing the rift to tremble, electricity spilling outward, forcing everyone to retreat.
Gradually, the space rift began to shrink at a visible rate, until it finally vanished completely.
"Your Highness"
"Your Majesty? Your Majesty"
Rossweise, holding Noah, said nothing. In a daze, she walked to where he had just stood. Slowly, she knelt down, picked up the helmet from the ground, and hugged it tightly to her chest.
It still seemed to carry his warmth.