Six months after Leon Cosmodeous disappeared on Space Rift...
The border of the Silver Dragon Territory was choked with smoke, the battlefield swallowed by raging flames.
The Black Sun Dragon King, Bly, and the Chaotic Dragon King, Jags, stood side by side.
Bly gazed at the three women ahead, their bodies battered and bleeding. They dragged their exhausted forms, forming a final, desperate line to protect their queen and princesses.
"I don't understand. Two maids, one scout. You're still holding on, just to protect a dragon king who is already spent." Bly looked at Anna and spoke indifferently. "Not long ago, your queen dismissed the entire Silver Dragon clan. You all could have fled to save yourselves. You might have been called deserters, but at least you would be alive. Wouldn't that have been better?"
Anna's face was half-covered in blood, her damaged dragon wings hung limply, and her body teetered on the edge of total collapse. But until her last breath, she would not take a single step back.
"My life… belongs to Her Majesty. It is none of your concern—cough cough—" Speaking loudly triggered a fit of coughing, bringing up more blood. She was too weak to even finish a sentence.
At this point, if the two Dragon Kings before her made a move, they could end her life with ease.
But so what?
As Rossweise's head maid, she would never abandon her queen. She would not cling to a life lived in cowardice while her queen faced peril.
"Hmph, still stubborn when death is at your door," Jags said lazily, his voice dripping with the pride of a victor. "Your queen's power is already exhausted. As for those three little rabbits… Even if we let them go, how long could they last in this chaotic world? Sooner or later, they will—"
"Do not insult the princesses!"
Before Jags could finish, Milan the maid gathered her magical power, forming a condensed orb of water, and hurled it toward Bly and Jags.
Neither of the two moved.
As the magic orb approached, they simply opened a spatial portal, deflecting Milan's attack with trivial ease.
"At the end of your rope," Bly yawned, as if growing bored. He glanced at Jags. "Will you go, or shall I?"
"I'll go." Jags shrugged, not arguing.
Bly knew this old partner of his was always the first to flee from danger, but when it came to seizing an opportunity for merit, Jags was more eager than anyone.
Always desperate to be one step ahead.
Jags began walking slowly toward the three women, who were like candles guttering in the wind.
Rossweise was physically and mentally exhausted, her magical power nearly depleted. She collapsed weakly on the ground, using her blood-stained dragon wings to shield her three daughters.
She lowered her head to look at her children. At the very least, she had protected them from harm until now.
A faint, weary smile touched Rossweise's tired face.
"Leon… I have protected the girls…"
Noah held Little Light in one arm and gripped Muen's hand tightly with the other. Her two younger sisters were trembling with fear, huddling close to Noah.
Noah glanced back and saw her mother's smile, and in that smile, she saw a flash of despair.
So, Mom… that was a smile of resignation in the face of despair.
Noah's pupils trembled slightly.
After a moment's thought, she gently placed Little Light beside Rossweise's hand. "Mom, please take care of Little Light."
"Noah… What are you doing…?"
"What I can."
"Noah, don't!" Rossweise, on the verge of collapse from exhaustion, lacked the strength to stop her daughter.
Noah turned to look at Muen. She bit her lip before finally speaking. "Muen, I need you to do something for me."
"Sister…" Muen cried, clutching Noah's sleeve tightly. "Muen is scared…"
Noah cupped her sister's face in both hands, looking directly into her eyes. She spoke slowly and clearly.
"You are that man's daughter. You can do this."
Muen's face was streaked with tears. She hesitated for a moment, but finally mustered the courage to nod firmly. "What should I do?"
Noah leaned close to her sister's ear and whispered something.
"Do you understand?"
"Mm-hmm, I understand."
"Good."
Noah patted her sister's head encouragingly, just as their father used to do.
Then she turned and walked toward Anna and the others.
"Your Highness? Your Highness, please fall back! We will hold them off—"
"Milan, your magical element is water, correct?" Noah didn't respond to Milan's plea. Instead, she asked a question.
Milan paused, then nodded. "Yes, Your Highness."
Noah turned to Anna and Shirley. "Anna, Shirley, can you still unleash Dragon Flame?"
Shirley glanced at the head maid beside her and shook her head. "Anna cannot, but I still can."
Shirley was also seriously injured, but her condition was slightly better than Anna's. At least she could still use Dragon Flame.
But…
"Your Highness, what are you planning?" Shirley asked.
Noah slowly lowered her gaze to her right hand, where burn scars marked her palm. They were the marks left from countless repetitions of the first technique her father had taught her.
"I am not going to wait here to die. I am his daughter."
The sound of Jags' footsteps grew louder.
He raised his hand, beginning to gather energy.
"Huh? Sending children to fight now? It seems you are truly out of options," Jags sneered, his mockery relentless. "Don't worry, little one, death is quick. There is no pain."
Once the energy was gathered, Jags prepared to strike.
But before he could, Milan and Shirley simultaneously launched their elemental magic.
The concentrated water orb collided with the searing Dragon Flame in mid-air, exploding upon impact and creating a thick, billowing fog.
The fog spread rapidly, covering a wide area.
Within the fog, Jags' vision was obscured, visibility dropping to almost zero.
Jags frowned, gritting his teeth. He shouted into the mist, "What is the point of this struggle?! Wouldn't it be better to just wait for death?!"
Before he could finish, two elements—lightning and fire—flashed nearby.
Jags remembered that Leon Cosmodeous's eldest daughter, the girl who had just stood with the maids, had awakened the rare Lightning Element.
As for the fire element, it was probably the scout who had just used Dragon Flame.
"So, you're trying to sneak an attack under the cover of fog…" Jags snorted. "Childish tricks."
He stepped forward, moving toward the direction of the lightning and fire.
"Whether it's a feint or a diversion, it doesn't matter."
Jags continued his taunting, "I'll just kill every single one of you, one by one, and then take your heads—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a sharp, piercing sound erupted from behind him.
A small, dark figure dashed forward, leaping into the air. The lightning gathered in her hands shot toward Jags' shoulder like a sharp arrow.
A burning pain instantly shot through him. Jags staggered, barely managing to keep his balance.
The one who had ambushed him was already preparing another lightning strike.
But this time, Jags would not let her succeed so easily.
Even within the fog, he could accurately track the girl's movements.
"Damn brat!" he roared in anger, reaching out to grab Noah by the neck.
The fog gradually dissipated.
In the clearing, Jags held Noah by the throat, lifting her a full meter off the ground.
Noah struggled, but it was futile.
In terms of both size and strength, she was no match for the Dragon King before her.
For some reason, seeing this scene, Bly in the distance felt a sense of foreboding.
Jags had caught the little brat who ambushed him, but why did this scene feel so familiar?
"Water and fire magic to create fog and obscure vision, then using the twin awakening as a diversion to launch a lightning ambush," Jags mused as he looked down at the struggling Noah. "How could a child know such tactics?"
"I am not… a child…" Noah gritted her teeth, pounding weakly against Jags' arm, her tail lashing behind her.
"Heh, then what are you?" Jags sneered.
"I am… Leon Cosmodeous's daughter!"
Upon hearing that name, the mocking grin on Jags' face froze instantly.
The hand squeezing Noah's neck tightened its grip. "Your useless father died long ago, lost in a spatial rift. It's been six months, and you still refuse to accept reality."
"Do not speak of my father…"
Jags squeezed harder, but the little brat still would not yield.
"Isn't it painful, little brat?"
Jags chuckled darkly. "Say it—say 'Leon Cosmodeous is dead,' and I will let you go. Or I'll make your death quick. How about that?"
Noah's heart pounded, her breathing grew shallow, and her bloodshot eyes were filled with pure fury.
"Let go of Her Highness Noah!"
"Stay where you are! Or I'll snap her neck!"
Jags was not bluffing. Crushing this little brat's neck was as easy as breathing for a Dragon King.
After issuing his threat, he looked back down at Noah.
"Say it. Your father is dead. He was a coward, a weakling. He abandoned you and your mother to die."
Noah gripped Jags's wrist tightly, struggling to open her mouth.
"I… my father… is not dead! Ugh!—"
"If you won't say it, I will snap your neck! Then you won't be able to say anything at all."
Noah clutched Jags's arm, her dragon pupils radiating a murderous intent and ferocity that belied her age.
The dragon blood within her boiled with rage.
The edges of her eyes began to shimmer with emerging scales.
"My father… is Léon Cosmodeous! He is not dead! He will return and kill every last one of you!"
Jags's eyes widened in shock.
How could a two-year-old dragon have the courage to speak to a Dragon King like this?!
"Well… well, you little thing, since you have no fear of death—"
Jags threw her to the ground, then turned and transformed into his giant dragon form.
In an instant, his dragon wings blotted out the sky, and his shadow enveloped Noah.
His massive, terrifying draconic body loomed over her, its size grotesquely exaggerated compared to her tiny form.
Jags slowly lowered his dragon head, bringing it close to Noah.
The dragon's head alone was several times larger than Noah's entire body.
"You're not scared? Little brat?"
The heavy dragon pressure descended like a physical weight, crashing down on Noah and engulfing her completely.
Noah's body trembled with fear; even her heart seemed to stop beating.
But her will… remained unbroken.
Noah gasped for air, gathering lightning elements with her trembling hands. She looked up and glared fiercely at the giant dragon before her.
"…"
Jags was speechless.
The daughter of a monster… was also a monster.
How could she not be afraid?!
How could she still be standing?!
And this little brat… still thought she could attack him.
"Well… let's see, then."
Jags's dragon breath brushed past Noah's hair. "Let's see what your weak and pitiful strength can do to me. I'll stand right here and let you attack. What can you possibly do?"
"In the end, your fate will be the same as your dead father's!"
"You will all die!"
"Your mother, your sisters, your maids… they will all die!"
"Your struggle is meaningless, little brat!"
The shrill screech of a Chidori cut through Jags's declaration of victory.
The magical shockwave lifted Noah's hair, and within her dragon pupils, images of her father flashed.
Noah's gaze was resolute, her expression calm. "I told you not to call me a little brat."
"I am his daughter. I am the daughter of the Silver Dragon Queen. I will not just sit here and wait to die!"
"Then come and try! Your pathetic strength cannot even leave a scratch on me!"
Noah raised her Chidori and thrust it toward the giant dragon before her.
Boom!—
Lightning dominated the battlefield in that moment.
The piercing shriek of the Chidori pierced the heavens, and the mighty lightning elements roared like a waking beast.
The giant dragon, so arrogant moments before, let out a howl of agony.
Roar!!!
Jags tried to break free.
But the lightning elements had paralyzed his body.
He could only lie there, allowing the surging lightning to dismantle his massive draconic form.
How could a child… a child possess such power?!
Jags desperately opened his dragon pupils. Within the lightning, he seemed to see that little brat's back, and behind her… stood the silhouette of another man.
"Is it… you? Is it you?! It's you!!!"
The Chidori exploded. The lightning surged, reducing the dragon's massive body to ashes.
As the light faded, Noah stared in disbelief at the scene before her.
The Dragon King's corpse lay at her feet.
This is…
Suddenly, a warm touch fell upon her small shoulder.
That familiar hand rested gently on her shoulder.
"Well done, Noah."
"Now, go back to your mother and sisters."
"Leave the rest to your Dad."
.
.
.
The enormous dragon body dissolved into wisps of ash, scattering to the wind.
Beneath the ashes lay the Chaos Dragon King, Jags, barely breathing.
Leon slowly walked up to him.
Jags struggled with all his might to sit up. Seeing the emotionless man before him, he panicked and scrambled backward, retreating several meters.
The arrogant, boastful aura of seconds ago had vanished completely.
It was replaced by pure fear.
The fear of death.
"How… how are you still alive?" Jags trembled as he asked.
Leon stood before him.
Jags stopped retreating.
Because Leon had stepped on his ankle.
He did not doubt that if he moved a single centimeter, Leon would mercilessly shatter it.
This Dragon King, who had lived for centuries, was paralyzed under the pressure of a mere human.
Leon looked down at him, his calm eyes concealing a boiling anger.
"The last one who hurt my daughter chose to kill himself with a spatial rift. A shame, I never got to kill him myself."
Leon spoke indifferently. "But this time… I will not give you the chance to commit suicide."
"You… what are you going to do—ah!!"
Before Jags could finish his sentence, two thunder swords pierced through his left and right hands, pinning him firmly to the ground.
Then—
Crack! Crack!—
The sound of breaking bones echoed loudly, accompanied by Jags' screams of agony, which resounded across the smoke-filled battlefield.
Of course, Leon had no interest in torturing his enemies with bizarre and cruel methods. His vengeance was always efficient.
And just as Leon was about to strike, his peripheral vision caught another figure not far away.
The Black Sun Dragon King, Bly.
"Ah… I recognize him. He came with you, didn't he?"
Leon spoke slowly. "So, the ones who caused all this were the two of you. In that case—"
He withdrew the thunder swords, grabbed Jags by the collar, and began dragging his broken body toward Bly in the distance.
"I'll kill you both."
The fabric of Jags' clothes scraped against the gravel, producing a low, grating sound.
It was like the scythe of death was being dragged along the ground, its blade sparking against the stone.
Bly's reaction was identical to Jags' upon seeing the man.
From surprise, to shock, to fear, to despair.
For a moment, he even forgot to run.
However, as the grim reaper approached, Bly slowly regained a sliver of sense.
He glanced at Jags in Leon's grasp.
There was no saving him now.
It was time to run.
Don't hesitate. Just run!