Bly slowly stepped back, raised his hand, and opened a spatial transfer array.
He struggled to pull his gaze away from Leon, summoning every ounce of strength to free his body from the terrifying pressure.
Bly turned and stumbled toward the shimmering portal.
"As long as I can get out of here… leave this mess… Let the Empire clean up the monster they created!"
He muttered almost hysterically as he leaped toward the spatial array.
Unfortunately.
Just as Bly's upper body entered the portal, he felt a powerful yank on his tail from behind.
Bly instantly understood what was happening.
He didn't look back, but desperately scrambled forward, trying to force his way into the array.
He was so close, just a little more, and he could escape this hellish place!
But the person behind him remained immovable.
At this moment, the frantic Bly looked like a cornered rat trying to crawl back into its dark, decayed hole.
He clawed at the ground, leaving two savage furrows behind him.
Leon simply held his tail, watching the scene calmly.
"You're a Dragon King, and this is how you act?"
Bly didn't have time to respond to Leon's mockery.
He just wanted to escape.
To get away from here.
But even after clawing at the ground until his hands were bloody, he still couldn't break free from Leon's grip.
The pain finally forced Bly to pause.
Then, he heard the cold sneer from behind.
"Is this the end, Dragon King?"
"Really…"
"Too weak."
The next moment, Bly was violently pulled back by an immense force.
Immediately after, Leon threw Jags into the air and, holding Bly's tail, casually tossed him upward like trash.
The two Dragon Kings collided mid-air.
Leon clasped his hands together, then slowly pulled them apart. A long spear of crackling lightning materialized in his grasp.
He aimed the thunder spear at the two tumbling figures and threw it with tremendous force.
The spear tore through the air, pierced the clouds, and finally—accompanied by Bly's heart-wrenching scream—impaled both of them.
The brilliant thunder exploded mid-air, lighting up the blackened land below.
Leon flicked his hands, dispersing the remaining lightning around him.
"Not enough to satisfy me."
.
.
.
In the distance, Rossweise watched the familiar thunder, a glimmer of hope flashing in her tired eyes.
"Leon…"
"Mom!"
Noah came running back from the battlefield, waving her hand, her face radiant with smiles.
Rossweise stared blankly at her daughter.
She knew what that smile meant.
In that moment, the queen's heart, which had been suspended in fear, finally began to ease.
Her persistence and waiting had paid off.
Rossweise hugged Little Light tighter, took Muen's hand, and began walking toward Noah.
And not far behind Noah, that familiar figure followed.
He stood there just as he always had after a battle, appearing nonchalant.
The queen smiled and buried her face in Little Light's cheek, her shoulders trembling slightly.
But before Rossweise could compose herself, she suddenly felt the ground tremble beneath her feet.
She looked up, her eyes widening.
Four giant dragons descended from the sky, surrounding Leon.
From the energy and dragon might they emitted, each was at the level of a Dragon King, or even an Over-Dragon King.
.
.
.
Several kilometers away, Nacho Salaman watched the scene, muttering continuously,
"Kill him… Kill him now!"
"He cannot live! He must die here! At any cost, he must die here!"
"Four battle-type Dragon Kings, Leon Cosmodeous, you will die today, no matter what!"
.
.
.
On Rossweise's side, Head Maid Anna looked at the battlefield ahead, recognizing the four Dragon Kings.
"Your Majesty… These are not spatial magic users like Bly. These are pure battle-types. Each one surpasses the Star Flame Dragon King Star in power, and now there are four of them…"
The spark of hope that had just ignited was doused with cold water.
Rossweise stood frozen.
Even without Anna's explanation, she could feel the terrifying power emanating from the four.
It had taken both her and Leon fighting together to force Star into self-destruction.
Now Leon had to face four Dragon Kings comparable to Star all by himself.
How strong would he need to be to end this nightmare?
.
.
.
On the battlefield, the dragons' might swept across the area. Any other being caught between these four would have been torn to pieces.
But the small human figure remained standing—
He even seemed to be smiling.
"That guy Nacho has gone insane."
"To kill one human, he actually sent all four of us?"
"I thought Bly and Jags would handle this, but it seems we have to clean up their mess."
"Enough talk, just kill him. If we don't, the old men in the Empire will deny everything."
The four Dragon Kings simultaneously raised their heads, gathering blazing dragon flames in their mouths.
Dragon flame was the most basic and effective attack of their kind.
When a Dragon King's power was sufficient, they didn't need flashy magic.
A single breath of dragon flame could destroy everything.
At this moment, the four top Dragon Kings simultaneously unleashed their purest dragon flame at Leon.
An attack of this magnitude could obliterate any opponent.
Even if he miraculously survived, so what?
Early death or late death, it made no difference.
The four dragon flames rushed toward Leon from different directions, engulfing him in the blink of an eye.
"Haha… Hahahaha—"
"Die, Cosmodeous! Die!"
"Without the protection of the Black Gold War Chariot Armor, how could you survive this?!"
"It's over, it's all over!"
"Leon Cosmodeous, finally erased from this world!"
Nacho Salaman knelt on the ground, clawing at his hair as he screamed frantically.
The blazing flames scorched the earth. Even Rossweise in the distance felt the hellish heat.
The heatwave stirred her silver hair, and as a Dragon King herself, she knew the horror of this attack all too well.
Rossweise trembled, biting her lip. She set down Little Light and spread her wings, dragging her severely injured and exhausted body forward, determined to rescue Leon.
But after only a few steps, her weakened body stumbled and collapsed to the ground.
Shirley rushed forward to help her up.
"Your Majesty…"
"I need to find him, let me go."
Rossweise shook off Shirley's hands.
"Leon… Leon… I'm coming, don't die… please, don't die…"
She could barely speak, her strength fading with every word.
Yet she kept moving forward, inching toward the inferno ahead.
The intense heat evaporated the tears from the corners of her eyes.
But in her gaze, the image of that man remained unwavering.
"I'm coming… Leon, don't leave me… I beg you…"
.
.
.
Finally, the collision of dragon flames triggered a massive explosion.
The shockwave sent Rossweise and Shirley flying backward.
A giant mushroom cloud rose over the battlefield, its exaggerated form resembling a premature sunrise.
"Leon!!"
Before the flames dissipated, one of the Dragon Kings heard Rossweise's cry.
He slowly turned his head, looking at the few remaining silver dragons. "As expected, a Dragon King has fallen for that human. Ha… what a disgrace. But I'll put you out of your misery."
"Worry about yourself first, you filthy lizard."
A wild, defiant voice came from within the flames.
The four Dragon Kings turned their gaze toward the sound.
As the fire cleared, a half-skeleton frame shimmering with blue lightning appeared, enveloping Leon.
It was this lightning skeleton that had blocked the world-ending attack aimed at him.
Super S-Class Thunder Magic: Skeleton's Shadow (Beginner Form)
"I'm happily married to my wife; who are you to interfere?"
Leon dispelled the Skeleton's Shadow, then bent his knees and lunged into the air with a powerful leap.
"How… how is this possible?!"
"How is he still alive?! What… how?!"
"Kill him! Quickly! Do it again! Burn him to ashes!"
"Wait, what's he doing? What technique is this?"
Leon soared into the air, raising his right hand high. Torrential thunder energy gathered from all directions into his palm.
Simultaneously, the iron-gray sky began to churn, thunder rumbling in the clouds. Lightning flashed behind him.
In that moment, he resembled the thunder god himself, commanding the wildest forces of nature.
Thunder surged, gradually forming into the shape of a lion behind Leon.
Super S-Class Thunder Magic: Dragon Extinction.
This was a technique Leon had created himself, used only once in battle against the Star Flame Dragon King, Star. That time, it had required the cooperation of Rossweise and the silver dragons to form the necessary rainclouds.
But now, he needed no assistance.
What was that saying?
"Rely on others rather than yourself?"
"That's the technique he used to kill Star!! How can he use it alone?!"
"Don't panic… he can only summon one lion, and there are four of us. He can't defeat us all at once!"
No sooner had the words been spoken than Leon slowly raised his left hand, beginning to channel lightning again.
Soon after…
"Two… two lions… well, we can still handle that. At least it's not three—"
Boom!
A third thunder lion descended from the clouds.
"Is he even human?!"
The Dragon Kings were completely stunned.
Six months ago, Leon had needed help to summon just one thunder lion, yet now he was creating three on his own.
This… this couldn't be right.
Was this a level achievable by any carbon-based life form?
Leon continued guiding the lightning. "What was that you said? I only have one lion, but you have four? Well then… take a look."
Another rumble of thunder.
The fourth thunder lion descended.
"Are you kidding me?!"
The Dragon Kings were completely thrown.
They stood dumbfounded, staring at the four thunder lions circling Leon. They felt their dragon bodies were as fragile as tissue paper.
"Can you believe Constantine lasted several rounds against him… and we can't even put up a fight?"
"Has Constantine gotten stronger?"
"Who knows… no one will ever know now."
The four thunder lions circled around Leon, who quietly listened to the Dragon Kings' final words before responding nonchalantly,
"Back then, I hadn't stretched my muscles in a while, so I took my time with Constantine. Did that make you think he was strong?"
"Hah… ridiculous."
"Well, whatever. You can ask him yourself when you get to hell."
He swung his arm, and the thunder lions roared as they charged at the four Dragon Kings.
They resisted, struggled, and screamed.
But it was all in vain.
.
.
Leon walked calmly away from the battlefield, as if the slaughter behind him had nothing to do with him.
Thunder exploded at his back, but he didn't look back even once.
In that moment, his eyes were only for his long-lost wife.
Leon stopped before Rossweise, gazing at her disoriented form.
They locked eyes, neither able to break the silence between them.
After a long while, Rossweise spoke softly,
"Leon…"
He reached out, gazing into her eyes, and spoke slowly,
"Let's go home, Rossweise."
It was just like long ago, when Leon had escaped from the Empire after dealing with the traitor, lost with nowhere to go, and Rossweise had appeared before him like an angel.
Back then, it was Rossweise who brought him home.
And now, it was Leon's turn to bring her back.