As midnight approached, the immense, gilt-edged gates of the royal city slowly ground open, and the royal guard marched out in perfect, intimidating formation. They were followed by a massive, grand parade vehicle—though "landship" was a more fitting term. It was a behemoth on rows of reinforced wheels, its hull adorned with the imperial crest, moving forward with ponderous authority, surrounded by a phalanx of guards and soldiers.
Such overwhelming security could mean only one thing.
Standing on the elevated deck of the landship was the ruler of the Empire himself—King Canter.
Beside him, her arm linked with his, was Queen Elizabeth.
The king, draped in opulent robes and glittering jewels, waved to his subjects with one hand, projecting an image of benevolent, approachable royalty, while his other hand firmly held his queen's.
According to Lantern Festival tradition, the moment of midnight was when every citizen would release their paper lanterns into the sky, carrying wishes and hopes upwards.
It was also the annual moment when King Canter and Queen Elizabeth made their most public appearance of the year.
Back when Leon served in the Dragon Slayer Corps, the royal couple's entrances were always theatrical. Some years, they descended in a hot-air balloon; other years, they used elaborate illusion magic to appear in a flash of light; on a few occasions, they had even hidden within the crowd before dramatically revealing themselves.
So, this year's "landship" entrance did not surprise Leon.
According to Martin's intelligence, the landship was scheduled to arrive precisely at the border between the royal city and the upper district at the stroke of midnight.
At that exact moment, thousands of paper lanterns, each secretly equipped with a resonant recording stone, would be launched into the heavens.
Leon took a slow, deep breath, watching as King Canter and his armored procession drew nearer.
There was a time when he, too, had served this nation with unwavering pride, had been willing to lay down his life in defense of the crown.
But all he had received in return was betrayal, framed as a traitor, his name slandered and scrubbed from history.
He saw it clearly now—everything and everyone were merely tools for the ruling class to exploit. Even the long, bloody war against the dragons was just another calculated move in their political game, a means to consolidate power and wealth.
Now, the pawn who had dared to defy the board was back.
Old grievances and new vendettas would be settled tonight with that despicable king.
Dong—Dong—Dong—
The midnight bells began to toll, their deep, resonant chimes echoing across the city.
With each profound ring, countless paper lanterns floated into the sky, a rising tide of light that illuminated the night, turning it into a false, brilliant day.
Simultaneously, the massive landship ground to a halt at its designated position on the border.
King Canter stepped forward to the ship's bow, gazing down at the masses beneath him with an expression of paternalistic pride that did nothing to mask the emptiness behind his eyes.
Leon watched him quietly, every muscle coiled, ready to act.
"My beloved subjects!" King Canter began, his voice magically amplified. "Another Lantern Festival is upon us. On behalf of the royal family, I extend our deepest gratitude for your... contributions to the Empire this past year!"
Contributions.
The word hung in the air, bitter and heavy. It meant taxes never truly owed, battles the people never chose to fight, labor never fairly compensated...
Even those who weren't part of the Lionheart Society were acutely aware of the Empire's festering darkness. But who among them had ever dared to tear away that thin, gilded veil of pretense?
The people's only response to the king's hollow words was a wave of polite, obligatory applause.
King Canter basked in the sound before grandly gesturing for silence. "Now, do not let my presence distract from your celebrations! Continue with the lanterns! Let your hopes fly!"
Finally.
It was the moment Leon and the Lionheart Society had been waiting for.
At the stroke of midnight, all five districts released their lanterns in a coordinated wave. And in that same moment, members of the Society hidden throughout the crowd activated the recording stones concealed within the lanterns.
Leon's mentor had once told him that the world was a vast, intricate machine and that he was merely a cog within it.
But tonight, Leon was done being a cog. He would seize the controls of this machine and force it to move according to his will.
As the people and the king admiringly watched the lanterns rise, a brilliant, unnatural light began to pulse from within each one.
The light spread like magical wildfire, igniting from the slums to the upper district and even reaching into the royal city itself.
Anyone could see this was no ordinary lantern glow—it was the unmistakable shimmer of activated magic, of recording stones syncing together.
The spectacle instantly captured the entire city's attention.
"What is that...?"
"Mama, look! It's so pretty! And look further away, there are even more lights!"
"Is that... the light from recording stones? But who would fill so many lanterns with them?"
"The real question is, who could? The papers said these were all specially made by the royal family. If this isn't their doing, then whoever is behind it... has unimaginable nerve."
King Canter, looking up at the pulsating lanterns, frowned deeply, his feigned benevolence cracking. "Who authorized this? Why was I not informed?" he demanded sharply.
A guard captain beside him bowed his head. "Your Majesty, this... this was not part of our plan..."
"Are those recording stones?" the king hissed, his voice low and dangerous.
"It appears so, Your Majesty."
If it wasn't a royal initiative, then someone was brazenly hijacking the festival. And with so many stones, they were undoubtedly planning to broadcast a message—a damning one—across the entire Empire.
King Canter would not allow anything to undermine his authority. "Send the order!" he barked. "Shoot down every last one of those lanterns!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
But before the order could be relayed, a figure cloaked in black stepped forward from the crowd, moving with unnerving calm directly toward the landship's deck.
The guards immediately raised their spears and leveled their guns, a forest of steel and muzzle flashes aiming at the intruder.
The king squinted, trying to pierce the shadow of the hood. "Who is that...?"
"Halt!" the guard captain shouted, his sword pointing directly at the cloaked figure. "Take one more step, and you will be killed!"
The figure stopped as commanded.
But it was not out of fear.
With deliberate, unhurried movements, he pulled a single paper lantern from beneath his cloak, slowly unfolding it before the astonished guards.
A sudden night breeze swept across the deck, catching the figure's hood and throwing it back to reveal a scarred, determined face and a head of dark hair.
Someone in the front of the crowd recognized him instantly.
"L-Leon Cosmodeous! It's Leon!"
"Battle formations!" the guards cried, their voices tinged with panic.
Their tension was palpable—to them, Leon Cosmodeous represented a threat on par with a Dragon King.
Yet, even as dozens of weapons were aimed at his heart, Leon remained utterly unfazed.
Holding the paper lantern—the one covered in the names of Teacher Carolyn and the children of the Cosmod Orphanage—he simply snapped his fingers over the fuel inlet.
A small spark flared to life, igniting the alcohol-soaked wick, and the lantern began its slow, determined ascent into the sky.
"Before you act," Leon said, his voice calm but cutting through the tension like a knife.
The sound of his voice alone seemed to cast a paralyzing spell over the guards, freezing them with a sense of impending, inevitable doom.
They tightened their grips on their weapons. Though they faced a single, unarmed man, not one of them dared to make the first move.
After all, this was Leon.
"I suggest you all watch what happens next very carefully," Leon declared, his voice ringing out loud enough for everyone, including the king and queen on the deck, to hear. "Only then should you decide if you truly wish to stand in my way."
The king and queen exchanged a glance of pure bewilderment and dawning fear. Not only was Leon somehow back, alive and in the Empire, but what in the world was on those recording stones?
Queen Elizabeth, her face contorted with fury, gritted her teeth. After a moment's hesitation, she shrieked the order. "Seize the traitor Leon Cosmodeous! Now!"
But even with the queen's direct command, the guards hesitated, their loyalty warring with their instinct for self-preservation. They knew his strength all too well; many had once fought beside him.
"You useless...!" Elizabeth began, her voice rising in fury.
A low, resonant hum suddenly filled the air, silencing her.
Overhead, the tens of thousands of lanterns glowed with a unified, faint green light, their magic synchronizing to form a massive, intricate spell circle across the entire sky.
For a moment, there was only silence and light.
Elizabeth scowled. "What trickery is this?! Enough stalling! Seize him! Don't forget who signs your pay! Who holds your families' lives in their hands!"
As Leon's personal lantern ascended, it slotted into the center of the spell circle, and the resonance between the recording stones reached its peak.
In an instant, a colossal, shimmering image materialized in the sky above the Empire, visible from every district.
The image was a crystal-clear recording of King Canter and Queen Elizabeth, seated in a private chamber.
"What... What is he doing..." Canter gritted his teeth, his face pale.
Voices, unmistakably theirs, began to emanate from the image, projected across the city:
"The Blade Project is proceeding smoothly. Even without Leon, we can easily manipulate this war alongside the Dragon Kings."
"A brilliant strategy, Your Majesty."
"This is all thanks to you, Scott. I heard you were the one who formed the Blade Trio. You've done the Empire a great service."
"You are too kind, Your Majesty. I only did my duty."
"Good. With that attitude, you're already leagues above Cosmodeous, who never understood his place. Otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up as an enemy of the Empire."
The recording shifted.
"There have been... significant protests about the new tax reforms. Should we reconsider?"
"No need. If they want to eat in this Empire, they must obey. Let them complain. It changes nothing."
"You are absolutely right, Canter. Throwing a few minor officials to the wolves every now and then makes the fools think we're on their side. In reality... ha!"
On the recording, they laughed, shamelessly laying bare their twisted, cynical schemes.
If not for Martin's daring infiltration to capture this recording...
If not for Leon's courage to expose it to the world...
If not for the Lionheart Society's meticulous preparation...
These vile truths would have continued to rot the Empire from the inside out, infecting the very soul of the nation until it crumbled into dust.
As the damning footage ended, Leon stood in silence. He knew what would come next.
"Canter! You despicable tyrant!" a voice roared from the crowd.
"My son joined the Dragon Slayer Corps to protect this country! He gave his life on the battlefield! And all along, this war was just a game to you?! CANTER, GIVE ME BACK MY SON!"
"So, to you, we're just tax-paying, cannon-fodder peasants, is that it?!"
"This country doesn't belong to you alone! We won't let you trample it into the ground any longer!"
The anger and grief, suppressed for years, erupted in a cataclysmic wave.
The citizens surged forward, a tidal wave of humanity closing in on the landship.
Even the royal guards wavered, their weapons lowering slightly as they were torn between striking down their fellow citizens and abandoning a ruler who had so profoundly betrayed them all.
Everything was happening too fast for Canter to process. His mouth hung open, his eyes darting around in panic and confusion.
"Leon Cosmodeous! You damned traitor!" he shrieked, his voice cracking. "How dare you disturb the peace of the Lantern Festival! Seize him! Kill him!"
At his frantic command, three figures leaped down from a higher platform, landing with practiced ease directly in front of Leon.
The atmosphere around them grew thick with palpable, focused bloodlust. Leon noted that one of the three, Jax, was now missing an arm.
"Cosmodeous," Kai, the leader of the Blade Trio, muttered. "We meet again. Though the circumstances are... unexpected."
Leon gazed at him coolly. "So, even after seeing Canter's treachery with your own eyes, you still choose to serve him?"
"Loyalty is a fluid concept," Kai replied flatly. "We want to kill Dragon Kings and make a name for ourselves. The Empire gives us that opportunity. We don't care if this war is a staged game. So long as there is blood to be shed and glory to be won, we will play our part."
Leon scoffed. "A pity. If you showed even a shred of remorse, I might have considered sparing you for my master's sake."
Kai's lips twisted into a sneer. "Oh? So the old man is still alive, is he?"
"My master is alive and well," Leon said, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "But as for you three... your time is up."
As he spoke, a wave of pure, unbridled killing intent erupted from him, so potent it made the battle-hardened Blade Trio take an involuntary step back.
Leon rarely unleashed his full bloodlust, but these three had left his mentor, Tiger, on the brink of death. Had it not been for Charlotte's sacrifice, the old man would be gone.
This was a debt Leon intended to collect in full.
From the deck of the landship, Queen Elizabeth screamed, her voice shrill with panic and rage. "It's not enough! Scott, release the fusion beasts! Unleash the dangerous creatures! Crush Leon! Tear him apart!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
At his command, the ground beneath the city began to tremble violently.
Citizens screamed and scattered, frantically seeking shelter from the new threat.
As they cleared the streets, the cobblestones themselves erupted, the earth splitting open as monstrous, twisted forms began to claw their way out of the fissures.
They howled and shrieked, abominations that sounded like souls ripped from the depths of hell.
In an instant, Leon found himself surrounded—the Blade Trio before him, and dozens of hulking fusion beasts and skittering dangerous creatures closing in from all sides.
"Cosmodeous, you arrogant fool!" Queen Elizabeth taunted from her perch, a note of hysterical confidence in her voice. "No matter how skilled you are, you cannot fight all of us! How do you plan to escape now?!"
"Escape?" Leon chuckled, a low, dangerous sound. "If I'm standing here, it's because I never intended to run."
"Then you are truly delusional! Those fusion beasts will overwhelm you by sheer numbers alone!"
"What good is quantity against quality?" Leon retorted, his gaze never leaving hers. "They are nothing but ants."
"Arrogant to the very end! You—"
"And besides..." Leon raised his hand, cutting her off. "Did you truly believe you were the only one who came prepared with allies?"
"What?!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening.
Leon simply snapped his fingers.
In the very next heartbeat, a dragon's roar—deep, primordial, and deafening—tore through the night sky.
The people of the upper district looked up to see a massive, serpentine blue sea dragon soaring overhead, its scales reflecting the lantern light. With a graceful, powerful dive, it landed beside Leon with a impact that shook the ground, then transformed in a swirl of magic into a woman with flowing blue hair and an imperious gaze.
"The Sea Dragon Princess, Claudia," Leon announced calmly.
"It's... the dragons..." Elizabeth gasped, her face a mask of terror.
Before the stunned crowd could even process this first arrival, a powerful gust of wind swept over them, forcing many to shield their eyes.
A giant silver figure with magnificent, gleaming wings descended from the heavens, landing with regal grace on Leon's other side. As she returned to her human form, a tall, silver-haired woman stood proud and unyielding, her aura one of icy, absolute authority.
"The Silver Dragon Queen, Rossweise," Leon said, a note of pride in his voice.
He crossed his arms, a confident grin spreading across his face as he met Elizabeth's horrified stare.
"And if you thought that was all..." he began.
BOOM—
A figure wreathed in crimson fire and smoke crashed down in a classic, earth-shattering superhero landing, sending cracks radiating through the cobblestones. He rose slowly, flames licking at his shoulders, his eyes burning with destructive intent.
Leon completed the introductions, his voice ringing with finality.
"...then meet the Crimson Flame Dragon King, Constantine."