The Primordial Nightmare, sensing the pure, opposing energy of Rossweise's spell, grew even more enraged. It stopped its chaotic attacks on the surroundings and focused all its malice, drawing a terrifying orb of black and red energy to its chest. The air grew heavy and suffocating, even during this charging phase.
Leon felt the unprecedented power of this incoming attack and instinctively stepped forward, lightning crackling around his fists. He would not let his wife face this alone.
But Claudia's hand on his arm stopped him. "Wait."
"What's wrong?" Leon asked, his eyes never leaving Rossweise.
"This is a clash of primordial forces. Your conventional lightning magic won't help here. It might even interfere," Claudia explained urgently. "And that black dragon scale is the source; I doubt any normal attack could break through its influence."
Leon gritted his teeth, frustration warring with logic. He knew she was right. An impulsive move could create a fatal opening. Reluctantly, he stepped back.
Instead of attacking, he raised his arm. Blue lightning surged around him and Claudia, weaving itself into a massive, intricate skeletal structure that enclosed them in a protective dome.
Ultra S-Class Lightning Magic: Lightning Skeleton.
This was the same technique he had used in his legendary "Ten-Second, Six-Dragon Kill" to defend against the combined assault of four Dragon Kings. But now, facing the Primordial Nightmare's final, desperate strike, he reinforced it twice over. A layer of solid lightning armor materialized over the skeletal frame, its defensive power visibly multiplying.
Surrounded by the crackling, protective shell, Claudia watched with quiet admiration. "In all my long life, you are the only one to ever master the Shadow of Sumeru to this profound level."
Leon barely heard the praise. His entire focus was on Rossweise's back, his silent support a shield in itself.
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.
Across the Empire, the citizens watched the battle unfold through the projected images of the recording stones. They saw the Silver Dragon Queen, a solitary figure of silver light, standing firm against the monstrous embodiment of the Empire's corruption.
"I can't believe a Dragon Queen is fighting for us…"
"Can she really win?"
"We have to believe in her! Believe in Leon Cosmodeous!"
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.
On the battlefield, both forces reached their peak.
With a world-shaking roar, the Primordial Nightmare unleashed its cataclysmic beam—a concentrated torrent of fury, savagery, and pure malevolence. It was not just an attack; it was the manifested hatred of all the betrayed and corrupted beings that formed it.
The sheer emotional poison in the beam was palpable even to Rebecca and the Lionheart Society members on the periphery. A master sniper, not usually sensitive to magic, felt a chill seize her heart. A cold sweat trickled down her temple.
"This feeling… it's bone-chilling," she whispered.
Nearby, Nacho and Martin exchanged grave looks. "It's not the pressure of a Dragon King," Martin struggled to describe. "It's… darker."
"It's the dark side of sentience itself," Nacho answered grimly. "The rage of the Blade Trio, betrayed by their king. The fury of the tortured fusion beasts. All their consciousness is gone, leaving only this… hatred for the world."
"Then, Captain and the Queen…"
"If they are standing against it, it means they believe they can win," Nacho said with a sigh. "This is a fight far beyond us."
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.
But the Silver Dragon Queen would not be intimidated by chaos and hatred.
The seven-colored light gleamed between her fingers, and she released her Soul Judgment, meeting the dark beam head-on. The collision was titanic. Shockwaves rippled out, turning the sky dark and whipping up fierce winds. Debris pelted against Leon's Lightning Skeleton, which held firm, an unyielding bastion against the storm.
The Primordial Nightmare, fueled by the deep-seated darkness of the Blade Trio and the primal energy of countless beasts, poured more power into its assault. It was stronger than any single enemy Leon had ever faced.
On the royal land cruiser, Queen Elizabeth allowed a cold smile. "Leon knew we had another card to play. But he could never have imagined how high our trump card would raise the stakes."
King Canter, finally relieved, wiped his brow. "The Shadow Lord's black dragon scale is formidable! Before he dies, Leon will learn what true power is!"
Elizabeth cast him a sidelong glance. "The scale isn't our only ace."
"Oh? What else?"
She turned back to the battle, her expression unreadable. "A secret for now. I doubt we'll need it."
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.
"Die! All of you, die!!" the monster roared, its voice shaking the very stones.
The beam clash continued, a stalemate of light against darkness.
"At this rate… Rossweise won't hold out," Leon muttered, his knuckles white. Soul Judgment was immensely draining, and she had never sustained it for so long.
"Trust your wife, Leon," Claudia said, her voice surprisingly calm. "Her mastery surpasses what you know. And remember, Soul Judgment isn't for brute force. The stronger the opponent's negative emotions, the greater the damage it inflicts."
Leon remembered. He had even brought her an enraged minotaur to practice on once. (The beast hadn't been purified so much as… turned into dinner.)
"Then why is she matching it blow-for-blow now?" he asked. "She's at a disadvantage in a contest of raw power."
"She's waiting.
"Waiting for what?"
"For the perfect moment." Claudia's eyes sharpened. "Here it comes. Now!"
As the Primordial Nightmare gathered its energy for a final push, the dark emotions it emitted reached a fever pitch. A brilliant light flashed in Rossweise's silver eyes.
"You should never have crossed us."
The seven-colored light of Soul Judgment blazed with sudden, overwhelming intensity. It didn't just push back the darkness; it purified it. The holy beam sliced through the monstrous energy like a divine blade through corruption.
"No—No!!"
The Primordial Nightmare's final, desperate howl was swallowed by the brilliant explosion of light. The upper district was illuminated as if by a second sun, and when the light faded, a magnificent seven-colored rainbow arched across the moonlit sky. At Rossweise's feet lay the massive, dissolving corpse of the abomination.
She stood panting, regaining her strength before straightening her posture, victorious.
Before she could even speak, urgent footsteps sounded behind her. She turned just in time to be swept into a crushing, relieved bear hug from Leon.
"If I knew you were this powerful, I wouldn't have bothered getting backup!" he exclaimed, his voice a mix of awe and playful complaint. "We could've taken down the Empire ourselves weeks ago!"
Exhausted but content, Rossweise sighed and let him hold her, resting her head against his chest. She looked up at him, her gaze soft but firm.
"I can't let you take all the glory. It was my turn."
And it was true. If a single MVP had to be chosen for this battle, the title belonged unquestionably to her.
"Sis! Wow, you were amazing!" Rebecca shouted, running up with Nacho and Martin close behind, their faces filled with relief and admiration.
Rossweise gently pried herself from Leon's embrace and smiled down at the spirited girl. "Was I? Who's cooler, me or your captain?"
"Of course, you're cooler, Sis!"
"I think so too."
"Heh!"
Claudia watched the joyful scene with a satisfied smile. A happy ending might not be the most complex narrative, but it was what these people—what this family—deserved.
It was then that Constantine finally arrived, panting heavily. "Is it… over?" he asked Claudia, who simply nodded toward the disintegrating monster.
"Yes, it's over. The Silver Dragon Queen ended it in one strike."
Constantine's eyes widened slightly. "In one strike?"
"Mhm."
He frowned, his crimson eyes scanning the periphery of the battlefield with ingrained suspicion. "The Empire… they might still have another move."
Leon: 😒
Rossweise: 😒
Claudia: 😒
Constantine shrugged defensively. "Hey, I'm not jinxing it. I'm being realistic!"
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Thud—
The collapse of the Primordial Nightmare was the final blow to King Canter's resolve. His legs gave way, and he crumpled onto the deck of the land cruiser.
"It's over… it's all over…" he whimpered, his face ashen. "The 'Shadow Lord' will never forgive our failure…"
A sudden, desperate thought seized him. He scrambled toward Elizabeth, his eyes wild. "You said there was another ace! What is it? Use it now!"
Elizabeth looked down at him, her arms crossed, her expression utterly cold. "Do you truly wish to know?"
"Of course! We have no time left! Do you want to be executed by 'Shadow' or torn apart by the mob? Use whatever we have!"
"Very well," Elizabeth said, her voice flat. "Follow me."
She walked to the very front of the land cruiser, with Canter scrambling on his hands and knees behind her. At the bow, she looked down at the scene below, where Leon and his allies were still celebrating their hard-won victory.
"'Shadow' decides who lives and who dies, Leon," she murmured to herself.
Canter leaned over the railing, frantically scanning the ground. "Where? Where is it?!"
Before he could finish, Elizabeth stepped behind him and gave a firm, decisive push.
"ELIZABETH!!—"
His scream was cut short as he plummeted from the cruiser, landing directly in the seething, black remains of the Primordial Nightmare.
"You are 'Shadow's' final ace," Elizabeth whispered into the wind, her voice devoid of any warmth or remorse. "The Blade Trio sacrificed themselves for the Empire. Now, it is your turn to be of use."
Canter struggled in the corrosive ooze, tendrils already snaking around his limbs. "Elizabeth! How could you—?! NO! Stay back! Get away from me!!"
As the tendrils dragged him deeper into the corpse of the abomination, Elizabeth watched, utterly impassive. "It is time to let go of the Empire, 'Shadow'," she murmured.
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"Hey, did something just fall from the cruiser?" Rebecca asked, squinting at the dark mass. She noticed a faint, sickening movement. "Is that thing… still alive?"
Leon and the others followed her gaze.
She was right. The Primordial Nightmare, which should have been utterly destroyed, was twitching back to life.
Was it a final death throe? Or something worse?
Rebecca's sharp eyes then caught something else: tendrils were slithering out, absorbing the scattered shards of the recording stones. She quickly shouldered her sniper rifle and fired a magical round at one, but the bullet was simply absorbed into the black ooze.
"What's going on?!"
Before she could process it, Martin scooped her up and dashed to safety. Constantine leaped onto a nearby rooftop. Claudia took to the air with a powerful beat of her dragon wings, and Rossweise carried Leon upward, away from the spreading threat.
From this new vantage point, Leon saw the horrifying truth. The tendrils were reaching out, absorbing everything they touched—rubble, the magical recording stones, organic matter, and metal—incorporating it all into a new, larger form. The Primordial Nightmare was no longer a single beast; it was transforming into a massive, city-consuming black octopus, its countless limbs devouring the upper district block by block.
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.
"Did I just see King Canter fall into that thing?"
"This country has gone completely mad…"
"Why won't it die?! It's eating the city!"
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.
The resonant recording stones, even in their shattered state, continued to broadcast the catastrophe to every corner of the Empire. The sight of their king being fused with the monstrous abomination sent a wave of primal fear through every citizen.
In mere moments, half of the upper district had been consumed.
Outside the Cosmod Orphanage, a young girl clung tightly to Carolyn. "Miss Carolyn… I'm scared…"
A deep, eerie dread settled in Carolyn's own heart, but she remained strong for the children. "It's okay… it will be okay…"
"Brother Leon will defeat it! He will!" Even Sister Sharon, though terrified, refused to surrender to despair. She knew that as long as Leon stood, hope remained.
"Leon… you can do it. You must," Carolyn whispered, sending a silent prayer to the man on the projection.
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"If we let it keep consuming, the entire Empire will be gone by morning," Constantine stated. He launched a powerful blast of dragon fire at the beast, but the flames were simply absorbed. The monster grew larger, its color shifting to a deep, angry red. It then gathered the energy and shot a high-energy fireball back at them, which they narrowly dodged.
"It absorbs magic and returns it amplified," Claudia analyzed grimly. "We cannot use any magic-based attacks. It will only make it stronger."
"What about primordial energy?" Rossweise asked.
"Unlikely. The Blade Trio is still within it; it's resistant to and can absorb primordial energy as well."
With both magic and primordial energy useless, they had reached a dead end.
After a heavy silence, Leon spoke. "I have one last move."
The three Dragon Kings turned to him.
"It can't be…" Claudia began.
"Yes. If magic fails, only raw, physical force remains." Leon looked at Constantine. "This move was originally meant for you."
"For me?" Constantine echoed, genuinely surprised.
"Yes."
Leon's eyes returned to the consuming monster below. "But now, I have to use it here." He turned to Rossweise. "Put me down and take Rebecca and the others to a safe distance. I need space."
Rossweise frowned. "You're playing the hero again."
"No," he said, his voice soft but firm. "I need room to maneuver without worrying about you."
Her silver eyes narrowed, seeing right through him.
Leon sighed, losing their silent battle in seconds. "Okay, maybe a little heroism. But trust me, I'll be fine."
"I will be," he added, his voice carrying that familiar, unshakable assurance that had seen them through countless crises.
Rossweise finally nodded. "Be safe, Leon."
"I will. Our daughters are waiting for us to come home."
A small, hopeful smile touched Rossweise's lips. She lowered him to the street and then led Rebecca and the other Lionheart Society members to the safety of a tall, distant building.
Claudia approached the ledge, watching the burning district. "He's going to use the Nine Gates of Hell, isn't he?"
"Yes."
"All nine gates?"
"Yes."
"But he isn't a dragon. Without a Heartguard Dragon Scale, the backlash from the ninth gate will destroy his heart."
Having helped compile the ancient text on the Nine Gates, Claudia knew the consequences better than anyone. Even with a Heartguard Scale, she had only dared to reach the eighth gate. The ninth gate required unparalleled talent and carried immense, life-ending risk.
"Heartguard Dragon Scale…" Rossweise's lips curled into a faint, knowing smile as she watched Leon prepare below. "He has one."
"What?—" Claudia's eyes widened as she understood. "So that's how he survived his injuries five years ago. You gave him yours."
"Yes… and so, he will win. I know he will."
Claudia sighed, reminded of her sister's profound devotion. But now was not the time for reflection. Her focus returned to the battlefield as Leon began his transformation.
"Blood Boil, Bone Rush, Godspeed, Star's Might, Sun Chaser."
One by one, the gates opened. The second to the sixth gates enhanced his body to superhuman levels, unlocking devastating physical power.
"But the seventh and eighth gates aren't for offense," Claudia narrated, as if reading from the ancient text.
"Gate Seven: Twilight's Aegis. Gate Eight: Rebirth's Radiance. The first is for absolute defense, the second for rapid cellular regeneration. They exist solely to prepare the body for the ninth gate."
"The energy backlash from the final gate can destroy the user's body from the inside. The previous gates mitigate this, creating a vessel strong enough to contain the power. Most practitioners never reach the ninth, either lacking the talent or the will to risk everything."
Leon, a human, was doing the impossible. It was a terrifying, awe-inspiring sight.
Claudia exhaled slowly, her eyes fixed on the man who now stood unmoving, wreathed in power, like a divine guardian.
"The last page of the Nine Gates of Hell says this," she whispered.
On the battlefield, Leon stood tall. Scarlet, steam-like energy erupted from his skin. His veins glowed not with blood, but with molten, crimson light. His familiar lightning magic coiled around him like a loyal companion, enhancing the terrifying aura.
He crouched, his body tensing like a lion ready to pounce.
The Primordial Nightmare, sensing the immense threat, lashed out with dozens of massive, crushing tendrils.
Leon had been waiting for this.
He launched forward, an unstoppable projectile wrapped in scarlet annihilation.
"When twilight fades, and the light of rebirth dies—" Claudia's voice was a whisper on the wind.
The red steam solidified into the form of a roaring, majestic lion, charging headlong toward the monster.
"The deep night becomes his only armor—"
"Ninth Gate of Hell: Death Gate!!"