Claudia, the Sea Dragon Princess, stepped forward, her presence instantly commanding the room. She crossed her arms, an air of unshakable composure surrounding her.
"Senior... why are you here?" Rossweise asked softly, a flicker of surprise in her amethyst eyes.
Claudia cast a sidelong glance at the silent Tower Master and chuckled, a dry, knowing sound.
"The Tower Master's invitation reached my Sea Dragon clan as well. How could I not come? Although deciphering some particularly stubborn ancient Atlantean inscriptions delayed me, it seems I've made it in time for the most exciting part of this little duel."
Her sharp gaze turned back to the recording stone, a faint, proud smile playing on her lips.
The assembled dragon kings exchanged wary glances, the earlier impulse to leave now completely forgotten. They quietly decided to stay and watch this unprecedented event unfold.
"Senior," Rossweise continued, her voice hesitant, "is Leon truly in the Hyper Perception state now?"
"Hyper Perception" was an elusive, almost mythical concept for dragonkind, shrouded in layers of mystery and legend. Even the basic entry requirements were unclear, so not even Rossweise, with all her knowledge, could be certain of what they were witnessing.
"Yes, he has succeeded," Claudia stated, her confidence absolute.
A knowing, almost wry smile spread across her face as she added, "To be honest, when I first handed him the foundational techniques for Hyper Perception, I never imagined in a thousand years he would actually master it."
"Why?" Rossweise blinked in genuine surprise.
Claudia, long considered the Melkvey family's ultimate resource and a living repository of forbidden knowledge, was akin to a quest-giver in a role-playing game. Whenever the family faced a seemingly insurmountable challenge, Claudia would invariably provide the necessary tools or wisdom to overcome it, often with a line like:
'I happen to have a few rare treasures and secrets lying around—come, take a look!'
Her past gifts had included legendary techniques such as Nine Hell's Gate and Soul Judgment, and even Constantine's infamous spectral power upgrade had originated from her archives.
Every tool she gave was genuine, with no hidden tricks or traps.
Yet, when it came to Hyper Perception, Claudia freely admitted she had doubted Leon's chances from the start.
"Because your husband had already taken so many things from me. Even as a self-proclaimed 'Witch Lord,' I couldn't keep giving away my most prized treasures without some limit."
Claudia's response was unexpectedly pragmatic and entirely logical.
"So, I handed him a technique that very, very few in all of dragonkind have ever mastered—Hyper Perception. I told him it was merely a specialized, advanced form of body technique, something that would inevitably improve with enough dedicated training."
She laughed lightly, a sound of pure amusement. "I assumed that, unable to make any real headway, he'd eventually grow frustrated and return it to me. But then... that absolute maniac actually went and succeeded."
Morgan, the Golden Sand Dragon King, interjected with a snort, "Are you saying Leon sought out Odin specifically to master this Hyper Perception?"
Claudia nodded, her smile turning shrewd. "I suspect so. That idiot wouldn't pick a fight with a legend like Odin without a damned good reason."
Her gaze shifted meaningfully to Rossweise. "As his wife, Rossweise, you must know the truth of it, don't you?"
Rossweise hesitated only briefly before nodding in confirmation. "Yes... that's true. Leon and I practiced the fundamentals of Hyper Perception together many times, but we saw no real progress. Then he decided he needed to face a stronger opponent, believing that a life-or-death struggle might trigger the necessary breakthrough. That's the only reason he accepted Odin's public invitation."
The dragon kings returned their attention to the recording stone in a heavy silence, their expressions solemn as they observed the transformed man standing amid the ruins of the crater.
"Leon Cosmodeous," one of them muttered under his breath. "Just how many times will you redefine the very limits of the impossible?"
From the center of the devastation, Leon began to walk forward, his steps steady and measured, each footfall silent on the scorched earth.
Odin frowned, his keen senses probing. "Strange... I can't sense any energy from him at all. It's as if he's not even there."
In any battle, mages and warriors naturally emitted an aura of power, a palpable pressure that revealed their strength and intent. During their intense fight earlier, Odin had clearly felt the overwhelming, ferocious energy rolling off Leon in waves.
Now, however, as Leon moved freely, that immense energy was completely hidden, veiled as if by a perfect shroud.
To suppress one's life force and magical aura so entirely was something even the greatest dragon kings couldn't achieve. It was theoretically impossible.
At that moment, Leon seemed less like a warrior and more like a god who had descended into the mortal realm—transcendent, serene, and beyond comprehension.
Odin narrowed his eyes, a spark of realization igniting within them. "That's... Hyper Perception, isn't it?"
Leon stopped, glancing down at his own hands as if seeing them for the first time. He clenched them experimentally, feeling the power thrumming silently within, before raising his gaze to meet Odin's.
"I think it is," Leon said calmly, his voice steady and unhurried, as if the world-shattering battle they had just endured hadn't affected him in the slightest.
Odin, despite his own heavy breathing and the fatigue weighing on his limbs, managed a low, respectful chuckle. "Do you realize what you've achieved? Hyper Perception is a skill even we elder dragon kings have only glimpsed in ancient legends. And yet, you've unlocked it at your age?"
Leon shook his head modestly. "Claudia told me Hyper Perception was just a particularly difficult body technique... nothing more than that."
His tone was casual, as if he were merely reflecting aloud, but Odin caught every word, his brow furrowing in thought.
"It seems the Sea Dragon Princess didn't explain the true, monumental significance of Hyper Perception," Odin mused.
"Perhaps not," Leon replied, his focus returning to the present. "I'll be sure to ask her about it after this fight. But for now... Senior Odin, shall we begin again?"
Odin's eyes gleamed with a mixture of exhaustion and fierce excitement. "We can. But first, I have one question for you."
"Go ahead."
"During our fight, you've been using my attacks, the pressure, the very proximity to death, to trigger your understanding of Hyper Perception, haven't you?"
Leon smiled openly, not bothering to deny it. "You caught me, Senior. That's exactly why I accepted your invitation to spar. I needed a hammer strong enough to forge this final piece."
Odin burst into laughter, the sound echoing across the broken battlefield. "You're bold, clever, and utterly daring. Let's see just how powerful this legendary Hyper Perception truly is!"
"Please guide me, Senior," Leon said, bowing slightly in a gesture of deep respect.
Odin raised his hand, and the air itself crackled to life, summoning a dazzling array of hundreds of shimmering lightning blades, their edges sizzling with concentrated electric energy.
Grade B Lightning Magic: Lightning Blade Cascade (Modified)—King's Judgment.
Although technically rated as a Grade B spell, in the hands of a true master like Odin, the technique's destructive potential, control, and density far exceeded its mundane classification.
Countless blades rained down toward Leon with relentless, terrifying speed and impossible precision.
Rather than dodging erratically or launching a counterattack, Leon simply continued to walk forward, his steps slow and deliberate, as if he were taking a leisurely stroll through a garden.
Each razor-sharp, crackling blade came within a hair's breadth of striking him, yet he evaded them all with subtle, impossibly fluid shifts of his body—a tilt of the head, a slight turn of the shoulder, a minute adjustment in his stride.
To an observer, Leon's dodges seemed effortless, almost as though he wasn't even consciously aware of the incoming attacks, his body moving on a level of instinct that transcended thought.
Amid the storm of lethal blades, Leon appeared as a lone dancer, moving with preternatural grace through a symphony of pure chaos.
"He doesn't think, he doesn't hesitate, he doesn't plan," Odin murmured to himself, awe coloring his thoughts. "Every dodge is purely instinctual, a reaction on a level deeper than consciousness... and this is only the entry level of Hyper Perception?"
With a roar, Odin charged forward, grabbing one of the largest blades midair to strike at Leon directly.
The massive blade crackled with immense, focused power, its edges sparking violently. Yet, no matter how sharp or swift Odin's strikes, Leon avoided them all with the same effortless, minimal movement as before.
Their contrasting styles were a study in opposites—Odin's aggressive, overwhelmingly powerful offense clashing against Leon's serene, perfectly efficient, and instinctual defense.
From the observation room, the dragon kings watched in stunned awe.
"Is that what Hyper Perception looks like? That's absurd!"
"He's practically untouchable! It's like he's reading the future!"
But Claudia, who had been silently observing, spoke up, her voice cutting through the wonder. "If Leon wants to win this duel, he can't rely on Hyper Perception alone."
"Why not?" Rossweise asked, concern lacing her voice once more.
"Because he's only at the entry level," Claudia explained matter-of-factly. "He can't maintain it for long. The mental and physical strain is immense. And look—both of them are reaching their absolute limits. This next exchange will decide everything."
Inside the arena, as if on cue, the soft white aura surrounding Leon began to flicker and fade, the brilliant light receding back into his body, signaling the end of his temporary Hyper Perception state.
Leon glanced at his hands again, a faint, accepting smile on his lips. "Looks like I can only sustain it for about five minutes at this stage."
He smiled faintly, a new determination settling in his eyes. "That's fine. No need to hold back anymore."
Odin nodded, noticing the immediate change in Leon's demeanor, the return of a palpable, fierce energy. "One last attack, then. Let us finish this with everything we have left."
The very air crackled and screamed as Odin unleashed his full, magnificent dragon form. A colossal blue-black thunder dragon materialized, its scales gleaming like storm clouds, its wings spanning the width of the arena, whose spatial constraints groaned and shattered under the sheer pressure of his true power.
Leon stood firm, raising his hand to the sky. Thunder roared in response as ominous, swirling storm clouds gathered above him, darkening the artificial space.
The dragons watching from the safety of the Twilight Tower held their breath as one.
"What magic is that? I've never seen it before!" one whispered.
"Dragon's Extinction," Rossweise whispered, her voice barely audible, filled with a mixture of dread and pride.
From the heart of the storm clouds, a massive lion, forged entirely of lightning and roaring thunder, emerged. It charged downward not toward Odin, but toward Leon, who remained motionless, arms open.
As the lion of lightning reached him, it didn't strike him—it dissolved into his body, merging with his very being in a blinding confluence of power.
In a flash of light that forced everyone to look away, Leon transformed. His body became covered in radiant, intricate armor formed of pure, solidified electricity. The armor expanded, grew, and reshaped until Leon stood as a towering, godlike figure—thunderous, majestic, and invincible.
Ultra-S Grade Lightning Magic: Final Form—Dragon Extinction.