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After that roar, Arnold cast another glance at the castle.
Fortunately, the Dragon Lords still remained in the hypnosis despite the line being so brittle right now.
Suarif was going to die regardless. As the old saying went, no one will notice if there is no one left to notice.
Every last ounce of Aether in his body surged upward through the blade. The clear sky above the mountain range twisted violently as dark clouds rushed in from all directions, devouring the sunlight and plunging the battlefield into a deep, unnatural gloom. Lightning crackled between the clouds with growing intensity, forcing even the dragons circling overhead to retreat.
Dragon's Descent - [Lightning Named Ancestor – Dragon God.]
A deafening roar tore across the continent, far deeper and more primal than any ordinary dragon's cry. The air itself shook. Cliffs cracked and spilled rock into the valleys below. Forests swayed as if struck by a hurricane. Birds dropped lifeless from the sky, and across the wilderness, monsters fled in blind panic or burrowed desperately into the earth.
Many kilometers away, soldiers from both the Empire and the Republic froze mid-battle.
One young infantryman lowered his spear without realizing it. He had survived three campaigns and had stared death in the face more times than he could remember. During the Battle of Nuaria he had watched S-rank monsters tear knights apart with his own eyes, yet never once had his legs failed him, refusing to move.
His breathing became shallow as he stared toward the distant mountains where the sky itself appeared to be breaking apart.
"...What... is happening...?"
No officer answered him.
Because every commander was staring at the same sight.
Within the storm, something enormous slowly revealed itself.
At first, it resembled another mountain rising above the clouds. Then lightning illuminated its outline.
A dragon's head.
Forged entirely from lightning.
Its horns stretched so high they vanished back into the storm itself, while eyes brighter than the sun overlooked the world. Only its head had emerged from the clouds, yet it already dwarfed every fortress any of them had ever seen.
While its full body wasn't visible, parts of its body stuck out under the clouds, seen for several kilometers.
For a brief moment, no one thought of dragons.
No one thought of magic.
No one even thought of war.
The only thought shared by thousands of human beings was one they could not put into words.
A God...
An older knight slowly removed his helmet.
His hands shook so violently that it slipped from his grasp and struck the ground with a dull clang. Around him, dozens of soldiers unconsciously followed suit, not out of discipline, but because something deep within them told them they were standing before a being no mortal should face with steel drawn.
The veterans understood it first.
Years spent surviving battlefields had sharpened their instincts beyond reason. They knew what overwhelming power felt like.
One captain found himself remembering the scriptures he had memorized as a child. They spoke of the age when Gods and demigods walked among mortals and punished entire kingdoms with storms that lasted weeks.
As a boy, he had dismissed them as exaggerations created by priests.
Looking upon the creature descending from the heavens, he realized those stories might not have exaggerated enough.
Far across the battlefield, standing atop the Republic's own defensive wall, Serz's commanders felt the same terror.
Their invasion had been planned around a single assumption—that the Dragon Lords would remain occupied with the ritual for at least another month. Even the strongest among their nation had warned them never to interfere with whatever ceremony the dragons were performing.
They've made every single preparation to avoid the dragon lords finding out about this invasion.
Yet now...
Something had awakened.
One of the Cadres felt cold sweat trickle beneath his robe.
His instincts screamed louder than reason.
Whether that creature truly was a Dragon Lord no longer mattered.
If it reached the battlefield...
Everyone would die. It didn't matter whose side it's on. Something that powerful can wipe an entire kingdom.
Without hesitation, he turned toward the signal corps.
"Order an immediate withdrawal." Without a shred of fear of the consequences from the higher ups and even their leader, he ordered.
Several officers looked at him in disbelief.
"My lord?"
"We are abandoning the operation. There's no telling if that being is on Princess Wistorina's side. I'm not going on assumptions again to make decisions so we will abandon our plan for now and seek other opportunities. It's a shame but we'll have to abandon Cadre Hessinia."
A shameless sigh of relief tore through them all. But their commander said nothing of it. They're relieved despite losing an important superior.
"Recall every summoned beast and signal the rear divisions to retreat immediately. Leave our equipment if you must. If that thing descends upon us, there will be no survivors left to recover it anyway."
But if that being really is on the Republic's side, it won't let the fallout destroy the kingdom—that will be the commander's proof that they would've died if they stayed behind so punishment shouldn't be too severe.
No one argued.
The terror in their commander's face robbed them of any remaining courage.
Within moments, horns echoed across Serz's army. Summoned monsters vanished into their circles, battalions abandoned carefully prepared formations, and soldiers who had advanced only moments earlier now fled toward the border with desperate urgency.
Across the field, Emperor Jurnick watched the enemy's sudden retreat with complete shock.
He had only just climbed down from his horse to rest when the heavens darkened. Now, even he found himself unable to tear his gaze away from the impossible sight unfolding above the mountains.
Julius stepped beside him, equally transfixed.
"Father... I've read that only the Dragon God and the White Dragon Lord possessed dominion over lightning."
Jurnick nodded absentmindedly.
"So have I."
His voice lacked its usual confidence.
"But that knowledge comes from records written hundreds of years ago. We know almost nothing of the Dragon Lords alive today. So, we can't just decide what possesses such power or why it shows itself today."
His eyes narrowed.
"What troubles me isn't its element."
He watched another wave of lightning split the sky apart.
"It's the killing intent. It's like something sentient and sapient is fighting another being. Even our army can feel it with their warrior sense—that is no mere beast."
The words made Julius finally look away from the storm.
Only then did he notice the royal army.
Ten thousand soldiers stood frozen where they were.
Not one spoke.
Some whispered prayers beneath their breath.
Others stared with vacant eyes.
Many trembled so violently that their chainmail rattled against their armor.
These were veterans who had marched beside him through years of warfare.
Men who had stood against armies without breaking.
Yet none of them possessed the courage to even raise a shield.
Julius slowly clenched the reins in his hand.
It had to be a Dragon Lord.
It simply had to be.
Because if that power belonged to a single human...
Then everything mankind believed about the limits of mortals had just been shattered.
**
"What is Suarif planning down there." still keeping his skill at bay, Arnold watched the crater silently.
'System, show me a minimap with Suarif's location.' The system quickly showed the map and he confirmed Suarif is still down there.
While that could be a sign his blood arts skill worked, there was still a sense of unease creeping up his spine.
This skill was at its maximum output, so it could probably destroy hundreds of kilometers of land and the shockwave would cause damage even farther. Something this strong might be enough to kill any level cap player without preparations to defend themselves.
He glanced east, "I shouldn't forget about the Republic of Zrek. Roseria and Julius, along with the imperial army, are still in the kingdom fighting Serz so I need to adjust the power to stay within a ten-kilometer radius."
The Republic might've been a long distance away (about 90 kilometers) from these mountain ranges but he knows how devastating this level 30 skill is, especially in the hands of an Aether user. His battle with Guinevere left scars across that 100th dungeon world.
He twisted his sword. The massive lightning dragon coiling in the clouds above let out a thunderous shriek and dove straight down, spearing toward the crater like a living bolt of divine wrath. Its serpentine body crackled with blinding white-blue energy as it plunged into the hole.
For a single heartbeat, everything went unnaturally still.
Then the explosion came.
A cataclysmic blast erupted from the crater, shattering the mountain itself. A pillar of searing light and violet lightning tore upward, splitting the sky. The ground buckled violently in every direction. Entire ridges collapsed inward as the shockwave roared outward, disintegrating trees, hurling boulders like pebbles, and carving deep scars across the battlefield. Dust and debris surged into the air in a massive expanding ring while arcs of residual lightning continued to dance across the ruined landscape.
Arnold narrowed his eyes against the blinding glare, still gripping his sword.
"Even if Suarif's body was vaporized… his soul should remain."
The next moment, everything stopped.
"Huh?"
The cataclysmic pillar of light, the roaring explosion, and the raging lightning were all sucked inward with violent speed, collapsing back into the crater as if devoured by something ravenous. The deafening blast vanished in an instant, leaving an unnatural, ringing silence across the shattered mountain.
From the center of the crater, a silhouette slowly rose, his form an ant from where Arnold stood.
Then he saw it.
Crackling arcs of white-blue lightning danced across its body. Lightning veins crackled across his white armored scales. His eyes glowed with pure electrical fury. The absorbed lightning energy now coiled around him like a living mantle, feeding directly into his form.
He roared, making hundreds of lightning bolts descend from the sky, striking the lands with ferocious speed, scorching the earth.
· Suarif Elipus
· Dragon Lord of Wrath/Silver Dragon Lord
· Level 100 (Awakened)
'He evolved in the middle of our fight!? What kind of bullshit—' he thought but it would be strange if a dragon lord didn't have an element they could harness.
"Shit…" seeing a supercharged Suarif ascend to the sky, goosebump appeared on his skin.
His teeth clattered and hands trembled.
That was one of his most powerful skills.
Just like with his fights with Guinevere and Gederick, he felt hopeless at that moment. He might be considered the strongest human in the world currently, but he's not the strongest being.
There's nothing more humbling than fighting the truly strong.
Even 90% of his full power wasn't enough to kill Suarif. It probably wouldn't be that much different with the remaining 10%.
Was it a mistake to not immediately ascend his class?
Maybe he's the fool for thinking this would be a manageable fight.
But he knows that fighting an awakened dragon lord is suicide.
Should he abandon the mission?
No, if he does then their guard will be up and he won't be able to use the Hypnosis on them again.
The only good thing is that Ladiath hadn't yet given a deadline for the mission so he would've had time to prepare a bit longer. But he can't have Oriel using his awakened draconic powers.
As cliché as it sounded, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
'System… show me the complete list of my pure martial art's skills.' Thinking it was better to gain some distance, Arnold teleported away to a distant mountain and sat on the edge of a cliff, trying to calm his trembling body.
Running wouldn't do much since a dragon can catch the scent of your blood hundreds of kilometers away. It's a good thing the other dragon lords can't perceive their surroundings otherwise they'd find out his identity.
But Suarif… he has to die.
-Affirmative. Compiling a list of all skills in the Sovereign of Blood martial art.
"Hmm… there's nothing useful here… This martial art's strongest abilities are mostly suited for armies." he grimaced inwardly, already sensing Suarif catching up.
Then suddenly, he placed a hand over his eye as he noticed the dragons' castle in the distance. It was gigantic so he could see it even at this distance.
"…System, compile a list of everything the Draconic Halo is capable of."
-Affirmative: Compiling a list of all known Draconic Halo abilities.
· Push and Pull
· Prediction
· Anti-Magic
· Life Drain
· Hypnosis
· Illusion Break
· …
· …
"System… how efficient is this skill?" he pointed at a certain skill on the list.
-Answer: It depends on the being the skill is used on. If humans, the efficiency is lower, but the stronger targets it's used on, the higher the efficiency. The ranking depends on the race of said target.
Arnold got up, the trembling slowly fading away but still there as a reminder that he's still human. He's not sure what happens if the clone dies but he's going to have to risk it even after pouring so much of his internal energy and Aether into it.
"I'll have to do something crazy." He looked towards the castle again.
Then…
He teleported there.