Leon crouched back down next to Aogu.

Although the old man had given in, his face still showed an expression of defiance and resolve.

But Leon didn’t care about his expression, as long as Aogu obediently revealed everything he needed to know.

“Since you already know that I’m human, that means we’ve found the right person. Constantine must have trusted you greatly to share that secret with you,” Leon said calmly, analyzing the situation.

He was confident that the fact he was human hadn’t spread through the Red Flame Dragon Clan.

It wasn’t that Constantine couldn’t share it—he didn’t dare.

The only reason Constantine knew Leon was human was because he had made some sort of deal with the Empire, helping them achieve certain objectives.

In simple terms, Constantine was a rarity among the dragons.

Despite being a Dragon King, he was secretly colluding with the human Empire. If the other dragons found out, the consequences would be severe.

If the news spread, at the very least, Constantine would be removed from power due to internal factional struggles within his clan. At worst, the entire Red Flame Dragon Clan would become a laughingstock among the dragons, isolated and excluded.

That’s why Constantine hadn’t launched a direct attack on the Silver Dragon Clan right away. Instead, he spent an entire year conquering various territories, using that as a cover for his true objective.

If Constantine had successfully killed Leon while attacking the Silver Dragon Clan, the other dragons would have assumed it was just part of the Red Flame Dragon King’s expansion plan, unrelated to whether the Silver Dragon Prince was actually human.

Constantine’s plan was quite flawless—he expanded his territory, regained his prestige among the dragons, and completed the tasks assigned by the Empire.

But the problem lay in General Leon.

Constantine never expected that the human Empire had created such an extraordinary individual.

If old Constantine had known that the man who was stabbed through the heart years ago still retained his peak combat power, he would have only said two words when the Empire gave him the task:

“Huh? Me?”

(Waving hands, dismissing the idea.)

Leon had gone over the logic of the situation several times before he and Rosvisser came to the Red Flame Dragon Clan to “unbox” Aogu.

Aogu stared directly at Leon, confirming his analysis.

“Yes, the late King Constantine trusted me and shared your secret with me.”

“And did your late king tell you anything else? Like... a partnership with the human Empire, for example?” Leon’s tone shifted as he moved into interrogation mode.

Aogu’s dragon eyes flashed with reluctance. But after a brief hesitation, he chose to speak.

Who knew whether the twisted game these two maniacs had described earlier was real or not? Aogu didn’t dare take the risk.

He could accept dying in a blaze of glory—or at the very least, under torture.

But he couldn’t accept being toyed with by this deranged couple. That would be a disgrace to his position as the second-in-command of the Red Flame Dragon Clan.

The dragons were as obsessed with pride as they were with revenge.

“The late king did cooperate with the humans for a while,” Aogu said tersely.

Leon spread his hands. “And? What was their cooperation for? Just to kill me?”

“Not just to kill you,” Aogu replied coolly.

“Then for what?”

“For a much greater plan.”

As soon as those words fell, a scorching flame streaked past Aogu’s face, piercing through the tree behind him.

Aogu’s face was burned by the intense heat, and he clutched his scorched cheek, glaring angrily, about to shout.

But before he could speak, Rosvisser cut him off. “Don’t answer one question at a time. If you do that again, I guarantee it won’t just be half your face that gets burned.”

Her voice was cold and authoritative, commanding obedience without raising her tone.

She saw through Aogu’s game—though he pretended to cooperate, he was still trying to play Leon for a fool.

Leon would ask a question, and Aogu would only give a partial answer, sometimes merely repeating the question. He was like a lazy horse—taking a few steps when whipped but refusing to move otherwise.

Though it seemed Aogu was cooperating, his information was useless.

After being threatened by Rosvisser, Aogu shrank back, enduring the searing pain on his face as he said, “The information I have isn’t as valuable as you think. The late king didn’t cooperate with the humans just to kill you. You were simply an uncontrolled piece on the board that appeared at the wrong time.”

Leon furrowed his brow. “An uncontrolled piece…”

Aogu continued, “You were supposed to die three years ago. If that had happened, none of this would have followed. But the idiot assigned to assassinate you failed.”

“So, to clean up the mess, the Empire had to have the late King Constantine expand his territory as a cover to kill you in the Silver Dragon Clan.”

“As for what happened after that… there’s no need for me to explain.”

Leon didn’t continue questioning immediately. Instead, he turned to Rosvisser.

The couple exchanged a brief glance and nodded subtly to each other.

Leon refocused on Aogu. “So, you’re saying my survival disrupted some original plan between the Empire and the dragons. Is that right?”

Aogu closed his eyes, silently confirming.

“What was the goal of this plan? Or, what did the human Empire and the Red Flame Dragon Clan hope to achieve through it?”

“That, I don’t know. The late king only told me that in order for the Red Flame Dragon Clan to remain strong, we had to cooperate with the human Empire.”

Aogu’s tone seemed genuine.

That made sense, too.

Even if Aogu was Constantine’s trusted subordinate, it didn’t mean Constantine would disclose every detail of his collaboration with the Empire.

After all, a Dragon King would have secrets to safeguard—secrets that could become critical in a life-or-death situation, or even turn the tide of events.

Of course, reality was cruel, and Constantine took those secrets with him to the grave.

“How long has this plan been going on?” Leon asked.

“The late king didn’t tell me when it started, but it’s been at least thirty years.”

Thirty years…

Leon blinked, pondering the timeframe.

It felt vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t place why.

Still, he didn’t dwell on it. Even if it seemed familiar, it likely wasn’t relevant to the interrogation at hand.

“Was Constantine the only Dragon King working with the human Empire?” Leon asked, gazing directly into Aogu’s eyes.

Aogu hesitated for a moment before answering, “He wasn’t the only one.”

As Aogu had implied earlier, if this was a grand chess game, then the human Empire and the dragons were the players, with Leon being the wild piece that had appeared unexpectedly.

The Red Flame Dragon Clan had already been discarded as a pawn.

With Constantine dead, the Red Flame Dragon Clan no longer held any value for the Empire.

Therefore, Aogu had no reason to continue hiding the Empire’s secrets. He could use this information to bargain for his survival—or at least a more dignified death.

Aogu’s loyalty was to the Red Flame Dragon Clan and Constantine.

As for the human Empire?

Heh... what did that matter to him?

“To my knowledge, there are at least five Dragon Kings collaborating with the human Empire.”

Five Dragon Kings…

Though Leon had braced himself for this, the number still shocked him.

It turned out that this conspiracy had roots deeper than he could have imagined.

And if these remaining Dragon Kings were of Constantine’s caliber, it meant the Empire was truly plotting something massive.

Something far beyond Leon’s expectations.

As his thoughts raced, a soft touch on his shoulder snapped him back to reality.

He looked up to see Rosvisser gently patting his shoulder, signaling for him not to be rattled by the information they had just received and to continue with the interrogation.

Leon nodded and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen he had prepared earlier.

“Write down the names of the Dragon Kings you know.”

Aogu hesitated for a moment before taking the pen and paper and beginning to write.

Leon wasn’t worried that Aogu would make up names or try to frame other dragons.

There was no need for him to do so.

Leon wasn’t about to go after each of these Dragon Kings one by one. Besides, he didn’t have the magical reserves to do something that risky, and the Empire still held the upper hand. Leon had too little information to make any bold moves.

Aogu knew this too, so there was no reason for him to attempt any manipulation.

A moment later, Aogu finished writing and handed the paper back to Leon.

Leon glanced at the names: “Ravi, Blai, Jagus… all three are Dragon Kings skilled in spatial magic.”

Rosvisser’s grandmother had warned the couple about these three Dragon Kings recently. They had mysteriously disappeared without causing any uproar within their respective clans, meaning their departure had been carefully planned.

There was no such thing as coincidence. Three Dragon Kings, all skilled in spatial magic, leaving at the same time—and all of them collaborating with the Empire.

It wasn’t hard to guess that the Empire was gathering them to prepare a "big surprise" for General Leon.

On the list were two other names:

**Warhammer Dragon King, Adam.**

**Shining Star Dragon King, Star.**

These were names Leon had never heard before.

He folded the list, stood up, and looked down at Aogu.

“Is there anything else you want to add?”

Aogu closed his eyes slowly and remained silent.

Leon didn’t press further. He had learned everything he needed to know.

Looking toward

 the growing flames in the distance, Leon assumed the pursuing dragons were getting closer.

Turning his gaze back to Aogu, Leon said, “It seems your fate is sealed, Aogu. You won’t live to see the end of this game.”

With those final words, Leon turned and walked toward the edge of the forest, Rosvisser by his side.

But before he could take more than a few steps, Aogu suddenly shouted from behind,

"Leon Cassmod!"

Leon stopped and looked back.

The old dragon's eyes were wide with fury, his half-burned face making him look even more menacing, like an aging lion roaring at the dying light.

“You’ve chosen the wrong enemy. You have no idea how powerful the forces you’re up against truly are!”

“They will stop at nothing to kill you and take everything from you!”

“Killing Constantine wasn’t your first victory—it was your final triumph.”

“So, Leon... cherish your last moments!”

“You cannot withstand the dragons’ true counterattack!”

“Long live the Red Flame Dragon King, Constantine!”

With his final shout, Aogu clenched his fists as crimson magical circuits beneath his skin began to glow, as if molten lava coursed through his veins.

In the next instant, Aogu's chest exploded in a burst of flames, shooting straight into the night sky.

The shockwave and heat from the blast rushed over them, but Rosvisser spread her wings, shielding herself and Leon from the impact.

“A self-detonation...” Rosvisser remarked.

“Yes... the proud dragons could never allow themselves to die humiliated.”

With that, the Red Flame Dragon Clan's hopes of revival were dashed for the next century.

Yet in the blaze of fire, Aogu’s final roar to Leon still echoed in his mind—

*You cannot withstand the dragons’ true counterattack.*

What could that mean?