“The third option—breaking your so-called 'indestructible defense,'” Nacho said, his hands casually tucked into his pockets, his tone indifferent as he watched the battlefield.

Good news: his guess was right. General Lai’s face was practically glowing with invincibility.

Bad news: that same General Lai was now his enemy.

Nacho glanced at Ravi, who was standing nearby, his face dark with frustration. “Now you understand why the Empire has gone to such lengths, even dragging out an old monster like Stah, just to kill Leon, right?”

Ravi’s face remained grim, and he didn’t answer.

Seeing Ravi’s silence, Nacho pushed further, “Leon Cassmod just shattered that bell, and it’s only a matter of time before Stah falls, just like you said. So—”

“Hurry up and prepare the finishing move.”

Ravi exhaled slowly and shook his head. “It’s not time yet.”

“Not time yet? Are you waiting for Stah’s corpse to cool, for his head to be chopped off and placed next to Constantine’s?”

Having witnessed Stah’s ultimate defense be shattered, and now being taunted by Nacho, Ravi suppressed his shock and anger. In a cold voice, he replied, “Do you really think Stah became a legend among the dragons just because of one unbeatable defense?”

“More tricks up his sleeve?”

“Of course. Watch and see.”

Despite his words, Ravi’s confidence clearly wavered.

After seeing Leon’s power firsthand, Ravi realized he’d better keep his boasting in check.

After all, his bragging might get a rude awakening in the next moment, and the sound of that slap would be louder than *Chidori* itself—and it would hurt.

On the battlefield, Stah, whose Twilight Bell had been broken, was hit by an attack from Rosvisser.

A scorching wave of heat slammed into him, sending him flying.

Stah’s body crashed into a low mountain, embedding him deep within its rocky surface.

Leon and Rosvisser regrouped.

Rosvisser folded her dragon wings, placed one hand on her hip, and looked at the “tunnel digger” Stah with a smile.

“We make a great team!”

Leon could tell she was joking, being self-deprecating.

From an outside perspective—or even from her own—she had merely added to the damage.

If it weren’t for Leon breaking Stah’s defense with *Chidori*, they wouldn’t have even gotten a chance to land a hit.

But Leon was fully aware and far from underestimating himself. He calmly analyzed, “After breaking through his bell, I left an opening. If you hadn’t followed up, I might have been counterattacked. You’re right—we do make a great team!”

The queen gave him a sidelong glance, unsure if he was being sincere or just trying to cheer her up during the battle.

Regardless, it did make her happy.

Suppressing the urge to smile, Rosvisser muttered, “You’re good with words.”

“Good with words? I’ve always been a smooth talker.”

“You know ‘smooth talker’ is usually a backhanded compliment.”

“True, but the focus is on ‘smooth,’ right?”

Rosvisser furrowed her elegant brows and let out a small ‘tsk’ before delivering an elbow jab to Leon’s chestplate. “We’re in the middle of a fight—stay serious.”

Her reminder ended their lighthearted conversation, bringing them back to focus on the battle.

Meanwhile, Stah remained embedded in the mountain, not rushing to counterattack.

Having his supposedly unbreakable defense shattered by *Chidori* forced him to pause and think.

“No wonder the Empire is so desperate to kill him. If we let a monster like him live, wiping out all the dragons on the surface is just a matter of time.”

Stah pulled his arm free from the stone crevice and forced himself up amidst the rubble.

“If I could, I’d like to see what kind of strength you’d gain by becoming a ‘vessel’.”

He gazed at the distant speck of light, his golden armor beginning to glow softly.

“But... Leon Cassmod, since you’ve chosen to oppose the Empire, it means you won’t live long enough to see the ‘ultimate power’ unleashed.”

“For you, everything in this world—ends today.”

With that, the light from his armor began to shine through the cracks in the mountain.

Suddenly, the ground shook violently, boulders tumbling down from the mountain peak with deafening crashes.

Even Nacho, who was watching from a distance, felt the tremors.

“What’s happening? Is Stah turning into his dragon form?”

Nacho hurriedly asked, “But didn’t your ‘master’ warn you that transforming into a dragon against Cassmod would create more openings? He’s better at killing dragons than anyone—just look at Constantine.”

“Your ‘master’ should’ve excluded Stah from that. His dragon form is different from ours.”

“Different? How so?”

“Stop asking—you’ll see for yourself soon.”

“You...”

Nacho let out a snort and turned back to the battlefield.

The low mountain was now crumbling, revealing the massive golden figure slowly rising from the debris.

With a mighty roar, the remaining dust and rocks were blown away, revealing a gigantic golden dragon on the battlefield.

It was so large that even the mountain couldn’t contain it, and even from several kilometers away, Nacho could see it clearly.

Stah’s dragon aura had multiplied in intensity.

Thud—

Nacho immediately buckled under the pressure of the dragon’s aura, collapsing to his knees.

His entire body shook uncontrollably, tears, snot, and sweat dripping onto the ground.

The fear gripped his bones and churned his insides.

For a moment, as a human, Nacho even considered ending his own life.

The dragons behind him weren’t faring any better.

The only one left standing was Ravi, though his face was drenched in cold sweat.

Even a fellow Dragon King like Ravi was struggling against the overwhelming pressure of Stah’s aura.

“I told you—Stah isn’t part of your ‘master’s’ concerns,” Ravi said calmly.

Nacho stared at the enormous golden dragon and swallowed hard. “I shouldn’t have come here...”

Maybe I shouldn’t have even been born.

At the same time, near the Silver Dragon Clan’s borders, Anna’s heart pounded in her chest.

Stah’s dragon aura was driving her mad. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, drawing blood that trickled down her hands.

She used the pain to force herself to stay conscious.

She glanced at Shirley beside her, whose face and neck were beginning to sprout scales, her tail twitching uncontrollably.

Her eyes were fixed on Stah’s form.

The unconscious dragon transformation was a response to sensing a powerful aura, a reaction usually reserved for members of the same species. But for Stah to affect dragons of other kinds... Anna had never seen anything like it.

Anna placed a hand on Shirley’s shoulder, softly calling her name.

This snapped Shirley back to reality.

She gasped for breath, as though waking from a nightmare.

“Head maid... I-I just...”

“Stah’s aura is too strong. Stay sharp, Shirley.”

“Yes... I’m sorry.”

She steadied herself and looked toward the battlefield, concern filling her eyes.

“Your Majesty and the Prince are much closer... How are they resisting this aura? Should we help them?”

“Trust them.”

Anna sighed heavily.

“In a battle of this scale, the best help we can give is not getting ourselves killed.”

“ROAR!!”

The dragon’s roar tore through the sky, the golden dragon’s majesty dominating the battlefield.

Though the endless rumbling never ceased, it felt like a dead silence had fallen over everyone.

No one could imagine what those two standing closest to Stah were feeling.

Were they afraid?

Had they broken down?

Or maybe... they were already thinking of surrender?

The answer was—

“You bastard—!”

Leon Cassmod raised his right hand, lightning erupting around him.

“Why are you shouting so loud!!”

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TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars for the translation - I'd really like to see how far Leon goes and how far we can increase the number of chapters. Thanks~!