Going back a little in time.
Niara dropped to her knees, completely overwhelmed. Darian took a deep breath and focused. In a flash, a layer of white power wrapped around her. At the same time, he ran another test.
That roar came from a Dragon — the supreme beast. Nothing stood above a Dragon — all other beasts beneath it were crushed by its will alone. Darian knew that clearly.
But he was sure Niara had the blood of a Primordial Dragon, something that stood above all else in existence.
Would the Celestia Academy really have the blood and power of a Primordial Dragon to maintain this place?
Of course not. If they had that, this universe wouldn't be in such a desperate state. So this place had to be using the power of regular Dragons.
Darian already knew that, currently in this universe, only the Mannaz existed — half-human creatures — along with some weak beasts. But in the past, there had been other powerful beings. Putting the pieces together, Celestia Academy must've created this place using remains from powerful Dragons.
Back to the current situation: a regular Dragon couldn't suppress a Primordial Dragon.
But Niara and all the Mannaz were half-humans who inherited this bloodline through generations.
Even Niara only had a trace of that bloodline inside her — but it was already enough to reshape her entire body.
It was a trace of Primordial Dragon blood, up against a sea of regular Dragon bloodlines. If Niara weren't human at all, but an actual Dragon with a true Primordial bloodline, it'd be a whole different story.
The reality was: the Mannaz were like kids driving a war tank. They had no idea how powerful their bloodline really was — let alone how to use it properly.
So even with superior blood, because it was such a tiny amount and all of them were mediocre — they were crushed without mercy.
Darian had figured all that out when he saw those two come back completely drained, their bloodlines raging. That's when he knew he'd win — and better yet, he saw a golden opportunity forming.
Niara felt the pressure on her body gradually fade... at the same time, the bloodline runes in her veins pulsed with a terrifying power she'd never felt before.
She stared at the white aura around her in shock. But that wasn't the only reason this was happening... she felt something warm circulating inside her.
It was her spiritual root. That was Darian's test.
'Partner, I'm putting my power inside you,' he said quickly. 'We don't have time to waste. Start walking.'
Her eyes lit up as she stood. On her feet now, she felt like she was just in a normal valley, completely fine. She started walking forward quickly.
'So that's how it works... your spiritual root, when I send my energy through it, connects you to the heavenly laws... same way a Spiritual Guardian does,' Darian said.
A Primordial Dragon was a creature born from the heavenly laws. By activating her spiritual root, he connected her to the laws the same way. That resonated with her bloodline, which roared back and awakened a fraction of the power a primordial beast should have.
Right now, Niara had the power closest to a Primordial Dragon in the entire universe. That could open up a lot of doors later.
She stopped walking when she heard that, completely stunned. "Spiritual Guardian... I..."
He nodded. 'Yeah, you don't have a ring, but I do. If I give you energy, you work the same way. Maybe you'll even learn a blessing later. Did you forget we switched roles?'
She swallowed hard. To everyone else, she was the Summoner. But the truth was something else entirely.
She started walking fast again through the valley, following the river.
Ten seconds later, the scenery changed.
She took one more step, and it was like she'd passed through an invisible barrier.
Darian tried to focus on the escape inscriptions on the ground... but they were gone. They had arrived in a place no one was supposed to be able to reach. Not even the other Mannaz, who had slightly better resistance due to not having a Dragon bloodline, could've made it here.
But there was still an inscription on the ground — though clearly meant for something else.
The area around them was desolate and barren. This wasn't a regular valley anymore. There was a strange chill in the air. It felt more like a haunted graveyard.
Niara took a deep breath and looked at Darian. He nodded with confidence, and she moved forward quickly...
It took only a few seconds before she stopped. Both of them looked ahead, tense.
On the ground — like they were fused into it — were bones... massive ones... so white and pure they looked like divine treasure.
As they got closer...
The ground shook.
The space around them felt like it was pressing down on them.
**ROAR!**
An ethereal silhouette tore through the sky. It was colossal, serpentine, and majestic.
"A... dragon..." Niara muttered in a panic.
Darian took a deep breath. 'It's already dead. That's not even a soul — it's just its bloodline being triggered by the inscriptions here. What we're seeing is just a reflection of what it used to be.'
He spoke calmly, but he was surprised. It wasn't a sea of blood from a bunch of regular Dragons like he expected — it was just one dead Dragon.
But this wasn't just any Dragon. Luckily, he recognized this race from the book. There was only one type of Dragon powerful enough on its own to suppress the Mannaz this easily.
A Celestial Dragon — the dragon race with the purest blood, closest to a Primordial.
Thirty seconds had already passed...
'Niara, you like handling things head-on, right?' he asked calmly.
She didn't answer — just nodded, still pretty stunned.
'Good. Fight. This is the perfect time to practice your martial art,' Darian said lightly. 'What, you scared of the shadow of someone already beaten?'
She snorted: "If you want me to fight, I'll fight until my last breath."
Just like that, all the turbulence inside her vanished.
Darian felt her skin harden. Greenish scales started covering her whole body, and her wings unfolded.
Her hand moved, gently grabbing him. The slug's face changed. She stared at him like she didn't care, then tucked him safely inside her clothes.
A faint smile appeared on her face, chasing away any anxiety. Of course she could feel Darian's discomfort — and she was definitely enjoying it.
"I'll finish this thing off!"
She roared. Then she leapt forward with everything she had, wings slamming hard.
The draconic shadow in the sky stared back coldly.
**ROAR!**
Niara clenched her fists, which instantly lit up with a reddish aura. That was the power of Darian's ring she was using. And that was the Level D martial art: Divine Fist Art.
She had only skimmed it briefly before. If Darian had told her to try it under normal conditions, she probably would've failed. But in the heat of the moment, driven by rage and battle instinct, she used it effortlessly.
Darian thought to himself: 'An explosive, battle-crazed woman... but terrifyingly talented.'
She shot through the sky with ease, punching hard.
Niara was the size of an average human woman, while the dragon shadow stretched hundreds of meters. It was like an ant trying to punch an elephant.
"FUCK THIS!" she roared.