Ancient Dragon Noah had once explained to Leon that both she and the Ultimate Fear came into existence only after the essence of the primordial Dragon God, Tiamat, was split apart.
The Primordial Dragon King Noah represented justice, structure, and order, while the Ultimate Fear embodied pure chaos, entropy, and disorder.
These two fundamental forces, Primordial and Chaos, stood as the ultimate opposites governing the balance of the world, two sides of the same divine coin.
If one were to theoretically reverse this cosmic process—if these diametrically opposed forces were to be violently merged once again within a single vessel—wouldn't that, in essence, recreate a twisted facsimile of the original Tiamat?
Leon swallowed nervously, his throat dry. He didn't want to acknowledge the terrifying implications of his own theory.
Even as someone not of pure dragon lineage, Leon could intuitively sense the overwhelming, world-shattering might that the name Tiamat implied.
The influence of the Ultimate Fear's followers, like Shadow, alone had already forced Leon into a state of constant vigilance and pushed him to his limits. But Tiamat?
That was a creator god, a being that existed since the very dawn of the continent's creation, whose power was the stuff of legends and foundation myths.
The idea of confronting such a being, even a fractured echo of one, was beyond Leon's comprehension, a battle he wasn't sure any mortal or dragon could hope to endure, let alone win.
"Damn it, none of our magic is working on him!" a Dragon King roared in frustration after another spell fizzled against Constantine's dark aura.
"If conventional magic is ineffective, perhaps pure physical attacks might work. Didn't the Red Dragon Queen manage to knock him away earlier? He wasn't seriously injured, but the impact must have had some effect."
"Even if physical attacks can momentarily stagger him, it's nearly impossible to deal significant, lasting damage to Constantine in this empowered state. His scales are harder than adamantine."
"Agreed. His chaotic aura continues to grow stronger, far surpassing the peak power of any one of us. If we hadn't combined our forces earlier, none of us would have been able to restrain him even for a moment."
"Perhaps the Silver Dragon Prince has a plan," one of the older, wiser Dragon Kings suggested, turning a hopeful gaze toward Leon.
All eyes, filled with a mix of fear and expectation, fell on Leon. He sighed heavily, the weight of their stares palpable, and rubbed his temples as if to physically push the rising headache away.
"Prince," the elder Dragon King addressed him directly, "you've fought Constantine before, more than any of us. Do you have any insight into what's happening to him? What is this... this power?"
Leon frowned deeply, organizing his thoughts before responding in a measured, grim tone. "He's lost control of himself, that much is obvious. He's a puppet to the chaos inside him. You can attack him to subdue him, but don't aim to kill. Killing him won't solve this; it might even release whatever this is entirely."
He paused, letting the gravity of his words sink in, and added with even greater severity, "And any information, any speculation, about this being connected to the Ultimate Fear must be suppressed immediately. If news of this spreads among the clans, it could lead to widespread panic that would shatter our fragile peace."
One of the younger Dragon Kings, Visedan, who had only recently ascended to his title, sneered with the brashness of inexperience. "So, does that mean the famed Silver Dragon Prince intends to sit this one out and lecture us on politics? What about the deaths and destruction Constantine is causing right now? How will you answer for them if we hold back?"
Leon's fists clenched at his sides, his knuckles white, but he bit back a sharp retort, knowing he was caught in a difficult position. Constantine's current state, and his own association with the dragon, had forced Leon directly into the spotlight, where every word and decision carried immense consequences.
Isha stepped forward, her presence commanding and her eyes narrowing to dangerous slits as she fixed her gaze on the young Dragon King. "Visedan, you've barely been a Dragon King for a few days. You will not speak to my brother-in-law with that tone. Did you hear him say he wouldn't act? If anything, he did more than anyone else here in the initial moments to try and restrain Constantine without causing him harm."
The younger Dragon King flushed, the heat of shame and anger rising on his neck, but he said nothing more under Isha's withering glare.
Isha then glanced at Leon, her voice dropping to a low, urgent whisper only he could hear. "I understand how you feel, Leon, I really do. He's your... well, he's Constantine. But we need to bring him under control, or find a way to snap him out of it. Otherwise..."
She looked around meaningfully at the wrecked academy grounds, the shattered magical barriers, and the distant, terrified faces of students and teachers huddled for safety. "Otherwise, the damage will escalate beyond repair, and someone—a student, a teacher, one of us—could get seriously hurt, or worse. If that happens, even if we somehow manage to save him later, the academy and the clans will never forgive Constantine. He'd be an outcast, or executed."
Leon gave a tight, grim nod. "I know, Sis. I'm thinking of a way. I just... need a moment."
On the field, Constantine, still thrashing violently against the lingering bindings of water magic, seemed to be internally fighting against the dark power consuming him, his roars filled with as much agony as rage.
"Magic doesn't work, and without Rossweise here, my physical attacks alone aren't strong enough to properly restrain him," Leon muttered, running through his options aloud. "My 'Gates of the Nine Hells'... the earlier gates lack the sheer concussive power to incapacitate him without fatal force, and the ninth gate, the 'Death Gate'... it might kill him outright if I can't control it perfectly. The risk is too great."
As they desperately discussed options, Constantine let out another guttural, pain-wracked roar, breaking through the last of the water tendrils and charging toward a group of Dragon Kings who were regrouping, dark flames trailing behind him like a comet's tail.
Leon reacted instantly, the String of Shadows materializing in his hands as he crouched slightly, muscles coiling to intercept.
"He's losing the internal fight... the Black Dragon Scale's influence is too strong..."
Constantine rampaged across the campus, his massive claws reducing stone benches to powder and his tail smashing through building facades, scattering debris like deadly rain.
The gathered Dragon Kings launched another synchronized barrage of magical attacks—lances of ice, shards of crystal, beams of searing light—but all spells dissipated into harmless motes of light upon contact with Constantine's intensified chaotic aura, which now seemed to actively devour magic itself.
Just as Leon had feared, Constantine, now fully under the malevolent influence of the Black Dragon Scale, was causing extensive, potentially irreparable damage, both physical and political.
Amidst the chaos and the roaring of spells, a small, desperate voice cut through the din.
"Father! Please wake up! I'm begging you!"
Hefei had broken away from her teacher and was running toward the colossal, monstrous form of her father, tears streaming unchecked down her face, her small frame looking incredibly fragile against the backdrop of destruction.
Her heart-wrenching cries echoed across the battlefield, and somehow, they reached Constantine.
His violent movements faltered. His raised, sharp claws, poised to strike down a young Dragon King who had bravely tried to grapple with him, stopped mere inches from the warrior's throat.
"Father... Hefei..." Constantine murmured, his voice a distorted, rasping echo, a flicker of his true consciousness breaking through the chaos. For a single, suspended moment, recognition and agony warred in his glowing eyes.
But the moment was fleeting. The chaotic purple flames surrounding him flared violently, as if angered by this resistance, and the brief window of clarity was swallowed once more by the raging darkness within.
At that precise moment, as Constantine's claws began to descend again, a complex, deep blue magic circle, glowing with ancient runes, lit up on the ground directly beneath him.
Powerful geysers of water, thick as pythons and cold as the abyssal sea, erupted from the circle, coiling around his limbs, his neck, and his wings, binding him in a crushing, liquid grip and holding him temporarily in place.
Leon didn't waste the opportunity. He dashed forward with lightning speed, a blur of motion, and pulled the stunned, injured young Dragon King away from certain death.
Looking back at the restrained Constantine, Leon immediately noticed the distinct, powerful magical signature of the water circle. It was familiar, yet far more potent than any standard water magic.
"That's—" Leon began, his eyes widening.
"S-class binding water magic: Fury of the Ocean Cage," a calm, authoritative female voice announced from behind him.
Turning around, Leon saw Claudia, the Sea Dragon Princess, standing with her arms crossed, a look of intense concentration on her face. Her long, flowing blue hair billowed elegantly in the wind generated by the magical turbulence.
"Ordinary elemental magic won't work on Constantine now," she explained coolly, her gaze fixed on the struggling Crimson Flame King. "His chaos aura negates it. The only things that can potentially hurt him or restrain him are pure, overwhelming physical force or..." She paused, her sharp, intelligent eyes shifting to meet Leon's. "Primordial magic. The power of creation, which operates on a level beyond his chaotic corruption."
Leon's frown deepened. "And where's Rossweise? She wields Primordial Magic."
Claudia allowed a small, knowing smirk to touch her lips, though her expression remained serious. "Your wife is on her way. She felt the disturbance. But she'd better hurry." Her gaze returned to Constantine, whose struggles were already causing the powerful water bindings to steam and weaken. "My cage won't hold him for long. We are running out of options and time."