A fierce wind swept across the battlefield, cutting through the thick smoke and dust that had choked the air. In the newly cleared space, the ancient malevolence that had slumbered for millennia was now fully, terrifyingly awake.
Boom!
A single step from the entity near the shattered Wind Tower made the very ground convulse. The surrounding ruins of Sky City swayed precariously, stones tumbling from their already unstable perches.
Its body was of a scale so colossal that no one standing close could comprehend its full form. From high above, a guttural roar echoed down, a sound laden with grievances and hatred suppressed for tens of thousands of years.
Leon tilted his head back, his gaze climbing the immense form of the Ultimate Fear. Its size was so overwhelming that its head was lost in the cloud layer, with only two piercing, bloody crimson glows visible through the gloom, shining like malignant stars.
The oppressive aura radiating from the creature sent a primal chill down the spines of every Dragon King present. Even Constantine, who took immense pride in his own savage strength, felt a tremor of awe; he had never faced an adversary whose mere presence felt so absolute.
"This... this terrifying creature... How did the Primordial Dragon King ever manage to seal it away back then?" he muttered, his voice uncharacteristically low.
Even the ever-confident Odin was forced to marvel at its power, a stark reminder of the legendary battle fought in an age long past.
As the suffocating pressure threatened to crush their will, Noah stepped forward. With a single, determined step, a radiant ripple of pure white energy surged out from beneath her feet, washing over the allied forces and pushing back the worst of the psychic weight, allowing the Dragon Kings to breathe again.
"The Ancestor says that when she sealed the Ultimate Fear before, it wasn't nearly this powerful," Noah explained, her voice steady despite the strain.
Protected by the spirit of the Primordial Dragon King within her, Noah was immune to its corrupting influence. Drawing on this inherited power, she reinforced the energy barrier, shielding her allies from the overwhelming force.
"After millennia of suppression, festering in its prison, the Ultimate Fear has grown several times stronger than it was in that ancient age," Noah continued, her gaze locked on the twin red lights in the sky. "And it awakened earlier than we predicted... I haven't had enough time... to fully harmonize with and harness all of the Ancestor's power." Her voice trailed off, a hint of frustration in her admission.
A soft, warm hand rested on her shoulder. She turned to see her aunt, Isha, looking at her with a gentle yet fiercely resolute expression.
"Do what you can, Noah. I am certain the Primordial Dragon King herself would tell you the same."
"Isha Auntie..."
"She is right," Odin said, stepping to her other side. While he maintained a respectful distance, his voice was firm and supportive. "Noah, listen to me. The Primordial Dragon King chose you. She entrusted you with her very essence. That alone is all the proof you need of your worth, Princess of the Silver Dragons."
Odin added with a rare, slight smile, "And let us not forget, you have two exceptionally formidable parents standing with you, young lady."
"Why does everyone sound so dramatic? The fight hasn't even properly started yet!" Isha interjected, her fiery nature breaking the solemn mood. "Hey! Old man, don't glare at me like that! I'm not trying to ruin the moment; I just think we've said enough encouraging words for now!"
The energy field generated by Noah's primordial magic could resist the oppressive aura, but it couldn't entirely dispel the tangible tension coiling in the air. The sincere encouragement from the Dragon Kings, born from their own hardened resolve, was a necessary spark, reigniting their collective morale. Noah's eyes glistened with unshed tears as she glanced toward her parents.
Leon and Rossweise stood side by side, a united front. They remained silent, but their postures radiated unwavering confidence and absolute belief in their daughter. In that moment, no words were needed; their presence was the greatest affirmation she could receive.
"In the face of despair, even the smallest glimmer of hope shines blindingly bright," Shadow sneered, his voice cutting through their moment of unity. "But soon, you won't even have that. The Ultimate Fear will grind every last one of you into dust, the stepping stones for this world's rebirth."
Boom!
The towering colossus took another earth-shaking step, beginning its advance.
There was no more time for talk. Leon quickly issued commands, his voice cutting through the chaos with authority. "Constantine, you will join Senior Claudia, Senior Odin, and Noah. Your task is to handle Shadow. Morgan, my sister, and Rossweise will join me against the Ultimate Fear."
"Understood," Constantine grunted, his grip tightening on his warhammer.
They had no choice but to split their forces and face both threats head-on.
Leon had gauged Shadow's strength during their initial skirmish. The fallen emperor was formidable, but not insurmountable. With the combined might of Constantine and Odin, they could keep him occupied. Claudia's strategic support and Noah's primordial magic would ensure that even if they couldn't secure a quick victory, Shadow would be unable to interfere with the main battle.
This strategy cleaved the battlefield in two, allowing Leon's group to focus entirely on the primordial threat.
"Let's go!" Isha roared, not waiting a second longer.
With a resounding bellow, a red blur shot forward. Isha transformed into her magnificent crimson dragon form and charged toward the Ultimate Fear at breakneck speed. The Red Dragons were legendary for their physical power, but even Isha's immense form was dwarfed by the colossus, which loomed over three hundred times her size.
Her attack seemed like a futile gesture—a sparrow hurling itself at a mountain.
"ROAR!!"
The crimson dragon slammed into the Ultimate Fear with the force of a meteor. The impact was so tremendous that it forced the massive entity to stagger backward by several hundred meters. Its colossal claws dug deep, ravaged trenches into the ground as it struggled to halt its momentum, before it threw its head back and unleashed a roar of pure, unadulterated rage.
For a brief, hopeful moment, it seemed the attack had worked.
But then, the Ultimate Fear simply... stopped. It stabilized its footing, and no matter how much force Isha exerted, she could not push it back any further.
"You're tougher than I thought..." Isha grunted, straining against the impossible weight.
The Ultimate Fear raised one of its massive forelimbs, its claws—each larger than Isha's entire body—reaching for her. With a motion that was chillingly casual, it locked onto her dragon form, lifted her as if she were no heavier than a kitten, and hurled her hundreds of meters through the air.
Boom!
Isha crashed into the ruins of the city, demolishing several blocks of shattered architecture before her tumbling form finally came to a stop.
"Sis! Are you okay?!" Rossweise called out, her voice sharp with concern.
The crimson dragon stirred, rising from the rubble and shaking off tons of dust and debris. Her fiery gaze remained locked on the monstrous figure, a new wariness in her eyes. "I'm fine... but its strength is on an entirely different level," she admitted through gritted teeth.
The first clash was over. The Ultimate Fear had demonstrated its overwhelming physical power and resilience without even seeming to try.
While Isha had launched her frontal assault, Leon and the Falcon Squad had used the distraction to move stealthily to the creature's rear. Even from this position, its height was so immense that clouds still partially obscured its upper body, yet Leon could now see more of its nightmarish, enormous form.
"What an... enormous monstrosity," Leon muttered, his voice tinged with a rare mixture of awe and grim apprehension. In all his years of battle, through every war and duel, he had never faced an enemy like this.
The Ultimate Fear was unlike any opponent Leon had ever faced. It was the kind of entity whose sheer, overwhelming presence was enough to convey its terrifying power, even without a single blow being exchanged. The pressure radiating from its gigantic frame felt capable of crushing the spirit of even the most powerful Dragon Kings.
Leon raised his head, his draconic eyes flashing with resolve. The stormy sky above churned in response, violent, crackling lightning gathering within the clouds.
"It's about time," he murmured.
A massive, primordial bolt of lightning tore free from the cloud layer and lanced down toward the Ultimate Fear.
"Let's see if we can wear it down a bit—"
Super S-Class Thunder Magic: Dragon Extinction.
The sky erupted. Flames from Isha's renewed assault and Leon's cataclysmic lightning converged in a dazzling, destructive spectacle. Meanwhile, turbulent streams of water summoned by Rossweise and Morgan surrounded the battlefield, poised to exploit any weakness. High above, several glowing white orbs of Primordial Magic pulsed around Noah, gathering energy for a decisive strike.
On the other flank, Shadow found himself under a relentless assault, trapped within the combined efforts of Odin, Constantine, and Claudia.
"This time, let's see you dodge this!" Constantine bellowed, his voice a raw roar of fury as he hurled a concentrated blast of crimson fire directly at Shadow's face.
Of all those present, the Crimson Flame Dragon King was the most driven by pure, unadulterated hatred.
It was Shadow who had orchestrated the repeated, violating modifications to his body, turning him into a fractured shell of his former self.
It was Shadow who had triggered his uncontrollable rampage at St. Heath's Academy, a shame that led to his daughter Hefei's expulsion and his own imprisonment.
It was Shadow who was responsible for the slaughter of half his clan.
No one wanted Shadow dead more than Constantine.
But, as is often the case in battle, things seldom go as planned.
"Dodge? Who said I was planning to dodge?" Shadow sneered, his voice dripping with contempt.
With those words, he calmly extended his palm. A pitch-black orb of chaotic energy, silent and light-devouring, began to form within it.
Constantine's eyes widened in horrified recognition. "Not good! Everyone, get back!" he roared, his warning cutting through the din of battle.
The moment the dark orb touched the ground, it erupted not with fire and sound, but with a devastating implosion of force that then exploded outwards. The resulting shockwave scattered their coordinated attacks and rippled outward with incredible, silent power.
Fortunately, Constantine's swift warning gave Claudia and the others a critical split-second to retreat and erect layered magical barriers. The shields strained violently, flickering under the corrosive and concussive force, but they held.
Constantine skidded to a stop, dragging his warhammer along the ground and leaving a deep groove in the earth. Odin landed beside him, his mighty dragon wings folded back, a few feathers smoldering.
"You've seen that move before?" Odin asked, his voice low and grim.
"Yeah," Constantine replied, straightening up and wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. "That's the same technique he used to vaporize my mountain sanctuary in a single instant."
The fury in Constantine's draconic eyes burned brighter, his hatred and anger intensifying into a cold, focused point. "I'll kill him with my own hands," he growled, the promise etched into every word.
"You won't have to do it alone," Odin affirmed, lightning crackling around his fists.
With that, the Dragon Kings of fire and lightning charged forward once more, their forms streaking across the battlefield like twin comets—one a blazing red, the other a brilliant blue.
"Bring it on!" Shadow roared, meeting their ferocious assault head-on.
The three titans clashed in a whirlwind of elemental fury—blazing fire, shattering lightning, and consuming shadows. The intensity of their battle, a relentless series of high-speed magical barrages and earth-shattering close-quarters combat, created a vortex of power that made it impossible for anyone else to intervene directly.
Meanwhile, Noah and Claudia hovered on the periphery, their focus razor-sharp as they searched for any opening, any fleeting moment of weakness.
That opening came sooner than expected—though whether it was a blessing or a curse was debatable.
On the bright side, the opportunity arrived much earlier than anticipated.
On the downside, the opportunity came because Shadow had just unleashed a powerful shockwave of dark energy, sending both Constantine and Odin flying backward, creating a momentary gap in their pressure.
Claudia wasted no time. "S-class water magic: Abyssal Bind!" she chanted, unleashing a series of powerful water spells. Glowing blue magic circles appeared around Shadow, and torrents of pressurized water shot forth, attempting to encase and immobilize him.
However, as a dragon whose strengths lay in strategy, knowledge, and support rather than raw destructive power, Claudia's magic, while precise and skillfully cast, lacked the overwhelming force needed to significantly harm a foe of Shadow's caliber.
After enduring the barrage, Shadow simply brushed a few lingering water droplets off his shoulder with a dismissive flick. "Poseidon's daughter, the Sea Dragon Princess," he mocked, "why don't you stay in your little aquatic swamp with your family? What are you even doing here on a real battlefield?"
"You can dig up that massive monstrosity from its ancient grave," Claudia retorted, her tone dripping with icy sarcasm, "but I can't even splash you with a little water? How stingy of you."
"You—!" Shadow sputtered, momentarily caught off guard. According to all his intelligence, Claudia Poseidon was supposed to be the epitome of elegant stoicism and reserved wisdom.
Who could have guessed she'd be such a master of trash talk? And she was disturbingly good at it.
Shadow opened his mouth to deliver a cutting retort, only to find himself uncharacteristically at a loss for words.
At that moment, a familiar, taunting voice rang out from the main battlefield near the Ultimate Fear. "That's it? That's all you've got? Too slow, way too slow!" Leon yelled. "Hey, old zombie, where are you aiming? I'm right above you! Aw, look who's getting frustrated!"
A bead of cold sweat rolled down Shadow's temple. Now he understood exactly where Claudia had honed her infuriating rhetorical skills.
"Leon Cosmodeous..." Shadow muttered through gritted teeth, his attention momentarily divided. "I should have sent more assassins to deal with you eight years ago."
"Eyes up here! Your opponent is us!" a voice commanded from above.
Shadow's gaze snapped upward to see Noah hovering in mid-air, her hands raised above her head, palms pressed together. She stretched her body into a graceful, powerful arc, gathering her silvery-white magic into a shimmering, crescent-moon shape between her hands.
A-Class Original Magic: Thunder Crescent Strike.
"Take this!" Noah shouted, hurling the crescent-shaped energy attack.
Wrapped in crackling, primordial lightning, the crescent streaked through the air in a perfectly blinding arc, hurtling toward Shadow at an incredible speed.
Shadow reacted with preternatural quickness, twisting his body at the last possible moment to narrowly avoid a direct hit.
Or so he thought.
A sharp sting on his cheek drew his attention. He raised a hand to touch the wound, his fingers coming away with a smear of dark blood. Noah's strike had grazed him, leaving a shallow, sizzling cut.
"Thunder Crescent Strike..." Shadow mused, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "Hmph, it seems that traitor, Mevis, really has taught you a few of her tricks."
Noah's eyes widened in shock. She landed swiftly, her voice urgent and demanding. "You know Professor Mevis? What have you done to her?"
Shadow smirked, a dark and knowing expression. "Don't worry, little girl. You'll find out soon enough—when she's the one who kills you with her own hands."