Everything he had done—every manipulation, every betrayal, every life sacrificed—had all been for this single goal: to seize the power of the Dragon God for himself.
The Tower Master, Simon, frowned deeply, his aged face a mask of frustration and dread as he clenched his fists. "Even the Ultimate Fear... it was just another stepping stone for him..."
"Well, Simon, I suppose there's no convenient prophecy this time about some hero defeating a self-made Dragon God, is there?" Morgan said, his voice faint and laced with his characteristic, grim sarcasm.
"I admire your ability to find humor even now, Golden Sand Dragon King," Isha replied, her voice tight as she pulled at their wrists, forcing a retreat step by step. "But right now, I think our only viable strategy is to lie low and survive."
Before Isha's words had fully faded, the being who was once Shadow—now a vessel overflowing with Tiamat's stolen divine power—launched his assault.
It was not a mere attack; it was a divine decree. In an instant, the fused primordial and chaotic energies exploded outwards, raining down upon the survivors below like a world-ending storm of pure, destructive authority.
"Listen closely!" Odin's voice boomed, cutting through the panic with forced authority. "Right now, all we can do is avoid direct confrontation! Stay hidden, and wait for an opening!"
"Everyone, disperse!" he commanded.
At Odin's order, the remaining Dragon Kings and their allies leaped from their positions, scattering like leaves in a hurricane to the crumbling ruins of Sky City. Though more than half of the structures were pulverized, the remaining rubble and skeletal frameworks of buildings provided meager, desperate cover.
Shadow's new, ethereal form shimmered faintly amidst the swirling energies, a predator surveying his domain. A sinister, indulgent smile spread across his now draconic features.
"Well then," his voice echoed, vibrating with godlike power. "Let's play a game of cat and mouse."
Leon clutched Noah tightly against his chest, retreating with Rossweise into the precarious shelter of a dilapidated clock tower, its face shattered and hands stilled.
As Noah's strength gradually returned, she slipped out of her father's protective embrace. The family of three huddled together behind a teetering wall, their breaths held, listening to the sounds of destruction and mocking laughter from outside.
"I suspected Shadow might have a final card to play," Leon muttered, his voice low. "But I didn't expect it to be this... this absolute. No wonder he always spoke of 'lesser beings' with such contempt. This divine ascension has been his endgame all along."
"You said he was the former king of the Empire," Rossweise whispered. "Does that mean he was once human, like you?"
Leon thought for a moment, then shook his head grimly. "To wield both primordial and chaotic energies simultaneously without being utterly consumed... there is no chance he was ever truly human."
A sardonic, echoing laugh rang out from the shadowy void above them, as if answering their question. "How ironic. The former king of the human empire wasn't even human himself."
In truth, Leon and the others knew perilously little about Shadow's origins. Initially, Leon had assumed he was merely a fanatical high priest, a servant working to resurrect his master, the Ultimate Fear. That, he thought, was the limit of Shadow's ambition.
But now, the horrifying truth was clear: the Ultimate Fear was never Shadow's master. It was his tool. Everything Shadow had orchestrated was a meticulously planned ritual to ascend as a god himself. Such monumental power could never be contained by a mortal body. The mystery of Shadow's history and true motives deepened into an abyss.
Where had he truly come from? Why was he so consumed by the desire to claim the Dragon God's power?
Questions swirled in Leon's mind, unanswered and terrifying, as the waves of Tiamat's stolen divine energy continued to wreak havoc outside.
"This is an outrage—a blasphemy!" Noah suddenly exclaimed, slamming her small fist against the crumbling wall in a burst of pure fury.
Leon and Rossweise looked up at their daughter, immediately noticing the subtle shift in her expression and the aura radiating from her. They exchanged a knowing, concerned glance.
"Noah?" Rossweise asked cautiously.
"He's no god!" Noah spat, her white eyes blazing with a fury that was not entirely her own. "He's nothing more than a thief—a grave robber who desecrated the Dragon God's legacy and stole power that was never meant for him!" She glared in the direction of the havoc, her body trembling with righteous anger.
As a being directly created by a fragment of Tiamat's will, Noah embodied the Dragon God's original benevolence and order. Her respect and reverence for the Dragon God were profound, akin to a daughter's devotion to her father. Seeing Shadow defile that power for his own malevolent ends was a personal, profound insult.
"Is there any way to separate the Dragon God's power from his body?" Leon asked urgently, grasping for any sliver of hope.
Noah, taking a moment to wrestle her anger under control, turned to her parents. "Unless Shadow willingly relinquishes it... there is no known way."
Leon and Rossweise felt a chill settle in their hearts at her definitive words.
"So our only option is to kill Shadow directly," Rossweise murmured, the conclusion feeling both obvious and impossible. "But everyone is on the brink of collapse from the previous battle. And even at our peak, how could we face an enemy who has surpassed the Ultimate Fear itself?"
A sense of complete, suffocating despair filled the small space. There was no prophecy to lean on now, no destined hero foretold to save them this time. The being they faced was a unique abomination: a mortal consciousness that had强行 stolen ancient, divine power. Noah herself, for all her connection to Tiamat, had never encountered such a perversion before.
They had no answers, no workable plan—and seemingly, no way out.
"As Rossweise said, the only path left is to kill Shadow," Leon stated, his voice grim and final.
But the question hung unspoken in the air: How could they possibly kill a god?
Within the clock tower, the sound of grinding, broken gears echoed faintly, a stark, metallic reminder of time running out.
"I could... try using the Nine Gates again," Leon suggested, the words hesitant. "In this Dragon God state, only primordial-level magic and absolute physical force can harm him. The Nine Gates might be our only weapon that qualifies."
"No," Rossweise refused immediately, her voice sharp with fear. "The damage to your Heart-Guarding Dragon Scale from using the Gates against the Empire hasn't fully healed. If you push them again, it could shatter your heart, just like every other master of the Nine Hells Gates before you!"
"But what other choice do we have?" Leon argued, his frustration boiling over.
"Even so, I will not let you throw your life away, Leon. Not like this."
As they debated, a choked, suppressed dragon's roar echoed from the street outside, freezing the blood in their veins.
The three of them peered out from behind the wall, their eyes widening in simultaneous horror.
In the desolate street below, Shadow held Isha by the neck, lifting the Red Dragon Queen completely off the ground with just one hand.
Isha struggled, a faint flicker of primordial dragon flame sputtering at her fingertips, but her strength was utterly spent, rendering her efforts pathetic. Her vibrant red tail hung limp and dragged through the dust, and her once-flaming hair was a matted, messy curtain clinging to her face.
"The first mouse. Caught so easily," Shadow said, his voice cold and devoid of any emotion beyond bored superiority.
Though he could have snapped Isha's neck with a mere thought, he didn't. Instead, he raised his voice, calling out, "Leon! I know you're nearby. Stop hiding. Your family is on the brink of death. A single twitch of my finger, and she's gone."
Shadow's voice echoed, offering a cruel, false "deal."
"Let's make this simple. Trade your life for hers. How about it?"
But everyone knew it was no deal. It was a trap. Even if Leon surrendered, Shadow would simply kill them all, one by one, for his amusement. Rossweise felt a cold fury war with a colder dread. And yet, what choice did they have? Under the Dragon God's overwhelming power, they were utterly at his mercy.
"You bastard—" Isha rasped, her hands gripping Shadow's wrist with the last of her strength. Though she could barely draw breath, she forced the words out, "Leon! Protect Rossweise! Don't—don't you dare come out!—"
"So annoying. So useless." Shadow's mocking tone was a lash. "Let's see how long it takes for the noble Leon to step out. Let's give him... ten seconds."
His voice began to count down, each number a hammer blow on their resolve, as his grip visibly tightened.
"Ten... nine..."
Isha's body twitched involuntarily from the mounting pressure, her struggles growing weaker.
"Six..."
Behind the clock tower, Rossweise's silver dragon eyes narrowed into slits, pure fury causing faint scales to bloom at the corners of her eyes.
"I'll kill him. I swear I will tear him apart!" she hissed, her body coiling to spring.
But just as she was about to leap into a suicidal charge, Leon placed a firm, restraining hand on her shoulder.
"Shadow wants me. I'll trade myself for Isha," Leon said, his voice terrifyingly resolute.
"Leon..."
"No matter what happens, do not come out," he instructed, his gaze locking with hers. "I'll buy you as much time as I can. If you see an opening, if you can escape Sky City... take it."
"But—"
"Noah," Leon turned to his daughter, his voice softening only slightly. "Take care of your mother."
Before Noah could form a protest, Leon crouched down to meet her gaze at eye level. He held out his scarred, weathered fist.
"I'll protect everyone. And you... you protect Mom. You can do that for me, right, Noah?"
Looking at her father's extended fist, a symbol of their bond and his promises, Noah hesitated for the first time in her life. She clutched the hem of her tattered clothes tightly, her head bowing, tears welling in her blazing white eyes and spilling over.
"What if you don't come back..." she whispered, her voice trembling, betraying the fear of the child she still was beneath the warrior's exterior.
Leon paused, then offered her a gentle, heartbreaking smile. "I will come back, Noah. Have I ever broken a promise to you?"
Noah sniffled, her heart a warzone of doubt and faith. She knew the immense weight of this promise, knew what it truly meant he was planning to do. Yet, she couldn't deny the absolute sincerity in his eyes. With trembling hands, she slowly reached out her own small fist, bumping it gently against his.
"I'll wait for you, Dad," she said, her voice cracking slightly but filled with a determined love.
Leon nodded, stroking her hair affectionately one last time. "Good girl."
Straightening up, Leon prepared to step out into the open. Before he crossed the threshold of the clock tower, he glanced back at Rossweise. Beneath the enormous, shattered clock face, the three of them shared a final, silent gaze. The motionless hands of the clock seemed to mirror their deepest, most desperate wish—to freeze this moment, to stop time itself and never have to say goodbye.
After a fleeting, eternal look, Leon turned and strode out into the light, his back straight and his fate accepted.
"Leon!—" Rossweise's choked cry followed him into the square.
"Three!-" Shadow's countdown continued, merciless and final.
"Let her go, Shadow," Leon demanded, his voice cutting through the tension in the square.
Both Shadow and the barely-conscious Isha turned toward the sound of his voice.
"What a fool..." Isha managed with a faint, pained smile before her eyes fluttered closed, her body going limp in Shadow's grasp.
Shadow tossed her aside as casually as one would discard a piece of rubbish and began walking toward Leon. For his part, Leon no longer evaded him, stepping forward openly to meet his fate.
The street between them wasn't long, but every step felt like an eternity, measured in heartbeats and final breaths.
When Leon was about twenty meters away, he suddenly picked up speed, breaking into a sprint. Shadow raised a draconic eyebrow, momentarily puzzled by the seemingly suicidal charge.
"In such a hurry to die?" Shadow mocked, gathering a swirling vortex of chaotic and primordial energy in his hand.
But Leon had no intention of attacking him head-on. Instead, he leapt into the air, his timing perfect as a brown shadow swooped down from above—his loyal six-winged dragon eagle. Its trusty form was a welcome sight amidst the despair.
Using the momentum, Leon caught hold of the eagle, and together they flew in a low arc directly over Shadow's head, landing neatly behind him.
"You have a very loyal pet, Leon," Shadow remarked, turning around slowly, his tone dripping with condescension.
The dragon eagle carried Leon directly to where Isha lay. Leon slid from its back, scooped the unconscious Dragon Queen into his arms, and gently secured her on the eagle's broad back.
Stroking its feathers, he said, "Run. Fly as far and as fast as you can, and don't look back."
The intelligent creature let out a soft, worried cry, hesitating briefly. But seeing the absolute resolve in Leon's eyes, it nodded once, a determined glint in its own eyes, before beating its powerful wings and soaring up and away, the crimson form of Isha safe upon its back.
As the eagle disappeared into the hazy, smoke-choked distance, Leon turned back to face Shadow, his body squaring up for a fight he knew he couldn't win.
"Cat and mouse, is it?" Leon taunted, a defiant smirk on his face. "Let's see if the cat is fast enough to catch this mouse."
"Boring," Shadow said flatly, conjuring a sphere of blinding white and violet light in his palm with a mere thought.
Leon's eyes narrowed. The casually formed attack hummed with immense, terrifying power—far beyond any conventional S-class magic. In his current depleted state, Leon couldn't afford to take it head-on. His primary goal wasn't to win a fight, but to buy precious, irreplaceable time for everyone else to escape.
Thankfully, Shadow's new, godlike attacks, though overwhelmingly powerful, were somewhat slow and telegraphed, as if he was still adjusting to the flow of such energy. Leon dodged nimbly, using the labyrinth of ruins as cover, weaving through shattered walls and collapsed towers to avoid the blistering energy blasts.
"You want me dead so badly? Then stop talking and come try!" Leon yelled as he dove behind a pile of rubble just as another blast vaporized the spot where he'd been standing.
"Struggling in vain," Shadow sneered, growing impatient with the game. "Let's end this."
He raised both hands, gathering a massive, swirling sphere of purple and white energy, larger than any before, and hurled it toward the entire sector of ruins where Leon was hiding.
"Boom-!"
The explosion was cataclysmic, consuming nearly half of what remained of Sky City's central district. A wave of force and dust blasted outwards, sending debris flying in all directions. Shadow hovered serenely in the air, watching the destruction below with a cold, detached gaze, like a god surveying an anthill he had just stepped on.
Moments later, a figure encased in a flickering blue aura—the Lightning Skeleton Shadow—emerged from the smoke, tumbling across the ground before crashing hard into the wall of a partially collapsed building. The protective aura shattered like glass.
"Ugh-" Leon coughed, vomiting a mouthful of blood, and leaned heavily against the broken wall. He struggled to open his eyes, his vision blurry, but his gaze remained fierce as he glared up at Shadow hovering in the sky.
"I think it's time to change the game," Shadow declared, standing mid-air with his hands clasped behind his back once more. He looked down at Leon with utter disdain.
"Don't think I'm blind to your pathetic strategy. You're trying to play the hero, sacrificing yourself to buy minutes for your family and friends to flee," Shadow mocked, his voice echoing across the ruins.
"So, let's play a new game. One I think you'll find far more... motivating."
He raised a hand, fingers pointed not at Leon, but toward the distant, crumbling clock tower.
"Let's see how many of them you can save before I kill them all," Shadow said, a truly sinister smile spreading across his face.
Leon's heart turned to ice in his chest. No. Despite the searing, bone-deep pain radiating through his body, he used the wall to shove himself upright. Dragging his battered and bleeding body out of the rubble, he ignored every screaming nerve and sprinted, stumbling, toward the clock tower where he had left Rossweise and Noah, silently praying to any listening power that they had already fled.
"Boom!-"
The first light sphere struck the base of the tower. The explosion sent a shockwave that physically lifted Leon off his feet and slammed him back to the ground.
"No... No!" he cried out, the sound a raw mixture of pain and despair. He ignored the fresh wave of agony, pushing himself up with trembling arms and forcing his legs to carry him forward again, his eyes fixed on the tower.
"Boom!-Boom!-"
The second and third strikes followed in quick succession, relentless and devastating, hitting higher levels of the structure. Stone and wood rained down, and a large part of the clock face sheared away and crashed to the ground.
"Ha ha ha ha ha! Yes, that's the face I wanted to see!" Shadow laughed, a manic, unhinged sound. "I wonder, Leon—how many of them were still hiding in there? Was it Odin? Morgan? Constantine? Or maybe... just maybe... it was your beloved wife and daughter?"
Zing!-
A sudden, concentrated flash of lightning, thin and precise as a needle, shot toward Shadow's chest. It was so fast, so unexpected in its timing, that it caught him off guard. He attempted to shift his form, but the bolt grazed his chest, leaving a thin, smoking line across the divine scales.
Though the Dragon God's body rendered him nearly immune to magical damage, the sheer will and pinpoint force behind the attack had still left a mark.
"Is this all you're capable of now, Leon? Pitiful. Then there's no need to keep playing. It's time for you to die."
Shadow raised his hand, conjuring a final, concentrated energy sphere aimed directly at Leon's heart.
But before he could release it, a black figure blurred into existence at his side.
"What?" Shadow muttered, his concentration broken.
The figure, moving with impossible speed and grace, delivered a flawless, powerful mid-air spin kick aimed at his temple. The move was so unexpected that Shadow was forced to bring his arms up to block, the energy sphere in his hand dissipating.
When the figure landed lightly on a floating piece of debris and he finally got a clear look, his eyes widened in genuine shock.
"Mevis?! You dare betray me?!" Shadow roared, his composure shattering. He lunged, his speed divine, and grabbed her by the throat. "Have you forgotten our contract? Don't you want to save your family?!"
Mevis, despite being held in a god's grip, actually scoffed. She brought her legs up and kicked him hard in the chest, the impact forcing him to release his grip. She flipped backwards, retreating to a safer distance on a broken archway.
"This is how I save my family," she said, her voice cold and resolute, her inverted dragon pupils blazing with a long-suppressed fury.
Shadow's expression twisted in confusion and rage. "You speak in riddles. Whatever you are, whatever you think you're doing, I'll kill you too," he snarled.
He hurled two smaller, faster energy spheres toward her. Mevis didn't try to block; she simply wasn't there when they arrived, her form flickering and reappearing several meters away. She countered by throwing her hands forward, summoning twin wolves made of crackling lightning that raced through the air and collided with the spheres, triggering a blinding, concussive explosion that lit up the sky.
Using the momentary distraction and cover of the blast, she darted down, not toward Leon, but into a hidden entrance of an underground shelter near the shattered clock tower—where, as she knew, Rossweise and the others had been forced to retreat.
She landed softly in the dim space, her eyes quickly adjusting. The entire group—Rossweise, Noah, Odin, Morgan, Claudia, Constantine—stared at her with a mixture of shock, confusion, and deep suspicion.
"Isha is safe, thanks to the dragonhawk. Now, all of you, stay here and do not make a sound until the battle above is over," Mevis instructed, her gaze scanning each of their faces.
The silence was heavy, thick with unspoken questions. Who was she? Why was she helping them? What was her game?
Mevis let out a short, dry laugh. "Oh, come on. I just saved you all from being turned into dust by Shadow's bombardment. A little gratitude wouldn't hurt."
Noah was the first to step forward, her small body trembling slightly but her voice steady. "Professor Mevis... who are you, really? Shadow said you were supposed to kill me, but you saved us. What's going on?"
Mevis's expression softened as she looked at the girl. She crouched down, meeting Noah's gaze at eye level. "There's no time to explain everything now. Just know this—I am here to help you. All of you."
Rossweise frowned, her protective instincts on high alert. "We? Who else is here that you're helping?"
Mevis smirked, a mysterious and knowing look in her eyes as she stood up and glanced toward the shelter's entrance, as if expecting someone.
"You'll find out soon enough," she said cryptically.
As if summoned by her words, a radiant, pure white light suddenly erupted from the direction of the square, flooding the entrance of the shelter with a warm, powerful, and familiar primordial energy. It was a feeling of order, of creation, of absolute power used for protection.
At that moment, it felt as if a true god had descended once more upon the battlefield.
"Let's go, Noah!" Leon's voice echoed, not from outside, but from within their very souls, filled with a renewed, unyielding determination that banished all despair. The light was his. The power was his. The fight was not over.