"Mom, you just said you have a theory about who Mevis really is. Who is she?" Noah turned to her mother after Mevis had unleashed that overwhelming and strangely familiar power and left. But as soon as she asked, she noticed her mother's intense, focused expression. The other Dragon Kings also turned their attention to Rossweise.
They didn't know this "Mevis" woman, but the power she displayed was unmistakably primordial, yet different from Rossweise's or the Ancestor's. It felt ancient, deeply personal, and carried a sorrow that resonated with a specific, painful memory.
Rossweise's silver eyes were wide, her gaze locked on the distant figure of Mevis standing beside Leon. Her breath caught, a realization dawning that was both shocking and, in a painful way, making sense.
"Noah," Rossweise said softly, her voice barely a whisper, "That power... the way she moves... and her eyes..." She turned to her daughter, a profound sadness in her expression. "When she powered up just now, for a moment, her silhouette... her profile... it looked exactly like him."
The words hung in the air. The other Dragon Kings were stunned into silence.
"Like who?" Morgan asked, confused.
"Like Leon," Rossweise stated, her voice gaining certainty.
Claudia's mind, ever the scholar, began connecting the pieces. "Her background was a mystery. She appeared from nowhere with immense power. She intervened to protect Noah at the academy... If she has a connection to Leon..."
Before they could unravel the implications further, the battle outside demanded their attention.
Leon glanced at the familiar-yet-unfamiliar figure standing beside him, his mind a whirlwind of confusion. Friend or foe? Her actions said friend, but her origins were a mystery.
Under his scrutinizing gaze, Mevis remained calm. She knew he didn't recognize her, not truly.
"This might be a bit complicated to explain," Mevis began, her voice softer than usual, "but-" She raised her right fist, extending it toward Leon in a universal, simple gesture.
"You should understand what this means, right?" she said, a faint, almost hesitant smile touching her lips.
Leon stared at the fist in front of him. It wasn't a combat stance. It was the same gesture he used with Noah—a bump of fists, a silent promise, a bond of trust between father and daughter.
In that moment, the storm of doubt in his heart didn't fully clear, but it quieted. The gesture felt genuine, an echo of something pure and familial. The weight pressing on his chest lightened just enough.
He chuckled softly, a mix of bewilderment and burgeoning trust. Slowly, he raised his own hand, forming a fist, and lightly bumped it against Mevis's.
As their fists met, Mevis's eyes crinkled with a profound, heartfelt smile—a smile of immense relief and a joy so deep it brought unshed tears to her eyes. It was the look of someone who had waited an eternity for this simple connection.
"I've waited thirty years for this moment," she said, her voice trembling slightly with emotion she could no longer contain. "To stand and fight beside you...."
Turning to face their enemy, she added, her voice hardening with resolve, "Any questions can wait until we've taken care of this false god."
"Can you keep up with me?" Leon teased, falling into the familiar banter despite the world-shattering revelation, using it to ground himself.
"Ha! Don't underestimate me. I can do this all day," Mevis shot back, her tone fierce and proud.
Shadow hovered above them, watching the scene unfold with cold disinterest. "I don't care about your sentimental reunions. A traitor is just another variable to be eliminated."
"This battle will end with only one person dead, and that person will be you, Shadow," Mevis declared, her voice ringing with absolute certainty.
"Bold words. Do you even understand the kind of enemy you're facing?" Shadow sneered.
"A mere thief who stole power that was never his," she retorted, her inverted pupils blazing with contempt.
Mevis crossed her arms as pure white energy, tinged with the faint, sorrowful grey of a spirit bound by contract, began to pour from her body. Magical waves surged, lifting her hair. Her eyes shifted fully, and the markings of her true draconic lineage appeared around them, a testament to the power she had sacrificed everything to protect.
"If you think you can defeat a god, then try," Shadow mocked, gathering energy in his palms.
"Let's go, son," Mevis said, the word feeling both foreign and right.
Leon nodded, a newfound strength filling him. "Right."
The two launched themselves forward simultaneously, a mother and son flanking the embodiment of chaos from both sides.
Their first attack was not the perfectly synchronized dance Leon had with Rossweise, but something wilder, more primal—a blend of Leon's honed physical prowess and Mevis's raw, magical supremacy, both born from the same bloodline.
Leon, his magical reserves nearly depleted, focused entirely on the Nine Gates and his sensory techniques, a style born of human discipline.
Mevis, on the other hand, wielded her innate primordial energy with the ease of breathing, every strike carrying the weight of her ancient lineage and her boundless maternal fury.
Their teamwork was instinctual, a synergy born from a bond that death itself could not sever.
Mevis spread her spectral dragon wings, channeling fire and lightning magic into a massive dual-elemental tornado—an S-class Twin Magic spell: Thunderfire Waltz.
The swirling vortex of flames and lightning surged toward Shadow, its destructive force tearing through the very air.
Shadow responded by unleashing a surge of violet chaos energy, shattering the tornado in an instant.
"Is that all you've got? I expected more from you," Shadow sneered.
But in that fleeting moment of distraction, Leon had closed the distance. Activating the Sixth Gate, he delivered a hammering blow to Shadow's back, the impact engulfing them in a cloud of smoke and debris.
When the dust cleared, Shadow stood atop a ruined building, brushing off his robes, seemingly unscathed.
"You almost got me with that sneak attack," Shadow said, his tone casually dismissive.
Leon and Mevis regrouped, their expressions serious.
"Did you notice?" Leon whispered. "After absorbing the Dragon God's power, his raw strength is immense, but his speed and reflexes have declined. The power is too vast for him to wield with finesse."
Mevis smirked, a predatory glint in her eyes. "Fast, relentless attacks, then? Overwhelm the vessel that cannot properly contain its power. Sounds like a plan."
"No lead attacker or support this time. Just keep up with me," she said, a fierce grin on her face that was so like his own.
Leon grinned back, the weight of the world feeling a little lighter. "Let's see what you've got."