The sky stretched endlessly, clouds parting as a massive flying spirit ship glided above the mountains. Its hull gleamed with runic light, powered by the Essentia flowing within.
Upon its deck stood two figures.
Azren, his black robe billowing in the wind, gray eyes calm and unreadable.
And beside him, Regia, crimson silk dancing like flames, her ruby eyes scanning the horizon with quiet determination.
The silence of the skies was suddenly shattered.
"What a trash."
The words echoed like thunder, dripping with contempt.
A figure emerged from the upper deck, his crimson aura burning like fire, his steps light yet heavy with authority. His sharp eyes glared with a dangerous edge, and his scarlet robe shimmered like blood under the sun.
Max.
His voice dripped with scorn as his gaze locked onto Regia.
"Regia, as your brother, I should have taught you this long ago. You've just stepped into Spirit Convergence, and yet you're running around with trash who hasn't even broken into Veins of Flow?"
The air grew tense. Disciples nearby who were crewing the ship lowered their heads, not daring to breathe.
Regia's brows furrowed, her ruby eyes flashing with anger. "Max…" Her voice was low, dangerous. "Do not speak of him like that."
Max sneered, his tone sharp as a blade. "And why not? You, my sister, lowering yourself to walk beside this… cripple? If not for me, he'd have already died. Do you even realize what you're doing?"
Azren's gray eyes lifted slowly, meeting Max's burning gaze. His lips curved faintly—not into a smile, but something sharper.
"…So, you're Max."
Azren's eyes, calm yet sharp, fixed on Max. The air between them grew heavy, the very clouds around the ship beginning to stir.
"Ha… you have the voice to throw words at me?" Azren's tone was cold, unshaken. Slowly, he stepped forward—then another step, and another.
With each movement, the winds gathered beneath his feet. His black robe whipped around him as though the skies themselves bowed in deference. In full view of everyone aboard, Azren walked into the air, each step steady, firm, untouchable.
Gasps spread among the ship's disciples.
"He's walking… on wind Essentia!"
"At Foundation peak? Impossible!"
Azren's voice rang clear. "Max. Don't you think my control over Essentia is already more refined than yours?"
For a moment, silence fell—until Max's lips curved into a cold, dangerous smile.
"Azren…" His scarlet aura flared, crackling like wildfire as his eyes gleamed with mockery. "I can't believe this is all you gained. Even after being touched by the Life Empress herself—this… is all you can show? Control of a little wind?"
The words struck like lightning, drawing shocked whispers from the disciples.
"The Life Empress… she personally blessed him!?"
"No wonder his seal is different…"
"But if this is all he can do…"
Max's voice thundered across the ship, his contempt unrestrained.
"Oh, but do you even know how much hope she holds for you? How high she has placed you, Azren? And yet… this is all? You are nothing more than a shadow of her expectations."
The air trembled with his words.
Regia's brows furrowed, fury flashing in her ruby eyes as she stepped forward. "Max! Enough!"
But Azren didn't move. His gray eyes narrowed, his lips curving into a faint, razor-sharp smile.
"Hope, expectations…" His voice was quiet, yet each syllable cut through the storm. "Those are her burdens. Not mine."
He raised his head, the winds circling him like loyal guardians. "I walk my own path."
Azren's winds coiled beneath his feet as he stood firm, but Max's crimson aura surged hotter, flooding the deck of the flying ship with oppressive heat.
"Haa… Azren," Max's voice cut sharp through the air, "do you know what she told me? When I asked the Life Empress about you, she said this—"
His eyes narrowed, burning with both envy and mockery.
"It is not her burden… it is your fate."
The disciples froze, every whisper dying. Even Regia's ruby eyes trembled faintly at the words.
Azren's gray eyes darkened, his voice steady though heavy. "You mean… you met the Life Empress?"
Max's lips curved into a smile colder than steel. His aura erupted, painting the skies blood-red.
"Of course. And why wouldn't I? After all… I am the one destined to become the next Life Emperor!"
His declaration shook the air itself.
Regia stepped forward sharply, her crimson robe whipping in the violent winds. Her voice snapped like fire.
"Max! Do you really forget about her daughter?"
The words struck like a blade.
Max's smirk faltered. His blazing eyes flickered for just an instant, before his face hardened. Without another word, he tore his glare from the ship, turning toward the endless horizon.
"Hmph…" He waved his hand, a glowing map landing heavily on the deck before Azren and Regia. His voice was cold, dismissive.
"We will meet at the Earth Dragon Tribe's secret chamber. Do not slow me down, Regia… your cultivation is still beneath mine."
Without waiting for a reply, Max's figure blurred, his crimson aura streaking into the skies like a comet. Within breaths, he was gone.
The ship fell silent again, the only sound the rushing winds. Disciples exchanged nervous glances, their gazes drifting to Azren—who stood calmly, his gray eyes unreadable.
Fate… Life Empress… daughter…
The words echoed in his mind like chains tightening around his destiny.
But his expression did not waver. Instead, his lips curved faintly, as the winds swirled obediently at his feet.
"I walk on my own path."
The flying ship pierced through the skies, its runic hull glowing faintly as they entered the borders of the Earth Dragon Tribe.
At first, all was silent. The forests stretched endlessly below, mountains coiled like slumbering beasts. But then—
ROOAARR!
A suffocating wave of power exploded outward. The air itself trembled, the heavens shook, and the aura of a dragon surged from every direction, flooding the skies like a tidal wave.
The disciples aboard the ship staggered, their faces pale. Even Regia's body stiffened, her crimson aura faltering.
"This pressure…" one disciple gasped, trembling. "It's—it's at least the stage of the Hall Chief!"
Before anyone could recover, the clouds split apart. From within, a massive dragon emerged—its scales black as obsidian, eyes glowing with molten gold. Each beat of its wings cracked the skies, and its roar shattered the protective runes of the ship.
BOOM!
The spirit ship's hull cracked apart under the dragon's wrath. Wood splintered, runes shattered, and the vessel began to crumble from the heavens.
"AHH!" Disciples screamed as they were thrown into the air. Regia's balance broke, her crimson robe flaring as she plummeted downward.
Her voice rang out, trembling with despair.
"Azren—!"
Before the ground could claim her, a current of wind burst forth. Azren's figure shot down like lightning, his robe snapping around him as he stepped upon the winds themselves. With a single motion, he caught Regia in his arms, suspending them both above the collapsing wreckage.
Regia's ruby eyes widened, her breath uneven. The suffocating aura of the dragon pressed harder with every passing heartbeat.
"We're… we're no match for it," she whispered miserably, her voice breaking. "Not against this…"
Azren's gray eyes lifted toward the colossal dragon, his grip tightening around her. The winds howled around him like blades, his aura trembling yet unbroken.
"No," he murmured. "Not yet."
Azren's lips curved into a laugh, sharp and reckless.
In that instant, the dragon seal on his shoulder ignited, glowing so brightly it burned through his torn robes. The mark pulsed violently, expanding, twisting — evolving to its very limit.
BOOM!
Winds howled. Water surged. The skies themselves shuddered as the seal burst forth with overwhelming force.
From Azren's body, two radiant figures emerged.
One coiled like a storm — shimmering with azure scales, eyes blazing with the freedom of the skies.
The other surged with a tidal might — its body a flowing serpent of water, glistening with crushing waves.
The Wind Dragon.
The Water Dragon.
The battlefield froze in silence, disciples' eyes wide with terror.
Regia staggered back, the aura too overwhelming — but before she could collapse, Kravon's soul emerged from Azren's chi sea, his form sharp and solid for the first time. With a flicker of wind, he pulled her far from the raging storm.
"Stay back, girl," Kravon growled, his voice echoing like thunder. "This is a battle of dragons."
---
The Earth Dragon's colossal form roared violently, its golden eyes flashing in fury the moment it saw the twin dragons beside Azren. Its cry shattered the clouds, shaking the mountains below.
The beast's aura swelled tenfold, its rage boiling. The mark of Azren's seal had awakened its instincts — and its hatred.
Azren's gray eyes sharpened. His chest heaved, the twin dragons circling him like guardians. This power… this mysterious seal… with it, I can crush even an Earth Dragon.
He raised his arm.
"GO!"
The Wind Dragon surged, its storm cutting through the skies. The Water Dragon followed, a tidal wave crashing down. Both struck the colossal Earth Dragon with apocalyptic force—
BOOM! BOOM!
The heavens split. The ground quaked. The battlefield was drowned in wind and water.
And when the dust cleared—
The Earth Dragon stood unharmed. Not even a single scratch marred its obsidian scales.
Azren's breath hitched. "Impossible…"
The dragon's roar thundered, louder and wilder than before. Its aura surged, crushing the twin dragons back into streaks of light that collapsed into Azren's body.
---
From the distance, figures streaked across the sky, glowing like falling stars.
The Earth Dragon Clan had arrived.
An elderly, commanding voice boomed across the battlefield.
"How dare you touch my children!?"
The air froze. From the rift, an ancient man cloaked in dragon aura emerged—his presence rivaling the heavens themselves.
At his side appeared Master Erdi, his lightning aura blazing, and another figure of equal weight—the Hall Chief of Aiden Hall.
And last, Max stepped fo
rward, his crimson eyes gleaming with pride and scorn. He pointed straight at Azren, his voice a furious cry.
"You brat! This time you're lucky! If I hadn't informed them, you'd already be dead!"