The Asheville Estate slept beneath endless rain.
Cold midnight winds drifted through the western forests while silver moonlight occasionally broke through storm clouds above Citadel's outskirts. Inside the enormous noble mansion however—
Only silence remained.
Servants slept.
Knights rotated quiet patrols.
Mana lamps dimmed gradually throughout the corridors.
And somewhere deep within the estate—
Kel remained awake.
The black-haired young man quietly stood beside the balcony window of his chamber while rain reflected softly across his dark eyes. His expression remained calm as always, yet tonight—
Something inside him felt restless.
Tomorrow he would leave.
Return to the Rosenfeld Main Estate.
Return to the Empire.
Return to the life he abandoned two years ago.
And strangely—
The thought itself carried discomfort now.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly spoke.
"You're avoiding sleep intentionally."
Kel quietly looked toward the rain outside.
"…Maybe."
Another pause followed.
Then—
Without warning—
The space around him distorted.
Dark crimson aura spread silently through the room afterward while ancient runic patterns emerged beneath his feet like living scars carved into reality itself.
And slowly—
Kel disappeared.
The chamber fell silent once more.
Meanwhile—
Elsewhere.
Far beyond ordinary space.
Inside a fragmented isolated dimension chained beneath Kel's authority—
Darkness ruled absolutely.
An endless black world stretched infinitely beneath crimson skies devoid of stars while massive chains constructed from condensed aura crossed the dimension itself like imprisoned laws binding existence together.
This—
Was Kel's pocket dimension.
A prison.
And within it—
Twelve colossal dragon figures remained chained separately across enormous isolated sectors beneath ancient suppression seals.
The former Twelve Divine Dragon Generals.
The world believed they had been erased entirely.
Reduced to dust.
Destroyed by Dragon Emperor authority.
Yet reality itself remained far crueler.
Kel had imprisoned them instead.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly sighed.
"You really created a terrifying place."
Kel calmly walked through the endless darkness.
"Necessary."
Massive dragon eyes slowly opened one after another as he passed through the dimensional prison.
Hatred.
Fear.
Killing intent.
All directed toward him.
Yet none of it mattered.
Because every chain binding them had been personally constructed using Kel's evolved aura systems and dimensional synchronization authority itself.
Escape was impossible.
Eventually—
Kel stopped before one isolated prison sector.
The chained dragon within immediately roared violently.
BOOOOOOOOM—
The entire dimension trembled afterward.
The dragon's body itself looked enormous beyond comprehension.
Dark silver scales covered its colossal form while ancient draconic aura exploded endlessly around it despite the countless chains piercing through its limbs and wings.
One of the former Divine Generals.
A monster once capable of destroying armies alone.
And now—
Imprisoned.
The dragon's massive eyes burned with hatred seeing Kel approach calmly.
"HUMAN."
Its voice shook the dimensional prison itself.
"YOU SHOULD HAVE KILLED US."
Kel quietly observed the dragon afterward.
Then calmly—
"I still might."
The dragon roared furiously.
Its enormous body struggled violently against the suppression chains while dark aura storms erupted around the prison sector.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly muttered:
"You're really going through with this."
Kel's dark eyes remained cold.
"I need resources."
Another pause.
"And Asheville lacks true foundations still."
The silver-haired spirit became silent afterward.
Because she understood immediately.
Kel wasn't here out of cruelty.
He was preparing gifts before leaving.
Meanwhile—
The dragon finally unleashed its full remaining power.
Dark draconic flames exploded violently throughout the prison dimension while ancient aura pressure distorted reality itself around the chained monster.
Even weakened—
A Divine General remained catastrophic.
But Kel simply stepped forward calmly.
Then—
Aura erupted.
CRIMSON BLACK LIGHT flooded the dimensional prison instantly afterward.
And behind Kel—
Hundreds of colossal aura swords manifested into existence.
Not ordinary size anymore.
Gigantic.
Each blade resembling floating towers forged from condensed destruction itself.
The chained dragon's eyes widened slightly.
Because even after everything—
Kel still continued evolving.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly whispered:
"…Your control improved again."
Kel didn't answer.
Meanwhile—
The floating swords rotated slowly around him afterward like orbiting celestial weapons awaiting judgment.
Then finally—
Kel raised one hand.
Every blade moved simultaneously.
SHHHHHHHHHK—
The colossal aura swords pierced downward violently.
The dragon roared.
Dark flames exploded desperately.
The prison dimension shattered repeatedly beneath the collision itself.
Yet—
The outcome never changed.
One sword pierced through its wing.
Another through its chest.
Another through its spine.
Then another.
And another.
The giant aura blades impaled the dragon completely against the prison floor like divine execution stakes crushing a god.
The dragon screamed violently afterward.
Blood flooded across the black dimensional ground like rivers of molten silver.
Meanwhile—
Kel calmly walked closer.
No hesitation existed within his eyes.
No pity.
Only purpose.
Then—
The harvesting began.
Aura threads extended from his fingertips afterward while ancient surgical precision moved beneath the dark prison skies.
Dragon blood extracted carefully into crystallized containment spheres.
Bone marrow harvested directly from reinforced spinal structures.
Scales separated methodically.
Heart removed intact.
Eyes preserved.
Internal organs extracted one by one beneath stabilizing preservation formulas.
The process itself looked horrifyingly clinical.
Not battle.
Not slaughter.
Resource collection.
Inside his mind—
Even Sairen remained silent now.
Because the scene itself reminded her once more of what Kel truly was becoming.
Not merely strong.
Efficient.
Terrifyingly efficient.
Eventually—
Only the dragon skeleton remained partially intact beneath the colossal aura swords.
Its enormous life force finally faded completely afterward.
Silence consumed the dimensional prison.
Meanwhile—
The remaining imprisoned Divine Generals watched everything silently from distant chained sectors.
And for the first time—
Real fear appeared within several of their ancient eyes.
Because now they understood something horrifying.
Kel never planned keeping them alive forever.
They were resources waiting for use.
Meanwhile—
Kel calmly stored the harvested materials afterward into spatial containers.
Then slowly—
He turned away from the corpse without another glance.
Inside his mind—
Sairen finally spoke softly.
"…You really changed."
Kel quietly walked through the darkness.
"No."
Another pause.
"I simply stopped pretending."
The prison dimension faded afterward.
And moments later—
Kel returned quietly to his chamber beneath the falling rain.
The room itself looked unchanged.
Peaceful.
Ordinary.
Completely disconnected from the nightmare hidden beneath dimensional chains elsewhere.
Then eventually—
Morning arrived.
The rain had stopped.
Cold silver dawn spread softly across the Asheville Estate while servants hurried throughout the mansion preparing for Kel's departure.
Carriages prepared.
Supplies organized.
Knights assembled.
And meanwhile—
Inside the upper reception chamber—
Several enormous black boxes rested atop the table before Reina.
The silver-haired matriarch quietly stared toward them while Kel calmly stood nearby already dressed for travel.
"Open them."
Reina slowly approached afterward.
Then carefully lifted one lid.
And froze instantly.
Inside—
Dragon materials rested beneath preservation seals.
Massive crystallized blood containers.
Ancient dragon bones.
Heart fragments radiating terrifying mana pressure.
Eyes glowing faintly beneath sealed runes.
And countless other materials of unimaginable value.
The air itself became heavier from their existence alone.
Reina slowly looked toward Kel afterward.
"…Where…"
Her voice stopped briefly.
Then softer—
"…did you get all this?"
Kel calmly adjusted his gloves afterward.
"No need to ask."
The silver-haired matriarch quietly stared at him.
Because even without answers—
She already understood one thing clearly.
Whatever Kel did last night—
It was something terrifying enough that he intentionally refused explaining it.
Meanwhile—
Kel calmly looked toward the boxes again.
"Use them properly."
Another pause.
"Alchemy."
"Weapons."
"Armor."
"Medicine."
The mana pressure within the chamber fluctuated slightly around the dragon materials.
"These alone can elevate House Asheville several generations ahead."
Reina remained silent afterward.
Because once again—
Kel prepared everything for her before leaving.
Even now.
Even at the very end.
And somehow—
That hurt more than she expected