The battle horn had sounded.


    The towering, violent monster seemed to awaken as the sharp sound of Leon’s *Chidori* rang out.


    What had once been a slow, deliberate invasion, like a stroll through the courtyard, quickly turned into a frenzied charge. Konstantin, in his massive, steel-mammoth body, barreled toward Leon and the others like a giant cannonball.


    Fire engulfed everything in his path, and his decayed dragon head let out a horrifying shriek.


    Isha crouched slightly, her brows furrowed as she watched the courtyard being decimated by Konstantin''s rampage. She gritted her teeth and yelled,


    “Do you even know how much those flowerbeds andwns cost, you bastard?!”


    With those words, the Red Dragon Queen transformed into her dragon form in an instant and charged straight at Konstantin.


    The two colossal beings collided with a roar that echoed through the heavens.


    The Red Dragon n was far superior to the Silver Dragons in terms of offensive and defensive capabilities, allowing them tounch such primal, physical dragon attacks.


    However, the result of this sh was less than favorable.


    Isha was forced to retreat repeatedly and reverted back to her human form, where she quickly gathered mes into her hands and hurled them forward.


    The strength of a Dragon King’s mes far exceeded that of the guards who had attacked earlier. After all, me magic was a fundamental weapon for dragons, and its power depended entirely on the wielder''s base strength.


    But even as Isha’s powerful mes struck Konstantin, he didn’t slow down—in fact, he picked up speed, continuing his assault on the trio.


    The mes exploded against his massive body, kicking up thick clouds of dust.


    Yet within that dust cloud, the heavy, drum-like sound of his footsteps continued, unabated.


    In the next moment, Konstantin burst through the dust, arms wide open—


    As he got closer, Leon finally noticed something peculiar about Konstantin’s arms: they didn’t belong to him.


    His left arm was thick, ck, and powerful, with distinct, nimble fingers, seemingly stitched from an SS-rank humanoid dangerous species known as the *Infernal Iron Ape*.


    Meanwhile, his right arm was more slender, but beneath the skin, magic circuits were visible, like veins of moltenva. It was likely sourced from a powerful fire-elemental creature.


    Before Leon could process it further, Konstantin attacked.


    He brought his outstretched arms together with a sudden, violent force, stirring up a fierce wind.


    And in that instant, theva-like arm unleashed a massive torrent of me.


    Wind fueled the fire, and an overwhelming ze engulfed everything.


    It was a simple yet incredibly effectivebination of elemental magic. Rosvisser had once used a simr attack, *Dragonfire Extinguish*, during her battle with the *Star Dragon King* Stal.


    While *Dragonfire Extinguish* was a ssicbo attack, it was a solo move, so its power was limited—far from top-tier. Besides, Rosvisser wasn’t particrly adept at manipting wind elements.


    That was the w with mostbination moves. To fully utilize them, one needed to master at least two different elemental magics.


    But thebination of wind and fire magic that Konstantin unleashed seemed to ovee that w entirely.


    Both elements—wind and fire—were terrifyingly powerful.


    As the mes surged forward, Rosvisser and Isha pped their wings, generating a powerful wind to resist the fiery onught.


    Leon seized the opportunity, *Chidori* in hand, and charged into the weakened mes.


    He dashed through the wall of fire, crouching low, the blue light of *Chidori* tearing through the expensivewn that Isha had paid dearly for.


    “Brother-inw! Are you plowing mywn on purpose?! On behalf of the entire Melkvey family, thank you so much!”


    Her voice was drowned out by the sound of *Chidori* crackling.


    Leon became a streak of blue lightning, dashing forward in an instant and appearing right in front of Konstantin.


    Facing his "old friend" who had returned from the dead, Leon knew he couldn’t afford to take it easy.


    He had just witnessed how it took both Rosvisser and Isha, two Dragon Kings, to withstand Konstantin’s first attack.


    This monster was no longer just the *Crimson me Dragon King*—he now wielded even greater and moreplex power.


    Without further hesitation, Leon thrust *Chidori* into Konstantin’s abdomen.


    The blow stopped Konstantin’s advance.


    But Leon’s expression grew grim.


    The moment *Chidori* struck Konstantin’s body, the lightningpletely dissipated.


    As if it had been doused by water, vanishing without a trace.@@novelbin@@


    “How is that possible...”


    “Le...on...!!”


    The monster roared in a hoarse, terrifying voice before unleashing a burst of energy that sent Leon flying backward.


    After regaining a safe distance, Leon steadied himself, slowly rising to his feet.


    “Toe back as a monster and still recognize me... Just how much do you hate me?”


    Rosvisser and Isha rushed over, taking positions on either side of Leon.


    “Did you figure anything out?” Rosvisser asked.


    “His defense is much stronger than I expected,” Leon replied in a low voice. “I hit him with my strongest *Chidori*, and it didn’t do a thing.”


    Isha raised an eyebrow at her brother-inw, giving him a once-over before deciding not to say anything.


    “This time, we’ll try it together,” Rosvisser suggested.


    Leon nodded. “Alright.”


    The three prepared to attack once more, charging toward Konstantin.


    Meanwhile, in the distant forest, Scott, the Imperial observer, stood with his hands behind his back.


    “Well, this is working out perfectly.”


    Fehr nced at him. “What do you mean?”


    “Our original n was to use Konstantin to attack the Red Dragon n and draw Leon out of his home turf, where he wouldn’t have the advantage.”


    Scott smirked. “But it turns out Leon just happened to be here tonight. Saves us the time of waiting for him to show up.”


    Fehr’s eyes shifted. “Dragons don’t often visit each other. It seems Scott, and the Empire, have quite the stroke of luck.”


    Scott chuckled and raised his chin toward the battle.


    “Look, Fehr. The ‘ultimate creature’ that the Empire poured so much effort into creating is performing beautifully. Even against Leon and two Dragon Kings, it’s still holding the upper hand. Such power... isn’t this exactly what your dragon n has always sought?”


    Fehr quietly watched the battle without responding immediately.


    His eyes narrowed as he observed the "newly reborn" Konstantin.


    Even facing Leon Cosmod and the two Dragon Queens, Konstantin wasn’t losing ground—something few Dragon Kings could ever hope to achieve.


    At first nce, the mad Crimson me Dragon King had indeed gained the strength and body he had always desired.


    But now, he was a puppet.


    No mind, no will, unable to control even his own breathing.


    To gain such power at the cost of freedom... what’s there to envy?


    Fehr smiled faintly. “It is indeed impressive power, Mr. Scott. I just hope the Empire can keep it firmly under control.”


    “We won’t just control this power,” Scott said, grinning. “In the future, the Empire will control even more... and even stronger powers.”


    You better not bite off more than you can chew, kid, Fehr thought, ncing at Scott before returning his attention to the battle.


    Outside the Red Dragon Sanctuary, Leon crashed into a pavilion, which immediately crumbled into ruins.


    “Brother-inw! That pavilion was expensive too!!” Isha yelled in frustration.


    General Leon crawled out of the wreckage, dusting himself off and wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. “It’s fine, sister. My wife willpensate you.”


    Rosvisser: *What?*


    He slowly walked back to join the sisters, staring at the seemingly indestructible patchwork monster before them. His voice carried a hint of worry. “I really don’t know how we’re supposed to hurt that thing...”


    After several rounds of fighting, it became clear that none of their magical attacks were effective against Konstantin.


    The defense provided by the Steel Mammoth’s body exceeded anything they had ever encountered.


    “How’s your magic reserve holding up?” Rosvisser asked.


    Leon clutched his chest and shook his head slightly. “Not much left.”


    It had been barely a month since his spectacr feat of ying six Dragon Kings in ten seconds, and his magic reserves hadn’t fully recovered.


    Plus, the side effects of opening the Gates of Hell hadn’t entirely faded either. Leon’s body still felt unwell at times.


    “What’s the matter, brother-inw? Are you like a rechargeable battery?” Isha teased.


    “Sister... I’m in no mood for jokes right now.”


    It was rare for Leon to feel that dragon-ying was such a challenge.


    This was one of those times.


    Isha chuckled softly, then nced at Rosvisser.


    “Little Ros, let’s use that move.”


    Rosvisser nodded. “Alright.”


    Leon blinked in surprise. “Wait, what move? You’re not talking about some kind of mutual destruction technique, are you?”


    “It’s worse than that, brother-inw. If we use this move, at the very least, our magic circuits will be ruined. At worst, we both die.”


    “...No way! That’s too risky, sister! Sure, the situation’s bad, but it’s not *that* bad yet. Trust me, I’ve still got some


    tricks up my sleeve.”


    There was no way General Leon was going to agree to his wife dying for the sake of some resurrected loser.


    “Stop teasing him, sister.”


    Seeing her husband so concerned for her, Rosvisser’s heart swelled with warmth.


    But now wasn’t the time for those feelings. They could bask in thoseter, after the problem was dealt with.


    “It’s just abo move,” Rosvisser exined. “My sister and I practiced it a long time ago. This is the first time we’ll use it in a real fight, so hopefully, it’ll be effective.”


    “Oh...”


    Wait, was I just tricked? Leon wondered.


    “Let’s go, Ros,” Isha called out.


    “Mm!”


    The Silver and Red Dragon Queens stepped forward, spreading their wings and transforming into their dragon forms. They soared into the sky, ascending into the night.


    Under the full moon, the two dragons spiraled upward, their massive forms quickly bing intertwined beams of silver and red light.


    The whirling light spun faster and faster, creating gusts of wind.


    Even Leon had to crouch low to the ground to avoid being swept away by the powerful air currents.


    He squinted up at the sky, watching the spiraling light.


    They were like a de, cutting through the darkness, heading straight for Konstantin.


    *S-rank Combat Magic Technique: Twin Dragon Combo—Gctic Crimson Impact.*


    Itbined the Silver Dragon n’s speed with the Red Dragon n’s physical strength. As they rotated at high speed, their Dragon King bodies were cloaked in searing dragon mes.


    It was a technique thatbined both magical and physical piercing power.


    An effective way to ovee the typical drawbacks ofbo moves.


    Below them, Konstantin remained still, making no attempt to evade.


    Instead, he let out a series of low growls, his terrifying dragon eyes fixed on the iing de of silver and red light.


    The wind howled like a beast, and the pressure tore apart everything in the courtyard.


    Konstantin let out a ferocious roar and spread his arms wide.


    Leon’s eyes widened. “Is this guy seriously nning to take that head-on? That’s insane.”


    Indeed, Konstantin stood his ground.


    The silver and red de struck him directly, sending waves of energy and wind crashing outward in all directions.


    Leon struggled to maintain his stance, leaving two shallow skid marks as he was pushed back.


    Even Scott and Fehr, watching from afar, felt the shockwaves.


    “Mr. Scott, can Konstantin really withstand such an attack?” Fehr asked.


    “Just watch, Fehr. You’re in for a surprise!”


    The energy continued to spread outward.


    Even deep within the underground shelter, Noa felt its power.


    Holding her sisters’ hands, she looked up at the dark ceiling of the shelter.


    “Please, Mom, Dad, Aunt... Please be safe.”


    Aboveground, the attack finally ended.


    The sistersnded some distance away from Konstantin, reverting to their human forms.


    “How was it? Did it work?” Leon asked.


    Isha massaged her sore shoulder, her eyes on the mes ahead.


    “Things... don’t look good.”


    “Roar!!”


    A deafening dragon’s roar shattered the mes, and a menacing dragon aura spread like a gue.


    And there, amid the dying embers, the reborn Crimson me Dragon King stood, still aze with fury.