“It’s a sess, Lord Brother!”


    “Mm.”


    Roel could feel the pressure weighing on him vanishing without a trace, and he could circte his mana much more smoothly now. He breathed a sigh of relief.


    In the sky, Carolyn stood with an awful expression on her face. “I see. You’re intending to defeat me with this Divine Domain.”


    “Indeed. It’s not toote to change your mind.”


    “I already said I have no such intention. Give it a try if you think you can defeat me,” Carolyn said as she released a flood of turbid mana in preparation for her next move.


    Roel exchanged nces with Alicia. As ifing to a tacit agreement, the former raised his hand toward Carolyn, whereas thetter began emanating a brilliant light.


    Thus far, Carolyn had lost two ancient gods, and her powers had been suppressed, putting her in her weakest-ever state.


    On the other hand, Alicia was in her strongest-ever state, and she was going to directly participate in the battle from this point onward. The odds were finally in Roel and Alicia’s favor.


    The silver moonlight in the sky shone brilliantly, and the calm ocean began to undte till terrifying tsunamis violently crashed down one after another.


    Water represented life in the ancient era, but in Alicia’s Divine Domain, it was a monster that devoured life. Waves that towered over a hundred meters high charged at Carolyn with cataclysmic force, threatening to smash her into bits.


    Meanwhile, Roel summonedrge swathes of ck clouds above Carolyn. He had chosen Death Rain over cial Touch, Magma Core, and the others as it was the only Crown’s Stone thatplemented the nature of Alicia’s Divine Domain.


    A ck rain of deadly curses started falling from the sky.


    Carolyn was cornered, but she didn’t panic. A golden me started to ze around her.


    A speck of golden light caught in the middle of a cmitous storm, battered by huge waves and cold rain—it was a beautiful yet mncholic sight. It looked as if the golden light would be extinguished at any moment, but Roel felt extremely unnerved instead.


    “That thing…” Roel narrowed his golden eyes as he felt a pang of unease.


    He further channeled his Crown’s Stone, and the ck clouds jolted like a swiftly contracting heart. The curses of the ck rain converged at a single point, creating a sphere of absolute darkness. It was so dark that it further dampened the golden light.


    It was then that the towering tsunami mmed into the golden light.


    <em>Boom!</em>


    Tens of thousands of tonnes of water mmed into Carolyn; the impact had to be devastating. At the same time, the water callously siphoned life force from Carolyn like bloodthirsty sharks.


    It was also around then that a ck beam of potent curses pierced into the ocean, destroying everything in its path.


    Thebined assault of Roel and Alicia was catastrophic. The ocean rumbled deafeningly.


    But then, a small speck of golden light glimmered from the tsunami.


    It started out small and inconspicuous, but it quickly erged, lighting up the entire ocean within a matter of seconds. An overwhelming pressure rose from the ocean and gushed into the sky.


    Roel’s expression turned heavy. He understood that Carolyn had yed her ace.


    The power lurking under the ocean was finally unleashed. Thousands of light pirs gushed into the sky as a behemoth emerged from the water.


    …


    There were three races that couldn’t be ignored when those of the present generation spoke about the ancient era—the Giants, the Angels, and the Dragons. They were the face of those that had lived in that era, and they represented the strongest powers.


    For that reason, most of the powerful awakeners of the Kingmaker Bloodline had ties with them. The Second Epoch’s Ardes had resources at their disposal to collect all kinds of artifacts, which allowed them to choose whichever ancient god they wanted to contract with.


    Carolyn, as one of the most talented transcendents, was bound to have contracted with one of the three races.


    Just like how Grandar was Roel’s trump card, Carolyn was bound to have an ace she could rely on during times of difficulty. Right now, she had finally revealed her hidden ace, and the tables were immediately turned.


    It was a dragon, but not any ordinary one.


    Looking at the behemoth that had risen from the ocean, Roel’s face turned grim, and Alicia widened her crimson eyes.


    Edavia was shaken up too, as she murmured the enemy’s name: “Saint Dragon Spansderck!”


    “Saint Dragon?”


    “Yes, it’s the hero dragon mentioned in the legends, the one who defeated Demon Dragon Tabarak—one of the Four Great Demonic Beasts—and overcame the limitations of death to undergo two cycles of life in the same era.”


    “…” Roel fell silent.


    Legendary races were known for their long lifespans, and their strength only grew with their age. The strength of a dragon who had lived two generations couldn’t be underestimated. Furthermore, the fact that it defeated one of the Four Great Demonic Beasts, the main enemies Sia hadunched a crusade against, showed how powerful it was.


    And that was indeed the case.


    Be it the ocean water that siphoned one’s life force or the deadly beam of curses, these attacks unraveled in Saint Dragon Spansderck’s presence. The ocean water failed to reach its fire-d body, and the dark clouds in the sky were dissipated by the thousand light pirs.


    In just a few seconds, it had already proven itself to be a menace on the battlefield.


    Just looking at the behemoth in the distance was enough to make Roel’s body stiffen. Even so, he remainedposed, as there was no need for him to fear.


    Living for a long time? Oveing death and getting a second shot at life?


    Those were incredible miracles. Those who lived long lives were also bound to have more experiences and be stronger. However, there was more than one way to be stronger.


    Some people might have been short-lived, but they gave off an iparable brilliance.


    And it just so happened that Roel knew people like that.


    They were eternal warriors who stepped forward and protected the world just as the world was descending into darkness. With their hands, they tore apart the terrifying darkness and returned light to the world.


    Compared to the foe they had defeated, what did the Four Great Demonic Beasts count as?


    “…What do they even count as,” Roel mumbled before calling hispanion. “Grandar.”


    “I’m here.”


    A white fog enveloped the area, and crimson lightning crackled. The ocean water started to rock violently, raising huge waves. Tremendous mana gushed forth and dissipated the clouds.


    Through the channeling of the Crown Origin Attribute, a humongous skeleton giant emerged amidst the white fog and crimson lightning, almost like a demon god rising from the Abyss to confront the brilliant Saint Dragon.


    “That is…!” Beneath the wings of Saint Dragon Spansderck, Carolyn stared at the skeleton giant in shock. She was startled for the first time since themencement of the battle. “I didn’t think you would make a contract with him…”


    After a brief moment of staring at Grandar, she turned around and ordered, “Spansderck, you don’t have to defeat him. It’ll suffice to stall him!”


    “Understood.”


    The light-d Saint Dragon unfurled its massive dragon wings and rose into the sky.


    Meanwhile, Roel looked at the sky and issued a concise order: “Defeat it, Grandar.”


    “Mm.”


    Crimson lightning crackled as the two legendary Sovereigns from the ancient era shed.


    At the highest area in the sky, Alicia opened her eyes. Her crimson eyes glowed brilliantly as the moon behind her appeared to be split into two, one silver and one ck.