Leon once again poured magic into the Thunder Sword in his hand. The blade swelled with power, arcs of electricity dancing like lively sprites, leaping nonstop.
"Not planning to wait for your opponent to attack first?", Though she said that, Rossweise also prepared for battle as she spoke. Her right hand flipped over, palm facing upward. Instantly, a stream of dragon fire sprang into her palm.
"I've always preferred to take the initiative."
Leon stepped sideways into a lunge, sword in hand and body bent forward, "Here I come."
"Alright."
The couple turned into two streaks of silver afterimages and charged toward Star.
In just a breath, they blitzed to Star's left and right flanks.
Leon raised his sword and slashed, the queen erupting with dragon fire.
The war between kings had begun.
———
Lightning and fire surged in simultaneously—no retreat in any direction.
But judging by Star's demeanor, he had no intention of dodging whatsoever.
He intended to tank Leon and Rossweise's opening attack head-on.
Scorching dragon fire struck first, blasting the surface of Star's golden armor and triggering a chain of explosions.
The shockwaves from the blasts caused Star's feet to sink into the hardened ground, cracks spreading outward in circles centered around him.
Seeing Rossweise's attack land, Leon followed up right after.
Thunder Sword raised high, its crackling arcs accurately struck the back of Star's golden armor.
But all that was heard was a dull thunderclap, and the Thunder Sword in Leon's hand snapped cleanly in two.
Blue light reflected off the helmet of the black-gold war chariot as Leon's gaze pierced through the shattered bolts of lightning, bearing down on Star.
The old Dragon King just so happened to slowly turn his head at that moment, peering toward Leon through the thick helmet.
"Is this all you've got?", From beneath the golden armor, that ancient, deep voice rang out once more—this time laced with faint scorn and ridicule.
Leon snorted coldly, "I won't let you down."
As soon as the words fell, the two broken halves of the Thunder Sword and the countless lightning fragments suddenly burst forth with dazzling light, transforming into sharp thunder needles that all shot toward Star.
The thunder needles struck Star's armor like a torrential storm, popping and crackling with explosive sounds.
Of course, such an attack couldn't deal effective damage to Star.
But Leon never intended to hurt him with this move alone.
The thunder needles merged into the golden armor. At first, Star merely thought it was another gimmick from that human brat. Again, nothing more than a tickle.
However, as the thunder needles continued to rain down, a paralyzing sensation began to creep across Star's entire body.
The numbness was like countless ants crawling in through his skin, flowing through his nerves and blood vessels, spreading throughout his whole body.
Seeing the thunder needles working, Leon and Rossweise immediately pushed out to Star's left and right sides.
After gaining enough distance, the couple condensed lightning and fire energies, all aimed straight at Star in the center.
Dragon fire turned into blazing fireballs, shooting from Rossweise's hands.
Lightning formed into long senbon-like spikes, both enhancing the paralysis effect and increasing damage dealt.
Two elements bombarded Star from both flanks.
In an instant, thick smoke and dust were stirred up across the battlefield.
Yet the couple's bombardment hadn't stopped.
Just as Rossweise had said, they were in perfect sync. Whatever they did, they moved in unison.
The smoke quickly engulfed Star.
The two decided to deliver one final move.
Bombardment ceased simultaneously.
Rossweise spread her arms, condensing blood-red flames in both hands, then merged them together.
The flames formed the shape of a dragon's head and roared as it charged into the smoke ahead.
S-Rank Fire Magic: Dragon Flame Modified - Dragonfire Annihilation
But the queen's attack didn't end there.
As the fireball of Dragonfire Annihilation barreled toward Star, Rossweise unfurled her dragon wings and flapped forcefully.
Airflow on both sides formed air cannons, massively boosting the impact force of Dragonfire Annihilation.
Leon, naturally unwilling to be outdone, unleashed his own ultimate.
General Leon tightly gripped his right wrist, condensing lightning energy in his palm.
The next second, a lightning-formed direwolf burst forth from Leon's palm, thundering straight into the smoke where Star stood.
A-Rank Lightning Magic: Thunder Wolf Breaks the Army
The couple unleashed their ultimate spells, the attacks disappearing into the thick dust and quickly triggering a massive magical shockwave.
Remnants of thunder and flame floated into the sky, like a brilliant firework display.
On the ground, the dust slowly dispersed, a golden figure remained, unshaken.
Around Star, an enormous ancient bell enclosed him within.
The ancient bell was semi-transparent, faintly visible, with remnants of Leon and Rossweise's energies still flickering on its surface.
Rossweise was stunned, her silver pupils trembling slightly, "That is... what is that..."
Radiant Star Dragon King—Star. One of the oldest surviving Dragon Kings.
But his abilities had never been recorded in any literature or ancient texts.
To go into battle without any intel, there's always a price to pay.
From afar, Anna and the others watching also saw this scene unfold.
Shirley stared wide-eyed at the ancient bell, her voice trembling, "That was a combo attack from Her Majesty and His Highness... an attack of that magnitude, even Constantine couldn't endure that, right? But it doesn't seem to have harmed Star at all."
"No wonder Her Majesty joined forces with His Highness... this enemy far surpasses Constantine."
Anna's voice was low.
Even without stepping onto the front lines, Star's pressure still made it hard for her to breathe.
That ancient Dragon King was too mysterious and unpredictable, and this was just the beginning of the battle, yet he had already revealed a defensive ability that exceeded their comprehension.
Whether Her Majesty and His Highness could figure out a way to break through...
Meanwhile, on the general's platform several kilometers away, Ravi's gloomy face finally showed a trace of smug satisfaction.
"I'll admit, Leon Casmodeous does have some skill. To force Star to use that move right at the start… but it ends here."
Nacho looked to Ravi, "That bell? What's the deal with it?"
"That's Star's strongest defensive magic, which he spent a thousand years creating, Absolute Defense: Dusk Bell," Ravi proudly explained to this short-sighted human the Dragon Race's achievements in the field of magic.
"Four hundred years ago, in the deeper, unknown realms of the Dragonlands, Star fought over the golden armor he now wears against four other Dragon Kings."
"Star was the first to obtain the armor, making him the target of all. The other four Dragon Kings attacked him at once."
"But before Star's 'Dusk Bell,' their attacks were like mere tickles. They couldn't even scratch him."
"In the end, the Radiant Star King kept the armor and earned the title of 'Absolute Defense.'"
Nacho silently listened, paused in thought, then asked, "So... no one's ever broken his defense, right?"
"Exactly. In this world, no one ever has, and no one ever will."
Ravi exhaled slowly, eyes fixed on the distant battlefield.
"That's why I said, it ends here. If you can't even break your enemy's defense, there's no point in fighting. Leon Casmodeous now has two choices—"
"One, wait until he runs out of stamina and gets slowly killed by Star;"
"Two, run for his life while he still has some strength left. But he'll be executed in the end anyway."
"Different choices, same result. It's just a matter of time."
Fully aware of the kind of monster the Empire had cultivated, Nacho took a deep breath and muttered,
"I think... he might have a third option."
Ravi was stunned, frowning, "What?"
The one who answered him wasn't Nacho, but the sharp cry of a bird that suddenly rang out across the battlefield.
Star slowly turned around, following the sound.
A silver-armored figure stood there, lightning energy crackling and bursting in his hand.
"Lightning Thrust? No, in human terms, you probably call this spell 'Chidori.' But whatever, same difference. You're planning to use a childish magic like that to break my strongest defense?"
Star wanted to laugh but held it in.
He thought the one who defeated Constantine would give him a surprising challenge.
Turns out—just this?
Leon slowly crouched, lowering into a runner's stance.
"The strongest defense... often only needs the simplest method to break. Old Dragon King, you better—watch closely."
As his words fell, lightning power surged even more wildly. Birdsong echoed across the entire battlefield.
Waves of air rippled outward in circles, blowing away the dust and debris around Leon.
Using Chidori with only 50% magic power obviously wasn't enough to pierce that stupid bell.
So, he needed some assistance.
For example—
Nine Hells, Gate Four—Open!
Leon stomped his right foot, blasting forward like a cannonball.
Chidori dragged just ten centimeters above the ground, violent lightning power tearing up a storm, leaving behind a long trench.
The trench looked like a giant serpent charging toward Star, its speed and ferocity were jaw-dropping.
Not just because his magic was only at 50%, he didn't dare overuse it, but also because the distance between Leon and Star hadn't been that far.
If there wasn't enough room to build up momentum, Chidori wouldn't reach full power.
So, if the distance was lacking, he'd make up for it with speed. Speed doesn't change inertia, but it does grant Leon more kinetic energy before impact.
Once the fourth gate of the Nine Hells was opened, the user's movement speed would increase dramatically.
The newly unlocked skill was called—
Godspeed.
Leon's speed exceeded Star's expectations.
But no matter, he still planned to take the hit head-on.
Absolute Defense: Ancient Bell! descended once again!
The imposing bell covered Star as he calmly waited for that ignorant brat to crash into him like a moth to flame.
If Leon really hit him at that speed, no doubt, Star's Absolute Defense would reduce him to a pile of meat paste.
And it was too late to withdraw now.
Star smirked,"Constantine, how could you lose to a guy this brainless? What a disgrace to our race—"
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