Lightning exploded, and bird cries echoed throughout Battlefield.
That ancient bell covering Star kept shaking under the impact of the lightning.
Circle after circle of energy rippled outwards.
And under that golden armor, on Star's face, the smile gradually stiffened.
Crack!
A crack actually appeared on the surface of the Dusk Bell!
"Wha-What... How... How is this possible?"
"There's no such thing as an unbreakable defense in this world. If there is, it's only because it hasn't met me yet."
Chidori pierced through the so-called absolute defense Dusk Bell with one strike. Hot flames that covered the sky followed closely from above.
———
"The third option: break your so-called 'defense that will never be broken'," Nacho looked at the battlefield, hands in his pockets, his tone indifferent.
Good news: he guessed right. General Leon's face was full of "invincible."
Bad news: such a General Leon was now his enemy.
He looked at the already dark-faced Ravi beside him, "Then, now you should understand why the Empire went to great lengths, even using an old monster like Star, to kill Leon, right?"
Ravi's face was gloomy, and he didn't respond.
Seeing Ravi silent, Nacho urged, "Leon Casmodeous has now broken that damn bell. Star being taken down has also become just the 'matter of time' you mentioned, so—"
"Hurry and get ready, the killing blow that ensures victory."
Ravi slowly exhaled and shook his head, "It's not time yet."
"It's not time yet? Only when Star's body gets cold, and his head's chopped off to become Constantine's neighbor, then it's time?"
Seeing Star's strongest defense broken with his own eyes, and now facing Nacho's ridicule, Ravi forcefully suppressed his inner shock and indignation, saying coldly, "You think Star became a legend of the dragon race just because of one move of absolute defense?"
"There's a trump card?"
"Of course. Just wait and see."
Although he said that, Ravi's confidence was clearly not as strong as before.
After witnessing Leon's strength personally, he realized he'd better tone down the boasting.
After all, the next second he might get slapped in the face by that guy.
The slap sounded louder than Chidori, painful enough.
———
On the battlefield, Star, whose Dusk Bell was broken, was hit by another attack from Rossweise.
High-temperature heatwaves swept in, blasting him away hard.
Star's body shot into a low mountain, deeply embedded in it.
The couple regrouped.
Rossweise retracted her dragon wings, put one hand on her waist, looked at "tunnel surveyor" Star, and smiled as she said, "We're really awesome!"
General Leon could tell she was joking and self-mocking.
From a bystander's view, even from her own perspective, in that bout of entanglement just now, she merely added some damage.
If it hadn't been for Leon's Chidori breaking Star's defense, the two of them would have had no way to make a move.
But Leon was very clear-headed, without a trace of self-deprecation. He calmly analyzed, "After piercing through his broken bell just now, I also exposed a flaw. If you hadn't followed up in time, I might have been counter-attacked by him. You're right, we're really awesome."
The Queen glanced at him, not sure if he was being sincere or just trying to cheer her up during the battle.
But no matter what it was, she was indeed happy.
Rossweise held back the upward curl of her lips, "You sure know how to talk."
"What do you mean 'sure know'? I've always been eloquent and glib."
"Glib is a neutral term leaning negative."
"True, but the key is: eloquent."
Rossweise furrowed her beautiful brows and clicked her tongue softly, then threw an elbow into Leon's chest armor, "We're in battle, be serious."
With the Queen's "be serious," the relaxed banter that eased the battlefield tension came to an end.
The couple returned to battle mode.
At this moment, Star, embedded in the low mountain, did not rush to counterattack.
That Chidori which pierced his absolute defense of a thousand years forced him to calm down and think.
"No wonder those imperial guys wanted to kill him so badly. Letting a monster like this live, wiping out all surface-active dragons would just be a matter of time."
Star pulled his arm out from the cracks in the rock and struggled to stand up amidst the rubble and gravel.
"If possible, I'd really like to see how strong someone like you would become after becoming a 'vessel.'"
He looked toward the distant point of light, golden armor slowly glowing.
"But... Leon Casmodeous, since you chose to oppose the Empire, that means you won't live to see the day 'ultimate power' is unleashed."
"For you, everything in this world, ends today."
As his words fell, the armor's light surged from the cracks of the low mountain.
In an instant, the earth shook and mountains swayed. Huge rocks tumbled down from the peaks, rumbling loudly.
Even Nacho, watching from afar, felt the strong vibrations.
"Wh-What's happening? Is Star transforming into dragon form?"
Nacho hurriedly asked, "But didn't 'the lord' already tell you? Against Casmodeous, dragon form exposes more weaknesses. Compared to killing people, he's better at killing dragons. Constantine is the best example."
"Then your 'lord' should have excluded Star. His dragon form is different from ours."
"Different? How different can it be?"
"Why ask? You'll see for yourself in a moment."
"You!"
Nacho snorted coldly and turned back to look at the battlefield.
He saw that the low mountain was gradually collapsing, and from it, a huge golden figure slowly rose.
With a dragon roar, all the rubble and debris from the low mountain were blasted away.
A golden giant dragon appeared on the battlefield.
Its size was so massive that even the low mountain couldn't contain it. Even Nacho, over ten kilometers away, could see it clearly.
Star's unleashed dragon aura also multiplied.
THUMP—
Nacho couldn't withstand the dragon's might in an instant and directly knelt on the ground.
His whole body trembled uncontrollably. Tears, snot, and sweat all dripped onto the ground.
That fear soaked into his bones and disturbed his organs.
It even made Nacho, as a human, give rise to the thought of 'suicide.'
And the group of dragon warriors behind him naturally didn't fare any better.
Among everyone present, only Ravi still stood tall where he was.
But even his face was covered in cold sweat.
The overwhelming dragon aura was also affecting Ravi, who was a dragon king himself.
"Told you already, Star is not among that 'lord's concerns," Ravi said calmly.
Nacho looked at the gigantic golden dragon and swallowed hard, "I shouldn't have come here..."
'Maybe I shouldn't even have been born.'
———
At the same time, at the Silver Dragon border, Anna's heart pounded wildly.
Star's dragon aura drove her crazy. She clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms, and blood flowed through her fingers.
Anna used this method to force herself to stay awake.
Looking at Shirley beside her, scales had already appeared on her face and neck, and her tail was swinging uncontrollably.
Those beautiful eyes were now fixed on Star's figure.
Unconscious dragonification was a reaction that only occurred when a dragon felt overwhelming pressure.
But such a reaction usually only appeared among the same kind. For someone like Star to affect different dragon types to this extent... even Anna had never seen it.
Anna placed her hand on Shirley's shoulder and softly called her name.
Only then did Shirley snap back to her senses.
She gasped heavily, as if waking from a nightmare.
"Head maid... I-I just now—"
"Star's dragon aura is too strong. Stay alert, Shirley."
"Okay... sorry."
She adjusted her state, raised her eyes to the battlefield ahead, her gaze full of worry.
"His Majesty and the Prince are much closer... Can they really withstand such dragon might? Should we go help?"
"Believe in them."
Anna sighed heavily.
"In a battle of this level, not rushing in to die is already a big help to them."
"ROAR!!"
The dragon roar pierced the sky. The golden giant dragon's majesty crushed the entire battlefield.
Even though the rumbling sounds never stopped, everyone felt a deathly silence.
No one knew what the two people closest to Star were feeling at this moment.
Were they afraid?
Had they broken down?
Or—were they already planning to surrender...
The answer was—
"You f***ing—"
Leon Casmodeous raised his right hand high. Thunder instantly exploded, "Why are you yelling so loud!!"
The sky collapsed, the earth trembled, the terrifying dragon might of the golden giant dragon shrouded the entire battlefield in just a breath.
Even the personnel from both sides watching from afar were intimidated by that dragon's might to the point of sweating coldly, some even kneeling on the ground.
However, in front of that majestic and noble body of Stahr, the man named Leon Casmodeous stood without a trace of fear.
He gathered lightning power in his hand and loudly expressed his dissatisfaction toward that colossal being.
He really hated how these Dragon Kings would roar wildly at the drop of a hat.
'Transformation is fine, but must you scream it out?'
'Does screaming make you feel badass or something?'
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