This was a blitz attack. The Crimson Flame Dragon Clan broke through the defenses of the Silver Dragon Clan's territory at the speed of light, heading straight for the sanctuary.

The charred corpse thrown into Silver Dragon Castle served as the first alarm bell, heralding the onset of war.

Beyond the Castle at this moment, hundreds of massive dragons swirled in the skies.

Their Dragon Flames ignited the entire night sky, and the roars of dragons persistently echoed. Mighty dragon corpses kept plummeting from the heaven.

On the ground, the battle was even more brutal. In less than half an hour, the soldiers of the Silver Dragons and the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan were locked in a bloody, fever-pitched struggle.

Magic blasts erupted, melee combat ensued—every possible tactic was employed.

Dragon blood soaked the earth; dismembered limbs and mangled remains were strewn everywhere. As far as the eye could see, the landscape was covered with countless corpses.

The heavens darkened, as if announcing the world's end.

The war between Dragon Clans had reached a level of brutality that surpassed the descriptive capacity of any language.

Ten kilometers from the Castle, Head Maid Anna led the elite members of the Maid Squad in a desperate battle.

Sherry coordinated with her, fending off multiple waves of attacks from the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan.

For now, they had not yet shifted to their draconic forms in combat.

Remaining in humanoid form allowed them more precise control over their magic and facilitated battlefield observations and command.

On the other hand, their draconic forms, though overwhelmingly powerful, were slightly slower in motion and risked collateral damage in such a dense and chaotic battle.

Thus, during ground combat, the humanoid form provided certain advantages.

Meanwhile, a contingent of Silver Dragon guards had seized dominance of the skies. The Silver Dragon Clan naturally excelled in speed. Even though they might not match the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan in overall power, their aerial combat capabilities allowed them to level the playing field due to their agility.

The Crimson Flame Dragon Clan's fifth offensive was repelled. Anna and Sherry leaned back-to-back, momentarily resting against each other.

"Has the encirclement in the rear mountains been breached yet?" Sherry asked.

"No, they're well prepared. They've been lying in ambush for a long time, even demolishing the emergency escape tunnels," Anna said, wiping the blood off her face.

"What about reinforcements? Are there no troops dispatched from the nearby Dragon Clans?"

Anna bit her lip, shaking her head. "None. They all refuse to provoke Constantine. No one dares to send reinforcements."

"Idiots! If the Silver Dragon Clan truly falls, do they think Constantine would spare them?" Sherry cursed angrily.

As the two discussed, a soldier rushed over to report.

"Head Maid, Queen Isa of the Red Dragon Clan has replied to our plea. She is aware of the situation but is heavily engaged by a separate detachment from the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan. It'll take her at least three hours to get here."

"Engaged by the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan's forces..."

Anna's pupils quivered as thoughts flooded her mind.

She recalled a conversation with the queen a while ago, where the queen mentioned that the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan appeared to have intentions of attacking the Wind Dragon Clan. The Wind Dragon King had sought Isa's assistance.

Yet, over the past few months, no formal war broke out—just minor skirmishes and provocations.

But now, the Silver Dragon Castle was under attack, and just as the Red Dragon Clan attempted to send reinforcements, they were intercepted by the already-deployed troops of the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan.

It was all part of Constantine's plan!

From the very beginning, Constantine had no intention of targeting the Wind Dragon Clan or the Red Dragon Clan. The repeated feints against the Wind Dragons were merely a diversion, designed to direct the attention of several Dragon Kings toward that conflict.

And then, he chose this day—when Roswitha was in labor—to launch an assault, leaving the Silver Dragon Castle isolated with no reinforcements and no central command.

The intricate planning was flawless, but there was one thing Anna couldn't understand:

How did Constantine know it would be today?

"Head Maid, they're attacking again."

Before Anna could analyze further, the sixth wave of assaults by the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan was upon them.

Gritting her teeth, she raised her longsword. Its tip pointed firmly at the advancing Crimson Flame forces.

"Defend Her Majesty to the death!"

The Silver Dragon warriors raised their voices, shouting and screaming, as they clashed once again with the forces of the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan.

Meanwhile, inside the Castle, Roswitha was still enduring the agonizing pain of childbirth.

This wasn't her first time experiencing such pain, but the excruciating, tearing sensation remained unbearable.

From the rear mountains came a series of magical explosions—undoubtedly the result of the squads Anna had dispatched to break through the encirclement in a desperate bid to secure an escape route for Her Majesty, His Highness, and the two princesses.

Moments later, the door burst open, and a maid rushed into the room. She scanned her surroundings, searching for Anna, but found she wasn’t there.

Given Roswitha's preoccupation with labor pains, the maid hesitated before approaching Leon.

"Your Highness, we've broken through a route. All the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan guarding that path have withdrawn. Her Majesty can escape through there."

Upon hearing the news, the maids and doctors in the room collectively sighed in relief.

Breaking the siege meant they could securely evacuate Her Majesty.

However, Leon made no orders for Roswitha to be moved immediately.

Frowning in thought, he muttered, "Something's not right..."

"What's wrong, Your Highness?" a doctor asked.

Leon stepped out onto the balcony, then turned to look at the maid delivering the report.

"Over an hour ago, the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan had sealed off the rear mountains so tightly that not even a fly could get through. And now they've suddenly retreated from one spot? It's suspicious. Where exactly have they cleared out?"

The reporting maid paused, her lips tightening nervously, before pointing toward a small path in the rear mountains.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Leon asked, "Are you sure? All the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan forces have retreated from that route?"

The maid hesitated but eventually nodded firmly. "Yes, I'm certain."

Leon furrowed his brows tightly. Slowly, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

At that moment, dazzling lightning burst forth above the path the maid had indicated.

Under the flashing lightning, several crimson dragons leaped from the forest below, spitting Dragon Flames toward the lightning's source, believing it to be a magical trap.

But the lightning had merely been a harmless birthday message.

Had the maids tried to evacuate Roswitha through that path, they undoubtedly would have walked straight into the ambush.

Leon turned back slowly, his gaze icy as it landed on the maid. "When facing war, you must use your brain."

The terrified maid immediately dropped to her knees and stammered, "Y-your Highness, it... it was my oversight... I deserve punishment."

Leon ignored her, walking toward his two daughters instead.

Meanwhile, the maids and doctors exchanged silent glances, their relief quickly replaced by the weight of what could have been a grave error.

Once they settled their nerves, they resumed caring for Roswitha.

Leon said no more.

He wasn’t intimately familiar with the Silver Dragon Clan's battlefield strategies and felt it inappropriate to issue any orders that might disrupt the flow of their operations.

But when it came to identifying the schemes and deceptions in warfare, Leon's expertise was undeniable.

The Castle had once hailed him as the greatest Dragon Slayer—not just because of the number of dragons he killed but also for his tactical brilliance, strategic acumen, and flawless execution in combat.

However, since Anna had meticulously planned their defenses, Leon refrained from undermining her authority or introducing chaos by assuming command.

More importantly, Anna was skilled in her own right.

In such a dire, leaderless crisis spurred by a surprise attack, even Leon couldn't devise a better plan on short notice.

With arms crossed over his chest, he looked out at the fiercely contested battlefield ahead. The Silver Dragon forces appeared to be gaining the upper hand.

On the battlefield, Sherry drove her sword cleanly through a Crimson Flame dragon’s chest before casting its lifeless body aside.

She turned back to glance at the sanctuary gates—they'd advanced roughly seven kilometers compared to two hours prior.

Good. The Crimson Flame Dragon Clan's encirclement was visibly collapsing.

Perhaps they could truly hold this position.

But just when she dared to entertain the thought, things took a turn.

As Sherry's face barely hinted at a hopeful smile, she noticed the shadows on the ground suddenly grow deeper and darker.

In that instant, the realization struck her—a terror detonated in her chest.

Her body quivered uncontrollably as if rusted machinery was forcing her to slowly turn around.

At some point, the entire sky had been overshadowed by an enormous pair of dragon wings.

The next moment, a tremendous gale pressed down, forcing Sherry to bend under its weight.

The deep, reverberating growl swept across the battlefield. Crimson wings and a menacingly long tail announced the identity of this colossal beast.

The sheer, bone-chilling aura of suppression overwhelmed every Dragon Clan member present, stifling their ability to breathe.

Clang—

Sherry’s longsword slipped from her hand and clattered uselessly to the ground. Her silver dragon eyes widened in disbelief as they gazed upon the majestic and fearsome Dragon King, her pupils losing their focus.

"C-Con…stantine…"

The Crimson Flame Dragon King, Constantine, had descended upon the battlefield.

A deep dread engulfed Sherry completely. She didn’t even register the raging Dragon Flame that nearly consumed her.

Fortunately, Anna reacted swiftly, grabbing her by the collar and yanking her back from the brink of death.

Sherry collapsed to the ground, the pain jerking her back to her senses.

"Relay this: Constantine has appeared. Focus all efforts on accelerating the breakthrough of the rear mountain encirclement," Anna ordered crisply.

This command indicated that the battle here was effectively over with Constantine's arrival.

The difference in power between a Dragon King and elite Dragon Clan members like Anna was insurmountable, a chasm too vast to even comprehend.

So, since the collapse of the main battlefield was only a matter of time, they had to focus all their efforts on breaking through from the rear mountain.

Silver Dragon Castle could not be saved, but at the very least, the life of Her Majesty had to be protected.

Anna looked at Sherry’s back, and a hint of relief unexpectedly surged in her heart.

“You’re right, Your Majesty. A dragon’s life is so long… far too long. Now, just like you, I’ve come to appreciate the fleeting beauty of shorter lifetimes even more.”

With those words, she turned to face Constantine, the wings on her back spreading wide as she transformed into her dragon form.

However, even in her dragon form, she was still only a quarter the size of Dragon King Constantine.

In front of him, Anna was like an ant trying to shake a tree.

But she didn’t back down. Every member of the Maid Squad had sworn an oath to protect Her Majesty no matter what.

Anna flapped her wings with all her might and charged toward the towering, mountain-like enemy.

A moth to a flame, knowing it was a one-way journey, yet surging forward without hesitation.

Dragon Flame gathered in her mouth, then shot out in a fierce burst.

Constantine’s fiery crimson dragon eyes glanced at her with disdain. He simply swept his massive wings once, and Anna’s full-force burst of Dragon Flame was shattered into nothingness.

The shockwave even reverberated back to Anna herself. After a difficult adjustment to regain her balance in the air, she launched another attack toward Constantine.

Several fireballs struck Constantine’s dragon body, but they seemed incapable of leaving even the faintest mark on his scales.

His enormous figure continued to move slowly toward the sacred Castle, utterly ignoring Anna and the attacks of all the other Silver Dragon soldiers.

Seeing that her magical attacks were entirely ineffective, Anna let out a furious roar and placed herself directly in the path of the Crimson Flame Dragon King.

She flapped her wings ferociously and, using her own body as a weapon, recklessly collided with Constantine.

But to Constantine, such an attack was nothing more than a meaningless nuisance.

With one swift motion, he raised his razor-sharp, colossal dragon claw and pressed Anna firmly to the ground.

The claw pierced through Anna’s wings, and blood began pouring out uncontrollably.

Despite being pinned down, Anna still attempted to fight back. She struggled, spewing Dragon Flame from her mouth in a continuous attack against Constantine.

Yet, it was all in vain.

Realizing the absolute disparity between her strength and Constantine’s, Anna froze in despair.

She could hardly believe that a dragon could be this overwhelmingly powerful.

But then again, perhaps only a Dragon King wielding such terrifying might would dare to wage war against the other Dragon Clans so wantonly.

Despair slowly engulfed Anna, spreading to the entire Silver Dragon army.

From the moment Constantine appeared on the battlefield, it felt as though everything had already been decided.

...

Inside the Castle, an oppressive silence hung over the air; the atmosphere was suffocatingly heavy.

Muen clung tightly to her older sister, burying her small face into her embrace, struggling to hold back her sobs as her tiny hands gripped her sister’s clothes with desperate force.

Noa’s hands were trembling. The apocalyptic scene before her eyes was far more than what a child her age could endure.

Yet, she continued to hold her younger sister tightly, murmuring soft reassurances.

The other maids, including Milan, quietly watched as Anna was ravaged and overpowered. Their gazes then flicked to the invincible Crimson Flame Dragon King. None of them spoke a word.

It was as if… resistance no longer mattered.

Roswitha opened her eyes, pain flickering through them as she awakened. She could feel the presence of a commanding aura rippling across the battlefield.

It was a presence exclusive to a Dragon King.

She knew Constantine had arrived.

That ancient hero of the Dragon Clan, the one who had expanded its territories thousands of years ago. In terms of strength, Constantine was one of the most formidable Dragon Kings in existence.

“Your Majesty…”

Milan lowered her head, not daring to meet Roswitha’s eyes. “Forgive me. But we… it’s likely that we’ve already lost. No one can kill a Dragon King of Constantine’s caliber. No one…”

No one among them refuted this claim because it was a truth they all silently acknowledged. Milan alone had the courage to utter it aloud.

“To kill… a Dragon King…”

Roswitha repeated the words softly, clutching the sheets beneath her tightly as waves of pain surged from her abdomen. “To kill a Dragon King… isn’t that someone’s specialty…?”

“What did you say, Your Majesty?” A doctor nearby hadn’t caught her words.

Roswitha closed her eyes, a fragile yet serene smile appearing on her pale face.

At this point, there was no other choice.

Softly, she whispered a name.

“Leon…”

In response, he stepped forward to Roswitha’s bedside, his expression as stern as ever as he regarded her.

“I have no way out… Leon, I… I can’t do this anymore…” She looked at the man before her—once an adversary, now an ally—with silver eyes brimming with helplessness.

Leon said nothing, but Roswitha could see his answer in his gaze.

She shut her eyes again, a single warm tear sliding down her cheek and dampening the pillow below. “You know where I kept your things. The key is in the second drawer.”

Leon nodded, opening the drawer to retrieve a key.

Afterward, he bypassed the crowd and approached Noa and Muen. Squatting down, he placed a hand on Muen’s small, cold fingers, then turned his attention to Noa.

Father and daughter locked eyes, as if there were countless unspoken words between them.

In the end, Leon simply said, “Take care of your sister and mother. You can do it.”

“Dad… you’ll come back, right?” Noa asked in a trembling voice.

“Mm. I’ll be back. Didn’t we promise to go to the beach together?”

He ruffled Noa’s hair, said no more, and stood to leave.

“Leon!… Leon…” Roswitha’s weak voice called out.

At the doorway, Leon paused and turned his head slightly. He answered, his voice low and firm,

“I understand. Leave it to me.”

With that, there was nothing more to say. Leon opened the door and strode out of the Castle.

He made his way to Roswitha’s hidden storage room, unlocked the door, and descended the stairs, reaching the chamber’s deepest recesses.

There, he found a wooden crate. Opening it, he looked inside to see a set of black armor laid out.

As if meeting an old friend, Leon reached out, his fingertips brushing the breastplate of the Black Gold Chariot.

“Old friend… let’s go crazy one more time.”