Twenty kilometers beyond the border of the Silver Dragon Territory, on a towering command platform, a man stood beside the Star-Roaming Dragon King, Ravi.

"I warned you, intimidation has no effect on Leon Casmod. Your ‘ghost’ not only failed to scare him, but it also made him tipped him off and giving him time to prepare."

Days prior, Ravi had used spatial magic to discreetly eliminate a hidden sentry near the Silver Dragon border's forest.

The plan was to stir the pot and assess their opponent's strength.

The outcome was predictable: Ravi had underestimated their foe's thoroughness and crisis response.

That very night after the sentry's elimination, the Silver Dragons disbanded all lone outposts, deploying five-member mobile patrols instead.

Each patrol spaced its five members twenty meters apart, forming a hundred-meter sightline that trapped any would-be 'ghost.'"

Ravi's spatial magic could no longer act rashly.

But regarding the man’s after-the-fact remarks beside him, Ravi merely scoffed disdainfully.

"What makes you so certain Casmod devised these countermeasures?"

The man shrugged nonchalantly. "This is a tactic he used in classic counterattack operations back when he served the Empire. It's one of his signature strategies."

"Your spatial magic has a limited operational range, and each of his patrol lines spans a hundred meters with all members watching each other. You have no avenue to strike."

"Heh... if you ask me, we shouldn’t have started with mind games in the first place. We should’ve brought Startha from the beginning."

The Star Radiance Dragon King, Startha, holds a position in the Dragon Clan seniority that even surpasses Constantine.

Ravi's gaze slowly withdrew from the Silver Dragon territory and moved to the man’s face beside him.

His tone was low, with the faintest hint of threat.

"Nacho Salaman, the Empire and the Dragon Clan are merely in a cooperative relationship—there is no hierarchy between us. Know your place. The Star Radiance Dragon King is not someone you can summon at will."

It was evident that Ravi held great respect for Startha.

But Nacho didn’t care.

He merely sneered coldly, "It’s not me who’s summoning Startha—it’s an order from ‘that lord.’"

When Nacho mentioned ‘that lord,’ his face was full of reverence, as if the figure were standing beside him.

Ravi frowned slightly.

He knew the reason Nacho—the communication messenger—dared to act so arrogant and make bold remarks in the presence of a Dragon King was entirely because of the ‘lord’ Nacho was referring to.

Ravi's presence here today, supervising the battlefront, was also an instruction from ‘that lord.’

‘That lord’ had claimed that while the Star Radiance Dragon King was overwhelmingly powerful, contingency plans should be in place just in case.

The contingency plan referred to none other than Ravi.

But Ravi could not understand this line of thinking. How could it be possible for there to exist a human capable of defeating Startha?

Having bested Constantine alone, now this human dared to brand himself as “invincible.”

Humans... ultimately, they are a shortsighted race, Ravi thought to himself.

"Speaking of which, Ravi, the secret weapon you and Blei and Jargess have been developing should be complete by now, right?" Nacho asked.

"Do you truly think that if it weren’t perfected, your ‘lord’ would have entrusted me with being Startha’s auxiliary strike force?" Ravi’s tone remained low.

Nacho understood the Dragon Kings well. Each of them had a particularly foul temper and viewed most humans the same way one might regard ants.

Yet he relished in this dynamic—being someone whom they found frustrating but couldn’t afford to dispose of.

So he continued probing, trying to make conversation with Ravi.

"By the way, when they summoned you back, weren’t you still stationed in the extreme northern region? How are things progressing over there?"

Ravi’s patience was steadily waning, yet he still had to bear this arrogant messenger’s questions and answer, "It’s progressing smoothly. After all, within the northern teams, I’m the only one who can use spatial magic. Even if the progress is delayed, they wouldn’t even think to suspect me in the slightest."

"That’s good."

Nacho purposefully feigned relief and exhaled deeply.

Ravi shot him a sharp glare, as if to say that all this concern had nothing to do with some mere messenger. Such unnecessary worrying, truly audacious.

"I heard that among the team stationed in the extreme northern region, there are formidable talents, even Angelina Orrett," Nacho added.

"Indeed, given the task at hand is dealing with 'that thing’s' seal," Ravi slowed down his speech.

Since earlier, you’ve been spouting 'that lord’ at me cryptically, playing mysterious—so now I’ll toss a ‘that thing’ right back at you and see how well you handle the suspense.

Nacho shot Ravi a glance, realizing he had no intention of saying more. So Nacho simply changed the topic altogether:

"Actually, if we consider the power of 'that thing,' Leon Casmod would make an excellent 'vessel.’"

Ravi raised an eyebrow, finally unable to hold back his curiosity and asked, "Do you really think so highly of Casmod?"

"Trust me, Ravi. He’s stronger than anyone can comprehend."

Nacho squinted toward the distant horizon, a rare moment of seriousness in his expression.

"That’s why we must employ methods beyond recognition to defeat him. That’s also why 'that lord’ sent you here. You aren’t here as an auxiliary for Startha; you’re the decisive strike, the unexpected killer move."

Ravi’s vertically slitted dragon pupils quivered slightly.

When... when did the human race produce an individual requiring the cooperation of multiple Dragon Kings—alongside the element of surprise—simply to defeat him?

Shaking his head, Ravi cleared away the distracting thoughts.

His gaze followed Nacho’s line of sight into the distance.

There, he saw a man clad in golden armor slowly approaching the Silver Dragon territory’s borderline.

At the entrance adorned with Constantine’s severed head, two figures emerged to confront him.

"Roswitha Melkevi... she’s actually come down in person," Ravi murmured.

"This time, there’s sure to be a grand spectacle," Nacho echoed.

At the distant border, Silver Dragon soldiers and the Maid Squad stood aligned. Anna and Sherry were at the forefront of the formation.

Unlike the previous invasion led by Constantine, this time, soldiers were no longer sacrificial pawns in the opening clash.

This was Dragon King against Dragon King from the outset.

"Star Radiance Dragon King Startha... does it truly take both Her Majesty and His Highness to deal with him?" Sherry’s voice was laced with worry.

Anna gently shook her head, "Constantine’s strength already surpassed my understanding. I can’t fathom just how powerful someone like Startha might be... Sherry, don’t you feel like we’ve been fighting a bit too frequently lately?"

Sherry paused, then responded with a wry smile, "The Silver Dragon Clan has thrived for a thousand years. Maybe everyone has started noticing how prosperous and fertile our land is and wants a piece of the pie."

Anna chuckled softly. "If that’s the case, I suppose we’ll need to expand the entrance to the border after this."

Sherry blinked in confusion, "Why?"

Anna turned to look at Constantine’s severed head, still displayed at the border’s gate.

"The space is too small... there won’t be enough room left to hang them all."