The massive dragon's body turned into specks of ash, dissipating into the wind.

Beneath the ashes lay the dying Chaos Dragon King, Jagus.

Leon strolled slowly to his side.

With all the strength he could muster, Jagus propped himself up. Upon seeing the expressionless man before him, he panicked, scrambling backward several meters.

Moments earlier, all his arrogance and pride had evaporated.

What replaced them was fear.

The kind of fear that came from standing before Death itself.

"Why are you... still alive?" Jagus asked, trembling.

Leon stood before Jagus.

Jagus stopped retreating.

Because Leon had stepped onto his ankles.

He had no doubt that even if he moved only a single centimeter, Leon would unhesitatingly crush his bones.

This Dragon King, who had lived through centuries and millennia, now dared not move under the looming intimidation of a mere human.

Leon loomed over him. His calm gaze concealed a brewing storm of anger on the verge of eruption.

"The last person who dared harm my daughter chose to suicide by jumping into a spatial rift. What a pity—I didn't kill him myself."

Leon said this indifferently. "But this time... I won't give you any chance to take your own life."

"What—what are you going to do—Aah!!"

Before Jagus could finish his sentence, two lightning swords pierced through his hands, nailing him firmly to the ground.

And then—

*Crack! Snap!*

The sound of bones breaking rang clear and sharp, echoing through the smoke-filled battlefield, accompanied by the agonized wails of the Dragon King.

Of course, Leon had no interest in torturing defeated opponents with elaborate cruelty.

His vengeance had always been swift and efficient.

Just as Leon was about to act further, something else caught his attention—a figure not too far away.

The Black Sun Dragon King, Bly.

"Ah... I recognize him. He came here with you, didn’t he?"

Leon spoke slowly. "So, the two of you are responsible for all this. In that case—"

He sheathed his lightning swords, grabbed Jagus by the collar, and dragged his shattered body step by step moving toward Bly.

"Kill all of you."

The fabric of Jagus's clothes scraped against the sand and gravel on the ground, making a muffled, scratching sound.

It was as if Death’s scythe dragged along the earth, sparks and a piercing screech erupting simultaneously.

When Bly saw the approaching man, his reaction was identical to Jagus's.

From surprise to shock, from terror to despair.

For a time, he even forgot to run.

But as the Death drew near, Bly barely managed to snap out of his panic.

He glanced at Jagus in Leon's grip.

There was no way to save him.

He had to run.

Don't be hesitate. Just run!

Bly took two steps back, raising his hand to activate a spatial teleportation array.

Forcing himself to tear his gaze away from Leon, Bly summoned every ounce of strength to move his body in that overpowering and suffocating presence.

Bly turned, stumbling toward the array.

"As long as I get out of here... I'll be fine. Away from here... To hell with this mission—let someone else handle it! This monstrosity the Empire created—let the Empire clean up its own mess!"

Bly muttered hysterically to himself as he lunged for the teleportation array.

Unfortunately.

Just as Briar's upper body vanished into the array, he felt something tug at his tail from behind.

Bly immediately knew what had happened.

Without looking back, he strained with all his might to pull himself into the array.

Just a little more, just a little more, he could leave this cursed place!

But the figure behind him didn’t budge an inch.

To Leon, the sight of Bly frantically struggling was akin to a cornered rat desperately clawing its way back into its dark, decaying hole.

Bly’s desperate thrashing left two deep gouges in the ground beneath him.

Leon just held onto Bly's tail with a calm expression, watching the scene unfold.

"You’re a Dragon King. What kind of display is this?"

Bly had no time to retort to Leon's ridicule.

All he wanted was to escape.

To get as far away from this nightmare as possible.

But even after his hands were torn and bloodied, he couldn’t break free of Leon's grip.

Pain forced Briar to halt his struggle momentarily.

Then, he heard a disdainful chuckle from the man behind him.

“Is this all you’ve got, Dragon King?

"Pathetic...”

“So weak.”

In the next second, a massive force yanked Bly backward with terrifying ease.

Leon then flung the dying Jagus into the air, and, with a firm grip on Bly’s tail, hurled him up like tossing trash.

The two Dragon Kings collided midair.

Leon brought his palms together, then slowly drew them apart. A spear materialized in his hands.

*A-Class Lightning Magic: Thunder Blade Manifestation – Altered Sky-Piercing Spear*

With precision, Leon aimed the crackling spear at the airborne duo—then hurled them.

The spear tore through the air, pierced the shadows above, amidst Briar's earth-shattering screams, and skewered both him and Jagus.

Brilliant lightning exploded in the sky, illuminating the desolate charred battlefield below.

Leon flicked his wrists, as remnants of lightning peeled off his hands.

"Still not satisfying enough," he muttered.

Far away, Roswitha watched the familiar burst of lightning. Her tired eyes slashed a glimmering hope.

"Leon..."

"Mom!"

Noa ran back from the battlefield. She waved her hands excitedly. Her face lit with joy.

Roswitha stared at her daughter in a daze.

She knew what that smile meant.

At that moment, the queen finally allowed the weight on her chest to ease.

Her perseverance and patience had finally received its answer.

Roswitha held Aurora in her arms and took Muen’s hands as they walked toward Noa.

And just behind Noa was that familiar figure.

As always, he remained in the aftermath of the explosion, standing there nonchalantly, exuding an air of cool detachment.

The queen smiled, burying her face in Aurora’s hair. Her shoulders trembled slightly.

But before Roswitha could regain her composure, she felt the earth beneath her violently quake.

Roswitha lifted her head. Her gaze darted forward, and her eyes widened.

Four colossal dragons descended from the sky, encircling Leon.

The sheer force of their energy and dragon-like presence all showed that, all of them were Dragon Kings—possibly even higher-tier ones.

Several kilometers away, Nacho Salamanca stared at the scene, mumbling incessantly:

“Kill him... Kill him quickly!”

“He definitely can not survive… He must not!”

“He has to die here! No matter how high the cost is, he must die here!”

"Four offensive-class Dragon Kings. Leon Casmod, today, you either die—or you die!!”

Back on Roswitha’s side, Anna, the head maid, observed the battlefield. She recognized those Dragon Kings and spoke gravely.

“Your Majesty… These aren’t like Bly or those spatial-magic Dragon Kings. These are pure combat types. Each of them surpasses Stellar Dragon King Stahp individually—and there are four of them at present…”

The flame of hope ignited moments ago was swiftly doused with cold reality.

Roswitha stood frozen.

Not need Anna’s explanation, Roswitha could already feel the overwhelming tidal wave of power washing over her.

Once, she and Leon had fought together to force Stahp into self-destruction.

Now, Leon had to face not one but four who rivaled Stahp.

How strong would he have to be to end this nightmare?

On the battlefield, the combined Dragon Might surrounding the four Dragon Kings weighed heavily.

Were anyone other than Leon standing among them, they’d already have been torn to shreds under the oppressive aura alone.

But the tiny human figure remained standing.

And even seemed... amused.

"Nacho is losing his mind."

“To kill this human, we’re really teaming up?”

“I thought Bly and Jagus could handle it. Who knew we’d have to clean up their mess?”

“Cut the chatter. Kill him. Otherwise, the old cronies from the Empire won’t hold up their end.”

The four Dragon Kings raised their heads simultaneously, fiery Dragon Flame pooling in their throats.

Dragon Flame was the simplest yet most potent weapon of the Dragon Clan.

For a Dragon King with sufficient strength, various magic weren’t necessary.

A single blast of Dragon Flame could destroy the entire world.

Now, four top-tier Dragon Kings simultaneously directed their most devastating flames at Leon.

This level of attack could obliterate any foe.

Even if by some miracle he survived…

Early death or late death—it wouldn’t matter.

Four torrents of Dragon Flame surged from different directions, swallowing Leon in moments.

“Hehe… Hahaha—”

“Die, Casmod! Just die!”

“Without Black Gold Chariot shielding you, how can you survive from this?!”

“It’s over... It’s finally over!”

“Leon Casmod has at last been erased from this world!”

Nacho Salamanca fell to his knees, clutching his hair with both hands as he let out his maniacal cries.

Fiery infernos scorched the earth, and even from afar, Roswitha could feel the hellish heat.

The searing wave lifted her silver hair; as a Dragon King herself, she totally understood the lethal force packed in this single attack.

Clenching her teeth, Roswitha lay down Aurora, unfurled her wings, and dragged her heavily injured body forward. She was determined to save Leon.

But before Roswitha could take a few more steps, her frail body staggered, making her fall to the ground.

Sherry hurried forward to help her up. "Her Majesty..."

"I need to find him. Let me go."

Roswitha shook off Sherry's hands.

"Leon... Leon... I’m coming. Don’t die... Please don’t die..."

She was barely able to muster the strength to speak.

Yet she still dragged her feet forward, inching toward the inferno ahead.

The blistering heat evaporated tears at the corners of her eyes.

But in her gaze, the image of that man was always unwavering.

"I’m coming... Leon, don’t leave me again... I beg you..."

Finally, the clash of Dragon Flames triggered a massive explosion.

The shockwave from the blast hurled both Roswitha and Sherry into the air.

A colossal mushroom cloud rose above the battlefield, the dramatic scene resembling an early sunrise.

"Leon!!"

Amidst the flames that had yet to dissipate, one of the Dragon Kings heard Roswitha’s cry.

He turned his head slowly, looking down at the scattered remnants of the silver dragons. "Indeed, as a Dragon King, she has fallen for that human. Ha... disgraceful. But I'll grant you your wish—"

"Why don’t you worry about yourself first, you filthy lizard."

An arrogant and defiant voice echoed from the flames.

All four Dragon Kings turned their gazes simultaneously toward the source of the voice.

As the flames subsided, they saw a semi-skeletal figure surrounded by flickering blue lightning, shielding Leon within its glowing framework.

It was this very structure of lightning and bone that had withstood the earth-shattering attack moments earlier.

Advanced S-tier Lightning Magic: Void Shadow, Initial Form.

"My wife and I love each other devotedly. It has nothing to do with you ugly creatures."

Leon dismissed the Void Shadow, crouched low, and then propelled himself high into the air with a powerful kick.

"What?! It's impossible!"

"How can he still be alive?! How did he... survive?!"

"Kill him! Be quick! Hit him again! Burn him to ash—"

"Wait, what’s he doing? What... what is that attack—"

As Leon soared into the sky, he raised his right hand high above his head. Torrential lightning from the surroundings began converging into his palm.

At the same time, the ashen-gray sky began to churn and boil. Thunder roared through the clouds, streaks of lightning illuminating the man’s silhouette. Blue flashes glinted off his figure.

In that moment, he was like a god of thunder, commanding the most volatile elements of nature.

The surging lightning gradually formed the shape of a lion behind Leon.

Advanced S-tier Lightning Magic: Dragon Annihilation.

This was Leon’s original creation, a technique he had only ever used once before, in battle against the Radiant Dragon King, Star. On that occasion, he had required Roswitha and the other silver dragons to cooperate in generating the cumulonimbus clouds that he needed for the attack.

But now, he didn't need any assistance.

What’s that saying going? Oh—

If you want something done right, do it yourself.

"That’s the technique he used to kill Star!! How can he pull it off on his own?!"

"Don’t... don’t get panic... That technique can only attack once, and there are four of us. He can’t possibly defeat all of us at the same time!"

Hardly had those words left their mouth when Leon raised his left hand, channeling lightning into it as well.

Moments later...

"Two... two lions... W-we can still... probably handle those. Good thing it’s not three—"

Boom!—

The third lightning lion descended from the storm clouds.

"Is he even a fucking human?!"

The Dragon Kings were utterly dumbfounded.

Six months ago, Leon required external help when he summoned even one lightning lion for Dragon Annihilation. But mow, he was creating three of them by himself.

This... this isn’t right.

Is this truly within the limits of a carbon-based lifeform?

But Leon wasn’t finished. Continuing to channel tremendous bolts of lightning, he cast a glance at the stunned Dragon Kings. "So, what were you saying just now? That I only had one lion, and there are four of you? Well... watch closely."

Another thunderclap roared through the sky.

And the fourth lightning lion descended from above.

The Dragon Kings lost all their earlier arrogance.

They stared blankly at the four electric lions encircling Leon, their immense dragon forms now seeming as fragile as thin paper.

"Can you... can you believe it? Constantine actually managed to hold his own against him for several rounds back then... And here we are, utterly powerless to fight back."

"Was Constantine stronger than us thought...?"

"Who knows... No one will know now."

The four lightning lions roared as they awaited Leon’s command. He listened to the Dragon Kings’ final words, then replied calmly,

"Back then, I just hadn’t stretched my muscles in a while, so I used Constantine for a warm-up. It took a bit longer, that’s all."

"And you thought that made him strong?"

"What a joke."

"Well, either way, you’ll soon be able to go to hell and ask him yourselves."

Leon swung his arms, unleashing the lions. They roared furiously and charged at the four Dragon Kings.

The dragons retaliated, struggled, and howled in anguish.

But it was all in vain.

Leon walked leisurely off the battlefield, unaffected by the chaos behind him.

The bursts of lightning and explosions that raged in his wake seemed irrelevant to him.

At that moment, Leon had only one person in his eyes—the wife he had not seen for such a long time.

Standing before Roswitha, Leon gazed down at her as she stared up at him in disbelief.

The long-separated couple looked at each other. No one dared to disturb the silence that enveloped them.

After a while, Roswitha finally spoke softly, barely above a whisper.

"Leon..."

He reached out his hands, looking straight into her eyes. Slowly and firmly, he said,

"Let’s go home, Roswitha."

Just like long, long ago, after Leon had dealt with traitors and fled the Empire, only to be left with nowhere to turn—Roswitha had appeared before him like an angel.

That time, it was Roswitha who brought him home.

This time, it was Leon’s turn.