In the Empire, the Fusion Magic Laboratory.

In the vast underground chamber, more than a dozen top members of the Royal Sorcerers' Guild had gathered. Together with the Empire's Chief Administrator Erandi, they were about to witness a historic moment.

“Lord Erandi, I assure you, this iteration of the fusion magic is far more refined,” one sorcerer said respectfully.

Erandi stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression unreadable as he stared at the enormous dragon-headed beast inside the massive cultivation chamber before him.

He said nothing, so the sorcerer continued enthusiastically,

“This time, we selected Dangerous Beasts and members of the Dragon Clan with extremely high compatibility. As a result, both magical performance and physical coordination are vastly superior to the first attempt.”

Though Erandi was not as well-versed in magical research as these professional sorcerers, even he could tell that this iteration of Constantine looked far more coherent than the previous hybrid monstrosity.

At least this one clearly centered around the form of a “dragon.”

Seeing Erandi’s grave expression unchanged, the sorcerer adjusted his strategy, addressing the issue that seemed to concern the Chief Administrator the most.

“My lord, the newly birthed Constantine will unquestionably become the Empire’s most powerful biological weapon.”

The most powerful.

For the first time, a flicker of emotion passed across Erandi’s otherwise cold demeanor.

Those three simple words, “the most powerful," stirred a faint memory within him.

Several years ago, the Empire had once possessed a man who was also called “the most powerful.”

During the height of the war between humans and dragons, when the conflict was at its most dire, that man alone had tipped the scales. For the first time, victory seemed within reach for humanity.

No one could deny his strength, and yet, no one could dismiss the fear his terrifying power inspired.

Back then, everyone believed this epic war would end beneath the crushing force of that man’s might.

But...

The Empire neither needed—nor could it allow—the war to end so quickly.

This was not truly a clash of species; it was merely a vast and intricate game of chess.

And that man had been an unruly chess piece.

It was he who had slain Constantine, and his actions declared the presence of a third player in the game.

Erandi had been tasked with eliminating him, and yet, after all these years, that damned man was still very much alive and kicking.

How infuriating.

The memory caused Erandi’s expression to fracture ever so slightly.

The nearby sorcerer noticed this fleeting shift in emotion and hurriedly seized the chance to boast further.

“Lord Erandi, the reborn Constantine will surpass Leon Casmode.”

At the mention of that name, Erandi’s throat constricted as if blocked by an object. Were it up to him, he would never utter that name so lightly.

Fortunately, the sorcerer had spoken for him, and Erandi slowly turned his head, his tone faintly displeased.

“If I recall correctly, your previous fusion experiment explicitly aimed to kill Leon. And what happened?”

“Not only did Leon survive, but he also destroyed every single one of our Heart-Guarding Dragon Scales.”

That incident was the darkest stain on Erandi’s otherwise illustrious career.

The Heart-Guarding Dragon Scales he had painstakingly collected over half a lifetime—all annihilated by that bastard Casmode.

When the King learned of this, he had nearly ordered Erandi to be executed on the spot.

If not for Queen Elizabeth’s intervention, Erandi would probably have been exiled to some godforsaken wasteland to farm cabbages by now.

Small wonder Erandi bore an abiding grudge.

The sorcerer rushed to defend himself.

“What happened last time was truly beyond our expectations. Who could have predicted that scoundrel Leon would plant lightning magic within the Heart-Guarding Dragon Scales? We—"

“Enough. I’m not interested in hearing any more excuses.”

Erandi raised a hand to cut him off.

“This time, without the Heart-Guarding Dragon Scales, are you certain Constantine’s power will exceed the last attempt?”

“Yes, my lord. This time, you permitted us to utilize the Primordial Power,” the sorcerer replied.

“That is a force far stronger than the Heart-Guarding Dragon Scales. For the Dragon Clan, it is an ancestral treasure—a gift no dragon can resist.”

“The Primordial Power represents years of the Empire’s research and is incredibly rare,” Erandi said. “‘Razor Trio’ has already begun their own trials with Primordial Power fusion.

“If Constantine fails again, the Empire will not have enough Primordial Power for a third attempt. Do you understand?”

“Yes, my lord,” the sorcerer answered with a bow.

Exhaling deeply, Erandi turned his gaze back to Constantine in the cultivation chamber.

The dragon-headed beast’s eyes remained closed, its form surrounded by rhythmic bubbles rising to the surface of the chamber’s fluid.

The sorcerers busied themselves, tuning magical apparatuses and testing materials.

After a while, impatience prickled at Erandi.

“When will it be complete?”

Although outwardly he maintained pressure on the team, deep within, Erandi held high hopes for Constantine.

No, “high hopes” was not quite accurate—“gambling everything” would be closer to the truth.

He had staked every high-level resource within the Empire on the success of this Constantine.

All the Heart-Guarding Dragon Scales were gone, and now he had risked their last reserves of Primordial Power on this experiment.

If it failed again, even if Queen Elizabeth became Erandi's godmother, she might not be able to shield him.

Erandi understood all too well that power and prestige came at a price.

As the saying went, “Serving the monarch is like walking the edge of a blade.” After serving the royal court for half his life, Erandi grasped this truth better than anyone.

And yet, relinquishing everything and returning to the life of an ordinary man was something Erandi would never, ever accept.

Power was an intoxicating drug, and countless people had fought to the death for its allure.

“My lord, it’s almost ready!” the sorcerer exclaimed excitedly beside him.

Erandi’s thoughts were pulled back to the present.

He lifted his head to look.

Sure enough, the beast began to open its eyes.

The laboratory erupted in cheers from the assembled sorcerers.

“Constantine... is awakening!”

“What a masterpiece, surpassing all known lifeforms!”

“Come now, Constantine. Wake up, and let the world hear your roar!”

"......"

As soon as the dragon’s pupils opened, an overwhelming pressure surged outward, flooding the chamber.

Erandi locked eyes with Constantine’s gaze and saw within those vertical pupils, which contained a fury, so wild that it seemed ready to explode.

At the same time, the Primordial Power began manifesting as flowing streams of energy that weaved across Constantine’s body. It worked methodically but swiftly, stitching the new form into a cohesive body.

“It’s working! The Primordial Power is activating!” the sorcerers shouted, thrilled.

“We’re mere moments from completion!”

"......"

The laboratory echoed with cheers, and even Erandi found himself caught in the exhilaration.

Unconsciously, he stepped forward, raising trembling hands in anticipation as he shouted,

“Resurge, Constantine! Be reborn!”

Suddenly, bubbles in the cultivation chamber began to churn violently.

Immense energy radiated outward, shaking the room.

*CRACK—CRACK.*

Two sharp cracks resounded as visible fissures stretched across the chamber’s exterior wall.

The fluid inside began seeping through the cracks.

Erandi’s excitement transformed into alarm. He stepped back in haste, demanding,

“What’s happening? Is this supposed to happen?”

The lead sorcerer swallowed hard. “M-My lord... I don’t know! Everyone, is this part of the plan?!”

Another sorcerer nearby answered in an oddly resolute, booming tone,

“Reporting to the professor: No, it is not!”

The lead sorcerer: ?

Erandi: ?

What the hell?!

Before Erandi could explode in anger, a deafening *BOOM* tore through the air.

All eyes turned toward the source.

The chamber had completely shattered, spilling dark green fluid across the floor.

From within, the dragon-headed beast stepped forward, lifting its massive right leg out of the chamber.

Its sheer size filled the expansive laboratory with oppressive weight.

“Is... is it out of control?!”

“Why isn’t Constantine calming down as expected?!”

Panic erupted. Sorcerers screamed in fright and scattered in every direction.

The lead sorcerer forced himself to remain steady, barking orders,

“Activate the contingency suppression array! Now!”

For an experiment of this scale and risk, they had of course prepared safety measures in advance.

At his command, the panicked sorcerers quickly initiated the array.

A red glow flared beneath Constantine, encircling the beast in a confining cage of light.

The dragon-headed beast let out a low growl and tested the boundaries of the array with a forceful push.

But it had barely awakened, and its body was not yet fully recovered. Though immense power boiled within, it remained inaccessible for now.

Constantine began to howl, and the dragon’s roar reverberated throughout the chamber, shaking the walls.

A young sorcerer narrowed his eyes and sneered.

“Mere impotent rage. Does it really think it can break free of the array? What a fool’s dream.”

The suppression array was indeed extraordinarily strong. And given that Constantine hadn’t yet mastered its current form and abilities, the crisis seemed under control...

Or at least, it ought to have been.

The array compressed tighter around Constantine, restricting its already limited space.

Victory seemed imminent as the beast was gradually forced back into its makeshift cage.

And yet, Constantine continued its desperate howls.

“Why is it still struggling?”

“Quit your pointless resistance! Submit obediently and become the Empire's mightiest weapon!”

The sorcerers popped open champagne.

But the 'teacher' was the only one who did not.

He frowned and murmured in a low voice, "Constantine's roar... sounds a bit off."

Erandi turned to him. "What's off about it?"

"This roar doesn’t sound like it’s expressing anger or struggle. It sounds more like... a summons."

"A summons? What's he summoning?"

Before Erandi could get an answer from the sorcerer teacher beside him, the ground beneath them began to shake violently.

“What the hell is going on now?!”

Erandi cursed loudly.

The next moment, the underground laboratory began to collapse, rubble tumbling from above.

The sorcerers found themselves overwhelmed, unable to maintain the suppressing formation while dodging the falling debris at the same time.

At this rate, Constantine was bound to lose control again!

But… that wasn’t the worst of it.

Amidst the devastation and chaos, a massive iron-gray figure emerged, wings beating powerfully as it burst through the rubble, scattering the sorcerers in its wake.

"That’s... Fael?! The Iron-Wing Dragon King, Fael?! What is he doing here?!"

Erandi, who had already retreated to a safer corner, stared at the dragon form of Fael, his face full of disbelief.

It was only then that the sorcerer teacher beside him realized and muttered aloud, "So this was it... Constantine's roar was summoning Fael... Lord Fael. This isn’t an experiment gone wrong."

"What?!"

"They planned this from the start... This is their plan!"

Too late to understand, too late to act.

The suppressing formation that the sorcerers had been maintaining was effortlessly broken by Fael.

He swiftly moved to Constantine’s side. Constantine raised his right hand and grasped one of Fael’s massive claws.

The iron-gray dragon took to the skies, tearing through the remnants of the underground laboratory, heading straight toward the depths of the night sky.

Against the backdrop of the full moon, the true flames of vengeance had been reignited.