"Dragon King... It really is the Dragon King!"

"They're here to help Leon against the Empire? But isn't the Empire cooperating with the Dragon Clan to manipulate this war?"

"I guess... perhaps there are members within the Dragon Clan who are dedicated to exposing this monumental conspiracy?"

"Honestly, I don't really trust the Dragon Clan... Just look at that Dragon King they call Constantine —he's got such a fierce look."

"Come on, how else would he become the Dragon King without being fierce?"

"Whatever the case... since we've all been victims deceived by the Empire for so long, whoever can beat the emperor, I'll support."

"That's a bit extreme, don't you think?"

"What, so who do you support then?"

"Leon."

"Tch!"

"......"

The crowd was a cacophony of opinions, a myriad of voices debating endlessly.

Some people believed in Leon without question and gave him their full support, while others remained cautiously skeptical of his actions.

No matter their stance, one thing was certain: everyone here had suffered for too long under the Empire’s exploitation. None of them would ever side with King Kant.

This was precisely why Leon had used the resonance of the Recording Stones to publicly reveal the Empire's ugly truths.

Even if he couldn't gain the support of everyone, he could at least make the vast majority see the reality of the situation.

At the forefront of the crowd stood the elite trio of the Dagger Special Forces, they gazing up at the three Dragon King and Queens who had descended from the heavens, with expressions of mild surprise.

Indeed, they were newly minted dragon-slaying machines cultivated by the Empire, as efficient as Leon had been in his prime. Against members of the Dragon Clan, they had always cut through them effortlessly, like a blade slicing through paper.

But since these individuals had been brought here by Leon as reinforcements, they were bound to be different from any Dragon Kings they'd ever faced before.

Especially that one... Constantine.

Both the *Fusion Matrix Program* and the *Spearhead Initiative* had been developed concurrently, so the Ginny brothers had heard of this so-called "stitched monster."

What’s more, he had once broken free from the Empire's Royal Sorcerer Corps’ mental suppression, escaped, and caused quite a commotion in the process.

Now, returning to this familiar place as a soul burning for revenge, his intentions were clear: vengeance on the Empire.

Even though Ginny and his brothers knew this battle would be a serious challenge, none of them showed even the slightest hint of fear.

"Seems like you've been doing pretty poorly in the Dragon Clan all these years, huh, Leon?"

Captain Ginny sneered, his tone dripping with disdain. "Two women—and a corpse who's died twice—these are the allies you mustered up?"

"Our commander means, if you really couldn’t find anyone better to back you up, you might as well have surrendered instead of embarrassing yourself out here," Gitte chimed in, piling on.

Finally, the one-armed Gimme added his own arrogant flourish:

"Three Dragons? Just perfect—one for each of us brothers. At least this time, we won’t have to argue over who gets which kill!"

Pre-battle taunts were as routine as sharpening a blade before a fight. Let alone the most malicious words.

However, Leon was long past the age of engaging in trash talk.

His wife, his aunt, and Constantine were even less interested in such trivialities.

Claudia and Roswitha, standing with arms folded, simply watched the brothers squabble with calm detachment. The looks in their eyes held a peculiar blend of pity and concern—like grown-ups observing a bickering bunch of children.

As for Constantine, though branded as “a corpse who’s died twice,” he managed to maintain his composure and refrained from acting rashly.

He understood his role here—to serve as muscle for Leon; as long as Leon didn’t give the word, he saw no reason to overstep.

Why, you ask, would someone as fearsome as the Crimson Flame Dragon King—Constantine—so obediently heed General Leon's orders?

The answer, of course, lay in Leon's promise of a treasure trove of Primordial Power magical tomes!

...

Leon glanced left and right. None of his three heavy-hitters seemed inclined to respond to the taunts.

While he himself wasn’t one for verbal sparring anymore, this was still a critical battle. He couldn’t let the prelude pass in silence.

"You don't need to worry about divvying up your kills."

Leon stepped forward, extending his right arm, as azure lightning crackled in his palm. His voice carried an unshakable confidence. "All three of you can take me on together. Constantine and the others will deal with the Dangerous Beasts and fused monstrosities."

At this, Ginny arched an eyebrow. "My, aren’t we the arrogant one? Do you have any idea of our record on the dragon-hunting battlefield? It's not a bit worse than yours."

Leon let out a cold snort, his body crouching slightly, readying for engagement.

"Why don’t we let a few exchanges settle that matter."

As soon as the words left his lips, Leon launched his attack, wasting no time in opening the duel.

In a fight to the death, a mere breath could decide victory or doom—there was no need for formalities like shouting "Ready, three, two, one, go."

Leon’s strike was precise and efficient, catching the brothers completely off guard.

By the time his figure materialized again, he was already moving past Ginny’s flank.

In that fraction of a second, the sharp cry of a bird sliced through the air, ringing next to Ginny’s ear—

*Boom!*

A lightning-infused blow hurled the captain backward, sending him flying over ten meters.

This first strike, a deadly *Chidori*, was Leon’s declaration of war.

"Attack! All of you—attack now! Kill that traitor!"

"Ragh—!"

Dangerous Beasts and fusion monsters surged forth in a tide of chaos.

As Leon had promised, the "clean-up" of these creatures was left to his trio of Dragon King and Queens.

Claudia’s piercing gaze swept across the grotesque horde. Her lips curled into a subtle smirk.

"So, he took the tough ones for himself and left us with these fodder, huh. Roswitha?"

"Hm?"

"Your husband is *stingy*."

"......"

Roswitha gently laughed, shaking her head in exasperation, while simultaneously preparing to engage.

"In battle, stingy or not doesn’t matter. All enemies must be faced with full force.”

"Ah, good attitude. No wonder you two are married."

Claudia dropped the banter, unleashed a burst of Dragon Flame, and blasted several Dangerous Beasts into the air.

Seizing the moment, Roswitha followed through with a precisely aimed fireball. The pair demonstrated perfectly synchronized teamwork and elegant precision in their attacks.

"Not bad. Let’s keep going."

Together, they systematically cleared the battlefield, their movements orchestrated with almost artistic finesse.

Meanwhile, Constantine’s side was decidedly less restrained.

Fueled by seething hatred for the Empire and haunted by memories of his time as an experimental subject in their labs, Constantine showed no mercy to the fusion monstrosities before him.

His colossal Dragon Flames nearly reduced half a city block to rubble with every release.

Luckily, the Lionheart Association had already evacuated the area, sparing civilians from injury.

“Hah, pathetic rubbish.”

Constantine shook the remnants of Dragon Flame off his hand before dashing towards a particularly large fusion beast.

Clearly, only the big ones could quell the raging power inside the Crimson Flame Dragon King!

...

The battle that would determine the fate of the Empire roared into full swing.

Leon faced the Spearhead brothers head-on, battling three without losing even an inch of ground.

Ginny and his brothers’ flurry of blows rained down like a vicious storm. Their punches were like gusts of wind; their kicks were like sudden bolts of lightning.

But Leon dodged every strike with unnerving ease. No matter how fast or ferocious their blows, none landed upon him—not even an insignificant scratch.

Their clash dragged them from the boundary of the Upper District, across blocks, and into another district.

Leon fought as he retreated.

"Tell me, Mr. Revolutionary Hero, how is it that you've yet to throw a single punch after all this time?" taunted Gimme—the one-armed youngest brother—amidst their exchange.

Leon crossed his forearms in front of him, catching one of Gimme's heavy punches with an unyielding block. Smirking, he replied:

"And yet, after all this time, I haven’t seen you use that *other* arm. What’s wrong—don’t feel like using it?”

When it came to sharp-tongued quips, the three brothers together were no match for Leon alone.

As the former commander of the Dragon Slayer Army, Leon had honed a tongue as deadly as his blade. Years of verbal contests with a certain silver dragon had only elevated his unparalleled wit further.

Beating Leon in a fight was hard enough. Beating him in a war of words? Impossible.

Predictably, Leon's retort sent Gimme into an instant, frothing rage, his attacks growing wild and uncalculated.

"You bastard! I'll shred *both* of your arms off!"

"Gimme, wait! Don’t charge in alone!"

But it was too late.

Furious, the one-armed brawler sprang toward Leon, his right leg shooting toward Leon’s midsection like a loaded spring.

And Leon had been waiting *exactly* for this moment.

As Gimme broke formation with his brothers, Leon moved to disengage slightly, widening the gap between him and the other two.

Now it was no longer three-on-one—it was just Leon against Gimme.

Leon deliberately exposed his midsection, tricking Gimme into attacking a calculated weak spot.

Seeing the incoming kick, Leon sharply brought his elbow down into Gimme's shin with devastating force.

*Crack!*

A sickening snap resounded as bone shattered, accompanied by Gimme’s anguished scream.

Leon seized the momentum, snagging Gimme’s ankle in an iron grip and whirling him around—a blur of motion before hurling him directly into a nearby building.

*BOOM!*

The building crumbled, burying Gimme amid rubble and debris.

"Gimme!!"

Seeing their youngest brother injured, Gitte finally showed signs of distress.

"Take care of yourself first."

The voice, faint like a death whisper, was bone-chilling. Gitte was distracted for merely a brief instant when Leon's figure flickered and appeared right beside him.

In the very next moment, a deafening thunderclap erupted. Leon had preemptively detonated Chidori, using the impact of the explosion to blast Gitte away.

As he finished his move, Ginny's attack came right on the heels of it.

But Leon had anticipated it. He stepped back swiftly, narrowly avoiding Ginny's sudden strike.

Capitalizing on Ginny's missed assault, Leon lifted his leg and delivered a powerful knee strike directly to Ginny's abdomen.

In that instant, Ginny felt as if all his internal organs were twisting together. He lost all ability to move in a single moment.

Leon raised his arm, gripping Ginny by the throat. Lifting him high into the air, he then slammed him mercilessly into the concrete ground.

The violent impact jarred Ginny’s back and lungs, forcing a mouthful of blood to burst from his lips.

Beneath him, the ground cracked visibly, spiderweb fissures spreading outward.

Leon slowly straightened himself and kicked Ginny aside.

At this point, the three-member Blade Trio were in dire straits—one buried, one blasted away, and one nearly embedded into the ground.

They lay defeated in a triangular formation around Leon.

But Leon did not let his guard down, for he knew that this wouldn't be enough to kill these three.

Sure enough, not much time passed before the Blade Trio regained their composure. Though bearing various injuries, their fighting spirit and killing intent had been thoroughly ignited by Leon.

"Lesson time, kids. In situations where you're outnumbered, always split your enemies apart. Turn one-on-three into three rounds of one-on-one," Leon said slowly and deliberately.

"Now then, let's revisit the question from the very beginning," he added, standing tall as his piercing gaze landed on Ginny.

"You claimed that your record in the Dragon Battleground was no less impressive than mine," Leon said, his tone even. "But that’s not exactly true."

As he spoke, his right hand gradually lifted. Blue lightning crackled and surged within his palm, radiant and blazing.

"You managed to kill Dragon Kings because your limit stops at Dragon Kings."

"But I killed Dragon Kings because—"

"The strongest creature in this world is the Dragon King."

"If there's anything stronger, it's only because it hasn't yet met me."

*Snap—*

Leon clasped his hands together forcefully, electricity exploding outward and filling the air with crackling sounds. Instantly, the sky grew dark as storm clouds gathered above.

Thunder and lightning churned violently within the billowing clouds, like a caged beast straining to break free.

**Super S-Rank Lightning Magic: Dragon Annihilation!**

—XX—

Outside the battlefield, Rebecca witnessed Leon using his ultimate move "Dragon Annihilation" merely three minutes after the battle stared:

"Captain, no need, no need to go that far."