Misha had been idly fiddling with weapons in the armory alongside Black Rock when the ship shifted to combat mode. At that signal, mechanisms would slide all armaments into their preset positions: two massive Magitech Cannons mounted fore and aft, twenty conventional cannons arrayed along the hull, and ten Magic Missile Launchers positioned near the Magitech Cannons.

The remaining stock consisted of ammunition. Since the Magitech Cannons and Magic Missile Launchers drew power from mana crystals, only the conventional cannonballs filled the crates.

Personal weaponry was also stored here. Misha was currently polishing a Magic Beam Cannon—a compact version of the Magitech Cannon that used standardized mana crystals. Other gear included Magic Light Swords, mounted crossbows, handheld repeater bows, and assorted arms.

Just as Misha bent to gather stray cannonballs, a deafening **BOOM!** echoed from outside. She yelped, tossing the cannonball she’d just grabbed into the air. Frozen mid-reaction, she stood rigid as the projectile plummeted toward her head—until a massive black hand intercepted it effortlessly. Black Rock caught the cannonball mid-fall and placed it gently back in its crate.

"*Whew...*" Misha exhaled, her body going limp as she sank to the floor.

Black Rock lifted her up and carried her toward the deck. By the time they stepped outside, Misha had regained her composure. Set down beside the mecha, she stared at a thick column of white smoke rising in the distance.

"If I’m not mistaken," she murmured, "Belka and the others must be over there. Something’s happened."

Meanwhile, Koya had also been jolted from her reading in the engine room by the explosion. She snapped her book shut and headed for the control cabin.

Black Rock pointed a mechanical arm toward the dissipating smoke. Misha followed its gesture and glimpsed distant silhouettes—dragons. Sensing trouble, she reached to summon Blackmoon, her dragon—but the ship abruptly roared to life beneath her feet.

Exchanging a glance with Black Rock, Misha sprinted for the cabin with the mecha close behind. She slammed the control room door open so hard it crashed against the wall.

Inside, a petite figure in emerald-green sat confidently at the helm. Though small in stature, her hands danced over the controls with practiced ease. Only when the figure turned the wheel nonchalantly did Misha recognize her.

"Koya! What are you doing?!" Misha demanded. The green-haired girl in the lace-trimmed gown was unmistakably their enigmatic teammate, Kaya Linxina.

"Oh? Someone ruined my reading time," Koya replied without looking back, her gaze fixed ahead. "I’m going to teach them a lesson. And judging by that smoke, it’s probably Belka’s group causing the ruckus."

"How could you know that?" Misha’s anxiety eased slightly at Koya’s calm tone.

"Simple deduction. Even if it weren’t them," Koya said, a cryptic smile playing on her lips, "I’d still fly over to deal with whoever disturbed my peace."

Watching the delicate, green-haired loli command the ship with such expertise, Misha felt a jarring sense of unreality. *What even is my life?*

As Koya steered toward Belka’s location, atop a peak of Dragon Rearing Mountain, Illusionary Feather sat motionless, gazing up at a dragon egg suspended in midair. His thoughts remained unreadable.

But the true crisis unfolded where Belka’s team faced ten black-clad figures. Tension crackled—the slightest spark would ignite war.

The leader, a burly middle-aged man, sensed danger in the stalemate. *Best to crush them now and flee while we can.*

"Take them down now! Delay invites disaster!" he barked. "Tenth Brother and I handle the purple-haired one. Second and Ninth Brothers, target the silver-haired woman. Sixth and Seventh, provide ranged support. The rest—choose your opponents!"

His men moved instantly. Black cloaks flew off, revealing weapons and battle-ready stances.

The leader hefted a massive black Heavy Sword, its hilt thicker than Belka’s thigh. To his left-rear stood a leaner youth wielding twin light swords.

Other pairs fell into formation: a gaunt, pointy-eared swordsman and a scar-faced spearman faced Avira; a bearded axe-wielder with twin braids locked eyes with Sophia, who returned his glare with a chillingly polite smile while slipping on reinforced gauntlets; a smirking young man with a cerulean whip-sword focused on Kerdalin, who tightened her grip on her blade.

At the rear stood identical twins—one with fiery red hair, the other with pale green—both slender compared to their comrades. Each held a crossbow, arrows nocked and ready. Hidden daggers strapped to their left thighs glinted faintly.

Just as Belka prepared to issue final orders, the black-clad men attacked without honor.

"Adapt on the fly! Lily, Misa—cover us!" Belka spun, drawing her Knight Sword to block the leader’s lunge.

"Not bad," the leader chuckled, retreating after the clash. "Dragon Tamer Academy truly breeds quick thinkers."

The twin-sword youth then assaulted Belka, his blades a whirlwind of slashes and thrusts. Only her agility kept her alive.

Avira met her two opponents with a volley of shurikens to slow them, then drew twin daggers. Though a Dragon Engineer by trade, she’d mastered assassination arts for emergencies. Her blades slid along sword and spear shafts, aiming for throats. When the men flipped backward to evade, she sprang off their legs, flipped midair, and drove both heels into their chins, sending them crashing down.

Above, the axe-wielder soared toward Sophia. She caught both descending blades with her palms, halting his ascent. "Need some electrotherapy?" she inquired sweetly. Before he could react, current surged from her dragon Violet Lightning through her body, down the iron axe handles, and into him. With a concerned smile, Sophia watched him drop like a sack—**THUD**—onto the earth.

Kerdalin faced the whip-sword youth. As he leapt, his two-meter blade lashed out. Unfazed—she’d faced far deadlier whip-sword masters—she thrust precisely at the weapon’s tip, forcing it back. Midair and off-balance, he had no choice but to retreat.

But as he landed, a crossbow bolt shot toward Kerdalin’s right hand. Only Steelplume’s body shielded her.

From the rear, the twins and the elemental mages unleashed ranged attacks. Swift aerial maneuvers by the dragons prevented serious injuries, while Lily’s barrage of fireballs kept the enemy pinned.

Seeing the merchant camp below turning into an inferno, Belka called out while parrying another strike: "Let’s move this elsewhere! Unless you want your hosts burned to ashes?"

She’d expected refusal—they could retreat first, then ambush the pursuers. To her surprise, the black-clad leader nodded curtly.

Both sides withdrew to a distant, empty field.

Aboard the ship, Misha and Koya watched the fighters recede, then converge again in the distance. Exchanging puzzled looks, they accelerated after them.

Now, with no innocents at risk, both sides unleashed their full power.

The battle reignited with a collision of fireballs. In the explosive aftermath, Belka dove downward. Swift wrapped her in a wind aura, granting her Heavy Sword the speed of a gale. The dragon circled overhead, wind blades flashing from its wings while a rotating wind shield guarded its body.

Belka plummeted like a comet, both hands gripping her Knight Sword overhead. She slammed it down with crushing force.

The leader barely blocked, his Heavy Sword横 across his body. The impact drove him knee-deep into the earth. He coiled, then exploded upward, shoving Belka back.

Before she could recover, the tenth man—a blur of motion—unleashed a flurry of strikes at her back. Wind-enhanced, Belka twisted aside. The leader emerged from the crater, joining the twin-sword youth to flank Belka. Steel met steel, neither side yielding an inch.

Avira faced two middle-aged men: one with pointy ears and a gaunt face wielding a sword, the other bearing a knife scar across his nose and gripping a spear. Unexpectedly, they coordinated their attack. The gaunt-faced man leaped first, intercepting Avira and blocking her strike. As he descended, the scar-faced man sprang upward from the ground, hoisting his spear overhead. The first man landed precisely on the spear shaft, using it to propel himself skyward in a parabolic arc toward Avira’s dragon mount. But Kana the Death Black Dragon swept its tail, slamming him mid-air. A follow-up breath attack then cratered the earth where he crashed.

With one foe eliminated, Avira’s pressure eased considerably against the scar-faced spearman.

Sophia now battled a middle-aged man with twin ponytails and double axes. Crimson energy coiled around his body; his eyes burned red as he charged wildly. Electrical attacks no longer harmed him. Worse, Sophia’s strength waned under his relentless blows. She could no longer push him back, relying solely on Violet Lightning’s Flight to evade.

Yet Sophia’s smile only grew brighter—a sight that would send chills down any observer’s spine. "Uncle," she called sweetly, "you’re old enough to be my father. Must you be so ruthless to a girl? Do you think I’m easy prey?" From nowhere, she produced a massive Magitech Cannon. Sliding her left arm through its rear grip, she aimed as mana surged within. The moment the cannon glowed fully charged, she fired point-blank at the ponytailed man mid-leap—trapped mid-air with no foothold. He slammed into the ground, carving another deep crater.

But it wasn’t over. Violet Lightning unleashed a waiting breath attack, blasting the immobilized man deeper into the earth.

Kerdalin’s opponent pulled a shocking move: he vaulted upward, looping his flexible sword around Steelplume’s neck. With a yank, he landed atop the dragon’s back. Steelplume bucked violently, clearly distressed. Kerdalin, however, chose a different tactic. She leaped off her mount just as the man looked confused—then recalled Steelplume mid-air. The sudden height difference left her hovering above him. Sword in hand, she rained precise stabs toward his head. Flailing with no leverage, he took several wounds before they both hit the ground.

On solid earth, the tables turned. Kerdalin realized his attacks grew sharper. It made sense: earlier, aerial advantage let her counter multiple strikes while he could only manage one mid-jump. Now grounded, she barely parried his onslaught. Had she not joined this mission, she’d never have believed enemies outside Dragon Tamer Academy could near Level Nine strength. Thinking fast, she summoned Steelplume again. The dragon harassed from above while Kerdalin exploited openings below. Their duel reached a stalemate.

Lily unleashed wide-area fire magic, bombarding the enemy’s rear four with countless fireballs and massive flaming spheres. Misa hadn’t fought since camp—her lips moved silently, chanting. A thin, bubble-like film gradually coated their allies. Arrows and spells aimed at them disintegrated into dust inches away.

It was Sanctuary Shield—a Lightshadow defensive spell nullifying physical and magical attacks. Misa’s stillness wasn’t idleness; she sustained the barrier.

Amidst the chaos, atop Dragon Rearing Mountain’s peak, the egg holding the Blazing Hearts pulsed. Its signature pattern glowed faintly, then blazed brightly. Dragonic pressure intensified. Some dragons lost control of their bladders. Only Illusionary Feather remained calm, gazing upward. Worry gnawed at him. Instinctively, he traced a circle in the air—and saw the battlefield below. The even fight deepened his anxiety, but he couldn’t leave.

Relief washed over him as their spaceship appeared in the vision. To avoid distraction, he closed the portal.

Koya piloted the ship toward Belka’s group. Midway, their targets changed direction. Dragon Clan speed outpaced the vessel, forcing a long chase before catching up.

Just as the battlefield came into view, Misha summoned Blackmoon. "Go! Aid them!" she ordered, sending Blackmoon and Black Rock ahead. But the ship struck first—a colossal energy beam lanced toward the enemy’s rear four.

Two enemy Sorcerers countered with a fusion spell: Fire and Wind magic combined. Flames roared with the gale, deflecting the Magitech Cannon’s blast.

Seeing the ship’s arrival, Belka’s group surged with renewed morale, launching counterattacks.

The enemy’s two archers, seemingly out of arrows, drew daggers to face Black Rock’s aerial assault. Black Rock’s twin Heavy Swords, amplified by his weight and Blackmoon’s throw, drove both men deep into the earth—burying himself up to his calves.

The ship’s relentless long-range strikes scattered enemy focus.

Pushing to exhaustion, the two Sorcerers unleashed two fusion spells: one deflected another cannon blast; the second aimed to cripple the ship. But as the attack neared, wind shields solidified around the vessel, absorbing the impact. The Sorcerers collapsed, spent.

Without magical harassment, the black-clad fighters retreated. "Gather them!" Misa commanded. The team herded the enemies together. Lightshadow surged beneath Misa’s feet, rising above the group as she prepared an ultimate spell—when an unprecedented draconic pressure ripped through space.

*Dragon Rearing Mountain Peak*

Illusionary Feather watched the eggshell fracture. Crackling sounds filled the air. When the shell finally shattered, draconic might erupted. Dragons already flattened against the ground were forced deeper into the earth.

A naked Blazing Heart emerged, flying straight into Illusionary Feather’s arms.

Outside, that same draconic pressure triggered the enemies’ final desperate struggle.

The sudden pressure slammed every dragon to the earth, shattering Lightshadow’s spell. The enemy leader and his tenth subordinate lunged at Belka with suicidal fury—determined to take a chunk of their enemy even in death. Without Swift’s speed enhancement, Belka could only repel the leader’s strike. As she knocked him back, a shadow flashed behind her. Twin blades crossed, carving deep gashes down her spine—bone visible. A rising star about to fall.

As she collapsed forward, hopeless, she fell into a warm embrace.

No one reacted in time. Illusionary Feather stood there—one hand crushing the throat of the young assassin, the other cradling Belka. Without hesitation, he pressed his lips to hers, channeling healing mana. With a twist, he snapped the assassin’s neck and hurled the body into the enemy ranks.

As despair gripped the remaining foes, spatial energy sucked them into a vortex. Illusionary Feather’s eyes flickered with surprise—but he struck again without pause, shredding seven or eight bodies within the rift.

The battle ended.

"That brat’s ruthlessly efficient," an old man cursed in a distant palace. "Even under my full power, he eliminated his chosen targets."

"But some survived," a noble-looking youth observed, frowning at the two unconscious Sorcerers and a pile of mangled flesh. "They likely know of the treasure."

"Once Your Highness gains their trust, the treasure is assured," the old man replied, a sinister smile spreading. "Remember our true goal: Dragon Rearing Mountain. I will capture every dragon there... and make them my test subjects."