The tension between them built to its peak amidst wind, rain, thunder, and moonlight. In an instant, the sky split cleanly in two—blue and red—and the stars vanished without a trace.
Who would break the deadlock?
Rage consumed Ryosuke. After scanning the bird-dragon’s face and muscles from a professional oven’s perspective—this creature was even more oven-like than an oven itself—he concluded it couldn’t be turned into proper scientific cuisine.
The furious Iceflower Evil God Dragon surged upward on beating wings. Under its crushing wind pressure, anyone weaker than a Great Fighter was knocked flat.
The Black Emperor Demon Dragon hovered midair, its terrifying yellow pupils flickering with flames. As the Iceflower Evil God Dragon rose, the fire in its eyes flared higher.
Locked on completely.
Just as everyone expected the Iceflower Evil God Dragon to unleash earth-shattering magic, it suddenly dove headfirst, jaws snapping toward the Black Emperor Demon Dragon.
“Damn!” Xier jumped in alarm.
Everyone knew the Iceflower Evil God Dragon earned its title as the strongest boss through magic that scorned all life. Yet now, it chose brute force against the physically superior Black Emperor Demon Dragon.
Fire-type dragons like the Black Emperor held a massive edge in pure physical combat!
Expecting it to charge head-on, the Black Emperor instead spat a dozen tiny black fireballs. They shot upward, swelling wildly in the wind until each grew to ten meters wide—perfectly blocking the Iceflower’s dive path!
Such precise magic control would shame even an Archmage! Xier’s face lit up, making it unclear whose side she was on.
Both lords defied expectations: the magic specialist brawling, the brawler using magic. Spectators on both sides broke into cold sweat.
What game were these two playing?
How would the Iceflower Evil God Dragon counter? Surely with magic against magic!
“ROAR!!!”
An earth-shattering dragon roar! A massive pale-blue breath erupted from the Iceflower’s maw.
Could basic dragon breath really counter the Black Emperor’s refined fireballs? Doubt flickered on every face.
Undeterred, the Iceflower pressed on. Its breath had once annihilated everything instantly—even against the Twelve Demon Kings’ leader, it remained an instant kill.
A domineering instant kill!
Every fireball froze solid on contact with the icy breath, turning into giant ice spheres.
“Good,” Saori murmured softly, face blank but tiny fists clenched tight.
Next came a fireworks show worth billions. Those “refined” fireballs now resembled five-cent supermarket snacks—shattered to crunchy bits by the Iceflower’s sheer physical might. Ice shards rained down like snow, indistinguishable from the crunching debris.
But where was the Black Emperor Demon Dragon!?
The colossal black dragon had vanished amid the glittering ice fragments.
Where’d it go?
“Watch above!” Saori warned.
From a distant mountaintop, a man muttered under his breath.
“That soft-looking girl has sharp eyes. Pity it’s too late.”
He smiled like a gentleman, purple hair fluttering as rose petals swirled around him—vibrant, dazzling purple roses.
Heads snapped upward simultaneously. A shadowy black dragon silhouette, cloaked by night, had already risen behind the Iceflower Evil God Dragon. Its back was fully exposed. Still committed to its dive, it couldn’t pull back and turn in time to counter the ambush!
If the close-combat-specialist Black Emperor got within range, the consequences were unthinkable! Why wasn’t the Iceflower casting magic?
The battle’s balance tipped instantly toward the Demon Kind!
Saori’s heart pounded. Though she didn’t know why the so-called strongest dragon had challenged the demons, if it fell, Istan City would surely perish. Helpless fury burned in her—why had the continent’s royal courts sealed news of the Demon Kind? If all humans united, these demons would be nothing!
A bunch of cowardly bastards!
Even Saori’s expressionless eyes blazed with rage.
The purple-haired man on the peak chuckled softly, disappointment etched on his face.
“So much for ‘strongest.’”
As sighs of resignation spread, how would the Iceflower respond?
It didn’t swerve like a train to cast a game-changing spell. Instead, it kept its momentum, crashing straight into the cluster of black-armored riders lingering behind.
These elite demon soldiers—each as strong as a Great Fighter—had hidden behind their dragon. With its overwhelming combat prowess, they now resembled pre-cooked black pepper steaks.
Every mouth on the battlefield gaped wide in unison.
It was like a gladiator duel where one warrior suddenly turned to slaughter the spectators.
A timeless golden phrase echoed in every mind:
Despicable! Shameless! Almost vulgar!
The seemingly gentlemanly purple-haired man now looked like an old man whose beloved cart had been trampled.
“This is fucking despicable!”
If Ryosuke heard them, he’d retort:
Sorry, but I’m just that shameless! Ask where my Iceflower Evil God Dragon pride went? I’ll tell you—I’m me! What does that dragon have to do with it? If I were it, I’d have dropped super forbidden spells to crush them all long ago. Why risk my neck?
Kids who don’t know magic—you just can’t win.
But Ryosuke was now fully consumed by rage. This wasn’t strategy—even if the ground below was empty, he’d have crashed into it anyway.
Too much anger. Too much injustice. It needed release.
The clueless black-armored riders became free punching bags for his fury.
The Black Emperor Demon Dragon, leader of the Twelve Demon Kings, stared in disbelief as the “strongest” Iceflower Evil God Dragon pounced on the black-armored riders like a starving tiger among rabbits.
Even a lion uses full strength against a rabbit.
Ryosuke the starving tiger didn’t just use full strength—he threw in every ounce of power from his past life too.
He plunged down, crushing dozens underfoot. Then a blast of breath froze scores more. A thunderous stomp shattered the rest nearby. Those out of range got swept away by a tail whip, followed by another breath blast to make them crash and crunch.
His combo was flawless! Ruthless efficiency in bullying the weak left everyone in awe.
“Hahaha…” Saori burst into laughter, shaking like a blossom. Xier stumbled back, eyes wide. “M-miss… actually laughed!”
Saori ignored her. Watching the dragon butcher the once-arrogant black riders felt incredibly satisfying. True heroes act without petty constraints—unlike hypocrites who made her sick! These elites were demon veterans; leaving them alive would bring endless trouble.
The Black Emperor Demon Dragon’s fury exploded. In two seconds, half its elite troops were dead or dying!
“ROAR!!!”
It unleashed nearly a hundred condensed black fireballs, firing wildly at Ryosuke.
Xier turned pale. The dragon had gone mad! These were detonation fireballs—exploding on contact with anything. A normal mage’s version had terrifying range; the Black Emperor’s would each rival a forbidden spell’s power!
“Run! Stop standing there! Flee! Go!” Xier screamed, losing all composure.
Saori realized a beat later. Dragon Fang Mountain’s central area was flat—those hundred fireballs would blast it to fragments!
“Retreat!” Her voice boomed across the mountain.
Instantly, everyone scattered like birds. Battle Qi and magic flared for escape, creating dazzling streaks. Legs pumped as if parents had gifted extra pairs. The demon elites? Abandoned. In the Demon Kind’s world, useless trash only found freedom in death.
I grant you freedom!
“Oh dear~ so impatient.”
The purple-haired man on the peak sighed, watching the rampaging Black Emperor. While others fled, he stood unmoved.
Ryosuke heard the roar. He crushed a dozen black riders underfoot, then bellowed back defiantly.
A closer look revealed the Iceflower Evil God Dragon’s eyes were completely blood-red.
Rage had seized Ryosuke’s mind. All he wanted was to tear everything before him to shreds!
“ROAR!” A high-pitched dragon cry echoed as a colossal breath surged upward like a tidal wave toward the fireballs.
The world froze on contact.
Then—deafening booms. Endless explosions. An apocalypse.
The horizon turned crimson. Shockwaves flattened everything within twenty miles.
Only destruction remained.
Under hundreds of forbidden spells’ power, even deep-earth creatures couldn’t escape.
A massive mushroom cloud swallowed the plain.
Humans had fled desperately, yet many were still caught—reduced to nothing in an instant. The Crimson Mercenary Corps? They’d answered the horn fastest and fled fastest too, slipping away quietly during the dragon duel.
An S-rank mercenary group reduced to this? Truly laughable.
