"Divine Flame… Burn the world!"
Under Apep's horrified gaze.
Shouki's four arms stretched outward, forming a circle of flames connecting each of them.
"No, impossible, this is absolutely impossible! How can a human possess such power?!"
She could not accept it.
"Compose yourself. It's pathetic to try and escape reality."
Leon spoke after finishing his incantation.
The fiery, violent element was compressed, and even before reaching it, anyone could feel its terrifying heat.
It seemed as though it would set the entire world ablaze.
Even the smallest fireball would turn into a forbidden spell under Shouki's amplification. And now, Leon moved.
His power was unimaginably terrifying.
That said, even without Shouki, Leon could still unleash magic on this level.
After all, as long as a massive amount of mana was compressed and converted into fire, it could still be achieved.
But he wouldn't dare.
The sheer temperature of the magic itself was so overwhelming that even if cast, Leon himself would be reduced to ashes.
Only through Shouki's body could he wield magic of this level without killing himself.
"This heat…!"
"It feels like we'll be evaporated…"
Dvalin quickly carried Lumine away.
Even at a distance, they could still sense the terror of that spell. Not even the dragons' proudest trait, their natural magic resistance, could withstand such a blaze.
The Grass Dragon King was especially weak against fire.
"Burn!"
"No—!!!"
Pushed forward by Shouki's four hands, the ring of flames formed a bright crimson sun that flew straight toward Apep.
A sensation of death she had never experienced before seized her. For the first time in millennia, she knew fear.
Apep immediately retreated, attempting to dodge.
But this attack was inescapable.
"There is no room to flee from my judgment!"
"Tracking magic?!"
"That's right. You have nowhere to run."
Leon spoke coldly.
He raised the index finger of his right hand and pointed at the fleeing Dragon King. Shouki mimicked the same gesture.
The fireball immediately pursued her.
Every single-target spell of Shouki possessed a homing effect. Even if one were skilled enough to evade it momentarily, few creatures could withstand its devastating power at close range.
At last, the fireball reached the Grass Dragon King.
Perhaps realizing escape was pointless, Apep halted and chose to take the flames head-on.
A deafening impact rang out, like a meteor colliding with the planet.
Apep's figure was swallowed in fire.
With scorching winds, the surrounding desert was utterly transformed. The earth where the flames struck directly was scorched black, as if covered in molten magma.
All the sand within several kilometers melted under the extreme heat—most evaporating, the rest liquefying into glass.
"…Looks like I overdid it."
Leon surveyed the devastation with a subtle expression.
That strike had melted even ancient ruins buried beneath the sands. He began to worry—could Apep have died… cremated, even?
That would be a mistake.
He only intended to defeat the dragon, extract information, and perhaps even subdue her.
Killing her had never been his goal.
Dvalin, noticing Leon's concern, spoke.
"Don't worry, Leon. She's one of the firstborn ancient dragons. She won't die so easily, hahaha~ Though she definitely won't be unscathed."
"Fire is the element Apep is weakest against. Even if she poured all her mana into defending just now, she'll surely have taken severe damage."
Hearing this, Leon exhaled in relief. That was good.
But then—
[Warning! Warning! Warning! Enemy still alive. Extreme-risk magical reaction detected! Repeat: extreme-risk magical reaction detected!]
Inside Shouki's cockpit, the red alarm lights flashed as Leon's eyes widened in shock.
"ROAAAAAAARRR!!!!"
The dragon's mightiest roar shook the world.
When the black smoke and dust cleared—
They saw a scene beyond belief.
"Human! I will not lose!"
Leon's eyes flew wide open.
The Grass Dragon King's body was aflame, her sand-yellow scales scorched, her blood staining the desert. The wound was clearly fatal!
Apep had not defended, but instead endured the strike while simultaneously charging her strongest technique.
"I am the Dendro Dragon, the primal master of all vegetation, one of the Seven First Dragons of the world. I will never be defeated by a mere human!"
"…You have my respect, Dragon King."
Leon gazed at Apep with solemn eyes.
Such a proud declaration.
Such an unyielding spirit.
Such a sublime, awe-inspiring creature.
"This one really is the same as ever…" Dvalin muttered.
Apep, the Grass Dragon King—poisonous, slow, stubborn… and the most arrogant of the Seven First Dragons. She might not have been the strongest.
But she was the one who most embodied what it meant to be a dragon.
"Human, you are also truly remarkable."
Apep held her bleeding body, lying helpless in the sand, yet still staring directly at the boy who had dealt her such grievous wounds.
When the proudest Dragon King roared her name, the land destroyed by Shouki's final strike bloomed with lush vegetation infused with pure elemental energy.
Countless vines and greenery erupted from the ground, everything within reach about to be swallowed by this immense dendro magic.
Leon frowned.
Even if Shouki wasn't damaged, there was still the risk of the giant's legs being destroyed.
And when the repair bill came due… it would start with at least nine zeroes!!!
Leon: "That's enough! Spatial Seal!"
He imbued spatial magic into Shouki's right foot and stomped hard onto the earth.
In the next moment, a spatial barrier isolating everything spread beneath the giant's feet.
"You think you can protect yourself with that?!"
"This isn't defense… it's teleportation."
Leon diverted the terrifying spell's power elsewhere, though even so, it was dangerous.
The very space beneath Shouki had nearly been torn apart. Truly, it was the Dragon King's ultimate strike.
"…So, in the end, I still lost?"
Apep gazed weakly at Shouki—at Leon. She had spent her final strength and then collapsed unconscious.
Even so, she would not die.
Her vitality was the greatest of all Dragon Kings. Even in this desert, she could continue healing so long as she remained in contact with the earth.
Otherwise, the punishment of the flames might have killed her.
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."
Finally, I am back