BOOOOOOM!
The explosion tore through the air without warning, and the spaceship shook violently as if it had been struck by a massive hammer.
While several alarms began ringing at the same time in front of William's eyes, overlapping one another in harsh red flashes that made his head ache with confusion and irritation.
The sudden impact damaged the thrusters badly, and without their stabilising force, the spaceship could no longer remain suspended in the air, causing it to lose balance, spin uncontrollably, and begin crashing downward while rotating at a dangerous angle.
The alarms continued blaring loudly, repeating the same warnings again and again, but William's attention was not on them at all.
Instead, his mind was focused on a familiar and unpleasant realisation, the same one that kept returning, no matter how much stronger he became.
He had missed something again, something important that led to a demon appearing in front of him, and the fact that this mistake had repeated itself made his chest feel heavy with frustration.
Strangely, he was not surprised.
Before he left the academy, the system had already warned him that his subconscious obsession with controlling the plot of the world was holding him back, and William knew that this obsession would not disappear easily.
Even his talent, Lawless Awakening, had not reacted after he disrupted fate on such a large scale. And one of the reasons was William's reluctance to let go.
Even now, instead of reacting instantly to the danger in front of him, his thoughts kept circling around the idea that events had once again slipped outside his expectations.
He recognised this flaw clearly. He was obsessing over the deviation in the future he expected, rather than focusing on the present immediate threat, which currently was a demon floating calmly in the sky with an irritating smirk on its face.
His heart clenched at the thought that his lack of foresight had allowed this situation to happen, and although he understood that he was not omnipotent, the frustration of things not going his way made his jaw tighten.
William forced himself to calm down by taking a deep breath, steadying his thoughts before summoning Sun Chaser.
At the same time, his sword intent erupted outward to stabilise the spaceship in the air, but then, under its pressure, the damaged spaceship instantly reverted back into the Bio-Mech Orb.
The orb surprisingly remained undamaged despite the violent crash sequence.
The surging sword intent kept William suspended in the air just long enough for Sun Chaser to appear.
As soon as the swan appeared, it spread its massive white wings and lifted him smoothly into the sky.
High above the clouds, a demon floated casually, its presence was unsettling the air around it.
The creature had a grotesque muscular body with red stripes carved across blackened skin, radiating a dangerous and oppressive aura.
This demon was Dahek, a powerful being who served directly in Demon Lord Amon's personal army.
A few weeks earlier, Amon had taken an interest in William after witnessing his bold and defiant speech, and since then, Dahek had been assigned to observe the boy whenever he left the academy.
Originally, Dahek's orders were clear. He was supposed to watch and report, not interfere, and certainly not attack.
However, greed had slowly eaten away at his restraint.
A massive bounty, filled with countless treasures, had been placed on Amorphous's head by Demon Lord Kylark himself, and to Dahek, this made Amorphous nothing less than a walking gold mine.
When Dahek witnessed William locating the demon with such ease, his curiosity surged, but his greed quickly overshadowed any caution or surprise he felt toward the human.
Dahek did not attack immediately. He waited patiently while William remained within the territory of the SkyBreak Empire.
He knew that any aggressive action there would alert the Titans and draw unwanted attention.
Only after William crossed into the free no-man's land did Dahek make his move, striking the strange vehicle the boy had boarded.
What he did not expect was the sudden disappearance of the vehicle and the sight of William standing calmly on the back of a white swan.
Dahek's eyes flicked toward Sun Chaser, immediately recognising its ascension-rank aura, and the difference in strength between him and the spirit reassured him.
As a Divine Spark-rank being, Dahek felt no fear. In his mind, this hunt was already over.
Confident and relaxed, Dahek smiled to himself, certain that he could kill the boy at his leisure and return with his prize.
William floated before him, unable to recognise the demon, yet his caution did not lessen after hearing the system's warning.
[Host, this person is at the Divine Spark realm]
William's expression darkened immediately, and irritation flashed across his face.
"What timing," he muttered under his breath.
He had planned to reach his next destination quickly, but now he was forced to deal with a demon several ranks above him, and the delay itself was already infuriating.
"Human," Dahek spoke, his voice deep and arrogant, "hand Amorphous over, and I will do you the favour of sparing your life."
Dahek clearly had no interest in wasting time on someone he viewed as an insect that could be crushed easily, yet he hesitated slightly because this was still Aris.
If stronger beings sensed his presence, they would come hunting for his head without mercy, especially after what the cults did in the academy; even the demons were lying low, knowing that there was too much tension among the natives of Aris now.
Sun Chaser's concerned voice echoed inside William's mind, urging him to be cautious. "Master, let me take you to a safe location."
"No," William replied immediately, his eyes narrowing. "I have an idea. Just go east from here as fast as you can."
Sun Chaser hesitated, alarmed. "But master, east is the territory of dragons."
"Exactly," William said calmly. "That is why it will work."
***
Drakemore Empire...
There was no tradition of building houses in the Drakemore Empire, as dragons preferred to live inside mountain caves, and this habit was one of the many reasons William casually referred to them as lizards.
Deep within the largest cave of the empire, the Dragon Emperor sat on a throne carved entirely from rare magical crystals.
His massive body was radiating such an oppressive aura that even seasoned warriors struggled to breathe in his presence.
Before him, several soldiers trembled as they delivered the news of Maris's escape.
A low, furious growl escaped the Dragon Emperor's throat, and his claws dug into the armrests of his throne.
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He was so enraged that he nearly incinerated the messengers on the spot with his dragon breath.
During the academy attack, many dragons had already died at Vorin's hands, including members of noble clans, and if news of Maris's escape reached those clans, his position as emperor would be seriously threatened.
He leaned forward, thoughts racing as he considered the consequences of this mishap, almost losing all hope to save his position, when suddenly the space around him rippled violently, putting him instantly on guard.
A small portal opened before his eyes, and from it emerged a glowing butterfly, which fluttered gently before landing on his palm and transforming into a scroll.
The Dragon Emperor unrolled it slowly.
----—————⁜⁜⁜–————----
To the Emperor of Dragons,
The one who took your prisoner is a demon.
A demon who is now floating above the skies of your own empire.
The demon seeks to burn your mountains, your sacred forests,
and your position as the Emperor of Dragons.
— From the Eternal Sovereign
----—————⁜⁜⁜–————----
The moment the message ended, the cave trembled violently as the Dragon Emperor threw back his head and unleashed a thunderous roar that echoed across the Empire.
"ROAAAAAR!!!