Facing the incoming shockwaves, Riku opened the Fourth Gate, the Gate of Pain, and forced his way toward the centre of battle.
All the way, he lost count of how many storms he had to destroy, each one sweeping out from the two monsters clashing. If the human settlement had been here, they would have been crushed like weeds.
"How lively…White and Black Dragonia."
Tens of thousands of meters away, Riku stood against the wind, staring at the two dragons, one white, one black, locked in combat.
Their bodies became their deadliest weapons, tearing at each other, blood spraying everywhere. Immense energy blasted from their mouths, clashing and colliding in midair, creating waves of destruction that spread even farther.
Even at this distance, with the Fourth Gate open, Riku felt the strain.
Dragonia, the fourth-ranked race, was said to have infinite energy. For comparison, if an ordinary Flügel's energy is 10, then a single Dragonia scale was said to have 5. Multiply that by the number of scales on its body, and it was no wonder other races feared them.
And the demonic dragonia, no need to say more. A mutant from the number-two-ranked Phantasma, even more violent and terrifying. In terms of raw power, the demonic dragonia was stronger, but in stamina, the white dragon had the advantage.
Of course, Dragonia didn't actually have infinite energy. Riku noticed something off. One Flügel couldn't defeat a Dragonia, but ten Flügel could take one down the numbers didn't add up.
Other races didn't know Dragonia's secret, nor could they find out. For example, the demonic dragonia, despite having some intelligence, was mostly driven by the instinct to kill and couldn't see through the secret.
At first, the two dragons seemed evenly matched, maybe even favouring the demonic dragonia. But after a while, things changed.
Every time the white dragonia was wounded, its body miraculously healed in the next instant, restoring even its aura. It was like time itself was being reversed.
"ROAR—!" Once again, after recovering from its wounds, the white dragonia blasted the demonic dragonia at close range.
Under the force of the white dragonia's breath, the demonic dragonia howled as it crashed to the ground, shaking the earth.
But the breath then exploded, a mushroom cloud rising into the sky and sweeping over everything for hundreds of thousands of meters.
Far away, humans fleeing the destruction could see the light blazing in the night, their hearts filled with fear.
This was what it meant for high-ranking races to battle even at a great distance, death was unavoidable.
"Riku is fine."Hidden above, Schwi scanned the explosion's direction, data flashing in her eyes, and murmured softly.
When the flood of energy faded, what was left was an enormous, irregular crater the only reason it wasn't even worse was because Riku had blocked one side of the shockwaves.
Everything in sight for hundreds of thousands of meters was gone, the ground scorched and charred.
"Did the demonic dragonia die?" Riku scanned the devastated land with a heavy heart.
"ROAR—!"
Suddenly, a furious howl echoed out. The demonic dragonia, covered in wounds and with even its wings torn apart, shot into the sky, its blood-red eyes filled with murderous rage.
Being badly wounded had only awakened the demonic dragonia's bloodlust.
"Hmph, an unkillable thing." The white dragonia stared at the demonic dragonia coldly, its thunderous voice echoing across the world.
But by now, even the white dragonia dared not relax, the real danger was about to begin. One slip, and even he could die here.
Riku, too, watched the demonic dragonia intently, always ready to teleport away. He'd hoped to swoop in after the battle and claim the spoils, but if he got caught in the crossfire, it would be a disaster.
"ROAR—!"
Almost as if reading Riku and the white dragonia's thoughts, the demonic dragonia truly went berserk.
Its aura exploded with terrifying speed, its body swelling, blood-red eyes nearly glowing with killing intent. It opened its jaws wide, gathering blood-red energy.
The white dragonia's golden eyes narrowed, also gathering all its strength, preparing for a final clash.
It wasn't that the white dragonia wanted to face it head-on, he'd already been locked in. Trying to dodge or run would just leave him open to attack.
"This is insane."
Seeing the two dragonia ready to unleash everything, Riku didn't hesitate, he teleported tens of thousands of meters away.
If two beings stronger than Jibril fought without restraint, the destruction would be beyond belief. Staying nearby was a losing proposition.