"So, you really are just a dumb dragon." Riku shook his head at Varde's words. "Who would give up their own advantage just to fight you head-on where they're weaker? Besides, if we're talking about power, I'm stronger than you anyway."
"You—!" Hearing this, Varde and the other three black dragons stiffened. They wanted to argue, but couldn't. In the very first round, Riku had completely dominated Varde, grinding him into the ground.
"Enough, Varde. How much longer are you going to make a scene? Riku is our guest. Lord Reginleif hasn't made a decision yet, this isn't your place to interfere." Zhuralis suddenly flew over, shouting angrily at Varde.
"...!" At her words, Varde and the other black dragons froze, their pupils wavering before they reluctantly decided to withdraw. They'd already lost enough face. Now that even Zhuralis and the other dragons were intervening, making a bigger mess would only bring more shame.
"Boring." Watching the four black dragons slink away, Riku shrugged, deactivated the Seventh Gate, and muttered with a smirk.
The dragonia's time-contraction ability is just too broken; otherwise, he'd have crippled them for real not just destroyed their pride.
"Sorry about that. Those guys are too immature," Zhuralis said to Riku.
Riku nodded calmly. "It's fine. I'll keep looking around. Let me know when Lord Reginleif gets back."
With that, Riku took off into the sky, heading toward Jibril.
"Looks like he's still mad... Those idiots really are a handful," Zhuralis sighed with a wry smile.
"Ehehe, Master, you were so cool! Watching you trash those big, dumb dragons was so satisfying. If I had more power right now, I'd want to try it myself," Jibril said, clearly entertained.
Riku just rolled his eyes. "You? That would just be suicide. Even for me, juggling all those senses at once with Kyōka Suigetsu and the Seventh Gate is exhausting. You're strong, but not the Jibril you'll become six thousand years from now. Right now, you'd get thrashed by one, let alone four."
"By the way, Jibril, do you want to make a contract? If you do, your life will be completely under my control, but you'll grow stronger together with me. I won't force you, think it through," Riku said, his tone serious.
"A contract? I've already sworn loyalty as your servant, Master. There's no need to consider my feelings on this. Still, I appreciate you asking, it makes me happy," Jibril replied with a gentle smile. "As long as it's your wish, I'll do anything you ask."
"Good." Riku smiled in satisfaction. "Then let's begin."
He pulled out a mysterious, rune-inscribed card from his storage.
"This is a contract card, Jibril. Drip your blood on it and swear loyalty, that's all you need to do," Riku said softly.
"Contract card? Master, you really do have all kinds of strange things," Jibril said, her curiosity piqued as she examined the white card.
Without hesitation, she bit her finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the card.
"I, Jibril, swear to serve my Master, Riku Dola, for all eternity, in life and death," she declared solemnly.
In an instant, the card lit up, and Jibril's figure appeared on it. A mysterious bond formed between Riku and Jibril.
"Teleportation... Not bad," Riku said, feeling the new ability within himself. Shambhala was good, but compared to Teleport, it was slow, especially in high-level battles where speed is everything.
"Wow, Master! My power's recovering so fast I'll be back to full strength in less than a day," Jibril exclaimed in surprise.
"That's one of the perks," Riku explained, smiling. The contract card had five slots, but given Jibril's potential, it wasn't a waste.
"Riku, I want a contract too." Schwi suddenly grabbed Riku's sleeve, gazing up at him.
"...Eh?" Riku blinked, touching his face. He couldn't help but think Schwi was a little jealous. Or was he just imagining it?
"Schwi, this requires blood. It won't work for you," Riku said, a bit helpless.
"...Okay." Schwi fell silent for a few seconds, then looked away in disappointment.
"Don't worry, our contract doesn't need this. I already promised you," Riku reassured her, patting Schwi on the head.
Schwi nodded, her mood visibly improving.
"Alright, let's keep treasure-hunting," Riku grinned.
A diamond chest! This would be his first time opening one he couldn't wait to see what kind of overpowered loot was inside.
Riku, with the ever-curious Jibril and Schwi following, headed to where the diamond chest was supposed to be.
But when they arrived, Riku frowned. The chest was nowhere to be seen.
"System, what's going on?" he asked in his mind.
[Spatial anomaly]
"Spatial? You mean... the diamond chest is in a different dimension?" Riku asked, voice low.
[Correct]
"No wonder. This is going to be a headache," Riku muttered. Even with teleport, crossing dimensional barriers was another story.
"Riku, what's wrong?" Schwi asked, noticing his frustration.
"Schwi, does your database have any means to cross dimensions?" Riku asked, patting her head.
"No," Schwi replied after checking her systems.
"Master, is the treasure you want in a different dimension?" Jibril asked curiously. "Speaking of dimensional travel, Lord Reginleif is an expert at it, always vanishing into other planes. That's why it's so hard to find her."
"Reginleif...?" Hearing this, Riku's eyes suddenly lit up.
"With the Wise Dragon's abilities, this problem can definitely be solved easily. Looks like I have one more thing to take care of." Riku narrowed his eyes slightly, murmuring to himself.
After that, Riku basically played tourist, taking Jibril and Schwi sightseeing among the mountains as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Even though they were in the heart of Dragonia's territory, there was not a hint of tension.
Several hours later, the sky suddenly cracked like a mirror, and a white dragon many times larger than any other dragonia emerged, exuding a domineering presence.
An overwhelming aura, deep and unfathomable as the sea, blanketed the world. The sheer pressure suppressed everything around.
"That's the Wise Dragon...!" Riku muttered, his face solemn. This... this level of strength was completely over the top.
"Schwi, for you all to have killed Aranleif and his seven subordinate dragons back then… You really were incredible." Riku sighed from the bottom of his heart.
It wasn't until he stood before a true top-tier being like Reginleif that Riku realised just how different this level was. Without using his trump cards, there was no way he could beat him at his current stage.
"Mhm." At his words, Schwi looked conflicted, finally nodding slightly. That battle, though they'd killed Aranleif, his final Destruction Roar under Schwi's command, had accidentally destroyed Riku's home.
"Yeah, the Ex Machina's battle with Aranleif shook the entire world~ That's why no race dares to provoke the Ex Machina anymore. Among us, the head of the Ex Machina is ranked the same as the dragonia—LV.5. Super rare specimen!" Jibril praised, starry-eyed.
"Alright, let's head over," Riku said, the corners of his mouth turning up in a faint smile.
"Mm." Both Jibril and Schwi nodded in agreement.
.........
"Lord Reginleif, you've finally returned." Zhuralis and the other white dragons were the first to fly over, greeting him with respect.
"Mm. Where are Varde and the others?" Reginleif swept the area with a majestic gaze, then asked with mild curiosity.
"Uh, they picked a fight with Riku, got soundly beaten, and couldn't save face, so they left." Zhuralis answered, feeling rather awkward.
"Oh? Riku, that human, how interesting." Reginleif's tone was full of intrigue.
A human who could defeat four dragonia at once… It was nearly unthinkable.
"Wise Dragon Reginleif, a pleasure. I am Riku Dola." At this moment, Riku and his group appeared in the sky, meeting Reginleif's enormous gaze head-on, his manner neither arrogant nor servile.
Seeing this, the white dragons watching from below silently admired him. To face the Wise Dragon so calmly, unshaken, self-assured, and respectful. No wonder he dared to aim for slaying the God of War.
"Oh? What an interesting human." Reginleif's interest only grew as he regarded Riku. This human was presenting himself as an equal, perhaps even more than that, as if it were natural.
And he'd managed to bring both a Flügel and an Ex Machina under his command?
Reginleif glanced at Jibril and Schwi, who stood quietly behind Riku, deep in thought.
"Human, no, Riku. You're here to talk alliance, yes? Tell me, how confident are you in your chances of killing Artosh?" Reginleif asked, meaningfully.
"One hundred percent." Riku's eyes sharpened; he answered without hesitation.
"Hahahaha, that's bold. But I like it." The words stunned Zhuralis and the other dragons. Even Reginleif was briefly caught off guard before bursting into hearty laughter.
He'd expected Riku to say something like "I'll do my best," not this. But this was right, such ambition needed matching confidence. Saying "I'll do my best" would have been an insult.
"But, Riku, before that, fight me first. Based on your performance, I'll give you my answer. One warning: you'd better fight as if your life depends on it, or you really will die." Reginleif's laughter faded, his dragon eyes narrowing to razor-sharp slits.
Under that gaze, even Riku felt as if a mountain was pressing down on him.
Behind him, Jibril even trembled a little, not out of fear, but pure instinct. At her peak, she might have withstood it, but now, drained of power, her body sensed the crisis that came from standing before Reginleif.
Still, Riku held himself upright, his gaze unwavering.
"If I don't have the resolve for this, I might as well keep leading my people in running and hiding," Riku replied calmly.
"Fascinating. Very well, show me what you can do." Reginleif rumbled, his voice like thunder. The surrounding air churned as if a storm had just blown in.
Even standing before just that wind, Riku nearly lost his footing.
But his eyes remained steady, his expression tense but calm.
"Seventh Gate, Gate of Shock—OPEN!" Taking a deep breath, Riku opened the seventh gate without hesitation, pushing his power to its peak. At the same time, he drew his Zanpakutō.
No doubt, this would be the toughest battle he'd ever fought.
But if he couldn't even get past Reginleif, then taking on the God of War was a pipe dream.
"Kyōka Suigetsu." Riku levelled his sword, voice low.
BOOOOM——!
In the next moment, Riku shattered the air beneath his feet, his whole body shooting at Reginleif like a meteor.
ROAAARR——!
Reginleif instantly unleashed a dragonbreath, swallowing Riku in a torrent of power, tearing a ragged gash through space, like a curtain of darkness.
Not only that, Reginleif's massive body tensed, and he spat another breath to his right.
In that instant, the real Riku was forced out of hiding, barely managing to teleport away in time.
A moment later, a second dragonbreath carved through that space, making the sky itself shake.
Thankfully, they were fighting in the sky; if this kind of power had struck the ground, everything for kilometres around would have been obliterated.
"Not a bad ability, but against someone far stronger than yourself, its effects are limited," Reginleif, the Wise Dragon, commented, staring at Riku.
"Haha, that's true." Riku just shrugged nonchalantly upon hearing this. Reginleif was vastly stronger than him, using Kyōka Suigetsu to manipulate her senses wasn't nearly as effective and consumed an enormous amount of energy; it was quickly seen through.
"But I'm not going to lose that easily!" Riku's gaze turned sharp again, and he vanished, using teleport to appear above Reginleif's head.
Thud—!
Riku summoned all his strength and punched Reginleif on the head. But at the moment of impact, Reginleif's white dragon scales shimmered and completely blocked the punch; she wasn't hurt in the slightest.
"So tough!" Riku's expression changed, and he gripped his Zanpakutō, slashing down hard.
Clang—!
Even putting his full strength into the swing, all Riku managed was to leave a sword mark on the white scales, he couldn't even break through Reginleif's defence.
"That level of power just won't cut it," Reginleif said calmly, her massive dragon claw reaching into what looked like a spatial wormhole.
A moment later, a spatial portal opened above Riku, and Reginleif's huge claw came crashing down with terrifying speed and force.
At the same time, Riku felt the surrounding space seal off he couldn't use teleport!
"Her space manipulation surpasses mine?!" Feeling the impending danger, Riku's face tensed, and he tried to dash out at his highest speed.
However, the dragon claw was even faster than Riku had anticipated. If this landed, he'd be lucky to survive.
"HIRUDORA!!!!!!!"
Gritting his teeth, Riku roared and threw a punch that blasted the air apart. A massive blue tiger materialised, roaring as it crashed into the descending claw.
Boom—!
There was a deafening explosion. The dragon claw was finally stopped, torn up by the blue tiger, its scales shattered and blood spraying. Seizing the moment, Riku broke free, retreating a kilometre away and breathing heavily, staring at Reginleif with a grave expression.
So strong. The difference in power was on another level.
"Oh? You actually managed to injure me. That last move wasn't bad," Reginleif said, the spatial wormhole disappearing and her claw quickly healing as she casually rewound time. "But that's all, it was decent. You're still far from defeating me."
"Heh, I suppose so. It's my first time facing an opponent of your calibre, I'm a little out of my depth," Riku said with a wry smile and a shake of his head.
Elsewhere, Zhuralis and the other dragons silently observed, sighing to themselves. It was clear Riku was still far from being a match for Reginleif.
Still, Zhuralis recalled that Riku had admitted he was holding back some trump cards. Maybe...
The other dragons were simpler, looking on fanatically at Reginleif, convinced she could not lose.
"That human is actually fighting against Reginleif?"
"He's just seeking death."
At that moment, Varde and the other four black dragons returned. Seeing the distant battle, their faces were filled with glee.
With Reginleif making a move, the human would surely be thoroughly crushed, just the thought delighted them.
The only ones who remained calm were Jibril and Schwi. Even though they hadn't known Riku for long, they could see by his expression that he wouldn't lose.
"Is this all you've got, human? If so, I'm a little disappointed," Reginleif said, shaking her head. For a human, this level was enough to shock most of the world, but it was still far from enough to challenge the God of War.
"If that's how you see it, then I guess I'll have to get serious," Riku said with a small smile, but his tone was dead serious.
"Now that, I look forward to," Reginleif replied with great interest.
"Eight Gates Formation—Eighth Gate, Gate of Death, OPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Under everyone's gaze, veins bulged on Riku's forehead, and a wild surge of energy erupted from his body, shaking heaven and earth. As the force grew more violent, Riku let out a deafening roar.
Instantly, wind and clouds swirled. Violent energy exploded from Riku's body, sweeping the entire world, scattering every trace of dust.
His skin turned scorched red, as if burned at high temperature, with bluish-white patterns like energy channels appearing along his body.
Riku was now enveloped in deep red energy flames, his power soaring to its absolute peak.
"This power... It's way too strong!" Zhuralis and the other white dragons stared at Riku in shock, exclaiming.
By Zhuralis's senses, Riku's strength had expanded dozens of times! He could wipe her out instantly now!
"As expected of Master! Incredible, just incredible!" Jibril gazed at Riku in a frenzy of obsession.
"Riku..." Schwi's eyes also showed waves of shock and worry. This state was anything but normal.
"Impossible! How could he possibly be this strong?!" On the other side, Varde and the four black dragons froze in midair, their huge eyes wide in disbelief, shuddering at the sight of Riku.
This shattered everything they thought they knew.
"Fascinating, truly fascinating, he's actually become this powerful? But this state of yours, you're gambling your life away. What amazing resolve," Reginleif stared at Riku, full of awe.
"Raaaaaaaah!!!!!" Riku didn't respond to Reginleif. Instead, he let out a furious roar, the sound vibrating the sky and causing Zhuralis and the others to shudder from the terrifying pressure.
At that moment, Riku vanished not by teleportation, but by sheer speed alone!
Bang—!
In the next instant, he appeared in front of Reginleif, his punch shattering space itself, it splintered like glass, unable to withstand the force.
Reginleif's pupils contracted violently, she almost couldn't react, and even when she did, there was no way to dodge!
All she could do was focus her energy on defence. But a violent cracking sound echoed out as Riku's fist shattered her barrier like glass and smashed directly into her.
Thud—!
Splurt—!
A thunderous crash shook the sky. Reginleif spewed blood, her gigantic form sent flying!
Reginleif's head was left with a massive dent, a huge fist mark caving in the skull, shattered dragon scales scattered everywhere, and her appearance was utterly wretched. Her entire body was sent flying uncontrollably, crashing down on the earth over a million meters away like a falling meteor.
In an instant, the ground roared and shook, terrifying fissures and craters spreading out as if hit by an earthquake of catastrophic magnitude!
"Reginleif-sama!" Witnessing this, all the dragons gasped in horror. Their Wise Dragon, their master, was knocked flying by a single blow without any chance to resist!
This strength was just too terrifying!
Boom—!
A new explosion rang out as Riku vanished from where he stood, reappearing above the massive crater. He came down like a meteor himself, wreathed in deep red flames, and hurled another punch down, tearing the heavens and earth as a white shockwave plummeted toward the battered Reginleif!
ROAAR—!
Dizzy from the blow, Reginleif finally recovered and lifted her head to the sky, roaring as terrifying energy surged in her maw. A pillar of light burst forth, colliding head-on with Riku's white fist energy.
BOOOOOOM!!!!!!!
The two attacks collided, an earth-shaking, sky-shattering boom resounding as if the very world was trembling and on the verge of collapse.
The ground beneath Reginleif's feet caved in even further under the unbearable power, opening up more and more.
In the end, Riku's white fist force overwhelmed Reginleif's breath attack and crashed into her again.
Although the blow was greatly weakened, Reginleif still managed to defend herself this time.
However, Riku instantly used teleport to appear above Reginleif and brought his leg crashing down with explosive force.
Splurt—!
Despite distorting space and fortifying herself with energy shields, Reginleif still couldn't block it. The space shattered, the shields shattered, and everything in the way was torn apart. She took another devastating blow, slammed deep into the ground, blood gushing as a horrific wound split open on her head.
Crack—!
A shocking sound echoed as one of Reginleif's dragon horns was snapped off by Riku's kick.
"Explode!" Reginleif roared, using the dragonkind's Word of Power. Instantly, everything around her erupted in a cataclysmic explosion.
Even Zhuralis and the other dragons, watching from a million meters away, had to join forces to defend themselves against the shockwave. If not, even their nest would have been obliterated by the aftershocks.
But Reginleif's Word of Power did not kill Riku. It only managed to blast him away.
Taking the chance, Reginleif rewound time to heal her wounds and took to the sky again, staring at Riku in the distance, her expression deadly serious.
Too strong, she'd nearly been finished off.
After that, the battle between human and dragon shook the world. Waves of destruction surged outward from the centre, leaving Zhuralis and the rest in utter shock.
Reginleif, the one and only Dragon Lord, their leader, was being thoroughly overpowered in direct combat by Riku! So this was his trump card? It was truly astonishing.
Zhuralis's eyes flickered as her heart roiled with shock. Still, with such explosive power, the price had to be immense. How long could Riku possibly keep this up…?
She let out a silent sigh.
"As expected of Master, he's actually overpowering Reginleif. This is the kind of person I should serve, one with infinite potential! Just when you think you've seen his limits, he explodes with even greater strength!" Jibril's eyes sparkled with excitement and obsession.
Schwi said nothing, silently watching the battlefield, countless data streams flickering in her eyes.
At that moment, Riku suddenly exploded with even more power, tearing open space itself and firing a barrage of terrifying shockwaves to pin down Reginleif.
Five shockwaves crushed the surrounding space, restraining Reginleif from five directions, making it almost impossible for her to move.
Not only that, but with space itself shattering, chaotic spatial currents raged, Reginleif couldn't even slip into a different dimension.
"Heh… You really do have infinite potential," Reginleif's eyes flashed with admiration and resignation.
"But I won't lose here!" Her gaze sharpened once again, power erupting from her body as she shook the bindings off. Energy built in her jaws, more terrifying than ever before.
"Night Dragon!!!"
Riku roared, unleashing every last ounce of strength as scarlet flames around him condensed into a massive Eastern dragon. Stomping through space, he launched himself at Reginleif.
Everything in his path, air, space, everything, was annihilated!
Reginleif, too, let out a furious, piercing roar.
BOOM—!
A raging beam of energy erupted from her jaws, shattering the bindings and shooting straight toward Riku.
This was the dragonia's ultimate technique—Collapse Howl.
Collapse Howl was a self-sacrificing strike for the dragons. Using it usually meant death; even those who survived would lose most of their strength and would not recover for a long time. The consequences were dire.
But forced to this point by Riku, Reginleif couldn't care less. She wanted to win. The desire not to lose burned in her heart a feeling she hadn't experienced in ages.
Before all the dragons' shocked eyes, Riku's crimson Eastern dragon and Reginleif's Collapse Howl collided.
In an instant, heaven and earth turned pure white, everything was wiped away, space itself shattered like a mirror, and invisible shockwaves blasted outward. Even Zhuralis and the others, far away, could barely breathe, forced to defend with all their might.
At last, after a few seconds of terrifying stalemate, the crimson dragon overpowered Collapse Howl and forced it back, reducing it to fragments of stardust that rained down on the earth, causing a cataclysmic explosion that destroyed everything nearby.
Splurt—!
And the crimson dragon, moving faster than any of the dragons could see, pierced straight through Reginleif's body.
Blood spurted everywhere, flesh flew, a scene of utter carnage!
Reginleif the Wise Dragon was pierced through by a single kick from Riku, suffering the most devastating injury of her entire life!
With everything done, the scarlet flames faded from Riku's body, and together with Reginleif, he plummeted from the sky.
Heaven and earth fell silent. Only those terrifying cracks in space remained, slowly, slowly mending themselves.
--------
"The Wise Dragon… lost!"
Zhuyue and the other dragonia stared in shock at the distant battlefield, as if lightning had struck through their minds. They were completely stunned.
Because this result was simply too shocking. Riku, this human, had genuinely defeated the leader of the dragonia in a head-on battle, the only remaining Dragon Lord, the Wise Dragon, Reginleif!
"Guh—!"
Varde and the four black dragons involuntarily trembled in their massive forms. They'd actually been reckless enough to provoke this human earlier. How stupid could they have been? If Riku had wanted, they'd probably be dead dragons by now…
"Master, you're just making me more and more curious." Jibril murmured, her voice filled with obsession.
"Riku…!" Schwi didn't hesitate, flying straight towards Riku.
Though both Riku and Reginleif were plummeting to the ground, Riku's condition was slightly better because he was doing it on purpose.
Reginleif was utterly exhausted, barely able to use time compression to stabilize his injuries. But the aftereffects of Collapse Howl wouldn't just vanish, and Riku's last attack had pushed him to the brink of death. At this point, Reginleif's strength was barely above that of an ordinary dragonia. Even with time compression, he couldn't return to his peak he could only hold his wounds together.
"You're truly a surprising one… This is the first time I've ever tasted defeat." Reginleif spoke weakly to Riku. He had truly lost, in every sense. If Riku wanted, he could kill her right now. But Riku hadn't done so.
"Heh, it got a bit too real there for a minute. I'm not feeling great either." Riku's skin was showing cracks as he shook his head. He could feel his life force ebbing away. The Eight Gates Formation is not something you can just open at will using it comes at the cost of your life.
"I can sense your life force slipping away. Don't you have a way to recover?" Reginleif asked in a low voice.
"Of course I do. I wouldn't risk my life just for a single match." As if the pain didn't exist, Riku replied calmly.
"You're an interesting human. For this alliance, you may have whatever terms you wish. We're willing to take the lead for you in the war against the God of War." Reginleif praised Riku, making a solemn promise. He naturally understood the words Riku left unsaid.
If this had been a true death match, it might not have ended this way.
"Let's work well together." Riku's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
Immediately after, he pulled a Life-and-Death Rebirth Pill from his system's storage and swallowed it.
Before Reginleif's stunned eyes, Riku's deadly injuries rapidly healed at a rate visible to the naked eye. Dead skin sloughed off, new skin formed, his vitality rebounded, and even his aura grew several times stronger.
It was like rebirth after death, a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis!
Not only was Reginleif shocked, but even Riku himself was surprised by the change. He could feel that his physical strength had increased at least tenfold, and his chaos energy had also grown several times stronger.
"A transformation after dancing on the edge of life and death… it's incredible." Riku sighed contentedly, feeling every pore in his body rejoice.
Now, he could use the Seventh Gate, Gate of Shock, with no side effects at all. Even if he didn't open the final gate, just using the Eight Gates was enough. Even if he still couldn't defeat Reginleif without using Death Gate, he wouldn't be nearly as helpless as before.
In the short term, he was unbeatable. This power-up was absolutely massive.
"Hahaha, fascinating! Your potential, I've finally seen it with my own eyes. I have a feeling you really will be the one to end it all. Artosh, I can't wait to see your face then." Reginleif laughed uproariously, his words echoing across the heavens, his tone truly astonishing.
"Riku, you're okay! Thank goodness." Schwi flew into Riku's arms, tightly hugging him as she scanned his body from head to toe, finally letting out a sigh of relief like a real person.
"Ah! Master, it looks like you've gotten even stronger again!" Jibril had come over as well, scanning Riku like he was the world's rarest treasure, eyes shining with fanatic obsession.
"Master, can I study you? Just a little! As a reward, when I recover my strength, you can do whatever you want with my body~" Jibril drooled, her face a classic lovestruck maniac.
"Idiot, quit messing around." Riku rolled his eyes.
"Riku, I knew you were holding back, but I didn't expect it to be to this extent…" Zhuralis, having flown over, looked at Riku with awe and complexity.
She felt it the most. A week ago, Riku had to use tricks just to barely beat her. A week later, she was no match at all. And after unleashing his trump card, he could even defeat the Wise Dragon Lord.
"Human, you're just too strong."
"How did you get so powerful? I'm really curious…"
Suddenly, the group of white dragons began to chatter, unable to contain their shock and curiosity.
The normally proud and domineering dragonia were suddenly turned into gossiping fanatics, noisily discussing among themselves.
"Um, sorry. We were in the wrong before. Can you forgive our ignorance?" As always, strength commands respect. At this moment, Varde and the four black dragons lowered their heads humbly. Their pride had been completely shattered after Riku's victory over Reginleif.
Riku merely gave them a cool nod.
Seeing his distant attitude, the four black dragons were filled with bitterness and regret. One wrong move, and now the rift was hard to bridge.
"Riku, do you have a plan? When do we act?" At this, Reginleif spoke up, looking at Riku with curiosity.
All the dragonia immediately turned their attention to him. Riku had completely conquered them with his strength.
"A plan? Of course. As long as I complete three more steps, I'll be able to drag the God of War down from his pedestal." Riku grinned confidently, holding up three fingers.
Hearing this, Reginleif and all the dragonia widened their eyes, listening intently as if witnessing history in the making.
As Riku and the dragonia discussed their alliance, far away, high in the sky, deep within the Flügel's headquarters at Avant Heim, a golden-eyed figure slowly opened his eyes…