"Rip them to shreds!"


    Monolavir was the first dragon to join Deveralna in the aerial battle. The other dragons were closely behind him, ready to follow his orders.


    "!"


    Pointing her hand forward, Deveralna released a powerful beam of plasma that closed in on the thousands of drakes flying above the rift.


    As she expected, these beasts were agile. They noticed the attack and avoided it swiftly before separating.


    The battle began at that moment.


    "There are more drakes than dragons! Be careful not to get overwhelmed!"


    Shouting a warning to the dragons, Deveralna continued to pressure the enemy with her magic.


    "!"


    Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed a drake closing in on her.


    ''Slow.''


    Used to fighting a fast opponent through Elliott, she flew over the drake, who appeared to move slowly in front of her.


    Her blood boiled as she aimed her palm downward.


    A wide sphere of plasma appeared from her hand, and it swallowed the drake entirely, reducing it to nothingness.


    ''Black ink scales... I really don''t like these creatures.''


    She couldn''t find the drakes'' appearance anything other than repulsive.


    They were coming straight out of a nightmare.


    Their wide wings, akin to those of a gargoyle, paired with a frail frame, made these genetically modified beasts a horror to anyone who dared look at them.


    Sharp teeth similar to sharks, claws ready to shred the prey, and piercing eyes that intimidated whoever they looked at.


    Deveralna couldn''t tolerate their existence. Her entire body screamed to exterminate this unnatural creation.


    And she did exactly that.


    As she killed the very first drakes, she looked around her.


    "..."


    Each dragon was fighting two or three drakes at the same time. They appeared to struggle against the swiftness of their opponents and were constantly attacked by them, suffering extremely minor scratches on their scales.


    "They can''t use magic."


    This quick revelation turned the entire situation around.


    She turned to Monolavir and noticed a horde of drakes revolving around him as if he were the center of a gyroscope.


    The four wings supporting the heavy, colossal dragon magnificently released a fine powder that rapidly thawed.


    When one of the drakes decided to attack Monolavir, the Azure Dragon grabbed the beast with his mighty front claw and brought it to his massive head.


    Compared to Monolavir, other dragons were relatively smaller. The drakes were even smaller, half the size of Monolavir.


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    "Begone."


    *CRACK*


    Clenching his claw, Monolavir broke the drake''s bones and released his grip.


    This display was unable to stop the drakes from attacking him again. One by one, they fell to his mighty physical power.


    To him, the use of magic was for mightier opponents. Not the rabble in front of his eyes.


    "They''re not that smart, either."


    Seeing the situation on the battlefield with an open mind, she noticed something.


    ''Isn''t there a leader controlling these creatures? Are they unsupervised?''


    ''This doesn''t make sense.''


    Avoiding another drake that dived toward her, she killed it effortlessly with her magic.


    ''This looks rather coordinated for a brainless bunch of flying lizards. There is a mastermind somewhere.''


    As the dragons began to understand the pattern of their enemy, they began to use magic. One by one, the drakes were killed mercilessly.


    Not a single dragon suffered more than a few scratches.


    "..."


    Deveralna rapidly understood that something wasn''t right. These beasts were similar to the normal stampede below.


    These creatures weren''t a threat to anyone other than powerless civilians. Even an armed force like Turric''s army would be able to deal with these beasts at some point.


    Her eyes searched everywhere, but she was unable to notice a single detail that could reveal a leader on the side of the enemy.


    "..."


    Then, her eyes drifted to the sun.


    A massive, bright ball of fire suspended in space. Orion loved talking about it.


    As she squinted her eyes instinctively, she opened her mouth after a few seconds.


    "You...!"


    Hidden higher than the clouds themselves, a larger drake with purple lines drawn on its body overlooked the battlefield.


    To avoid being easily found out, it was hiding in the perfect center of the sun, where those like Deveralna couldn''t notice unless they focused on it.


    Her body instantly cracked as if a lightning bolt were about to strike the earth before vanishing.


    "That''s it for you!"


    She appeared next to the drake, already slamming her long serpent tail on its back.


    Like an electrified whip, her tail wrapped around its body, and after a few spins, she released her grip and threw it straight toward the ground.


    *BOOM*


    The large drake landed with an impact similar to that of a meteorite crashing down on the planet. Large columns of dirt rose from the crash as the drake''s bones shattered on impact.


    But as the leader of the drakes died, an even stronger feeling of dread crept inside her mind.


    "This can''t be it. This can''t be..."


    —


    "If your enemy appears weak and actually is weak in nature, it means that something even more dangerous is behind it."


    "In that case, never let your guard down."


    "Even the strongest can be killed in a moment of carelessness."


    —


    Elliott''s teachings rippled through her mind.


    She frantically observed the battlefield from above and searched for an even stronger enemy.


    ''It''s not on the ground. It''s not in the air. It''s not above me...''


    The only place left was...


    "!"


    "Shit!"


    Her body immediately turned into plasma as she dove at an incredible speed.


    Thunder crashed down in front of the dragon as Deveralna appeared with an anxious frown.


    Monolavir was ending the last drake on his side, while the other dragons were finally dealing with their share.


    Without giving a single glance at the dragons behind her, she shouted with everything she had.


    "All dragons! DIVE!"


    Monolavir opened his eyes wide at the sudden order. Instinctively, most dragons listened to her, but some were unable to move quickly due to the drakes.


    A ripple effect appeared on the surface of the rift. From the very center of the ripple, a black beam of energy with an immeasurable power escaped and devoured everything on its path.


    Be it Deveralna, Monolavir, or the dragons that couldn''t flee in time, all were devoured by the energy.


    ''This energy...!''


    Struggling with a shield of plasma in front of her, Deveralna recalled a similar power.


    ''Velridar''s... energy!''


    It was weaker than the true Dragon of Power, but very similar in nature.


    ''GH! AAAH!''


    Pushing her magic past the limitations she placed on herself, she pushed back against the energy.


    After a few seconds, everything returned to normal. Or, at least, for those who survived the attack.


    "Monolavir!"


    Deveralna turned around and noticed a cocoon of ice floating behind her. With a violent movement of his wings, the Azure Dragon broke free of his defense and cracked open the cocoon.


    "I''m fine!"


    The dragon roared wildly as he looked around him.


    "!"


    Thirteen dragons, who couldn''t flee in time, were falling from the sky, scorched beyond saving.


    Three water dragons, five earth dragons, two wind dragons, one fire dragon, and three lightning dragons perished from this one attack.


    "Dragons... died."


    Deveralna couldn''t believe her eyes. She spaced out for just an instant before turning her head toward the rift.


    *GROWL*


    Out of it, a massive head began to emerge, releasing a large amount of steam out of its mouth.


    A dark, gray lizard on its hind legs walked out of the portal while growling.


    The dark veins coursing through its body were an indication of its immense power, which, until now, was in the hands of two individuals.


    As the gigantic beast, even bigger than Monolavir, trampled the soil of Triazils, Deveralna instinctively looked behind her.


    She looked at the ground, at her people, and at Olivia.


    ''They''re fine...''


    She stood in front of the beam to lessen the impact on those under. A genuine sense of relief took over her as she noticed that the battle below was approaching its climax.


    But, rage began to replace that relief.


    The fuming corpses of the dragons that couldn''t escape the beam entered her vision.


    "..."


    Monolavir was also enraged, but the promise he made to Ruminona was stronger than his desire to avenge his brethren.


    This event shocked all dragons. Some of them were reminded, at last, that they weren''t untouchable.


    Their pride was shattered, and they had no idea how to mourn their deceased apart from rushing the enemy.


    "Do not!"


    The Azure Dragon shouted with anger as he noticed the others ready to attack.


    "This isn''t our battle anymore..."


    Suddenly, all eyes turned to one lamia.


    Through the link that existed between them and their progenitor, they felt the sadness in her heart. They felt the anguish in her heart. They felt the rage in her heart.


    "Ophion. Wake up."


    The Remnant of Power gritted her teeth and poked the plasma snake wrapped around her arm.


    "Ssssss-"


    Slowly, the snake opened its eyes. It appeared to be sleepy, but it listened to her nonetheless.


    *CRACKLING*


    Her entire body sizzled the air itself, as the smell of ozone spelled disaster for anyone close to her.


    Unwrapping its body from Deveralna''s arm, Ophion, the plasma snake, glared at the giant lizard.


    "Your life ends here."


    The sigil of strength gleamed inside her eyes, powering the magic in her core.


    As she lifted her left hand above her head, she swore.


    "I''ll deal with you myself."


    A small lamia against a 150-meter-tall lizard that uses dark magic.


    An intense, but short, battle was about to take place.