At this moment, in the heart of the Violet City-State, Po Kong-Mars sat in a spacious yet somewhat stifling office. He flipped through a thick stack of documents with impatient fingers, his brow furrowed as he complained to Xia Duo, who was leisurely sipping tea beside him.
“I say, Little Shadow, we sacrificed our precious vacation and rushed back, only for it to be a wild goose chase. Those scouts sent to track the meteor fragments haven't sent back a single scrap of news. I’m starting to feel like I've been had.”
Xia Duo, currently enjoying a freshly brewed cup of black tea with her sister, replied without even looking up.
“Isn't it a good thing that nothing has happened? If something world-shaking really did occur, would we have the luxury of sitting in this office?”
At that moment, Moen quietly offered a plate of exquisite pastries to Po Kong with her characteristic grace, asking with a hint of curiosity.
“Still, rather than those vague rumors, I’m more interested in the person traveling with Aila. The reports say... his name is Midir, right?”
Upon hearing that name, Po Kong’s brow furrowed even tighter. His expression darkened slightly as he muttered under his breath.
“Speaking of that guy, we still haven't figured out where he came from. But judging by Aila’s messages, she seems to trust him quite a bit. And according to Julia’s report, the fellow is supposedly quite handsome... Hiss! Aila couldn't have been swindled by him, could she? She’s only twenty!”
Thinking of this, Po Kong suddenly stood up and slammed his palm onto the desk with a loud bang, his face full of anxiety.
Xia Duo shook her head at the sight and looked at her husband with a somewhat speechless expression.
“Hey, what do you mean ‘only twenty’? By human standards, she became an adult two years ago. If there really were an issue, I believe she’s capable of discerning it herself. You should have a little more faith in your daughter.”
However, Po Kong’s anxiety did not dissipate. Seeing that he couldn't win the argument with his wife, he turned to Moen with a pleading look, his voice tinged with helplessness.
“Look at your sister! Little Crescent, won't you say something to back me up?”
Moen couldn't help but giggle at his loss of composure, covering her mouth as she laughed.
“Brother-in-law, I can’t help you with that. I also think we should trust Aila. Besides, word is that the man is incredibly powerful. A top-tier expert wouldn't stoop to deceiving Aila, would he? Furthermore, think about how old you were when you and my sister got together. Was it in your teens? Hmm... I remember back then...”
Hearing Moen start to bring up the dark history of his youth, Po Kong’s weathered face actually flushed red, and he hurriedly waved his hand to tell her to stop.
Just then, Xia Duo set down her teacup and took her communication stone from her pocket, saying with some surprise, “Speak of the devil. A message from Aila. She doesn't usually reach out to us at this time.”
But as she read the message, Xia Duo’s peaceful expression instantly turned solemn. She turned to her husband and spoke in a low voice.
“Aila says that Emerald City is under a massive attack by the Dragon Race. There are at least fifty pureblood dragons and as many as a thousand hybrid sub-dragons!”
“Dragons? Attacking Emerald City? And at least fifty purebloods? You’ve got to be joking,” Po Kong said, finding it hard to believe.
“I’m not joking. Reports from other places are coming in too... Wait, something is coming!” Xia Duo suddenly interrupted herself, snapping her head toward the window.
Above Violet City, a deafening roar suddenly erupted. Following it, a massive shockwave swept across the sky like a raging tide. The office windows, which had only recently been repaired, could not withstand the force and shattered once again, glass shards littering the floor.
The three of them blurred into motion, leaping out the window to stand in mid-air, their eyes locked onto the source of the disturbance.
In the distance, a colossal purple rift tore open in the sky, looking like an eye of the abyss slowly opening.
A terrifying pressure that made one's soul tremble was released from the rift. Under this power, the citizens on the ground felt as if an invisible hand were clutching their throats, making it difficult to breathe. Those with weaker constitutions spat blood and collapsed unconscious.
The people below, who had been watching the spectacle, were crushed by the sudden pressure and fell to their knees. Those even slightly less fit coughed up blood and fainted on the spot.
“Hoh, this aura... it seems Aila wasn't lying. Something must have happened on the Dragon Race's side.” Po Kong looked at the unsettling rift above, a grave expression appearing on his face for the first time.
With a wave of his hands, a set of red-glowing, dragon-patterned armor materialized around him. Two greatswords—one black and one gold—appeared in his hands simultaneously. This equipment was his signature full-body armor, “Dragon King,” and his paired swords, “Nightfall and Dawn.”
As the armor donned his body, the terrifying pressure targeting Violet City was quietly neutralized by an invisible force, and the city regained a moment of peace.
“Stop hiding like a coward. I don't think that's a tradition of the Dragon Race, is it?”
Po Kong shouted coldly. With a flick of his wrist, the blade of the golden greatsword, “Dawn,” flashed with a brilliant crescent-shaped battle qi. It sliced through the air, heading straight for the rift in the sky, determined to force out whatever was inside.
A massive claw, at least ten meters long, suddenly reached out from the rift, easily crushing Po Kong’s sharp strike into dust. Following it was a terrifying black dragon head, and an incredibly massive figure gradually emerged from the opening.
The dragon's black scales shimmered with an obsidian-like luster under the light, but the long, sharp horns on its head were a deathly pale color.
Unlike ordinary dragons, eerie red lights pulsed within its body, seemingly throbbing in sync with its heartbeat.
“Desdoraka? Isn't that thing long dead? Who could possibly have the power to resurrect it!?”
Seeing the massive figure that had already squeezed halfway out of the rift, Xia Duo was startled and instinctively looked at the Dragon's End in her hand.
“No, Sister, its aura is different from a hundred years ago. If I’m not mistaken, its corpse has been turned into a puppet controlled by someone else. We need to strike first to gain the upper hand! Nature's Grasp!”
Moen, standing beside her, also summoned her weapon—a short staff that looked like it was woven from vines.
With a gentle wave, countless emerald lights shot out like living vines, weaving into a massive green web that lunged toward the expanding rift in the sky, attempting to seal it away.
Rate on N.U.
