Chapter 561: Chapter 561

A surge of sinister energy soared into the sky, spreading far and wide. Ordinary citizens within Dragonspire felt nothing unusual, but the stronger one’s power, the more acutely they sensed the disturbance.

On the battlefield where the siege was nearing its end, Elron and Sophia clearly perceived an oppressive wave of energy emanating from the direction of the royal palace.

They exchanged a glance—then one cast Wind-Shadow Art, the other Angelic Descent—and both shot toward the palace at their swiftest speed.

Carlos, in addition to sensing the abnormal energy, also detected the draconic aura of his kin. A low growl rumbled in his throat. Wings flared, he bolted forward with blinding speed toward Rowen’s location.

McKen, witnessing this, longed to follow.

Yet weighing his own pace against the need for someone to hold the front lines, he hesitated—and stayed behind.

Meanwhile, within the royal palace of Dragonspire, the Dark Dragon had already launched its assault on Rowen.

Though its body was several times smaller than Carlos’, its might far surpassed his.

As it lashed out with a claw, Rowen suddenly felt himself locked in place—as if, like Flamewing moments before, he were sinking into quicksand.

“So it truly is a Sage-level being!”

Without hesitation, Rowen slashed his sword. Space before him split with suffocating brilliance—a blade of pure force, carrying immense tearing power, crashed headlong into the dragon’s claw.

With a thunderous boom, the claw was gashed open, spewing forth a jet of dark energy. The recoil jolted Rowen’s internal organs, sending waves of pain through his body—but he seized the moment to break free, leaping back to create distance.

“Blazing Void Slash!”

Ryder, having just finished off the stragglers, knew full well the beast’s strength. He unleashed his most powerful technique at once, aiming to strike in tandem with Rowen.

His entire form shimmered, transforming into a mass of pure crimson energy—then coalesced into a blazing greatsword that streaked across hundreds of meters in an instant, slamming into the Dark Dragon’s abdomen.

Ssskree—

The sound scraped like metal dragged across stone, raising gooseflesh on every listener.

The legendary-level strike shattered the scales on the dragon’s belly, oozing streams of dark essence, hurling the beast sideways by dozens of meters. Yet oddly, the damage seemed less effective than Rowen’s earlier blow.

As for Ryder, the moment of impact forced him back into human form—he was then hurled backward like a fired arrow, crashing violently into the ground. The shockwave rippled outward, carving fissures nearly a hundred meters long across the earth.

“Ryder, fall back!”

Rowen called out, “Leave this creature to me!”

Ryder spat blood. “Be careful, my lord.”

Had someone fought beside him, forming the Blazing Battle Array, he would have delivered a far deadlier strike. But no ally came.

Having spoken, he retreated with Hamon from the heart of battle.

After enduring two attacks, the Dark Dragon ceased its earlier frenzy. A flicker of reason returned to its eyes as it studied the humans before it.

“This continent’s energies have been chaotic for nearly a thousand years… yet a new Sage has emerged.”

It spoke: “Mortal, our fates need not be bound by conflict. Swear loyalty to the mighty King Yasha, and you shall wield power beyond imagining—just as I do.”

“You don’t seem all that mighty right now,” Rowen mocked with a cold smile.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the Dark Dragon before him was not a true physical form, but an entity forged from concentrated energy.

Keep striking, keep dispersing its essence, and its strength would wane steadily.

“Fool!”

The dragon’s voice boomed like distant thunder. “This is merely a fraction of my being—less than one percent of my true self’s power.”

Whether truth or boast, Rowen couldn’t say—but at least now he had some clue to the creature’s identity.

And confirmation came swiftly—from Sophia, arriving just then.

Wind-Shadow Art was swift. In the brief span since Rowen and Ryder clashed with the beast, Sophia was the first to reach the battlefield.

She stared in shock at the scene—the silhouette of the Dark Dragon filled her with dread.

“Rowen, beware! This is Phoenix, the Lord of Flame—his avatar!”

Her warning rang urgent: “I never imagined he would appear here!”

At that moment, Carlos and Elron arrived as well.

All of Rowen’s elite forces were now gathered.

“We must unite,” Sophia urged, “and help Rowen destroy this avatar!”

But Ryder shook his head. “Leave it to the Duke.”

“Only Rowen?” Sophia hesitated—surely that was overconfidence.

Ryder explained, “The Duke has ascended to Sage level.”

“What?”

Sophia’s eyes widened, her delicate face frozen in disbelief.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Hamon added, lifted into the air by Ryder. “Perhaps… we may return home sooner than expected.”

“This…”

Sophia believed in Rowen’s strength—but such a claim defied belief.

Meanwhile, upon sensing their arrival, the Dark Dragon inwardly cursed. Its descent this time might end in disaster.

True, the death of an avatar wouldn’t kill its true self—but the erasure of even a sliver of soul-consciousness would leave the original weakened, disoriented.

Then, as it focused on Carlos, it paused.

“I sense a familiar resonance from you.”

To Carlos, it said, “Perhaps… we share blood.”

Carlos roared in fury, rejecting the notion outright. Truth be told, the very presence of this corrupt energy made him uneasy, repulsed. Why would he engage in some twisted reunion?

Rowen, however, harbored a suspicion—perhaps before Phoenix pledged himself to King Yasha, he and Carlos truly were kin.

“Well, mortal?”

The Dark Dragon turned its gaze back to Rowen.

“The power lies within reach. Open your arms—and take it!”

Rowen chuckled. “Part of that I agree with. Kill you—and I gain power too.”

Even as he spoke, he had allocated every attribute point earned from slaying Flamewing into his knight class—progress now reading (32,187/80,000)—and the surge of Sage energy within him burned fiercer than ever.

“Slash!”

He became a streak of light, hurtling toward the dragon.

Small though the human frame, the force he carried demanded the Dark Dragon’s full attention.

“Foolish worm!”

Phoenix roared, unleashing a blast of flame. Rowen did not flinch. Channeling Fanwu, he dispelled most of the inferno—then charged through the remnants, driving the Flamelight Sword deep into the beast’s body.

A shriek of agony tore from the dragon. Its tail lashed like a steel whip. Rowen raised his arm, meeting it with a single punch.

The impact sent him crashing into the earth below.

Yet the dragon suffered too—the force spun it wildly midair, while the loss of Yasha essence steadily drained the strength of its avatar.

With no other choice, it shrank its form—within an instant, the colossal beast became a dragon thirty meters long.

Whoosh!

Smaller in size, its speed surged dramatically. It soared above Luoning, claws rending the air, as if tearing space itself apart.

Luoning stood amidst the ruins, not even time to shake dust from his shoulders before the Vacuum Annihilation Technique flared to life in his hands.

A thunderous explosion erupted.

Two unprecedented forces collided, unleashing a terrifying storm of energy—an infernal mushroom cloud rising like that of a nuclear blast.

“Fall back!”

Rudal and the others scrambled backward, retreating over a kilometer away.

Before their eyes, the grand palace was utterly annihilated by the cataclysmic energy storm. Countless boulders, trees, and debris were hurled into the sky, transformed into deadly projectiles flung across the land.

At the heart of the mushroom cloud, Luoning’s figure flickered in and out of sight. In his grip, the Flameflow Sword blazed with searing radiance, as though ready to burn the world to ash.

The endless storm battered against him, but a barrier forged from Sage’s power held firm, sparking violent showers of flame where energy met resistance.

High above, the Dark Dragon had no such comfort. Composed entirely of energy, it steadily weakened under the relentless scourge of the storm.

Now, it likely wielded only a third of the strength it had at birth.

“Blazing Void Slash!”

As the tempest waned, Luoning roared, his body erupting into flames just as Rudal once had, hurtling toward the Dark Dragon like a comet.

Empowered by the Sea of Elements and the force of the world itself, the Blazing Void Slash reached its peak.

Sensing the horror of this assault, the Dark Dragon hesitated not. It swiftly gathered Nightmare Miasma into a vast black barrier and, jaws agape, unleashed its unique breath of energy.

But Luoning’s strike was unstoppable—the barrier shattered instantly.

Boom!

His flaming form crashed into the dragon’s breath. A numbness pierced his soul.

“This breath attacks the soul itself!”

Carlos’ breath wielded elemental force; Phoenix’s carried a soul-rending terror.

“Die!”

Believing its attack successful, the Dark Dragon split its form and dove down, maw wide, seeking to engulf Luoning whole, then devour and dissolve him with Nightmare Miasma.

Yet it did not anticipate—though the breath had struck true, its effect on Luoning fell far short of dazing him.

“If you were here in your true form, I might have fallen. But alas, you are merely a fragment.”

A sharp gleam flashed in Luoning’s eyes. He charged willingly into the gaping maw, then swung the Flameflow Sword once more. From within, the Vacuum Annihilation tore through the dragon’s body, ripping it apart.

“No! This cannot be!”

Phoenix’s voice echoed in disbelief: “How can your soul be so strong?”

Luoning had endured two Celestial Baptisms—his body and soul enhanced beyond any ordinary sage.

Moreover, as a mage by origin, his mental fortitude was immense—and mind strength mirrored soul strength.

Phoenix’s sage fragment simply wasn’t enough.

Boom~

The great shadow exploded, churning the skies above the ruined palace. This powerful intruder, born of accident, finally followed Flamewing into oblivion.

To his delight, Luoning discovered—slaying the Dark Dragon had truly completed his achievement. (End of Chapter)