Primordial Soul's Rebirth

High above the living city of Melanochelys, the group soared effortlessly through the sky.

From their vantage point, the world stretched endlessly around them—they could see it all.

The empire looked like a dreamscape of root-formed towers, flowering canopies, and moss-covered bridges that shimmered in the sun.

The wind was crisp, carrying the faint hum of elven melodies and the scent of blooming Moonlotus.

Alex, at the center of the formation, kept a firm grip on Violet's hand, guiding her gently through the air.

Ann, curled against his chest, relaxed with her eyes half-closed, clearly enjoying the ride.

Alice darted ahead on her phoenix-born wings, drawing loops in the air, while Seraphyra flew in lazy arcs, basking in the tranquility.

The peace was soothing until something shifted.

Alex's smile faded slightly as he narrowed his eyes, scanning the horizon.

His senses pricked at the subtle change in air pressure, the near-imperceptible flicker of something distant and fast.

"Violet," he called calmly, turning his head toward her. "Did Barbara ever mention that dragon she spoke of attacking your empire's barrier?"

Violet blinked, then frowned. "No. She said that the dragon just watched from a distance."

She didn't understand why he was asking that, and before she could ask, someone else did.

Ann tilted her head from his arms, her purple-blue eyes curious. "What is it?"

Alex didn't answer immediately. He was listening to the wind, the flow of mana in the air, and the tremble of the atmosphere.

"The dragon who never attacked," he said softly, almost to himself, "is attacking now."

Time seemed to stand still at those words.

The others stopped mid-flight, hovering on their wings or magical auras, eyes wide and searching the sky.

Their eyes quickly darted around, looking for any trace of a dragon, but they couldn't find any.

The barrier was still up, and the empire was at peace.

"Where?" Alice, unable to find anything, asked, her voice tight with tension, but before the question could fully leave her lips—

KRRAAAAKOOOM!

The air trembled with a deafening roar as a beam of blazing fire, wide as a city street, crashed into the barrier just ahead of them.

The shockwave hit them like a physical force, wind blasting in every direction.

They were thrown back and spun through the air, surprised by the sudden current of air.

But Alex wasn't surprised. His eyes were sharp as his hands glowed, the wind bending to his will.

Air magic surged instantly, wrapping around each of them in a controlled cushion of wind.

He stabilized their flight, bracing the group from tumbling out of the sky. Violet and Ann, however, were never pushed away.

Since they were closest to him, he had shielded them in time.

The beam dissipated against the empire's protective field, and the barrier, strong as ever, rippled with more power.

[It looks like Barbara had shifted her energy focus to the outer barrier.]

Sophia, who saw it through Alex's eyes, commented, and Alex nodded.

'Seems like it.'

It was then, as Alice and Seraphyra stabilized, that the angel spoke.

"It didn't look like a test or mistake shot," Seraphyra said, her wings flaring wide. Her voice, for once, lacked its usual cheerfulness.

"T-This had never happened before!" Violet exclaimed, her voice tight with urgency.

Their empire was never attacked. No one dared to—even the Dragon Empire.

"Well, it's happening now. And," with his eyes locked into the horizon, he continued. "Your empire's information-gathering power isn't that good, huh?"

Violet, hearing his sudden remark, frowned, uneasiness clawing at her heart. "W-What do you mean?"

Looking at the horizon, where black shapes—winged and massive—began to emerge from the clouds beyond the barrier, he rubbed the back of his neck.

"This isn't just one dragon," he said grimly. "It's a group."

As he said that, the girls also saw the fleet of dragons.

"...there are at least ten of them," Ann presented her vague guess, but Alex shook his head.

"Twelve," he corrected her.

For a while, they didn't say anything, all of them recalling their time in the empire.

They looked below them, their ears still ringing with the waves of laughter they had heard.

If they didn't do anything, they might never hear it again.

So, with a heavy sigh, her crimson eyes flickering with coldness, Alex muttered, "Guess the vacation's over."

Ann, sharing Alice's feelings, had her eyes gleaming. "We should at least make them pay for interfering with our vacation."

Chuckling, Alex waved his hand, and a ball of destruction formed before him, increasing in size before condensing to the smallest form.

"I'll start with a welcoming gift," he said, snapping his fingers, sending the ball of destruction toward the dragons.

It moved at a breakneck speed, reaching them before they could react, and when it reached them—

BOOOOMMMMM!!!!!

—A blast occurred, engulfing at least three dragons.

Looking at the dark red mushroom of explosion, Ann and Alice sighed, expecting him to do something like this.

Seraphyra and Violet, on the other hand, couldn't stay as calm as Alice and Ann.

They had their eyes wide open and their mouths parted. No words were heard, but their expression spoke it all for them.

They were shell-shocked.

Seraphyra knew Alex was strong, but she didn't know it was to this magnitude.

One had to know that the attack squad of the Dragon Empire consisted mostly of Epic-ranked dragons with a few Legendary.

Yet, a single attack from him wiped out three of them.

Violet, unlike Serphyra, didn't have the slightest hint of Alex's powers, so she was more shocked.

Whoosh!

It was only when the wind from the explosion crashed into them that they broke out of their shock. Their eyes turned toward Alex, and he just smiled at them.

.....................................

Meanwhile, in the Dragon Empire, in a huge cave.

There was a throne situation right below the crack in the cave's ceiling, letting the filtered light fall on the figure who sat on the throne.

His golden eyes, slitted like a serpent's, were fixed on the floating projection before him while his golden hair fell behind him.

A moving scene hovered like a ghostly flame: the skies above Melanochelys.

The image rippled as it displayed a devastating explosion, three dragons from his own elite flight squad vanishing in a single searing blast of red and black.

The power was enormous, compressed, and controlled to an unnatural degree.

The golden figure narrowed his eyes.

"So," he murmured, his voice smooth and deep, echoing like molten steel striking crystal, "he had that kind of power. It is dangerous and precise." His fingers drummed once on the arm of the throne as he squinted his eyes. "But not absolute."

The man standing a respectful distance before the throne flinched slightly, though he kept his composure.

"I take it this satisfies your curiosity, My Lord," said the blonde-haired man, bowing his head low.

For the first time, his cloak's hood wasn't covering his face, letting one see who it was.

It was Argon Hart—the guy who had run away from Gaia, leaving Aurora behind.

He had dared to challenge Alex, but when it was time to pay the price, he ran in fear.

Now, stripped of his former arrogance, he stood in the Dragon Empire's shadow, gambling with the remnants of his pride.

Antares did not look at him, but the air in the chamber grew heavier.

"You knew he could do this," Antares said, voice neutral, though his eyes still lingered on the burning cloud fading from the projection. "As if you had seen the future."

"Yes," Argon answered, nodding without raising his head. "As I have told you, My Lord. I can see the future, and with it, I can help you more than that woman who doesn't cooperate with you."

Antares was silent.

A long, tense pause.

Then he nodded.

"It was a good idea," he admitted at last. "Sacrificing a few dragons to gauge an opponent's strength is preferable to walking into battle blind."

He finally turned his gaze toward Argon. "But this isn't a strength to dismiss lightly."

Argon smiled humbly, raising one hand to his chest as he bowed lower. "I do not deserve your praise, My Lord. I merely serve. I only do what is necessary... to protect your rule and my dream."

Antares studied him, golden eyes gleaming like twin suns. "That dream of yours—to be with the girl you love—is it worth everything?"

Argon's lips twitched slightly as he tried not to grit his teeth. "For me, it is, My Lord."

Since he needed Antares's help, he would lower his head for now.

Even if the guy mocked his love, he would stay quiet.

The great dragon, looking at his reaction, chuckled, a sound like fire rolling across a mountain range.

"If that's what you think," Antares shook his head.

He stood slowly from his throne, and as he did, the air shimmered—his human form threatening to unravel into something far more monstrous.

His power was barely contained, a raging inferno behind a fragile veil of skin.

"I will not underestimate him," Antares said, folding his hands behind his back. "But I will not run from him either. Once I have achieved what I want—something he will help me with—I will finish him."

The projection changed again. It showed Alex and his companions regrouping in the sky, preparing for a physical confrontation.

Argon, hearing those words, bowed deeper, "I wish you success, My Lord."

His eyes gleamed dangerously as he thought of the time when he would see Alex dead.

He was sure it was close, especially when Alex's actions indicated his impending confrontation with the Golden Dragon.