The clash of ultimate moves between Chase and Bahamut struck like an asteroid impact, shaking the entire continent. The sky seemed torn open, leaving not a single cloud.
The vast primeval forest had vanished without a trace. Nothing remained but a horrifying, scorched crater, along with descending lightning and lingering flames!
BOOM.
The dark purple dragon crashed to earth trailing black smoke, raising a thick cloud of dust.
A magical hurricane erupted, dispersing the smoke to reveal the Nether Dragon King's body, pushed to its absolute limit.
Bahamut gasped heavily, its eyes half-lidded with exhaustion. Its wings were tattered. Its muscular chest was a bloody mess, thick streams of blood dripping down its abdomen.
Though its magic was depleted and standing was a struggle, it forced its drooping eyes open to look at Chase, equally wounded on the other side.
"To push me this far with that frail human body..."
"Human... I must admit, the power you wield far exceeds my imagination!"
For the Nether Dragon King, who believed in the supremacy of fists, Chase had earned full recognition—praise and respect.
"So, are you surrendering?" Chase asked, shaking his sore arm with a smile.
Bahamut's gaze turned cold. It snorted. "We're both gravely wounded, our magic nearly spent. At best, we're evenly matched. Where does surrender come in?"
"Moreover, in this state—both like candles in the wind—I, as a dragon, have the advantage. It's an insurmountable racial gap!"
Hearing this, Chase's smile only grew broader. "Who said I was gravely wounded?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Bahamut's expression shifted dramatically.
Like thunder, a heartbeat echoed across the battlefield. Following its incredulous gaze, a magic circle blazed on Chase's chest. Surging magic power flowed from his heart, manifesting as holy light that repaired his body and replenished his stamina!
A dark golden storm erupted. In the blink of an eye, Chase was back at peak condition, radiating overwhelming power!
This was the most broken aspect of Hades's Heart Magic. As long as the heart wasn't destroyed and its stored magic wasn't depleted, Chase couldn't be killed—his condition couldn't even be weakened!
In truth, to prevent the Heart Magic from being detected, the recovery process should have been more discreet, like Hades's.
But Chase had made it so flashy precisely to make the arrogant Bahamut feel despair and concede defeat.
After all, one final battle still lay ahead: against tens of thousands of dragons!
"How—how is this possible?! What the hell kind of magic is this?!"
As expected, Bahamut was thoroughly shaken, letting out a curse shared by both humans and dragons alike.
Staring at this formidable opponent, who clearly wasn't bluffing, the Nether Dragon King felt its worldview crumbling.
They had fought bitterly for so long, and in a few breaths, the opponent was back to full strength. How was this even supposed to continue?!
After a long pause, suppressing the storm within, Bahamut's fighting spirit quickly dissipated. It lowered its body and knelt on one knee before Chase. "Human, you win."
Continuing to fight would only bring humiliation. It was not a sore loser.
Such a straightforward surrender caught Chase off guard. "I thought you'd at least struggle a bit."
"Since you're stronger than me, honoring the bet and submitting is nothing."
Then it added, "Of course, I will keep challenging you until I crush you beneath my feet!"
There was another, deeper reason it didn't say. During the battle, the divine aura Chase displayed—as a being of concentrated magic power—had struck something deep within it. A dragon's perception of power far surpassed other races. Bahamut was certain that the aura that made even its heart tremble couldn't possibly come from human training alone.
In other words, this man likely stood behind the true, ancient "Gods" of legend!
Powerful body, dense magic, mysterious recovery abilities, and the backing of the divine.
Bahamut had a strong intuition: staying by this human's side would definitely make it stronger—enough to finally overthrow that bastard Igneel, its sworn rival!
"Haha! Challenges are always welcome, Little Ba." Chase didn't know what was going on in Bahamut's mind, nor did he care to ask.
A Dragon King's combat power was not to be underestimated. And through their fist-to-fist clash, he had come to understand Bahamut's convictions and will.
"Little... Ba..." Bahamut's mouth twitched. It nearly turned on him right then and there, ready to fight the card nerd to the death.
In all its years, no one had ever dared to call it that!
"Got a problem? We can keep going," Chase said with a wink.
Bahamut's claws clenched, its face reddening. After careful deliberation, it finally sighed in resignation. "Before that, you'd better figure out whether you'll survive this."
A new dragon horde had arrived. Perhaps shaken by the earlier explosion, they weren't attacking yet—they circled high above, watching.
But one thing was certain: the moment Chase showed any sign of retreat, those savage beasts would abandon all caution and swarm him!
One person's strength was finite. No matter how powerful Chase was, no matter what incredible abilities he possessed, he couldn't survive an assault from thousands of dragons.
Even if he escaped back to the future world, it wouldn't matter. No human could hold that gate!
Bahamut understood this perfectly. Yet looking at Chase's calm, carefree expression, it couldn't help but feel a flicker of anticipation. What was the source of his confidence?
As it pondered, the sound of steel boots on the ground came from the side, surprising it.
Humans had survived that blast?!
Chase noticed the figure too. He raised his hand in greeting. "Yo, Gildarts."
"You really went overboard. I'll have to think twice before teaming up with you in the future." Gildarts scratched his head with a helpless grin.
Looking around, there was nothing but endless desert and swirling sand.
Apart from him, everyone—Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Mirajane, and the others—had triggered Kuriboh's effect and been forcibly sent back through the Eclipse Gate.
"Haha! Normally I'm much more restrained." After silently acknowledging Gildarts's resilience, Chase smiled. "So, want to join the final chapter of the 'Dragon King Festival'?"
Gildarts glanced up at the sky filled with dragons and sighed. "Forget it. After being apart so long, Cana and the others must miss me terribly."
(Behind the gate, both Canas: Like hell we miss you!!)
In truth, judging by his current condition, continuing to fight wouldn't be a problem.
But the goal of "gaining dragon-fighting experience" had already been achieved. There was no need to go through this final chaotic battle.
"That's it, then. See you."
Without wasting words, Gildarts waved to Chase. Kuriboh appeared, activating its magic circle and carrying him away in a flash of light.
"Teleportation magic?" Bahamut was stunned. It hadn't expected such a maneuver.
No wonder these humans had been so fearless from the start!
"Hey, Little Ba. You said earlier that you don't need to rely on other dragons, right?"
Though it didn't know why Chase was asking, Bahamut raised its head proudly. "That's right. The strong must always walk alone."
"That's why you lost to me."
"I'm different. It's because I have comrades I can trust and rely on that I've made it this far."
Under Bahamut's bewildered gaze, Chase stepped forward and slowly raised the card between his fingers. "Answer my call, descend upon this place and enjoy the battle to your heart's content. My turn—"
"All Card Spirits, Summon!!"
VWOOM!
Blinding golden light erupted from the blooming card magic circle, covering the entire battlefield. The dragons circling above squinted against the radiance.
Deep within the golden light, figures materialized one by one!
***
->Support me with power stone
->for 100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!
patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!