# Chapter 105 – The End of the Black Dragon
Inside the endless darkness of the Void, time had long lost its meaning.
Reyon stood alone.
There was no sky.
No earth.
No stars.
Only an infinite black expanse stretching endlessly in every direction.
At first, he had wandered through that darkness with uncertainty. Then with determination. And finally with obsession.
Years passed.
Then decades.
Within the Void, Reyon trained relentlessly.
Again and again, he formed the symbol.
∞
Again.
∞
And again.
∞
Each failure taught him something new.
Each success brought him one step closer to mastery.
He learned how Void interacted with mana.
He learned how it devoured space.
How it consumed energy.
How even time itself became dormant within its boundaries.
Most importantly...
He learned how to become one with it.
The teachings of Leywin Phoenix echoed endlessly within his mind.
"Almost mastering and mastery are different things."
At last, after what felt like decades of effort, Reyon succeeded.
Darkness spread from his fingertips.
Then his arms.
Then his entire body.
The Void no longer surrounded him.
The Void had become part of him.
He could cast Infinity over himself.
Over objects.
Over entire regions of space.
Anywhere he desired.
A smile appeared on Reyon's face.
"I finally did it."
For a moment, he simply stood there.
Silent.
His gaze drifted behind him.
There, in the endless darkness, lingered the fading traces of the consciousness of Leywin Phoenix.
The greatest magician who had ever lived.
A man whose genius had surpassed entire eras.
A man who had sacrificed everything for knowledge.
A man who had made terrible mistakes.
And yet...
A man worthy of admiration.
Reyon lowered his head respectfully.
"Grandfather..."
His voice echoed through the darkness.
"One day..."
"I'll master τ."
His eyes burned with determination.
"Not for power."
"Not for glory."
"But so I can go back and meet you properly."
A small smile appeared on his lips.
"The world will never see another genius like you."
Silence answered him.
The remnants of Leywin's presence continued fading.
Reyon took one final look.
Then he turned away.
His expression hardened.
"But this isn't the time."
"Methusela is still alive."
"And Father and Aunt are fighting for their lives."
The darkness before him split apart.
A path opened.
Reyon stepped forward.
The Void shattered.
---
Outside.
Only a few minutes had passed.
Yet the battlefield had become a nightmare.
Edward Phoenix was covered in blood.
One arm hung limply by his side.
His breathing was ragged.
Nearby, Evelyn struggled to remain standing.
Her robes were torn.
Deep wounds covered her body.
Even two Ninth-Circle magicians were nearing their limits.
Above them towered Methusela.
The colossal dragon roared triumphantly.
"You humans cannot win!"
Grey Breath gathered within his jaws once more.
The air itself began aging.
The ground beneath him turned brittle and crumbled into dust.
Edward gritted his teeth.
"Evelyn..."
She nodded weakly.
They both understood.
If that attack landed...
It was over.
Then—
A ripple of darkness appeared.
The battlefield froze.
Methusela paused.
Edward's eyes widened.
A familiar figure emerged from the distortion.
"...Reyon?"
Evelyn looked up.
Her exhausted expression transformed into disbelief.
Reyon stepped forward calmly.
The violent mana that had previously leaked from his body was gone.
His movements were relaxed.
Controlled.
Perfect.
The darkness around him seemed alive.
Methusela narrowed its eyes.
The Grey Breath fired.
A beam capable of erasing life itself surged toward Reyon.
The dragon grinned.
But Reyon merely raised one hand.
Flick.
The Grey Breath vanished.
Just like that.
No struggle.
No strain.
No cracks.
The attack simply disappeared into countless tiny Void portals.
Methusela's grin disappeared.
"What?"
For the first time, uncertainty entered the dragon's voice.
Reyon didn't answer.
∞
∞
∞
∞
Dozens of symbols appeared around the dragon.
The surrounding space distorted.
Suddenly, Methusela's limbs froze.
The colossal beast struggled.
The sky shook.
Mountains cracked.
But he could not move.
"What have you done?!"
Reyon calmly walked forward.
His eyes held neither hatred nor fear.
Only understanding.
"I know what humans did to you was cruel."
Methusela's eyes widened slightly.
Reyon continued.
"You and your brothers suffered because of human greed."
His voice remained steady.
"And it should never have happened."
For a brief moment, silence filled the battlefield.
Then Reyon spoke again.
"But that doesn't justify exterminating humanity."
The dragon glared at him.
"If you let go of your hatred..."
"I'll spare you."
The battlefield fell silent.
Edward and Evelyn stared at Reyon.
Even they hadn't expected such an offer.
Then—
Methusela laughed.
A horrifying laugh.
A laugh filled with centuries of hatred.
"Hahahahaha!"
The dragon's body trembled.
"You would spare me?"
"HUMAN!"
With a savage roar, Methusela tore off the limbs trapped within the Void.
Blood exploded through the sky.
The severed limbs immediately regenerated.
The dragon lunged forward.
"I WILL KILL EVERY HUMAN!"
Reyon closed his eyes briefly.
Then sighed.
A look of disappointment crossed his face.
"I gave you a chance."
His eyes opened.
Cold.
Final.
"But you threw away your last opportunity to live."
The Void exploded outward.
Countless Infinity symbols appeared across Methusela's entire body.
The dragon suddenly found itself trapped.
Not physically.
Not magically.
But fundamentally.
Reality itself rejected his escape.
The surrounding world vanished.
Darkness consumed everything.
The dragon found himself inside the Void.
And standing before him—
Was Reyon.
For the first time since his creation...
Methusela felt fear.
---
The battle lasted only moments.
Yet to Methusela, it felt eternal.
Every time he regenerated—
Reyon severed another limb.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The dragon screamed.
He attempted to reverse time.
Nothing happened.
He tried to heal.
Nothing happened.
The Void prevented it all.
Within the Void, time held no authority.
His greatest power had become meaningless.
"No!"
One wing fell.
Then another.
An arm.
A leg.
His tail.
Each piece disappeared into darkness.
Eventually, only the dragon's torso and head remained.
Methusela looked at Reyon.
For the first time, hatred had vanished from his eyes.
Only exhaustion remained.
Reyon stood before him quietly.
The battle was already over.
The dragon knew it.
And so did Reyon.
A long silence followed.
Then Reyon spoke softly.
"I'm sorry."
Methusela closed his eyes.
Perhaps for the first time in centuries, his rage faded.
Reyon raised his blade.
"May you have peace in your next life."
One clean strike.
The dragon's head separated from its body.
Darkness swallowed everything.
---
Back in reality.
The enormous headless body of Methusela crashed onto the earth.
BOOOOOOM!
The impact shook the continent.
Dust rose into the heavens.
Then silence followed.
The greatest threat in history had fallen.
The Black Dragon was dead.
---
Ten Months Later.
The world had changed.
The Brook Kingdom surrendered.
The Elise Kingdom pledged allegiance.
Countless smaller nations followed.
No kingdom dared oppose the power of the Phoenix Empire.
Under Edward Phoenix's leadership, the continent gradually united.
For the first time in centuries, peace began spreading across the lands.
And at the center of it all stood a young man.
The magician who had defeated the White Dragon.
The magician who had slain Methusela.
The successor to Leywin Phoenix.
Reyon Phoenix.
The hero whose legend would be remembered for generations to come.
**End of Arc**