The God of Souls, Psyche, received the message from his soldier.
The messenger knelt before him, delivering the report with a steady voice.
After hearing the news, Psyche slowly smiled.
"The Dragon King has finally emerged from his cavern… yet he has forgotten one crucial thing."
"He left the gates to his dome open."
"And Ryzen's son… he is still alive."
Psyche's eyes narrowed slightly.
"It seems something significant is about to unfold."
Without wasting another moment, Psyche prepared five divisions along with five generals from his army. They were to advance toward the Sky Fortress and reinforce the Sky God, Suiryu.
Among the generals were:
The Bull
A massive warrior wielding a heavy chain mace. His eyes glowed blue with violent energy, and two enormous spectral bulls marched beside him. Fierce, prideful, and driven by raw power.
Lyra
A swift female knight who drained the life force of her enemies. With every strike of her blade, she siphoned vitality and bound it to her sword. Disciplined, precise, and relentless.
Crow
Clad in dark crow-shaped armor, he wielded a thick, brutal short axe and possessed advanced magical abilities. Arrogant and mocking, he took pleasure in humiliating his opponents.
They led an army of one thousand units Death Knights, Wraiths, Soul Eaters, Undead Legionnaires, and Shadow Beasts.
Meanwhile, the single dragon division sent into the clouds by the Dragon King after sensing Marshal's energy encountered a massive army emerging from a fortress hidden within dense storm clouds.
One hundred dragons and their general, Beregues, were suddenly surrounded by a thousand undead and three of Psyche's generals.
The dragons attempted to call for reinforcements.
Crow stopped them.
He unleashed massive energy strikes that disrupted their signal attempts. Using his enhanced crow vision, he scanned the horizon and spotted nine additional dragon divisions and the Dragon King himself standing on a distant mountain.
He immediately sent a soldier back to
Psyche with urgent news
"The Dragon King is present. Nine hundred dragons await his signal to assault the Sky Fortress."
Surrounded and outnumbered, the hundred dragons erupted in flames.
Beregues roared, unleashing waves of searing fire upon the undead army and the enemy generals.
The Bull charged forward in fury, spinning his chain mace violently before leaping toward Beregues.
Beregues met him mid-air with a clean, crushing tail strike.
Lyra and Crow joined the assault, attacking alongside the undead forces.
Beregues commanded his division to advance toward the Sky Fortress while fighting their way through the swarm. He hurled a massive fireball at the Bull, staggering him, then seized him mid-air and flew toward the fortress.
The Bull retaliated, and the two crashed violently into the battlefield below.
Several dragons rose into the sky, unleashing devastating flame waves across the enemy ranks but the undead numbers remained overwhelming.
Beregues sustained heavy injuries, enduring multiple crushing strikes from the chain mace. Blood burned along his scales.
With the last of his strength, he roared releasing a colossal pillar of flame into the clouds.
The signal.
The remaining dragons began retreating while fighting fiercely. Though many fell, Beregues and his division successfully broke through and advanced toward Marshal.
Landing heavily, Beregues looked at the reduced numbers of his soldiers.
"We survived… but my precious warriors gave their lives."
He lifted his head and roared:
"For those who have sacrificed themselves for us WE WILL ANNIHILATE THESE CORRUPTED!"
The dragons roared in response not in blind rage, but in solemn oath.
This was Beregues' division.
The strongest among the dragons.
The Dragon King received the signal.
He advanced toward it but suddenly the clouds ahead erupted with violent thunder. The intensity forced the dragons to halt.
Orwlevdis lost his patience.
He opened his jaws and unleashed a colossal inferno blast into the storm barrier. The explosion cracked the thunder shield apart.
With unstoppable force, Orwlevdis charged forward, shattering the barrier completely.
Beyond it stood the undead army.
And the dragon army behind him.
The soldier Crow had sent reached Psyche and reported the Dragon King's arrival.
Since the Dragon King was already engaged in conflict with the God of the Sea, Psyche chose not to commit full forces.
Instead, he dispatched fifty elite Reapers from his special division.
He sent a message to Crow
"Allow the Reapers to distract the Dragon King. Hold the dragon army temporarily. Ignore the Dragon King afterward. Proceed to the Sky Fortress and support the Sky God's forces."
"Then retreat. Do not engage further."
They obeyed.
The generals moved toward the Sky Fortress.
The Reapers stood before the Dragon King.
"So Psyche has entered this war as well. Pathetic." said Orwlevdis.
The Reapers began teleporting rapidly, striking dragons once before vanishing and reappearing elsewhere.
Dragon generals transformed into their human forms, wielding their unique weapons and countering the Reapers with disciplined coordination.
The Reaper leader quickly realized something
If they continued pushing, they would be annihilated.
And if the Reapers fell here, Psyche's forces would weaken significantly against the God of the Sea.
The Reapers retreated through a portal.
Before disappearing, they activated a massive thunder barrier that sealed the area temporarily lightning bolts crashing down to stall the dragons.
But dragons are not easily contained.
The barrier would not hold for long.
Meanwhile, Beregues' division reached the Sky Fortress.
They saw Marshal and the unknown warriors (Metsuju) locked in battle against the Sky God's army.
Beregues ordered his dragons to engage the Sylphs and Sky Warriors.
He advanced toward Marshal.
Marshal felt relief at the sight of dragon reinforcements.
Opium and Osric, however, began retreating fear flickering across their faces.
Suddenly, dark clouds swirled above.
Yellow lightning struck the ground violently.
Opium and Osric smiled.
"Now this is your end, brave warriors." Osric said.
Lightning struck Marshal directly.
His body trembled violently.
A second later, he was punched across the face and thrown backward.
Beregues charged to intercept but was countered instantly by a devastating lightning bolt.
Then he descended.
Suiryu.
The God of the Sky.
He stepped down calmly, thunder spiraling around him.
His eyes locked onto Kyle and Oni.
"Ryzen's son… Kyle. So you are still live."
"Perhaps the Heart of Ebony chose not to end you."
"But I will."
"Divine Thunder Ascension."
The entire battlefield began glowing with divine energy.
Noah's undead forces began disintegrating instantly under the overwhelming divine aura.
His dark energy was overpowered.
Noah collapsed to one knee weakened, breath heavy, as the divine presence dominated the battlefield.
And the Thunder spread violently across the battlefield.
Kyle and Oni were forced to their knees. Marshal tried to stand, but another surge of lightning struck him, and he collapsed again.
Beregues' division and the other Metsuju members were positioned farther away, spared from the direct impact.
Grandpa Caesar looked at the fallen Kyle and wondered.
Why would Ryzen send him to fight gods… when he was still this weak?
But Kyle did not remain down.
He stood.
Oni rose beside him, growling through the divine thunder.
Suiryu watched with calm disdain.
"What foolishness is this? You stand before a god."
Kyle ignored him.
He raised his hand and countered the divine thunder with his own dark lightning. Black bolts clashed against golden thunder in the sky.
But suddenly
The Heart of the Elder Dark Dragon reacted.
It began attacking Kyle's own heart from within.
He clutched his chest and screamed in agony as dark thunder erupted uncontrollably around him.
Suiryu laughed.
"So the stolen power consumes you."
Grandpa Caesar rushed forward. He struck Kyle with a precise palm strike and activated Ryo the healing variation. A sealing barrier formed around the Elder Dark Dragon's core, suppressing its rampage.
But it wasn't enough.
Kyle fought internally, his own heart resisting the dragon core.
At that moment, Suiryu formed a divine spear of lightning in his hand and lunged forward, aiming to end Kyle.
Grandpa Caesar stepped in front of him.
The spear pierced straight through Caesar's chest.
For a second, everything went silent.
But he did not fall.
Flames erupted from his body. His muscles expanded, veins glowing with heat.
With a roar, he threw a devastating punch at Suiryu.
Suiryu sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the blow, and dodged several more fiery strikes.
"Rumbling Thunder."
Multiple lightning blasts struck Caesar's body.
He finally fell.
But he was still breathing.
Kyle saw it.
Tears fell from his eyes.
He believed, for a moment, that he had lost the last of his family.
Something inside him snapped.
But not into madness.
Into burning resolve.
His heart devoured the Elder Dark Dragon's core completely.
Black infernal flames erupted around him.
He transformed into a temporary form a burning black dragon. His body was covered in hellish black fire. His fingers and toes sharpened into claws. Wings burst from his back. His eyes glowed white.
Marshal sensed the energy.
"So he killed the Elder Dark Dragon… and he can bind hearts. Impressive."
Kyle locked eyes with Suiryu.
Suiryu summoned a lightning bolt from the heavens. The entire Sky Fortress became engulfed in a storm. A divine thunderbolt struck his palm, forming a glowing spear of pure lightning in his hand.
Kyle launched forward, shattering the ground beneath him.
He punched Suiryu.
Suiryu did not move.
Kyle reshaped the orbs around him into sharp, hardened fists and unleashed a barrage of punches. Everything behind Suiryu was destroyed.
Suiryu remained standing.
Unharmed.
He stabbed Kyle with the thunder spear, suppressing the black flames with divine lightning.
Kyle roared.
Oni recovered, and lunged at suiryu, landing a powerful kick followed by another flurry of strikes
But Osric intercepted him, kicking him away and engaging him directly.
Marshal jumped toward Suiryu but was blocked by Opium.
Beregues launched a massive fireball at Suiryu, but it was countered instantly by a lightning strike that nearly struck Beregues
Until
The Dragon King arrived in his human form.
Orwlevdis intercepted the attack mid-air and swung his long sword, releasing a devastating heat wave toward Suiryu.
The dragon army had arrived behind him.
Earlier, Orwlevdis had repeatedly attacked the thunder barrier with his flame bursts. Each strike weakened it until it finally opened like a massive gate.
Now the dragon army flooded the battlefield.
They overwhelmed the Sylphs, Sky Warriors, and remaining generals.
The Soul God's forces and the three generals saw the Dragon King and retreated immediately.
The Sky Fortress became a battlefield of flames and corpses.
Suiryu threw Kyle aside and faced Orwlevdis.
"Dragon King…" Suiryu sighed.
"Your army may still stand, but you will die here. I will kill you."
The two gods clashed.
Suiryu moved with incredible speed, but Orwlevdis still landed devastating blows, sending Suiryu crashing into the upper structure of the fortress.
Suiryu stood atop the fortress tower, staring down, calculating.
Orwlevdis turned and walked toward Kyle.
Kyle tried to speak.
"Tha-"
"Shut up." Orwlevdis said coldly.
"You are Ryzen's son. I knew you would come seeking vengeance. But you have disappointed me."
"You are nothing like your father."
"Ryzen was disciplined. Wise. Controlled. Powerful."
"You are filled with useless rage."
"Your father came to King Tiamat for an alliance not for help. Together they defeated the Demon King because he was strong and strategic."
"Strength without discipline is nothing."
Beregues rushed forward.
"King Orwlevdis! Our kingdom is under siege by the Soul God's army!"
Orwlevdis gave a final glance at Suiryu.
"He either dies here… or if he seeks revenge against me, I will kill him myself."
He ordered the dragon army to return and left with them.
"But sir, what about Suiryu?" Marshal asked.
"He is no longer my concern."
Kyle sat on the ground, replaying Orwlevdis' words.
This time, he stood without rage.
"Lucy. Heal Grandpa Caesar."
She immediately moved.
"NOAH."
Noah stood and walked beside Kyle.
"ONI."
Oni landed beside him and smacked his forehead.
"Don't command a king, brat."
"Ow shut up. Suiryu! Come here and fight me!"
Opium and Osric descended in front of Kyle.
Behind them, Suiryu slowly floated forward through the storm.
The battlefield grew silent again.
The real fight was about to begin.