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The earth-shattering explosion shook the entire forest.
Countless wild beasts, and even monsters, were startled by the sudden disturbance, scattering chaotically. In an instant, the nearby mountain peaks descended into utter chaos.
"Quick! Someone's found the treasure!"
"What?!"
"Really?!"
The bustling crowd surged rapidly in a certain direction. Ur and the others exchanged glances and immediately moved with them.
The Hogria Mountains were vast, and the deeper one went, the greater the danger. Even Ur himself, let alone someone at the level of the Ten Magic Saints, rarely ventured into the deepest regions of Hogria, for there lived terrifying monsters capable of threatening their very lives.
Boom!
Another violent roar shook the ground.
Feeling the terrifying power, even the mages across the mountains trembled in fear. Ur and the others' eyes also darkened with concern.
"What's happening over there?" Ur and his companions sensed that the source of the explosion wasn't far away.
This discovery made them both anxious and slightly relieved: at least they hadn't fully entered the deep heart of Hogria. A small mercy amidst misfortune.
After all, if the so-called "treasure" truly lay in the deepest parts of Hogria, they wouldn't dare touch it. Money is one thing, but staying alive to spend it is another.
Their pace slowed.
By now, they could vaguely sense the overwhelming magical energy radiating from the area ahead. This was no mere display from one or two wizards; even Ur detected that one of the energy sources rivaled Makarov himself.
"Things don't look good! ~man!" Ichiya, clutching his flamboyant rose, couldn't hide the panic in his eyes.
If Ur felt only slightly unnerved by the magical pressure, Ichiya was in full-blown panic. Ichiya's strength was formidable; his magic alone rivaled Erza's. But precisely because of that, he could keenly perceive the danger ahead. That thing... even their guild master might not be able to handle it.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
As Ur and his group approached, more than a dozen figures suddenly flew toward them, like tattered sacks, scattering everywhere. Many of the weaker ones fell instantly.
Ur: "…."
I swear you guys are deliberately trying to lure me in!
Faced with such easy prey, Ur almost lost his composure. Were it not for his strong sense of reason, he would have stopped right then to send these unlucky fools off personally.
Damn it, it's all free magical energy!
"ROOOAAAR!!!"
Rumbling explosions and deafening roars erupted, generating a massive shockwave that hurled countless wizards into the sky and smashed them onto the ground.
Only after the storm subsided were Ur and the others able to see through the gaps in the forest.
"Is that… a dragon?" Ur's pupils constricted sharply. He had already heard from Master Dingley about dragons in the Hogria Mountains, but he never imagined he would witness one himself.
According to Master Dingley, dragons were supposed to reside only in the deepest areas of Hogria.
"No… it's not a dragon. It's a drake."
The appearance of this drake shocked Ur, as well as Ichiya and Carly. However, Ichiya's understanding of this world ran deeper, and he quickly noticed something unusual.
"The real dragons went extinct four hundred years ago. This drake, I've seen it in books. Forty years ago, it destroyed a nation called Retsuyo. Its name is the Roaring Drake—Hitsuya." Ichiya's face darkened.
Though not a true dragon, it still had incredible power. Moreover, Hitsuya was not exactly friendly toward humans.
"Everyone, be careful!"
"Retreat! It's about to breathe!"
Just as Ur and the others were still in shock, a commotion arose from the crowd surrounding Hitsuya.
Following the noise, Ur's eyes went wide in horror. The drake suddenly rose upright, its chest swelling, and an astonishing amount of magical energy concentrated there. When it reached its peak...
"ROOOAAAR!!!" A deafening roar erupted, accompanied by a terrifying magical shockwave that blasted from its mouth.
In an instant, the heavens and earth seemed to fade in color. All present felt the wind whip violently through the air, and for a moment, they could not open their eyes. Only when the monstrous energy in the void began to dissipate did they slowly open their eyes.
What lay before them froze them in place. A terrifying scar stretched nearly a kilometer long, over ten meters wide.
And along that scar, everything had been obliterated—towering ancient trees, giant boulders, thick bushes… and even the mages themselves.
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