Mereoleona's sharp eyes glared at Adam, her expression fierce enough to make him flinch.
"Don't look at me like that — I don't know anything!"
After the golden pages absorbed the evil dragon, they immediately flew back into Adam's grimoire, silent and efficient.
Adam flipped through the book — the Flame Demon recorded on page 13 was now glowing faintly.
"Boy, that's my trophy!" Mereoleona barked.
Her plan to roast dragon meat was ruined by this show-off kid.
"Come out! Dragon Follower!"
Adam called, and a violent blue dragon erupted from the pages with a deafening roar.
"ROAR!"
The dragon bowed its head to Adam, showing complete obedience to its master.
"Very good, very good," Adam said, patting the creature's head. The dragon purred contentedly like a spoiled pet.
"Little brat!" Mereoleona yelled.
This damned guy not only stole her spoils, but now he was ignoring her? Too arrogant!
The timid blue dragon peeked out from behind Adam and immediately cowered — like a mouse seeing a cat.
Adam muttered softly, "Big sis…"
"Who are you calling sister?! My name's Mereoleona!" she snapped.
Adam swallowed nervously. This woman was terrifying.
And that cowardly dragon hiding behind him? Completely unfair — the master was now shielding the servant.
Adam sighed and forced a wry smile. "Sister Mereoleona, look… I've tamed this dragon already. If you eat him now—"
The dragon burst into tears at the word eat.
Mereoleona stared at Adam, thinking for a moment before asking, "What's your name, boy?"
"Adam."
"Where are you from?"
"Clover Kingdom, Black Bulls."
Her eyes widened. "You're one of Yami's subordinates?"
"Yes!"
That caught Mereoleona off guard. She knew just how brutal this Dungeon was — even she had nearly lost control of her mana before forcing herself through sheer willpower.
Only someone with monstrous physical strength could enter this place without being devoured by mana.
Where the hell did Yami find this freakishly talented kid?
"Sister Mereoleona…" Adam's voice pulled her from her thoughts.
She crossed her arms. "So, what do you propose we do now?"
Adam rubbed his hands with a grin. "How about we explore this Dungeon together? I'll help you hunt some new prey."
She studied him for a moment, then nodded. As a fellow Clover Kingdom mage, it wouldn't hurt to watch over this younger generation.
"Alright. Let's move."
She pointed to a tunnel ahead of the hot spring. "I was chasing prey down this way earlier. There's a sealed gate up ahead — let's check it out."
From hunting for food… to exploring the Dungeon — just like that, their strange partnership began.
"Got it!"
Adam followed, realizing quickly that this woman radiated raw power. She's a walking volcano in human form.
"Tell that blue dragon of yours to come over," Mereoleona ordered. "It attacked me earlier. I haven't settled that score yet!"
The dragon whimpered, trembling behind Adam. Even with the healing power of the grimoire's golden pages, the huge lump on its head remained.
"Xiaolong, you've got to face your fears if you want to grow," Adam sighed.
The large dragon reluctantly transformed into a palm-sized pet. Adam placed it gently in Mereoleona's hand — where it promptly fainted from fear.
"Useless thing."
Mereoleona snorted and tossed the tiny dragon back at him. "Keep your coward."
"Come back."
Adam reopened his grimoire, recalling the dragon inside.
They pressed deeper into the Demon Palace.
"Turn left!" Mereoleona commanded.
The narrow corridor opened into a vast chamber.
To their right was a massive hole — clearly the result of one of Mereoleona's earlier attacks. The path on the left was tight, barely wide enough for one person.
Adam trailed behind her, careful not to trip.
"Keep your eyes up front, brat!"
Bang! Mereoleona slammed her fist into the wall, the force shaking the corridor.
The fiery aura radiating off her made Adam's scalp tingle.
"Ah— I can't help it!" Adam said awkwardly.
How can I not look when the road's lit up like that?!
"If you do that again, I'll beat you into a meat pie!" she warned, stomping forward.
Adam sighed inwardly. As a normal guy, can't I even appreciate the view?
Meanwhile, far away in the Witch's Forest, Asta and his team were still clashing with Fana of the Eye of the Midnight Sun.
All the minions had already been wiped out, leaving only the crazed woman.
"Asta, her flames are too strong! I can't release my threads!" Vanessa shouted.
"I can't even open my spatial portals!" Finral gritted his teeth. The enemy's Fire Magic had reached a terrifying level.
"Don't worry — I've got a secret weapon!" Asta yelled confidently.
Vanessa and Finral exchanged doubtful looks. "Secret weapon? What secret weapon?!"
"Bull Charge!" Asta roared — charging straight at Fana with his Demon-Slayer Sword.
"...And how are you planning to get to her?" Vanessa muttered.
"Uh…" Asta froze. Clearly, he hadn't thought that far ahead.
Elsewhere, Noelle was dousing the spreading fires. Watching the flames grow larger, she knew the only way to stop them was to cut off the source.
"I have to help Asta and the others!"
At the same time, Mage's explosive magic had wiped out the Diamond Kingdom soldiers. On the main battlefield, Fanzell managed to capture Ladros after Mars turned against his own side.
"Mars, let's go help Asta and the others!"
"Right!"
Behind them, Ladros — battered and on the ground — struggled to absorb the remaining magic energy coursing through his body.
"I have to grow stronger… Mars, just wait for me!"
Back in the Demon Palace…
Mereoleona and Adam reached a massive stone gate in a small chamber. The air buzzed with mana.
"There's a magic barrier on it," she noted, placing her hand against the door. A fierce grin tugged at her lips.
Without hesitation, she reeled her fist back and punched.
BOOM!
The gate shattered instantly — barrier and all.
When the dust cleared, a massive multi-layered magic circle was revealed.
"Careful!"
Adam lunged, tackling Mereoleona to the ground as a blinding energy beam tore through the air — bursting with at least five different elemental powers.
BOOM!
The beam slammed into the corridor behind them, widening it several times over.
Adam exhaled shakily. "Damn… that was close. Who the hell designed this place?!"
He looked down.
"Uh… You can get off me now."
Mereoleona glared up at him, face inches away.
"Get. Off. Me. Boy."