The next day, in the Great Ravine.
Scholars had gathered here to conduct a full investigation of Zorah Magdaros.
Under the protection of hunters, they boarded the Elder Dragon's massive back to carry out their research.
Once, they could only observe Zorah Magdaros from afar.
Now, after the combined effort of the entire Commission, they had finally succeeded in capturing him.
Atop the shattered remains of the barricade Zorah Magdaros had once destroyed, the Commander stood listening to a report from the Director of the Ecological Research Institute.
"We can now confirm that this Zorah Magdaros has reached the end of its lifespan. If left alone, it would perish in three to four months. When that happens, it would release an enormous amount of Elder Dragon energy back into the land. We currently suspect that Nergigante was the one that lured Zorah Magdaros to the Old World."
The Director's hypothesis was not without basis.
Ever since the Commission began observing the phenomenon known as the Elder Crossing, Nergigante had frequently been seen accompanying other Elder Dragons.
This time was no different—Nergigante had followed Zorah Magdaros closely, like a hunting hound driving a flock forward.
The Commander immediately rejected the conclusion.
│ "The Elder Crossing has nothing to do with Nergigante. According to my latest reports, Nergigante appears near other Elder Dragons to hunt them and absorb their life energy. They have neither the intent nor the motivation to herd or guide Elder Dragons."
By now, the Commander had already learned everything there was to know about Nergigante from Bai Chen.
Nergigante did not possess the ability to drive aging Elder Dragons across the seas.
The Director adjusted his reading glasses in surprise.
│ "An Elder Dragon that hunts other Elder Dragons… I see. I see! Commander, where did you obtain this information?"
The Commander thought to himself:
I can't very well tell you that someone is raising a Nergigante.
He answered vaguely instead.
│ "The report came from a confidential investigator."
The Director nodded and did not pursue the matter further.
There were all kinds of researchers in the world—reclusive and secretive scholars were nothing unusual.
As for the credibility of the conclusion, he had no reason to doubt the Commander.
The man was famously rigorous and cautious. If he said it, it had surely passed proper verification.
The Director immediately took out his notebook, sat cross-legged on the spot, and began rapidly recording everything the Commander had said.
Soon, however, confusion returned to his expression.
│ "But if this wasn't caused by Nergigante, then why would Zorah Magdaros cross the ocean to the New World at the very end of its life? It's almost as if something here was calling to it."
The Commander fell silent for a moment before asking,
│ "Have you considered the possibility that it chose this place as its burial ground?"
According to reports from the Third Fleet on the other side of the ravine,
A Rotten Vale had been discovered beneath the Coral Highlands—a graveyard of monsters.
Traces of Zorah Magdaros had been found there as well.
The Director shook his head.
│ "That theory is obvious, but it doesn't explain why Zorah Magdaros chose the New World instead of the Old World—or somewhere even farther away. There must be something here that attracted it. The same thing may be drawing other Elder Dragons as well."
His meaning was clear.
The New World still held secrets yet to be uncovered.
The Commander responded calmly,
│ "Which is precisely why the Research Commission must continue its exploration."
│ "Commander, I request that you arrange for the scholars of the Third Fleet to join us. Their twenty years of accumulated research may be the key to unraveling the New World's mysteries."
At those words, a familiar name surfaced in the Commander's mind—Bai Chen.
His companion possesses teleportation abilities. He would be perfect for bringing the Third Fleet back.
│ "I'll have someone take care of it."
With that decided, the Commander mounted a Wingdrake and returned to Astera.
He found Bai Chen in the Arena.
The moment he arrived—
The Commander felt an overwhelming pressure crash down on him.
Standing in the spectator seats, he looked inward.
Bai Chen was completely shrouded in black-and-red energy.
On his exposed arms, crimson energy patterns ran from shoulder to wrist, pulsing rhythmically—almost as if they were breathing.
Then—
A far more violent aura erupted from Bai Chen's body.
Limit Aura Transformation—Activated!
The surging energy turned into a violent gale, ruffling the Commander's snow-white hair.
He muttered inwardly,
This man is a monster… even more terrifying than his Nergigante.
Just as the Commander prepared to step down and greet him—
Something strange happened.
The towering black-and-red aura—two stories high—vanished in an instant.
It didn't dissipate.
It was drawn back into Bai Chen's body.
The Commander stared in shock as Bai Chen's skin visibly darkened.
In the blink of an eye, Bai Chen's exposed arms turned pitch-black.
The crimson patterns shifted—from straight lines into spiraling coils that wrapped tightly around his limbs.
At his neck, black Dragon-attribute energy surged upward like waves, creeping onto his face.
When Bai Chen opened his eyes again—
The whites of his eyes were stained with black and crimson, and his golden pupils gleamed with an eerie brilliance.
│ "Aura Hardening…? Impossible. How could it harden this completely?!"
The Commander was shaken to his core.
As the Commander of the New World, he naturally knew about Aura Transformation and Aura Hardening.
He had seen the Swordmaster and the Commander of the First Fleet use Aura Hardening before.
But their hardening was limited—only their hands, at most.
Bai Chen, however—
Had achieved full-body Aura Hardening.
Bai Chen looked down at his own body.
Aura Hardening concentrates the aura to stimulate cellular activity, like forcing blood into every part of the body.
His physique had visibly expanded.
From his original height of 1.8 meters, he now stood close to 1.9 meters tall, his muscles thicker and denser.
Bai Chen raised his right fist and slammed it into the ground.
Boom—!
Cracks spread outward in a spiderweb pattern across a ten-meter radius.
Bai Chen stared at the destruction in disbelief.
That had been a casual strike.
He then activated Ultimate Aura Field and Bulk Up.
Drawing a deep breath, he poured all his strength into a single blow.
The arena floor shattered as if dozens of barrel bombs had detonated at once.
Within a thirty-meter radius beneath his feet, the ground collapsed into a massive crater.
The Commander stood frozen in shock.
│ "Is this man… truly not the incarnation of an Elder Dragon?"
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