Vol. 2 Ch. 88

On the border of the Silver Dragon’s territory, smoke filled the air, and the chaos of war raged around them.

Black Sun Dragon King, Bly, and Chaos Dragon King, Jagus, stood side by side.

Bly stared at the three women in front of them, their bodies battered and bruised. Despite their exhaustion, they stood firm in front of their queen and the princesses, shielding them with their lives.

“I don’t understand,” Bly said calmly, looking at Anna. “Two maids and a spy, still holding on to protect a dying Dragon Queen. You could’ve fled when your queen dismissed the Silver Dragon Clan not long ago. Even though it would be seen as desertion, at least you’d save your lives. Isn’t that right?”

Anna’s face was half-covered in blood, her broken dragon wings trembling weakly behind her. Her body was close to collapse, but she refused to retreat a single step before her death.

“My life… belongs to Her Majesty. You have no right to—*cough cough*—to worry about it,” Anna spat, coughing up blood from the effort of speaking loudly.

She was too weak to fight any longer.

At this point, if the two Dragon Kings standing before her wished, they could end her life with just a flick of their fingers.

But so what?

As the head maid of Rosvisser, she would never abandon her queen and selfishly cling to life.

“Hmph, still talking tough on the brink of death,” Jagus said, his voice oozing with the arrogance and pride of a victor. “Your queen is already at the end of her rope. And those little brats of hers… Even if we let them go, how long could they survive in this chaotic world? They’ll eventually—”

“Don’t you dare insult the princesses!”

Before he could finish, Milan, the maid, gathered her magic and formed a concentrated water sphere, hurling it toward Bly and Jagus.

The two didn’t even move.

When the water sphere neared them, they simply opened a spatial magic array, easily neutralizing Milan’s attack.

“Running on empty,” Bly yawned, clearly growing impatient. He glanced at Jagus. “Shall you, or shall I?”

“I’ll do it,” Jagus volunteered.

Bly shrugged. He had no interest in competing. Jagus was always the first to flee when danger appeared, but when it came to claiming credit, he was the quickest to step forward.

Jagus began walking slowly toward the group, who looked like candles in the wind, on the verge of burning out.

Rosvisser, both mentally and physically exhausted, had depleted her magic. She knelt weakly on the ground, using her blood-stained dragon wings to shield her three daughters.

She looked down at her daughters.

At least… up until now, she hadn’t let anything happen to her precious girls.

A faint, relieved smile appeared on Rosvisser’s tired face.

“Leon… I’ve protected our daughters…”

Noa held Little Light in one arm and clutched Moon’s hand tightly with the other.

Her two younger sisters were trembling uncontrollably, frightened beyond words, huddling close to their elder sister.

But as Noa looked back at her mother, she saw something in Rosvisser’s smile—an expression of fleeting despair.

So that’s it… Mom, that smile is just the calm before surrendering to despair.

Noa’s pupils trembled slightly.

After a moment of thought, she placed Little Light gently beside her mother. “Mom, I’m entrusting Little Light to you for now.”

“Noa… what are you going to do…?”

“I’m going to do what I can.”

“Noa, no! Noa—!” Rosvisser was too weak to stop her daughter.

Noa turned and looked at Moon, biting her lip for a moment before speaking. “Moon, I need your help.”

“Big sister…” Moon whimpered, her voice trembling as she clung desperately to Noa’s sleeve. “Moon is scared…”

Noa gently cupped her little sister’s face in her hands, looking her straight in the eyes. She spoke slowly and clearly:

“You are that man’s daughter. I know you can do this.”

Tears streaked down Moon’s face, and she hesitated, but after a moment, she mustered the courage and nodded firmly. “What do you need me to do?”

Noa leaned in and whispered something into her sister’s ear.

“Got it?”

“Mm, Moon understands.”

“Good.”

Noa patted her sister’s head, just like their father used to do when encouraging them.

Then she turned and walked over to where Anna and the others were standing.

“Princess? You should go back. We’ll hold them off—”

“Milan, your magic element is water, right?” Noa ignored the suggestion and asked instead.

Milan hesitated but nodded. “Yes, Princess.”

Noa then turned to Anna and Shirley. “Anna, Sister Shirley, can either of you still use dragonfire?”

Shirley glanced at Anna and shook her head. “Anna can’t, but I can still manage.”

Though Shirley was also gravely injured, she was in better shape than Anna. At least she could still use dragonfire.

But…

“What do you plan to do, Princess?” Shirley asked.

Noa lowered her gaze, looking at her right hand, which bore faint burn marks—scars left behind from practicing the first move her father had taught her countless times.

“I’m not going to wait here to die. After all… I am his daughter.”

Jagus’s footsteps grew louder and clearer as he approached.

He raised his hand, gathering energy.

“Oh? So you’re pushing the little ones forward now? It seems you’ve truly run out of options.”

Jagus continued to mock them. “Don’t worry, little girl, death only lasts a moment. There’s no pain in it.”

As Jagus finished gathering his energy, he was ready to strike.

But before he could, Milan and Shirley simultaneously unleashed their elemental magic.

The concentrated water sphere and scorching dragonfire collided in the air, instantly creating a dense fog.

The fog quickly spread, covering a large area around them.

Inside the mist, Jagus’s vision was obscured, reducing visibility to near zero.

Jagus furrowed his brow and gritted his teeth, shouting into the mist, “What’s the point of struggling?! Why don’t you just accept death?”

As soon as he spoke, flashes of lightning and fire lit up a short distance away, piercing through the fog.

Jagus remembered that Leon Casmodé’s eldest daughter, the girl who had just stepped forward to stand beside the maids, had awakened to the extremely rare lightning element.

As for the fire element, it had to be the spy who had just used dragonfire.

“They’re using the fog as cover to reposition, huh…”

Jagus sneered. “How childish.”

He began walking slowly toward the direction of the lightning and fire.

“No matter if it’s a feint or a diversion,” he said lazily, “I’ll kill each and every one of you.”

But before he could finish his words, a sharp explosion rang out behind him.

A small, dark figure leapt into the air, her hand crackling with lightning like an arrow, aimed at Jagus’s shoulder.

A scorching pain shot through him, and Jagus staggered, barely maintaining his balance.

But the one who had ambushed him was already preparing for a second strike of lightning.

However, this time, Jagus wasn’t going to let her succeed so easily.

Even with the cover of the fog, he could precisely track her movements at such a close distance.

“Damn brat!” he roared, reaching out and grabbing Noa by the throat.

The mist began to clear.

In the center of the battlefield, Jagus held Noa by the neck, lifting her a meter off the ground.

Noa struggled, but it was in vain.

In terms of both size and strength, she was no match for the Dragon King in front of her.

For some reason, Bly, who had been watching from a distance, felt an unsettling sense of déjà vu.

Jagus had already captured the one who attacked him, but… why did this scene seem so familiar?

“Using water and fire elements to create fog to obscure vision, then using twin-elemental awakening as bait, followed by a lightning ambush…”

Jagus looked at the struggling Noa. “How could a little brat possibly know such tactics?”

“I’m… not a brat…” Noa said, clenching her fist and hitting Jagus’s arm, her small tail behind her thrashing with effort.

“Oh? Then what are you?”

“I am… the daughter of Leon Casmodé!”

As soon as she said her father’s name, the mocking smile froze on Jagus’s face.

The hand he had around Noa’s neck tightened suddenly. “That useless father of yours died long ago, lost in the space rift. It’s been six months, and you still haven’t realized it?”

“Don’t… insult my father…”

Jagus squeezed harder, but the girl in his grasp refused to stop struggling.

“Does it hurt, little girl?” Jagus sneered. “Just say the words: Leon Casmodé is dead, and I’ll let you go. Or I’ll give you a quick death. How about it?”

Noa’s heartbeat raced, and her breath came in shallow gasps. Her eyes were bloodshot.

“Let go of Princess Noa!”

“Stay where you are! Or I’ll strangle her right here!”

Jagus wasn’t bluffing.

Killing this little girl would be as easy as snapping a twig for a Dragon King.

After his warning, he looked back at Noa and spoke again.

“Say it. Admit your father is dead, that he was a coward and a weakling. He abandoned you, your mother, and your sisters to die alone.”

Noa grasped Jagus's wrist tightly, struggling to breathe, her mouth opening with difficulty.

“My father… is not dead!—Argh!”

“Say it, or I’ll crush your neck! Soon, you won’t even be able to speak!” Jagus tightened his grip further, his arm muscles bulging as Noa’s body dangled limply in his grasp.

Noa dug her nails into Jagus’s arm, her inverted dragon eyes filled with a fury far beyond her young age. The edges of her eyes began to form faint scales, and her body boiled with dragon blood, heated by her rage.

“My father… is Leon Casmodé! He is not dead! He will come back, and when he does, he’ll kill every last one of you!”

Jagus’s eyes widened in disbelief.

A two-year-old dragon… where did she get the courage to speak to a Dragon King like this?!

“Well, well… since you’re not afraid to die—”

He threw her to the ground and transformed into his dragon form.@@novelbin@@

In an instant, his massive dragon wings blotted out the sky, casting a giant shadow over Noa.

The terrifying, colossal figure of the Dragon King loomed before Noa. The size difference between them was so extreme it seemed absurd.

Jagus bent down, bringing his dragon head right in front of Noa.

Just his head alone was several times larger than Noa’s entire body.

“Not scared enough to wet your pants, little girl?” he sneered, his voice dripping with menace.

The overwhelming pressure of his dragon’s aura descended upon Noa like a tidal wave, crushing her from all sides, making her heart almost stop from fear.

Her body trembled, her heart pounded as if it might burst, and yet… her will did not waver.

Noa’s breathing grew rough, and with shaking hands, she gathered the lightning element once more. She raised her head, glaring defiantly at the massive dragon before her.

“...”

Jagus was speechless.

This child… the daughter of a monster… is a monster herself.

How could she not be afraid?!

How is she still standing?!

A child attempting to challenge the might of a Dragon King, like an ant daring to fight an elephant—it was ridiculous.

And yet, this little girl was still trying to attack him.

“Well then, go ahead.”

Jagus’s dragon breath ruffled Noa’s hair as he loomed closer. “Let’s see what your weak, insignificant power can do to me. I’ll stand right here and let you strike. What do you think you’ll accomplish?”

“In the end, won’t you meet the same fate as your dead father?”

“All of you will die!”

“You, your mother, your sisters, and your maids will all perish!”

“Your struggle is meaningless, little girl!”

The sharp sound of chirping lightning interrupted Jagus’s triumphant speech.

A surge of magical energy whipped through the air, causing Noa’s hair to fly wildly around her face. Her dragon eyes reflected her father’s image, her mind filled with memories of every moment they had shared.

Her gaze became resolute, her expression calm.

“I told you, don’t call me a little girl.”

“I am his daughter. I am the daughter of the Silver Dragon Queen. I won’t just stand here and wait to die!”

“Then come on! Let’s see if your pathetic power can even scratch me! I’ll stand still and let you hit me!” Jagus roared. “You’ll end up just like your worthless father!”

“You’ll all die!”

Noa raised her hand, lightning dancing around her, gathering into a powerful force. With a shout, she leapt toward the massive dragon in front of her, aiming for his heart.

A deafening boom echoed across the battlefield.

The light of lightning dominated the war-torn sky.

The piercing screech of *Chidori* filled the air, and the immense force of the lightning element surged like an awakened beast.

And in that moment, the Dragon King, who had been so full of arrogance and bravado, let out a scream of agony.

“ROAAAAARRRR!!!”

He tried to break free.

But the lightning element had paralyzed his enormous body.

All he could do was lay there, his great dragon form trapped by the raging thunder that tore him apart piece by piece.

How could a child… How could a child have this kind of power?!

Jagus forced his eyes open, and in the flashing lightning, he thought he saw the figure of another man standing behind the girl.

“It’s… you… Is it really you?! IS IT YOU?!”

*Chidori* exploded, lightning flooding over him, reducing the massive dragon to ashes.

As the light faded, Noa stood there, staring in disbelief at the sight before her.

The Dragon King’s body lay in front of her, lifeless.

This… This really happened…

Suddenly, she felt a warm hand on her small shoulder.

That familiar hand rested gently on her.

“You did well, Noa.”

“Now, go back to your mother and sisters.”

“I’ll handle everything from here.”

It was her father’s voice.

Leon Casmodé had returned.