Seconds stretched thin beneath the weight of anticipation, and then, slowly, the distant shape in the sky sharpened into something undeniable, something so massive that it seemed to warp the very sense of scale around it, forcing every eye upward as the truth revealed itself in full.
A colossal dragon tore through the sky with overwhelming force, its enormous body easily rivaling the combined mass of four elephants.
What made it truly unsettling was not its size alone, but the complete absence of anything that could be called natural or alive, because this was no creature of flesh and blood, but a golem-like construct forged entirely from jagged stone and compacted earth, its body layered in uneven rock plates that shifted and ground against each other with every movement, while glowing cracks pulsed beneath the surface like veins of molten fire, releasing dust and gravel with each heavy wingbeat that echoed like distant thunder.
For a brief moment, everyone fell into complete silence, not because there was nothing to say, but because no one could quite process what they were seeing fast enough to react.
Then the voices came, low at first, then spreading.
"Shit… it really is a dragon…"
"It's massive… what the hell is that size…?"
"But something's wrong… why does it look like that…?"
Even inside the academy, where students watched through crystal-clear broadcasts, the tension was palpable, spreading through the crowd as fear slowly replaced disbelief.
Narasha observed the scene with a completely different expression, her eyes narrowing the instant she recognized the nature of the creature, her gaze sharpening not with panic, but with calculated interest.
'A Soul Dragon… so someone actually went that far.'
Her thoughts moved quickly, dissecting the situation with cold clarity.
'To throw away your own body and fuse your soul into a construct like that… it's not just madness, it's desperation taken to its extreme.'
'Even if it isn't a true dragon and only a golem wearing the shape of one, destroying it would be anything but simple; in fact, it would border on impossible under normal circumstances, especially when considering the kind of abnormal traits such constructs tend to possess, and on top of that, the way it can manipulate all four elements so fluidly only made the situation worse.'
A faint, anticipatory glint appeared in her gaze.
'I really want to see what those so-called strongest humans will do against something like that.'
Then, almost naturally, her thoughts shifted, and a certain person's face surfaced.
Ashan.
A slow smirk curved across her lips.
'No… more than that, I'm curious about what he will do.'
As the dragon closed the distance, its speed gradually decreased, its massive body stabilizing midair as it came to a halt above the battlefield, looming over the formation below like an oppressive force of nature while its glowing eyes fixed downward.
Inside that monstrous body, the truth was far more twisted.
The golem dragon was not acting on instinct or some preset command, it was being controlled by the very man who had thrown himself into its mouth, his soul now fully fused with the vessel, binding his existence to it and granting him a grotesque form of immortality that made him feel untouchable.
As his gaze swept over the battlefield and landed on Maren and the gathered S-rankers, who stood watching him with visible tension, a surge of pride swelled within him, rising uncontrollably.
'This… this is perfect.'
'Those S-rankers… looking at me like that…'
'Me, who used to be nothing more than a weakling.'
A low, distorted satisfaction coiled in his mind.
'This feeling… I could get addicted to it.'
And then,
His attention locked onto the one person he had been searching for from the very beginning.
Eirena.
She stood among the formation, her expression filled not with fear, but with clear displeasure as she stared back at him without backing down.
The moment he saw her, something inside him snapped.
Rage ignited instantly, spreading like wildfire through his mind.
'There she is…'
'The filthy seed of that bastard… that troublesome brat.'
Mana surged violently toward his mouth, condensing and transforming into searing flames that flickered between his stone jaws.
'First, I'll kill her.'
'Then I'll take as many of the rest with me as possible…'
'If I cause enough destruction, it will make things easier for our leader later.'
Without another thought, the dragon opened its mouth wide and unleashed a massive wave of flames that roared forward like a tidal surge, expanding rapidly until it engulfed the entire formation in its path.
The scale alone was enough to crush morale.
But the response came just as fast.
Dessa moved first, her hand lifting with effortless control as she redirected the incoming inferno, the overwhelming flames bending unnaturally before being forced backward and dispersing into nothingness as though erased from existence.
At the same time, Draven stepped forward, mana flaring around him as countless glowing circles formed in the air behind him, layering one over another in rapid succession before releasing a barrage of ice spears that shot forward in a relentless storm.
The spears struck the dragon's body, and shattered.
Not merely breaking upon impact, but losing their integrity entirely as if something had drained their force just before contact, causing them to crumble and vaporize against the thick stone surface without leaving even the faintest mark.
Draven's eyes widened as realization hit him.
"Something's wrong… my attacks are weakening before they even land."
The dragon didn't respond with another attack.
Instead,
It laughed.
The sound was distorted, unnatural, and filled with something deeply unsettling, a twisted, hollow laughter that echoed across the battlefield while carrying a suffocating weight of mockery.
For a brief moment, no one moved.
"Is that… thing laughing?"
"How is that even possible…?"
The laughter slowly died down.
And then, without warning, the dragon dropped.
Its massive body crashed into the ground directly in front of the formation, the impact sending cracks racing through the reinforced pathway while a violent wave of dust and debris exploded outward, forcing several people to brace themselves.
As the dust settled, the dragon raised its head slowly, its posture coiling like a cobra preparing to strike while its burning eyes swept across the gathered fighters.
"How pitiful…" it sneered, its voice dripping with contempt as it spoke clearly.
"You greet me with attacks that can't even scratch my skin. I expected more."
Maren stepped forward without hesitation, her expression calm but firm as she met its gaze head-on.
"A talking dragon… what exactly are you, and why have you come here?"
Her voice carried clearly despite the distance.
The dragon's lips curled into a grin, its crimson glow intensifying.
"How fearless… to speak so casually to a being like me."
A second figure stepped forward.
"Oh, spare me," Lia said coldly, her tone laced with irritation as she faced the dragon without the slightest hint of reverence.
"Just because you can talk doesn't mean we need to fear you. If anything… it makes you look even more ridiculous."
The reaction was immediate.
Fury flared.
The dragon's mouth opened again, this time condensing a massive sphere of water before launching it straight toward Lia with explosive force.
She didn't move.
She didn't need to.
The attack slammed into an already-formed barrier in front of her and burst apart harmlessly, water scattering in all directions as Draven lowered his wand slightly, maintaining the defense without strain.
The dragon's claws dug into the ground as it slammed its weight down in frustration, cracking the surface further.
"You loud, flashy bitch… watch your mouth, or I'll tear it off myself."
Lia's eyes narrowed, irritation flashing across her face.
"A dragon that talks like a street thug… yeah, that's believable," she shot back. "Who the hell are you supposed to be? Calling yourself a dragon is already a stretch."
"That's because it isn't one."
Morevan stepped forward, his gaze sharp as he analyzed the creature carefully.
"What we're looking at is a golem… more specifically, something known as a Soul Dragon. A human consciousness must be controlling it from within."
The dragon let out a low, amused sound.
"You're half right," it replied, its tone dripping with superiority. "But you misunderstand one thing."
Its wings spread wide as it lifted its head proudly.
"I'm not controlling it."
"I became it."
A heavy silence followed.
"I abandoned my weak human body and transferred my soul into this vessel," it continued, its voice growing more intense.
"Now I exist as something far beyond human limitations, an invincible Soul Dragon."
The weight of those words settled over the battlefield.
Maren's gaze hardened slightly.
"Then answer me this," she said steadily. "Why are you here?"
The dragon went still.
For a moment, it said nothing.
Then,
"Revenge."
The single word carried a chilling certainty.
"I came here for revenge… and there is someone among you I intend to kill."
Tension spiked instantly.
"Who?" Lia demanded sharply.
Smoke began to curl from the dragon's mouth as faint flames flickered between its jaws, its head slowly turning until its gaze locked onto a single figure within the formation.
"Eirena Greaves."
"I came for her… to take her life."
The reaction was immediate.
Eirena's eyes widened, shock flashing across her face as the people around her instinctively turned to look, confusion and suspicion spreading through the formation.
"What does she have to do with this?" Maren demanded.
The dragon's voice rose, filled with fury.
"That woman killed my brother months ago," it roared. "He led a unit tasked with enhancing boosting pills. They went to the western forest… and in the end, he was beheaded while the rest were left half-dead."
Silence fell.
Eirena's lips parted, her body stiffening as the accusation hit, her fingers trembling slightly before tightening into fists.
"That's a lie!" she shouted, her voice strained but unwavering.
"I went there to rescue raiders. The one who killed him was the masked man… I had nothing to do with it!"
The dragon laughed again, louder this time.
"Nothing to do with it?" it mocked. "You expect me to believe that? Maybe he delivered the final blow… but you let it happen."
Its eyes burned.
"You stood there and watched."
A murmur spread through the formation as pieces of the story began to connect.
Eirena's expression twisted with anger.
"Are you insane?" she snapped. "Why would I ever work with someone like that? When I arrived, it was already over. And even if it wasn't, your brother was a monster. If that masked man hadn't killed him, I would have done it myself."
Her words only fueled the dragon's rage further.
"First your father interfered with our plans and slaughtered our people," it roared, its voice shaking the ground.
"And now you're doing the same."
Its gaze shifted to Maren.
"So choose."
"Hand her over, and I'll kill only her and leave."
Maren didn't hesitate.
"Refuse… and I'll wipe all of you out."
Her expression turned ice-cold.
"We will not agree to your demands," she said firmly. "If you intend to attack, then we will fight."
The dragon's expression twisted.
"Then suffer the consequences."
Its body tensed, preparing to lunge, but it never got the chance to move.
A figure appeared in front of it.
Out of nowhere.
"Not on my watch."
The voice was calm, deep, and absolute.
Before the dragon could even react, a brutal kick slammed into its chin with overwhelming force, the impact echoing like thunder as its massive head snapped upward.
There was no time to recover.
No time to think.
An immense pressure followed immediately after, crushing down on its body as if the very air had turned solid.
The ground beneath it exploded.
The dragon was driven violently into the earth, stone shattering outward in a devastating shockwave as the entire area was swallowed by a rising storm of dust and debris.