Vol. 5 Ch. 103

“This… how is this possible?! Master Shadow clearly removed the Black Dragon Scale from your body. How can you still be alive?”“…”“You’ve survived multiple fatal blows… could it be that you’ve miraculously revived? Even Elizabeth didn’t anticipate this.”“Do you recall the last time Constantine reconstructed his body? He implanted the most unique Black Dragon Scale into himself. It was meant not only to contain his rampages but also to make him a puppet under Master Shadow’s control.”“In other words, that Black Dragon Scale replaced the protective Heart Scale, becoming a part of your body. Even if you’ve managed to cling to life, you can’t escape Master Shadow’s control…”

Elizabeth knelt on the back of the pelican-scaled bird, her injured shoulder trembling as blood seeped through her wound. She panted lightly, her gaze fixed on Constantine below, noting the massive warhammer in his grasp.

“That’s… Adam’s Hammer? How do you have Adam’s Hammer?”

Constantine raised his head, his crimson dragon eyes meeting Elizabeth’s with an icy glare.“If you think Master Shadow’s plans are foolproof, you’re gravely mistaken. After I lost control at St. Heath’s Academy, Leon and I realized this was all part of Shadow’s scheme.”“…”“That’s why I entrusted Hefei to Leon’s care. As we predicted, Shadow targeted me shortly afterward.”“I used a… special method to keep myself alive and endured until now.”“Shadow stripped me of my Black Dragon Scale, attempting to destroy everything I was, but I had already planned for this during our last encounter.”“…”“At the very least, I’m no longer under his control.”

Constantine gripped the warhammer tightly and continued,“It was a simple matter of turning the tables… with a bit of luck.”

He referred to the ancient magicHeartfire, which Leon had obtained from Claudia.“As long as the user retains even a shred of will to fight, they won’t fall.”

Before stepping into his sanctum, Constantine had activatedHeartfire, preventing Shadow from delivering a fatal blow and holding on until Rebecca and the others rescued him.“And as for ‘luck,’ it came from when I defeated Adam in the Lunar Forest and extracted his Heart Scale for safekeeping.”

Elizabeth clenched her teeth, her lips trembling as she listened to Constantine’s explanation.“So what?! Even if you survived and gathered some allies, they’re nothing but a ragtag group!”“You won’t stop Master Shadow’s grand plan. Soon, everything in this world will bow to the shadow of Ultimate Fear!”“And you… you will all become the first sacrifices for its awakening. Every last one of you will die!”

As Elizabeth ranted, the Lionheart Guild members descended from the Silver Dragon’s back. Rebecca approached Leon, her sniper rifle slung over her shoulder, and addressed Martin.“Why didn’t you just shoot her in the head?”Rebecca smirked. “A quick death is too good for her. One day, I’ll put a bullet through her skull myself.”

Martin sighed. “Women and their grudges…”Turning to Leon, he asked, “Captain, what’s our next move?”

Leon surveyed the battlefield, his gaze steady as he addressed his team.“Rebecca, lead the Lionheart Guild along with my wife and the Dragon Kings to clear out these enhanced mutants blocking our way.”“Odin and I will attempt a breakthrough under your cover to reach Shadow. He’s unsealing Ultimate Fear, and we must stop him before it’s too late.”

“These mutants, infused with Black Dragon Scales, are far stronger than ordinary enemies. Don’t underestimate them.”“Even with the combined strength of the Dragon Kings, it’ll take a great deal of effort to take them down. That’s why I can’t allocate all our forces here. Odin and I need to conserve our energy and time our approach to strike Shadow directly.”

“Understood, Captain,” Rebecca replied, raising her sniper rifle and signaling her team to prepare.“It’s been a while since I had a proper fight. Let’s make this one count.”

Elizabeth barked orders to her army of mutants. “Kill them! Tear them to pieces!”At her command, the mutants surged forward in a frenzy.

The Dragon Kings exchanged glances, their unspoken coordination evident. The battle began.

Isha transformed into her massive red dragon form, her body blocking out the night sky as she unleashed torrents of searing dragonfire, reducing waves of mutants to ash. However, her colossal frame left her vulnerable to blind-spot attacks.

Two mutants launched magical projectiles at her wings, but just as the strikes were about to land, two globes of golden sand intercepted them, shielding her.“Isha, we need to coordinate. Coordinate, got it?”

The Red Dragon turned her massive head, growled dismissively, and returned to tearing through the mutants.

Morgan grumbled, “How rude can she get?”“Politeness doesn’t kill enemies,” an elder Dragon King quipped, water magic swirling in his hands. “Her brute force works best upfront. We’ll provide cover for her blind spots.”

Morgan waved dismissively. “Fine, fine. As long as I stay behind her, we’ll be fine—”

“BOOM!”A deafening explosion cut him off. The ground quaked as they turned to see Constantine wielding his blazing warhammer.

He leapt into the air, the hammer alight with flames, and brought it down with a thunderous crash, incinerating all mutants in his path.“Constantine!” Morgan yelled. “Coordination, remember?! We need coordination!”

Constantine hefted his hammer onto his shoulder and glanced back.“Coordination is important, sure… but right now, the rules are in my hands.”

He shook his warhammer with a smirk. “There’s only one rule that matters.”

Morgan blinked. “And that is?”

“Enjoy the fight!”

…

Rosvisser lingered near Leon as the others charged into battle. She turned to him, her brow furrowed.“Are they here?”

Leon nodded. “Yes, they’re ready.”“Good…”

Rosvisser bit her lip, her voice tinged with worry.“I’m still not sure if we made the right decision. If anything happens to Noa—”“Nothing will happen to Noa,” Leon interjected, his voice firm.

Rosvisser looked up at him. He took her hand, gently brushing his thumb over her cool skin.“Trust me. None of them will fall.”

He smiled softly.“We’ll finish this before sunrise. Then, we’ll go home.”