Dark mana surged through the sky like a bolt of lightning tearing through the heavens.

Under the night sky that had descended upon the celestial realm, the primal dragon roared.

The disaster dragon had summoned countless shadow dragons, which clashed fiercely with the celestial dragons.

The celestial forces were clearly being overwhelmed.

The endless onslaught of shadowy figures and dragons seemed poised to consume the entire realm.

The ominous spread of dark mana and the signs of impending doom it heralded.

In that moment of despair, hope appeared in a form no one could have predicted.

It came in the shape of a divine beast long thought to have vanished from the celestial realm.

Lee Jaesang called out the name of the divine beast, the White Tiger.

“Charles.”

While everyone else gazed at the divine beast with reverence and awe, Lee Jaesang felt something different.

A sense of familiarity and longing.

Even though his childhood memories were hazy, he recognized Charles as the White Tiger immediately because of those feelings.

[It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that name.]

Charles gave a slight smile but quickly turned his gaze to the primal dragon.

[Greetings can wait. Focus, my master.]

No sooner had Charles spoken than the primal dragon began gathering a massive amount of mana in its mouth once more.

“…Is it really going to fire that again?”

Lee Jaesang let out a disbelieving laugh.

It had been hard enough to block the attack once.

‘If I were alone, I’d be thinking of ways to escape, but not now.’

Lee Jaesang called out to Charles again.

“Charles.”

[What is it, my master?]

“Can you lend me your strength?”

[You say interesting things.]

Charles’s fur stood on end with a crackling sound, and his eyes glowed blue with mana as a massive amount of energy gathered in his mouth.

Standing protectively in front of Lee Jaesang, Charles continued.

[There’s no need for requests when it comes to helping my master.]

As soon as he finished speaking, a colossal barrier formed around Charles, enveloping the entire battlefield.

– Roar!!!

The primal dragon unleashed its breath attack.

In response, the shadow dragons also fired their own dark mana like breath attacks.

The attacks rained down like a meteor shower from the sky.

But astonishingly, the moment they touched the barrier, they vanished.

[It’s useless. The power of demons cannot penetrate this.]

The mana Charles wielded was enough to turn the tide of battle.

With the attacks from above blocked, the celestial forces began to act more boldly.

Countless flashes of light erupted, and the shadowy figures began to fall one by one.

“Drive these filthy creatures out of Europe!”

“Treat the wounded first!”

With the support from above cut off, the shadowy figures fell to the light, leaving only the dragons behind.

Lee Jaesang looked down towards Damian.

He could see that the celestial cannon was almost fully charged.

‘If we can just buy a little more time… Wait.’

From his vantage point above Europe, Lee Jaesang noticed something.

Shadowy figures were gathering around the celestial cannon.

Even though their numbers had been significantly reduced, there still seemed to be hundreds of them.

And the ones that remained moved with an elite precision.

‘Should I help?’

He couldn’t make a clear decision.

If he went now, he could probably hold off the shadowy figures until the cannon was charged.

But if Charles’s position was breached in the meantime…

[My master.]

Charles’s voice called him back to the present.

The divine beast, glowing with blue mana, spoke in a mystical tone.

[You can go. I will not be breached.]

Had he read his thoughts?

[Go on.]

Even as he single-handedly withstood the bombardment threatening to tear through the barrier, Charles didn’t flinch.

For Charles, there was only one thing Lee Jaesang needed to do.

“Let’s talk after the battle!”

Expressing his gratitude, Lee Jaesang headed straight for the celestial cannon.

With the steady flapping of Dianan’s wings, he quickly reached the cannon.

As Lee Jaesang descended from the sky, Damian looked up in surprise.

“Charles will hold the line.”

“Charles…?”

Damian was taken aback.

“I knew you were unique, but you’ve even named it?”

“…I’ll explain later. Let’s deal with these guys first!”

A mana barrier extended from the celestial cannon.

The shadowy figures that began to charge were repelled by the barrier, unable to break through.

“Light, heed my call.”

With the incantation, dozens of arrows of light materialized.

At Lee Jaesang’s gesture, the arrows flew as if they had a mind of their own.

– Thud, thud.

The arrows struck true, and the shadowy figures fell swiftly.

Though hundreds of shadowy figures still charged, it seemed only a matter of time before they were all eliminated.

But.

– Boom, boom.

Things rarely go as smoothly as one hopes.

A massive sound echoed from afar.

Lee Jaesang and Damian turned their gaze in that direction.

A colossal monster, as if formed from the fusion of dozens of shadowy figures, was approaching.

“Light, heed my call.”

Without hesitation, Lee Jaesang fired arrows of light.

But the giant shadowy figure easily blocked the attack with its arm.

And it wasn’t just growing larger.

Upon closer inspection, it seemed all the shadowy figures in the vicinity were converging into it.

The massive shadowy figure exuded a sinister aura, almost rivaling the primal dragon.

Damian bit his lip at the sight.

He knew about the shadowy figures.

They were beings from another dimension that appeared when the dimensional portals in the human realm destabilized.

But he had never seen them take such a form.

A single entity exuding such a powerful aura was akin to a demon.

‘Is this the power of demons?’

Lee Jaesang was equally taken aback.

He hadn’t studied the shadowy figures extensively, but he hadn’t imagined they could do something like this.

And it wasn’t just that they had grown larger.

Even the precise arrows of light failed to inflict damage.

Despite the full-scale assault from the celestial forces, the giant shadowy figure didn’t stop.

Neither the dragons’ breath attacks nor the angels’ white mana could halt its advance.

In fact, the more shadowy figures it absorbed, the faster it seemed to move.

What had started as a slow walk turned into a frenzied charge.

Boom, boom, boom.

The sound was like an earthquake.

As the giant shadowy figure, now as large as a castle, charged, buildings crumbled in its wake.

It would reach the castle in mere seconds.

A choice had to be made.

Should they fire the charged celestial cannon at it and start recharging?

Or should they risk it all to finish charging and take out the primal dragon?

The former would overcome the immediate crisis.

But could Charles hold out for that long?

‘But the latter is just as difficult.’

If they didn’t stop the shadowy figure, they wouldn’t be able to finish charging.

Finally, Lee Jaesang looked at Damian.

Damian nodded, seemingly having reached the same conclusion.

But at that moment.

[I won’t let you get near the teacher!]

A gold dragon flew in front of the giant shadowy figure.

‘Liz?’

And she wasn’t alone.

Numerous dragons began to converge in front of the shadowy figure, blocking its path.

“Whew. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Damian, too, revealed his gold dragon form and took to the skies.

Boom.

As hundreds of dragons held back the shadowy figure, Lee Jaesang quickly dispelled the mana barrier and focused on the celestial cannon.

‘Now I must concentrate.’

Trying to handle everything with half-hearted worry would yield nothing.

Focus on one thing at a time.

‘Trust.’

Trust Charles with the sky.

Trust Liz and the dragons with the giant shadowy figure.

The celestial cannon, now 90 percent charged, continued to absorb Lee Jaesang’s mana, steadily increasing its charge.

The cries of dragons echoed.

The rainbow-hued barrier in the sky wavered precariously.

The more it did, the more Lee Jaesang focused on the celestial cannon.

97 percent.

98 percent.

Just as he thought it was nearly fully charged, a roar erupted, and shadowy figures appeared all around.

‘Damn it. I thought they were all gone.’

If only he could summon a spirit.

But the celestial realm and the human realm were practically different dimensions, requiring time to summon a spirit here.

But if he stopped charging to summon a spirit, what would happen to those on the front lines?

Gritting his teeth, Lee Jaesang focused solely on the celestial cannon.

99 percent.

Just 10 more seconds, and it would be fully charged.

But the shadowy figures began to charge much faster than that.

Four shadowy figures closed in from all sides.

Lee Jaesang steeled himself and focused on the cannon.

And at that moment.

– Boom!

The charging shadowy figures vanished with a loud explosion.

Lee Jaesang looked to his side.

There stood Liz’s father, Kyle.

He was panting heavily, collapsed on the ground.

Having been under mental control for so long, his body wasn’t in a state to continue fighting.

‘That’s enough.’

A smile spread across Lee Jaesang’s face.

100 percent.

The celestial cannon was fully charged.

“Charles!”

As Charles shifted aside, the primal dragon came into view.

Its mouth was filled with ominous dark mana, ready to unleash disaster once more.

But.

‘Damn you, primal dragon. Let’s never meet again.’

The charging was complete.

Lee Jaesang aimed the celestial cannon at the sky.

Click.

And fired.

The ground shook, and a deafening roar that seemed to pierce the heavens spread in all directions.

A surge of compressed mana shot from the Sky Cannon, hurtling toward the Bone Dragon like a railgun.

The Bone Dragon, unwilling to be outdone, unleashed its own breath attack.

In the heart of the sky, the two colossal forces of mana collided.

As the nearly equal powers clashed, a massive storm erupted in all directions.

Gradually, the Sky Cannon began to push forward.

The combined attack of the dragon’s and Jaesang’s mana slowly started to overpower the Bone Dragon’s assault.

The pace quickened.

– Boom!

A thunderous roar echoed.

In that instant, everyone in the celestial realm turned their eyes skyward, anticipating the Bone Dragon’s demise, empowered by demonic forces.

But as the dust settled, the Bone Dragon still lingered.

It was far from unscathed.

Its jaw was shattered, and cracks marred its body.

“One last strike is needed.”

Amidst the chaos, Jaesang glared at the Bone Dragon.

“If the Sky Cannon isn’t enough…”

He drew two Draconixes from his coat.

“I’ll deliver the final blow myself.”

Dianan soared through the sky with Jaesang on its back.

Jaesang filled the Draconixes with mana, simultaneously casting an alchemical spell.

The two Draconixes disassembled and merged into one.

In Jaesang’s hands appeared a massive hand cannon.

He aimed to get within striking distance, but resistance was fierce.

Shadow Dragons attacked relentlessly, forcing Dianan into acrobatic maneuvers.

But the limits were clear, and eventually, a Shadow Dragon’s breath targeted Jaesang.

With all his mana poured into the hand cannon, there was no room for a mana shield.

Just before the attack hit, Charles’s voice rang out.

[Master, do not falter.]

In an instant, a mana shield enveloped them, blocking the breath attack.

– Bang!

Amidst the dust cloud from the collision, Dianan soared once more.

The Shadow Dragons continued their assault, but the mana shield held firm, protecting Jaesang and Dianan.

Finally, Jaesang reached the Bone Dragon’s head.

From above, he saw the magic circle on the back of its neck.

Jaesang aimed the hand cannon-shaped Draconix downward.

The alchemical theme was temporary, and the hand cannon was already starting to disassemble.

“I have enough time for one shot.”

Jaesang unleashed his mana.

The combined forces of dragon mana, angelic mana, and Jaesang’s own mana converged on the back of the Bone Dragon’s neck.

Even in its weakened state, the Bone Dragon managed to erect a shield.

– Crackle!

Just when it seemed the hand cannon’s attack might not penetrate, a Gold Dragon flew to Jaesang’s side.

“Take a break, brother!”

With that shout, Liz unleashed all her mana.

The mana from the hand cannon and her own combined, piercing the shield like a sharp drill.

And then.

– Crack.

A fracture appeared in the Bone Dragon’s mana shield.

Jaesang and Liz poured even more mana into the attack.

Their hearts pounded painfully, having surpassed their limits, but they didn’t stop.

They couldn’t miss this one chance.

– Snap!

The mana shield shattered.

The massive storm of mana struck precisely at the back of the Bone Dragon’s neck.

The mana destroyed the magic circle and continued to burrow into the Bone Dragon’s body.

Cracks spread across the Calamity Dragon, and mana spewed from the fissures.

Thunderous booms echoed through the dark night sky like lightning strikes.

And finally.

– Ssshh.

The Bone Dragon’s body began to disintegrate piece by piece.

Its skeletal arms turned to dust.

As its wings crumbled, the Bone Dragon started to plummet.

Its body disintegrated as it fell.

The tailbone vanished, and the effect soon reached its head.

At last, when the skull completely disappeared.

– Flash!

The Bone Dragon was utterly annihilated.

The aftermath spread rapidly in all directions.

The Shadow Dragons that had filled the sky vanished.

The massive black figure that threatened to engulf Europe also melted away, unable to maintain its form.

All beings infused with black mana and demonic energy disintegrated like dust.

Finally, the ashen clouds in the sky began to clear.

“…Ha.”

Jaesang let out a sigh, leaning against the neck of the black Pegasus, Dianan.

“It’s over.”

[Teacher!]

Liz called out to Jaesang, wanting to express her gratitude, turning her head.

But there was no response.

[Teacher…?]

With a hint of panic, Liz approached Dianan.

In her human form, she climbed onto the Pegasus.

At this moment, even Dianan didn’t object to a stranger on its back.

“Are you hurt?!”

Liz urgently checked on Jaesang.

He hung limply against Dianan’s neck, covered in minor injuries, but he was breathing steadily.

Softly.

“So he’s just asleep… Phew. I thought…”

Liz pondered what to say for a moment, then smiled and gently patted Jaesang’s back.

“Thank you, teacher.”

She gazed at Jaesang’s peacefully sleeping face for a long time.