Chapter 554: Fafnir Attacks... And Fails to Injure Anyone

The war stopped, not because the fighting ended, but because something far worse had arrived. The skies above Anbord darkened unnaturally, not with clouds, but with pressure. Space twisted violently as if reality itself was trying to flee from whatever was descending.

CRACK!

The heavens split open. A gigantic tear spread across the sky above the empire, stretching thousands of kilometers wide. Everything froze. Dragons stopped flying, soldiers halted mid-battle, and even the void creatures hidden deep beneath ruined lands went silent.

And from that fracture, Fafnir descended. The Dragon Emperor appeared in his humanoid form, floating high above Anbord like a god of ruin. His black armor gleamed with crimson veins of molten energy flowing through its surface like blood through living flesh. Every movement caused draconic inscriptions across the armor to ignite one after another.

His crown rested upon his head like a symbol of absolute authority, forged from black-gold metal with sharp dragon horns curving upward from its sides. And in his right hand was a sword, a catastrophe shaped into one.

The blade was enormous even in human form, nearly seven feet long and broader than most men. Its surface looked forged from compressed night itself, yet molten crimson lines pulsed beneath it like the heartbeat of a dying star.

The moment it appeared, the world trembled. Below him, countless people collapsed instantly. Some vomited blood, while others lost consciousness. Even Saints across the battlefield felt their instincts screaming at them to kneel. Because this was the first dragon, the origin of dragonkind. The Dragon Primogenitor, Fafnir.

His golden eyes glowed with unbearable fury as he stared down at Anbord, at Ethan’s empire, at the place that had taken his children, his rulers, his pride, his authority, his control... The place he’d sent them all to die.

"You..." Fafnir’s voice rumbled across the world like a collapsing mountain. "...have taken enough from me."

His sword slowly rose. The atmosphere ignited. Clouds vaporized instantly. The oceans surrounding distant lands split apart. Even the moon above Debranlith dimmed slightly beneath the pressure gathering around the blade. Anbord’s citizens stared upward in horror, because the attack growing above them looked like a sun. A second sun had appeared in the sky.

A burning sphere of draconic destruction condensed at the tip of Fafnir’s blade, growing larger and larger until it dwarfed entire mountain ranges, and still, it kept growing.

The surrounding space melted. Reality distorted. Even light bent around it unnaturally. Far away, the Elf Emperor rose from his throne in genuine terror.

"That attack..."

One of his ministers fell to his knees.

"He’s trying to erase the empire..."

Even gods observing from afar grew serious, because that attack could actually do it. Fafnir’s expression twisted with grief and wrath.

"DIE!"

The sword descended, and the artificial sun fell. The world vanished beneath light.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

There was no sound at first, only white. Pure, blinding annihilation swallowed Anbord completely. The explosion expanded outward endlessly, consuming clouds, skies, mountains, and atmosphere alike. Shockwaves tore across continents, the seas split apart, the earth cracked for millions of kilometers, and for a single horrifying moment... Anbord disappeared entirely.

Far away, observers watched in frozen silence. Some believed it was over instantly. Others couldn’t even comprehend the scale of what they had just witnessed. The explosion continued for nearly twenty seconds.

Then, the light began fading slowly. Painfully slowly. Fafnir breathed heavily, golden eyes burning intensely as he stared downward. Smoke and energy storms covered everything beneath him. Nothing should have survived because, after all, nothing could survive that. Even Saints would be erased instantly.

The smoke finally parted, and Fafnir froze. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Anbord was still there, perfectly intact. It was not damaged. It was not burning. It was not destroyed. It remained untouched. The barrier surrounding the empire had shattered completely, yes. Massive fragments of crystalline energy drifted through the air like broken glass. But the empire itself did not even have a scratch.

The buildings still stood, the walls remained intact, and the streets were untouched. Only the people below looked shaken, terrified, and overwhelmed from witnessing such an attack. Some had fainted. Others stared upward with pale faces.

But no one, not a single person, had been harmed. Fafnir’s eyes widened for the first time in centuries.

"Impossible!"

Then he felt it: a presence, something vast, something layered beneath the empire itself. The land of Anbord suddenly glowed faintly. Golden lines spread across its surface like veins awakening beneath skin. Ancient runes ignited across the continent.

A heartbeat echoed.

BA-DUMP!

The world shook. Fafnir’s pupils contracted. The empire was alive. It was protected, rooted into something deeper than barriers, something deeper than laws. Deeper than destruction itself.

Far below, at the center of Anbord, Ethan slowly lowered one hand. His long, silvery-white hair drifted gently behind him as golden energy faded from his fingertips. Around him, the six Spirit Guardians floated silently. Galeno adjusted his glasses calmly.

"That was loud."

Ethan sighed softly.

"He almost scratched the western district."

Stygian’s six eyes glowed faintly.

"Should we kill him now?"

Ethan looked upward, straight into Fafnir’s stunned eyes, and he smiled almost sympathetically. And somehow, that expression enraged Fafnir more than anything else had.

"Thanks, old man. But, can I kill this idiot?" Ethan suddenly asked.

"You can do it. Just don’t destroy the world in the process. No matter what the world shows currently as your strength, you are beyond a Demigod. Origin is far above any concept, even the Primordial Concepts," Zark’s voice sounded.

"I know. I know... I will try my best."

"And don’t use your truest appearance. I can’t take care of two babies. I’m too old for that."

"Have you even raised a baby before?"

"That’s exactly the point!"

"No need to shout. Jeez!"

"I like Trevor more than you..."

"You still stayed with me for more than..."

"Just kill the lizard already."

"Fine, fine! Don’t miss me too much, Father."

"This idiot..."

"Hahahaha!"

Ethan disappeared along with his Spirit Guardians. The final battle was here.