In the void not far away.

Koch did not respond immediately. He stopped casually sketching an invisible wall, his slender eyes, hidden behind his gold-rimmed glasses, fixed intently on Domoko and the pureblood dragon beneath him, fully armed with divine armor.

The night breeze ruffled the hem of Koch's white suit.

Although Domoko is now extremely low-key among the many SS-class members of the Free Federation, he is even lazy and irresponsible all day long, always carrying a wine jug in his hand, looking like a good-for-nothing.

But in his youth, he was one of the most dazzling rising stars in the Federation!

Especially when the golden dragon Ike completely passed through its infancy and grew into a fully-fledged pure-blooded dragon, Domoko and the dragon achieved a perfect bond of "human and dragon as one," making them virtually unmatched among SS-level powerhouses!

That was a truly terrifying existence, comparable to Archbishop Andrew, who was once second only to the Emperor!

At this moment, seeing the almost tangible pressure of law emanating from Domoko, Koch's contempt and mockery finally vanished. His expression gradually became serious, and he raised his hand, slowly pushing up his gold-rimmed glasses with his slender fingers.

He finally realized that the rough, drunken man in front of him was no ordinary person.

It was accompanied by a loud bang.

A violent sonic boom resounded above Falling Star Valley, and the dark silver dragon spear in Domoko's hand transformed into a swimming dragon, tearing through the void!

"You white-coated scum, your tricks can only trap a few flies!"

Domoko's wild laughter echoed in the night wind. He rode the golden dragon Ike, clad in sacred dragon armor, straight at Kochi's face.

Faced with this devastating blow, Koch's smile vanished. He waved his hands rapidly in front of him, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

"Space folding, triple barrier!" Koch shouted.

It was accompanied by a buzzing sound.

Three transparent spatial walls blocked his way. Each wall radiated the power of the law that distorted light, enough to withstand the full-force attack of an SS-level expert.

"Break!"

Domoko's eyes widened in fury, and the dark golden holy light on the tip of his dragon spear surged to its peak, slamming violently into the first spatial barrier.

Accompanied by a click.

The sound of shattering glass rang out, and the first layer of spatial wall broke in response! Immediately afterwards, the second and third layers, before the power of the Holy Dragon Knight, were all reduced to countless glittering fragments!

"What?!" Koch exclaimed in shock, taking a step back.

"Can you dodge it?!" Domoko pressed his advantage, his dragon spear still flying, grazing Kochi's shoulder.

Accompanied by a hissing sound.

His spotless white suit was ripped, leaving a bloody gash on Koch's left shoulder. Had he not retreated quickly, that shot would have pinned him to the ground!

"Cough cough..." Koch steadied himself, clutched his shoulder, adjusted his crooked gold-rimmed glasses, and said with a grim expression, "That mad dog, the Holy Dragon Knight, has exceeded my expectations."

"Hahaha! What? Scared already?" Domoko slung the Dragon Spear over his shoulder, looking down at his opponent with disdain. "I don't care what kind of Dawn Guild you are, or what kind of sacrifice you're up to! You dare to run wild on my turf, you'll leave your lives behind today!"

"Spare my life?" Koch suddenly laughed, his laughter growing louder and louder, filled with madness and morbidity. "Domoko, you have no idea what you're facing. Do you think we went to such lengths to set up this grand formation in Falling Star Valley just to deal with prey of your caliber?"

"Stop playing tricks on me!" Domoko roared. "Ike, kill him!"

The dragon Ek let out a long roar.

Just as the dragon Ek was about to dive down—

A sudden change has occurred!

The dark red sacrificial array that had been operating quietly in Falling Star Valley suddenly began to churn violently. The blood and life energy throughout the entire valley began to rush wildly towards the bottomless abyss below!

It was accompanied by a deafening roar.

The earth trembled, the temperature in the air plummeted, and a terrifying pressure that made even the soul tremble rose from the bottom of the abyss.

Immediately afterwards, bursts of laughter came from the unseen darkness.

A soft chuckle followed.

The laughter entered Domoko's mind directly. The laughter was filled with a cold indifference and mockery that seemed to transcend all things!

Domoko abandoned his arrogance, his face turned pale, and he clutched his chest.

"What...what is this aura?!" Domoko exclaimed in shock. He was a top-tier SS-rank expert, exceeding level eighty, yet before this aura, he felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness, like an ant looking up at a god!

Accompanied by a thud.

Kochi, who was in mid-air, didn't even bother to step on the void. He landed directly on a boulder, kneeling heavily and burying his head deep in the ground.

“Welcome...my king!” Koch’s voice trembled with extreme fervor.

Bhadra, severely injured in the deep pit, struggled to his feet, knelt on one knee, and roared madly, "My king has descended! My king has descended!"

"Pretending! Pretending! I'll kill you all first!" Domoko forcibly suppressed the fear in his heart, raised his dragon spear, and prepared to fight to the death.

"Noisy bugs."

From the depths of the abyss came an extremely calm whisper.

The next second.

With a whoosh.

A red beam of light, no more than a few inches in diameter, shot out from the bottom of the abyss without warning!

That's too fast!

So fast that it ignores the distance of space, so fast that it surpasses the flow of time!

"Watch out!" Domoko only had time to let out a distorted cry of alarm.

The red beam of light pierced through the indestructible sacred dragon armor of the golden dragon Ek, passing right through its abdomen! Then, the beam, undiminished in its momentum, shot straight towards Domoko on the dragon's back!

"Holy Light Shield! Full power!" Domoko frantically squeezed out the power of the laws within his body.

However, it was no use.

When it encountered that red pillar of light, the divine law, which was said to be the strongest defense, melted away like ice and snow under the scorching sun!

Accompanied by a soft "pfft".

The red beam of light pierced Domoko's chest with a casual touch.

Time stood still at this moment.

Domoko stood frozen on the dragon's back, the dragon spear in his hand clattering to the ground. He looked down at the gaping hole in his chest, the internal organs and primal power inside completely annihilated by the red light.

"This...how is this possible..."

Domoko's eyes were filled with disbelief. His pride and joy had been rendered powerless against this red light for not even a second.

Is that... power beyond SSS level?

"Lord Domoko!" Thor's heart-wrenching scream echoed from the distant mountain stream.

Domoko turned his head with difficulty, glancing at the dying Thor, and then at the dragon Ike beneath ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) him, who was groaning and bleeding profusely from its abdomen.

"Ike..." Domoko roared, stomping his last ounce of strength on the dragon's back, "Take that idiot...run! To the Holy City! Find Andrew...run!!!"

Accompanied by a loud bang.

The golden dragon let out a long, mournful cry. It knew its master was beyond saving. Enduring the excruciating pain from its deep, bone-revealing wound in its abdomen, it swept its tail, scooped up Thor from the ravine, and swallowed him whole.

Then, the dragon desperately flapped its tattered wings, transformed into a golden streak of blood, and fled madly toward the horizon!