"Trying to leave?" Koch stood up, pushed up his glasses, and his killing intent was evident. "None of my king's sacrifices will escape."

He was just about to give chase.

"Let it be." The voice echoed from the abyss. "Bringing fear to this world is also part of the grand plan. Go... and bring me what I want."

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Koch stopped and bowed his head respectfully.

In mid-air, Domoko's tall and imposing body finally lost all life. With his unwilling eyes wide open, he plummeted straight down from the sky, crashing into the bottomless abyss.

...

The scene shifts to one day later.

Free Federation, Holy City, Cathedral of Light.

The afternoon sun shone through the stained glass windows, illuminating Archbishop Andrew's stern and unsmiling face. He sat behind his large mahogany desk, listening to a report from his trusted aide, Vicar General Clement.

“Your Grace, still no news.” Clement lowered his voice, cold sweat beading on his forehead. “The Holy Knights of Judgment have been out of contact for over forty-eight hours. Lord Domoko and Lord Thor also completely cut off communication after they went to Losga. Should we...”

"What do you want? To disturb the Holy Lord?" Andrew put down his pure gold quill and looked coldly at Clement. "I said, without solid intelligence, no one is allowed to go to the palace to disturb the Holy Lord's rest!"

"But sir, a full one hundred S-rank elites, plus two SS-rank..."

It was accompanied by a howling sound.

Before Clement could finish speaking, a mournful dragon roar suddenly echoed from high above the church!

The sound was filled with endless sorrow, making the glass windows of the entire cathedral vibrate!

Andrew's {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} expression changed drastically. He stood up, not even caring that he had knocked over a chair, grabbed the scepter, and rushed out the door!

On the White Jade Square, countless Holy Knights and Priests were in complete chaos.

They looked up in horror at the enormous creature plummeting rapidly from the sky.

It was accompanied by a loud bang.

A giant golden dragon, covered in wounds and with most of its scales missing, crashed heavily into the center of the plaza! A large crater was smashed into the hard stone slab, and dust billowed up.

"Ekko?!"

When Andrew saw the dragon's pitiful state, his heart tightened and he was horrified.

That's Domoko's natal dragon!

At this moment, Ike was no longer the magnificent beast it once was. Its wings had been torn away, leaving only skeletons, and its entire body was covered in wounds. Most fatally, there was a deep, bone-revealing gash in its abdomen, with horrifying red burn marks remaining at the edges, clearly showing its internal organs!

Domoko is in trouble! And it's a huge, serious incident!

“No...it’s impossible...Domoko is...” Andrew’s hand holding the scepter trembled slightly.

Accompanied by a vomiting sound.

The dragon Ike struggled to coil its neck, slamming its head to the ground. It opened its mouth, spitting out a human figure along with a mouthful of scalding dragon blood.

"This...this is Lord Thor!"

One of the nearby knights exclaimed in surprise.

Andrew took a step forward and stood before the dragon.

Lying on the ground was Thor, once known as the God of Thunder. His bones were shattered, his Thor armor was tattered, and he was barely breathing, barely surviving.

After spitting out Thor, the golden dragon Ike glanced at Andrew with its dim, vertical pupils. It wanted to convey something, but its injuries were too severe, exhausting its last bit of life force. The dragon's head slammed heavily to the ground, and it lost all vitality.

this......

The square fell silent as people looked at the dead dragon and the dying Thor.

Andrew was horrified. He was a peak SS-level expert of the Holy Rank, yet he couldn't understand the residual law fluctuations on the wound in the dragon's abdomen!

That power doesn't belong to any of the known professional systems in this world!

"What are you all standing there for?!" Andrew suddenly roared, shattering the silence. "Quick! Summon all the holy priests! Bring all the best potions of life! We must revive Thor!"

"Yes, Your Excellency!" The knights snapped out of their daze and rushed forward to carry Thor to the emergency room.

Clement walked to Andrew's side, his face deathly pale, his voice trembling: "My lord... Lord Domoko hasn't returned. The dragon is dead, and Lord Thor is in this state. The truth about those two cities, what is it..."

“Shut up,” Andrew interrupted him coldly.

Andrew stopped looking at the dead dragon, turned around, raised his head, and looked towards the incomparably luxurious palace in the very center of the holy city.

His gaze was complex, containing anger, fear, and a deep sense of sorrow.

"If I go this time... I might not come back."

"Please take good care of Ike for me."

"Andrew, tell me, is our Holy Lord about to die?"

Domoko's rebellious words before he left echoed repeatedly in Andrew's mind.

Unexpectedly, what that unruly, stubborn donkey once said has come true so quickly!

Not only did Domoko die, but even the dragon he entrusted to him did not survive.

The sky has truly fallen on the Free Federation.

What role does that lofty Holy Lord play in this conspiracy that has swept the world? And who is that terrifying being capable of instantly killing Domoko?!

"Issue my order." Andrew gripped his scepter tightly. "Activate the highest-level holy defense array of the Holy City. From today onwards, all members of the Holy Judgment Knights are on high alert. No one is to leave the Holy City without my permission!"

"yes!"

...

Meanwhile, far across the ocean in the Great Xia Kingdom, in the city of Donghai.

At this time, the ancient ruins are located thousands of meters below Donghai City.

At the very heart of the endless mist stands an ancient and magnificent black palace—the Palace of Eternity.

The walls of the main hall were covered with intricate and eerie necromancy runes. The weathering of time had not diminished its majesty, but rather added a chilling and eerie atmosphere.

A colossal skeletal statue sat enthroned on the throne in the main hall.

With a click.

An extremely faint sound of bones grinding together echoed in the quiet Hall of Eternity.

The skeleton clad in armor.

Its thick fingers, resting on the bone armrest, twitched slightly without warning.