Time Stop!

Leon stopped time as Iris’ powerful beam attack was about to disintegrate both him and Alphox.

The world turned grey around them as the massive wave of energy froze inches away from his face, the heat of it still palpable even in the frozen moment.

Leon knew that pets couldn’t truly die permanently, even from fatal injuries, but what happened to a pet if it was literally disintegrated to a crisp by such a powerful attack was a question that he didn’t have the answer to.

Would it still be alive afterward in any meaningful way? And if so, just how long would it take for it to heal and recover from such a devastating wound that erased its physical form?

That was something Leon couldn’t afford to find out through experimentation, so he stopped time without any hesitation to save his pet from that fate.

"Kaaaa~"

Alphox was somehow still able to move while time was stopped, either because he was linked to Leon, his master, or because of his inherent powers as the [Primordial Dragon of Chaos] that defied normal rules of existence.

Either way, Leon simply grabbed him before jumping out the way of the frozen beam, his body moving through the grey void with practiced ease and urgency.

BOOM!

Time returned almost instantly, Iris’ beam destroying everything in its way, the sheer power of the attack carving a massive trench through the arena floor and sending debris flying everywhere.

It was so strong it even shattered the barrier protecting the arena’s walls and tore through them like they were made of paper, the stone crumbling under the force of the blast.

Thankfully there was several layers of protections for situations like this, but many layers had been destroyed by that single attack, leaving the arena vulnerable to further damage.

"You did that thing again~" Iris laughed, her voice filled with excitement and curiosity, "You moved so fast even I couldn’t see it!"

She raised her staff once more, aiming to launch a spell even more powerful to see just how far Leon could keep dodging her attacks before he finally slipped up.

But as the smoke from her beam attack faded and the dust slowly settled, she was finally able to see the scene clearly through the dissipating cloud of debris.

And what Iris saw was somehow able to shake her to her core, her confident demeanor crumbling in an instant as her eyes widened in recognition.

She froze in place, gazing not at Leon, but at the baby dragon he was holding in his arms protectively, her body tensing with fear.

"...Primordial Chaos?" she muttered to herself, taking a step back with visible fear in her eyes, "But this is... not possible, it shouldn’t..."

Alphox jumped from Leon’s arms and faced the imperial queen, glaring at her and showing his small teeth in a fierce display of defiance that seemed impossible for such a tiny creature.

Leon knew that Alphox wouldn’t be able to beat her, that was completely impossible, what could a level 1 pet even do against a level 100 native as strong as Iris in a direct fight where the power gap was insurmountable.

And yet, something incredible happened that defied all expectations and logic.

"KKKKKKAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Alphox roared loudly, shaking the entire arena around him and even forcing Iris back a few more steps with the sheer force of his presence, the sound reverberating through the very walls.

Ding!

["Alphox" has learned the skill "Draconic Roar"]

[Draconic Roar: Use the sound of your voice to intimidate your enemies or those that fear you.]

"New skill already?" Leon’s eyes widened with surprise and delight, "Hah, I guess you learn fast, then, that’s impressive for a hatchling."

As said before, pets gained skills via either training or depending on the situation they found themselves in, allowing them to be extremely versatile in combat and adapt to different challenges.

A pet like Alphox was bound to gain an insane amount of skills in the future, especially as it evolved and grew stronger as the [Primordial Dragon of Chaos] over time.

Most surprising of all, Iris’ body was visibly shaking after being hit by [Draconic Roar], her hands trembling despite her obvious power and authority.

Somehow, this all-powerful queen with insane spells and overwhelming combat power was... scared of the baby dragon standing before her, something that seemed utterly impossible.

"Alright," Iris took a deep breath as she calmed down, her composure slowly returning, "I think this battle went on for long enough, you win."

She released the spell she had put on Violet, allowing her to drop to the ground, taking a deep breath of relief as the magical vines disappeared and she regained her freedom.

The switch in attitude was obvious to many in the crowd, but no one could truly understand why the [Imperial Queen] gave up like this when she was clearly winning the fight.

Instead, she approached the crater where her army’s commander was, dropping into it without any hesitation to attend to her fallen soldier.

She then lifted her staff and cast a spell that glowed with a soft green light, the magic swirling around Zarek’s body.

Lizard Shed!

Immediately, the body parts of the guard began to join together and turned into a massive cocoon that pulsed with life and energy.

Then after a few seconds, the cocoon cracked and Zarek came out, completely healed as if nothing had happened to him, his body restored.

’Lizards can shed skin to heal themselves, that’s right,’ Leon thought, ’But the fact she can do that to revive someone else is... strange and powerful.’

She climbed onto the guard’s shoulder as he lifted her up and jumped out of the crater, landing extremely close to Leon and Alphox, her presence still imposing despite her earlier fear.

As soon as he saw the baby dragon though, the guard also visibly shuddered, his eyes widening with recognition and primal fear.

"...Grr..?" Zarek growled uncertainly, his confidence shaken as well.

"KKKKKKAAAAAAAA~" Alphox roared again, and that was enough to make Zarek stumble back a few steps from the sheer pressure of the sound.

"Calm down," Iris spoke gently, patting Zarek’s head, "Let’s get out of here for now."

Then she turned her gaze toward Violet with a thoughtful expression that seemed to hold deeper meaning.

"And as for you, [Dragon Empress], let’s meet to talk later, since you "won" this battle," she smiled cryptically, her eyes glinting.

Just like that, Iris spun her staff in her hand, and both her and Zarek teleported out of the arena in a flash of light, leaving the crowd in confusion and wonder.

"I-It seems like the queen has given up on the battle while on the verge of winning!" the announcer shouted, her voice filled with bewilderment, "Meaning that Celestial and the e-empress win!!"

There was a massive roar of applause from the crowd after such an intense battle, though many wondered why it ended so quickly and abruptly without a clear conclusion.

On the other hand, Leon simply looked down at Alphox, the baby dragon moving around, his tiny claws scraping against the arena ground with excitement and energy.

Leon walked toward Violet, and after helping her up, she simply looked at him with a grateful smile, "I didn’t really do anything... so huh... good job?"

"Just like in the [Forsaken City]," Leon shrugged, "It’s fine, what do we get from this victory anyway?"

"Nothing really," Violet admitted with a sheepish grin.

"Wow," Leon said flatly, not surprised.

"But you’re on the [Imperial Queen]’s good side now," Violet beamed, "Isn’t that great?"

"...Ok," Leon said, not particularly impressed by that fact.

Leon was about to accompany Violet out of the [Imperial Arena] and ask her more about what she was gonna do next and what her plans were.

But at that very moment, a series of notifications appeared before him that made his blood run cold and his expression darken.

Ding!

[One of your "Undead Skeletons" has been killed.]