The massive crowd stood outside the citadel, pillaging the surrounding Thunder cities and settlements as much as they could under Max’s orders. Smoke rose from broken streets, carts were dragged away, storehouses were emptied, and terrified Thunder Dragon civilians were gathered under the watch of foreign warriors.

Above it all, the citadel stood like a black mountain wrapped in lightning, its walls pulsing as if something alive was sleeping inside.

Rosalia and Agnia stood near Gertrud and her siblings, tasked with guarding her and making sure she did not escape.

"What do you think is taking him so long?" Gertrud asked the two of them. She felt slightly close to the two women because of their similar age, even if the mood between them felt tense and awkward.

Agnia did not say anything. Something about her was off. She kept biting her nails, her golden eyes constantly shifting toward the citadel, as if ever since she had slept with Max, she had been on edge. He had unlocked something in her she did not understand.

She wanted to talk to him, to express the strange feelings burning inside her, but no matter how many times she tried over the past few days, she never found the courage to do so.

Rosalia also stayed silent for a long moment. She simply stared at the entrance without saying anything. She was not feeling well today, and she could not quite understand why.

The air smelled different than usual, a strange taste of iron lingered in her mouth, and ever since she woke up, she had felt somewhat nauseous. Even now, as she stood in place, she felt sluggish, as if all of her energy was being drained away by something. Not to mention her mood swings, which made every small irritation feel sharper than ever.

"Maybe he’s fucking another bitch again. Wouldn’t even be surprised if that’s what’s taking him forever." She crossed her arms, her eyes falling on Agnia with subtle fury.

"What are you looking at me for? It’s not my fault you can’t accept him as a free man. A king can do whatever he wants," Agnia shot back. "Perhaps because you didn’t fuck him as well as I did. He liked it more with me."

She smirked, deliberately taunting Rosalia.

And she succeeded.

"Listen, you whore, watch who you’re speaking to!" Rosalia stepped forward, purple ice flames dancing on her palm.

Agnia also stepped forth. She hated Rosalia to the bone, and golden flames flared over her palm as well. The heat around her hand twisted the air slightly, while Rosalia’s purple ice fire made the ground beneath her feet frost over.

Gertrud watched from the side, her arms raised in the air, trying to stop the two. Green winds danced on her palms, twisting anxiously between them as if trying to push them apart before things went too far.

"Don’t fight! What’s wrong with the two of you?"

Her winds burst forth, pushing them away and making Rosalia stumble.

"Ah!" Gertrud exclaimed, rushing to her aid. "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to!"

She quickly helped her up, only then noticing how weak Rosalia was. Rosalia’s body felt strangely light beneath her hands, almost like all of her strength had slipped away for a moment.

"It’s okay... It’s not because of you, I just..." Rosalia did not even finish speaking before a wave of dizziness struck her.

For a moment, the world tilted beneath her feet. Her fingers tightened over her stomach, and her lips parted slightly, but no words came out.

Agnia’s golden flames weakened for half a breath from surprise.

Gertrud’s face paled, and the green winds around her palms scattered as if she had lost control of them.

Suddenly, every single dragon felt extreme pressure press them to the ground, all except Rosalia and the Ice Dragons.

For the Ice Dragons, however, their blood began to churn in a strange way, as if something ancient was calling to them from deep within their bones. Their backs arched. Their breathing grew heavy. Frost spilled from their mouths with every breath as their bodies transformed into dragon hybrid forms out of their control.

But this time, they did not only possess wings.

Horns white as snow decorated each of their heads, and long, thick dragon tails grew from their backs. Scales, white as snow and hard as steel, spread across their bodies. Their fingers stretched into sharp ice claws, and their roars tore into the sky like a cry from an ancient bloodline finally waking up.

Rosalia felt power flood her, replacing her weakness in an instant. The strange nausea vanished beneath the cold rush of strength, and the purple ice flames in her palm burned brighter than before. Her silver hair fluttered wildly around her face as the cold aura wrapped around her body, making her look almost divine beneath the storm-dark sky.

The entire crowd froze.

The Fire Dragons, Wind Dragons, and Thunder Dragons all stared in shock, their bodies pressed lower and lower by the invisible force. Even the strongest warriors gritted their teeth, trying to resist, but their knees still trembled beneath them.

This event shocked everyone. Nobody understood what had brought this sudden awakening. But all of them could feel that the powerful suppressing pressure came from the citadel.

"Ancestor-level suppression..." Marcus knelt on the ground, his voice trembling. His forehead almost touched the earth before he even realized he had moved.

He did not understand how that was possible or who could have possessed that energy, but his kneeling was like a domino effect. One after another, the other dragons fell to their knees, watching the citadel in fear and reverence, even if the energy belonged to the Ice Dragon Clan.

Above them, the citadel pulsed with cold purple light.

The black walls that had once crackled with thunder now seemed to carry a layer of frost. Lightning still danced across the stone, but beneath it, an ancient ice aura spread silently. It rolled over the battlefield, over the pillaged city, over every dragon forced to kneel.

And at the center of it all, Rosalia stood with one hand still pressed to her belly, her eyes wide, her body wrapped in power she did not yet understand.

Inside the citadel, however, the atmosphere was even more suffocating. A pair of purple eyes stared at Freya’s shivering frame, watching fear slowly crack through her expression.

She was witnessing an anomaly.

Something that would soon shatter the balance of all dragon clans.