Westminster Bank

She saw a vast, starry sky.

Beneath it was a purple-gray Giant Dragon.

The Giant Dragon was hundreds of feet tall. Its eyes were as large as the sun and moon, its maw split open like a snake’s, and a purple mist accompanied its every breath.

Isabella’s usually composed expression faltered. She had never seen such a Giant Dragon before, but without a second thought, she instantly knew its identity.

’Poison Dragon Glanville!’

Glanville’s gaze swept over her for a moment before it spoke. "It’s not you. You are a descendant of Beowulf."

"You are not him. You are just like all the other descendants of Beowulf over the past millennium who have come craving my aura."

Perhaps it was a trick of the mind, but Isabella thought she saw a look of disappointment in the Giant Dragon’s eyes.

’Who is he?’

Isabella didn’t understand the meaning behind the dragon’s first words, but she latched onto the key point of its latter statement and said succinctly:

"I need your aura. But I know you won’t just give it to me. So bring on whatever ritual or Trial you have, as long as you grant me the power of the Dragon Spear!"

"And if you’re unwilling," she brandished her Red Spear, "then I’ll take it myself!"

Poison Dragon Glanville was not angered by Isabella’s words. It shook its enormous, ferocious head with great effort.

"The Dragon Spear’s acknowledgment has never rested with me alone. Its shaft was merely crafted from my spine."

"If you truly wish to obtain it, then besides me, you must also convince the other lingering Dragon Race auras in this space. For example... it."

Poison Dragon Glanville suddenly looked up at the starry sky above. Isabella followed its gaze, and with a single glance, her body began to tremble involuntarily.

She felt the sky abruptly brighten, as if a spotlight had been cast upon a stage. The two brightest stars in the heavens opened their eyes.

No metaphor could describe those eyes. The only adjective she could find was "vast."

Yes, vast.

It was like a desert native, who had never seen an oasis or a river, suddenly crossing a mountain range unbreached for millennia and seeing the ocean for the first time.

But even comparing these eyes to the ocean felt inadequate. For though the ocean is wide, humanity can ultimately build ships to cross it.

Yet upon seeing these eyes, even someone as powerful and proud as Isabella had to admit that the only thought in her mind at that moment, besides fear, was more fear.

And also, the awe of one who has conquered the sky, land, and sea, only to look up for the first time and witness the spinning cosmos.

The cosmos spoke—or more accurately, the pair of enormous eyes in the sky spoke:

"The next generation’s Dragon Slayer... Although you carry its aura, you are not yet worthy."

"Bring him to me."

"In exchange, I shall grant you the complete bloodline of a Dragon Slayer."

Then, Isabella awoke from the vision. She felt her body brimming with Spiritual Power, filled with a mysterious and profound sensation.

Before her, the golden Dragon Spear was swiftly covered in vines and moss.

She tried to move it with her hands, but it still wouldn’t budge.

She looked around the plaza. The Trial Takers were still entangled with the Dragon Tide. Without hesitation, she subconsciously unleashed [Dragon Mighty].

The hordes of the Dragon Tide, which had been swarming the plaza like wild weeds, suddenly froze before scattering in an instant.

"Miss Isabella!"

Seeing this, the Trial Takers’ faces lit up with joy, instantly understanding that Isabella had succeeded.

Outside the mountain range, the Elders of the Beowulf Family were still reeling from the incredible news that Isabella had ultimately claimed the position of Patriarch. It was then they realized that even without support from the London Tower, the Dragon Tide might be manageable...

...if not for this subspecies.

The Elders stared at the screen, their faces grim as they watched the Giant Dragon spread its wings, nearly blotting out the sky.

One Elder suggested they send support immediately. A Flying Dragon Subspecies was equivalent in power and Tier to a human Silver Tier, and the young descendants wouldn’t be able to stop it. They had to send people to rescue them quickly.

But Elder Pence of the Hestia Family said, "First, deal with the Dragon Tide at the valley entrance. Then we can dispatch two from the Silver Tier to provide support. Otherwise, not only will we fail the rescue, but Bedegrat will also fall."

(PS: The Dracul Mountain Range is located in Bedegrat, Wales. Beowulf Manor is also here.)

"But..."

"Roy Hestia is also in that plaza! Elder, please put aside your personal feelings! Our reason for attending this Dragon Hunting Ceremony wasn’t just for a simple vacation," Elder Pence said coldly.

The Lidton Family Head agreed with Elder Pence. "The Dragon Tide is overwhelming. Even someone of the Silver Tier couldn’t reach the inner circle in time. Besides, Isabella has already obtained the Ancient Dragon Aura from the Dragon Spear. She can temporarily suppress the Low Tier Dragon Descendants near the plaza. It won’t be too late to send people after the Dragon Tide thins out."

Back in the plaza.

Isabella didn’t respond to the Trial Takers’ congratulations. Her pale gold eyes were fixed on the direction the Dragon Tide had scattered.

A few did not disperse. They gathered to one side, like massive reefs in the receding tide.

Isabella recognized the "reef" at a glance: the legendary Flying Dragon Subspecies, the Gale Dragon.

She immediately brandished her spear, activating Tier Two Beastification and preparing to fight the Gale Dragon.

Suddenly, she felt a strange shift in the air behind her. Her body rolled to the side on pure instinct as a blade sliced past her face, cutting a lock of her bangs.

She spun around, her eyes trembling. The attacker was one of the Trial Takers who was supposed to be protecting her from disturbances while she absorbed the Dragon Spear’s aura!

The sudden attack drew the attention of everyone, both present and watching from afar.

’Who is it! Who dares attack a descendant of the Beowulf Family in front of everyone during the Dragon Spear ceremony?’

"That’s a descendant of the Ailan Family! A Silver Faction Demon Hunter Clan from the Plains, and an ally of the Constantine Family!"

Dewey Frank suddenly stepped forward and revealed the attacker’s identity to the crowd.

Nearby, Pound, who had been innocently dragged into the matter, saw his expression darken instantly. His sister, Windsor, softly comforted her brother, telling him not to get agitated.

Pound spat. "It’s all that damned Baron Constantin’s fault. If it weren’t for him... the Constantines wouldn’t have fallen to this state."

...

Seeing the failed ambush and his identity exposed, the Ailan Family descendant dropped all pretense. He activated his Alchemy Circuits and launched a fierce assault on Isabella!

But who was Isabella? Her Combat Skills and Tier were far beyond what this attacker could ever hope to match. In just a few short moves, she severed the tendons in the Trial Taker’s arms and legs. After heavily wounding him, she ordered a somewhat stunned Dragon Guide to keep an eye on him and then turned to provide support.

’Gale Dragon, a Flying Dragon Subspecies. It can manipulate air currents, making it equivalent to a combination of a Silver Tier Wizard and a Contract Knight. Dragon Mighty won’t affect it. I can only stall for time and wait for backup.’

Various thoughts raced through Isabella’s mind. She raised her spear, about to use her brimming Spiritual Power to engage the Gale Dragon, when her brother Denero’s scream suddenly rang in her ear: "Look out!"

The sense of danger from behind this time was even stronger than the attack from the Ailan Family descendant.

Two flaming blades shot toward her from behind. They were so fast that she only had time to raise her spear to block one, while she could only watch helplessly as the other flew toward her heart.

...until a Compass suddenly appeared over her chest, blocking the blade.

"Who are you!?"

Taoist Nun Lucy, who had been protecting Isabella from the shadows, looked at her shattered Compass with a pained expression. Her face then hardened, and she charged toward the Dragon Guide like an angry lioness, demanding to know.

"Who am I? How interesting... I actually told you the answer long ago, yet no one has figured it out... I suppose that is a failure on my part as a Dragon Knight."

Dragon Knight...

Hearing this term, the expressions of some people present changed instantly.

The Dragon Guide called "Baron" removed his mask, revealing a young and defiant face.

"Constantine."

The black-haired young man said, "My name is Baron Constantin... the Bloodless of the Constantine Clan... I have returned from the Outer Side, filled with hatred and rage."

The entire area fell silent. Not a sound could be heard.

Outside the mountain range, all the Law Enforcers watching the projection were also stunned the moment the young man revealed his face.

’This... How is this possible!’

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