The border of the Empire was eerily silent until the rumbling of boots shook the land. The Brook Royal Army surged forward, banners fluttering.
"Advance! The Empire is defenseless!" a commander shouted.
But then came the echo of horns, loud and defiant. From the cliffs and trenches, Marquis banners unfurled. Swords glinted. Magic circles flared.
"What?! How... how are the strongest forces stationed here?!" a Brook general gasped.
A flurry of flames answered as the ambush unfolded.
Meanwhile, from the forested edge near Elise's border, another assault began. Mages in elven armor launched their spells with deadly precision, but they were met with chilling wind and a flash of silver.
Evelyn stood at the front.
"Freeze."
In an instant, a thousand attackers became statues. Her spell Clamo Vento dues( Rage of Wind God) swept the battlefield like death itself.
In his war room, Arthur Brook slammed the table, the crack echoing.
"Impossible! The capital is being ravaged by a dragon, and yet they have their top forces here?!" he bellowed. "Edward Phoenix... is he truly facing the dragon alone?"
He gritted his teeth.
"No matter. Even he can't withstand a dragon's fury for long. Once he falls, we would invade."
Ruined Sky Mountains – the battlefield of gods.
The air buzzed with electricity. From the storm clouds above, the Blue Dragon emerged. Its scales shimmered, every flap of its wings summoning thunder.
Edward Phoenix stood atop a broken peak, cloak billowing, his eyes narrow.
"Let's end this, beast."
The dragon responded with a roar, arcs of lightning dancing from its jaws. It opened its maw and launched a barrage.
Edward dashed, teleporting between blasts.
"Too slow."
He raised his hand, mana glowing around him. But the dragon began charging breath—faster than expected.
"What? Already?!"
Blue light gathered. Edward's eyes widened.
"No time!"
With a flicker, he vanished just as the beam shot past. The mountain split. The land boiled. A pillar of blue light roared as if screaming the might of dragon
Edward reappeared, panting.
"That breath... it fired in seconds. No charge time? This isn't like wyvern."
He raised his hand.
"Then I'll respond in kind."
"Lightfall."
From the heavens, swords of radiant energy descended, Miles long swords made of light that killed wyvern.
They rained down, slicing the sky. But the dragon roared and countered with another breath—this one directed upward.
The beam pierced the swords, scattering them.
Edward grimaced.
"Even Lightfall isn't enough. Its breath tears through steongest 8th circle spells."
Another blast came toward him. He moved—barely. His sleeve singed, his shoulder bruised.
"I won't advance like this. Damn it..."
He pulled back his right arm. Mana surged.
"Laser!"
A white beam, brighter than sunlight, roared forward.
The dragon's breath met it head-on.
The clash cracked the sky. Shockwaves rippled.
Edward's laser split the breath, forcing it apart. But the backlash sent him flying. His body slammed against a cliff. A sickening crack.
He coughed.
"Argh... my arm..."
His right arm dangled, broken.
Then he tried to cast again.
Nothing.
"Mana...? I can't gather it?!"
He froze.
"Don't tell me... it blocked the mana flow?"
The realization hit him.
"It can control the surrounding mana..."
Only those at peak 8th circle could resist such suppression.
But he had used everything in that last Laser.
So he can't resist
"So this is it...?"
He looked to the sky.
"Reyon...Ray I won't get to say goodbye..."
My dream of reaching the same pinnacle as mother is shattered
The dragon raised its head again, breath charging.
But suddenly, Edward disappeared.
As he let go of all things he gained freedom the key to advancement
He reappeared behind the dragon.
His body felt light. His thoughts... silent.
He looked at his hand.
"I can... see it. The mana itself."
The mana flowed with his will. It responded not to spells, but to thought.
"So this... is the 9th Circle."
He smiled.
The dragon fired.
Edward raised his hand.
"Laser."
This one was different.
Ten times stronger.
The beam tore through the breath and sliced through a wing.
The dragon shrieked.
But the wing regrew.
Edward narrowed his eyes.
"So regeneration, too. Figures."
He inhaled.
"Let's see how you handle this."
He began chanting.
The spell Min hee master of all elements taught to him saying it's an advanced 9th circle spell for light element
Old words. Words only one other ever used.
"Mom... thank you."
He completed the chant.
"Sun Burst."
Ten white spheres appeared around the dragon. They spun, glowing brighter.
"Miniature suns. Born from absorbing light itself."
The dragon tried to flee.
Too late.
The spheres exploded.
A roar like no other erupted. Fire, not of this world, bathed the battlefield. explosion spread to thousand of miles the whole continent shook as if an natural calamity occured
From the far end side of the empire, Evelyn paused.
She looked to the west.
"That magic... finally edward reached the pinnacle"
The sun faded. The sky darkened.
Across the continent, even in Brook and Elise, the light disappeared for minutes.
Then, silence.
The dragon's body was gone.
Nothing remained but scorched earth.
Edward hovered above the desolate land.
His breathing steady.
He looked to the heavens.
"I made it... Reyon. Now it's your turn."
End of Chapter 91.