Three days had passed since Viktor left the capital. During these three days, the capital seemed to have fallen into a deep slumber, extremely quiet.

A knight raised his reins, continuously slapping the horse's back.

The rapidly galloping horse, feeling the constant pain, could only run with all its might.

The horse's hooves kicked up billowing dust, its silhouette resembling a shooting star as it passed through the city, finally breaking the silence that had enveloped the capital for days.

Arriving at the palace, the knight dismounted, not even taking the time to settle his horse. Out of breath, he rushed up several flights of stairs.

He stumbled into the great hall, his swaying body nearly unable to stop in time.

Quickly adjusting his half-fallen, half-standing posture, he appeared utterly flustered in front of the many ministers.

"Your Majesty, urgent news from the Far North!"

The ministers were startled by the knight's sudden arrival, looking at him with confusion and concern.

What had happened?

After the knight caught his breath a little and swallowed hard.

The ministers' faces showed even more anxiety, and the emperor, sitting on his throne, waved his hand at him.

The knight hurriedly knelt on one knee, rushing to explain:

"While investigating the demon in the Far North, the army led by the Second Prince was completely annihilated!"

"His Highness the Second Prince is severely injured and is currently recuperating in the Delin family's territory."

"What!?"

Upon hearing this, all the ministers present drew in a sharp breath.

Especially those nobles who had originally supported the Second Prince's faction immediately erupted, turning into a chaotic mess.

They began discussing frantically, one after another.

"Could it be... they encountered a demon!?"

Hearing the ministers' speculations, the emperor also frowned slightly, the wrinkles on his face seeming to deepen.

"What's the reason?"

The knight instinctively swallowed, barely daring to breathe as he continued:

"According to the news from the Pale Magic Association."

"They... encountered a monster."

......

Vladimir stood on the snowy plain, holding a frost giant axe that exuded a biting cold, standing under the gloomy sky.

His gaze was fixed on the sky above, on the enormous worm-like creature hidden among the rolling clouds.

Behind him were over a thousand members of the Pale Magic Association who could still fight.

However, they were also severely injured, many only able to raise broken staffs and damaged magical instruments.

The remaining mages had all been dispersed.

They were escorting the civilians who couldn't fight away.

At this moment, the monster's silhouette gradually swayed between the cloud layers.

Layer upon layer of hard black scales covered its snake-like elongated body.

The heavy dark clouds also rolled continuously under the sky, with gusts of extremely powerful hurricanes tearing through the earth.

It was like an inverted gray ocean, ready to submerge all living beings in the next second.

The terrifying pressure, accompanied by strong air pressure, squeezed the bodies of everyone present.

Vladimir's body was covered in blood, with not a single part unscathed.

Even his eyes had become blurry and unfocused, forcing him to close one eye.

Despite this, he still stood firm before the giant dragon, stubbornly staring at its restless, enormous body, like a statue holding up the heavens and earth.

The dragon twisting its body in the sky now made a move.

Waves of powerful and fierce air currents continuously rose from the ground, pouring into the gloomy dark clouds.

The swirling air currents gradually expanded, forming a giant vortex that slowly pressed down.

The dragon's pitch-black body gradually flashed with white light, like a layer of flowing white scales.

Its body gradually transformed into a shooting star.

The vortex grew larger and larger, the constantly swirling air seemed to carry the momentum to shred everything, gradually drawing out a pale and heavy hurricane, rotating between heaven and earth.

The ground began to be continuously stripped away, and the suffocating air pressure that filled the space now became even heavier.

The rolling dark clouds seemed as if they could completely crush the entire world in the next second.

Vladimir just raised his head, gripping his weapon tightly.

Aiming at that shooting star-like huge body, he spread his arms.

Like a fearless hero.

......

Listening to the knight's description, many noble ministers trembled incessantly, as if personally experiencing that terrifying and desperate scene.

Vladimir, this legendary general of the empire, his name was known to many in the empire.

He was very powerful, the strongest ice mage known to the empire.

But even such a powerful figure was crushed to this state when facing that enormous monster.

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Is this... really possible?

The knight continued:

"However... no one from the Pale Magic Association was injured."

Hearing this news, they were shocked again, discussing among themselves.

"How is that possible?"

"Such a monster, and it didn't harm anyone?"

"Well... not exactly."

The knight stammered, unable to speak for a long time.

A nobleman grew impatient and shouted from behind:

"Just spit it out!"

The knight closed his eyes, as if mustering up courage, and shouted loudly:

"General Vladimir discovered the monster's approach in advance and evacuated everyone in the territory, seeking refuge with the Delin family."

"In the end, the General himself stayed behind... to buy time."

As his words fell, the entire hall sank into a long silence, followed only by a series of sighs.

General Vladimir was already one of the most powerful figures in the empire.

Within the empire, there weren't many who held the title of General.

Even Angus, the former head of the Delin family who guarded the North, couldn't earn such an honor.

Like His Majesty, he was also a "strong figure of the previous era."

He had already reached retirement age, but for the sake of the people in the Far North, he was willing to sacrifice himself.

Hero.

This word rose in everyone's hearts.

"I understand."

The emperor's voice seemed to carry no emotion.

But in his chest, it was as if a fire of anger that could devour everything was burning.

A powerful aura instantly filled the space of the entire hall, as if it could ignite everything in the next second.

Suddenly, everyone saw it.

A red lion, faintly visible behind Aubrey

It bared its huge teeth, ferocity slowly overflowing from its eyes.

The lion's muscular body gradually stood up behind the throne, looking towards the northern sky.

"Vladimir's sacrifice will not be in vain."

This extremely terrifying aura made the knight feel difficulty breathing.

He could only barely raise his head and hurriedly said:

"Your Majesty, please... please allow me to speak frankly... things are not as you think."

"To be precise, apart from the investigation army accompanying the Second Prince... there were no casualties."

"The General, he also survived."

As soon as this news came out, the entire hall erupted in a wave of exclamations.

The emperor's clenched fist suddenly relaxed, and he exhaled, the powerful pressure dissipating with his breath.

He lowered his head, slowly looking at the knight with an extremely cold gaze.

"Tell me everything you know, all at once."

"Yes!"

The knight was startled, his legs trembling, and he began to narrate non-stop:

"The situation at that time was already precarious, but at the very last moment..."

"Duke Levi's daughter, Erica du Cloye, stepped forward."

......

In the endless gale, the divine dragon seemed about to break through the cloud layer and rush towards the ground in the next second.

Vladimir spread his arms and closed his eyes.

He had long been prepared to face death.

But suddenly.....

The frenzied wind gradually calmed.

The overwhelming sense of despair slowly dissipated.

Vladimir didn't even feel pain, and for a moment, he thought he had already reached heaven.

He tentatively opened his eyes.

The surrounding destruction was still terribly severe, no different from before.

The mages around him were still injured.

But without exception, they all widened their eyes, slowly raising their heads to look forward.

They weren't looking at him, Vladimir knew clearly.

He curiously followed their gaze and looked over.

A figure with golden hair was standing on the edge of the snowy mountain cliff.

The wind around seemed to have completely gathered around her, blowing her white robe, constantly swaying in the whirlwind.

In front of her, people finally saw the true appearance of that giant dragon.

Its enormous body coiled in the sky above, covered with a layer of scales as hard as black obsidian, trembling incessantly in the hurricane, emitting a low sound of rocks grinding together.

From time to time, streaks of flowing light flashed across its scales, spreading throughout its entire body through the gaps between the scales.

Its eyes were enormous, terrifyingly large enough to match the size of a person.

No one understood how this monster could fly.

It clearly had no wings, but the wind seemed to cling to its body, allowing it to float.

But facing this monster, Erica showed no fear at all, instead stubbornly staring at it.

"I know you're looking for me."

"Isn't that... enough?"

The enormous dragon floated in the air, its pair of majestic eyes fixed firmly on Erica.

There was no terrifying sense of crisis; compared to before, it had become extremely calm.

No one understood why the ferocious serpent from just moments ago had suddenly become docile.

Just because of Erica? Because she had come?

Vladimir widened his eyes, speaking softly beside her.

Afraid that his voice might cause the huge monster in front of them to move again.

"Amelia."

"Didn't I tell you to take her away..."

A woman walked up beside Vladimir, taking off the hood on her head.

"She insisted on coming back."

She still wore an eye patch, a lollipop in her mouth, revealing her identity.

"So you just listened to her and brought her back!?"

Vladimir's voice was low, suppressing the anger in his heart.

If something really happened to that child.

How could he explain to his old friend?

"Hey, old man."

"I don't want to hear you lecture me."

Amelia glanced at him, completely disliking his attitude.

"But if she encounters danger..."

Before Vladimir could finish, Amelia had already interrupted him.

"I only look at results."

"Now, you're still alive, saved by her."

"That's the result."

She calmly looked forward, watching Erica in front of her, and opened her mouth.

That golden-haired child only said one sentence.

"Don't... hurt them."

The dragon's eyes seemed to carry a hint of intelligence, with streaks of light flowing in its eye sockets.

Suddenly, it raised its head and let out a long roar towards the low sky.

In an instant, the frenzied storm, chaotically carrying swirling snow, swept across the earth.

As if it would swallow everything around.

In that wind and snow, everyone had to raise their hands to shield their eyes.

Finally, the suddenly erupting storm gradually subsided.

In the sky above, the low, black clouds also gradually dispersed.

The moment their vision cleared, everyone anxiously looked forward.

Including Vladimir.

At the edge of the snowy cliff, that terrifying monster, along with the endless dark clouds, had disappeared.

And with them, the golden-haired girl.

They widened their eyes in disbelief.

Only Amelia.

She put her hands in her pockets, her expression calm, closing her eyes, feeling the surrounding wind that had calmed down but was still gently blowing.

"How miraculous."

"Miraculous wind, and..."

"A miraculous person."

"""