Under the watchful gaze of the King, Noor greeted everyone with a big smile. Lynn asked if he was okay, and he replied confidently that he was fine. He finally understood what had happened and thanked Rolo for his help. Noor had assumed the boy had calmed the dragon, but Rolo quickly denied it. Noor realized the kid didn’t want others to know about his ability, which explained his denial, and wisely decided not to probe further, leaving another small misunderstanding between them.
Later, Noor asked Rolo if he could send the dragon back to its origin, but Rolo disagreed, saying the creature was far too dangerous. Noor, being his usual stubborn self, said that while he understood the risk, it would be better to avoid killing the dragon if possible. He was aware this was selfish but asked them to at least consider it. In the end, Lynn agreed and asked Rolo if he could do it. The boy hesitated, citing the dragon’s immense power, but Noor whispered to him that it was okay—neither Lynn nor Anise were afraid.
After a little while, Rolo revealed that the dragon had promised to obey its “Master”—which startled the group. Noor realized the dragon considered Rolo its master, and he asked the boy to command it to quietly return to its home and never harm humans again. Rolo complied, and the dragon took off, leaving the city.
Unfortunately, at that moment, a magical beam struck the dragon, causing it to fall. From a distance, the Emperor watched, smiling with delight. “Everything couldn’t have gone more perfectly,” she said, thinking that even a dragon that had lived thousands of years was nothing more than a pawn. Confident that the city would be destroyed, she ordered her forces to attack.
A soldier then cast a spell revealing the Empire’s army: thousands of heavily armed soldiers ready to march on the Royal Capital. A flashback showed how the Emperor had planned everything meticulously with her officers. A well-known Beast Tamer had awakened the dragon of Calamity, bringing it under control at a high cost. Once the dragon rampaged, their army would advance, equipped with magic swords, shields, elite armor, magic cannons, and advanced devices like mobile Mana bulwarks and ultra high-output Manor Ray weapons.
However, while the Emperor celebrated her expected victory, a knight named Randus interrupted her. After apologizing for his bluntness, he remarked that he didn’t see how this war would truly benefit their country.
In the long run, he begged the emperor to reconsider. Unfortunately, the emperor was not in the mood for pleas. Mercil kicked the knight aside, saying he had heard enough and that no one could threaten their empire. After all, they stood atop the pinnacle of magical technology—why wouldn’t they flaunt it in a war?
Back in the present, the emperor declared that soon history would tell of the Clay Kingdom as a land of fools, ruined by their selfish greed for neglecting the upkeep of the Dungeon of the Lost. Meanwhile, the Empire would be remembered as a “humanitarian army” that liberated its people from a rather silly monarch. After all, history only needed one version of the story, right?
Our protagonists—Nor, Lynn, and Rolo—arrived at the dragon’s fallen site, unsure if the beast was alive. At that moment, Lynn spotted the army of the Magical Empire, and unsurprisingly, they spotted her too. The emperor and one of his men quickly realized the princess and the Divine Shield were among the quartet. The monarch even guessed that Anise might be the reason the Royal Capital hadn’t been completely destroyed—after all, she was one of the Living Legends.
But the emperor, ever the drama enthusiast, thought it was just perfect to have found them. Legends had ruled the past, but now wisdom reigned. He ordered his men to fire the Bonac at the quartet, confident that even Anise, the Divine Shield, would evaporate into nothingness. Another “Legend” about to bite the dust—ah, the joys of war!
Almost immediately, a magic beam, reminiscent of the one that took down the dragon, shot toward Anise, who could only watch helplessly. Luckily, Nor reacted in time and parried the beam, astonishing everyone, including Rolo and Lynn, who had taken cover thanks to Anise’s warning. Some Empire soldiers muttered that it must have been a misfire from the mana condensation process. The emperor, predictably, was not amused and ordered the Bonac fired again.
Meanwhile, Nor had no idea what the attack was, but he was awed by the sheer size of the Empire’s army. Lynn explained that Duras III had mobilized his troops—thousands, maybe even ten thousand soldiers. Nor was utterly confused, and Denise simply said, “All we can say for sure is that those brutes are here to annihilate our kingdom.”
Lynn observed that their small group couldn’t hope to fight against such overwhelming numbers. The Vice Captain reminded her that there wasn’t much they could do there—they had to retreat. The princess agreed and suggested they regroup with her brother. Then she asked Nor what he planned to do. Naturally, another misunderstanding arose: Nor intended to run, but Lynn assumed he was going to fight alongside them.
Before anyone could clarify, another volley of magic beams rained down on them. Luckily, Anise was ready and blocked the attacks with her Divine Shield. The emperor, ever the drama king, was furious. One of his men suggested taking cover in the rear, so the monarch began to retreat, ordering his troops to finish the job quickly.
Meanwhile, Nor realized the beams were keeping them pinned and decided to distract the enemy to buy Lynn and Rolo some time. He suggested they use the chance to escape. Though he admitted he wasn’t great at fighting, he was a seasoned escape artist—after all, he’d once run for his life from a swarm of angry bees. Lynn hesitated but eventually agreed.
At that moment, Rolo noticed another Bonac about to fire. Lynn decided to use the same strategy they had employed against the Goblin Emperor. Nor didn’t object. She unleashed Wind Blast on him, and our protagonist began parrying not just the magic beams but also the attacks of the Imperial soldiers.
In the next instant, countless swords and shields soared through the air, astonishing the emperor and his officers. Nor landed behind them, and all the disarmed soldiers ended up being struck by their own weapons—like a deadly rain from hell. To the emperor’s despair, Nor didn’t stop. He continued parrying every attack from the Imperial army, causing more destruction. Even three of the massive Bionx machines were destroyed, leaving only one standing.
Finally, Nor appeared behind the emperor, who recognized him as one of the people who had been with Anise back then. The emperor couldn’t fathom how Nor had moved so quickly. When Nor turned to face him directly, the emperor grew fearful—he guessed that Nor had marked him as the target.
Still, the monarch recalled that he had his Kaiser Armor and Kaiser Sword, both made of Orichalcum, which gave him some confidence. With that, he prepared to fight.
Noor, however, ignored the emperor entirely and went straight to dismantle the Bionx. The massive magic weapons were hurled into the sky, crashing so close that the emperor barely escaped with his life. Desperation finally sank into the monarch’s heart. He had 10,000 soldiers, all perfectly equipped, with magical weapons capable of surviving dragon breath and slaying dragons—but none of it mattered against a single man.
Noor appeared in front of the emperor, who was now sprawled on the ground. The monarch gasped, “Who… who are you, and why haven’t you killed me yet?” That’s when he noticed the weapon Noor was holding. Memories flashed in the emperor’s mind: this was the dungeon relic he had coveted above all others. The sword was made from an unknown metal, supposedly too heavy for any normal human. Even King Clay, known for his freakish strength, needed both hands to wield it. Yet here was a man who had not only carried it but also crushed the Imperial army by himself.
The emperor could only theorize: Noor was keeping him alive to savor the humiliation before delivering the final blow—the same fate he had planned for King Clay. The torment became unbearable. In a mix of fear and shame, the emperor soiled himself, mounted his horse, and fled like a madman—thinking of Noor as some unstoppable monster.
A flashback revealed the truth: Noor had never intended to destroy the Empire’s weapons. He had simply been parrying the falling swords and shields, preventing soldiers from reclaiming them. The destruction of the magical gadgets was purely collateral damage. The irony? While annihilating the army, Noor was worried about the old man in flashy armor on the battlefield—little did he know, that terrified old man was the emperor himself.
Back in the present, once the emperor escaped, Noor finally felt the toll of pushing his body to the absolute limit. Coughing up blood and half-kneeling, he leaned on his sword for support, still refusing to collapse completely.
Various terrified soldiers of the Empire were closing in on Noor, intent on killing him, while our protagonist began to lose consciousness—hoping that Enise, Lynn, and Rolo had managed to escape safely. Luckily, Gilbert and his master arrived just in time to rescue him. Noor immediately became a full-blown fanboy after witnessing the overwhelming power of the Sovereign of the Sword, who was effortlessly cutting down enemy soldiers.
Meanwhile, the healer and the wizard of the Sovereign Six were grumbling about Gilbert’s master killing soldiers they still needed alive for interrogation. Soon, the healer got serious and warned the wizard to act quickly before another member of the Sovereign Six arrived. Together, they combined their powers, imprisoning the remaining soldiers and healing them afterward. Witnessing all his former teachers in action, Noor doubled down on his fanboy enthusiasm—he couldn’t believe he was seeing them again!
What he didn’t realize was that some of his former teachers recognized him immediately and quickly went to assist him, alongside Lynn, Enise, and Rolo. A very concerned Lynn hurriedly healed him while Gilbert’s teacher reported that a commanding officer had already confessed under interrogation: the Empire had thrown everything—including the dragon and other beasts—at the capital. Sadly, the emperor had managed to escape.
This revelation surprised the wizard. He couldn’t believe that such a decrepit old fogey had appeared on the battlefield. According to Gilbert’s master, the emperor must have been overly confident in his resources to pull that off, to which the wizard muttered that it was a foolish move for someone who demanded to be called a wise ruler. By now, the wizard suspected the emperor was losing his marbles.
Noor then intervened, explaining that he had seen the emperor a short while ago—and that the horse the ruler was riding had sparkling gold gear, making him hard to miss. The wizard deduced that the emperor was using Orichalcum saddlery—top-tier equipment capable of supporting an array of skills—which explained the ruler’s rapid escape. Of course, the wizard couldn’t resist adding that the emperor’s fashion sense was as poor as his attitude.
Finally, Gilbert’s master reminded everyone that if the emperor reached the border, they wouldn’t be able to pursue him easily. A fortress and a ravine-spanning bridge stood in his path. According to the wizard, catching up by normal means was basically impossible… though, with Noor, “normal” was never really a limitation.
If there was a way for them all to fly, Noor had an idea—assuming, of course, that the dragon was still alive. Shortly after, Noor, Lynn, Rolo, Enise, and the wizard arrived at the place where the dragon had fallen. The wizard immediately lit up, thrilled to see a legendary creature up close, while the healer was equally pleased—it was his first time tasked with healing an enormous dragon!
San began tending to the dragon, telling Noor that he had grown quite a lot. At that moment, the wizard realized the man with them was his former student. After some friendly greetings and teasing, the wizard asked Noor if he thought riding the dragon was a good idea. After all, having everyone on its back didn’t seem particularly safe.
Noor reassured him, reminding the wizard that they had Rolo with them. The wizard then asked the boy if he was confident in his abilities. Rolo admitted he wasn’t, which only worried the wizard further—but Noor stepped in to support him.
Before they could discuss further, the dragon woke up. Noor instructed Rolo to use his ability. The dragon roared, signaling its anger. Rolo confirmed that the dragon not only wanted revenge but also wanted Noor to command it—leaving the wizard utterly flabbergasted at the boy’s control over such a massive creature. Naturally, Noor gave all the credit to Rolo, and when the boy tried to clarify, the dragon roared again.
Rolo then announced that the dragon was ready to go immediately. Noor told everyone to get ready, and surprisingly, the first to step forward were Lynn and Enise. Lynn explained that no one could communicate with the dragon if Rolo didn’t go along, and she and Enise would guard him. She then asked Noor if he would join them.
Noor began to sweat—he was afraid of heights—but felt it would be awkward to sit out after dragging Rolo into this plan. He reluctantly agreed to go. Lynn beamed and said having Noor with them was like having the strength of a hundred people. San added that he was also coming because he was responsible for the dragon’s recovery. He jokingly noted that he specialized in “diplomacy,” referring to Karu, the thief of the Sovereign Six, who had also arrived.
Noor was thrilled to see another former teacher and asked if he would join them. Karu replied that if they were flying on such a huge beast… well, they’d better stick together.
They would need the Concealment skill. Oaken, the wizard, took that opportunity to declare that he was going along too—but San reminded him that he still had to supervise the stone cage used to imprison the Imperial soldiers. The wizard sighed and reluctantly agreed.
Right after, Rain and his father arrived. The prince announced he wanted to join as well, since they’d need a negotiator. Lynn was thrilled to see her father and older brother, while the king offered a half-apology for causing her worry. The Vice Captain kneeled before Rain, ready to accept any punishment for disobeying his orders and returning to the capital. Rain, however, shrugged it off, blaming himself for issuing such a “brilliantly idiotic” order—and admitted he was glad she made it back safely.
As the group prepared to depart, the king reminded his son that he was in charge and apologized to Noor for repeatedly asking for his help, before asking him to look after Lynn and Enise while the dragon took off.
Dundar then asked Sig, Gilbert’s master, if he was okay with letting Noor go without a heads-up—after all, they’d finally found him. Sig replied that he’d never really needed them to play a role in Noor’s life and found the idea that they could take him in and raise him laughable. Dundar agreed, remarking that Noor was like a hero straight out of the Legends—and that it almost made him laugh.
Sig recalled the moment he witnessed Noor’s full power—the swords, shields, and magic weapons flying through the air—and admitted he was ashamed of his own laziness. He realized he had no right to teach others while wasting time and decided to retrain himself from scratch, recognizing his shortcomings. Dundar seemed pleased, noting that a man so ashamed looked surprisingly happy. Sig confirmed it, saying anyone who had seen such a spectacle would naturally feel joy.
Sometime later, the dragon continued flying, but there were no signs of the emperor. Rain wondered if the ruler might have already returned to the Empire. They were nearing the border when Karu advised caution—recklessly rushing past could be dangerous. Just then, Lynn finally spotted the emperor, who was already crossing the bridge marking the border between the two countries.
Karu spotted the emperor as well and warned that he was approaching the Imperial capital’s defenses on the far side of the bridge. He added that if they crossed into enemy territory, they wouldn’t make it back in one piece. Their concealment would vanish the moment the enemy detected them, rendering all magic ineffective.
The prince considered the warning but responded that letting the emperor escape was not an option. After all, the ruler had access to powerful magical tools, which could massively strengthen his military. They couldn’t give him the time to do that.
Lynn understood her brother was right but felt a twinge of fear at what might await them. Inise quickly intervened, requesting permission from the prince to annihilate the entire area if it was going to be the emperor’s escape route. After all, she reasoned, it would be smart to obliterate their defenses while they still had the chance.
Hearing that, Lynn fully understood the Vice Captain’s fury. The Royal Capital she had vowed to protect had been trampled—and she had no intention of letting the enemy get away with it. The prince not only approved Inise’s plan but also told her to give it everything she had.
Without hesitation, Inise unleashed her full power, obliterating the Imperial defenses at the border and securing their escape route. Rain then turned to his sister, reminding her that their actions here would determine the course of the war. They would continue pursuing the emperor—even if it led them back to the capital itself. He asked if she was ready.
Lynn’s answer was immediate and confident. She trusted completely in the strength of everyone by her side—especially her teacher.
