Chapter 19

"Roar~~~~~~~~"

Amidst the deafening dragon roar, the mysterious Summer Palace, nestled in the towering mountains, faced its most terrifying opponent in ten thousand years.

The dragon's roar echoed far and wide, prompting the Order Maintainers halfway up the mountain to quicken their ascent.

The name "Summer Palace" was apt; outside the palace, it was icy and snowy, but inside, it was warm as summer, maintained by a constant temperature spell that allowed everyone to wear only a thin robe.

As the dragon's roar reached the Summer Palace, it responded as if facing a great enemy. A pale blue, semi-transparent protective barrier rose around the academy, enveloping the entire Summer Palace.

The snow and ice outside the barrier began to slowly rise, forming into giants nearly three meters tall, numbering nearly a hundred, becoming the guardians of the Summer Palace.

This was a second-level summoning spell: Summon Frost Giants.

Inside the Summer Palace, the leaders of the academy gathered in the council hall immediately. There were five of them, all powerful second-level mages, urgently discussing how to deal with this crisis.

Each of the five was a white-haired elder who had spent their lives studying magic. Although they mastered a wide variety of spells, very few of their spells reached the third level in power.

The only third-level mage present was the headmaster of the academy, the leader of the Northern Mages' Alliance of the Dragon World, the Great Mage Aikan.

Possessing third-level spells of immense power, and wielding the artifact 'Shur's Staff,' Aikan's leadership was unshakable.

He spoke first: "Just now, a voice suddenly appeared in my ear. It claimed to be a messenger of Shur, telling me that the Dragon King had betrayed his father and would attack the Summer Palace. It also told me that dragon slayers would come to our aid."

The other four academy mages were shocked, their expressions grave.

Aikan continued: "At first, I thought it was an illusion, but the dragon's arrival shortly after confirmed the messenger's words."

As he spoke, Aikan waved his hand, and a light mirror appeared in the center of the hall, displaying the image of the Dragon King. As a Great Mage with a divine staff, his ability to instantly cast spells earned both admiration and respect from the other four.

He continued: "We are not unfamiliar with dragons. The dragon in the mirror has four horns on its head, a much larger body than ordinary dragons, and a more fearsome face. It is undoubtedly the Dragon King."

According to legend, Shur, the Supreme God, had a son named Mephilon, a war god who descended from the heavens to become the king of dragons, tasked with maintaining world order. Now, Mephilon had betrayed the Supreme God, and a great calamity was about to engulf the continent.

"Roar~~~~~~~~"

Another deafening dragon roar echoed from outside the Summer Palace. The Dragon King's figure appeared in the sky above the Summer Palace, circling and continuously spraying dragon breath onto the ground.

The dragon breath was a dark red, like magma from the depths of the earth.

The Frost Giants outside the Summer Palace, once hit by the dragon breath, melted into gray sludge.

When the protective barrier of the Summer Palace was struck, it trembled violently, its light flickering, as if it might disappear at any moment.

This scene made the academy leaders' hearts race.

Such a powerful spell was cast without a moment's pause, showing the Dragon King's immense strength!

The Great Mage Aikan said sternly: "This is a third-level dragon spell: Shadow Flame! You all retreat and maintain the academy's order, keeping the barrier intact. I will deal with him!"

The four second-level mages obeyed and retreated. Aikan waved his staff, the deep blue crystal at its tip glowing slightly, and he instantly cast the flight spell 'Ice Fog Bird.'

A giant bird made of ice fog appeared, carrying the Great Mage out of the council hall and toward the top of the Star Observation Tower, the tallest building in the Summer Palace. As a flying creature, Aikan did not intend to compete with the dragon in flight, but to gain a height advantage.

Upon reaching the top of the tower, Aikan looked at the Dragon King circling outside the Summer Palace and shouted: "Beast, leave this place! This is not where you can run wild!"

His voice, amplified by a spell, became loud and resonant, its power not inferior to the Dragon King's.

As if in response, the sky was suddenly filled with dark clouds, thunder rumbling, and purple-black lightning flashing, creating an atmosphere of impending doom.

Aikan was inwardly alarmed, realizing: This must be the Supreme God Shur's anger, preparing to punish his traitorous son.

The Dragon King Mephilon also noticed the abnormal sky but was not worried. As a destroyer, he had deeply studied divine punishment, knowing that the gathering of lightning required time. Although it looked terrifying, it would take some time to fully form.

During this time, he was safe.

He quickly cleared the Frost Giants on the ground and then descended from the sky, unexpectedly transforming into a warrior in black battle armor, wielding a giant sword.

The warrior laughed loudly: "I am the war god Mephilon. See who can stop me!"

He charged straight toward the Summer Palace's barrier. At the barrier, he raised his sword, and the third-level barrier that had protected the Summer Palace for ten thousand years could not stop him for a moment. With one strike, he broke through the barrier and entered the Summer Palace.

"Bad!" Aikan was greatly alarmed.

Once the Dragon King entered the Summer Palace, the divine punishment lightning could not reach him. If he went on a killing spree, the destruction of the Summer Palace would be imminent. Aikan immediately summoned the Ice Fog Bird and descended from the Star Observation Tower, entering the Time Hall at the edge of the Summer Palace.

The Time Hall was the only path for Mephilon to enter the academy's interior, and Aikan intended to stop him there.

The Time Hall was vast, with murals on the walls depicting the changes in the Summer Palace over ten thousand years, exuding a grand epic atmosphere. At the entrance stood a five-meter-tall statue of a mage, the work of the master Coris, representing the first headmaster of the Summer Palace, the Great Mage Leon.

But just as Aikan stood firm, the statue of the first Great Mage was shattered by a spell from outside the Summer Palace.

After the dust and stone powder settled, a tall figure walked in.

This person held a black dragon sword in his right hand, his left hand glowing with dark red magic, and wore black battle armor. It was Mephilon.

Seeing Aikan, he laughed and said: "Great Mage, my apologies."

"Beast!" Aikan responded with a furious curse, the destruction of the Great Mage Leon's statue making him both angry and heartbroken.

Mephilon was unconcerned, smiling: "I won't argue with you. I'm here to make a deal."

Aikan, a Great Mage with a divine staff, was wary of Mephilon, a god's son with astonishing power and divine skills.

Now, hearing this, he asked sternly: "What do you want?"

"My terms are simple. Give me your staff, and I will leave immediately."

Aikan laughed in anger: "Do you think that's possible?"

Taking the staff, if Mephilon reneged and slaughtered the Summer Palace, they would have no means of resistance. This Dragon King, who could betray the Supreme God, was not to be trusted!

Mephilon shrugged: "If you refuse, I will have to take it by force."

He wanted the staff and the lives of all the mages in the Summer Palace. He had received information that the staff was actually a fragment of a creation artifact, which he was determined to obtain. The latter would keep the game company busy, leaving them no time to interfere.

Before he finished speaking, Mephilon pointed his sword forward, thrusting forward. The sword, a part of his body, had fourth-level authority and was an invincible weapon. His left hand glowed with dark red light, preparing his Shadow Flame spell, a third-level dragon spell that could be instantly cast and was incredibly powerful.

The powerful body and the ability to instantly cast powerful spells were gifts Mephilon received after controlling the dragon.

As Mephilon charged forward, four more mages appeared at the back door of the Time Hall, the academy leaders who had gone to calm the apprentices.

The four immediately formed a half-circle behind the Great Mage Aikan.

Aikan's heart eased slightly, and he said sternly: "Form the defensive array!"

The mages obeyed, standing in their positions and began chanting spells. After two seconds, several deep blue crystal walls appeared in the air. Each wall was covered with runes that rotated and changed, protecting Aikan.

This was the Summer Palace's unique combined spell: Rune Barrier. Each wall had third-level defense, and they could seamlessly rotate, even resisting a fourth-level attack.

During this time, Aikan had already engaged Mephilon.

Aikan pointed his staff at Mephilon, and several deep blue lightning bolts shot out along irregular paths, causing a series of explosions and a pungent, spicy smell in the air.

This was a third-level spell: Lightning Chain, which originally required at least five seconds of chanting but, with the divine staff's enhancement, could be instantly cast and was even more powerful than a fourth-level spell.

An ordinary dragon would be slain in one strike.

Faced with such a powerful attack, Mephilon did not dare to be careless. He quickly blocked the lightning with his sword, fearing it might not withstand the attack. His left hand, ready with the Shadow Flame spell, was prepared to save the situation.

With a series of explosions, the Dragon King Mephilon's sword and the Great Mage Aikan's lightning clashed.

For a moment, lightning flashed, and the dragon sword shattered.

Mephilon's advance slowed by nearly half, but he continued to move forward. Estimating the rate of his sword's wear, he was confident that he could reach Aikan and kill him with a single punch before the sword was completely worn down!

"Ha, you can't stop me!" The destroyer was somewhat pleased; this Dragon King's body was truly useful.

His left hand spread wide, and the Shadow Flame spell, which he had been holding back, was unleashed, striking the Great Mage Aikan.

The Rune Barrier appeared just in time, floating up to intercept the Shadow Flame.

Five seconds later, one barrier was breached by the Shadow Flame, its light quickly fading and disappearing, but a new barrier immediately took its place.

The current situation was a stalemate.

But Aikan knew that without reinforcements, he would surely lose this battle.

Once Mephilon reached Aikan, his physical advantage would become apparent, instantly turning the tide.

This was just in his human form; if he transformed into a dragon, he could sweep them all away in an instant.

Aikan sighed inwardly: The son of a god truly lived up to his name. The ten-thousand-year-old Summer Palace would be destroyed today.

At this moment, his only hope was the dragon slayer promised by the Supreme God Shur.

But even now, where were the dragon slayers?