The black hellfire pouring from the dragon's jaws advanced toward the crystal, melting the very fabric of space in its path Lunara took a deep breath He crossed his twin daggers before his chest He poured every ounce of his mana into them.
Golden light overflowed from the blades.
"Dragon Severance."
SHIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!
Both daggers slashed forward at the same time A razor-sharp arc of golden light split the incoming black flames straight down the middle.
The divided torrent veered in opposite directions, completely annihilating the asteroid fields behind it.
Oblivor's eyes widened.
"Then…I'll tear you apart up close."
The colossal dragon lunged forward at a speed great enough to shatter space itself In an instant, he stood before Lunara.
GIANT CLAW!
BOOOOOOOM!!
His claw crashed into Lunara's chest Most of his ribs shattered His body was hurled for kilometers before crashing into the surrounding debris Golden blood drifted through the darkness of space like rays of light.
Oblivor did not stop.
He headed straight for the crystal Just as he raised his claw—
"…It's not over yet."
Lunara's voice echoed across the void Like a beam of light, he appeared once more He raised the dagger in his right hand toward the heavens Golden mana took the form of a gigantic dragon spiraling around the blade.
"Golden Dragon's Wrath."
ROOOOOOOOOOOAR!!
The dragon-shaped wave of mana slammed into Oblivor A tremendous explosion illuminated the darkness of space His black scales shattered Oblivor's right claw was torn from his shoulder His chest was ripped open from top to bottom Pitch-black blood scattered across the void like stardust.
But…
The wounds began closing within only a few seconds.
Oblivor grinned.
"I am immortal."
At that very moment…
Mortis burst forth from the shadows His black arms stretched out like chains, wrapping tightly around Lunara's body.
"Don't move."
Lunara struggled to break free But his body no longer obeyed his commands Meanwhile, Oblivor opened his jaws to their absolute limit This was no ordinary breath attack Whirlpools of black mana drifting across entire galaxies were drawn into his mouth The attack had not yet been unleashed Yet the pressure radiating from it alone distorted the balance of space Seeing this, Lunara slowly closed his eyes.
"So…the time has come."
He gently lowered his daggers to the ground
Then he placed both palms upon the crystal
He took a slow, deep breath.
Finally, he lifted his gaze toward the heavens.
"Aurion…if you truly chose me then grant me your power one last time."
Suddenly…
The space surrounding the crystal began glowing with golden radiance At first, the light seemed small Within seconds, it had become brighter than the sun itself.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
A burst of light erupted with such overwhelming brilliance that the chains restraining Lunara shattered instantly Mortis was thrown backward Vorgath was sent flying for kilometers Even the mana gathering inside Oblivor's jaws spiraled out of control The colossal dragon himself was blasted backward by the force striking his chest.
When the dust finally settled…
No one could believe what stood before them The crystal was now completely surrounded by a sacred barrier of pure golden light.
And Lunara…
Had changed His physical body had almost entirely transformed into light itself Pure golden energy had replaced the blood flowing through his veins His hair flowed through the heavens like streams of radiant light A divine aura, as brilliant as the sun, poured endlessly from his eyes.
He was no longer…
A human He had become a spiritual being of pure light For the first time, the rage on Oblivor's face gave way to astonishment.
"…So that's it Aurion didn't merely grant you his power He also left behind a fragment of his own will."
Lunara spoke with calm serenity.
"This power can only be used once The moment I use it…my life will come to an end."
Mortis' eyes widened.
"What?"
Vorgath instinctively stepped backward.
"My Lord… this mana…"
Lunara continued.
"My duty is not to defeat you I am only…meant to buy time until the birth of the true Ancient King."
His words echoed throughout the endless cosmos.
"The true…"
"…Ancient King?"
Vorgath's voice trembled The expression on Mortis' face completely changed.
"Don't tell me…"
Oblivor's entire body trembled with uncontrollable fury.
"NO!"
"NO!"
"NO!"
"THE ANCIENT KING CAN ONLY BE ME I WILL NEVER ALLOW HIM TO AWAKEN!"
The colossal dragon unleashed a roar that shook the entire universe.
"ALL OF YOU ATTACK WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE!"
And so within the Hydra Constellation Aurion's final legacy and the Dark Monarch's boundless ambition clashed head-on for the very first time.
Lunara said nothing.
He merely tightened his grip on his twin daggers Golden light blazed across their blades like the sun itself.
The very next instant…
BOOM!
The two beings moved at the same time Their clash produced far more than sound With every strike, the fabric of space was torn apart, dimensional rifts opened, and voids stretching millions of kilometers were born Oblivor slashed with his claws With a single graceful spin Lunara evaded the attack.
At that very moment…
A streak of golden light cut through the darkness.
SHIIIIIIING!
Oblivor's right arm was severed from the shoulder and sent flying into the void Black blood scattered across space like stardust The dragon roared in agony.
"AAAAAAARGH!!"
But within seconds, the severed limb began to regenerate Oblivor grinned.
"You're wasting your time."
There wasn't the slightest trace of fear in Lunara's eyes.
"You're making the same mistake again."
Suddenly, his second dagger began to shine as well The golden light vanished.
Then…
Oblivor felt only a sharp pain erupting through his chest.
SHRAAAAK!
His chest had been split completely in two The colossal dragon was hurled backward Pitch-black blood rained across the void.
For the first time…
Oblivor staggered.
"How…?"
Lunara did not answer He simply took one step forward With every step, golden ripples spread across space.
Just then…
Two dark auras rose from the far side of the void.
Mortis.
And…
Vorgath.
Both attacked simultaneously Death mana condensed within Mortis' hands while Vorgath swung his black sword with all his might.
"DIE!"
Lunara did not even turn his head He simply exhaled.
Then…
He vanished.
No…
He hadn't disappeared His speed had surpassed what they were capable of perceiving.
One moment…
Two moments…
Silence.
Mortis blinked.
"What…?"
Vorgath had also frozen Neither of them could move Thin golden lines slowly appeared across their chests The lines widened Deepened.
And then…
SHRAAAAAAK!!
Both of their bodies split cleanly in half Their shattered forms dissolved into black mana and dispersed throughout space They had been completely erased Oblivor's eyes widened.
"Impossible…"
He drew in a deep breath Then he raised a claw Black mana flooded the endless void.
"Imperial March"
The scattered black mana began gathering together once more Mortis' body reformed.
Then Vorgath's Both of them stood up once again Lunara watched silently With a mocking smile, Oblivor spoke.
"As long as I do not permit it they cannot die."
With those words, all three attacked again at the same time Oblivor charged head-on Mortis attacked from the right Vorgath closed in from the left Three different mana signatures…
Three different deaths Lunara slowly closed his eyes Golden mana gathered within his daggers once again.
Then…
He threw the dagger in his right hand As it spun through space, it left behind a trail of golden light Oblivor instinctively followed it with his eyes.
At that exact moment…
Lunara vanished He teleported to the dagger's location He appeared directly behind Oblivor.
"What…?"
SHRAAAAAAK!!
His left leg was severed cleanly at the knee But this time, Lunara had done more than simply cut off a limb The divine mana radiating from the dagger split apart the black mana within the wound itself For the very first time…
Oblivor's regenerative ability stopped The black energy had been severed The wound refused to heal The dragon unleashed a roar so agonizing that it shook the entire Hydra Constellation.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"
At that moment Mortis raised his fist in fury Vorgath lifted his black sword high above his head Both attacks descended upon Lunara at the same instant.
But just then…
From within the crystal…
A faint sound echoed.
Crack…
All three of them froze Lunara turned his head New fractures were spreading across the crystal's surface The violet aura rising from within had grown far too powerful to suppress any longer For the first time…
The determination on Lunara's face gave way to sorrow He whispered,
"…It's not time yet."
Without the slightest hesitation, he withdrew his daggers The divine golden mana separated from his body and completely enveloped the crystal From that moment on, he devoted the greater part of his power…
Not to the battle…
But to protecting Ömer Jin Hoo That single sacrifice was enough to alter the balance of the war Oblivor noticed immediately A slow, demonic smile spread across his bloodstained face.
"So At last, you're growing weaker…"
The dragon's black eyes glowed once more.
"In that case you're finally ready to die."
His sharp gaze shifted first to Lunara, then to the crystal on the verge of shattering.
"There is no meaning left in resisting."
In an instant The black mana rising from his body multiplied exponentially.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Oblivor drew both of his foreclaws toward his chest.
Then…
He roared.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
This was no ordinary roar He was releasing the very essence of his existence Strands of black energy began tearing away from his colossal dragon body.
His scales cracked…
His blood poured into the void of space…
Even his own life force was rapidly being consumed The moment Lunara saw this, his eyes widened.
"No Don't tell me…"
Oblivor began laughing like a madman.
"HahahaHahahahahaha! If I cannot rule this universe then no one will rule it!"
Suddenly…
In the distance, the bodies of Mortis and Vorgath, who were still fighting, trembled involuntarily Both of them turned toward Oblivor at the same time.
"My Lord…"
Oblivor's eyes had become completely black.
"You belong to me now."
"No!"
Mortis tried to flee Vorgath shouted in panic.
"My Lord! Stop!"
But it was already too late Black chains wrapped around their bodies Their souls began to be forcibly dragged away.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
Their desperate screams echoed throughout the universe.
The next second…
The bodies of the two Monarchs shattered and transformed into black energy Their entire existence…Flowed into Oblivor's body.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Oblivor's aura multiplied once again Yet even that was not enough for him He raised his head toward the heavens He looked beyond the endless void toward the stars.
Then…
He spread his claws wide.
"All stars that fall under the dominion of darkness grant me your power."
Suddenly…
Billions of beams of light began flowing toward him from every corner of the universe Star cores were extinguishing The centers of galaxies were collapsing…
Nebulae were darkening.
It was as if the entire cosmos…
Was sacrificing its life to nourish a single monster The gathered mana had reached a level beyond all measurement Before Oblivor, a gigantic sphere resembling a black sun formed Lunara planted his dagger into the ground and tried to rise.
His legs trembled He struggled to breathe.
And yet…
He did not move from before the crystal Oblivor looked at him.
For the first time…
Absolute hatred filled his face.
"All of this is because of you If that child had never been born I would already have become the Ancient King."
Lunara spat blood.
Then he smiled faintly.
"The Ancient King was never going to be you."
Oblivor's eyes widened with fury.
"Silence!"
The mana contained within the colossal black sphere had surpassed the limit the universe itself could endure Oblivor drew one final breath And sealed all of his mana Without leaving a single trace behind…
Into one final attack.
"JUDGMENT OF THE DARK MONARCH!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The moment the black sphere shot forward
Everything in its path began to vanish The attack did not merely tear apart space…
At the same time…
Far away on Earth, people looked up at the sky in terror The atmosphere shook violently Continents cracked Oceans surged with colossal waves The sky itself began to fracture like a giant pane of glass As if an invisible hand…
Were splitting the entire universe in two At the center of the Hydra Constellation…
Lunara took a deep breath With trembling hands, he gripped his twin daggers He cast one final glance at the crystal behind him And closed his eyes.
"No matter the cost I will protect you."
The next instant…
The greatest attack in the history of the universe Reached the crystal.