The battle had become a storm of steel, fire, and blood.
Everywhere Ebruhan looked, soldiers were fighting and dying.
Yet the blue dragon remained unstoppable.
With a powerful beat of his wings, Ebruhan surged across the battlefield.
His target was obvious.
One of the enemy siege cannons.
The massive dragon crashed into it.
BOOOOM!
Wood shattered.
Metal twisted.
The artillery crew scattered.
The cannon was reduced to wreckage.
Far behind the lines, Selene watched.
"Cannon Four."
Her voice remained calm.
"Fire."
The operators immediately obeyed.
Mana surged into the weapon.
The barrel glowed brighter and brighter.
Then—
A brilliant blue beam erupted across the battlefield.
Ebruhan noticed it instantly.
Too late.
The ray struck his shield.
CRACK.
The dragon froze.
His shield vanished.
Completely.
For the first time since the battle began...
Ebruhan looked surprised.
The cannon wasn't designed to kill him.
It was designed to remove his greatest defense.
Far away, Selene smiled slightly.
The test had succeeded.
Ebruhan immediately understood the danger.
eyes locked onto the remaining cannons.
A low growl escaped his throat.
Then he made a decision.
A nearby tree exploded under a blast of his mana
The massive trunk collapsed.
Before anyone could understand what he was doing, Ebruhan grabbed the entire tree.
Soldiers from both armies stared.
"..."
"...Did he just pick up a tree?"
"Yes."
The dragon launched into the sky carrying it.
The next cannon fired.
A blue beam streaked forward.
Ebruhan hurled the tree.
The beam smashed through the trunk.
Splinters exploded across the battlefield.
But the attack had been blocked.
More importantly...
The cannon was now reloading.
Ebruhan's eyes narrowed.
Now.
The dragon folded his wings.
And dived.
Like a living missile.
The artillery crews panicked.
"MAGES!"
Multiple shield mages raised their staffs.
Barrier after barrier formed around the cannons.
Layers of magical protection.
Ebruhan accelerated.
The distance vanished rapidly.
Then suddenly—
BOOOOM!
Something slammed into the side of his head.
The dragon's trajectory shifted violently.
Instead of hitting the cannons...
He crashed through empty ground nearby.
The battlefield shook.
Ebruhan immediately recovered.
Shaking his head.
Growling.
Then he saw who had stopped him.
Aerys.
The general stood nearby.
Shield raised.
Axe resting on his shoulder.
Despite facing a dragon, he looked completely calm.
The impact had left cracks running across his shield.
Yet he remained standing.
Aerys slammed the axe head against the shield.
Once.
Twice.
A challenge.
"Come on."
For the first time all battle...
Someone had physically stopped Ebruhan's charge.
The dragon roared.
Then launched himself forward.
The ground exploded beneath him.
Aerys planted his feet.
Shield forward.
BOOOOOOM!
The collision shook the battlefield.
The general blocked the headbutt.
Barely.
Then reality caught up.
Aerys was launched backward.
Dozens of meters.
His boots tore trenches through the earth.
The axe bit into the ground.
Slowing him.
Stopping him.
Yet somehow...
He remained standing.
Blood dripped from one corner of his mouth.
And he laughed.
"That's more like it."
Behind him, the cannons continued charging.
Time.
That was all Aerys needed.
Time.
The general rushed forward again.
Ebruhan's claws descended.
Aerys rolled beneath them.
The dragon's claws tore through empty air.
The axe swung upward.
A direct strike toward Ebruhan's neck.
CLANG!
Blue mana erupted.
Ebruhan's shield had already recovered.
The axe bounced away.
Aerys immediately realized his mistake.
Too late.
The dragon's tail struck.
BOOM!
The general was sent skidding backward.
His shield absorbed part of the impact.
Not enough.
The ground cracked beneath him.
Dust exploded everywhere.
Aerys finally stopped.
Breathing heavily.
Yet he still rose.
Still held his weapons.
Still stood between Ebruhan and the cannons.
Far behind him, Selene watched silently.
The cannons continued gathering mana.
The dragon's golden eyes shifted between Aerys...
And the weapons behind him.
He understood the situation perfectly.
Aerys didn't need to defeat him.
He only needed to delay him.
The dragon didn't waste a second.
He knew exactly what those cannons were capable of now.
And he knew they couldn't be allowed to keep firing.
Blue mana erupted beneath him.
BOOM!
Ebruhan launched forward.
Using mana flight at point-blank range, he became a blue blur crossing the battlefield.
The shield mages barely had time to react.
Then the dragon slammed into their barrier headfirst.
CRAAAAASH!
The magical shield bent inward.
Like glass moments from shattering.
Several mages stumbled.
Some dropped to one knee.
Others nearly lost consciousness from the strain.
The ground beneath them cracked.
"Hold it!"
"Don't let it collapse!"
The mages desperately poured more mana into the barrier.
Ebruhan growled.
Then suddenly pulled away.
His wings spread.
Higher.
Higher.
Higher.
He climbed into the sky.
Every soldier watching understood what was about to happen.
A dragon dive.
The same attack that had shattered formations all day.
Far below, Selene's eyes widened slightly.
She immediately understood.
"RETREAT!"
The artillery crews didn't hesitate.
They abandoned the position instantly.
Ebruhan folded his wings.
And fell.
Like a meteor.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The battlefield vanished beneath a blinding blue flash.
For a moment...
Nobody could see anything.
Then the explosion arrived.
A shockwave raced across the plains.
Dust.
Wind.
Debris.
Everything was thrown outward.
Even soldiers far away were forced to brace themselves.
When the light finally faded...
The cannon position was gone.
Completely destroyed.
But something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Ebruhan slowly rose from the crater.
His vision blurred.
The dragon shook his head.
Trying to clear it.
Then he felt it.
Or rather...
He didn't.
Mana.
His eyes widened.
The connection to his mana core felt distant.
Blocked.
Muffled.
Like a door had suddenly been slammed shut.
"No..."
The realization struck immediately.
The explosion.
The cannon.
It wasn't merely destroying mana.
It was interfering with it.
Far across the battlefield, Selene lowered her spyglass.
The trap had worked.
Not completely.
But enough.
Four cannons remained.
And now the battlefield knew why they existed.
More Norvoss soldiers surged forward.
Without hesitation, Ebruhan charged to meet them.
No spells.
No mana flight.
No magical bombardment.
Just claws.
Teeth.
Strength.
Yet even without mana, he remained terrifying.
Nearby, King Cedric saw what had happened.
"Ebruhan!"
The dragon didn't answer.
That alone told Cedric everything.
The king turned toward the mage corps.
"MAGES!"
The battlefield answered immediately.
"Aid Ebruhan!"
Dozens of mages raised their staffs.
Mana streams surged toward the dragon.
Blue.
Green.
Gold.
The magical energy rushed toward him.
Then vanished.
Simply vanished.
The mana dissolved before it could reach him.
Like water disappearing into sand.
Silence spread through the nearby mages.
Emma stared.
Another spell.
Another stream of mana.
Gone.
Her eyes widened.
"What?"
Nearby mages attempted different techniques.
Different frequencies.
Different methods.
Nothing worked.
Every bit of mana disappeared the moment it approached Ebruhan.
Emma felt her stomach drop.
"No..."
A nearby royal mage looked horrified.
"The cannon didn't just weaken him."
Another mage finished the thought.
"It isolated him."
On the battlefield, Ebruhan continued fighting.
Claws tore through shields.
His tail sent soldiers flying.
His wings battered enemies aside.
But everyone could see the difference.
The floating mana weapons were gone.
The barriers were gone.
The magical bombardments were gone.
The dragon was fighting with only his physical strength.
And across the battlefield...
Selene watched.
For the first time since the battle began...
The balance was beginning to shift.
Four cannons remained.
And every person present understood the same terrifying truth.
If Ebruhan could not regain his mana...
The war had just become far more dangerous for Lumeris.
Even without mana...
Ebruhan remained a nightmare.
Swords struck his scales.
Sparks flew.
Most blades failed to pierce.
Spears shattered.
Arrows bounced away.
The blue dragon continued pushing through the battlefield with sheer physical strength.
Every swing of his tail scattered soldiers.
Every movement forced entire formations to retreat.
But Selene had already adapted.
"Do not fight him like a dragon."
Her command spread through the battlefield.
"Fight him like a siege weapon."
The response came immediately.
Cavalry units surged forward.
Not toward his jaws.
Not toward his claws.
Toward his movement.
Aerys led them.
The general rode at the front of the formation.
"NOW!"
Several riders hurled heavy chains.
Each ending in large iron hooks.
One wrapped around Ebruhan's front leg.
Another caught the other.
The dragon growled.
Trying to pull away.
Too late.
The riders split apart.
Galloping in opposite directions.
The chains tightened.
For the first time in the battle, Ebruhan lost his balance.
BOOM!
His massive front half slammed into the earth.
The ground cracked beneath him.
Lumeris soldiers gasped.
"Ebruhan!"
More cavalry appeared.
More chains flew.
One wrapped around a wing.
Another around his hind leg.
Then another.
And another.
The battlefield became a web of steel.
Ebruhan roared.
The sound shook the plains.
Muscles tensed.
Chains groaned.
Several snapped instantly.
But not enough.
More arrived.
Norvoss soldiers risked everything.
Some were crushed.
Some were thrown away.
Yet others managed to secure additional restraints.
Soon dozens of chains stretched across the battlefield.
Anchored by riders.
Soldiers.
Wagons.
Anything heavy enough to hold.
The dragon tried to rise.
His claws dug trenches into the earth.
One wing broke free.
The other remained trapped.
He pushed harder.
Chains rattled violently.
Several soldiers lost their footing.
Yet the restraints held.
Only barely.
Across the battlefield, Lumeris soldiers attempted to reach him.
"Protect Ebruhan!"
"Break through!"
They charged.
Only to meet the Norvoss shield wall.
Rows of shields slammed together.
Spears lowered.
The formation refused to move.
Every gap was filled immediately.
Every advance was stopped.
King Cedric cut down an enemy soldier and looked toward the trapped dragon.
His expression darkened.
"Ebruhan..."
Nearby, Emma's face had gone pale.
The dragon continued struggling.
Again.
And again.
And again
Chains snapped.
New chains replaced them.
The battle was turning.
And everyone could feel it.
Pinned beneath countless chains, Ebruhan struggled.
His claws dug trenches into the earth.
Broken chains lay scattered around him.
Yet more kept replacing them.
The blue dragon roared.
Or tried to.
Only a rough, strained sound escaped.
The mana-blocking effect was growing worse.
His mana remained sealed.
His magic gone.
Even speaking had become impossible.
Far behind the lines, the remaining anti-dragon cannons continued their work.
Another shot fired.
A blue beam crossed the battlefield.
CRACK!
A massive barrier protecting the Lumeris army shattered.
The mages recoiled.
Several collapsed from exhaustion.
Then came the next command.
"ARCHERS!"
Thousands of bowstrings released.
The sky darkened.
"INCOMING!"
Lumeris soldiers raised shields.
The air filled with impacts.
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
Men screamed.
Horses collapsed.
Formation lines wavered.
Around King Cedric, elite guards immediately moved.
Shields locked together.
Creating a wall around their king.
The battlefield was becoming increasingly desperate.
Nearby, Vinson fought beside the front lines.
Sword stained with blood.
Armor damaged.
Then—
THUNK.
An arrow buried itself into his abdomen.
The count staggered.
His sword slipped.
One knee hit the ground.
A Norvoss soldier immediately noticed.
The enemy rushed forward.
Weapon raised.
The finishing blow was coming.
Then a purple flash crossed the battlefield.
SCHKKK!
A dark-purple mana spike pierced straight through the soldier.
His body froze.
Then collapsed.
More purple lights followed.
Mana bombs.
Dark.
Violent.
Unfamiliar.
They exploded among nearby formations.
Vinson looked upward.
Everyone did.
A black dragon was descending from the sky.
Purple mana illuminated her scales.
Leo sat on her back.
Vinson's eyes widened.
"LEO!"
"No!"
At nearly the same moment...
Pinned beneath the chains...
Ebruhan saw her.
And for the first time in the battle...
True fear appeared in his eyes.
Mia...
No...
Leo jumped from her back as she flew low.
Immediately running toward his wounded father.
Mia didn't stop.
Didn't hesitate.
Her eyes locked onto the battlefield.
Locked onto Ebruhan.
Locked onto the cannons.
She saw the chains.
The trapped dragon.
The shattered barriers.
The wounded soldiers.
And she understood.
Those cannons were the problem.
Vinson tried to stand.
"MIA!"
"GET OUT OF HERE!"
The dragon didn't even look back.
Whether she ignored him...
Or simply couldn't hear him over the battle...
Nobody knew.
Her wings spread wider.
Purple mana erupted around her.
Then she roared.
Unlike Ebruhan's storm-filled roar...
Mia's roar felt darker.
Sharper.
Almost predatory.
The battlefield paused for a moment.
Then she accelerated.
A black blur crossed the battlefield.
Norvoss soldiers were thrown aside.
Shields shattered.
Formations broke.
She flew directly toward the artillery line.
The operators panicked.
"THE BLACK DRAGON!"
"MAGES!"
Barrier shields immediately rose around the cannons.
Mia attacked.
Dark-purple mana bombs streaked forward.
BOOM!
The barriers absorbed the explosions.
The shields held.
For a moment, it seemed the defenses had worked.
Then the mana spikes arrived.
Dozens of them.
Sharp.
Precise.
Deadly.
The spikes touched the barrier.
And passed through.
Like the shield wasn't even there.
The mages froze.
"What?!"
The spikes pierced straight through the defenses.
Several shield mages collapsed instantly.
Cannon operators fell from their positions.
Others screamed as dark-purple spikes embedded themselves into the artillery crews.
Some spikes even struck the cannons themselves.
The artillery line descended into chaos.
For the first time since the battle began...
Fear appeared among the cannon crews.
Far behind the lines...
Selene watched everything.
Watched the barriers fail.
Watched the spikes ignore magical defenses.
Watched her carefully prepared artillery line suddenly become vulnerable.
And finally...
A small smile appeared.
Not fear.
Not panic.
Recognition.
"So the reports were true."
Golden eyes followed the black dragon soaring above the battlefield.
"The Dark Flame."
The dragon whose attacks could pierce magical barriers.
The dragon who had wounded Kalis.
The dragon Ebruhan had protecting.
The appearance of Mia had already shaken the battlefield.
But what happened next shocked everyone.
One of the anti-dragon cannons turned toward her.
"FIRE!"
A blue beam erupted from the barrel.
Mia saw it coming.
Too late to dodge.
The beam struck her shield.
CRACK!
The purple barrier shattered instantly.
Mia's eyes widened.
"So that's what happened to Ebruhan..."
Before she could react, another cannon finished charging.
A second beam launched toward her.
"Shit!"
Then—
The obsidian necklace that blended in scales around her neck glowed.
Abyssal runes ignited across its surface.
The necklace broke apart.
Countless black fragments floated around Mia.
For a moment, the battlefield fell silent.
Then dark-purple energy exploded outward.
The fragments connected together.
Forming a beautiful yet terrifying shield.
A shield woven from Abyss mana itself.
The second beam struck it.
BOOOOOOM!
The impact shook the air.
The shield didn't move.
Not even slightly.
Instead, the beam was deflected away.
The attack vanished into the distant sky.
The cannon crews froze.
The operators stared in disbelief.
A third shot.
A fourth.
Again and again the anti-dragon cannons fired.
Every beam crashed into the Abyss shield.
Every beam failed.
Not a single crack appeared.
Far away, Selene's expression finally changed.
"...An Abyss mana?."
Even Aerys looked ,
For the first time that day...
The general looked genuinely concerned.
Meanwhile, Mia blinked.
"...Mom?"
The shield felt familiar.
Warm.
Protective.
Almost like Nythera herself was standing beside her.
Then Mia looked toward the remaining cannons.
And smiled.
A dragon smile.
The kind that made soldiers immediately regret their life choices.
"Oh."
"I can reach you now."
Purple mana erupted around her.
Hundreds of dark-purple spikes began forming.
One.
Ten.
Twenty.
Soon dozens floated around her body.
Like a deadly swarm.
Then she accelerated.
The black dragon became a blur.
Norvoss soldiers attempted to intercept.
Too slow.
Shields shattered.
Spears snapped.
Entire formations were thrown aside.
Nothing could stop her advance.
"MAGES!"
Shield mages desperately raised barriers around the artillery.
The purple spikes launched.
SHHHHHKKK!
They ignored the magical barriers completely.
Screams erupted.
One mage fell.
Then another.
Then another.
Some were pierced through their arms.
Others through their legs.
None of them could continue maintaining their shields.
The barriers flickered violently.
Cannon operators suddenly found themselves pinned to the ground.
Purple spikes embedded themselves into wooden platforms.
Into armor.
Into wheels.
Into artillery frames.
Chaos spread through the artillery line.
"Protect the cannons!"
"Stop her!"
"She's through the barriers!"
The crews panicked.
Because they finally understood.
Ebruhan was terrifying because of his overwhelming power.
Mia was terrifying for a different reason.
Their entire anti-dragon strategy...
Their mages.
Their barriers.
Their carefully planned defenses.
Didn't work on her.
And far across the battlefield...
Pinned beneath chains...
Ebruhan watched.
The blue dragon's golden eyes widened.
Because despite all his warnings...
Despite all his efforts...
Despite everything...
Mia had done exactly what he feared.
She had entered the battlefield.
And now...
She was changing it.
The artillery line had fallen into chaos.
With the cannon crews wounded and the shield mages unable to maintain their defenses, Mia no longer bothered fighting there.
The cannons were no longer the immediate threat.
Instead, she turned.
Her blue eyes searched the battlefield.
Immediately finding Vinson.
The count was being dragged away by Leo and several medics.
Still alive.
Still conscious.
Mia released a relieved roar.
Then she turned toward the center of the battlefield.
Toward Ebruhan.
Toward the giant blue dragon still buried beneath chains.
Arrows flew toward her.
Hundreds of them.
Clink.
Clink.
Clink.
Most bounced harmlessly from Abyss shield created by Nythera's necklace.
None reached her.
Mia folded her wings.
And dived.
BOOOOOOM!
The battlefield exploded beneath her impact.
Dust and dirt erupted into the air.
Norvoss soldiers were thrown from their feet.
Several chain teams lost their grip entirely.
The restraints holding Ebruhan weakened.
Aerys immediately reacted.
Despite his injuries.
Despite his exhaustion.
The general charged.
Mia barely glanced at him.
Purple mana gathered around her.
Dozens.
Then hundreds.
Of spikes formed around her body.
The battlefield darkened beneath their glow.
Then they fired.
Aerys planted his shield into the ground.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
Spike after spike struck the shield.
Several embedded themselves into the earth.
Others struck his armor.
One pierced his right leg.
The general gritted his teeth.
Yet remained standing.
"...Still not enough."
Before he could move again—
BOOM!
Mia slammed into him headfirst.
The impact launched him backward along with several nearby soldiers.
Shield.
General.
Troops.
All sent tumbling across the battlefield.
The area around Ebruhan finally cleared.
Chains fell away.
Broken.
Scattered.
Abandoned.
Slowly...
The great blue dragon rose.
One leg.
Then another.
The battlefield seemed to tremble as he stood once more.
Ebruhan looked down at Mia.
The young black dragon looked surprisingly pleased with herself.
"Sheesh."
Mia placed her hands on her hips.
"You look terrible."
Ebruhan growled.
"Grrah... rwarr... grrrh..."
Mia blinked.
"..."
"...I have absolutely no idea what you're saying."
The dragon's expression somehow became even more annoyed.
Another cannon fired.
The blue beam raced toward Mia.
BOOM!
It struck the Abyss shield.
And bounced away.
The black fragments orbiting her body didn't move even slightly.
Mia scratched her cheek.
"That's really useful."
She glanced toward the remaining cannons.
Several of her mana spikes were still embedded in them.
A random thought crossed her mind.
"Huh."
"It'd be funny if those spikes explod—"
BOOOOM!
The battlefield erupted.
One of the embedded spikes detonated.
Then another.
Then another.
Purple explosions burst across the artillery positions.
Cannons shattered.
Platforms collapsed.
Operators scattered.
Mia froze.
"..."
A second later, another distant explosion echoed.
Aerys suddenly stumbled.
The spike embedded in his leg detonated.
The general dropped to one knee.
His soldiers immediately rushed toward him.
"GENERAL!"
"Retreat him!"
Several troops dragged him away from the front line.
Despite everything, Aerys remained conscious.
Still glaring toward the battlefield.
Still refusing to look defeated.
Far behind the lines...
Selene stared.
For the first time since the battle began...
The princess looked genuinely surprised.
Not angry.
Not afraid.
Surprised.
Because this wasn't in any report.
Barrier-piercing spikes?
Reported.
Dark mana?
Reported.
Remote detonation?
Nobody had mentioned that.
Slowly, Selene lowered her sword.
Golden eyes remained fixed on Mia.
As if reevaluating everything she thought she knew about the young dragon.
Meanwhile, at the center of the battlefield...
Mia stared at the distant explosion.
Then at Ebruhan.
"...What?"
The blue dragon simply looked back at her.
For a moment, even he seemed unsure whether to be impressed...
Or concerned.
----
The battlefield had become a disaster.
Broken formations.
Destroyed cannons.
Burning siege equipment.
Wounded soldiers covering both sides of the plain.
Then—
BWOOOOOOO!
A horn echoed across the battlefield.
Every Norvoss soldier immediately recognized the signal.
Retreat.
Another horn followed.
Then another.
The command spread rapidly through the ranks.
"Fall back!"
"Retreat!"
"Pull the wounded!"
The disciplined army began withdrawing.
Shield formations covering the retreat.
Archers providing support.
Officers shouting orders.
Even now, they remained organized.
Lumeris soldiers watched cautiously.
Many wanted to pursue.
King Cedric immediately raised his sword.
"Hold formation!"
The order spread.
"No pursuit!"
The exhausted soldiers obeyed.
Far across the battlefield, Selene sat upon her horse.
Golden eyes surveying the ruined battlefield.
Her gaze lingered on the destroyed artillery.
The wounded soldiers.
The shattered formations.
And finally...
The two dragons.
Ebruhan.
And Mia.
Nearby, Aerys was being treated by several medics.
Blood covered his armor.
His right leg had been heavily damaged by the spike explosion.
Selene approached him immediately.
"You alright?"
Aerys looked down at his injuries.
Then laughed.
A rough, tired laugh.
"Still got three limbs, my princess."
One of the medics nearly choked.
Aerys simply shrugged.
"It'll take more than that to put me down."
Selene shook her head.
A small smile appearing despite the situation.
"You call losing a leg insignificant?"
Aerys glanced toward the distant battlefield.
Toward the black dragon.
"Considering what hit me?"
The general laughed again.
"I'd say I got off lightly."
Selene followed his gaze.
Mia stood beside Ebruhan.
The Abyss shield still orbiting her.
Purple mana still lingering around her body.
For a few seconds, neither spoke.
Then Selene exhaled slowly.
"Retreat everyone."
Her voice carried no hesitation.
No frustration.
No anger.
Just certainty.
The officers immediately saluted.
"Yes, Princess."
Orders spread through the army.
The Norvoss forces continued withdrawing.
Slowly disappearing from the battlefield.
As the distance grew, Aerys finally spoke again.
"The reports underestimated her."
Selene nodded.
"They did."
"Barrier-piercing attacks."
"Remote detonation."
"Abyss artifact protection."
Her eyes narrowed.
"And she appears capable of destroying our artillery faster than Ebruhan."
For a rare moment...
The Princess of Norvoss looked thoughtful.
Not because she had lost.
But because she had learned something.
The battle had confirmed two truths.
The first:
Ebruhan was every bit as dangerous as expected.
The second:
Mia might be even harder to prepare for.
Far behind them, the battlefield slowly quieted.
Lumeris soldiers cheered.
Some cried.
Some simply collapsed from exhaustion.
King Cedric looked across the field.
Watching the retreating enemy.
The kingdom had survived the first clash.
But everyone understood.
This wasn't the end.
It was merely the first battle of a much larger war.