The moment the dragon appeared, a colossal and majestic creature''s mana flowed freely around its body while flapping both wings and hovering just above Asmodeus.

    However, at extreme speed, Asmodeus flew towards the dragon, his axe pulled back, and he prepared to strike at the beast.

    He twisted his upper body, cutting through the air with his huge black axe. He aimed to deal heavy damage to the dragon in a single slash.

    But before he could do that, the dragon''s right claw flicked out.

    Klang!

    Axe met claw in a sudden exchange of force.

    The axe was knocked off course, flying to the side, and Asmodeus himself went spinning into the dirt.

    Thud!

    Asmodeus kicked off the obsidian walls before hitting the ground.

    His wings flapped rapidly, sending him toward the dragon.

    Grrr!

    The dragon opened his jaws, and a ball of flame grew within it.

    Boom!

    It spat out an intense beam of fire magic.

    Despite the dragon''s size, the beam was a thin, precise laser aimed straight at Asmodeus.

    Wooom!

    Asmodeus fluttered his wings, pushing himself to the side, his eyes locked on the dragon.

    "Damn it!"

    He swung the axe again, this time aiming for the dragon''s tail. The dragon twisted itself out of the way. The two of them crossed in the air, the clash sending out sparks.

    His axe lodged in the dragon''s thick bronze scales with orange and golden accents. The force of his strike tore one scale from its place. Then the dragon turned in mid-air, and its tail lashed out, flicking Asmodeus.

    Bam!

    His figure was blown into a wall of the volcanic cavern, but he kicked off the rock and sent himself back into the air, his great black wings pumping.

    "..."

    The dragon flapped its wings, circling the air, while Asmodeus narrowed his eyes, holding his axe and waiting for the next moment.

    ''This beast is strong...''

    Asmodeus couldn''t deny the dragon''s brute strength and size-matched him even in his demon king form. However, it struggled to fly after waking up. Its scales were harder than anything Asmodeus had ever seen. He would need to aim at the cracks in between or find a weak spot to hit with his weapon.

    ''It was so easy to dodge its breath. It''s slow... no, it has not mastered flight. So this dragon has only just woken from a long slumber...''

    The dragon swooped towards Asmodeus, its body streamlined.

    ''Dodge the claw and then hit him?''

    Asmodeus readied his axe.

    He took a deep breath, overflowing with fighting spirit, and then pumped his wings, pushing himself toward the incoming dragon.

    But...

    The moment their paths crossed, the dragon''s enormous mouth suddenly opened up in front of Asmodeus.

    ''It''s going for a close range breath?!''

    A huge, swirling fireball was growing in its mouth.

    But then—

    A volley of arrows glowing with magic hit the dragon in the face, one after the other.

    The beast let out a howl and shook its head, and Asmodeus swooped under its jaw, swinging his axe upwards as hard as he could and landing a hit on the creature''s neck.

    Slash!

    He sliced through its tough scales.

    As the dragon spun through the air, he looked in the direction the arrows were coming from.

    "Oh no you don''t!" Arinea''s voice came from the ruins of the left passage, and her staff pointed at the dragon as if a brilliant blue magic circle had formed under her feet. Her purple dress billowed in the wind.

    She was casting magic.

    ROAR!

    "Ah! It''s coming!"

    The bronze dragon flew at Asmodeus with an incredible burst of speed, and Asmodeus tossed his axe instead of facing the beast with his bare hands, his lips curling into a smirk.

    Asmodeus beckoned the rushing dragon with his hand.

    "Come here!"

    With an enraged cry, the dragon swung its tail, and a gust of wind swept across the cavern. The blow caused Arinea, Erunda and Ciela to fly off the canyon wall and tumble.

    Asmodeus'' golden hair fluttered as his fist shot out and punched the dragon''s face. A flash of crimson lightning surged from his hand and pierced its cheek.

    He clenched his fist tightly and threw a right straight at the dragon, aiming at its snout.

    "Grrrrrr!"

    The dragon growled in pain, but it was quick to recover, snapping its fangs towards Asmodeus.

    However...

    Crack!

    Asmodeus stepped on the fang and pushed himself off it, performing a backflip to allow Levia''s spear to thrust into the dragon''s eyeball. His feet landed on the weapon''s shaft, and he leaned on it, forcing the blade deeper into the socket and its brain.

    "Tsk... too shallow!" Asmodeus complained as the dragon started thrashing around. "Back off Levia!"

    The dragon desperately took off, flapping its wings erratically while Asmodeus stood on its head with his hands on his hips and a wry smile.

    ''So much for an invincible dragon...''

    [The dragon has only just awoken... this is barely a fraction of its power!]

    The voice wasn''t Serena. It was softer, more childish and cute, similar to the elven-looking girl in his dreams from the other night.

    Aristella?!

    [Hurry!]

    ''Why?''

    As Asmodeus wondered about the unfamiliar voice, the dragon thrashed around to shake him loose.

    The bronze dragon, battered in its body, roared with its remaining eye before leaping high into the sky. As it ascended, the ground beneath its feet began to crumble.

    "Well..."

    With the flick of his wrist, the black blood-drinking axe appeared in his hands as Asmodeus lifted it above his head, lowering his hips to leverage more power.

    "You were too weak to fight me."

    As the dragon prepared to escape into the sky, he raised the axe and swung it down, chopping deep into the dragon''s skull like a watermelon.

    ROAR!!!!

    A roar of pain.

    A scream that pierced their ears and rattled the walls of the volcanic cavern.

    The axe penetrated the dragon''s head, but Asmodeus didn''t stop. He dragged the axe from the broken scales and bone, swinging his hips and struck once again. Blood sprayed from the dragon''s skull as the beast rapidly descended and crashed to the earth below.

    Shudder!

    Asmodeus jumped off the corpse of the Bronze Dragon, landing with his legs apart.

    The dragon lay on the ground, thick blood pooling in its brain. Meanwhile, it was drooling and frothing from its mouth, unable to speak or move.

    It was dying, with no chance to survive.

    Its scales gleamed like gold and bronze in the volcanic glow. The dragon''s red eye faded, and it gave a final groan, a mournful sound.

    Thump...

    "Damn."

    His axe was still embedded in the beast''s head.

    The demon lord sighed and kicked the corpse, rolling the massive thing on its side, and he reached out and yanked his weapon out.

    This battle made Asmodeus realise how much he had grown since fighting the pope... while looking at the dead dragon, his heart became light.

    He believed the trial would be easy.

    "Shall we eat dragon stew tonight...?" He asked the people emerging from the dust, covered in obsidian powder and dirt.