Ethan barely had time to take a step forward before a rush of booted footsteps thundered toward him.

Two city guards in full armor grabbed his arms and yanked him back.

"Move it! The serpent's here!"

"Are you insane? You're heading toward it?!"

The street had erupted into chaos—but strangely, the panic felt... dulled. Like everyone had seen this before.

And they had.

This so-called "serpent" wasn't new to Sol'Rakka. But this time… it was different.

Stronger.

The ground trembled violently. Rubble from shattered buildings slid and tumbled in every direction. The creature's massive body coiled through the wreckage, each movement cracking the air with raw, explosive force.

Two soldiers tried to approach, weapons drawn—but before they could even touch the thing, a pulse of energy blasted them off their feet. One of them didn't even hit the ground—he was swallowed midair by the serpent's gaping maw. His scream cut off like a snapped wire.

"What the hell? It's never been this strong!"

"Last time it showed up, it wasn't like this!"

"Look at its head—those horns! Are those… dragon horns?!"

"Oh god… is it evolving?!"

"If it turns into a dragon—Sol'Rakka's finished!"

The crowd's voices rose in a frantic, hopeless din.

Ethan's eyes narrowed. He pulled up his system interface and scanned the creature.

Data flickered into view.

[Anomalous Dragon Bloodline Detected

Trait: Highly Toxic

Genetic Structure: Abnormal Dragon Evolution Path

Tier Proximity: Approaching Tier 25]

Ethan's brow furrowed. A chill crept down his spine.

This wasn't just some oversized snake.

Its bloodline was mutating—twisting into something unnatural. And that toxicity… it wasn't just potent. It was wrong. Warped. Like a dragon that had been corrupted, poisoned from the inside out.

A demonic dragon.

He was still analyzing the blood structure when a familiar voice piped up in his mind—bright, a little childish, and unmistakably hers.

"Daddy, I think there's a dragon pearl inside that thing. Can you get it for me?"

Idra.

Ethan's pulse kicked up. A dragon pearl?

That meant—

A crystallization of pure dragon power.

For Idra, for himself, even for Emerald Castle—it would be a massive boost.

His aura flared like a lightning strike.

And then he launched himself straight at the serpent.

The soldiers of Sol'Rakka saw the blur of motion and froze.

"He's charging the serpent?! Is he out of his mind?!"

"That thing could level the whole city!"

"Stop him—wait, no, it's too late!"

They shouted, but none of them moved. They'd seen what happened to anyone who got too close. The serpent's power didn't just kill—it erased.

But then—

BOOM.

A shockwave burst from Ethan's body, rippling through the air like a quake.

And the monstrous serpent slammed into the ground, pinned by sheer force.

It thrashed, massive coils writhing, but no matter how violently it struggled, it couldn't break free from Ethan's pressure.

Gasps echoed all around.

"He… he's holding it down?!"

"No way!"

"Who is that? One of the Queen's new champions?"

"That aura… that's Sol'Rakka's power! He must be a guest of Her Majesty!"

Ethan heard the voices, but they barely registered.

His focus was locked on the creature before him.

He carried the power of the Dragon God.

And the serpent's strength—everything it had—was drawn from the dragon pearl inside it. A pearl that was still evolving.

But compared to the might of a pure-blooded dragon?

It didn't stand a chance.

The serpent's resistance faltered. Its energy began to unravel, crushed beneath the weight of Ethan's dragon aura.

Ethan thrust his hand down, power surging from his palm like a tidal wave.

With a deep, bone-cracking crunch—

He ripped the dragon pearl straight out of the serpent's body.

Thud!

The moment the pearl left, the creature's strength drained away like water from a shattered barrel. Its massive, terrifying form shriveled in seconds, collapsing inward as if deflating from the inside out.

What hit the ground wasn't a monster anymore—just a brittle husk of snakeskin.

Ethan raised his hand and gave a casual flick.

The withered corpse split cleanly in two, lifeless and done.

Silence fell like a dropped curtain.

Every soldier and citizen of Sol'Rakka stood frozen, stunned into stillness. No one ran. No one screamed. They just stared at Ethan, wide-eyed, as if trying to convince themselves he was real.

"He… he killed the serpent. Alone?"

"That's insane…"

"He must be one of the Queen's champions. Has to be!"

Then—

BOOM!

A bolt of red light tore down from the sky like a divine hammer, slamming into the earth with enough force to rattle the bones of the city. The ground cracked. The air itself locked up, freezing into jagged shards of pressure.

The space around them constricted, as if invisible chains were wrapping tighter and tighter.

Even the air near Ethan turned brittle, cold as splintered glass.

She had arrived.

Kaelira—the Desert Queen of Sol'Rakka.

Her presence hit like a bottomless abyss, a weight so crushing that everyone nearby nearly dropped to their knees.

And just as the pressure was about to snap the world shut—

"Your Majesty! It's me!"

Ethan shouted, throwing his voice through the frozen air. "It's me! Don't you recognize me?!"

Kaelira's eyes flickered with hesitation. She looked closer.

Then her expression shifted.

Recognition.

The crushing force around them began to dissolve, melting away under her control.

"So it's you."

She withdrew her power, her gaze drifting to the bisected corpse of the serpent.

"You're the one who killed that thing?"

Ethan nodded once.

At the same time, without a flicker of tension, he absorbed the dragon pearl into his body. Smooth as brushing dust from his sleeve.

Kaelira's eyes lingered on the ruined beast, then she turned back to him and clapped a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Well done. That was impressive."

A moment later, she turned and strode toward the palace, motioning for him to follow.

Ethan went with her—and immediately noticed something different.

The palace had changed.

It was even more extravagant than the last time he'd been here. The walls weren't just inlaid with gemstones—they sparkled with rare pink crystals worth a fortune. Even the ceiling shimmered with soft, opalescent light.

He couldn't help muttering to himself, Where the hell does she get all these jewels? Is the entire desert sitting on a treasure vault?

Before he could finish the thought, Kaelira had already taken her seat on the throne, her gaze sharp and direct.

"Now talk. You went to scout Emerald Castle."

Her voice cut through the air like a blade.

"What did you find? How strong are they? Can they match Sol'Rakka?"

...