On the horizon, a flash of blue lightning tore through the clouds. Swift as lightning, a pair of dragon wings traced a blue arc across the sky before vanishing beyond the far reaches of the firmament.

Raylo retracted his gaze and turned to look at the bustling land before him.

The ruins of Black Stone Castle, once utterly destroyed by lava and blazing fire, were now radiating with new life.

Hundreds of Earth Dragons, fitted with solid harnesses, were like tireless steel beasts, dragging massive, roughly-hewn blocks of stone.

Mammoth Giant Elephants took heavy steps, using their powerful trunks to lift heavy foundation stones and, under the command of Knights, place them precisely in their designated spots.

The roars of the Hill Giants, like muffled thunder, echoed over the construction site.

They were bare-chested, their bronze skin glistening with sweat in the sun as they swung enormous Stone Hammers.

Here, the land was being leveled and foundations laid, setting the very first cornerstone for a brand-new, even grander city.

Raylo walked slowly through the worksite.

He enjoyed this feeling.

Watching a field of ruins be slowly, piece by piece, molded into his ideal vision.

"My Lord."

Alex’s figure appeared in the distance, his stride steady and swift.

Even on this clamorous construction site, he still carried the distinct air of a soldier.

He walked up to Raylo and presented a letter sealed with wax.

"News from Thunder Dragon City."

Raylo took the letter; it felt slightly heavy in his hand.

On the wax seal was the unique and lifelike Thunder Dragon Emblem of the Thunder Dragon Duchy.

He broke the seal and drew out the parchment inside.

As Raylo’s eyes slowly scanned the parchment, the faintly relaxed expression on his face gradually turned grave.

The letter’s contents had only one subject.

The war between the Red Dragon Empire and the Light Holy See at Windburn Mountain had been decided.

The letter described the heart-pounding final battle in detail.

Prince Awei of the Red Dragon Empire, the young prince renowned for his bravery in battle and exceptional strategies, had ultimately won this crucial campaign.

Under Prince Awei’s command, the Red Flame Giant Dragon Ignis—a powerful, Catastrophe Level Red Dragon—had triggered the ley lines of Windburn Mountain.

That great volcano, which had lain dormant for a thousand years, reawakened, stirred by the Power of the Giant Dragon.

The mountain crumbled, the earth split, and the very heavens and earth trembled.

Soaring flames and thick smoke blotted out the entire sky.

Scalding, viscous lava, like a bursting flood, spewed from the crater and, with unstoppable momentum, devoured the encampment of the Holy Radiance Knight Order, which stretched for several kilometers.

A catastrophe had descended.

Faced with this sudden, apocalyptic disaster, the Holy Knight Gust, the Light Holy See’s Catastrophe Level powerhouse, attempted to control the situation.

He unleashed his Catastrophe Level might and flew above the volcano, attempting to suppress the eruption.

But Prince Awei gave him no such chance.

The Red Flame Giant Dragon Ignis relentlessly engaged him.

Dragon Breath and Holy Light clashed wildly in the sky, annihilating each other.

Tied down by a Giant Dragon of the same level—one that held the absolute advantage of time and terrain—Gust had no way to split his focus and save his subordinates, who were wailing and struggling in the lava and blazing fire.

He could only watch helplessly as the Holy Radiance Knight Order, his pride and joy, was devoured piece by piece in the cataclysm, reduced to ashes.

In the end, of the ten thousand elite Holy Radiance Knights, nearly half were lost forever upon that lava-covered Scorched Earth.

Left with no choice, Gust could only retreat to the Light Holy See with his remaining forces, consumed by endless grief and humiliation.

After finishing the letter, Raylo slowly lowered the parchment, leaned back in his chair, and let out a long breath.

The study fell into a dead silence.

’Prince Awei... he won.’

’But behind this victory was a chillingly meticulous calculation.’

’Windburn Mountain.’

’From the very beginning, this battlefield was likely the grave Prince Awei had intentionally chosen for the Holy Radiance Knight Order.’

’The volcanic eruption was no mere coincidence or spur-of-the-moment decision, but the most crucial and deadliest part of his entire plan.’

He had exploited the terrain and the Red Flame Giant Dragon’s absolute control over the Flame Element, turning what should have been an evenly matched war into a one-sided, brutal slaughter.

’Such ruthless methods, such profound scheming.’

Gust was defeated, and the Holy Radiance Knight Order was severely weakened.

But Raylo knew that this was by no means the end.

On the contrary, it was only the beginning.

The Light Holy See, the behemoth that had dominated the Continent’s faith for millennia, would never swallow such an outrageous humiliation.

To uphold their dignity and wash away the shame of this disastrous defeat, they were certain to launch a fiercer, more frenzied retaliation.

A war that would sweep over a wider area, involve more factions, and be even more brutal and bloody was quietly brewing beneath the surface of this seemingly peaceful Continent.

And this war would arrive very, very quickly.

It was like the recently erupted Windburn Mountain; although the surface flames had gradually died down, deep underground, a more violent magma—one capable of dragging the entire world into a sea of fire—was furiously gathering and churning.

Raylo stood up and walked to the window.

Outside, the construction of Black Stone City was still proceeding in an orderly fashion.

The roars of Giants, the bellows of Earth Dragons, and the hammering of artisans filled the air.