Airelia was deep in thought.

She was weighing her options.

’This promise,’ she thought, ’means I’ll be deeply bound to the human before me. In the future, it might drag me into a complex conflict I want no part of. But... he saved my child. This is a debt I must repay.’

Time ticked by, second by second, in the silent wait.

Just as Raylo felt his palms beginning to drip with sweat,

Airelia finally spoke.

"I accept. In the face of world-ending annihilation, I will take action for you once."

Airelia’s voice resounded.

The moment her words fell,

Raylo felt as if an invisible, mystical connection had formed between him and the Catastrophe Level Giant Dragon before him.

It was a bond similar to a contract, yet transcending it—a tie that originated from the soul.

The pact was made.

The tension that had gripped Raylo’s heart finally, completely, eased.

An overwhelming sense of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted, washed over him.

He had succeeded.

He had won an ally for himself, for the Black Stone Territory, and for the Thunder Dragon Duchy—an ally so powerful that any enemy would tremble before her.

"Thank you, Lady Airelia."

Raylo performed a deep Knight’s salute to the Giant Dragon before him.

Airelia gave a slight nod in response.

Her pair of cyan eyes once again fell upon the Wind Source Core floating in midair.

She raised a dragon claw and waved it gently.

The Wind Source Core transformed into a streak of cyan light and flew back into her mouth.

Airelia’s voice rang out once more.

"You are farsighted, but your power is still too weak."

"Weakness is the original sin."

Raylo was silent.

He knew that what Airelia said was true.

A Domain Knight.

This realm, which seemed godlike in the eyes of ordinary people, was still insignificant before a true Catastrophe Level powerhouse.

"Therefore, I have decided to give you another gift."

Airelia’s words stunned Raylo for a moment.

"A gift?"

"That’s right."

Airelia lowered her massive head, gazing quietly at Raylo.

"A gift that will allow you to grow stronger in a short amount of time."

As her voice fell,

She suddenly opened her mouth wide.

A torrent of pure, boundless energy from the Giant Dragon’s Power of Origin surged from her mouth.

It was not Dragon Breath.

The energy, though immense, carried no hint of aggression.

It was like a warm, gentle pillar of cyan light, enveloping Raylo’s entire body.

Raylo felt as if he were soaking in a hot spring formed from the purest essence of a Giant Dragon’s origin.

It was warm, comfortable, and brimming with vibrant life force.

Under the wash of this cyan energy, the Fighting Spirit within his body began to circulate at an unprecedented, frantic pace.

The previously Solid, insurmountable bottlenecks melted away before this energy like ice and snow.

He could feel his body undergoing a complete transformation.

His muscles, his bones, his meridians...

All of them were nourished by this energy, growing more tenacious, more powerful.

Middle Tier Sky Knight...

High Tier Sky Knight...

The process lasted for nearly ten minutes.

When the cyan pillar of light slowly dissipated,

Raylo remained suspended in midair, his eyes still closed.

An aura, several times stronger than before, emanated from his body.

In just ten short minutes,

Airelia had used her immense, Catastrophe Level Power of Origin to forcibly raise Raylo’s strength by an entire tier.

Such a method was simply unheard of.

After a long moment,

Raylo slowly opened his eyes.

A brilliant, cyan glint, like a storm, flashed through his pupils.

He felt the surging, unprecedentedly powerful strength within him, his heart filled with shock.

Once again, he bowed deeply to Airelia.

"This is an immense gift, one I will never forget."

"Think nothing of it."

Airelia’s voice was still calm.

"I have injected one-thousandth of my origin into your body. This energy will ensure your path to the Domain Level is unimpeded."

"I look forward to the day you truly come into your own."

After she spoke, a palm-sized scale, like a piece of Cyan Jade, slowly detached from her neck.

The scale floated before Raylo, hovering silently.

"Take it,"

said the Flowing Wind Giant Dragon.

"When you need me to fulfill my promise, crush it."

"No matter where you are, I will sense your summons instantly."

Raylo reached out and solemnly accepted the cyan Dragon Scale, which felt as smooth as jade.

The Dragon Scale was cool to the touch, yet it seemed to contain an endless Storm Power.

"My thanks, Your Excellency."

Raylo carefully placed the Dragon Scale into his Spatial Bag.

"Then, we... shall take our leave."

Raylo once again performed a Knight’s salute to the Flowing Wind Giant Dragon.

Astra also let out a draconic cry as a farewell to the Flowing Wind Giant Dragon.

Then, without lingering, Astra transformed into a bolt of Lightning and shot into the sky, speeding toward the Black Stone Territory.

The Flowing Wind Giant Dragon hovered quietly above Storm Cape, watching them depart until their figures vanished completely over the horizon.