As the night sky over the Black Stone Territory was lit by bonfires and stars,

thousands of kilometers away in Thunder Dragon City, the lights in the Duke’s Mansion study burned bright.

Aiden Duke stood by the enormous floor-to-ceiling window, clutching a freshly opened letter in his hand.

The moonlight from outside, as cold and clear as water, spilled onto his sharply defined features.

But at this moment, his face showed nothing but a lingering sense of helplessness.

The letter in his hand was from the Red Dragon Empire in the South.

A Special Envoy from the Red Dragon Empire had delivered it in person just half an hour ago.

Just as he had predicted, the letter contained a formal invitation from the brilliant and ambitious Red Dragon Emperor to a special conference in the capital of the Red Dragon Empire, convened to address the conflict between the Light Holy See and the Dragon Realm.

This was a meeting that would decide the future course of the entire Continent.

Aiden Duke’s fingertips gently traced the smooth edge of the letter.

From the moment the Light Holy See and the Red Dragon Empire went to war, he knew that the powers of the Dragon Realm would surely meet to devise a counter-strategy against the Light Holy See’s aggressive stance.

He had already formulated a complete plan for his role in this conference.

His original plan was to ride Astra—the Guardian Giant Dragon who had just ascended to the Catastrophe Level and symbolized the absolute peak of the Thunder Dragon Duchy’s military might—and personally attend the meeting.

He wanted all the powers of the Continent to witness with their own eyes that the Thunder Dragon Duchy now possessed its own true Catastrophe Level Power.

With Astra at his side, he would secure a greater voice for the Thunder Dragon Duchy and seize immense benefits that could shape the landscape for centuries to come.

This was supposed to be the perfect stage for him, for the Thunder Dragon Duchy, to make its grand entrance.

But now, all of his plans were in disarray.

A bitter smile couldn’t help but touch Aiden Duke’s lips.

He never could have imagined that Astra, the Duchy’s strongest trump card, would be summoned away by his son in the distant Black Stone Territory with a single, casual-sounding sentence.

The dragon hadn’t even bothered to give him, its nominal "master," a heads-up.

"That little rascal..."

Aiden Duke grumbled under his breath, helpless.

His tone held a mix of reprimand, helplessness, and the pride a father feels for his son.

Aiden Duke sighed and casually tossed the letter onto his desk.

He glanced at the meeting time indicated on the letter, and his brow furrowed even deeper.

Time would not permit him to wait any longer.

Regardless of when Astra returned, he had to set out immediately.

He absolutely could not miss this meeting, which would determine the entire future of the Duchy.

He glanced at the cold, bright moon outside the window, then strode out of the study.

...

The next morning, the first rays of dawn pierced the eastern clouds.

In front of the camp, the assembled army stood in solemn formation under the morning light.

"ROAR!"

The Hill Giants let out a series of low roars. They held enormous Double-Headed Warhammers, their bronze-colored skin reflecting a metallic sheen in the dawn light.

Behind them, one hundred and twenty Earth Dragon Knights sat steadily atop their Earth Dragons. Their cold Knight’s Long Spears pointed diagonally toward the sky, the tips converging into a field of starlight that could make a heart tremble.

Raylo was mounted on the back of the Storm Griffin King, "Baofeng."

"Move out!"

he commanded.

The great army set off, kicking up clouds of dust as it marched majestically toward the Black Stone Mountain Range to the north.

High above them, at an altitude of ten thousand meters, Astra’s massive draconic form slipped silently into the thick clouds, its body and aura perfectly concealed.

A few hours later, the Black Stone Army officially entered the Black Stone Mountain Range.

The terrain here suddenly grew rugged. Massive black rocks, like the fangs of monstrous beasts, jutted out from the ground, shattering the path into fragments.

"SCREECH!"

A sharp, ear-piercing shriek came without warning from a valley to the side.

Immediately after, hundreds of red dots shot out from the valley’s shadows, diving toward the marching army.

They were Red Fire Demon Crows, the most common aerial Scouts under the command of the Black Dragon, "Black King."

"Griffin Knights! Pegasus Knights! Clean up these flies!"

Raylo ordered.

"Yes, my lord!"

The aerial units, which had already been circling on standby, immediately acted on the command.

Ten Griffin Knights broke away from the main force and launched an attack on the approaching Red Fire Demon Crows.

Meanwhile, over a hundred Pegasus Knights entered the battlefield from another direction.

The Javelins in their hands flew endlessly, and soon, the bodies of dozens of Red Fire Demon Crows were falling from the sky.

Within just a few minutes, the sky had turned into a one-sided slaughter.

This sporadic harassment posed no substantial threat whatsoever to the well-equipped and highly-trained Black Stone Army.

Raylo didn’t even spare a second glance for the battle in the sky.

His objective had been crystal clear from the very beginning.

The Dragon Blood Ancient Tree.

Raylo had no intention of playing hide-and-seek with it in the Black Stone Mountain Range; he led his army straight for the location of the Dragon Blood Ancient Tree.

The Dragon Blood Ancient Tree was where the Black Dragon made its lair, and it was a Treasure the dragon would never abandon easily.

The army marched for several more hours along the rugged mountain path.

Along the way, they encountered several waves of Demon attacks of varying sizes.

These ranged from Jackal-Wolf Folk Scouts lurking in the shadows and hordes of Kobold cannon fodder swarming like a tide, to even a troop of massive Earth Dragons that attempted to charge the army’s flank.