The longing every Giant Dragon felt... to return home.

It looked at Coal Ball, struggling to maintain the rift, then at the rift itself, which threatened to close at any moment due to the unstable energy.

It knew it had to do something.

It looked at Raylo, its conviction reaffirmed. ’Choosing to befriend this human... might have been the best decision of my entire life.’

’To return to the Giant Dragon Realm...’

’It might actually become a reality.’

Astra slowly opened its massive jaws.

’I have to see it with my own eyes.’

’To see the sky of my homeland, a sky that has only ever existed in my bloodline memories.’

"ROAR!"

A deep roar, one that seemed to echo from the primordial past, reverberated in the skies above Black Stone Castle.

Astra’s colossal draconic form slowly rose, obscuring half the night sky.

Lightning surged within its massive eyes, as if two thunderclouds were brewing inside.

The next second, a surge of Giant Dragon Energy—so pure it was almost tangible—erupted from its body!

This energy washed over Coal Ball like a golden tide.

"Ngh?"

Coal Ball let out a low hum.

It felt a vast, irresistible energy flooding into its body.

Its Sea of Magic Power, once as dry as a desert, was instantly refilled by the wash of golden energy.

No, it wasn’t just refilled. The immense energy surged through its entire body, coursing through every cell and giving it the illusion of omnipotence.

Its body involuntarily began to radiate a brilliant light of Magic Power once more.

The Space Magic, already pushed to its limit, was now driven to its absolute peak, fueled by Astra’s Catastrophe Level energy!

"VMMMMMM!"

In the center of the plaza, the spatial rift—a mere thirty meters high—emitted a violent, strained hum, as if on the verge of collapse.

The silver arcs of electricity dancing along the rift’s edge suddenly flared!

Empowered by both Astra’s will and its energy, Coal Ball became like an engine forcibly overclocked a hundred times over. It roared, frantically pouring this immense, borrowed Power into the spatial structure before it.

Tearing!

Expanding!

Space itself was wailing.

The pitch-black rift began to spread outward at a terrifying speed.

Thirty meters!

Fifty meters!

One hundred meters!

The entire plaza of Black Stone Castle was engulfed by the escaping Spatial Energy and the overwhelming pressure of a Giant Dragon.

Countless spiderweb-like cracks spread across the hard Obsidian flagstones, which looked as though they might shatter at any moment.

Raylo stood nearby, the gale whipping his clothes about him.

He squinted, feeling the spatial storm that threatened to tear his very soul apart. He was utterly stunned.

’So this is the Power of a Catastrophe Level being?’

Astra hadn’t even acted directly. It had merely "lent" some of its Power to Coal Ball, and in doing so, had easily accomplished what Coal Ball couldn’t achieve even with all its might.

Finally, the rift’s expansion slowed to a halt. It had been stretched to a staggering two hundred meters in diameter—a massive portal hanging between heaven and earth, leading into an endless void.

Through the spatial rift, one could vaguely make out distorted light and shadow, and a completely different sky beyond.

A denser, more ancient, and more primordial aura seeped through from the other side.

Astra’s breathing grew ragged.

Its golden eyes reflected the enormous gateway to an unknown world, and the longing within them intensified to an almost unbearable degree.

It didn’t hesitate for a second.

The moment the spatial rift stabilized, Astra’s massive draconic form moved.

It folded its sky-obscuring Thunderbolt Dragon Wings, lowered its massive head, and then, like a fish returning to water, plunged resolutely into the massive portal.

Its thousand-meter-long body slipped into the two-hundred-meter rift without a sound, causing no excess energy fluctuations.

It was as if it hadn’t entered a spatial passage, but had merged with water.

After Astra’s colossal figure completely vanished on the other side of the rift...

"VWOOM!"

Deprived of the Catastrophe Level energy that had sustained it, the spatial rift shuddered and began to contract violently.

Coal Ball let out a cry as its massive draconic form instantly reverted to that of a palm-sized black kitten. It fell from the air, and Raylo caught it, tucking it safely inside his coat.

Meanwhile, the spatial rift shrank, returning to a barely sustained height of twenty meters.

A smile touched Raylo’s lips.

"Sun, Black King, it’s our turn."

"ROAR!"

The Golden Dragon Sun let out an excited roar. It had been waiting for this.

Beside it, the recently subdued Black Dragon, Black King, was far more reserved.

Its Dark Gold, slit-pupiled eyes cast a complicated glance at the spatial rift, then at Raylo. Finally, it obediently lowered its proud head.

’I remember the aura of this spatial rift clearly. It’s the one that despicable human stole from my territory.’

’I just never imagined... that what he stole that day was a passage to the Giant Dragon Realm.’

The next moment, Raylo and his companions stepped into the spatial rift.