Chapter 285

Riding atop the golden dragon, Kanzaki Rei returned to the shattered city.

As his gaze swept across the devastation, a faint sigh rose within him.

Before one becomes the strongest in the world...

Even the aftershocks of a battle between the powerful are enough to claim countless lives.

If you want to survive—

Strength is the only truth.

Invincibility within one’s tier... it’s nothing but an empty title.

In this world, no one politely stays at your level just to fight you.

And when true powerhouses clash—

They don’t spare a thought for how many ants are crushed in the aftermath.

A cruel reality.

—Shua.

Kanzaki Rei descended onto the wilderness outside the city.

Ahead of him lay what was once a thriving metropolis.

Now?

Only ruins.

And corpses.

The golden dragon landed behind him, already having taken on a human form, following at his back with its head lowered.

Its posture was one of complete submission.

Gone was the arrogance it once carried.

Kanzaki Rei noted the change.

So even a creature this proud adapts quickly once it becomes a prisoner.

This ancient dragon had once been served by many.

It had stood above others.

And those who have stood at the top understand how those above them think.

From Helberzio’s perspective—

As long as he kept his head down and didn’t provoke Kanzaki Rei, he could endure this period of subjugation peacefully.

Lower your posture slightly, and it won’t feel so humiliating.

But if he insisted on maintaining pride—even after submitting—

Then he’d only bring suffering upon himself.

Trying to preserve dignity would only end in losing it completely.

He was proud.

But he was also intelligent.

He understood exactly what kind of treatment he might face.

Losing fairly to a stronger opponent—

That wasn’t shameful.

So even without prompting, he chose to act with respect, lowering himself willingly.

Kanzaki Rei swept his perception across the city once more.

There were still survivors.

A few Level 5 and Level 6 class users had endured under the dragon’s pressure.

Not everyone had perished.

—Shua, shua.

Two figures appeared in the distant sky.

The two Level 7 class users.

They hadn’t participated in the earlier battle.

But now—

They stood in Kanzaki Rei’s path, along with Helberzio.

Their expressions were complicated.

One of them stepped forward, landing on the ground before Kanzaki Rei.

"Thank you... for your assistance."

At Level 7, even the weakest among them were considered prodigies on a global scale.

They had witnessed the earlier battle.

The sheer scale of it—

The shockwaves that rippled across the sea, the storms and tidal surges, the disturbances in the heavens and ocean currents—

They knew.

But a battle of that level was beyond them.

All they could do was watch from afar.

What they never expected...

Was that Kanzaki Rei had won.

Now, seeing the golden dragon standing respectfully behind him—

And the chain-like contract mark etched around its neck—

The meaning was obvious.

It had been bound.

Reduced to a prisoner.

Dragons were said to be the proudest of creatures.

Yet this one had become... the subordinate of a child-like human?

Slave or not—

Such a contract was close enough.

"You’ve... at least given some closure to the countless wronged souls here," the man added.

"Mm."

Kanzaki Rei merely nodded.

These two Level 7s wanted answers.

They wanted to understand what had happened.

Why a golden dragon had appeared.

Why a battle had broken out.

But Kanzaki Rei simply walked past them.

No explanation.

None was necessary.

—Shua.

With a faint distortion, his figure vanished from their sight.

As he passed, he casually brushed against them—

And extracted information.

A Level 7 Archer.

A Level 7 Hunter.

Both possessed Extraordinary-tier talents.

Not bad.

But nothing remarkable.

After reviewing their information, Kanzaki Rei lost even the slightest interest.

No value in further interaction.

—Shua.

In just a few brief moments, he arrived at the heavily warded castle.

He immediately noticed—

The defensive barriers and magical protections showed signs of attempted intrusion.

Most likely those two Level 7s had tried to break in.

But with their strength—

They couldn’t even scratch his defenses.

...Without realizing it, I’ve already reached a level where I can disregard ordinary Level 7s.

A memory surfaced.

Back in Rane Town—

Seeing a Level 5 adventurer slay a Tier 5 monster had once seemed unbelievably cool.

The nostalgia flickered—

Then vanished just as quickly.

He was no longer in combat.

His physical strength dropped from eleven-thousandfold enhancement back to normal.

For a brief moment—

He felt sluggish.

Weak.

But only for an instant.

He adapted immediately.

At the same time—

All the insights from the battle flooded his mind.

The "God-Tier: Pinnacle Ascension State" didn’t just grant absurd temporary power during combat—

It also delivered equally overwhelming returns in post-battle comprehension.

Kanzaki Rei felt as though he had fully digested Helberzio’s entire lifetime of combat experience.

As if—

He himself had lived as a golden dragon.

Fought as one.

Grown as one.

During battle, he gained insights.

After battle—

Those insights crystallized into something greater.

He mentally reconstructed every form of the Skyfall Style once more.

Elevating it again—

Beyond even its prior rebirth.

I’d really like to test how far my techniques have reached now...

But—

First things first.

If the opportunity arose later...

He wouldn’t mind sparring with the dragon a few more times.

If each fight yielded this much growth—

Then it made for an excellent training partner.

Durable, too.

He stepped into the castle.

Inside—

The young vampire was still completely absorbed in his work.

Focused.

Unwavering.

It seemed he had reached the final step.

Seven vials of liquid floated in midair—

Spinning like vortices as they merged.

They vibrated at a strange, precise frequency—

Fusing together.

Seven colors...

Becoming one.

The unified liquid flowed into a crystal-clear vial.

Kanzaki Rei sensed the moment the vampire emerged from that state of total concentration.

The potion—

Was complete.

"Y-you..."

"My lord..."

"Are you truly going to spare him?"

"If his results are released into the world... it may trigger an unprecedented catastrophe..."

On the way back, Kanzaki Rei had already heard the full story from Helberzio.

He replied calmly,

"I’ll decide that myself."

Convenient.

He still had no clear direction for advancing his Alchemist class.

And here—

Was a ready-made high-level alchemist.

There was much he could learn.

By preventing the dragon from killing him—

He had already altered the outcome of this event.

That should count as achieving the objective.

As for how much time remained—

Unclear.

But one thing was certain.

This potion was extremely valuable.

In the real timeline, Helberzio had killed him—

And this formula had been lost forever.

No matter what—

First...

Get the recipe.

..

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