ログイン"What?" Natalie shot to her feet, a cold, razor-sharp aura radiating from her. "Where did this information come from?""It didn't come from our intelligence network. This is practically public knowledge throughout the entire North Domain."The staff member lowered his head. "You can check it on your phone right now."Bella grabbed the phone she had been charging and quickly opened a webpage. It really wasn't a secret. Every major platform featured an official livestream on its front page.The broadcast showed the operation to eliminate Oscar, the Draconox traitor accused of secretly colluding with the dragon race.Bella stared at the footage. A grotesque figure dominated the center of the screen. The video appeared to have been filmed from a helicopter. It had a human head atop a dragon's body, like something out of an ancient fable. The half-dragon creature had small horns protruding from its head..."This is absurd. There's no way Oscar would collude with the dragon race. There
However, the Everflame Order was an entirely different matter. There, willpower was tested through life-and-death trials. Walking through fire and climbing a mountain of blades were not just figures of speech. They were exactly, literally, what every recruit had to endure.Countless times, Bella had truly believed she was about to die. Yet she had survived every ordeal, and the scars covering her body stood as proof of each one.Could her previous training even compare? Not even remotely.As far as she knew, the trials for becoming a full Everflame member were already this brutal. She could not even begin to imagine what awaited the envoys, the protectors, or the deputy pavilion master.And the Draconox Order was supposed to stand on equal footing with Everflame.In her mind, Oscar had always been nothing more than a useless freeloader, drifting through life under the protection of the Chamberlain family's name. How could someone like him possibly have become a Draconox Archon?"
While Oscar was being lured toward the northern outskirts of Silverton, an aircraft appeared in the skies above the North Domain.It was a private jet, and the moment the ground observers recognized the emblem on its fuselage, they were stunned."Quickly, report this up the chain. The Everflame Order has sent a plane!"Everflame was one of the three great organizations that stood alongside the Draconox Order and the Kylin Sanctum. In some respects, it even ranked slightly above the other two.Part of that was because it ruled the most prosperous region, the Central Domain. The rest, according to rumor, stemmed from something else entirely.Everflame was said to be the strongest of the three organizations because its Archon was still alive.This set it apart from the Kylin Sanctum, whose leader had also existed since ancient times but had changed bodies over the years. By contrast, the Everflame Archon had remained the same person throughout history, not only in spirit but in body
Diana bit down hard on her lip. "We are the ones who pushed Oscar to this point. I work at a hospital. I've seen countless terminal patients."After they learn they have a terminal illness, the first thing they do is break down and refuse to accept it. Then they spend every waking moment searching for doctors and treatments."Once they finally realize there truly is no cure, they turn to the people closest to them, their family and friends, for the courage to face whatever time they have left."Oscar must have gone through all of that too. Except we cast him out of our family. He had no family or friends left. In the end, the only place he had left to place his hope was with the dragon race. None of this should ever have happened to him."Diana's words came between wracking sobs as tears streamed down her face. "No. I can't just let Oscar die like this. He's still so young. He's only eighteen."As she spoke, she suddenly pulled off her ring and slapped herself across the face with
Lucius' car had been rented in Silverton.In an emergency, the Citadel Forces could commandeer the phone inside a rental car. That was how the call had come through.At those words, Rebecca, who sat in the back seat, finally looked up."No..." The word escaped her lips before she even realized she had spoken.She had already accepted that the monster behind them was Oscar. Accepting that fact, however, was one thing. Choosing to let him die was something else entirely, and she was not ready for it.Lucius turned and gently took Rebecca's hand. "Miss Miller, please don't think I'm overstepping… He isn't Oscar anymore. He's a monster."Do you know what the Draconox Order does to monsters like him? There is no way for him to escape. Once they deal with him, they'll settle accounts with everyone connected to him. You, your grandparents, your family, your friends. Every one of you will be dragged down because of him."He was never a saint who gave without expecting anything in return
Christopher's face had gone pale as he stood in the command room.The Draconox Order's history of sealing away the dragons was legendary within its ranks, but those battles had been fought through skill, with spears and blades. At most, only a handful of true experts had taken part.Yet no matter how skilled those experts had been, what could they possibly have done against this? Could they withstand bullets? Could they survive aircraft and artillery?Either way, Christopher had never heard of anyone capable of such a feat. He had assumed modern weapons would crush Oscar with ease, but the intimidating scales covering Oscar's body were proving every bit as impenetrable as they appeared."We'll need heavier weapons.""That won't work inside the city. We need to lure him beyond the city limits first."Christopher's gaze settled on the car Oscar was pursuing, and an idea took shape. "Get me a direct line to Lucius' car."…Lucius' car sped down Travagan Avenue, and Oscar's relentl
"Miss Bella, you're here!"Unlike Oscar, the Chamberlain sisters lived in the spotlight. They made headlines almost daily. In Silverton, nearly everyone recognized them.Victor hurried to drag over a stool. He wiped it down with his sleeve and offered it to Bella.She glanced at it. Disgust flick
Rain streamed down Oscar's face and soaked through his clothes, but he felt none of it.For years, he had given the Chamberlain family everything.Amara's Chamberlain Group would never have risen to the top of Silverton without him supplying her with intelligence day after day, placing winning str
"Mr. Chamberlain, I'm sorry." The doctor slid the lab report across the desk. "Brain cancer. Late stage."Oscar Chamberlain stared at the doctor for several seconds, then lowered his gaze to the two words on the page. The paper was still warm from the printer. The sharp, chemical smell of ink hit h
"Victor, we really have no money left!" George dropped to his knees. "We already repaid the 60,000 dollars we borrowed from you. Over the years, it was 6,000 here, 6,000 there. Now it's somehow 600,000? How are we supposed to come up with that?"He pressed his forehead to the floor. "Please. Leave







