LOGINInside the Miller villa, the air was thick with tension.Just as the crowd was about to close in on him, Oscar barked, "Christopher, do you understand what you are doing?""Of course I understand." Tears and snot streamed down Christopher's face. "Mr. Murdock sealed the Dragon Abyss with his own flesh and blood, and in his final moments, he issued an Archon's decree. Execute the chief criminal, Oscar Stone."Christopher held up his phone, where a video was playing. Through the blurred image on the screen, Boreas could be seen delivering his final message. By then, only his head still retained any human features. The rest of his body had already transformed into that of a dragon."Something has gone wrong in the Dragon Abyss. The chief criminal is Oscar Stone. The Method of Guided Circulation is the Dragonform Technique. It must never be practiced again. After I die—"The message cut off abruptly, and the video dissolved into static, a clear sign that Boreas' fate had already been
Amara pressed her hands together to form a seal and began chanting under her breath. At first, Boreas felt nothing unusual.Within moments, however, the vitalis inside him surged like a rising tide. Following the reversed path Oscar had once shown him, it began to condense and curdle within his body.When he looked down at his arms, he no longer saw human hands. A pair of dragon claws had replaced them.Boreas felt the immense life force flooding through him as the transformation spread across his body, and disbelief filled his eyes. "No! This is impossible!"The reversed flow of energy was never a revolutionary refinement method. It was the very process used to refine a person into a dragon."Every vitalis refinement technique was created by our forebears, who studied the cosmos, observed all things in nature, and distilled them into a single unifying principle."Directing the channels forward is the natural cosmic order. What gave you the right to believe you could reverse that
Watching the black-robed figures reveal their claws, Boreas felt his pupils contract involuntarily. "Are you... even human anymore?"A wave of dread swept through him.About 50 black-robed figures stood behind Caleb. That meant at least 40 former Archons.These were no ordinary people. Each had been one of the greatest talents of their generation in the North Domain. That was the only reason any of them had ever risen to become a Draconox Archon.A Draconox Archon existed to defend against the dragon race and safeguard the peace and stability of the entire North Domain.And now, so many of them had defected to the dragon race, and every one of them had practiced this so-called Dragonform Technique.'What a name…' The moment he heard it, he knew it could lead to nothing good.Caleb remained silent.Instead, one of the former Archons stepped forward. "Human? Of course we are. What defines a human? Acting with human conduct, living by human principles, thinking with human thoughts
However, against the people standing before them, they had been utterly powerless. The moment the battle began, they had already lost.If Boreas had not invoked his authority as the Archon to activate the array formations hidden throughout the Dragon Abyss, the men behind him might already have been banished to another world.Caleb merely smiled. "Of course. The Draconox Order guards the Dragon Abyss for the sake of the North Domain. That is our duty. If you let these thieves walk freely into the Dragon Abyss and release the true dragons imprisoned within, Draconox will be left defenseless."Would that not allow those wicked dragons to run rampant and destroy everything Draconox has built over the past thousand years?"Little Boreas, you are too concerned with appearances. You claim to act for Draconox, for the North Domain. Do you really think I act for anything less? And as for this accusation of betrayal, you have wronged me greatly."Everyone, remove your hoods. Let Mr. Murdoc
While Christopher was ordering the crowd to take Oscar down, 1,000 miles away, another confrontation was unfolding in a place known as the Dragon Abyss.The Dragon Abyss lay in the heart of a vast desert. The ancients had built it as a prison for the dragon race.It had not always looked like this, but dragons were fierce by nature, and their very presence had unleashed relentless storms, howling gales, and underground fires across the land.Over countless years, the surrounding region had withered into a barren wasteland. Yet the desolation above ground was only the surface.More than 1,000 feet below lay the true Dragon Abyss, a dim, damp labyrinth of underground caverns. Countless unnamed plants grew throughout its depths, their colors strikingly vivid, unlike the dull, shadowy vegetation that usually thrived underground.The plants also appeared remarkably resilient. Their bright leaves reflected the faint light with a cold gleam that gave the entire place an air of grim solem
"Our priority right now is to subdue Sirius, bring him back to his senses, and find out exactly what he has done."Oscar's stern command left Christopher momentarily frozen, but before he could respond, Sirius lunged forward and charged straight at him. "Death to anyone who defies my master!""Uncle!"Fortunately, Celeste had been watching Sirius' every move. She threw herself in front of Christopher and intercepted the blow meant for him.But even as a grandmaster, she was no match for the transformed Sirius. The impact sent her staggering backward, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood.Freya seized the opportunity to fly back to Oscar's side.Now wearing the ring, Oscar saw the little dragon approaching and immediately called out to stop her, "Don't land on me."Freya froze in confusion.Before she could wonder why he had said that, Oscar quickly added, "Just hover beside me."Understanding dawned on her, and Freya obediently hovered near his shoulder. She did not understa
"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
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
"Shouldn't you be showing Amara some respect?" Clara said.Oscar smiled.Clara couldn't tell what the smile meant."Miss Amara, do you feel the same way?" he asked.Amara swept her gaze over the people standing behind Oscar. She recognized several faces among them. They weren't people she could







