Since the mysterious young man, Kendrick was the second person to identify Felix as a Dragons Destroyer practitioner. Kendrick said, "No need to hide it. Without Dragons Destroyer training, you wouldn't be able to sense the Dragonspine's energy signature and track it here."Kendrick's eyes filled with nostalgia as he continued, "The Maximus family ancestor was the first person to master Dragons Destroyer successfully. How else would I know about it or have frequent access to Dragonspine?"Felix was stunned to learn that the first Dragons Destroyer practitioner Gerald mentioned was actually Kendrick's ancestor. He admitted, "You're right—I do practice Dragons Destroyer."But I have a question. I recently encountered a young man from the other side who was incredibly powerful. I couldn't even fight back, yet he knew about my Dragons Destroyer training and even the exact number of Dragonspine pieces I possessed."Kendrick chuckled knowingly. "That must have been someone from the Max
Felix bowed deeply to Kendrick and said solemnly, "Sir, forgive me." During the drive back, Luna noticed Felix's somber mood, so she refrained from saying anything to him. Once they entered the city, Felix broke the silence and asked, "Do you have any connections for unofficial border crossings?""Yes, we have someone from Astoria who handles that. It's completely reliable," Luna replied. Felix nodded thoughtfully. "Let's keep it as a backup plan. We might need it someday."After encountering the Westerio Order, Felix suspected they might interfere with his mission. Given their absolute control abroad, legal routes home might become impossible. Hence, having alternative plans seemed wise.Felix spent the entire day indoors while Luna returned home at his request. With the looming threat of the Westerio Order, he felt it safer for her to leave Guneria. As night fell, Felix stood near an abandoned single-story house in the desert wasteland of Guneria. The nearest road was over
As Felix's words settled in, two figures emerged slowly from the abandoned house.Meanwhile, John was nearly delirious with excitement from his position far away. Despite his men being scared off by Felix's strength, John's mood remained unaffected, almost giddy. "Mr. Reynolds, why are you so happy?" his assistant, Eugene Klein, asked, confused by John's elated behavior. Given his usually cautious nature, John should have fled immediately after the failure. Yet, here he was, practically dancing with joy.John replied with a grin, "You wouldn't understand! Those two are terrifyingly skilled. Felix won't make it out of this, so I'm celebrating early. Go on, open that bottle of champagne I brought. You should have a drink too."John's experience and insight told him that Felix was most likely finished. Skyward Guild and the Greenes had sent two lethal experts, which explained why the Elders' Council had decided not to get involved. At that point, the outcome seemed pretty clear.
The Greenes' involvement was no surprise after their previous confrontation, and, of course, they would not miss this opportunity abroad. Skyward Guild's presence also confirmed Felix's suspicions."Enough talk. I'm not exactly a fan of Guneria either, so let's not waste time," one of the elders said casually."Perfect, I couldn't agree more!" Felix's smile grew brighter as his aura surged, causing both men to look at him with surprise."Gage wasn't wrong at all—this young man has indeed reached True Blood Realm," one master remarked. Though they maintained their composure, they were shocked that someone so young had achieved their level. After all, it had taken them decades of training to reach it. The comparison was enough to make them choke on their frustration. Still, it did not matter much. There were two of them, both in the True Blood Realm, while Felix was alone. Two against one—the odds were solidly in their favor.Felix chuckled, cracking his knuckles. "You two old-ti
Felix moved with lightning speed, his overwhelming presence leaving the two martial artists unable to even resist. "Enough talking! Submit, or die!" Felix demanded, his tone icy and commanding.Since gaining the loyalty of Selmer, a Blood Realm major mastery warrior, Felix had prioritized subduing his enemies whenever possible. These two True Blood Realm masters presented an opportunity too valuable to waste. "I'll submit!" Louise, the elder working for the Greenes, responded immediately. As a hired hand with no true loyalty to the Greenes, his quick surrender was unsurprising.Felix turned to Skyward Guild's master, slowly raising his right hand. "I am a Guardian of the Skyward Guild, and you expect me to submit? If you dare kill me, the Skyward Guild won't—" Before he could finish, Felix struck him down. After that, he used the Soul Sealing Needle on Louise, successfully adding him to his ranks. Though he now commanded only Selmer and Louise, Felix believed his force woul
After finishing his business, Felix decided not to let Louise return home just yet. A True Blood Realm fighter could still be quite useful, especially since Felix was about to embark on a critical mission. It was better to make some extra preparations rather than risk anything going wrong.The next day, around noon, Felix visited a restaurant in Drapetown. After ordering several dishes, he made an unexpected request to the server. "Could I speak with your owner? I'm interested in buying this restaurant—money is not an issue," Felix said.The server responded politely, "I apologize, sir, but our owner has made it clear that the restaurant isn't for sale."As if anticipating this response, Felix gestured toward the packed dining room. "Is that so? Well, all these people are with me. Don't worry, they won't cause trouble, but I can't control how long they'll stay here to dine."It was only 11:00 am, typically a time when the restaurant would have just one or two tables occupied. The
As the sun began to set, Helena sat in a private room of the Drapetown restaurant, listening to her subordinate's report."Ms. Mooney, we've uncovered his background! Felix is quite something—he's connected to the Starfires in Astoria, supposedly the beloved grandson of one of Kyro's old friends. However, our Westerio Order's investigation suggests there's more—he's likely the Shadowstalker Emperor's illegitimate son."Helena's eyes sparkled with interest as she laughed. "The Shadowstalker Emperor's son? Well, that explains everything. With Reagan's status in Astoria, it makes sense for the Starfires to step in as a cover to avoid scandal." Her subordinate nodded in agreement. "This guy seems to be quite carefree and privileged, and his features suggest mixed heritage—likely between the Shadowstalker Emperor and someone from Dragonia."Apparently, he got bored in Astoria and decided to find the best Dragonian cuisine to franchise worldwide. Money really does allow for such whims.
"So, how would you like to discuss this? Perhaps like this?" Helena purred as she placed her index finger on Felix's forehead.Felix immediately felt his Dragonspine trembling, responding to whatever trick she was pulling. He struggled internally, unsure how to react to Helena's technique since he needed to fake his response.Deciding to maintain his lustful persona, Felix widened his eyes and feigned an expression of ecstasy while muttering suggestive nonsense. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Helena returning to her seat, clearly satisfied with the effect of her power. She said, "I didn't want to use my abilities on you, but you were too eager. No one tries to seduce someone on their first meeting, though this works out well—now you won't be able to stay away from me."Felix's overeagerness actually matched his supposed identity perfectly. As Reagan's illegitimate son, why would he need to think twice about anything in Astoria? Getting whatever he wanted would be natural f
The guide said, "This is where the selected contestants rest. The yard is huge and has everything you need. As long as you don't leave this yard, you're free to move around. I'll bring you to your room now."The yard looked huge, with fixtures of bridges and flowing rivers. Felix even passed by a fake mountain. It was large enough for hundreds of people to climb, standing thousands of feet tall and looked quite majestically.No one on Earth or Aquamarinus could have built such a luxurious residence. Felix could even see a bar and massage parlor, showing how indispensable technology was in the universe. His room was luxurious, around 2000 square feet, and was decorated with traditional but modern touches. "This is your room. I'll take my leave now, goodbye." The young man left with a bow. Felix turned around and stood on the patio. Outside his room was a large lake, with even fish swimming inside."A new neighbor? Did you just arrive today?" The sudden voice came from the patio
Felix arrived at the location of one of Nine Flames, where the guards instantly collapsed, their eyes rolling back as they fainted.By now, darkness had arrived. He walked forward without any hesitation, his right hand touching the flame.There was no need for any special tools. The flame simply vanished, and only Felix knew that it was absorbed in an instant by his Starmark.With the disappearance of the flames, people in many places immediately dropped to their knees.The light that should have lasted throughout the night vanished, and the darkness of Desolated Lands descended almost instantly. Every light went out in an instant.Screams echoed everywhere, and panic spread like wildfire. Even though their loved ones were close by, they couldn't see them with their eyes and could only communicate through voice.Scenes like this were unfolding in many places, even in Cloud City."It's really started," Eira said. She was in Cloud City. Although Luigi was standing on her left, h
Despite Thiago's murderous glare and overwhelming killing intent, Felix wasn't scared. In fact, it made him smile.Due to the unique trait of the Dragon Rebirth, his opponent had to harbor a true desire to kill him in order for Felix to grow stronger. Otherwise, it would all be meaningless. At least so far, everything was unfolding just as he expected.Meanwhile, Holt was silently praying like crazy as he lay on the ground. The battle had already begun, and his companion had understood his message. This was their only shot, however slim, at killing Felix.As time passed and the afternoon crept past 3:00 pm, his companion started to falter. His attacks were growing sluggish. He hadn't been injured, but he was clearly on the defensive now.Seeing this, Felix completely lost interest. Once his opponent lost the will to kill him, the Dragon Rebirth would no longer grow.Still, the battle wasn't for nothing. He'd made solid progress and was a little closer to becoming a Celestial Realm
Felix had clearly found Holt's weak spot. These guys were so desperate to extend their lives that they turned the entire Aquamarinus into a breeding ground. Obviously, they were terrified of death. As long as there was even the slightest chance of survival, they'd take it.And sure enough, Holt immediately agreed. He pulled out some kind of device and flew off, clearly contacting his comrades."But even if I agreed," Holt said, "the three of us split up and searched in different directions. Even if they rush over, they won't make it until tomorrow."The fear in his eyes was obvious, so much so that Felix couldn't help but laugh."How interesting," Felix said. "You made a deal with the Ant Queen, right? Couldn't she at least give you something to help you move freely through Desolated Lands at night?"Holt shot him a bitter smile. "The Ant Queen's children—the soldier ants—are born hunters. That instinct can't be erased. And honestly, we've never needed to go out at night anyway."
Lumen flew out and quickly returned. Felix's expression eased completely, and with a step, he vanished from where he stood."Chasing me was fun last time, huh? Did you think it'd go the same this time?" he asked.When he reappeared, someone was already lying on the ground about ten yards ahead. It was a figure fully shrouded in a gray robe, a man named Holt Bovington.That was Felix holding back. Otherwise, Lumen's previous strike could've shattered Holt's soul on the spot."Felix Zeller? It really is you!" Holt's voice was full of shock. Whatever he'd planned to do was already too late. His soul had taken a devastating blow, and he no longer had the strength to fight."Yeah, it's me. Just like I suspected, you people really aren't all that strong when it comes to soul power."Felix had spared his life because he wanted answers."If you answer a few questions honestly, I'll let you live. Even with your soul badly damaged, I assume someone who knows about Nine Flames and Desolate
Three months later, deep within a mountain on Aquamarinus, a meeting was taking place. Who would've imagined palace-like structures hidden within the mountain itself?In one of the chambers, a sky-blue dome adorned the ceiling. Beneath it, three figures in gray robes sat cross-legged, their bodies cloaked in shadow. Their faces were completely obscured."I went to see the Ant Queen yesterday. There's definitely something wrong.""Enough with the vague talk. Be specific.""In just three months, the Ant Queen has lost millions of her children. Do you even understand what that means?"The atmosphere shifted as all three took a sharp breath. A long silence followed before one finally spoke, "Perhaps our earlier theory is right. Is someone hunting soldier ants in Desolated Lands at night?""It has to be. How else do you explain millions of casualties? At this rate, we're down to just a million soldier ants across the entire planet. If this keeps up, they'll be wiped out in a month. An
"I didn't expect you to be a doctor, too. Thanks," Myles said, but then suddenly froze. His mind started racing.Wait a minute! He took down a tiger of True Blood Realm. On top of that, he was extremely skilled in medicine. That could only mean…"You figured out who I am?" Felix asked with a smile, trying to put Myles at ease. Despite that, Myles couldn't hide his fear. "You're Felix Zeller?""That's right. Judging by your reaction, I take it I've become a traitor to The Recovery Association? Or maybe some kind of unforgivable villain?"The air grew a bit awkward, and Myles shot him a strained smile."Not exactly… It's just that you took down the Flame Monarch. That's kind of hard to wrap my head around."His expression shifted again."Actually, everyone's still pretty confused. When we woke up this morning, every city, town, and even the smallest villages received a message. Five days from now, the Flame Monarch is holding a Flame Ceremony."Felix paused, frowning. "What's t
With Lumen and Indigo attacking and the Infinite Shield defending, Felix held his ground. Occasionally, he cast minor spells that barely consumed any soul power. Even as the monsters surged toward him like a tidal wave, not one of them could so much as scratch him.Feeling the steady stream of energy flooding into him, Felix grinned. If things kept going like this, there was a high chance he'd break through to the next major soul realm—Soul Overlord Realm.If he could level up again during the elimination rounds, his odds of winning the whole thing would increase significantly. Especially since Soul Overlord Realm required soul enhancement, it was a whole different league compared to Aetherium Realm.Once he hit Soul Overlord Realm, he was confident he'd be able to go toe-to-toe in a soul battle with the powerful figure who had chased him during dusk.That guy didn't dare appear in Desolated Lands at night, which likely meant his soul wasn't strong. In that case, Felix might actual
The sun had already begun to set. After fleeing in a panic, Felix had no idea if there was even a single place ahead that could shield him from the coming darkness.A few minutes later, the presence chasing him within his domain disappeared. Logically, the pursuer should've caught up in less than ten minutes, but they gave up. Still, Felix didn't relax for a second. The darkness was about to fall, and that could only mean two things. Either the pursuer wasn't confident they could survive the desolate night themselves, or they assumed there was no flame nearby and Felix was as good as dead.Either way, this was the most dangerous moment yet.After sprinting several more miles, Felix finally stopped. All around him stretched a barren wasteland with no end in sight. Even though he had memorized maps to identify different areas, they were useless now. As darkness swallowed the land, all reference points vanished."Damn it! I guess I'll have to see for myself what the hell comes out i