-995- One strike

"————"

The sky turned dark.

Even though it was already nighttime, the city lights usually kept the sky illuminated with stars and the radiant moon. However, at this moment, the sky truly turned black.

Dense black clouds covered the sky.

Stars and the moon disappeared into the endless darkness.

A brilliant light ribbon soared into the sky, reaching into the clouds and then, like lightning, thunderously descended.

"Roar!"

Amidst a distant dragon's roar, the light ribbon transformed into a dragon.

A dragon covered in golden scales, sharp dragon claws with five toes, and a fierce head exuding terrifying pressure.

This dragon descended slowly to the ground, circling around its summoner.

Rozen, who a moment ago was covered by countless lava mountains and a massive vortex of vibration, turning the ground into a shattered mess, opened his eyes. The divine dragon around him emitted another dragon's roar.

"Roar!"

Observing this dragon radiating astonishing draconic power, the Minotaur Beast Vassal suddenly roared as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Neigh!"

The Twin-Horned War Beast in the sky also let out a whinny. The vibration waves between its two horns surged unprecedentedly, showing a different fighting spirit and hostility compared to before.

"A dragon...!?"

Even Balthazar Zaharias, who stood at the rear, was astonished.

In this world with various magical beings, dragons were an essential and significant race, appearing in various myths and stories. They had even existed in the real world and were not just fictional entities.

However, it was said that dragons were still surviving only in the chaos region of South America and the inland of the Dark Continent. In recent years, they were even considered extinct. No matter which Demon Sanctuary you looked into, dragons had completely disappeared.

Therefore, witnessing a dragon, even Balthazar Zaharias couldn't help but be surprised.

After all, dragons were known for their immense strength, standing on the boundary between demons and magical beasts. It was still uncertain whether they belonged to the demon side or the magical beast side.

Regardless of their affiliation, the power of dragons was renowned and indisputable. True powerful dragons could only be expelled by the Primogenitors and were impossible to be killed. Their appearance alone was enough to attract the attention of the entire world.

Now, the appearance of the dragon in front of him, causing the Fourth Primogenitor's two Beast Vassals to be on guard as if facing a formidable enemy, demonstrated its strength.

"I didn't expect you to possess a dragon."

Balthazar Zaharias' gaze towards Rozen changed.

Presumably, before this, Balthazar Zaharias didn't even consider Rozen as an enemy, thinking that deploying "Kaleid Blood" alone would be enough, even if he was the younger brother of "Witch of the Void."

However, now, looking at the dragon appearing around Rozen, Balthazar Zaharias had a bad feeling.

This Balthazar Zaharias had no idea that, after completing its transformation into a true adult, reaching the strategic peak, Hokuto had a total length of over three kilometers. It was far beyond just this size.

After growing completely, Hokuto not only gained the ability to freely manipulate the weather but also acquired the power of transformation. By adjusting the scale of magical power, it could freely control its size.

Thanks to this, Hokuto could not only shrink its body but also continue to enlarge it. When small, it could be reduced to only ten meters, while when large, it could reach over ten thousand meters, a full size of ten kilometers, which was incredibly astonishing.

Of course, if it truly became that large, the consumption of magical power would intensify. Conversely, it would decrease when shrinking. However, whether enlarging or shrinking, there would be some adjustments in power.

Specifically, once enlarged, Hokuto's strength would increase accordingly, and every move would be enough to devastate heaven and earth. Even a mountain peak could be shattered with a single claw.

However, by then, not only would the consumption of magical power intensify, but speed and agility would also decrease. It would become a sitting duck, vulnerable to enemy attacks, unsuitable for dealing with enemies that could cause actual harm.

On the contrary, once shrunk, Hokuto's strength would decrease accordingly, unable to use its colossal size to move mountains and split the earth. However, magical power would become more concentrated, and consumption would decrease. Speed and agility would increase significantly, making it more advantageous for combat.

Now, facing two Catastrophe-level Beast Vassals, if Hokuto were to enlarge its size, it would have to endure a force capable of sinking the entire artificial island.

With its massive size, dodging is nearly impossible, and it would have to withstand the damage. Moreover, due to its increased strength, engaging in a real battle might result in Hokuto destroying Itogami Island first. Therefore, it's not a viable option.

So, in order to pursue speed and agility, along with reduced magical power consumption, Rozen naturally instructed Hokuto to shrink its size, becoming just like the two opposing Beast Vassals, only a dozen meters in size.

Given this, the current Hokuto looks exactly like when Rozen first made it his Shikigami, with the only difference being a slightly larger size and the dragon claws changing from three to five. The once curious and innocent gaze is now replaced by a majestic and oppressive presence.

However, the draconic aura emanating from Hokuto is vastly different from before, shaking the entire surrounding space. It exudes a formidable presence and pressure, indicating that this dragon is now on a completely different level.

With Hokuto in this state, even if a true Primogenitor were to appear, Rozen would dare to confront it, let alone facing just two Beast Vassals of the Fourth Primogenitor.

As for Balthazar Zaharias, Rozen doesn't even consider him a threat.

Therefore...

"Hokuto!"

Rozen called out Hokuto's name.

With just this sentence, Hokuto completely understood Rozen's instructions.

"Roar!"

Hokuto roared instantly, and with a flick of its dragon tail, it shot out like a golden flash.

This glide was as fast as a golden light.

Sacrificing its massive size and power, Hokuto gained speed and agility, instantly darting in front of the Minotaur Beast Vassal.

"Boom!"

The next moment, a deafening roar echoed.

It was the sound of Hokuto's dragon tail, which had swiftly reached the Minotaur Beast Vassal. Hokuto gathered its draconic aura on its tail, fiercely slamming it into the Minotaur Beast Vassal.

"Boom!"

Accompanied by an explosive sound, the Minotaur Beast Vassal was dispersed.

Yes.

Dispersed.

With just one strike, Hokuto shattered the Beast Vassal of the true Primogenitor.