When the Dragonkin Soldier fought at full strength, the spectacle was impossible to ignore.
The thunderous crashes echoed throughout the false night sky, so loud that even the slumbering Astel was awakened.
Long ago, Astel and its kin had descended from the stars upon the Lands Between.
Together, they brought about the destruction of the Nox Dynasty.
Every Eternal City fell to their assault.
Yet once this act of divine punishment had been carried out, they were left without purpose.
With no further commands to follow, Astel and its offspring scattered across the Lands Between.
After helping destroy Nokstella, this particular Astel had remained among the cliffs near the city, sleeping for ages.
Now, on the ground below, the Dragonkin Soldier found itself face-to-face with the being responsible for Nokstella's downfall.
Fury surged within it.
Scrambling upright on all fours, it rose in a frenzy.
Its head was still ringing from Lucian's earlier blow.
The lingering dizziness clouded its thoughts, but only fueled its aggression.
Amid the confusion, its primary directive to guard the throne, began to fade.
Hatred was taking its place.
When Astel had invaded Nokstella long ago, the Dragonkin Soldier, its creators' most successful prototype, had never been deployed.
Its final order had been simple:
Stand before the throne.
Protect this place.
The pool where it had been stationed lay far from the city proper, and Astel's objective had only been the destruction of the Eternal City itself.
As a result, the two had never crossed paths.
Not then.
But now, the opportunity for vengeance had finally arrived.
Its restraint shattered.
The Dragonkin Soldier's eyes burned crimson as it roared toward the sky.
Broken bones shifted and realigned beneath rapidly regenerating flesh.
Before the healing was even complete, it spread its wings and launched itself toward Astel.
Frozen lightning gathered in its hands and was hurled upward.
Meanwhile, Lucian had already found the perfect viewing spot.
Standing atop one of the giant throne's armrests, he left the battlefield to the two colossal creatures.
A clash between ancient enemies.
Could the Dragonkin Soldier finally claim its revenge?
The trip had suddenly become far more worthwhile.
Astel, however, knew nothing of the Dragonkin Soldier's grudge.
But any creature that bared its fangs at it would receive a response.
Even among the stars, Astel's species was feared for its ferocity.
As the Dragonkin's frozen lightning flew toward it, Astel swept one arm forward.
A dark nebula spread across the air before it.
The moment the lightning struck the cloud, a violent explosion erupted.
Yet through the storm of glittering stardust, the Dragonkin Soldier burst forth.
Charging straight through the aftermath, it closed the distance in an instant.
Both hands wrapped in frozen lightning, it seized Astel's massive mandibles.
Frost rapidly spread across the pale bone.
The Dragonkin Soldier intended to tear the jaws apart entirely.
Astel's mandibles strained against the grip while its largest limbs pushed back in resistance.
There was a significant gap in overall strength between the two.
Yet the Dragonkin's tremendous physical power, born from the traits of dragons and giants, held Astel firmly in place.
For the moment, Astel's signature weapon was effectively neutralized.
But Astel possessed far more than its jaws alone.
Even as it struggled against the Dragonkin Soldier, violet gravitational energy began gathering within its mouth.
Before the gravity beam could fire, its enormous tail had already struck.
Like a chain of stars crossing the heavens, the tail pierced through the air with terrifying force.
The Dragonkin Soldier tilted its head aside and avoided the direct hit.
Even so, the attack tore through the armor on its shoulder.
Rows of sharp spines ripped into flesh and armor alike, leaving a devastating wound.
Yet the Dragonkin Soldier paid no attention to the pain.
Instead, it tightened its grip.
Now that it had finally seized its enemy, how could it possibly let go?
Long ago, it had watched Nokstella crumble beneath Astel's falling meteors.
That sight had never left its memory.
It had been created to protect the city.
Yet it had failed to protect anything.
All that remained were a throne, countless remains, and a dead city.
Now, at last, the chance for vengeance stood before it.
It could not allow that opportunity to slip away.
As the gravity beam in Astel's mouth grew brighter and more concentrated, the Dragonkin Soldier acted first.
A torrent of frozen lightning erupted from its jaws.
The pale skull was engulfed in crackling blue-white energy.
But Astel's attack had already reached critical intensity.
The condensed gravity beam punched straight through the storm of lightning.
The beam struck the Dragonkin Soldier and tore through its chest before continuing into the cliff behind it.
Cracks spread across the towering rock face.
Moments later, an entire section collapsed into the pool below, sending great waves surging outward.
The Dragonkin Soldier suffered severe damage from the direct hit.
But Astel's assault was far from over.
More gravity beams followed, piercing the Dragonkin's body again and again.
Had it been an ordinary living creature, the battle would have ended there.
Yet the Dragonkin Soldier endured.
Its torso had been ravaged, and its grip weakened considerably.
At last, Astel's mandibles broke free.
Retaliation came immediately.
Smaller mouthparts locked onto the Dragonkin's already-damaged right arm while the massive jaws struck repeatedly.
The limb, previously broken by Lucian, quickly became unusable.
Almost mockingly, Astel dragged the ruined arm into its mouth and began crushing it.
Despite its injuries, the Dragonkin Soldier remained airborne.
While Astel focused on the arm, its still-functional left hand shot toward one of the dark eyes embedded within the pale skull.
Astel was forced to interrupt its attack and pull its head away.
Even Astel was beginning to recognize the Dragonkin Soldier's tenacity.
Unwilling to continue this struggle in the air, it gathered gravitational power within the smaller limbs beneath its abdomen.
Ripples of gravity spread outward.
The Dragonkin Soldier was dragged downward.
But just before being pulled away, it suddenly twisted its head and clamped its jaws around Astel's tail spike.
The dense cluster of spines pierced its mouth.
Its tongue was riddled with wounds and pinned against its lower jaw.
Yet still, it refused to let go.
Those injuries no longer mattered.
The Dragonkin Soldier's jaws locked around Astel's tail, the two sets of fangs wedging themselves firmly into place. Once again, it had seized its prey.
There would be no escape this time.
Ignoring the spikes piercing its mouth, the Dragonkin Soldier slowly but relentlessly bit down with crushing force.
Cracks spread across Astel's star-like tail segment by segment.
Pain, an unfamiliar sensation for Astel, shot through its body. It thrashed violently, whipping its tail through the air.
The massive Dragonkin Soldier was hurled back and forth, repeatedly slammed into cliff faces hard enough to shatter stone.
Yet no matter how fiercely Astel struggled, the pain only grew worse.
The Dragonkin Soldier refused to let go.
At last, unable to endure it any longer, Astel twisted its body and put every ounce of strength into a final violent swing.
Only then was the Dragonkin Soldier torn free, crashing deep into a cliffside.
Astel's tail had been severed completely.
Brilliant, iridescent fluid dripped from the wound.
The unprecedented pain forced a shrill cry from its throat.
The Dragonkin Soldier pushed itself out of the shattered rock and answered with a roar of its own.
The broken section of Astel's tail was still lodged in its mangled mouth, fused with torn flesh and shattered teeth, making the sound grotesque and distorted.
To Astel, however, it sounded strangely unsettling.
For the first time in its life, an unfamiliar emotion surfaced within its mind.
It did not know what to call the feeling.
In the Lands Between, people called it fear.
Astel was an intelligent species and therefore capable of emotion.
Long ago, it seemed to remember encountering creatures like this one.
They had stood before the city it was sent to destroy, only to be swept aside beneath falling stars.
The Dragonkin Soldier before it looked somewhat different, but Astel was certain it belonged to the same kind.
A weak species.
A species that should never have inspired such feelings.
Realizing it was experiencing fear toward something it considered inferior only enraged Astel further.
Raising its arms, Astel tilted its massive mandibles toward the heavens.
Purple gravitational power flooded the false night sky.
A vast dark void twisted space itself above its head.
One enormous meteor after another emerged from the darkness and hurtled toward the Dragonkin Soldier below.
The moment the Dragonkin Soldier saw the same meteors that had once destroyed Nokstella, the last remnants of restraint vanished.
It descended into complete frenzy.
Ignoring the devastation raining down around it, it charged forward on all fours.
Its speed climbed higher and higher.
The wings on its back pushed it to its absolute limit.
With jaws wide open, it rushed straight toward Astel.
The meteors struck one after another.
The cloak and armor of the Nox Dynasty, symbols of honor and proof of its identity as a soldier—were the first things to be destroyed, just as the Eternal City itself had once been destroyed.
Next came the false stone scales crafted in imitation of the Ancient Dragons.
They could mimic draconic form, but not true immortality.
Unlike real dragons, they could only age and perish.
But even stripped of all those things—
It was still Nokstella's Dragonkin Soldier.
The last and strongest Dragonkin Soldier of Nokstella.
It would rather die in the charge than retreat.
By the time it reached Astel, its body was nearly ruined.
But it had reached its destination.
That was enough.
Its draconic head, once covered in thick scales, had been smashed apart by the meteors.
Half its skull was shattered.
Blood and ruined flesh covered its face.
Its already battered body was barely recognizable.
Yet even in that condition, the Dragonkin Soldier slammed itself into Astel with everything it had left.
Astel had never expected it to break through the meteor storm.
Still focused on maintaining the spell, it took the full impact head-on.
Its meteor barrage collapsed immediately.
Worse, the tremendous blow knocked it off balance.
For a brief moment, everything spun.
When Astel recovered and looked up, it found itself pinned beneath the Dragonkin Soldier.
The creature's remaining arm had seized the bases of Astel's delicate wings.
Astel instantly sensed danger.
Even teleportation could no longer guarantee a clean escape.
Several of its limbs glowed with deep gravitational power and pressed downward.
Dark ripples spread across the flooded basin, suppressing everything in the area.
The Dragonkin Soldier was forced downward as well.
But even while being crushed by gravity, it clenched Astel's wings tighter and twisted.
With a sickening snap, all four wings broke.
They hung limply to one side.
Astel's mandibles clamped onto the Dragonkin Soldier and hurled it away.
Freed at last, Astel vanished into a cloud of dark starlight.
A moment later, it reappeared far across the battlefield.
The Dragonkin Soldier remained pinned to the ground, helpless beneath the overwhelming force of gravity.
All it could do was watch as gravitational energy gathered once more within Astel's mouth.
It roared.
It struggled.
It tried to rise again.
But determination alone could not overcome the gap in power.
The Dragonkin Soldier had reached its limit.
It could no longer resist such crushing force.
Ordinary Dragonkin Soldiers ranked among the stronger heroes.
This one was exceptional, far beyond its kin, powerful enough to stand among the greatest of them.
Yet Astel was a celestial being capable of destroying an Eternal City.
A true demigod-level threat.
Objectively speaking, the Dragonkin Soldier had performed miracles.
Its achievements were extraordinary.
It had simply fallen one step short.
Lucian looked up at Nokstella's artificial night sky and gently shook the Spirit Calling Bell in his hand.
"Then it won't be short anymore."
Moments earlier, the bell had begun ringing on its own.
Spirits were calling to him.
The two Dragonkin Soldier ashes he had, had been roaring soundlessly within the spirit realm, their desire to return to the world unmistakable.
They, too, wanted revenge.
So Lucian gave them that chance.
Two mighty roars echoed through the night.
Dragonkin Soldiers formed from radiant spirit-light spread their wings and dove toward Astel.
With its wings already crippled, Astel could not evade them in time.
The gravitational beam it had been charging veered off target, blasting into Nokstella's cliffs and reducing yet another towering structure to rubble.
The second spirit Dragonkin summoned frozen lightning that spread across the waters below, engulfing Astel's body.
Strike after strike landed.
Astel's condition deteriorated rapidly.
Why?
Why are there suddenly two more of them?!
Empowered by the spirit realm, the two Dragonkin Soldier spirits had surpassed the strength they possessed in life, reaching the level of elite heroes.
For the first time, they were strong enough to truly participate in the battle.
Working together, the two incomplete Dragonkin spirits continuously pressured Astel, pinning it down despite the vast difference in power.
Freed from the gravitational suppression, the strongest Dragonkin Soldier charged forward once more.
It bit into Astel's neck.
With the most primitive form of violence imaginable, it poured out all of Nokstella's accumulated rage.
The other two Dragonkin spirits joined in immediately.
Together they tore and bit relentlessly.
Powerful jaws crushed Astel's spine.
Its head was ripped free.
And so Astel, the being that had once destroyed the Eternal City—
met its end at the hands of Nokstella's Dragonkin Soldiers.