When Leon returned to the castle with Stella, the flames had already been extinguished.
Naturally, they hadn't gone out on their own; they had been suppressed.
The Dragon God, radiating an aura of silence, remained in the royal hall as if nothing had happened. It was as if that world-shaking battle had been no more than a cool breeze. Her face remained as calm as still water, but her eyes were fixed on Leon, no longer possessing their previous hollowness.
Leon knew that it was precisely because of this Dragon God that the flames capable of destroying the entire castle had vanished without a trace. He surmised that she simply didn't want to lose a place to stand, so she had handled it in passing.
However, because of the recent fight, the castle was no longer just "dilapidated." It was now essentially a ruin—a ruin covered in scorch marks. Aside from the royal hall, there wasn't a single decent structure left.
"I suppose the Kingdom of Vermillion is truly going to be buried in history now?"
Leon felt a brief, inexplicable surge of emotion. Then, remembering something, he set Stella down. He took off his coat and draped it over her exquisite, unclothed form, barely covering the more provocative sights. Only then did he intend to leave the hall to find the missing Kanna.
But before Leon could move, Ophis spoke.
"—Are you looking for this young dragon?"
Ophis produced a little girl from nowhere, holding her up by the back of her collar like a piece of luggage.
Who else could it be but Kanna?
"Awoo—"
Kanna let out a soft whimper. She didn't resist Ophis's grip; she just hung there like a piece of meat on a cutting board, her feet dangling with gravity and her head wobbling as if she were completely dizzy.
"What happened to her?"
Leon stared at Kanna, stunned.
"She was controlled, just a moment ago," Ophis said nonchalantly. "So, I knocked her out."
Leon's eyelid twitched slightly.
While Ophis's explanation was brief and blunt, Leon understood the gist of it.
Simply put, after Kanna was blown away by Stella's Dragon Flame, the young dragon hadn't been seriously injured. However, because Leon had been focused on the battle, the binding force of the soap bubbles had weakened significantly, allowing her to break free. Once free, she fell under the control of Stella's "Laevateinn."
"Laevateinn" possessed the ability to control and strengthen dragons whose bloodline power was inferior to the wielder's. Kanna's raw strength might have been higher than Stella's, but the fact that she could be strengthened by "Laevateinn" proved that in terms of bloodline potential, she was inferior to Stella.
Thus, when Stella's dragon bloodline's defensive instincts forced her into a fight with Leon, the liberated Kanna had likely been controlled by the sword and was preparing to enter the fray to double-team Leon.
Unfortunately, she didn't make it in time.
Or rather, she did charge into the battlefield, but she ran straight into Ophis, who was spectating. Before she could make a move against Leon, Ophis had casually knocked her unconscious.
This young dragon is a bit too pathetic...
Leon looked at Kanna with a hint of disdain, but he still took the dizzy young dragon from Ophis and said:
"Thanks."
Even if Ophis hadn't intervened, with his current strength, fighting two Dragon King-class combatants at once shouldn't have been a major issue, but it certainly would have been troublesome.
Since Ophis had settled it and clearly restrained her strength—avoiding the heavy-handedness he had feared—it was only right for Leon to show some gratitude.
But Ophis didn't care about that at all.
She simply gazed at Leon as if she were looking at a rare treasure, and suddenly spoke.
"Your power is very special."
Leon was stunned again.
Special?
How so?
"To others, perhaps, but to you, it shouldn't be much, right?" Leon replied.
As discussed before, Leon's power—whether it was the "Zenith Tempest," the second strongest Longinus in the world, or his demonic power approaching that of a top-tier Devil—might be extraordinary to others, but in the eyes of the Dragon God Ophis, it should be nothing.
The same went for his combat strength. Even now, Leon only had the confidence to fight against veteran Super-Maou-class beings. If his opponents were Transcenders like Sirzechs or Ajuka, or God-class combatants from various mythologies, he would be completely outmatched.
He was still far from being able to contend with Transcender or God-class existences.
And those so-called Transcenders and Gods were no more than cats and dogs in front of Ophis.
What right did he have to earn the evaluation of "special" from her?
While Leon was thinking this, Ophis said nothing but reached out her other hand toward him.
Clang!
An uncontrollable magic circle suddenly appeared in front of Leon. A deep crimson piece drifted out from it and flew into Ophis's hand.
It was Leon's Evil Piece.
Specifically, it was the most important piece among his set—the "Queen."
The moment this piece, which had never found a master, fell into Ophis's hand, it erupted with an endless, dazzling brilliance like the sun.
The light was far greater than any phenomenon produced by the pieces Leon had used before—not just a little bit, but exponentially so.
If the light emitted by the pieces Leon had used on his other眷属 (vassals/peerage members) was a campfire, then the light from the "Queen" piece now was a cosmic fire.
It was the light of a star, a concentrated radiance comparable to a planetary core.
"!"
Leon's pupils shrank, and his heart hammered in his chest.
Ophis held the glowing Evil Piece and spoke quietly.
"I can feel it. The power connected to this piece... its rank is equal to my 'Infinite' and Great Red's 'Dream.' It might even be above them."
Ophis's voice was like a heavy drum. It was soft and quiet, yet it struck Leon's heart with immense force.
"You became stronger suddenly just now because of this power, didn't you?"
Having witnessed the entire process of Leon using an Evil Piece to take Stella as a peerage member and gaining strength from the feedback of the "Peerage Assimilation" trait, Ophis spoke words that Leon could not ignore.
Leon finally understood. The "special power" Ophis was referring to was his trait of "Peerage Assimilation."
It was indeed an extremely unique power.
Special enough to allow Leon to go from a newly promoted High-class Devil to someone capable of rivaling veteran Super-Maou-class beings in less than half a year.
This growth rate would cause an absolute sensation not just in the Underworld, but across every mythological faction in the world.
Leon had always known that he owed his rise from mediocrity to his "Peerage Assimilation" trait, which allowed him to reach a level where he was highly anticipated and valued by the Underworld.
But even so, he hadn't expected this power to be this special.
Equal to Ophis's 'Infinite' and Great Red's 'Dream,' or perhaps even above them—?
Wasn't this evaluation a bit too high?
Did that mean his mutated trait had the potential to reach Dragon God-class, or even higher?
Ophis's "Infinite" and Great Red's "Dream" were their authorities as Dragon Gods—the highest-level concepts in this world.
"Peerage Assimilation" was of the same rank or higher?
Was this even still a Devil's trait?
While Leon's mind was in a whirl, Ophis spoke again.
"Transcender," Ophis said, looking directly at Leon. "In your world, there are existences like that, right?"
Leon was stunned and nodded instinctively.
Then, he heard her say:
"Your power might be something similar to that. But theirs is of the flesh; yours is of the soul and demonic power, and even deeper regions."
Leon opened his mouth but remained silent.
Though Ophis was as cryptic as ever, Leon managed to grasp her meaning.
Sirzechs, Ajuka, and even the other Transcender who was far inferior to them—Vali's grandfather, the son of the original Lucifer—were Transcenders because their very existence had undergone a mutation, making them individuals who stood above Devils.
They were Transcenders of their race, mutants of the species known as Devils. As Ophis said, what they transcended was the body and the bloodline.
According to Ophis, Leon was in a similar situation.
Leon Eligos, the young devil with a limitless future in the eyes of others, was actually a Transcender.
However, unlike Sirzechs and Ajuka, whose mutation occurred in their bodies, bloodlines, race, and life, Leon's mutation occurred in his soul, demonic power, and even deeper levels.
Thus, his so-called mutated trait—"Peerage Assimilation"—was born.
If that were the case, it made sense for Ophis to say this was a power on the same level as or higher than her "Infinite" and Great Red's "Dream."
As Transcenders of their race, Sirzechs and Ajuka could no longer truly be called Devils; they were beings above the biological species of Devils. Therefore, Leon's mutated "Peerage Assimilation" couldn't possibly be the same as the traits of other Devils. It was an ability—a concept—that stood above Devil traits.
Such an ability or concept was enough to rival the authorities of Dragon Gods. Just as Sirzechs and Ajuka could rival Gods despite Devils being unable to do so, Leon's case was simply more exaggerated.
Leon had never expected to learn the essence of his mutated trait here, nor the truth that it wasn't a real "Devil trait."
He certainly never expected that he himself was a Transcender—one even more special than Sirzechs and Ajuka.
But... why?
Because he was a Reincarnator? Had his soul mutated upon coming to this world? Had that ultimately led to this result?
Leon could only think of this possibility.
"—What even is this?"
Leon rubbed his temples, his mood suddenly becoming very complicated.
Ophis naturally wouldn't understand Leon's complex emotions. She just looked at him quietly and said:
"Though it requires a medium, if this power is used correctly, it is not impossible to surpass me... and Great Red in the future."
At this point, Ophis paused and then actually made a request.
"Can you help me defeat Great Red?"
The sudden request snapped Leon out of his complicated thoughts, and he jerked his head up.
"You... you want me to help you defeat Great Red?"
Even Leon was startled by this request.
But Ophis seemed serious.
"I cannot defeat Great Red. But if you can surpass me, and even surpass Great Red, then you can defeat him."
Ophis had turned the uniqueness she saw in Leon into an expectation.
Strangely, this expectation and request seemed much more reliable than relying on the Khaos Brigade to defeat Great Red.
At the very least, if the future Ophis spoke of was achievable, Leon really might be able to defeat Great Red, unlike the Khaos Brigade, which could only offer empty promises.
The problem was, Leon had no reason to agree to Ophis.
Defeat Great Red?
Setting aside whether it was possible, even if it were, he wouldn't do it.
He had no grievance or enmity with the guy. Why go and defeat him?
Just to help a lost girl go home?
Give me a break—
Just as Leon was complaining in his mind, Ophis spoke in a haunting tone.
"I can give you as much of my power as possible, and I can help you become stronger."
Ophis held up the Evil Piece that was still radiating brilliant light and spoke expressionlessly.
"As long as you use this, you can become stronger, right?"
Leon's heart skipped a beat.
What did she mean by that?
Could it be—
A truly incredible, unbelievable thought formed in Leon's mind.
And that thought was confirmed in the next second.
"If you use this on me and turn me into your peerage member, you should become much, much stronger than you are now."
Ophis's voice rang clearly in Leon's ears and echoed in his heart.
"At that time, combined with the power I give you, you should be able to surpass Great Red."
-----------------------------------------------
I handpick only the finest and most captivating novels for you. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon HongMengZi