"The Crimson Dragon King, Constantine… Wasn't he defeated years ago during the Silver Dragon War?"
Even Yuna, a Thunder Dragon, had heard of that legendary battle. "Why is he here now?"
Constantine had taken on his human form, appearing as a man in his thirties. Though only his head was original, transformation magic allowed him to take a smaller, more efficient shape, sparing him the drawbacks of a massive dragon body.
"It's a long story, little one."
As he spoke, Constantine's gaze shifted to Noah, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized her face. After a moment, he said softly, "Ah, I recognize you. You're Leon Cosmodeous and the Silver Dragon Queen's daughter. Maureen's reports mentioned you—back then, you were just a little thing."
Maureen had once been Constantine's informant within the Silver Dragon Clan before Leon Cosmodeous's "sting operation" exposed her. His tone sounded as if he were merely a distant uncle making conversation.
But Noah knew better. This dragon was far from a harmless acquaintance. He had attacked her home twice, targeting both the Silver Dragon Kingdom and the Red Dragon Sanctuary.
"Leon?" one of Constantine's Crimson Dragon guards sneered. "If she's his daughter, let's deal with her now, Your Majesty. That would surely even the score."
Constantine's rivalry with Leon Cosmodeous spanned years, and his torture at the Empire's hands was indirectly tied to Leon's actions. The guard's suggestion of ending Leon's bloodline was tempting.
However—
"My grudge against Leon doesn't extend to his children. Besides, do you think I, a Dragon King, would harm a child?"
In this, at least, Constantine had standards. Despite being sent to "respawn" twice by General Leon Cosmodeous, he chose to focus on the present. Revenge on a child was beneath him, and killing Leon's daughter would taint his honor as a Dragon King.
True to his words, Constantine preferred to defeat Leon directly, in combat, to settle their score.
"Keep an eye on these six and don't let them escape."
Six?
Noah glanced up, noticing the three others in the spacious chamber for the first time.
Helena, Diane, and Raymond were under guard, their hands bound.
"Helena!"
"Noah…"
"Quiet! Enough talking!" barked a guard, shoving Noah and the others toward the three captives.
"I saw the trail of hair you left behind," Noah murmured softly to Helena.
Helena's weary face broke into a small, relieved smile before sadness clouded her features. "But now we're all caught… and there's no one left to save us."
No one?
Not quite. Her "overprotective" dad and mom were probably somewhere nearby.
While Noah had been curious about why her parents would venture to the Far North, Constantine's presence had clarified things. They were here because of him or the Primordial Power. Her parents would never come to a place like this just for a "romantic getaway."
Even so, Noah knew she couldn't rely on them alone. She couldn't leave her friends' lives to an uncertain rescue.
Noah raised her gaze toward the room's center and saw the purpose of Constantine's presence: the massive dragon statue.
The statue was nearly as large as a Dragon King, with wings half-extended in a majestic, sweeping pose. Even as mere stone, the figure radiated an aura of authority that filled the room.
Noah frowned slightly. "Whose statue is that?"
"The Primordial Dragon King, Noah," Helena whispered back. "Constantine's been deciphering the ancient dragon script on the walls. This place is the first Dragon King Noah's resting place… or perhaps, his tomb."
Helena chuckled weakly. "Funny, right? You have the same name as the Primordial King."
Noah pondered this and replied, "It's not entirely a coincidence. My mom chose my name based on this ancestor."
Looking around, Noah asked, "We fell through a stone slab in the ice. How did Constantine get down here?"
Helena tilted her head, gesturing above them.
Noah looked up and gasped.
Directly overhead was a colossal opening, stretching up toward the surface. At least a hundred meters high, the walls of the gap were lined with melted snow and heated stone, trickling with water.
The cold wind gusted through the opening, and Noah swallowed hard, her disbelief clear.
"Did… did Constantine burn through the ice layer of the Far North?"
Helena nodded. "Yes, he did. I always thought that was an exaggeration grown-ups used to describe how extreme the Far North was."
It seemed the "Little Dragon's Tales" were not as far-fetched as they seemed; Constantine's powers were something to behold.
"What's he doing here?" Noah asked.
"I didn't quite understand everything, but it seems he's after a power… that's sealed within the statue of the Primordial Dragon King."
"Quiet, you brats! His Majesty said not to kill you, but he didn't say you couldn't get hurt," a Crimson Dragon guard barked at them.
The two fell silent.
Noah watched Constantine, noting his movements and expression as he approached the statue. He opened his arms wide, closing his eyes as though sensing a powerful, ancient force.
"I can feel it… the ripple of the Primordial Power."
Constantine's body was stitched together with the Primordial Power, different from the power from Rosswessi—could summon. This difference allowed him to sense it keenly at such a close range.
"Let's begin, Your Majesty. This supreme power will soon be yours," said Iron Wing Dragon King Fehr, stepping back to give Constantine space.
Constantine began the ritual.
He focused, gathering the Primordial Power in his chest. A beam of white light extended from his chest toward the Noah statue before him.
The light connected him to the statue, and a sharp cracking sound echoed as fragments broke from the stone. Slowly, the pure, ancient Primordial Power within the statue began to flow into Constantine.
As he absorbed this power, his eyes snapped open, his red dragon eyes turning a pure, icy white as scales began forming around them.
"This… this is Noah's power… the oldest, purest strength of the dragons! It's mine!"
The relic chamber pulsed with energy as the floor trembled violently.
Forcing herself to stay calm, Noah thought through her next steps. If Constantine was here for the Primordial Power, then her parents were likely here to stop him.
After all, if they weren't here for a romantic outing, then they were here to prevent him from achieving his goal.
And if Constantine's goal was to amass power, what would he do after that?
Revenge. He would seek revenge on Leon Cosmodeous.
Her parents might be nearby, but she couldn't rely on that. She had to stall Constantine, buy time, and maybe even stop him herself.
However, she understood the vast power difference between herself and Constantine. While she might excel at ambushing Dragon Kings, a direct confrontation was a different matter altogether.
Biting her lip, Noah scanned her surroundings for anything she could use.
That's when she noticed a stone giant statue beside the Noah sculpture—similar to the one she'd encountered when she first fell. But this one was inactive, its forehead lacking the white crystal she'd seen on the previous giant.
The crystal…
She remembered she'd stashed the first giant's forehead crystal in her pocket. Initially, she had planned to exchange it for assessment points once back at school—her ambitious self was determined to score the highest possible points while also rescuing her friend.
"If I put the crystal in the giant's forehead… maybe I can activate it."
She glanced back at the Crimson Dragon guards, noticing they were focused on Constantine's ritual.
Perfect.
Noah summoned her lightning magic.
The sudden, crackling jolt stunned the guard behind her, forcing him to release his grip.
Seizing the opportunity, Noah bolted toward the stone giant.
"Damn it! Stop that kid! Don't let her interfere!"
The guards rushed forward, trying to intercept her.
Using agile footwork and her "disadvantageous" height, Noah dodged and weaved past them.
When the guards closed in, Helena broke free from her captor and hurled dragon fire, blasting the guards chasing Noah and creating a temporary barrier of flames.
"Go, Noah! Do whatever you have to do!" Helena shouted.
She was immediately pinned down by two guards, but she continued shouting, "Hurry, Noah! You can do it! You've got this!"
Inspired, Yuna joined the fray, swinging her hand free to release dragon fire, adding to the chaos.
"Run, little sister! Don't let them catch you! Run!"
Raymond and Diane did their best to create further distractions.
Even Anton, who'd been pretending to faint in fear, tried his best.
"Kid! If I end up with a broken leg, it's your fault! Ow! Not the face! This face is my moneymaker!"
While Anton's face wasn't actually smashed, his efforts, along with the others', bought Noah just enough time.
She sprinted with all her might, her small figure bearing the team's last glimmer of hope.
The guards were close behind, but in a final leap, Noah reached the stone giant, pressing the white crystal into its forehead.
In the next moment, the giant's eyes flared to life. It stirred, stepping around Noah to confront Constantine.
The guards turned their attention to the activated giant, launching magical attacks, but they had no effect.
Iron Wing Dragon Fehr jumped in to assist.
But the giant's target was clear: Constantine.
The giant was the relic guardian, programmed to attack anyone who disturbed Noah's statue.
The stone giant shoved Fehr aside, heading straight for Constantine.
Constantine couldn't stop the ritual now without losing everything, but he raised a hand, intending to use fire magic against the giant.
Seeing his guards' magic fail, he realized that only physical force or the Primordial Power itself could damage the guardian.
Constantine gritted his teeth, channeling Primordial Power and releasing it in an attack.
The power surged into the stone giant, shattering it to pieces.
Constantine sneered. "Pathetic."
But as the dust settled, a small, dark shape darted forward. Using the rubble for cover, Noah charged at Constantine, her hand crackling with lightning.
The sound of a thunderbird echoed through the chamber.
She really was good at ambushing Dragon Kings.
Constantine was still pulling back from his last attack, giving Noah the opening she needed to reach him.
"I hate this move!"
Leon Cosmodeous's signature attack, burned into Constantine's memory, was unmistakable. Why couldn't Leon teach his daughter something more refined?
"Constantine!!"
Noah screamed, thrusting her electrified fist toward the Crimson Dragon King.
Primordial Power and lightning collided, blinding white light exploding around them, swallowing Noah and Constantine whole.
The shockwave threw Noah back, and she briefly lost consciousness.
In the darkness, flashes of scenes flooded her mind—
Ancient battlefields, littered with bodies, swords and spears scattered across a barren land, skies choked with dust. Massive dragons fell from the heavens, shaking the ground.
Mountains shattered, rivers reversed, and dragons clashed, their blood dyeing the icy plains crimson.
It was the dragon race's darkest history—bloody, primal, brutal.
And standing over the battlefield, atop a mountain of ice, was a colossal white dragon, its wings casting shadows over the world, its roar piercing the sky.
This was a dragon king, the first Dragon King—Noah.
...
It felt like waking from a dream. Exhausted, Noah barely registered the sound of Constantine's voice.
"Why won't you leave me in peace?!"
Was he talking about her?
Or…
A familiar warmth enveloped her, and a soothing scent filled her nose.
Noah slowly opened her eyes, silver hair meeting her gaze.
"Mom…"
Holding her brave daughter, Rosswessi smiled through her tears. "You can rest now, sweetheart. From here on… leave it to me and Dad."
"Dad?"
Noah turned to see the towering figure standing between her and Constantine.
Blue lightning reflected in Noah's eyes as she heard her father's fierce, resounding declaration:
"For the third time, I'm sending you back to hell, Constantine."