My Love Debts Are Everywhere!

"Don't worry, I won't destroy the capital."

At the sound of her voice, Leon was momentarily stunned. He then exhaled in relief and withdrew his holy power.

Since Athena had already assured him, he trusted her. His gaze shifted to the massive meteor, then to the dragon whose neck was gripped by Athena's dragon claw.

*Boom!*

Moments later, the meteor collided with the dragon, unleashing a powerful explosion of immense force.

The sky and earth trembled violently, while the shockwave shattered everything in its path.

Fortunately, just seconds later, a large petal-shaped red light appeared, engulfing the explosion and sparing the capital from annihilation.

Still, the tremors from the explosion were felt. Leon could feel the ground shake beneath him, as if a fierce earthquake was raging.

After a while, the tremors subsided, eventually fading. The black smoke that filled the sky from the explosion slowly dispersed, allowing Leon to see the dragon's condition after being struck by the massive meteor.

"This..." Leon was stunned, barely able to comprehend what he was seeing.

The dragon's massive body shattered upon impact with the meteor, leaving only a palm-sized crystal ball floating in the air.

However, moments later, the crystal ball began to glow with a bright black light. In an instant, the dragon's shattered form began to slowly reassemble. Its evaporated black blood materialized from the air, and the ashes of its internal organs reformed.

This sight made Leon's heart race, and his grip on the hilt of the Holy Sword of Zenith trembled slightly.

"How is it still alive? What method did the Fourth Apostle of the Temple of Twilight use to summon these monsters?" Leon wondered, fear creeping into his thoughts.

The dragon's body had been destroyed twice, yet in mere moments, it restored itself as though it were eternal. Leon had never seen anything like this before, and the sight left him bewildered.

"Wait! Could it be because of that crystal ball?" Leon was taken aback by the realization.

He quickly refocused his gaze on the black crystal ball, now fused with the dragon's nearly reformed body.

After the dragon's body shattered, the crystal ball seemed to emerge from the remnants of its flesh, emitting a black light that caused the dragon to reassemble.

A sudden thought crossed Leon's mind: Was the crystal ball the source of the dragon's incredible healing ability?

If it were destroyed, would the dragon no longer be able to heal itself?

Leon paused to consider this idea. It seemed worth trying.

Taking a deep breath, he glanced up at Athena, high in the sky, and immediately activated one of his hero techniques—telepathy.

"Athena, can you hear me?" Leon called softly.

"I hear you, Leon," Athena replied.

Leon nodded in satisfaction and continued firmly, "Athena, you must have seen the black crystal ball earlier, right? I believe it's the reason the dragon can't die. If we destroy it, we can truly kill it."

Up in the sky, Athena, who had heard his explanation, stared intently at the dragon's enormous body, which had nearly reformed completely.

"I understand, Leon. I share the same theory," she replied calmly, then added with a touch of helplessness, "But do you have a way to destroy it?"

With her power, eliminating the dragon would be easy. However, they were currently in Astralyn Capital, and she couldn't use more than ten percent of her strength.

Otherwise, the entire capital and everything within a fifty-kilometer radius would be turned to dust.

Leon sensed the helplessness in her voice and let out a small chuckle. "Don't worry, Athena. You just need to destroy the dragon's body one more time, and I'll take care of the crystal ball. How does that sound?"

Athena was silent for a moment, then a playful smile spread across her lips. "Alright, I agree."

At first, she had intended to slay the dragon herself, unwilling to rely on Leon. But after a moment's thought, the idea of fighting alongside him seemed both intriguing and a little romantic.

With a smile still lingering, Athena shifted her gaze back to the dragon, whose body had fully regenerated.

"Then let's drag this out a little longer," she whispered softly, her red eyes glowing with intensity.

...

"Oh? It seems there's someone who can match my trump card." The black-cloaked man raised an eyebrow, unable to hide his surprise.

He stared at the black orb in his hand, which pulsed with a pitch-black light, then whispered, "Show."

*Buzz!*

In an instant, a reflection screen displaying the dragon's perspective appeared before him.

As he processed what he was seeing, his eyes widened, and his heart raced. "What? A dragon?"

In the reflection, he saw the dragon monster he had summoned battling a red dragon of roughly the same size.

"Damn it! How can there be such a dragon in the Capital? Is it supporting the rebels? But wasn't there an agreement between humanity and the dragon race not to interfere with each other?" he muttered in disbelief.

No matter how much he tried to reason, he couldn't make sense of it.

His expression darkened beneath the hood, and he whispered coldly, "No, I can't let the dragon defeat my trump card. If it does, the rebel army will undoubtedly breach the capital, and by then, the alliance with Velix and the entire hundred-year plan of the Temple of Twilight will be lost!"

He closed his eyes, his mana steadily increasing as it absorbed more and more from Velix.

Meanwhile, Velix, sensing the increasing drain on his mana, frowned slightly and narrowed his eyes at the black-cloaked man.

"What's happening? Why is he absorbing even more of my mana? What's his plan?" Velix wondered, suspicion creeping into his thoughts.

However, as his gaze shifted to the growing black light emanating from the crystal ball in the man's hand, he chose to remain silent and continued channeling his mana.

...

*Boom!*

High in the sky, two massive dragons collided. The black dragon beat its enormous wings and flew back, opening its mouth wide.

*Fwoossh!*

Ten fireballs formed before its mouth, and with a loud whoosh, they shot toward the red dragon in the distance.

In response to the fireball attack, the red dragon—Athena—swiftly spread her wings.

Within moments, fifty deep red fireballs formed between her wings, and she immediately launched them toward the black dragon.

*Boom!*

The fireballs collided in a massive, devastating explosion. However, Athena's fireballs were stronger and more numerous, and forty-five of them shot toward the black dragon, obliterating it.

*Roar!*

The black dragon roared in agony as the fireballs seared its belly, chest, neck, and wings. It tried to flap its wings to steady itself, but it was futile.

Its massive body plummeted from the sky, crashing into the ruined remains of a building below.

Leon, watching from a distance, couldn't help but feel amazed. This was his first time witnessing a battle between dragons in person, and it was truly exhilarating!

At that moment, the severe wounds on the dragon's body began to heal, but something was different—an unusual mark appeared.

The mark was red and spread across the dragon's body like a spider's web. On its rock-hard skin, large, sharp black thorns sprouted, looking terrifying.

Simultaneously, a dark aura erupted from its body, sending a shockwave that rippled out within a two-kilometer radius.

*Roar!*

Its deafening roar, as if shaking the very souls of all beings, reverberated beyond the Capital. Rebel soldiers, locked in an all-out battle with the monsters, gasped in shock as a painful buzzing filled their heads.

"What was that roar?" one soldier asked, his voice trembling as he clutched his aching head.

Some were in the same condition as him, while others managed to steady themselves against the sound.

"That must be the roar of one of the monsters, but I don't know what kind of creature can make such a thunderous sound," his comrade replied, his expression serious as he kept an eye on the Capital's distant gates.

The Capital's massive walls loomed high above, preventing those outside from seeing what was unfolding within.

"By the way, Sword Hero Leon, along with the beautiful woman always by his side, has entered the Capital. Could the roar have been caused by the monsters fighting them?" A soldier asked anxiously.

The group's expressions shifted instantly, realizing the possibility made sense.

"Alright, don't dwell on it! What matters now is finishing off these monsters!" one of them shouted, snapping everyone back to focus.

"Understood!" they responded, raising their weapons and cutting down the monsters around them with renewed vigor.

Meanwhile, high above the Capital, the battle between Athena and the black dragon raged on, the two locked in a fierce exchange of relentless blows.

However, unlike before, the black dragon seemed far stronger, matching Athena's attacks in a few exchanges.

"This is infuriating!" Athena thought, her irritation clear.

She opened her massive jaws and bit savagely into the dragon's neck.

*Roar!*

The black dragon roared in agony, its huge tail swinging toward Athena in retaliation. But Athena's tail intercepted the attack with equal force.

Cornered, the black dragon lunged forward, aiming to sink its teeth into Athena's neck. However, Athena's dragon hide was incredibly resilient, rendering the attack futile. Instead of piercing through, the black dragon's sharp, massive teeth splintered and shattered upon impact.

Athena snorted coldly, releasing her grip on the dragon before striking it with her powerful tail, sending the dragon hurtling high into the sky.

Seizing the opportunity, Athena opened her massive jaws as an enormous fireball, twice her size, formed before her.

*Whoosh!*

Athena hurled the fireball at the dragon, and with a resounding boom, its body shattered once again, leaving only the black crystal ball suspended in the sky.

Without hesitation, Athena activated her telepathic magic and shouted, "Leon, now!"