[Vol. 7] Chapter 233: The Golden Dragon Transforms, The Butterfly Breaks Free
She whispered to herself and took a step forward.
“Very well, the final trial officially begins!”
“ROAR!!!!”
As Cleo shouted with a fake serious tone, the giant flame dragon opened its mouth without hesitation. A blazing breath of fire burst out like a massive pillar, so wide it was even thicker than the small dragon girl’s body, rushing straight toward her face!
“Ha!!!”
As the powerful attack came at her, the blonde girl didn’t dodge or move. She opened her small mouth and let out a shining golden blast of magical energy. Even though the dragon’s attack was just a test, the girl didn’t hold back at all. Her strong dragon breath completely swallowed the flames and hit the fire dragon hard, tearing apart most of its left wing!
“Whoa, that strong?!”
The wounded fire dragon wobbled in the sky, then had no choice but to land on the ground. The tribe leader who was controlling the ritual dragon shouted in surprise but quickly covered it up with a loud, proud laugh.
“Heh heh heh, but that won’t help you! Do you think the secret technique passed down by the Dragon God can be defeated so easily? Don’t be silly!”
Just as he finished speaking, a line of fire suddenly shot out from the beam of light where the dragon guardians stood and entered the fire dragon’s body. In just a few seconds, the broken wing grew back completely. The dragon looked like it was never hurt at all.
The girl, with no expression on her face, glanced at the dragonkin people inside the beam of light. She raised her hand and slashed out a sharp golden claw mark through the air toward them. But surprisingly, this powerful attack, which would be strong even for most elite fighters, was completely blocked by the light. It didn’t even cause a ripple before disappearing.
Seeing her attack fail, the overconfident tribe leader burst into arrogant laughter again.
“Hahahaha! It’s useless! Don’t try to find shortcuts. This barrier was made by the former Dragon God and filled with divine power by the current one. As long as the flame dragon lives, we won’t be hurt at all! Fight us fair and square, show us your true power!”
BOOM!!!
Another stream of blazing dragon breath burst out, landing in front of the little dragon girl. But it was blocked by an invisible shield-like force and couldn’t get any closer. Perhaps realizing that such test attacks couldn’t hurt her, the flame dragon let out a furious roar and suddenly charged at Xiao Guang with huge, thunderous steps!
“BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!”
The heavy sound of the giant dragon’s footsteps pounding the ground echoed like the intense beat of war drums, shaking the hearts of everyone watching.
Faced with this powerful enemy, the blonde girl stood still as if lost in thought. She quietly stared at the oncoming flames and heat. Reflected in her golden, vertical-pupiled eyes, a strange light seemed to be awakening within the sea of fire.
“……”
Like a perfect lotus blooming or a butterfly breaking free from its cocoon, her noble and beautiful form seemed to declare—
The gears have locked into place.
“My… full power, huh.”
“ROAR!!!!”
The flame dragon spread its wings and came roaring, slashing down with its huge claws. The blonde girl still didn’t move, but in her eyes, burning like fire, there was now a deep and mature look that didn’t belong to someone her age.
She took a deep breath, her soft lips gently opened.
“Super Dimensional Rift.”
As her pale fingers casually drew a line in the air, a sharp slicing sound rang out as if space itself was being stretched. Everything around them turned into a still world of black and white.
Leaves lifted by the wind floated frozen in mid-air. The chirping of insects in the treetops suddenly paused on a strange note. Even the dragon’s fierce fire and claws, right above the girl’s head, stopped completely, as if time itself had frozen.
When the frost breath of an ice or arcane dragon reaches its peak, it can even freeze space and time. And when a powerful dragon pushes its body to the limit, it too can tear through space and time, not with magic, but with raw physical strength, moving so fast that time around it nearly stands still.
This was a power that only belonged to dragons with the strongest bodies in the world, like the Diamond Crystal Dragon, or even the Holy Crystal Dragon. It was a power that shouldn’t have belonged to her, a being formed from a divinity.
But now, the little dragon girl had used it with ease.
The meaning behind this was clear, and the only person present who could still follow Xiao Guang’s movements and resist this time-freezing power, a black-haired girl, couldn’t help but smile. But her smile also carried a mix of emotions that were hard to describe.
She chose to stay as a spectator, because the child had grown up, now with her own will and goal. The path to the future had to be carved by her own hands. Only then would everything that came before truly have meaning.
“……”
Looking up at the huge gray-and-white dragon claw that was now frozen in place, so close she could see the patterns of flame stopped mid-air. The small blonde girl, no taller than 1.3 or 1.4 meters, slowly let out a deep breath and clenched her little pink fists.
“First: [Sky Shattering Claw].”
With a sharp sound, a glowing claw-like light appeared on her fists. It formed into beautiful platinum-colored arm armor that wrapped around all ten of her fingers. A powerful and sharp energy rushed out, as if the whole world and even time itself could be torn apart by this claw.
“Second: [Ring of Earth’s Protection].”
From where the girl’s bare feet touched the ground, a thick, ancient-looking dark ring rose upward, spinning as it moved. Wherever it passed, countless glowing lights formed into strong and shining platinum armor. Long, blade-shaped boots wrapped around her pale feet, reaching up to her knees, giving off a heavy and sharp aura.
When the ring reached the top of her head, it naturally shrank and fused into her extended golden dragon horns, adding a layer of strange magical patterns. Beneath her white battle dress, her short, childlike dragon tail suddenly stretched out with a “whoosh,” looking like a sharp spear hanging behind her.
This one-piece battle dress and the [Sky Shattering Claw] arm armor fit together perfectly, transforming the once unarmed little dragon girl into a tiny but heroic valkyrie. But anyone with deep understanding of power would notice something important.
Her armor was still missing a key piece, something that could connect everything, unlock true transformation, and lift her to a whole new level. Just like the magic core inside a [Graeme], the beast core inside a monster, or the heart inside a human.
That missing piece was…
“Final: [Heart of Eternal Pulsation].”