Rian extended his right hand, which still radiated traces of the golden tattoo pattern. The moment Zephyrus’s front paw touched Rian’s skin, the flow of their combined magic surged violently once more.
BZZZZ-ROAARRR!
“Picture a beam of light, Rian! Shoot that masked woman!” Zephyrus commanded. Rian closed his eyes for a moment, focusing all his attention downward. From his palm, bound by Zephyrus’s magic, a Giant Golden Light Bow materialized.
The black dragon whipped its head violently, trying to throw them both off. But Rian held his position, drawing the bowstring of light as far back as it would go.
“This is for my ruined home!” Rian shouted as he released his golden arrow.
BOOOM!
The beam of light shot forth like a falling comet, cleaving through the night air and striking the Skull Flute in the silver-masked woman’s hand dead-on!
CRAAASH!
The magical flute shattered into countless pieces and dissolved into dust.
The silver-masked woman staggered backward in shock as the blast wave slammed into her forces. Without the flute’s sound, the Dark Dragon’s red eyes suddenly faded, replaced by a confused yellow. The dragon let out a thunderous roar, losing control of its dark magic, then slowly began drifting downward toward the mountain valley.
“Aaaagh! We’re going to fall!” Rian screamed. Zephyrus smiled proudly, his whiskers trembling. “Relax. It’s time for a god-tier landing!”
Zephyrus drew the deepest breath he had ever taken in his entire life as a cat. His mortal lungs expanded to their limit. “HAHHHH... HAHHHH... HAAATCHOOOOO!”
A superpowered magic sneeze exploded from Zephyrus’s nose toward the ground!
BZZZZ-BOOOOM!
A pink magic wave mixed with fish crackers shot downward like a booster rocket, slowing the giant dragon’s fall until they landed very gently on the valley’s grassland.
Poof.
Thin smoke billowed upward. The giant dragon fell into a deep sleep from the soothing effects of Zephyrus’s sneeze. Rian and Zephyrus sat on the dragon’s head, panting heavily.
“Are we... safe?” Rian whispered in disbelief. Zephyrus flicked his tail, reverting to his lazy cat form. “Of course. Nothing can defeat the combination of a Grand Mage and his Balancing Vessel.”
From the distance, Eleanor and Malakor came running toward them. “Nice work, Zephyrus. You managed to tame the dragon,” Malakor praised him telepathically.
But before they could celebrate their small victory, the air in the middle of the valley suddenly grew bitterly cold. The night wind stopped blowing. The sky above them abruptly split open, revealing a blood-red dimensional rift.
From within the rift emerged a gigantic mirror reflecting the image of a black-crowned man whose eyes burned like lava. A terrifying aura of dark majesty pressed down upon the entire valley, making it suddenly difficult for Rian, Eleanor, and Malakor to breathe.
It was Lord Drakon—the Dark King of the Astral Dimension itself!
From within the mirror, Lord Drakon’s voice reverberated thunderously across the earth. “Zephyrus... your little game with this Mortal Human has been quite entertaining. But I have opened the Main Dimensional Gate. In three days, the entire earth will become my domain... unless you willingly surrender your soul.”
The gigantic mirror shattered into fragments of darkness, leaving behind a suffocating atmosphere. Zephyrus stood tall, staring at the crack in the sky with his emerald-green eyes, now blazing with determination.
“Three days...” Rian whispered shakily, looking at Mochi. “What are we supposed to do in three days, Mochi?”
Zephyrus turned toward Rian, then flashed a wide grin. “First things first... buy lots of fish crackers, Rian. Because over the next three days, we’re going to recruit a Divine Army to destroy the Dark King!”