Back on the battlefield.
The Duke now stood face to face with the Bone Dragon—one of the Demon King's Heavenly Commanders. As he advanced, every step scorched the earth, reducing the very ground beneath him to ash. The air around him shimmered, warped by the heat of his aura.
Step by step, the battlefield held its breath.
Soldiers collapsed from the sheer pressure radiating off him. Some cried out in agony, their skin blistering just from proximity. That… was the might of the Duke of Kustoria.
And the demons?
Even their primal blood knew fear. The smarter ones turned tail, fleeing like vermin before a wildfire. The mindless ones, too slow or too proud, died where they stood—reduced to cinders simply for existing near him.
Behind the Duke stood Knight Commander Alaric Kustoria, his face grim with resolve. With both arms holding a shiel, he channeled his aura like a dam holding back a tidal wave—his sole purpose now to shield their own men from the wrath of their lord's power.
"So you've come, Flame Emperor," growled Karnak, his voice echoing like a thousand roars in unison.
The Bone Dragon stood tall, monstrous and majestic—lava coursing beneath his obsidian scales, wings spread wide as if to blot out the sky. Despite his terrifying form, his words were articulate, intelligent. This was no mindless beast—he was a commander, a king in his own right.
"I always heard the Dragon Tribe was wise," the Duke replied, voice calm, eyes cold. "But seeing you here instead of running the moment you sensed me… maybe you're the dumbest dragon I've ever met."
Karnak snarled, molten cracks spreading across his fanged maw. "Puny human. Your arrogance knows no bounds."
He stepped forward, the earth shattering beneath his weight.
"You may be strong, but you're still human. Weak. Fragile.I will crush you, Flame Emperor, and when the Demon King descends, your death will mark the end of this world."
The Duke's smirk didn't waver. His aura began to flare—brighter, hotter—turning the air between them into a shimmering firelight.
"Then let's begin," he said.
A sudden roar erupted from Karnak's throat—followed by a torrent of fire so massive, so absolute, that legends whispered it could devour an entire country in a single breath.
But it wasn't aimed at the Duke.
The dragon's flame surged toward the army behind him.
"You bastards!" the Duke growled, eyes widening with fury. Without hesitation, he dashed forward, the ground cracking beneath each step as his aura exploded outward. Each stride grew heavier—his power charging, building, burning.
Then he stopped.
Sword slammed into the earth.
"Heavenly Flame Art: Second Form—Eternal Wall of Blaze."
Flame erupted from the ground. One pillar. Then another. Five in total—towering infernos of pure aura, each one blazing like the gates of hell themselves. The pillars twisted, fused, forming a massive wall of fire that loomed over the battlefield. It shimmered like a divine tapestry woven from the sun, its heat turning sand to glass.
It was mesmerizing. Beautiful. Terrifying.
A barrier said to be impregnable, even to the gods.
But not to Karnak.
The dragon breath collided—and pierced through.
The wall cracked, then shattered, fire cutting through like a blade through flesh. The breath surged toward the soldiers. None ran. Not a single one. They stood—silent, waiting.
Was it courage? Or resignation?
Karnak paused, puzzled by their defiance.
Then, from the inferno—
He emerged.
The Duke. Body scorched. Skin blistered. Armor melted, hanging in scraps. His chest heaved, and blood dripped from his lips.
He raised his palm.
"Heavenly Flame Art: Third Form—Blazing Tempest."
The sky darkened.
Wind swirled.
A cyclone of fire descended from the heavens, crashing into the dragon's breath mid-air. Flame met flame. Heat clashed with heat.
And for a moment, the world stood still.
Then—silence.
Smoke choked the battlefield. Ash rained like snow. And when the smoke finally cleared—
He was still standing.
Sword buried in the earth.
Back straight.
Eyes burning.
Inhuman.
Their leader.
Their Flame Emperor.
Looking battered, barely standing, the Duke tightened his grip on Balmung. His voice, though hoarse, thundered across the battlefield.
**"Fear not, my soldiers. For I am the Duke of Kustoria—and I do not lose."
A wave of renewed courage swept through the ranks. The soldiers, once on the edge of despair, straightened their backs. Their eyes lit with fire once more. Their Flame Emperor still stood—and as long as he stood, they would not falter.
Karnak chuckled darkly, smoke curling from his nostrils.
"You don't look so mighty now, Flame Emperor. Where did all that arrogance go? That was just my first attack. I can unleash two more of those—and wipe out you and your little army."
He laughed, the sound echoing like thunder across the wasteland.
The Duke raised his head slowly, a tired but defiant smirk tugging at his lips.
"You seem mistaken, dragon."
He took a step forward, blood trailing behind him.
"I wasn't burned by your flame."
"I was burned by mine."
Karnak's laughter stopped.
"Heavenly Flame Art," the Duke continued, "draws power from the very core of my soul. It doesn't just consume my enemies… it consumes me."
His gaze sharpened, fierce and unwavering.
"It's a cursed power—meant to annihilate everything. Friend, foe, and even the one who wields it."
The wind howled around them, carrying the scent of scorched earth and steel.
"So don't be too proud, Karnak. You haven't even touched me yet.
Wuarghhh! The Bone Dragon roared in fury, its eyes blazing with fiery hatred. "Then show me, human!" it spat, its voice thick with venom. "Show me the power you are so proud of. Show me before I burn you to death!"
The Duke stood tall, undaunted, as the flames of the dragon crackled in the air. "Don't worry," he muttered coldly. "It's my turn now."
His eyes narrowed, and with a voice that rang out like the herald of a storm, he declared: "Look closely, soldiers. This is the power of our Duchy. This is the power of me. This is the power of the Flame Emperor!" He raised his blade high, the sky itself seemingly bending under the weight of his aura. "This is the power of a candidate for the strongest in this world!"
The soldiers watched, wide-eyed, as the Duke's very presence ignited the air around him.
"And you, Bone Dragon… watch closely," he whispered, his voice a low growl, "This is a technique that will kill you and your king."
With a single motion, the Duke swung his blade. Heavenly Flame Art, Final form: World Devourer.
A single, small black flame ignited in front of his sword. So small it seemed insignificant—barely a whisper of a spark. But the dragon recognized it immediately."How can you have that flame?!" it roared in disbelief. "That isn't something a human should possess!"
The black flame descended, silent and unrelenting. As it touched the earth, the land before it disappeared, disintegrating as if swallowed by the very fabric of existence. The fire spread like a curse, devouring everything in its path. The Bone Dragon's form, once monstrous and mighty, was erased from the world—nothing but ash and echoes left in its wake.
The earth trembled. The air crackled with the force of the attack. And when the storm of destruction faded, the Duke stood alone in the void, his sword shattered, his body scarred and broken, but still unyielding.
The Duke's voice, hoarse and strained, broke the silence."We won."
.........
Somewhere within the capital, a knight hurriedly entered the royal chambers to deliver urgent news to the Emperor. In his hand, a sealed letter trembled with significance.
"Your Majesty, the scout has reported that Duke Kustoria has slain the Bone Dragon, Karnak. What should we do now?" the knight asked, his voice tense with uncertainty.
The Empress, seated beside the Emperor, coldly gestured for the knight to leave.
"Leave," she commanded, her voice sharp and unwavering.
The Emperor let out a long sigh as he absorbed the news. "So it wasn't enough, was it?" he murmured to himself. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "How boring it would be if it ended here. Come Duke, entertain me a little longer. Wiggle and wiggle. Make it more interesting for me."
He paused for a moment, his gaze darkening. "But in the end, all of you—The Duke, his loyal knight commander, and that insolent Snow Knight who dared to shame me in front of everyone—will all die."