As Leo gazed at the neatly arranged army beneath the city walls, he narrowed his eyes and made a wish in his heart: "I need my strength to increase tenfold."
In fact, the curse bestowed upon him by the Goddess of Wishes was not limitless.
A tenfold increase was about the maximum he could enhance his own strength.
As Leo made his wish, several names appeared before his eyes.
One name, in particular, made him freeze in shock.
Feya?
That white dragon?!
She was an enemy to him?
Well, that's surprising. Am I really that disliked?
Had it not been for this curse, Leo might never have realized how much he was despised by that white dragon.
But, this might not be a bad thing after all.
A smile crept onto Leo's lips.
He had initially planned to focus on Lilith, but now, perhaps there was a better choice?
A dragon, no less!
Even as a young dragon, she possessed the strength of a divine knight and the power of an advanced magus.
If her power were to increase tenfold...
Leo shuddered to think of the destructive power a true adult dragon could possess!
Feya!
Without further hesitation, Leo chose Feya as his target.
Then, Leo turned to Elena.
"Elena, I need you to summon Feya. Now is the time I require her assistance," Leo said with a smile.
Elena, looking at the army below the city walls, had a worried expression on her face.
Hearing Leo's request, she bit her lower lip hesitantly.
After a moment, she nodded gently.
She then gazed up towards the sky.
Meanwhile, in the dragon's nest atop a hill behind Elena's manor, the white dragon Feya felt the power of the element within her suddenly double.
Her expression shifted subtly as she abruptly rose to her feet.
Her purple eyes conveyed a mix of surprise and confusion, not understanding what was happening.
Before she could figure it out, she felt Elena's summons.
After a brief hesitation, Feya spread her wings, deciding to respond to Elena's call first.
...
Back on the city walls, seeing Elena sending out the summon, a satisfied smile appeared on Leo's face.
Lowering his gaze, he looked again towards the advancing army below.
Watching Horn raise his sword high, Leo asked with a smile, "Big brother, do you hear it?"
"Hear what?" Horn was taken aback.
Leo's question seemed somewhat absurd to him.
The war was about to begin, and Leo's idea of using a few thousand soldiers in the city to resist the power of a nation was laughably naive.
At this moment, Leo appeared as good as dead in his eyes, destined to be hanged on the gallows by their father eventually.
"Dragon's Roar," Leo said with a smile, uttering just two words.
Gentlemen, listen... to the dragon's Roar!
Leo raised his hand and gently snapped his fingers.
"Snap!"
As if in response to Leo, a roar echoed through the skies above the entire city!
It even scattered a patch of dark clouds, resonating throughout the world!
"Roar—!!"
Following that, a massive figure swept across the clouds, casting a terrifying shadow below!
The white dragon's immense figure glided through the torn cloud layer, with rays of sunlight falling upon her, making her scales shimmer with a holy luster!
She soared freely, her roars causing everyone to shiver uncontrollably, their scalps tingling!
It had been hundreds of years since dragons had appeared in the human realms, so the sight of the white dragon in the sky was akin to beholding a deity.
Some citizens in the city even fell to their knees in awe!
Horn also looked up, stunned at the sight of the white dragon under the heavens, unable to believe his eyes.
Was that... a white dragon?
And, it seemed like Leo had summoned her?!
How... how did he do it?!
Horn's heart was filled with shock, confusion, and fear.
"You... you..." he stammered, looking at Leo, his voice trembling.
On the black carriage, Vickery III raised his head, his heart shaken.
A dragon?!
This white dragon had flown out from Jacques, so...
Vickery III looked towards Leo, his eyes trembling slightly.
In addition to incomprehension, he also felt more complex emotions.
Why?
How?
This wretch kept defying him, yet time and again, he left him dumbfounded!
How could he, Vickery III, feel powerless against such a lowly being!?
He was the king of this nation, supposedly omnipotent, yet all he could do was watch helplessly as Leo challenged his authority, becoming the demon in his heart.
"Impossible! It can't be!" Vickery III shook his head involuntarily.
The dragons were one of the most proud races in the world, only recognizing the purest, most powerful, and most noble beings.
How could this lowly wretch...?!
The knights and soldiers of Lionara were equally dumbstruck.
Since ancient times, dragons had symbolized power, mystery, pride, and invincibility!
There were even legends from the ancient era of a dragon knight who, with a single dragon, annihilated an entire kingdom!
In this era, dragon knights were nothing but legends.
So, when a giant dragon appeared in response to a summon, right before their eyes, it felt as if destiny itself had manifested!
For a moment, many soldiers and knights even lost their will to fight.
"Gentlemen, in today's battle, neither I nor Jacques will retreat! If the city falls, I shall be the first to perish by my sword!"
Leo raised his sword, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, his eyes filled with a bloody hue.
"Kill! Kill!!"
The soldiers' cries of battle echoed throughout the entire city.
With the white dragon appearing and their lord leading the way, it seemed as if fate itself was on their side.
What reason did they have to hesitate?
For honor, for freedom, for protecting what they cherished, they were ready to grip their swords and shields tightly, follow Leo's lead, to either die with him or welcome victory!
Seeing his soldiers' boiling morale, a satisfied smile spread across Leo's face.
Lowering his gaze, he looked again at his father and elder brother.
With his sword pointed forward, Leo spoke with a laugh, "Father, big brother, please march forward to your demise!"
Audacious!
With the white dragon's appearance and soaring morale, Leo stood like a king surveying all under heaven!
Both Vickery III and Horn wore extremely grim expressions.
Horn swallowed hard, unable to help but turn to look at Vickery III, awaiting the decision of the nation's supreme ruler.
Vickery III's eyes flickered wildly, his face revealing a struggle.
"Father, we should..." Horn hesitated.
Honestly, a tactical retreat was the best option now.
If they insisted on a direct confrontation, a single giant dragon could decimate half their army!
"Can't you see? It's just a young dragon!" Vickery III snarled, his voice cold.
Then, he raised his head, looking towards Leo on the city wall:
"Continue advancing, breach the city gates!"
"I will personally behead that traitor! I will ensure that everyone in this city following him dies without a burial ground!"
"Do they think they can scare us away with just these men and a young dragon? Dream on!"
"Attack with full force!"
Upon hearing this, unease showed on Horn's face.
However, since Vickery III had issued the command, he had no reason to resist.
Clenching his teeth, Horn waved his hand, signaling all knights and soldiers to follow him in attacking the city gates!
Behind the army, magi accompanying them raised barriers to defend against the incoming arrows.
"Roar—!!"
Suddenly, the white dragon under the heavens let out another roar.
Then, diving down, the white dragon charged straight towards Lionara's army!
As the white dragon plummeted towards them, panic was etched on every knight and soldier's face.
They raised their weapons in a futile attempt to defend themselves.
Meanwhile, several intermediate magi accompanying the army raised their arms, chanting spells, trying to erect a barrier while simultaneously launching magical attacks at the white dragon.
"Snap!"
"Snap!"
"..."
The various elements' powers struck the white dragon, exploding like fireworks, yet failing to inflict even the slightest damage on her.
Almost without slowing down, the white dragon dove right above the army!
Extending her claws, she tore through the barrier made of elemental powers.
"Pfft!"
"Pfft!"
"..."
As the barrier was violently shattered, several magi spat out blood, their eyes wide with terror.
Their jointly constructed barrier, capable of withstanding several full-force strikes from divine knights, crumbled like paper under the white dragon's claws.
That... wasn't a young dragon at all!
Coming to this realization, the magi instinctively looked towards Vickery III, opening their mouths in an attempt to warn him.
"Boom!!"
Suddenly, a loud explosion drowned out all other sounds.
The white dragon exhaled a fierce radiance, obscuring all vision!