And at this moment, above the sky.
The once imposing Red Dragon was now covered in wounds, moaning softly, with deep scars etched into its flesh, glistening with golden radiance that continuously corroded the injuries.
The wing membranes were like tattered rags, giving off a woeful sound with every beat, making its misery even more apparent.
Yet she merely thought of this as a troublesome enemy, not one capable of utterly defeating her. After all, she was a Red Dragon, she still had the power of Tiamat, she still had intense flames, and various methods yet to be unleashed.
"Boom!"
The Red Dragon laboriously landed on the peak, causing the cliffs to roar and rocks to tumble down.
For the first time, her tone carried hesitation, "Half-elf, you are strong."
"Unlike those mortals, your strength far surpasses theirs, thus you are worthy of a mighty True Dragon's attention."
"Become my retainer, and you can rule Anzeta Great Wilderness with me!"
But the Half-Elf Paladin did not reply, only slowly raising the Silver Sword in her hand, her eyes determined. Her silver armor, scorched and blackened, still faintly glimmered with light.
"To hunt sworn foes or drive out lesser evils, I vow to challenge greater malevolence."
"And a sworn enemy, deserves no mercy."
Rhea leaped gracefully, her Silver Sword emitting an aurora like the rays of the setting sun.
Though not dazzling nor intense, it carried an unyielding resolve to shine brightly even in the darkness.
This was the origin of the "Twilight Blade."
"Soul of Vengeance!"
With a crisp shout, countless spectral spirits appeared around the Half-Elf Paladin.
They were the children burned to death in the fire, the mothers crushed by collapsing houses, the men who bravely raised pitchforks but were turned to ashes by dragonflame, the warriors who fought evil but were crushed into pulp by claws, and—Paladins burning with the will of vengeance.
Rhea began to fly, sprouting illusory black wings on her back, making her resemble an angel born from vengeance.
At this moment, she soared above the mountain peak.
"Roar—"
And Aclecia roared furiously, the absolute pride of a Red Dragon not allowing any lesser being to dare look down upon her.
At that moment, all the power in her bloodline was fully unleashed, using the most primal, most savage physical strength, and the Red Dragon's most adept melee combat—
She charged forward with an unstoppable force!
"Boom!"
The impending clash of two mighty forces made the mountain tremble incessantly, causing the entire Anzeta Great Wilderness to shake.
This sight made Kai Xu, who was desperately fleeing, unable to resist turning his head to sneak a glance at the terrifying scene.
"Supreme Holy Slash!"
Rhea used all her strength, gripping the Silver Sword tightly and slashing down, completely ignoring the Red Dragon's gaping, snarling giant maw.
The silver longsword, glowing with twilight radiance, simply slashed diagonally.
"Slice—"
The longsword sliced through the dragon scales, harder than any armor, like a hot knife through butter, tearing through the Red Dragon's scalding, surging blood vessels and flesh.
The illusory spirits surrounding her formed a massive legion, the Souls of Vengeance roaring and charging towards the wound on the Red Dragon's neck.
Each impact deepened the scar by several feet.
In immense pain, Aclecia reared her head back, letting out a painful howl. But this instinctive movement only further tore the wound, causing scalding blood to gush out like a fountain.
"Ao—"
The Red Dragon at first could make pained sounds, but once her throat was completely cut, she could no longer make any sound.
Everything happened too quickly.
So fast that the Red Dragon hadn't even had time to swing her mighty claws or swat with her thick tail.
She hadn't even had time to use her invincible power from Tiamat.
But the Silver Sword mercilessly cut her throat.
This lengthy Red Dragon, spanning dozens of meters, struggled in mid-air before her wings went limp and she crashed heavily halfway down the mountain.
"Boom!"
The earth trembled, the massive body rolled down the slope with a rumble, ending her evil and greedy life.
Her soul might be taken by Tiamat, or perhaps shattered by the Souls of Vengeance.
But one thing was certain without a doubt.
This Red Dragon was dead.
...
Meanwhile, at the foot of the southern slope of Cloud Summit Peak.
"A vengeful angel with wings, almost the highest level of Black Rider, truly terrifying."
"Run, run."
Cassius couldn't help but exclaim.
Sub-Legendary level power, even in the 4.0 version of the previous life, was top-tier, with only hundreds out of tens of millions of players reaching that level.
And those who could step into the path of Legendary were even rarer.
Thinking of this, the young Red Dragon was even more determined to run away, hurriedly using the ability granted by the swallowed Ring of the Nimble Mage to cast a spell on himself,
"Oil on the soles of the feet!"
Immediately, his speed became even more rapid.
Cassius dashed away like a red lightning bolt, heading for the distant dense forest.
As for flying?
He didn't dare right now.
If his luck turned bad and he got noticed by this Sub-Legendary Paladin's perception, a casual Evil-Crushing Slash from a few hundred meters away could send his soul straight back to Tiamat.
That was a Sub-Legendary Paladin.
With innate Divine Sense, it was only normal.
Cassius was fleeing in panic, unable to consider anything else.
Unaware that the Half-Elf Paladin now stood at the mountain's peak, covered in warm dragon blood, looking down at the southern slope of Cloud Summit Peak
—the same direction the young dragon was fleeing.
There was a trace of confusion in Rhea's amber eyes.
Because under her evil-perceiving vision, the distant young Red Dragon was not covered in the black representing the evil faction like a normal Red Dragon.
Instead, it was colorless, representing the neutral faction.
"A neutral Red Dragon, how is that possible..."
After a moment's thought, she still raised her Silver Sword, pointing it towards the young dragon, determined to investigate.
"Monster Immobilization Spell!"
As the Silver Sword pointed, a spell radiance flew into the distance.
If it hit, the young Red Dragon would be immobilized, unable to move an inch.
But just as the radiance was about to touch the Red Dragon's scales.
An invisible barrier suddenly appeared from Cassius, completely blocking the Monster Immobilization Spell, then shattering.
[Spell Nullification Barrier]
Cassius was horrified, realizing that this magic-nullifying amulet could only be used once a day, and he had no second chance.
"Run!"
Under the pressure of a life-and-death crisis, the young dragon frantically flapped his still immature wings, flying desperately.
He fled with all his might, diving into the forest within moments, vanishing into the thick woods, hiding his presence entirely.
Rhea looked down at the endless Bokara Forest, furrowing her brow, then shaking her head, releasing a sigh.
A Red Dragon of the neutral faction.
Maybe she had created a terrible enemy for her future, or perhaps she had brought about a better change for the world, or maybe nothing would happen at all...
Yes.
She would not kill someone for potential future evil, but if that Red Dragon committed heinous crimes, Rhea was confident she could, just like today—
—use her sharp and unmatched Silver Sword to slay it completely.
This was the creed of the Avenging Paladin's Oath.
"No mercy for the wicked."
"But...maybe mercy for a steadfast enemy."
The Half-Elf slowly took off her helmet, revealing a cold and beautiful face, murmuring to herself.