Elifar, who had been seething with rage for a long time, shouted even louder, “Exactly! Just the two of you, you things that aren't even human, think you can kill us? Not so easily! My head, Elifar’s head, is right here! If you have the guts, come and take it!”

Hearing the words from Adonis and Elifar, the middle-aged man on the right snorted coldly, slowly drew the weapon he always kept by his side, and spoke in a chilling voice, “Since you wish for a more tragic end, I won't mind sending you on your way. Just don't regret it when the time comes.”

As the middle-aged man’s voice fell, his entire body dissolved into a shadow, rapidly closing in on Adonis and the others. The weapon in his hand flared with a burst of light as he swung it swiftly towards them.

Adonis, however, showed no sign of panic. Before him, a curtain of blue water suddenly materialized—the advanced defensive magic of the Water Element, 'Azure Aegis.' It was identical to the Azure Aegis that Mo Han had deployed using a magic scroll earlier, yet this 'Azure Aegis' possessed a distinctly deeper blue hue than the one conjured by Mo Han’s scroll. The flow of energy across its surface was visibly more intense, clearly indicating a far greater power than the defense Mo Han had managed with just the scroll.

It must have been that while negotiating with these two middle-aged men, Elifar had quietly cast this high-level water spell without alerting the two formidable men facing them.

This all demonstrated his truly exquisite level of magical control.

As the middle-aged man’s weapon struck the 'Azure Aegis,' ripples erupted, and the blue barrier swayed slightly. However, bolstered by Adonis’s magical support, it instantly stabilized.

Seeing this, a cold smile touched the corner of the middle-aged man’s lips, and a battle-hungry light sparked in his eyes. He spoke with excitement, “Not bad. You actually blocked a strike carrying three-tenths of my strength. This makes it interesting. I hope you won’t disappoint me too much.”

His words concluded, the middle-aged man suddenly unleashed a potent aura from his body, twice as strong as before. It seemed this warrior was preparing to escalate his assault; this next attack would undoubtedly be far more powerful than the first.

At that very moment, Elifar, who had been holding back his fire, began to chant: “Oh, fiery spirit of passion! Lend me your strength! Oh, element of Fire! By the command of the spirit, transform into an unstoppable Blazing Burst!” Judging by the skill displayed by the attacking middle-aged man, Elifar knew the two opponents before him were the most terrifying enemies he had ever encountered. A single misstep could mean instant death. Moreover, his low-tier spells would pose no threat to them; only advanced magic could strike a blow. Though this would rapidly drain his magical energy and lengthen his casting time, it was his only recourse.

Under the summons of Elifar’s incantation, the fire elemental energies in the air began to gather rapidly.

Before long, a deep crimson fireball took shape before Elifar, radiating astonishing power. Yet, the two middle-aged men showed no tension upon seeing this. They merely stared at Elifar with looks of disdain, making no move to interrupt his casting, content to watch the show as he completed his magic and sent the deep red fireball flying toward them.

The middle-aged man in the front, who had attacked first, let out a cold snort when he saw the fireball approaching. He then swung the weapon in his hand, aiming to shatter Elifar's cast 'Spirit Blazing Burst' with his Battle Qi. Witnessing this, a smug smile touched Elifar’s lips. He knew the true marvel of the Spirit Blazing Burst lay in its explosive power. Upon encountering any external resistance, the Spirit Blazing Burst would detonate prematurely, scattering into countless smaller bursts that attacked the target over a wide area, leaving nowhere to hide. Most people, save the foolish, would only evade it rather than foolishly attempt to counter it with Battle Qi—wouldn't that be asking for trouble? This time, that middle-aged man is going to get hurt at least a little, Elifar thought smugly.

But something even more shocking occurred. As the Spirit Blazing Burst met the middle-aged man’s Battle Qi attack, it did indeed splinter into countless smaller explosions that flew toward him. Yet, the man remained utterly unfazed. He didn't even use Battle Qi to defend, allowing the bursts to strike him directly. Elifar watched, utterly bewildered. Had the man gone mad? He wasn't even using Battle Qi for defense. Even a Sword Saint, without the protection of Battle Qi, would surely suffer severe injuries from that barrage. While this middle-aged man’s skill was exceptionally high, he clearly hadn't reached the level of a Sword Saint.

However, what Elifar witnessed next rendered him completely speechless. The blazing fragments struck the middle-aged man’s body accurately, but there was none of the agonizing cries Elifar expected. Instead, only a series of crackling sounds echoed. When the attack ceased, Elifar looked toward the man and saw him staring back with a look of mockery. The barrage of the Blazing Burst seemed to have inflicted absolutely no damage upon him.

If it weren't for the tiny holes dotting the man's clothing, evidence that the attack had actually connected, Elifar would have doubted whether his burst had even hit him. Yet, given the power of his Spirit Blazing Burst, Elifar was certain that even a Sword Saint, if they failed to use Battle Qi to defend, could not walk away unharmed. But this middle-aged man’s caliber was clearly below that of a Sword Saint. What on earth was going on? It was unbelievable.

The middle-aged man dusted off the powdery residue left by the Blazing Burst. Where the bursts had struck, a slight patch of dark skin was revealed. He then scoffed, addressing Elifar and Adonis mockingly, “What? Is that all you have? I didn't even resist and let you attack, and I’m still left disappointed. If this is the extent of your abilities, then I see no point in continuing our little game. Your level of magic has absolutely no effect on me.”

Hearing this, Adonis, who had been silently contemplating, suddenly seemed to grasp something. His face instantly turned pale. He spoke in a voice laced with a noticeable tremor, “You are Dragon Kin? Apart from the formidable inherent magic resistance of the Dragon race, no one could withstand an eighth-level ‘Spirit Blazing Burst’ and emerge completely unscathed.”

Adonis’s words made even the usually fiery Elifar blanch. How long had it been since the Dragon race had appeared on the continent? Before this, the Dragon Kin had been figures of near-deity status on the Dragon-Ascendant Continent. Their supreme magical prowess, combined with their innate, powerful resistance to magic, was the nightmare of all—especially for mages. Before a Dragon, a mage had only one outcome: wait for death, because their spells could not harm a Dragon. Unless one could unleash a Forbidden Spell, there was any chance of inflicting damage, but the Dragons would never grant that time or opportunity. Only if a powerful warrior in your party could stall them might a Forbidden Spell be cast, otherwise, it was simply surrender to fate.

If a Dragon wished to flee, however, almost no one could stop them, unless it was a young dragon with inferior strength that might be captured. Scanning the history of the Dragon-Ascendant Continent, any Dragons slaughtered by humans were invariably young ones who had wandered off. An adult Dragon, even if they couldn't win a fight, could escape without the slightest issue if they chose to flee.

The Dragon race was exceedingly rare and generally kept away from the affairs of the continent. Occasionally, a few playful young dragons would venture out, and their mischief often caused destruction in human settlements. This very curiosity had led to a few young dragons being cornered and killed by concerted human efforts, which explained the Dragon race’s generally poor view of humanity.

But just a single spell from a Dragon would leave any human mage scrambling. Their immensely powerful Draconic Words magic was incomparable to the incantation-based spells of human mages. Every spell spoken in the Draconic tongue possessed terrifying might. There were no 'low-level' spells in the Draconic lexicon; all their magic stemmed from ancient, high-level incantations, often resulting in horrifying destruction.

“You’re not entirely stupid, are you? But even if you know, what difference does it make? It only hastens your demise. I won’t deny you the chance—show me everything you have left. Use your skills now, lest you lose the opportunity later,” the speaking middle-aged man stared coldly at Adonis and Elifar. In his eyes, they were already dead men walking; it was only a matter of time.

Adonis quietly spoke to Elifar beside him, “Old ghost, it seems we are truly done for today. If there was only one Dragon here, we might not even beat him. Facing two adult Dragons… I will hold them off. You see if you have a chance to escape. It will be the last service we render to this Dragon-Ascendant Continent.”

Elifar immediately protested, his voice anxious, “Adonis, old man, what kind of person do you take me for? Am I the sort to abandon a friend? Besides, even if we tried to run, we wouldn't get away. We might as well fight them to the death! I’ve always heard how powerful Dragons are, how powerful they are. Today, I finally get the chance to meet them. Even if we die in battle, we will have no regrets.”

Adonis shook his head, speaking softly and patiently, “In ordinary circumstances, I would gladly fight these legendary Dragons alongside you. But the continent is already thrown into chaos. If both of us perish, the Fire Cloud Empire and the Kanya Empire will surely be dragged into this conflict. At that point, I fear the doom of mankind will be near.”

Elifar started to speak again but was stopped by Adonis waving his hand. Adonis then stated with grave seriousness, “You must find a way to spread this news. If I am correct, these Dragons are the legendary Shadow Dragons. The Holy Dragons never take interest in these petty power struggles. If we are to fight the Shadow Dragons, the current fractured state of the great empires gives us no chance. We must somehow get this information to the Holy Dragons. I believe they will not stand idly by; they will certainly move to thwart the Shadow Dragons' scheme, and only then will there be a chance to save humanity on the Dragon-Ascendant Continent. So, your life is no longer just your own, do you understand?”

Hearing Adonis’s explanation, Elifar’s expression shifted several times before he finally sighed helplessly, “I can’t believe you are still thinking of those ignorant humans at a time like this? Fine, Adonis, old ghost, I promise you. If I find any opportunity to escape, I will absolutely find a way to inform the Holy Dragons of this. But rest assured, I will find a way to avenge you; your sacrifice will not be in vain.”

Elifar knew in his heart that with this plan, Adonis was certainly doomed, but it would buy him a sliver of time to escape.

Adonis smiled faintly at Elifar. The profound friendship between them was fully expressed in their knowing smiles.

“I will try my utmost to keep them occupied. The moment I engage, you must run, do you understand? I don’t know how long I can hold them. But I will try my best. So, you must watch for your chance; we won't get a second opportunity,” Adonis whispered his instructions to Elifar.

Elifar nodded solemnly, signaling that he understood. The aura of the Shadow Dragon permeated his entire being; he just needed the right moment to depart.

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