When the viewers saw the figure in the camera—majestic, divine, a being straight out of myth—
There was a brief moment of silence.
And then—
The entire livestream exploded.
: A dragon! That's a dragon!!
: Am I hallucinating? That creature on screen… could it really be a dragon?!
: Antlers like a deer, head like a camel, eyes like a rabbit, neck like a snake, belly like a clam, scales like a fish, claws like an eagle, palms like a tiger, ears like an ox—no doubt! That's the most orthodox form of a Jiuzhou Divine Dragon!
: Holy sh*t! So all those "sightings" from earlier were real?!
: This has to be the same Azure Dragon that appeared in the East Sea and near Sakurajima earlier, right?!
: Unless there's more than one Azure Dragon, it's gotta be the same!
: You're telling me this is the one that blew through an island with a single roar and created a tornado on flat land?!
: I knew it! I knew the Azure Dragon would belong to us Jiuzhou people!
"D-Dragon… Azure Dragon!!"
In the helicopter hovering nearby, the reporter, the camera operator, and the pilot were all trembling in disbelief and awe.
They were seeing, up close, a creature they had only read about in ancient mythology.
"Fwoosh—"
But before they could process it further,
The Azure Dragon gracefully circled, then lowered itself to the ground, gently setting the helicopter down.
Then—without hesitation—
It turned around.
With a sweeping twist of its massive tail, the dragon soared back into the sky,
Charging toward the terrifying kaiju that was wreaking havoc on the city.
: Wait—did the dragon just leave?!
: No! It's going to fight that monster!
: Look at the direction—it's heading straight for the beast!
: A divine creature in action! It saved the reporters and is now facing the monster head-on!
: Oh man, I'm kinda worried… What if the Azure Dragon loses??
: Please… please, you must win, Dragon-sama!
: The military's already exhausted. Only the Azure Dragon can save Qingzhou now!
The camera crew, safely on the ground, exchanged a glance.
Without needing to speak, they understood each other's resolve.
The camera operator lifted his equipment again,
Zooming in and locking onto the soaring Azure Dragon.
Beside him, the reporter resumed broadcasting in a trembling but passionate voice.
"Citizens!"
"As you can see before your very eyes!"
"A true Azure Dragon, a Divine Beast of ancient legend, has appeared on the battlefield!"
"After saving us, it is now fearlessly flying toward the monstrous creature!"
"Let us hope—no, let us pray—that the Azure Dragon will defeat this calamity!"
Meanwhile, on the battlefield—
At the front lines where the battle had devastated the city,
The agents of the Bureau of Supernatural Security—ordinary humans like Zhou Hongwei and Li Yayun, as well as enhanced individuals like Shen Lele, Xu Jia, and Wang Haoyu—
All stood stunned amid the wreckage.
All around them were the shattered remains of helicopters, armored vehicles, and burning ruins.
"…Director?"
Li Yayun forced herself to speak, her voice trembling. "What should we do now?"
But Zhou Hongwei's mind was a complete mess.
The special forces they deployed were defeated within minutes.
Yes, they still had more devastating weaponry—
But this was the city center!
There were still civilians—survivors—scattered throughout the ruins.
If they used weapons of mass destruction now,
They wouldn't just destroy the monster—they'd kill everyone else too.
But if they didn't…
Qingzhou City would fall within the hour.
He was paralyzed.
That is, until—
A shout broke the deadlock.
"L-Look! Everyone! LOOK!"
"The Azure Dragon!! It's here!!"
Zhou Hongwei looked up immediately.
"The Azure Dragon?"
"…Yuuto Kagami… has come!"
There, soaring overhead, was a long, blue silhouette trailing clouds and lightning.
Zhou Hongwei's furrowed brow relaxed at last.
Joy, hope, and relief bloomed across his face.
But he quickly calmed himself.
He had seen Yuuto Kagami's Azure Dragon form before—yes, it was powerful.
But this kaiju… its destructive might might rival even that.
So he could only whisper in his heart—
"Yuuto Kagami… you must win."
Then Zhou Hongwei turned sharply.
"Now that Yuuto Kagami is buying us time—rescue as many civilians as possible!"
"Shen Lele, Xu Jia, Wang Haoyu—go!"
"Yes, sir!"
The others snapped out of their daze and saluted with grave expressions.
At the same time,
Yuuto Kagami himself was unaware that millions of eyes were watching him,
That he had become the last hope of an entire city.
"ROAR!!"
As he flew, he began gathering power.
All the wind currents around him were pulled in by his dragon body,
Converging rapidly toward his mouth!
As he neared Golzan,
Yuuto Kagami opened his mouth wide—
"Destructive Wind!!"
"SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH!"
"BOOM BOOM BOOM!!"
Dozens of crescent-shaped, glowing green wind blades blasted outward!
They sliced through dust and smoke like razors,
Tearing toward Golzan's massive body.
"GRAAHH!!!"
The monster howled in agony,
Its thick flesh slashed open by the storm of blades—
Gushing foul black blood across the cratered streets!
The livestream exploded again.
: He's bleeding! The monster's actually hurt!
: YES! LET'S F*CKING GOOOO!!
: One single breath attack from the Azure Dragon tore it apart!
: I was scared the dragon wouldn't be strong enough—but DAMN!
: Wait wait wait… those missiles earlier barely scratched it.
: Does that mean each one of those wind blades is stronger than a cruise missile?!
: I need to pop some champagne for this moment! Where's my 30-year whiskey?!
But while the internet rejoiced—
Yuuto Kagami's expression turned grim.
He could feel it—
That last Destructive Wind had looked brutal, but…
It wasn't enough.
Golzan's defensive strength was horrifying.
The damage was superficial.
And sure enough—
Even as everyone cheered—
"GRAAHH!!!"
The monster swayed but didn't fall.
Instead, it quickly stabilized itself.
And then—
Its wounds began to regenerate.
Slashes that had been spraying blood only seconds ago—
Sealed shut in the blink of an eye.
In just a few seconds, not a single injury remained.
The crowd watching was stunned into silence.
: R-R-Restored?!
: No no no no no—this can't be real!!
: What kind of monster heals that fast?!
: Damn it… that's not just strong. That's broken. Strength, defense, and now regeneration?!
: Sh*t! Azure Dragon's in danger now!
While everyone reeled—
Golzan fixed its eyes on Yuuto Kagami, still hovering above.
"ROAR!!"
It let out an earth-shaking roar
And charged upward—straight at him!
"WHOOSH!!"
Yuuto Kagami didn't meet it head-on.
Instead, he twisted his massive dragon body, spiraling into the sky.
"RUMBLE!!"
Thunderclouds formed instantly above him.
Forked lightning danced wildly across the blackened sky,
The roar of thunder shaking heaven and earth!
Encircled by storm and stormcloud,
Yuuto Kagami opened his maw.
"Thunderclap… ROAR!!"
The clouds churned violently.
Bolts of lightning gathered together, merging into a massive storm spear—
A roaring Thunder Dragon emerged from the clouds!
"BOOOOM!!!"
Blinding white light shot downward like divine punishment.
The world shook.
Everyone watching instinctively shielded their eyes from the blinding blast.
Then—
The ground quaked. The heavens shook.
As the light faded and smoke settled,
People slowly dared to open their eyes.
And then they saw—
On the scorched battlefield,
Golzan was still standing.
But its entire left side was charred black, steaming from the strike.
Around it, a massive crater nearly a hundred meters wide had formed,
With deep cracks like spiderwebs stretching in all directions.
The ground beneath it was carbonized.
: Holy… sh*t…
: That lightning strike just now was like a damn nuke!
: Golzan's still standing—but it's hurt! It's seriously hurt!
: Azure Dragon's thunder… can fight back against this monster!!
: Yuuto! Keep going!! END THIS!!
And so, the clash between the mythic dragon and the apocalyptic beast had only just begun.
The world watched—
Breath held.
Hearts pounding.
Awaiting the birth…
Of a new king.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/HorizonStudios0