A golden dragon burst forth from the qipao.
Its scales shone like jewels under the sunlight, dazzling with radiant brilliance.
Its whiskers fluttered in the wind like strands of woven golden silk, and as its tail swept through the air, a sharp roar echoed across the battlefield.
Han's pupils shrank violently.
It felt as though an invisible hand had seized his heart.
His breathing became rapid and uneven as chaos filled his mind.
He stared at the unbelievable sight before him.
The golden dragon had emerged from the clothing itself—and was now charging straight toward him.
Fear slithered up his spine like a freezing serpent.
Not far away, the exhausted God-Kin Captain allowed a faint smile to form at the corner of his mouth.
A trace of triumph flickered in his eyes.
He could already imagine Han being devoured by the dragon and transformed into a puppet under his control.
Even his fingers trembled slightly in anticipation of victory.
But just as the golden dragon was about to strike—
Han's body suddenly dissolved into a puff of white smoke.
"Shadow Clone?!"
The God-Kin Captain's eyes widened instantly.
His gaze snapped to his wrist.
"Impossible!"
"I've been watching Han the entire time! How could it be a clone?!"
Far away, the Thirteenth Seat — Astrologer of a Thousand Miles, who had been monitoring the battlefield through long-range magic, was drenched in sweat.
Confusion filled her mind.
If Han could not be controlled, then the sacrifices the Slane Theocracy had made would all be for nothing.
Even the Black Scripture itself could be wiped out entirely.
The entire strategy of the Theocracy would collapse.
Beside her, the Grand Marshal glanced at the trembling figure nearby.
The one wielding the World-Class Item — Peerless Beauty.
The elderly woman Kairel was already on the verge of collapse.
His eyes carried regret, sorrow—
and determination.
"What's done is done."
"There is no point looking back."
"Immediately deploy rescue forces."
"Recover the members of the Black Scripture."
"And most importantly—secure the supreme relic left by the Six Great Gods."
"Peerless Beauty must not be lost."
"No matter the cost."
His words snapped Astrologer of a Thousand Miles back to reality.
Through the communication magic on her wrist, she quickly transmitted the message to the God-Kin Captain.
But before any action could be taken—
Something unexpected happened on the battlefield.
The golden dragon suddenly froze in midair.
Then, in the next instant—
It moved again.
Its body twisted through the sky before whipping its tail around and rushing toward a location where Han had just reappeared.
Even Kairel, the item's wielder, had never seen such a reaction before.
Han himself was completely caught off guard.
"Damn it! What is this thing?!"
Cold terror spread through his heart.
Instinct screamed that being struck by the dragon would bring disaster.
He moved rapidly, trying to evade it.
But soon realized something horrifying.
The dragon had locked onto his soul.
Even if he burrowed underground—
There was no escape.
Seeing this, many of the Black Scripture members sighed in relief.
The God-Kin Captain refused the assistance offered by Time Turbulence.
Leaning on his spear, he slowly stood.
His eyes remained fixed on the spot where the golden dragon had burrowed underground.
Then he glanced at the ongoing battlefield.
With a wave of his hand, he ordered the remaining members to rejoin the battle.
Only Sacred Hymn stayed behind, beginning healing magic for him.
At the same time, bottles of precious divine healing potions, relics left by the Six Great Gods, were poured down his throat.
Meanwhile—
far away.
"Looks like it's finally my turn."
Uchiha Soren, who had been leisurely traveling with his two wives toward the Demon Ninja Village while observing everything from behind the scenes, chuckled softly.
With a casual motion, he tore open space itself.
From the rift, he threw out a creature that had just recovered—
A Solar-level monster known as "Wu."
The bird-like demon appeared suddenly in the sky.
With a furious shriek, it descended upon the battlefield before anyone could react.
In a single instant—
It tore Kairel apart.
At the same time, its blade-like wings sliced the Sixth Seat — Holy Knight clean in half.
The World-Class Item — Peerless Beauty floated upward into the air.
Just as it was about to be drawn into a small spatial vortex—
A massive dragon claw tore through space.
The Dragon Emperor appeared.
His gaze fixed on the elegant qipao as greed and caution filled his ancient eyes.
Each World-Class Item possessed a natural instinct to conceal itself.
If left unused, even he could not detect where such artifacts were hidden within the world.
Combined with centuries of slumber and the innate arrogance of dragonkind—
The Dragon Emperor had never bothered searching for them.
After all, he believed the entire continent would eventually belong to him once he fully controlled the Sea of Magic.
But now—
Faced with the rising threat of the Ninja World—
He could no longer remain idle.
Seizing this item would increase his chances of victory.
"So you dare stretch your claws outside the Sea of Magic?"
A cold voice echoed.
"Courting death."
The newly released Wu was instantly slapped away by the Dragon Emperor's claw.
The creature crashed directly into the Iwagakure encampment, causing devastating casualties.
At the same time—
A massive magical hand emerged from the spatial rift.
Soren's power collided head-on with the dragon's claw.
The Dragon Emperor snorted coldly.
His other claw immediately reached toward Peerless Beauty.
But Soren moved faster.
In the blink of an eye, the artifact was swallowed by a spatial vortex and vanished.
Seeing this, the Dragon Emperor showed no intention of retreating.
A colossal dragon eye manifested across the sky.
Cold indifference filled its gaze.
Then—
He opened his mouth.
With a single breath—
The souls of everyone on the battlefield began rushing toward him.
Whether ninja or soldiers of the Theocracy—
Their souls were being dragged out of their bodies.
High-tier Wild Magic was fueled entirely by souls.
A thousand years ago, the Dragon Emperor had used four million souls to unleash such magic.
That event forced the Sage of Six Paths and his brother to abandon their physical bodies prematurely.
Now—
He intended to gather five million… even ten million souls.
And with that power—
He would bury Uchiha Soren forever.
The God-Kin Captain's face turned pale.
Knights and magic casters collapsed instantly across the battlefield.
Even members who had stepped into the Hero tier fell without resistance.
Within seconds—
Even Strongest Human, a Morning Star-level warrior, collapsed.
The captain felt an indescribable fear.
An invisible force was tearing at his soul.
His magical equipment glowed desperately, and his immense strength struggled to resist the terrifying pull.
From the ground, Han slowly rose again.
The two surviving figures exchanged glances across the battlefield.
At that moment—
All the killing and conflict seemed meaningless.
Above them stretched the overwhelming presence of the Black-Gold Dragon King, a being whose might spanned heaven and earth.
Everything else seemed insignificant.
Han's face was pale.
His body trembled as he looked toward the direction of the Ninja World, a faint hope in his eyes.
The God-Kin Captain, meanwhile, looked toward the Holy Capital of the Slane Theocracy where he had been born and raised.
"You have been raised long enough."
"Now it is time for you to offer everything to the Lord of the Continent."
As the Dragon Emperor continued devouring souls—
A figure silently appeared atop his massive head.
It was Uchiha Soren.
His gaze was colder than ice.
Because those souls—
All belonged to him.
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