The battlefield had become a graveyard.
Black demon blood soaked the cracked earth.
Thousands of demon corpses lay scattered across the plains outside Ashenfall City.
And at the center of it—
Lin Tianren stood.
Golden sword in hand.
Nine-tailed fox beside him.
Surrounded.
Eight Demon Generals formed a circle around him.
Their auras crushed the battlefield like collapsing mountains.
Each one was Gold Rank.
Each one capable of destroying cities.
Even the wind seemed afraid to move.
One of the generals stepped forward first.
A towering demon with obsidian horns and burning red eyes.
His armor was made of bone plates from fallen beasts.
His voice rumbled like thunder.
"You slaughtered twenty thousand of our soldiers."
His demonic energy expanded outward violently.
"But the game ends now."
Another general laughed.
"Humans always overestimate themselves."
"Eight against one."
"Let's see how long your arrogance lasts."
Behind them, the remaining demon army roared.
The sky darkened as demonic energy thickened in the air.
But Lin Tianren did not step back.
He slowly raised his head.
Golden pupils flickered faintly within his eyes.
His Dragon Heart Core pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
The pressure of eight Gold Rank auras crashed down on him like an avalanche.
His knees bent slightly.
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
Yet he remained standing.
Calm.
Quiet.
Watching.
The Generals Attack
Without warning—
Three Demon Generals attacked simultaneously.
One smashed the ground with a colossal iron hammer.
Another unleashed a storm of black flame.
The third moved faster than lightning, claws aimed directly at Lin Tianren's throat.
Three Gold Rank attacks.
Enough to annihilate an entire army.
The battlefield exploded.
Ash and fire filled the sky.
For a moment—
Lin Tianren disappeared inside the destruction.
The demon army roared in triumph.
But the Demon Generals did not celebrate.
Because they felt it.
Something inside the explosion was… growing.
The Dragon Awakens
Deep within Lin Tianren's spiritual sea—
The Dragon Heart Core trembled.
Golden energy surged violently through his meridians.
His body felt as if it was being torn apart from the inside.
The ancient dragon bloodline reacted to the overwhelming pressure.
A voice echoed inside his mind.
Ancient.
Massive.
Cold.
"You stand against eight kings of war."
The colossal golden dragon appeared again within his spiritual sea.
Its eyes burned like suns.
"Human."
"Will you break?"
Lin Tianren clenched his fists.
Blood flowed from the corners of his lips.
Outside, the demon attacks continued crashing down.
His bones groaned under the pressure.
But his gaze remained steady.
"No."
The dragon's eyes narrowed.
"Then show me."
"Show me why a mortal carries the blood of a sovereign."
Lin Tianren's will surged.
His Dragon Heart Core ignited.
Golden light erupted through every meridian.
"Then watch."
Sovereign Dragon Manifestation
The explosion on the battlefield suddenly changed.
Instead of fading—
It expanded.
Golden light erupted outward like a rising sun.
The eight Demon Generals staggered backward in shock.
From within the collapsing smoke—
A massive dragon roar echoed across the battlefield.
Not sound.
Authority.
The sky itself trembled.
A colossal golden dragon silhouette appeared behind Lin Tianren.
Hundreds of meters long.
Its body formed from pure spiritual energy.
Its eyes ancient and terrifying.
Its presence crushed the battlefield.
Lin Tianren slowly stepped out of the smoke.
Golden dragon scales flickered faintly along his arms and neck.
His eyes now glowed like molten gold.
Behind him—
The phantom dragon moved with him.
Breathing with him.
Watching the battlefield through his gaze.
Han Yueqing, watching from the city wall, burst out laughing.
"Well now…"
"That looks fun."
Zhao Lianhua narrowed her eyes.
"So he awakened it."
The Beast Queen stood silently.
But for the first time—
Her expression showed clear approval.
The Battlefield Freezes
Even the demon army stopped moving.
The pressure from the dragon manifestation was overwhelming.
Demon soldiers instinctively stepped backward.
Because bloodlines recognized authority.
And this authority—
Was ancient.
One of the Demon Generals snarled.
"Impossible."
"A human cannot manifest dragon authority!"
Lin Tianren raised the Golden Heaven Sword slowly.
The dragon behind him mirrored the movement.
Golden lightning crackled across the battlefield.
"I never said I was ordinary."
First General Falls
One Demon General roared in rage and charged forward.
His demonic aura exploded to its maximum.
"I'll crush you!"
He swung his massive axe downward.
The weapon could split mountains.
Lin Tianren stepped forward.
Just once.
The dragon behind him moved with him.
His sword flashed.
Golden light crossed the battlefield like a falling star.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then the Demon General stopped moving.
A thin golden line appeared across his chest.
His eyes widened.
His body split cleanly in half.
The battlefield fell silent.
A Gold Rank Demon General…
Killed in one strike.
Fear Spreads
The remaining Demon Generals stepped back instinctively.
Their eyes filled with disbelief.
One whispered in shock.
"This… is impossible."
Lin Tianren's dragon aura expanded again.
His voice echoed calmly across the battlefield.
"Seven left."
The demon army trembled.
Far away—
Demon Commander Var'Khal finally stood up from his throne.
His crimson eyes gleamed with excitement.
"So the dragon awakens."
He smiled slowly.
"Good."
Because now—
The real war could begin.