Nito’s monstrous body ignited entirely in dazzling blue flames, transforming into a colossal streak of fire that ripped through the heavens at terrifying speed.
Reaching the Southern Nightmare Continent was now only a matter of time.
The current state of the war on Earth was anything but stable ..
It was pure chaos.
Especially with the emergence of Thanatos, who had completely occupied the Empire’s lands and begun building an army of the dead within them.
That monster was like a ticking time bomb—no one knew where or when it would explode.
True, Thanatos was an enemy of the demons and harbored a deep hatred for Agaroth in particular ..
But he was no ally of the Shadow Sect either.
He could just as easily turn on them, seeking to convert them into corpses bound to his will.
That possibility was very real.
He might exploit them to replenish the army he had lost in his ancient battle against Agaroth thousands of years ago.
Under such circumstances, Nito—one of the strongest fighters on the demon side—should have remained calm, refraining from reckless movement.
But the ancient Dragon Emperor did not care.
"I have been insulted.
And I will not be satisfied until that debt is repaid."
Rage burned visibly within Nito.
Before betraying the Pantheon, he had been the second-in-command among the dragons ..
The bearer of the title Dragon Emperor, a title held by only two beings, ranking directly beneath Midir, the Dragon God—the absolute strongest among the Pantheon.
And now, he was the Ninth Seat among the Upper Demons.
He possessed the pride of a true warrior.
And he could not tolerate such humiliation.
It did not take long.
Nito soon appeared in the skies above the southern continent.
Releasing his enhanced senses, the Ninth Seat scanned the entire region in search of his enemy.
Only a few seconds of absolute focus passed ..
Before a savage grin split Nito’s face.
"Found you."
With a single beat of his wings, Nito crossed dozens of miles, charging straight toward Snow’s location.
"I don’t know why you didn’t flee to your allies...
But your foolish decision has given me the chance to kill you, First Lord of Light."
He surged forward violently, murderous intent pouring out of him in waves.
Had Snow returned to the Shadow Sect, Nito would have been unable to act—
The sect was filled with monsters, and facing them alone would have been suicide.
But remaining alone on the southern continent?
Where Nito could reach him?
This was the perfect opportunity.
And he had finally arrived.
The moment Nito reached the location, his expression darkened at what he saw.
The scene before him was breathtaking.
A colossal star of brilliant light ..
Aura of unimaginable purity, unlike anything he had ever witnessed.
The star was so immense that its radiance completely engulfed Nito.
The mighty dragon looked like a mere insect compared to its scale.
Nito was not pleased.
"All of this light...
Is it the result of his attempt to break into SSS?"
With a single glance, Nito understood that what was unfolding before him was extremely dangerous.
"I’ve witnessed countless breakthroughs in my life...
But I’ve never seen anything like this."
While breaking into SSS was always accompanied by a tremendous surge in power ..
The aura Snow was emitting far surpassed anything Nito had ever seen from past breakthroughs.
What unsettled and enraged Nito the most..
Was the fact that he had heard of something similar before.
A legendary tale passed among them back when he was still part of the Pantheon.
The story of the first being to break through among the Seven Supreme Powers ..
The Dragon God Midir.
It was said that his breakthrough into SSS had been breathtaking ..
A supernatural phenomenon so overwhelming that it remained etched into the minds of all who had witnessed it.
Now... Snow was causing something eerily similar to the legends.
"I can’t allow him to succeed," Nito growled in fury, as an even greater surge of blue flames engulfed his body.
Drawing upon his full power, Nito extended his arm .. shaping it into a colossal spear that blotted out the sky.
The sight was awe-inspiring.
A gigantic dragon wielding a spear of fire, preparing to hurl it at a blindingly pure white star.
With Snow completely defenseless at the moment, Nito took his time reinforcing the attack.
The blue-flame spear swelled enormously, growing to a terrifying size—large enough to eclipse Snow’s star entirely.
"Scion of the Lord of Light... blame no one but yourself and your foolishness," Nito said coldly, his arm resembling a living missile launcher.
"You should have returned and done this before your friends .. Not here, where I can reach you!"
Nito unleashed a thunderous battle roar, then hurled the spear at Snow with insane speed—
The flaming weapon ignited violently as it struck the star, triggering a cataclysm that swept across the entire southern continent.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!
The explosion was colossal.
The sheer volume of aura scattered across the land reached unprecedented levels.
Blue flames surged around the star’s aura, swallowing it whole until they reached Snow Lionheart, who slept within.
The detonations continued for some time, erasing every unfortunate living being caught within the blast radius—until nothing remained but ash.
Hovering in the sky, Nito was confident that he had struck Snow.
Snow had been completely undefended—
That final blow should have ended him, or at the very least inflicted catastrophic damage.
Yet the Ninth Seat’s confidence shattered ..
When he heard footsteps walking across the ground below... and felt his presence.
"How crude of you, Emperor of the Pantheon."
Snow’s voice echoed from every direction.
"Is treachery all you’re capable of?
Is this how the proud Pantheon fights?"
From within the ash and smoke, Snow emerged unharmed ..
No, more than that.
The First Scion of the Lord of Light now stood in a superior state, a terrifying amount of power surging within him.
Golden runes shone far brighter than before, and his eyes radiated pure white brilliance .. matching his hair, each strand resembling silk woven from glowing electrical filaments that never ceased to shine.
With a single glance, Nito understood everything.
"I see... You broke through."
Snow responded with a nod and a smile.
"Yes. I did."
In return, that same savage grin split Nito’s face.
"So what? This breakthrough changes nothing. You’re still far weaker than me," Nito sneered.
Snow remained unfazed.
"I wonder about that. You don’t look nearly as impressive to me."
Snow stepped forward, a stunning golden force enveloping his body.
"Ninth Seat Nito... I know you well.
You’re nothing more than a traitor who sold out his own kind—
A weakling with nothing to measure up against true apex warriors."
"You joined the Upper Demons in hopes of obtaining a world-breaking ability to erase the gap between you and your betters—
Yet you lost it to me like a fool. Pathetic."
Snow mocked him openly.
Nito’s face twisted in rage, his composure finally shattering.
"You wretch... You’re nothing but a fledgling who just entered SSS, yet you dare look down on me?!" Nito roared, unleashing a massive surge of fiery power.
"I’ll show you the difference between us, Scion of the Lord of Light!"
Without warning, Nito fired a colossal fire projectile from his maw, aimed straight at Snow ..
Snow saw the attack coming.
He didn’t move.
Instead, he raised his hand as an aura of absolute purity flared from his body.
"Pureflame... Release."
From nothingness ..
Fire formed.
White fire—immaculately pure—ignited within Snow’s palm.
He manipulated it freely, then launched it toward Nito’s projectile.
The white flame exploded, swelling wildly until it fully matched Nito’s blue fire, colliding head-on ..
Then surpassing it completely.
The Ninth Seat’s power was forced back as the pure flame engulfed Nito’s body in its entirety.
Nito recoiled in panic, desperately trying to repel the strange white fire by any means—
Thrashing wildly, he failed to realize that Snow was already above him, his body clad in white armor.
A complete set—covering his entire body, unlike the previous golden armor.
"The Lost War Form... Full Armament."
Snow extended Vermithor, channeling even more pure flame into it.
"Nito, Ninth Seat...
Have you never wondered why I stayed here instead of returning to the Shadow Sect?"
Snow’s gaze pierced Nito like a killing blade, forcing realization upon him.
"Because I was waiting for you.
I wanted to lure you out—and you fell for it like an idiot, you insignificant Pantheon scum."
"Look carefully.
Witness the world-breaking power you’ve always desired."
In response to Snow’s will, the pure white flames blazed even brighter.
Pureflame ..
A world-breaking ability once wielded by the Pure Vessel in the past.
And now, Snow had finally unleashed it.
He had been unable to use it before ..
For SSS was the minimum requirement to wield this power, a flame that incinerates aura at terrifying speed.
Pure flame... and the Light Soul.
Snow now held two overwhelmingly destructive offensive abilities ..
And he intended to obliterate his enemy with them.
On the desolate southern continent, a brutal battle erupted ..
Between the First Scion of the Lord of Light
And the traitor of the Pantheon.