Vol 9. Chapter 77: Dragon Heroic Spirit (5)

Vast, surging Primordial Force erupted in an instant. The entire Saint Heath Academy—together with the mountain range it sat on—trembled.

Birds and beasts fled through the forests. The night sky blazed as bright as day. That overwhelming dragon pressure and kingly wrath were so terrifying that even the academy’s veteran teachers did not dare face it directly.

“Is that really… the Noa we know?”

“How can she be this strong?”

“The gap between us… it’s not even the same dimension.”

“Primordial Force? The overwhelming power left behind by the first Dragon King. Only a handful at the academy have ever touched it, but at Noa’s age, she’s already using it this fluently…”

“Not only that—she’s even shaped a body more suited to her combat style with Primordial Force.”

“This is… horrifying.”

…

This was the first time Noa had shown her Primordial Force to the outside world.

She had always kept a low profile. She never wanted this power to draw unnecessary attention.

And she did not want to expose the existence of the ancient soul within her.

But now the Magic Eye was wreaking havoc in the academy, and teachers and students were in mortal danger.

More importantly, it was one thing for that filthy eyeball to spew trash to prop itself up—verbal sparring in battle was common.

It shouldn’t have—absolutely shouldn’t have—insulted Leon, Rosvisser, and Noa’s sisters… and especially the Dragon God, Tiamat.

The weight of family in Noa’s heart needed no explanation. And as the Dragon God’s only direct creation, Noa had always held her Creator in the highest reverence.

The Magic Eye’s words had struck both of those taboos at once.

So what awaited it was a fury even more terrifying than Primordial Force itself.

Noa flickered and became a streak of white light, flashing in front of the Magic Eye in an eye-blink.

Even this simple, fast thrust produced a shockwave when she stopped—dust behind the Magic Eye burst outward instantly.

The Magic Eye lifted its head and stared at Noa.

She stood within sacred primordial radiance, her presence solemn and unmoving like an unshakable divine guardian.

Those pure white slit pupils held no emotion at all—yet beneath that calm holiness, rage seethed so violently it was nearly impossible to restrain.

“Hah… bluffing!!”

The Magic Eye roared, and twin beams of dim violet light shot from its eyes, striking Noa head-on at less than a meter away.

Void Martial Art · Annihilation Evil Light · Condensed Twin Shots!

Annihilation Evil Light had originally been a wide-area bombardment technique. Back then, Atos had used it to wipe out countless silver dragon soldiers and void tide vermin in an instant—its power and intensity were monstrous.

What the Magic Eye used now was different.

It compressed the original wide beams into two concentrated shots, focusing the damage into two points and massively increasing the destructive force.

“Die, die, die!!!”

The Magic Eye cackled madly. “Primordial Force? Primordial Dragon King? I don’t care who you are—anyone who takes this head-on gets ready to be punched full of holes! Die, brat!!”

But its laughter cut off the moment the beams hit.

The annihilation light did strike Noa squarely—yet the instant it touched her surface, it was shattered by the primordial energy protecting her body.

Its proud twin shots could not even scrape her.

“H-how is that possible?! You damned brat!!”

The Magic Eye increased its output at once.

The twin beams became even more horrifying, and even the ground around them collapsed under the overflow.

Noa still did not move.

She looked down at the Magic Eye, slowly raised her hand, pressed her palm against the annihilation light and began pushing it back, inch by inch.

Dim violet light scattered between her fingers. Through that glare, Noa saw the Magic Eye’s expression—shock, fear, panic.

A violent contrast to the cold, majestic authority on Noa’s face.

Before its disbelieving eyes, Noa forced the annihilation light back with her bare hand.

“Chattering. Babbling. Never shutting up. You’re like a toad that won’t stop croaking.”

As she spoke, Noa seized the Magic Eye by the collar and simply lifted its entire body off the ground.

It tried to struggle, but its body was already bound tight by overwhelming Primordial Force. It could not move.

“Out of every opponent I’ve ever fought, you’re the one who talks the most.”

As she spoke, a massive circular array slowly unfolded beneath Noa’s feet.

“And you will pay for your disrespect toward my parents, my sisters, and the Dragon God.”

Cold sweat ran down the Magic Eye’s temple. Each syllable of Noa’s furious voice felt like a blade stabbing into its arrogant yet cowardly heart.

Even as its mind teetered on collapse under Noa’s strength and presence, it still tried to talk tough.

“Pay… pay a price? Heh. What price can you make me pay? I’m immortal, Noa. Don’t forget—I am immortal!!”

It had stopped calling her “brat” and was now speaking her name directly.

That alone showed how its attitude had shifted from contempt to caution—almost fear.

And it wasn’t wrong about one thing.

As long as the void existed, it would have an undying soul, just like Atos.

“Immortal?” Noa said coolly. “Perfect.”

The array beneath her feet began to glow with pure white light, flecks of radiance circling her like fireflies.

“I was worried you’d die too fast and I wouldn’t be able to vent properly.”

The Magic Eye’s eyelid twitched. “W-what…”

“Filthy eyeball,” Noa said softly, voice dripping with coldness, “I’m about to show you just how hopeless immortality can be.”

“What are you doing… what are you doing?!”

The Magic Eye felt the power gathering in the array and truly panicked.

“Stop! Noa, stop—aaaargh!!”

A pillar of light erupted from the array and shot straight into the deep night sky.

It blanketed the space above the academy with blinding brilliance, forcing nearby teachers and students to raise their hands to shield their eyes.

Ripples of energy expanded outward again and again from the pillar’s center.

Some lower-year students could not even endure the overflow and had to take cover behind the barriers raised by teachers.

“W-what is that technique? That magic fluctuation is terrifying…”

“Calling it a technique isn’t even accurate. It’s pure energy release.”

“She’s gathering massive Primordial Force into the array beneath her feet, then releasing it all at once. The purest energy flood is often the most effective form of attack.”

“The principle is simple, but to do it at this level… I’ve lived for hundreds of years, and besides Noa, I’ve never seen a second person capable of it.”

Primordial magic usually focused on techniques with overwhelming special effects—Soul Judgment, Sacred Aurora, Prism Echo, and the like.

That was precisely why all dragons pursued primordial magic. Compared to ordinary magic, it was nothing short of a miracle.

But now, Noa compressed pure Primordial Force into the array and unleashed it in a torrent, like a broken dam.

Because before absolute power, fancy techniques were unnecessary.

And so this move was called...

Return to Truth.

The beam of primordial energy hammered down for several full minutes.

When it finally faded, Noa tossed the Magic Eye—now unable to resist—aside like a filthy rag.

Black smoke rose from its body as it lay there, barely able to breathe.

“So much for immortal,” Noa said, looking down at it. “Why can’t you get up after the first hit?”

She raised a hand again, gathering another cluster of white energy.

“Stand up, filthy eyeball. It ends when I say it ends.”

The Magic Eye braced itself with one hand and struggled to stand. Broken, ragged breaths rasped from a throat that seemed ready to shatter.

“Do you even understand that even if you kill me, all you’ll kill is the self of this boy named Tucker? Or what—will someone who calls herself righteous really strike down a former companion?”

“You’re trying to use that to morally bind me?” Noa stepped forward.

“Useless. I have plenty of ways to torment you without destroying Tucker’s body—until you crawl back into the sealing cell on your own.”

The Magic Eye fell silent, at a loss for the first time.

It had tried to guilt her.

But Noa and Tucker’s relationship clearly wasn’t at the level of I can’t bring myself to strike because you’re using my friend’s body.

If anything, if it came to it, Noa would destroy Tucker’s body as well for the greater good.

For the greater good…

The Magic Eye scanned the surroundings, then snorted.

“Looks like I’ll have to use the old method.”

Noa sensed its intent and stopped sharply.

“You filthy bastard.”

She immediately shouted toward the teachers and students who had not yet fully evacuated the field.

“Everyone, run! Run as far as you can!!”

But as she spoke, the Magic Eye had already moved.

From the stump of its severed arm, countless black tentacles burst outward.

They extended at terrifying speed, and there were so many that they formed a black swarm—like a mass of snakes baring fangs.

And their target was obvious.

Everyone at Saint Heath Academy.

It had used this same move in Magic Moon Forest, trying to threaten Noa with Adult Dragon Division members. Back then, Noa had used Godspeed and saved them.

But now…

There were far more people in the academy than there had been then.

Noa could not possibly save them one by one in time.

Every person here could become a hostage. As long as it grabbed a few, Noa would not dare act recklessly.

The edge of the field instantly fell into chaos. Tentacles whipped through teachers and students alike.

People dodged and fought back. For a moment, everything was entangled in confusion.

At the same time, the Magic Eye shouted:

“You can abandon Tucker if it’s necessary. But can you abandon these innocent people? Hmm, Noa?”

As it spoke, the number of tentacles multiplied several times over.

Noa rushed forward, forming blades of light in her hands and flinging them out, cutting the tentacles cleanly at their roots to stop them.

But the instant they were severed, they fused back together again.

“Damn it…”

Noa pressed her palms together and began gathering power, preparing to unleash another decisive strike.

And this time, she had to crush the Magic Eye in one blow, or else...

“Oh? Looks like it worked,” the Magic Eye said smugly.

Noa froze, then followed the direction of the tentacles toward the crowd.

Several hostages had already been seized. The tentacles retracted, dragging them back in front of it.

“Let’s see which lucky few get to have a close chat with our hero Noa.”

Multiple tentacles hauled the students to the Magic Eye’s side.

It swept its gaze over them and snorted.

“Oh, I thought it might be a few of your little sisters. Too bad. But it doesn’t matter. Noa… why don’t you show me whether you can abandon the lives of these companions and juniors too?”

“Let me go, you disgusting eyeball!”

“Bastard… if you’ve got the guts, let us go and fight head-on!”

“I’m sorry, Senior Noa… we’re dragging you down… I’m sorry…”

“Senior Noa! Don’t worry about us! Just kill this bastard!”

It wasn’t their fault they’d been taken by a coward.

Noa would never blame them.

Everyone had been trying to get to safety from the start.

She simply hadn’t expected the Magic Eye’s tentacles to have grown so much stronger.

“Filthy eyeball…” Noa bit hard into her lower lip. “You’re shameless.”

For the first time, she had no immediate answer.

Soul Judgment?

That would harm the Magic Eye—but the moment the attack landed, it could kill the hostages instantly.

So… what could she do?

What could she do…

As Noa hesitated, the last hostage suddenly shouted...

“Tucker!! You idiot!! Are you really going to let this trashy eyeball steal your body?!”

“If you still consider me your friend, then wake up!! Damn it!!”

Noa snapped out of it and turned toward the voice, recognizing the speaker at once.

“Ael.”