NOVPUBIt was high noon.
Endless Sanctuary.
Suddenly, the temple's alert bell rang out, loud and urgent.
"What's going on? Are we under attack?!"
Members of the Sanctuary spilled out in panic, each treating it like a full-scale invasion. But what they saw would forever be etched into their memories.
Three Jade Dragons soared above, spreading wings wide enough to blot out the sun. They flew in a perfect triangular formation over the Sanctuary's skies!
Trailing behind them—thirty Shadow Dragons.
Their obsidian-black scales gleamed with a metallic sheen in the sunlight, and the hurricane winds stirred by their wings made the banners around the Sanctuary snap sharply in the air.
"Heavens above… How are there so many dragons…"
"Enemy attack! Activate the defense barrier—"
The guard captain's shout cut off abruptly.
His eyes widened as he saw a lone figure leaping down from the leading dragon's back.
???
Someone was standing atop a dragon—no, atop the heads of dragons—like it was nothing?
Was he hallucinating?
Velen descended slowly, stepping on magic-forged stairs formed midair. Behind him, Stiegler carried a massive dragon egg in his arms, while Slovak grinned wildly with excitement.
"Notify the Sanctuary's master," Velen said lazily, casually tossing a shimmering Astral Aurum badge to a stunned guard. "Tell her I've brought back a few new pets."
Guard: ???
Titan Elder… are you seriously calling these terrifying dragons your pets?
By the time Lilith arrived at the central plaza with the eight Grand Elders in tow, the sight that greeted them made even the most battle-hardened among them gulp.
The three Jade Dragons were lying docilely on the ground, enjoying a spa treatment from a team of maids polishing their scales.
Thirty Shadow Dragons stood at rigid attention in an impeccably arranged military formation, all under Alec's command.
But what stole the show was the massive dragon egg in the center of the plaza—its shell etched with glowing purple mana patterns.
The egg still bore visible scorch marks, and from it came a faint, tantalizing roasted aroma.
What the hell?
"A Darknight Dragon Egg?!"
Amethyst Elder's glasses cracked with an audible snap. "And it's been… grilled?!"
Who on earth would do something so utterly insane?!
Inside the Sanctuary's senator hall, Velen's renovation proposal left all the elders speechless.
"Rebuild all the flooring using Stellar Core? Plant Phantom Moon Orchids as decorative foliage?"
Void Elder's snowy beard trembled violently. "And install nine hundred and ninety-nine starlight magic lamps in the main tower?!"
"You're thinking too small," Velen replied with a snap of his fingers.
Stiegler projected a massive holographic display, unfurling Velen's full architectural blueprint.
"I'm converting the Sanctuary into a mobile war fortress."
The projection displayed a heart-stopping layout: twelve floating artillery towers circling a cathedral cloaked in magical rainbow alloys, three Jade Dragons constantly rotating around the sanctified core of the magical array, and at the base—no less than thirty-six continuously refreshing Spatial Portals.
Holy hell.
You're really turning this place into that kind of fortress?!
"How many resources will that take?" Lilith's voice trembled slightly.
Velen casually tossed her a spatial ring. "This is just the initial investment."
Illusory Demon Elder caught the ring, peeked inside—and immediately fainted backwards.
It was packed with enough resources to buy out three Sanctuaries!
He had never, in all his life, seen so much wealth in one place!
At the Starlight Pool, Velen was conducting a special operation.
"System, bring me twenty barrels of Pure Star Essence."
As the violet liquid poured into the glowing pool, Velen gently submerged the Darknight Dragon Egg, then sprinkled in crushed fragments of Sacred Dragon Glass.
The scorch marks on the eggshell rapidly faded. The purple mana patterns pulsed with a soft, rhythmic glow, like a heartbeat.
"Your Highness, are you really going to hatch it?"
Slovak, hugging a wine jar, leaned closer. "I heard Darknight Dragons imprint on the first living thing they see as their mother."
A devilish smile curled Velen's lips. "Which is why I hired a special nanny."
From the shadows, a figure emerged—Shadow herself. Her pallid fingers pressed lightly against the eggshell.
The lively egg immediately froze, its pulsing mana dimming into stillness.
"…," Slovak's wine jar fell to the floor with a clang.
At dawn.
Just as Velen was joyfully watching over the egg, a beam of golden light tore through the night sky and crashed into the Sanctuary's main spire.
Lilith crushed her emergency crystal communicator. Her face turned grave.
"A primordial ruin has appeared… in the Singularity Battlefield?!"
Void Elder stared at the image projected by the crystal—floating palaces suspended within a shattered stellar ring, radiating divine brilliance.
"Could it be…"
"A fragment of the Creator's Godhood."
Velen, now mysteriously appearing in the meeting hall with the napping Nightshade on his shoulder, grinned. "Interesting." 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓾𝒷.𝒸ℴ𝓂
The projection flickered to show the banners of major factions: the golden scales of the Star Tower, the bloody vertical eye of the Abyssal Council, the cogwheel sigil of the Church of Mechanica…
It ended with a final flicker—a glimpse of a fractured crystal, which immediately caused the projection crystal to overload and explode.
"Under normal circumstances, the Sanctuary should send an elite force," Lilith said while rubbing her temples. "But right now…"
"I'll go," Velen interrupted.
Nightshade suddenly opened his amethyst eyes. "Perfect chance to give the rookies some field experience."
What?
You're going?
Lilith hesitated. If something happened to Velen, where would they even get the kind of resources he brought in?
But after seeing his determined expression, she sighed in resignation and nodded.
Meanwhile, inside the alchemy workshop, Amethyst Elder was throwing a full-on tantrum.
"I'm going to lose my mind! This is insanity! Waste of heaven's gifts!"
"Grinding Stellar Core into powder to mix with dragon feed? Forging horseshoes out of magical rainbow alloy?"
He chased Stiegler while shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Has the Titan Tower lost its mind?!"
"If you didn't want those resources, you could've given them to me! Those are priceless treasures!"
Stiegler calmly displayed a document. "According to Article 17 of the Strategic Luxury Spending Directive, wartime resource usage is exempt from conventional budget constraints."
"Who the hell wrote that directive?!"
Amethyst Elder roared in rage.
On the other side, Slovak was undergoing special training.
Shadow, wielding a Void Blade, left a fresh gash on his armor with every blink of movement.
"Too fast!" Slovak rolled to dodge, panting. "Can't we—"
Before he could finish, Nightshade leapt out from his shadow, sinking fangs into Shadow's wrist.
The surrounding space fractured under the force of the bite, forcing Shadow to take her first ever step backward.
"Well done!" Slovak cheered—only to be immediately slapped across the plaza by Nightshade's tail.
He dared not complain.
This was a Darknight Dragon—possibly a future god-tier spellbeast. He couldn't afford to offend it.
On the day of deployment.
The entire Sanctuary gathered at the newly completed Starlight Plaza.
Three Jade Dragons pulled a war chariot embedded with Stellar Core. Thirty Shadow Dragons stood equipped with custom saddles.
But the most eye-catching presence was Nightshade perched on Velen's shoulder.
The little guy had already grown to the size of a hunting hound, its scales shimmering like a miniature starfield.
"Remember," Velen said to Lilith, who would be staying behind. "Make sure you spend the weekly budget. Otherwise…"
"I know, I know," Lilith rolled her eyes. "Otherwise Stiegler will start mopping the floors with Star Essence again."
As the teleportation array lit up, Nightshade let out a happy chirp and spat out a spatial bubble.
The entire expedition team vanished in a flash—reappearing at the outskirts of the Singularity Battlefield three days ahead of schedule.
Back in the Sanctuary, the stunned onlookers stared at the now-empty platform.
"…What the hell?"
"How did we get there so fast?!"
"Oh, did I forget to mention?" Velen's voice drifted from the communicator crystal. "Nightshade's been practicing spatial jumps lately…"
