Silence swept across the shattered battlefield.

The cavern, once a mountain of molten stone and roaring flames, now held its breath.

Floating rocks drifted slowly like fragments of a broken world.

Golden sparks drifted around Shaurya's silhouette as he stood firm upon the hovering spiritual platform, battle-torn yet unmoved.

Above him—

Lorgann circled like a wounded star, wings trembling, molten embers leaking between its scaled lips.

Their eyes locked.

Shaurya smiled.

A smile too calm, too confident, too fearless for the moment.

Shaurya slid his right foot back, body lowering into a stance that radiated utter certainty.

Then he roared:

"Elder Wan—take me to its height!"

Elder Wan didn't hesitate.

His trembling hands steadied, eyes shining with resolve.

"Yes, Master!"

He pushed both palms forward—

Spiritual energy surged into the silver platform.

FWOOOOOM—!!

The platform shot upward, rising like an arrow fired into the sky.

Wind whipped past Shaurya's face.

Flames curled around his boots.

Golden aura trailed behind him like comet-stardust.

Up.

Up.

Up.

Until he was floating at the same altitude as Lorgann.

The dragon beat its wings once—

A volcanic gust blasted downward, hurling embers across the hall.

Its molten eyes sharpened.

"You dare rise to MY sky?"

Its growl echoed like grinding boulders.

Shaurya only laughed.

He lifted the Skyfire Bow.

Golden aura erupted instantly—

A blazing storm twisting upward around him.

The floating rocks trembled.

The collapsed floor cracked deeper.

The entire castle… shook.

Shockwaves rippled outward in perfect rings.

Lorgann's eyes widened.

"What… is that pressure!?"

Shaurya exhaled faintly.

His right hand reached for the string.

The moment his fingertips brushed it—

BOOOOOMMMM—!!!

A shockwave blasted out from the bow itself.

The spiritual platform vibrated violently.

Elder Wan nearly fell to his knees trying to maintain control.

Shaurya pulled the string slowly—

Golden aura condensed, swirling into the bowstring like a galaxy being drawn inward.

The light gathered…

thickened…

intensified…

And then—

FWOOOOOOSH!!!

A golden arrow materialized.

Not crafted.

Not summoned.

Not conjured.

Forged from pure divine spiritual energy.

The Skyfire Arrow.

The air bent around it.

Walls cracked from its pressure alone.

Dust dissolved before touching it.

Lorgann's pupils shrank to pinpoints.

"This… this is not something a HUMAN should wield…"

Fear twisted into fury.

Lorgann threw its head back—

Spiritual flame surged into its throat.

A crimson-black furnace ignited deep within its chest.

The dragon roared:

"FLAME ORB!!"

WHOOOOOOOM—!!!

A gigantic molten sphere burst from its maw, spiraling toward Shaurya, bending the air with its heat.

Lin Shu, Luo Chen, Wang Tian, elders, and disciples below widened their eyes—

This was not a technique.

It was a weapon of annihilation.

Elder Wan shouted:

"Master!!!"

But Shaurya…

smiled.

Behind him, the air split.

A golden mandala spun into existence—

An ancient OM symbol blooming like a divine lotus.

It pulsed—

slow, majestic, unstoppable.

Light radiated outward in expanding rings.

A divine hum vibrated through the cavern.

Shaurya stretched the string further—

Golden lightning crackled along the bow.

Energy spiraled into the golden arrow.

Pressure intensified to suffocating levels.

Lorgann's wings trembled.

"This is… this is power beyond your realm!!"

Shaurya inhaled deeply.

Then exhaled calmly.

"Goodbye."

He released the string.

KAAAAAAAAAAAAA—THOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!

The arrow exploded out of the bow—

a spear of pure golden destruction.

It tore the air apart.

It shattered the sound barrier instantly.

The cavern vibrated like a dying world.

The Skyfire Arrow pierced through Lorgann's Flame Orb—

Instantly.

Effortlessly.

Like slicing warm butter.

The Flame Orb detonated into fragments—

scattering molten explosions around the hall.

Lorgann's jaw dropped.

That arrow…

It was already at its face.

Just an inch away.

Its pupils shrank.

Its wings froze.

Its mind blanked.

For a heartbeat—

Lorgann believed death had arrived.

But then—

FWOOOSH—!!

The Skyfire Arrow flew past its cheek.

Missing by a hair.

The dragon gasped loudly—

Confused.

Terrified.

Shaking.

The arrow didn't slow or fade.

It kept going.

The golden arrow hammered into the far wall of the hall—

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM—!!!

A cataclysmic explosion tore the wall apart.

Stone evaporated.

Metallic structures vaporized.

Flames blew outward like a collapsing sun.

The blast traveled through multiple chambers of the castle—

Tearing open walls

Shattering arrays

Destroying ancient corridors

—until the arrow finally burst out of the castle entirely.

The outside world shook.

Clouds rippled.

Wind blasted away.

Even the sky of the secret realm trembled.

The arrow streaked into the dark sky—

KRA-KOOOM—!!!

It slammed into the dimensional boundary.

A golden explosion spread like a new dawn.

A massive crack split across the secret realm sky—

Bright.

Blinding.

Devastating.

Then—

The crack sealed itself.

Slowly.

Painfully.

Lorgann stared— pale, shaking, speechless.

"What… kind of… attack was that…?"

Shaurya raised the Skyfire Bow again.

His smile widened.

"Little Lizard."

The title hit Lorgann like a slap.

A Primordial Dragon.

Called a little lizard.

It turned slowly, mechanically, like an old machine refusing to move.

Its body trembled uncontrollably. Its wings drooped. Its throat tightened.

The dragon swallowed hard.

Hard enough for the sound to echo.

"H-hu… human… that attack… t-that wasn't a miss…?"

Shaurya grinned wickedly.

"Don't misunderstand."

He tilted his head.

"I didn't miss."

Lorgann blinked.

"I just…"

Shaurya pulled the bowstring slightly.

A thin golden spark flickered—

Lorgann's heart stopped.

"…gave you a chance."

Lorgann's wings shook violently.

A Primordial Beast—

a Titan of ancient flames—

reduced to trembling horror.

It stuttered out:

"Ch–Chance…?

Wh–What do you mean… human…?"

Shaurya's expression softened into something worse than mockery.

A confident, playful, merciless smile.

"Oh? You didn't get it?"

He pointed the bow directly at Lorgann's heart.

The dragon froze in place.

"I mean…"

Golden sparks swirled behind Shaurya like falling stars.

"…if I wanted to hit you—"

He took a deep breath.

"—you would already be dead."

The cavern shook.

The disciples felt their knees go weak.

Lin Shu's heart pounded wildly.

Lorgann's fear reached its peak.

Shaurya tightened his grip—

Bow raised.

Body glowing.

Divine aura erupting.

The tension snapped the air.

The final moment approached—

Life or annihilation.

Dragon or human.

Survival or extinction.

The cavern was silent.

Silent in the way a battlefield is silent after a god has fired his judgment.

Floating stones drifted aimlessly.

Dust hovered in glittering waves.

Golden sparks from Shaurya's aura still flickered around the hovering platform beneath his feet.

Above him—

Lorgann's enormous wings trembled.

Its molten eyes were no longer filled with rage—

But fear.

Pure, unmistakable fear.

A fear only a Primordial Beast felt when staring directly at extinction.

Shaurya slowly lowered the Skyfire Bow just a fraction.

Enough to ease the pressure.

Not enough to give comfort.

His smile softened into something terrifyingly calm.

"Lorgann…" he said lightly, almost conversational.

The dragon stiffened.

Shaurya rested the bow against his shoulder.

"You know… killing you right now would be easy."

Lorgann's throat tightened.

"But," Shaurya continued, tilting his head,

"I'm not in the mood to waste a rare dragon."

The entire Sanatan Flame Sect froze outside the crater.

Eyebrows raised.

Mouths fell open.

Even Elder Wan stopped controlling the platform for a split second.

Shaurya pointed the bow casually toward Lorgann again.

"Join my sect."

Lorgann jerked its head back.

"W–What?"

Shaurya's eyes gleamed.

"Become the Guardian Beast of the Sanatan Flame Sect."

The dragon blinked.

Twice.

Slowly.

"Guardian beast…? You want me—a Primordial Dragon—to serve humans?"

Shaurya shrugged.

"I didn't say serve. I said join."

He smiled.

"In my sect… you'll grow stronger than ever before."

The golden sparks danced more intensely as he spoke.

"You'll reach realms you've never touched.

Power beyond what this ruined castle could ever give you."

Lorgann stared blankly.

Confused.

Stunned.

Struggling to process.

Shaurya raised the bow again—

A threat sharper than any sword.

"Or…"

Lorgann's wings twitched.

"Die here."

The Skyfire Bow hummed faintly—

golden energy rippling like an awakening sun.

Lorgann's pupils shrank again.

The dragon swallowed hard.

Down below—

Wang Tian whispered:

"Master is… negotiating… with a Primordial Dragon?"

Luo Chen whispered back:

"No… he's recruiting it…"

Lin Shu's heart raced.

Was Shaurya truly that insane?

That confident?

That unstoppable?

Elder Feng Yu's lips trembled.

"Either become our guardian beast…

Or die…?"

Even Elder Wan froze in disbelief.

High above, Lorgann hovered uncertainly.

Its wings shifted.

Its molten eyes darted from Shaurya's bow to the destroyed sky and back.

Internally—

If I refuse… that bow will kill me instantly…

But if I join him…

A human sect…?

Is that humiliation?

Or… an opportunity?

The Skyfire Bow hummed again, pressuring the dragon's spirit.

Lorgann flinched.

Shaurya raised an eyebrow.

"Well? Decide."

The dragon hesitated.

Seconds passed like entire lifetimes.

Shaurya sighed dramatically.

Then lowered the bow.

"You know what?"

He reached back—

And put the Skyfire Bow away, dissolving it into golden particles.

Everyone—including Lorgann—gasped.

Lorgann stuttered:

"You… you're putting away your weapon?"

Shaurya nodded.

"Of course. Because I trust my own words."

He placed both hands behind his back, standing like a serene, golden warrior.

"If you join me…

I guarantee you will not regret it."

The declaration echoed like law.

Like a vow written into fate itself.

Lorgann stared at him.

Silent.

Thinking.

Wind rustled its wings.

Embers drifted from its mouth like falling stars.

Slowly…

painfully…

The massive dragon exhaled.

"…Human."

Shaurya lifted his chin.

"I accept."

A ripple of shock ran through the entire cavern.

Elder Wan nearly fainted.

Lin Shu gasped loudly.

Wang Tian and Luo Chen froze like statues.

A Primordial Lava Dragon…

accepting Shaurya's offer.

Lorgann lowered its head slightly—

a gesture no dragon offered lightly.

"Shaurya…

I will become the Guardian Beast of your sect."

Its voice was softer now.

Not submissive.

But respectful.

"Just… do not betray this trust."

Shaurya grinned.

"Welcome, then."

He tapped his chest with two fingers.

"To the Sanatan Flame Sect."

The golden air around him shimmered in approval.

Lorgann bowed its massive neck.

The cavern shook one final time— not from destruction, but from the sealing of a pact between human and beast.

The impossible alliance.

The golden aura around Shaurya dimmed into a soft glow.

Lorgann lowered itself, folding its massive wings as it hovered behind him—

no longer an enemy,

but an ally.

The spiritual platform drifted gently toward the cliff where the Sanatan Flame Sect waited.

Dust floated like glowing feathers in the molten air.

Shaurya stepped off slowly, boots landing on solid stone.

The moment his feet touched the ground—

LIN SHU MOVED FIRST.

"SHAURYA!!"

She shot forward like a blur.

Before he could react—

she threw her arms around him, pulling him into a tight, desperate hug.

Her entire body trembled.

"You idiot…!"

Her voice cracked against his shoulder.

"You reckless, insane, stupid idiot…! You scared us to death!"

Shaurya winced slightly—

his ribs still stinging—

but he smiled, patting her back gently.

"I'm alright… I'm alright, Lin Shu."

Elder Feng Yu stopped beside them, eyes wide with astonishment.

Wang Tian and Luo Chen bow their heads with relief, though both still stared at Shaurya like he was something more than human.

"Master…" Luo Chen whispered. "You really… defeated a Primordial Dragon…"

"Not defeated," Shaurya corrected, grinning.

"Recruited."

Behind him, Lorgann snorted, embers puffing from its nostrils—

half annoyed,

half impressed.

Then Elder Wan rushed forward.

"Master! Quickly, take this!"

He held out a glowing jade pill—

a high-grade healing pellet shimmering with spiritual mist.

Shaurya raised an eyebrow.

"Oho… fancy."

He swallowed it.

A warm surge spread through his body.

Light threaded through his veins.

Burns faded.

Wounds sealed.

Blood stopped.

Pain dispersed like mist under sunlight.

A few darker scars, however, remained faintly on his skin—

marks of a battle against a being far above his realm.

"It will take a few days for those scars to fade completely," Elder Wan said softly.

Shaurya stretched his shoulder with a pleased exhale.

"No worries. Makes me look cooler."

Lin Shu slapped his arm lightly.

"Idiot…"

But she smiled.

A soft, relieved smile.

Shaurya's divine form vanished.

The cavern lay in ruins.

Walls cracked.

Platforms shattered.

Molten rivers still bubbling softly.

But the danger…

was gone.

The threat…

was ended.

And standing amidst the destruction—

a young cultivator with golden eyes

and a Primordial Dragon at his back

had changed everything.

Shaurya placed a hand on Lin Shu's head.

"Let's go reunite with the others."

Everyone nodded.

The battle of the Primordial Flame Cavern…

had finally come to an end.

TO BE CONTINUED…