‘Ragon... Hurry, hurry!’

The place where Ragon was relocated was quite a distance away, so it couldn’t move instantly.

I anxiously waited for Ragon.

Before long, the ancient monster opened its mouth wide in the shape of a cross (十).

Inside were countless sharp teeth.

An ancient monster that cannot be matched by human strength instinctively inspires terror.

A soldier on Selene’s side, terrified, staggered backward.

“U-uaaah!”

He soon screamed and ran away.

“You idiot...! Didn’t they teach you not to move in front of The Void like that?!”

Another mercenary tried to stop him, but the soldier fled in panic.

Judging by his movements, this was his first real battle.

‘Well, he probably thought I contracted a tier-3 mercenary group.’

He must have thought it was a joke battle and planned to let the trainee soldier gain actual combat experience.

I shouted toward the soldier.

“Stop!”

“P-please spare me! Spare me! Spare me! Spare me!”

He was no longer in a state to listen.

‘That fool!’

The surface of The Void was covered with an enormous number of eyeballs, but they didn’t function properly.

So this ancient monster detected living things by movement.

Kieeeek─!

With a chilling roar, The Void charged at the fleeing soldier.

At that moment, Selene was nearby.

She was exhausted from using many barriers during the match.

She was not in a state to withstand the powerful attack of the ancient monster.

‘Even if the foolish soldier who forgot his training dies, Selene would suffer a miserable death.’

The soldier suddenly collapsed and stopped moving.

I threw a stone at The Void.

“Idiot! Idiot! The prey is right here! You fool!”

I threw stones as I was caught and ran wildly in the opposite direction.

“Milady, what are you doing─!”

Kali shouted, startled.

Those who were once central knights during the Late Emperor’s era well knew the danger of ancient monsters.

Kali’s greatest achievement was exterminating ancient monsters.

The men of the Igritz mercenary group all turned pale.

The numerous eyes of The Void moved clumsily and mechanically.

Toward me.

The Void twisted its body in an instant and charged at me.

“Erilot!”

Selene shouted.

She hurriedly placed her hand on the ground.

Light spread from the earth toward me.

It seemed she tried to shield me with a barrier, but the light faded before the barrier could form.

Selene’s face turned pale.

‘She wouldn’t have any magic left after enduring attacks from my mercenaries for so long.’

“Kendal!”

Kali shouted, and Kendal quickly cast his Gaho.

A massive barrage of wind arrows poured down on The Void like rain.

But it only stopped The Void’s movement for a few seconds; the attacks had no effect.

I fled in a panic.

‘I’m really going to die here...’

I felt the same instinctive fear.

My limbs trembled, warning bells rang in my mind.

Run.

You can never win.

‘It was reckless... Dad!’

“Idiot! Idiot! The prey is right here! You fool!”

Erilot threw stones at The Void inside the magical scope.

It must have been an act to protect Selene.

“Oh no...”

“Good grief, how fearless.”

Just then—

“Erilot!”

Daymond shouted.

It was the first time I’d seen him so agitated.

The man who never shed a tear even when his twin brothers died, or when his mother screamed.

Daymond’s pale, corpse-like face shouted at Lismond.

“Move me to the abandoned forest! Immediately!”

Marquis Debussy tried to stop him.

“You must not go alone. Those mercenaries are drained from the match. Charging alone at an ancient monster is suicide─!”

Daymond roughly shook off Debussy’s hand and grabbed Lismond.

“Move me now! Hurry─!”

“...”

Lismond’s face was just as pale.

“Brother, me too...!”

“Me too!”

Joshua and Balzac clung to Lismond.

“Master!”

“Master Lismond!”

Other retainers tried to stop them, but Daymond’s men could hardly calm down.

Just as Lismond prepared to cast Gaho—

“A dragon!”

Someone shouted.

Daymond, Lismond, Joshua, and Balzac’s gazes simultaneously shifted to the magical scope.

At that moment, Ragon appeared just as The Void was about to swallow Erilot!

A huge dragon covered in black scales with red eyes.

People gasped.

“A d-dragon...!”

“It really is a dragon!”

The rumored ‘dragon tamed by a human’ had appeared.

It was an astonishing sight.

Though smaller compared to other dragons, Ragon was big enough to confront The Void.

Ragon swiftly rushed at The Void trying to swallow Erilot and bit its neck.

“Ra-Ragon... Ragon...”

Balzac stammered as he watched the magical scope.

But then he wildly punched the air.

“Well done, little bastard! Glad I didn’t turn you into crow roast!”

Ragon roared loudly in anger at the monster threatening his master.

“Gyaaaak─!”

Bang!

Thunder split the sky.

Sensitive birds flew off the forest, taking flight first.

Even four-legged beasts hiding fled the forest in panic at The Void’s appearance.

“Ragon...!”

Erilot gazed at her beast with watery eyes.

“That bastard! That bastard tried to kill me!”

“Gyaaaak─!”

“Kill it!”

At the child’s command, Ragon twisted his body fiercely.

The dragon that had bitten The Void flew up and then dived toward the ground.

Boom─!!!

The Void crashed to the ground, writhing.

Until then, Duke Astra’s sixth son, Gustav, who had been standing, lost strength and slumped down.

“The strongest among ancient monsters...”

Even Dioneira’s mother Vasilema clicked her tongue.

“Yes. It’s a dragon called the strongest among ancient monsters.”

To face an ancient monster, even the entire imperial central army was insufficient.

Countless mages and supporters (those with amplification or Holy Realm Gaho) had to assist to barely defeat ancient monsters.

‘But that ancient monster is being faced by a mere ten-year-old alone?’

‘Taming a dragon...!’

People’s eyes never left the magical scope.

Erilot’s dragon Ragon was not outmatched by The Void.

Rather, the powerful ancient monster was concentrated on the small dragon that had just molted.

Green thick blood flowed endlessly from the bitten neck of Ragon.

“Ragon, drive The Void out of the storm clouds!”

The Void cannot exert full power in places without darkness.

That was why it traveled with the storm clouds.

At the child’s command, Ragon drove The Void into an area flooded with sunlight.

“Kieeeek─!”

The Void writhed like a worm scalded in hot water.

Dioneira, watching the magical scope, excitedly grabbed Liantin.

“Erilot, well done! Right?”

“Oh no...”

“Huh?”

“Ancient monsters can’t be killed...”

“What do you mean?”

Dioneira looked at Liantin in confusion.

Liantin, with his mouth covered, shouted,

“Communicate... We have to communicate. We have to stop Erilot!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Ancient monsters use ‘Ultimate Skills’ when their life is in danger!”

“Huh?”

Liantin hugged himself trembling.

‘Why on earth is Erilot—?’

Ancient monsters are something you never miss learning in family education.

I was always top of the class, but Erilot was always first place.

She couldn’t be unaware of The Void.

Erilot in the magical scope moved.

“Ragon, fire─!”

Ragon’s breath blasted while The Void was weakened by sunlight.

The Void, wrapped in light and fire, let out a painful scream.

Kyaaaak─!!

At that moment—

“Huh?”

“No way...!”

The Void’s skin exploded as if bursting.

Its skin and eyes scattered all over the abandoned forest.

But...

“What’s that? What is that?”

Joffrey murmured, staring at the writhing eyeballs of The Void.

Loreina grabbed her forehead with one hand.

“What else? That idiot Erilot’s arrogance only made things worse!”

“Huh?”

“The Void’s ultimate skill is replication!”

“Replication means...”

“Study up, you idiot. It’s something taught in class.”

Loreina glared at Joffrey, who was acting foolish.

“Each eyeball is a child of The Void. More precisely, The Void is hermaphroditic and alone gives birth to its clones.”

“Then...”

“Yeah. The children sleep inside the mother until the mother senses danger, then start biological activity. Those grow into ‘The Void.’”

Joffrey screamed.

“That idiot just multiplied a terrifying Void into hundreds!”

“The scarier thing is...”

The skin pieces that fell near the eyeballs gathered together.

They began to form small Voids and started attacking the nearby humans indiscriminately.

‘Erilot, what the hell did you do...’

Defeating one Void was no achievement anymore.

Hundreds of Voids.

‘She’ll become humanity’s enemy and end up on the execution block.’

“Damn it. No choice. Attack!”

Kali shouted.

Mercenaries each raised their weapons and rushed at the Void clones.

“They don’t yet have the strength of an adult Void! We have to deal with all the children here!”

Following Kali’s order, the Igritz mercenaries moved frantically.

Erilot’s dragon Ragon also quickly began taking care of the Void clones.

“But what is that kid doing?”

In this situation, Erilot was quietly staring into empty space.

As if she was seeing something.

Then—

“Found it. Thank you, readers.”

She smirked and looked around.

Then she pointed at one of the Void clones.

“That one! Take it down!”

She shouted, but the other mercenaries were already overwhelmed dealing with hundreds of Void clones.

Luka barely created an opening and threw a dagger, but the Void Erilot pointed at twisted its body and dodged.

“Tsk.”

Erilot clicked her tongue, drew the bow she had on her waist, and calmly nocked an arrow.

One.

Two.

Three!

The third arrow pierced the Void clone.

The Void clone’s gaze slowly turned toward Erilot.

“Yes. Here.”

Responding to Erilot’s words, the Void rushed at her.

The small Erilot’s body was knocked back by the Void clone’s attack.

“Erilot!”

Joshua turned pale and shouted like a scream.

The Void clone pounced on Erilot.

She barely blocked it while still holding the arrow.

Ragon growled and tried to rush to his master, but dozens of Void clones ran at him.

While shaking them off, Erilot struggled back and forth with the Void clones.

“You’re wrong. You’re losing strength.”

“We should move, Lismond.”

“Yes.”

Then—

“Please be scared.”

A clear voice echoed inside the magical scope.

A boy wearing a robe sighed.

“Why did you come so late!”

“You think I have a teleportation stone like you?”

“Hurry─! I’m dying!”

The boy swiftly slashed a sword toward the Void clone.

His hood slipped off, revealing a beautiful face inside the magical scope.

Black hair like the night sky.

Shining blue eyes.

The boy grabbed the neck of the Void clone that had attacked Erilot and pulled it away.

In a low voice, he said,

“How dare you attack anyone, ancient remnant.”

Only then did Erilot sigh and call the boy’s name.

“Alexis...”

─and so.

“Wow.”

The boys watching the Astra transmission twisted their mouths.

A red-haired boy crossed his arms and said,

“Amazing.”

A long-haired handsome boy shining like moonlight chuckled softly.

“Yeah. Salvatore. Your country really has dragons.”

A boy with blue hair covering one eye curled his lips.

“But the Void clones have multiplied into hundreds.”

“Yeah. Think it’ll be okay?”

Others agreed, and an orange-haired boy shrugged.

That boy was Salvatore.

Son of Empress Ocealia, the only imperial prince.

“Well, isn’t that something the Empress Dowager should worry about?”

“But it’s amazing. Awakening an ancient monster’s offspring with just one dragon. That’s never happened.”

“Indeed.”

“I’m interested.”

The boys gathered around the round table smiled, watching the girl in the magical scope.

Her hair shimmered like strands of gold in the air.

Eyes sparkling like jewels.

Even the beauty mark near her eye fit perfectly like a painting.

The red-haired boy murmured,

“Very... pretty.”

Then a boy with curly black hair made a sulky face.

“Erilot was already cool since she was three.”

This gathering was full of princes and heirs from various nations.

The prince of Avino smiled gently, resting his chin on his hand.

“Truly amazing. Erilot is.”