Goodbye Ozymandias

Unlike the emerald Wyverns Li Ye had encountered before, this colossal dragon before him was several times larger. The sheer power radiating from it felt like it could tear the very earth apart.

Its muscles were strong and powerful, its scales were nigh-impenetrable, and its magic power even surpassed Li Ye's!

After a brief exchange of glances, Li Ye pressed his attack, his fist landing squarely on the dragon's abdomen!

The intense recoil forced Li Ye to quickly pull back.

So strong!

The moment he saw the dragon, Li Ye realized he likely wouldn't be able to inflict significant damage. But he hadn't expected the gap to be this immense!

That punch was like a mayfly trying to shake a tree—it caused no damage whatsoever to the dragon!

Li Ye himself felt his arm go numb from the recoil of that single punch!

"ROAR!!!"

A deafening roar kicked up a tempest of air. The dragon, now fully alert and in a combat stance due to Li Ye's punch, slowly lowered its massive head. Its large vertical pupils held a hint of mockery.

It was clearly mocking Li Ye, a person with Dragon Blood, for being so weak.

BOOM!!

A scorching dragon breath, unleashed without mercy, poured down like a tidal wave, engulfing even the dragon itself!

The space, wide enough for the dragon to move, now felt incredibly cramped. The dragon's breath, covering almost everything, even spread into the tunnel Li Ye had come from!!

A clear ringing sound echoed—

The flames vanished, leaving only the residual heat in the air, as if recounting what had once been there.

Li Ye formed a blade with his hand, a faint crimson magic power swirling around his fingertips.

Li Ye's gem-like vertical pupils, devoid of any emotion, were clearly visible to the dragon.

With just one punch, Li Ye had understood his disadvantages and advantages against the dragon. The defense formed by its scales and muscles was something Li Ye couldn't break with his bare hands, and its continuous bursts of power had reached Li Ye's current limit.

Therefore, Li Ye abandoned the idea of overpowering the dragon head-on.

He chose to deliver a single, killing blow in the shortest possible time!

ROAR!!

The dragon didn't know what Li Ye had done to make its breath disappear without a trace. What it did know was that this insect was provoking it!

Facing the enraged dragon, Li Ye's body flickered, and he shot out like an arrow loosed from a bow!

Compared to the dragon, whose movements were sluggish due to its size, Li Ye's divine speed was an absolute advantage!

Crimson Lightning flashed, and before the dragon could counter, Li Ye successfully closed in on its unguarded abdomen!

Squelch!!

His extended arm acted like a spear, piercing through the scales at the Lines of Death with ease—

The dragon's gaping maw was only a few meters away from Li Ye, and the highly condensed magic power dissipated completely at this moment.

As the Lines of Death were torn asunder, this dragon, raised by the Atlas Institute, met its fated end.

Its standing form became still, existing there like a lifelike sculpture.

But Li Ye's attack was not over yet—

BOOM!!

Starting from his arm, countless bolts of Crimson Lightning erupted within the dragon's body!

In a few breaths, the towering dragon's body swelled like an overinflated balloon, until it finally exploded with a deafening roar!

When Holmes and Nitocris, who had finished dealing with the remaining Automatic Defense Devices, arrived, they saw a scene of crimson devastation.

The shattered dragon carcass still stood in the underground world, and the smell of blood lingering in the air made Holmes realize what had happened.

Li Ye shook his numb arm, his Dragon Heart beating wildly within him, wisps of crimson magic power still dancing on his skin.

"Mr. Li Ye, this is truly—" Holmes raised an eyebrow. The sheer destructive power Li Ye displayed surpassed any of his previous battles.

Holmes had to re-evaluate Li Ye's combat prowess, raising it another level. He subconsciously marveled at the vast power of the Lion King, wondering how much Dragon Blood had been used to grant Li Ye such inhuman strength in such a short time.

"I almost didn't make it. It was a close win, thank you, Miss Nito." Li Ye smiled at Nitocris.

Nitocris's Noble Phantasm had held all the Automatic Defense Devices at bay, giving Li Ye the opportunity to unleash his attack.

"This is the might of a Pharaoh. If you pledge allegiance to the Sun King, I can make you a divine official—"

Nitocris puffed out her chest proudly, her long ears twitching slightly on her head.

"Mr. Holmes! How do we get out of here?"

After dealing with the Automatic Defense Devices, Li Ye looked at the intricate network of tunnels with a headache.

"Naturally, we retrace our steps, Mr. Li Ye.

When entering a labyrinth, one cannot rely solely on visual data. You must construct a three-dimensional map in your mind as you proceed. That's common sense, my friend."

Holmes's casually spoken words greatly astonished Li Ye.

Li Ye had also tried the method Holmes described, but only when he first entered the Atlas Institute. As he delved deeper, Li Ye had long since become lost.

Even though Holmes had entered with them, he was able to perfectly record the complex route and deduce it. This talent made Li Ye marvel once more, "As expected of the great detective—"

A little over ten minutes later, led by Holmes, Li Ye and Nitocris finally left the underground world of the Atlas Institute.

The storm that covered the sky reappeared in their vision, yet Li Ye felt a sense of reunion.

"Then we shall part ways here, Mr. Li Ye."

Holmes suddenly said.

"Huh? Mr. Holmes is leaving already?" Li Ye wasn't surprised by Holmes' departure. To Holmes, neither his Lion King faction nor Nitocris's Sun King faction held as much importance as Chaldea.

"After all, I still have someone else I need to track down, named Phantom Spirit— No, that's not something to discuss now. However, could Mr. Li Ye do me a favor?"

Holmes' expression turned serious, forcing Li Ye to drop his relaxed demeanor. "Mr. Holmes, you—"

Although Li Ye was full of mysteries, he was an invaluable asset in terms of combat power. Holmes believed Li Ye could become an ally of Chaldea—

"Mr. Li Ye, if I don't show up in half a year, please do me a favor and receive Chaldea when they arrive. They are still entangled in a great mystery.

If necessary, I would trouble you to help them resolve their doubts."

"No problem!"

Li Ye gave a thumbs-up, accepting the request.

Seeing this, Holmes finally put his mind at ease. "Then I shall take my leave."

Watching Holmes disappear into the sandstorm, Li Ye finally withdrew his gaze and then looked at Nitocris, "Miss Nito, shall we return to the Holy City now?"

Li Ye didn't get a response from Nitocris; instead, a surge of magic power arose.

"Unfold, Mirror of the Underworld!"

Nitocris waved the Staff of Vance, and a black, circular mirror materialized from the void, standing upright before Li Ye.

"Huh?"

Li Ye was a bit bewildered by Nitocris's sudden activation of the Mirror of the Underworld and asked, "Miss Nito, what is this?"

"Naturally, it's to return to the Temple."

Nitocris glanced at Li Ye with a look of confusion, as if chiding him for asking such a basic question.

Teleportation?

Li Ye stared at the black mirror before him, suddenly recalling how Nitocris had appeared when they first met.

As Nitocris stepped through the Mirror of the Underworld first, Li Ye followed closely behind.

He felt enveloped by a strange magical power, unable to see anything, as if he were in a silent place akin to the Underworld.

In the magnificent Temple, the black-haired king lowered his gaze.

"Ho? It seems Nitocris and the others have found that anomaly."