"Riiip!"
A shooting star streaked through the air, trailing a long, slender tail across the boundless sky. It vanished swiftly into the vastness before finally tumbling down in front of Heavenly Dragon, the chief of Heavenly Dragon Star.
At that moment, Heavenly Dragon was presiding over the planetary ascension ceremony, which had reached its most critical stage. His eyes suddenly narrowed as he looked down. When he realized that the round object was none other than the head of the Holy Light Dragon Knight, one of the Eighteen Dragon Knights, fury erupted within him.
Heavenly Dragon and the Holy Light Dragon Knight had been close friends. Seeing his old friend dead with his eyes still open, unable to rest in peace, sent his anger soaring.
But he dared not act rashly. Instead, he poured all his fury into accelerating the ascension ceremony, roaring inwardly:
"It has to succeed!!!"
"I absolutely cannot let my companions' hopes come to nothing!!!"
As though it had heard Heavenly Dragon's plea, the entire Heavenly Dragon Star suddenly trembled. A pillar of light erupted from its core, shooting into the heavens. In an instant, the vital energy between heaven and earth increased at a rate visible to the naked eye. Every native of Heavenly Dragon Star felt an instinctive joy deep within, as though their shackles had fallen away. Bathed in vital energy glittering with starlight, many found that the frailty and ailments of old age that had plagued them disappeared one after another. A few gifted individuals even seized this opportunity to break through, their bodies erupting with still more powerful auras.
As the greatest beneficiary on Heavenly Dragon Star, standing at the very heart of the planetary ascension ceremony, Heavenly Dragon gained the greatest rewards from this celebration shared by the entire world.
Heavenly