The physical toll of crossing dimensions bare-bodied gradually faded. Thanks to a group of Ancient Dragons who abandoned combat to focus exclusively on Jump Magic as rear-guard support, breaching the barrier was not as grueling as before.
The jarring, disjointed sensation in their bodies finally settled. The briny scent of the sea stung their noses. Then, as their vision returned to normal, the dragons witnessed an unbelievable sight.
"We heard about it in advance, but it is a truly bizarre phenomenon."
Above the water, it looked as if a second sun had risen.
From one of the eight battleships in the distance, waves of light surged and radiated in all directions. It hovered at a fixed altitude, pulsing like a living creature with a will of its own.
The dragons didn't waste energy fleeing or raising defensive shields to block it. Their kin's analysis confirmed it was pure Divine Power. Furthermore, since it contained restorative properties, touching it wouldn't harm them.
"I don't know what kind of trick they're playing, but..."
They tilted their heads.
"Well, we'll find out soon enough."
Waiting for their entire army to cross, Kairediak and the first wave of dragons formed a perimeter around the Space Mothership, besieging it.
They knew more battleships had begun moving out from Dimension #00-001. Those ships were definitely en route to Earth. The vanguard needed today's operation to succeed before those reinforcements linked up with Asif-666.
"...?!"
Flash! Flash-flash-flash!
This happened while there was still plenty of time before all the dragons finished their jumps.
"What is that?!"
Flashes of light erupted around the battleships.
It was completely distinct from the Divine Power radiating from the command ship. The dragons could not possibly mistake it.
The intruders' faces contorted. Wherever the light burst, black stains marred the air. Taking formation as dark silhouettes across the sky, they were diverse in shape, yet undeniably born from the same root.
"...They are!"
The dragons' superior vision and six brains instantly processed and recognized the enemy's features.
Someone roared.
"They survived!"
The Allied Coalition of 25 Dimensions—the armada that had first invaded Earth to eliminate Asiph-1, only to be annihilated instead.
They had appeared right here.
Spreading their wings in unison, they charged ferociously, closing the distance in seconds. Kairediak was not foolish enough to welcome them. He already knew a mind-controller was in play.
'My worst fears were right on the mark. And in the worst possible way!'
He shouted a stern warning.
"Stop! Stop right there! Come any closer and we will attack!"
That immediately proved to be a meaningless declaration.
Before Kairediak's side could even attack, magical energy had already begun to boil in the enemy's ranks.
There were thousands of clearly brainwashed dragons. Flames tangled around their jaws, and electricity sparked between their horns.
Wary tension gripped the vanguard as they watched the enemy approach. Even so, fresh gates continued to tear open in the empty air behind their backs.
Kairediak clicked his tongue. Their all-out war to eliminate Asif-666 was about to begin with an act of fratricide among dragons.
Thick clouds parted, spilling harsh sunlight. The glare flashing off the scales of the besieging dragons and their incoming attackers, mingled with the falling motes of Divine Power, was enough to induce vertigo in any species.
Amidst that nauseating torrent of light, the two dragon armies clashed.
*
Asiph-1 muttered blankly.
"Seven days... have passed?!"
He whipped his head around. Fourth was still engulfed in light, unable to regain his senses.
Was this the arrangement made by the ghost who had become Divine Power? To thrust him exactly seven days forward!
No, more accurately, it had held him captive for seven days. Through the memories of the priests, Asiph-1 had learned what transpired in reality during that time.
'Father tried to eliminate Fourth!'
A hair-raising realization. Fortunately, it seemed the goblin had desperately stopped him.
Thanks to Dong-cheol explaining the immediate situation and holding him back, Minjun had decided to wait a few more days until Asiph-1 woke up.
'If I had woken up even a little bit later, Father would have gone through with it. If Fourth had died just like that, everything would have gone down the drain!'
It was fortunate that Dong-cheol happened to be by his side, and that he had woken up right in the nick of time.
No, could even this be part of the ghost's plan?
It was difficult to fathom how far the will of one who had transcended time could reach.
"Your body seems intact."
The Creator spoke. He had already returned to his usual calm voice and stoic expression. He recognized at a glance that Asiph-1's physical form was perfectly fine.
"And your mind?"
That was something Minjun couldn't verify directly. Asiph-1 answered.
"It is perfectly fine."
Minjun had no choice but to take his word for it. He nodded and spoke.
"You must have read the priests' memories, so I will skip the explanation. Take command immediately and prepare for battle."
He promptly turned his back.
As instructed, Asiph-1 had already finished assessing the situation. He knew the noise outside was caused by the dragons, who had finally gathered in larger numbers to invade. It was much faster than Jenkinson had predicted when he sent his letter.
From the Red Dragon's perspective, this could be seen as yet another failure. Jenkinson had vastly underestimated the sheer terror his letter would provoke in some dragons, and how rapidly that terror would curdle into wrath and hostility.
Asiph-1 now knew that even this friend's failure fell within the Creator's predictable range. Giving Asiph-1 a seven-day grace period was precisely because Minjun had predicted the dragons would invade on December 31st, when the deadline expired. He had confirmed the date through the prophet, and since the timing was set, preparation was a simple matter.
"Please wait!"
He shouted urgently. Minjun, who had been about to leave the cabin, stopped.
Asiph-1 looked at the golden powder scattered everywhere and then at Dong-cheol. He recalled the words the ghost had spoken in the mental world. They remained a vivid memory, as if branded directly onto his soul.
"I will prove it!"
Minjun glanced back over his shoulder.
"...What?"
A tone of utter disbelief. That emotion might soon shift into fury.
But Asiph-1 could not stop.
"I will prove it, just as promised! Today is exactly the seventh day. There is still time left!"
"..."
"You promised to grant my wish if I proved the origin and value of Divine Power! Because you understand the weight of your words, I know very well that you have never broken a single promise. So I will prove it to you right now!"
Yuntus and Dong-cheol were suddenly gripped by the urge to stop him.
They had no idea what this promise entailed, but they were terrified a furious Minjun might bury Asiph-1 at the bottom of an oceanic trench if he didn't shut up.
Both the three-eyed one and the goblin were experts at reading the emotions hidden beneath Minjun's expressionless face.
"You..."
A freezing cold voice.
"Do you think this is the time for that?"
A sharp reprimand, demanding to know why he was leisurely arguing about promises when a horde of dragons was swarming them at this very moment.
He assumed this would be enough to break Asiph-1's spirit.
However.
"Yes, this is the perfect time!"
"...!"
Minjun considered taking out the Whip of Fire for the first time in a long while.
But Asiph-1 shouted with unflinching momentum.
"I know! Tens of thousands of dragons are swarming outside. By 'handling' them in my own way, I will prove the value of Divine Power to Father!"
*
A moment later.
Minjun couldn't believe he had made such a choice.
'If this were before I became a prisoner, I probably would have reacted differently.'
He wouldn't have bothered listening; he would have simply crushed Asiph-1 into submission.
'No, back then, that guy wouldn't have even dared to disobey in the first place. He would have believed the only use for his free will was following my orders.'
As much as Minjun himself had changed, Asiph-1 had changed even more.
Whooosh!
The rough sea breeze violently whipped through his hair before curving past. Over the rushing roar of the wind, sharp, heavy explosions echoed endlessly.
Minjun, Dong-cheol, and Asiph-1 now stood on the deck of the command ship. It was a space completely exposed to the elements.
"I don't know what you're planning, but you had better hurry. We are in the middle of a war right now."
"I know."
Asiph-1 looked out at the dragons battling in the distance. They had been brainwashed to faithfully follow their allies' orders, even without the Pope directly commanding them.
While he was meeting the ghost, the dragons had discarded even the basic self-preservation instincts natural to living creatures, hurling themselves at the 'enemy.'
The dragons who had crossed over as the vanguard already outnumbered the brainwashed dragons. Nevertheless, they were losing ground.
The brainwashed dragons threw themselves into the meat grinder with absolute madness, ignoring broken wings, severed limbs, and mangled bodies. They fought exactly like zombies commanded by a master of Dark Magic.
As a prime example, where Asiph-1's gaze settled right now, a mind-dominated Fire Dragon was burning with fighting spirit despite both its eyes being ruptured.
Kyaaaaa!
The Fire Dragon was tenaciously chasing a Platinum Dragon. Repulsed by the sight of the beast weeping thick streams of blood, the Platinum Dragon instinctively flinched and tried to back away.
That was a fatal mistake. The moment the Platinum Dragon exposed an opening, the Fire Dragon lunged and sank its teeth into its flank.
---!
Spitting a ragged scream, the Platinum Dragon drove its claws into the enemy's empty eye sockets. Gripping tightly, it tried to rip the upper skull backward like cracking open a walnut.
But the flames swaying around the jaws of the dragon biting its abdomen surged first. The Platinum Dragon was terrified and tried to shout.
"You crazy dragon... stop...!"
Flames detonated from the Fire Dragon's mouth.
Kwakwang!
In that same instant, the Platinum Dragon's side blew apart.
Scorched pieces of organs, flesh, and shattered ribs splattered in all directions like bomb shrapnel. Left with a massive, charred crater in its side, the dragon spun violently as it plummeted. Only superhuman willpower kept it airborne just above the ocean's surface.
Having lost a significant chunk of its body, the Platinum Dragon glared upward with burning eyes—only to freeze in sheer horror.
"Ah...?!"
Normally, a fire-breathing dragon's oral cavity is incredibly resilient; it would be disastrous if its own flames incinerated its gums, tongue, and palate. But that physiological safeguard evolved exclusively for exhaling breath unhindered. What had just happened was the equivalent of firing a blowtorch with the nozzle clamped shut.
As a result, the Platinum Dragon got a clear view of the Fire Dragon's ruined teeth.
The space where the brainwashed dragon's mouth and snout used to be had blossomed outward in ragged flaps of meat, like a ruptured flower petal. Its lower jaw was already half-gone. Embers smoldered between shattered, blackened teeth.
Krararara!
The Fire Dragon rushed in again. Beneath the tattered shreds of flesh, the exposed bone of its upper jaw gleamed through.
The Platinum Dragon was seized by a desperate urge to flee.
Scenes equally horrific, or even worse, were playing out all across the battlefield. When a notoriously unkillable species abandons all self-preservation, the resulting carnage is absolute. Because of this utter disregard for life, the tide favored the brainwashed dragons.
But Asiph-1 muttered.
'It will be overturned soon.'
The procession of dimensional jumps was still ongoing.
The enemy would soon gain a numerical advantage that would be impossible to overcome. Father's plan was to unsparingly unleash a barrage of Photon Cannons the moment they all crossed over. If Asiph-1 hesitated as that time approached, Minjun would not wait any longer. Everything had to be resolved before then.
Asiph-1 spoke up.
"There is an entity known as the Demonic Goblin."
The moment those words left his mouth.
Dong-cheol, who already couldn't comprehend why he had been summoned all the way out here, found himself facing an even more bewildering situation.
"...?"
Setting aside the fact that he couldn't even grasp what that word meant, more than that...
Asiph-1 looked as if he had made some final resolve, while Minjun's eyebrow twitched—as if he knew exactly what was going on but was deeply displeased by it.
He stammered under their combined scrutiny.
"Why... are you both looking at me?"
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