"Shelter Lord," one of them gasped.

"He came..."

"Haha... we’re saved!"

Relief spread quickly through the group. Cole lowered his spear slightly, the tension finally leaving his expression for the first time since the dragon transformed.

As the dragon roared and snapped its jaws toward him, he stepped forward without hesitation and drove his fist straight into its jaw.

BOOM!

Bone did not just crack—it shattered. Fragments scattered across the ground as the massive body skidded backward nearly twenty feet, its claws tearing deep lines into the earth before it finally came to a stop.

Seeing this, Cole’s spear dipped lower, and the Association members stared with parted lips. The same dragon that had forced them into retreat had just been pushed back by a single punch. Even Zich stood frozen, momentarily forgetting the soul stone near his feet.

Without changing his expression, Arnold walked forward. His steps were steady, almost lazy, as if the berserk creature in front of him was nothing more than an obstacle in his way.

Its broken jaw shifted, and white flames gathered in its mouth again.

"Barrier team, fall back!" Cole’s voice thundered.

A full breath attack followed.

White flames surged forward with enough force to tear open the ground, heat spreading outward and forcing several players to shield their faces.

Arnold raised one hand, formed a transparent barrier, and kept walking.

The flames crashed against it and split around him, scorching the ground on both sides, yet his pace remained unchanged and his clothes barely stirred. The same attack that had nearly killed Zich moments earlier failed to do anything at all.

From the sidelines, reactions were mixed. Some players looked relieved, others stunned into silence, while Jayden’s jaw tightened as he watched without speaking.

Up front, the creature ended its breath attack and slammed one claw down.

With lightning speed, the shelter lord caught it with his left hand.

The ground beneath him sank slightly, but he did not move back. His fingers tightened around the claw, holding it in place as it struggled to pull free.

For three full seconds, the dragon failed.

Calmly, Arnold twisted his arm and drove the claw into the ground.

BANG!

Cracks spread outward as the dragon’s front half dropped, its limb buried into the earth. Flames flared again, but Arnold had already released it and stepped aside.

It swung its tail.

Most would have retreated, but Arnold stepped forward instead, landing on the moving tail and running up its spine in quick strides before it could react, then slamming both hands down.

BOOM!

The entire body shook violently.

The impact alone made nearby players stumble. One injured Association member dropped to a knee, while another grabbed his ears and cursed under his breath.

At that point, Cole’s team had stopped entirely, no longer needing orders as the shelter lord was handling everything perfectly.

From the side of the battlefield, Zich watched in silence, a frown touching his lips.

’At this pace, he’s going to kill it and I would lose the orb.’

After risking his life for this, there was no way he would let it slip away now. The only reason he hadn’t moved yet was because Arnold was too close, and the dragon was still too dangerous. One mistake would turn him into ash before he could even act.

A broken roar suddenly tore from the dragon.

Instead of attacking Arnold directly, the creature slammed its entire body into the ground in a desperate attempt to crush him.

The impact sent a violent shockwave outward.

Arnold leapt back before it hit, landing several meters away with ease, but the others were not so fortunate.

Association members were thrown off their feet, shields ripped from their hands. Helen slid backward, digging her heels into the dirt until Jayden caught her arm, while Cole rolled once and stabbed his spear into the ground to steady himself.

As for Zich, he was thrown off balance.

His back hit the ground hard, the air leaving his lungs as the soul stone slipped from his hand and landed not far away.

The dragon’s head snapped toward it immediately.

Its broken jaw shifted as white flames flickered in its eyes, locking onto the glowing shard.

Arnold moved to reposition, but the creature reacted faster than expected, surging forward despite its injuries.

"Bastard where do you think you are going!" Arnold snarled as he stepped forward to strike again.

However, Zich was closer; the opening was small, too small for most, but he did not hesitate

Reaching into his backpack, Zich pulled out a mana potion, bit off the cork, and drank it in one motion.

[Ding! Normal Ranked Mana Potion consumed.]

[Mana recovered by 50%.]

Mana surged through his body, followed immediately by pain, but he forced himself forward and gripped his sword with both hands.

The dragon lowered its head toward the stone.

Arnold’s fist drew back, preparing to deal the killing blow.

But...

Someone else beat him to it.

Every bit of mana Zich could force into the blade gathered along its edge, the red glow thickening until his hand trembled, his muscles screamed, and his chest tightened.

Raising the blade, he roared and slashed violently. "Blood Arc!"

A massive red slash tore across the battlefield, striking the creature’s weakened chest core just before Arnold’s punch could land.

Crack!

The attack sank into the broken gap between its ribs.

ROOOOAR!

It cried out as the white flames flickered inside its chest, a hollow sound echoing from within as the fire died out completely. Its massive frame trembled once before collapsing heavily onto the ground.

BOOM!

[Ding! You have killed Berserk Undead Dragon.]

[Ding! Contribution EXP being calculated.]

Following the system message, a large soul orb rose from the body, glowing with pale blue light, but no one else seemed to notice it beside Zich.

The orb flew straight toward him and sank into his chest.

[Ding! You have collected the soul orb of the Ancient mother of all Dragons, Tiamant.]

’Tiamant... why does that name sound familiar?’

***