On the other side of the battlefield.
The clash between the Dragon King and Pride remained tense, neither making the first move.
Perhaps their pride wouldn't allow it—or perhaps they were still observing one another.
But surely, it couldn't be both.
For now, all they did was lock murderous gazes.
"Sir, we—" a dragon began.
"There's no need to rush." The Dragon King smiled. "I want to see just how arrogant this so-called Demon Lord of Pride really is."
With that, the Dragon King continued staring down Pride.
Pride returned the glare, growling lowly.
Suddenly, from behind him, a barrage of attacks erupted—engulfing him in a sea of flames.
But none of them caused harm.
Pride effortlessly dispersed the fire and snapped his crazed gaze toward the source—only to see the Elf King with his hand extended.
"What the hell are you looking at?" the Elf King glanced at Pride then turned back to the Dragon King.. "And you, Dragon King—finish your fight and get over here. We're not doing so well on this side."
Behind him, magical sounds rang out, accompanied by a thunderous roar.
"This is exhausting... hurry it up," he added, turning away and flying back to aid the other Leaders.
Pride, infuriated by the Elf King's audacity to attack and turn his back so casually, growled and prepared to chase after him.
But the Dragon King grabbed his snake tail and hurled him away from the other battlefield.
"Come on... I'm your opponent, not them," he sneered, clenching his fist before charging in.
Pride let out a crazed roar, sending a powerful soundwave rippling through the air.
The echo struck the Dragon King, plunging his heart into sudden stillness—on the verge of death.
But he reacted swiftly, slamming his fist into his chest repeatedly until his heart restarted.
Catching his breath, he stepped back and eyed Pride warily.
"What kind of dangerous power is that...?"
"Sir, we should proceed with caution," one of the dragons whispered.
"Caution? That word's not in my dictionary."
With that, the Dragon King stepped forward and charged again.
Enraged that his attack hadn't killed him, Pride unleashed a barrage of soundwaves toward him.
"Let's see how much I can take!" the Dragon King roared, pouring all his strength into his fist and accelerating forward.
Each soundwave stopped his heart and slowed him, but he had anticipated this.
Every time, he used his pre-loaded strength to punch his chest and restart it.
Again and again, he repeated this—pressing forward.
As Pride prepared to fire another wave, he didn't notice the Dragon King already standing in front of him.
A fierce punch struck Pride square in the head.
But it had no effect.
Instead, Pride turned and sank his fangs into the Dragon King's arm, trapping him.
"Where's your pride now?" the Dragon King taunted.
Pride responded with savage claw swipes, inflicting deep wounds.
The Dragon King used his free arm to pummel Pride's head, but it wouldn't let go.
Irritated, Pride's tail wrapped around the Dragon King's other arm.
Its snake head glared and prepared to sink its venomous fangs into him—but before it could, the other dragons intervened.
They tackled Pride, holding him tightly and immobilizing him.
"See the consequences of your recklessness?" one dragon growled.
"I get it... no need to say it again," the Dragon King muttered, exhausted. "Now, everyone—back away."
Without hesitation, the dragons released Pride and flew clear.
Pride watched in confusion—then felt it.
The Dragon King's entire body began to ignite in raging flames.
The fire spread, engulfing both him and Pride.
Pride struggled, finally releasing his bite—but the Dragon King held firm, increasing the intensity of the flames.
It thrashed, but could not escape.
The Dragon King was now wreathed in the flames of life—sacrificing his own vitality to push beyond his natural limits.
"Can you feel the heat of determination?" the Dragon King growled.
Pride released another soundwave—but it was useless.
The Dragon King's life force no longer resided solely in his heart—he had become a living embodiment of life itself.
Realizing the danger, Pride knew it was time to get serious.
Its body tensed. Bones jutted out, encasing it.
Sensing something wrong, the Dragon King released Pride and backed away.
The bone armor expanded, forming the skeleton of a giant beast.
From Pride's own body, flesh and machines emerged, wrapping around the bones—filling every gap.
When complete, a colossal Chimera stood.
But this time, it was a fusion of all the foes Pride had conquered—thousands of eyes swirling over its body, titanic wings flared behind it, a tail with Warth dragon head, and a lion's maw lined with jagged fangs, thorned horns, and a hideous gaze that oozed contempt.
"You're ready for round two," the Dragon King said with a confident glance.
"You're quite impressive... forcing me to take this form," Pride said coldly.
"You can say?"
"Of course!" Pride roared. "If that damn Lust hadn't been controlling me, I never would've lost to something as lowly as you!"
"Then maybe you're just weak if you could be controlled at all," the Dragon King shot back.
"You—!"
Pride retaliated by firing beams of light from its dragon tails, lighting up the sky as they homed in on the Dragon King.
"Interesting," he smirked. "Then it's time I show you our true power."
The Dragon King let out a roar, echoed by his dragons.
They cloaked themselves in flame and flew toward him—merging into his inferno.
Now engulfed in the fire of his kin, the Dragon King transformed—growing massive, thorny, and burning with renewed strength.
He was now Pride's equal in size.
The beams of light shot straight at the Dragon King but they did not harm him at this moment.
"Let the second round begin!" he shouted.
"I'll give you a painful death!" Pride roared back.
They charged, colliding once more.
Back to the Leaders.
By the time the Elf King returned, the situation was still under control.
Warth's heads were bound and sealed with multiple layers of magic—not with ordinary spells, but binding spells that kept their heads from moving or separating.
Its main body was trapped inside a cage reinforced with layers of control magic.
"This thing's really hard to kill," the Dwarf King sighed.
"If it were easy, the King wouldn't need our help," the Elf King replied.
"Oh, you're back. How's it going with the Dragon King?"
"It's fine... probably. Maybe worry about how to kill this thing instead?"
The two looked back at Warth, still thrashing in the containment chamber.
It lashed wildly, breaking magic circles—though replacements activated instantly.
Still, its pace of destruction was accelerating. It was adapting fast.
"This won't work," someone muttered.
"I know. Time to stop talking and find a solution."
Just then, Warth reached a boiling point.
Its core overloaded, and its body cracked open—exploding violently.
The blast obliterated the cage, sending blood and flesh flying everywhere.
Its heads erupted in a chain reaction.
The Leaders were stunned.
"Did it just... self-destruct?"
"Stay alert—we don't know why."
The Leaders prepared for a counterattack.
From the pieces of flesh and pools of blood that were scattered everywhere, fangs grew. Eyes opened.
The ground trembled, split, and began reshaping.
Warth's new body was forming—massive, with gaping maws and glaring eyes embedded in the earth itself.
"This is awful," the Dwarf King groaned.
"At least this could be the worst thing today," the Elf King muttered.
From the monstrous body, hydras of all sizes emerged, roaring in fury.
The Dwarf King gave the Elf King a sidelong look.
"Still the worst?"
"I don't know anything anymore," the Elf King replied, looking away.
"Enough talk—prepare to fight!" the Deep Sea King ordered.
"Well, we already died once. What's the harm in dying twice?" the Elf King said.
"Let's unleash everything."
He summoned all the winds of Utopia to form a massive guardian.
The Phantom King, Spirit Queen, Mermaid Queen, and Underground King called upon the souls of their people, pushing their powers to the limit.
The Phantom King and Spirit Queen absorbed all surrounding magic, shedding their outer forms.
A towering phantom warrior stood, souls orbiting its body like armor, a dark aura emanating from its.
Beside it, a massive peacock of pure magic emerged—its tail adorned with elemental stones, each feather glowing with blinding radiance.
The Mermaid Queen and Underground King rose within torrents of water and walls of stone.
From the currents came massive sea beasts ready to engulf everything; from the earth, giants formed from indestructible rock—an immovable bulwark.
"We'll handle the main body. The rest of you, deal with the small ones," the Elf King ordered.
"Got it!" they all shouted.
Before they could begin, a blazing figure crashed from the sky.
"What was that?!"
The Leaders froze, unsure if it was friend or foe.
Then the Dragon King sat up, smoke trailing from his shoulders.
"That guy's harder to take down than I thought..." he grumbled.
"It's you—wait, then..."
They turned forward—Pride was approaching.
"Isn't one nightmare enough...?" the Dwarf King muttered.
"That's fine," the Dragon King said. "We're all here—we won't lose."
"Easy for you to say," the Dwarf King muttered, tired. "Still... we're not giving up."
The group readied themselves, their resolve steeled.
Pride reached Warth and looked him over.
"So... you're insane too."
Warth roared.
"To be honest, I don't want to team up—but these guys aren't to be taken lightly. I want to finish them fast... and then deal with that damn Lust."
Together, they let out a deafening roar.
A roar that marked the final, decisive moment of this battle.