Astorius frowned deeply. He couldn''t make sense of what he was seeing. "How the hell are you unharmed?! My Golden Breath should have incinerated you!"


    Then something else struck him as he noticed something strange about him. "And how the hell are you even flying?! You don''t have wings!"


    Lucius only smirked and let out a few small chuckles. He stretched his claws and glanced back at Astorius. "Oh, that? It''s quite easy, really."


    With a flick of his wrist, shadows gathered behind him and made his thin shadow wings be thicker so it could be visible that they were flapping to keep Lucius hovering above the air.


    He then smirked as he hovered lazily. "You see, Astorius. Thanks to Loxen, I can manipulate shadows. Shape them, bend them, create anything I need from them."


    Lucius gestured toward his ethereal shadow wings. "So, if I need wings? I just make them."


    Astorius gritted his teeth as he was frustrated. "Tch... What about my Golden Breath? Don''t tell me you just ''shadowed'' your way out of that too."


    Lucius let out a mocking sigh, shaking his head. "I''ll admit, Astorius, your Golden Breath is powerful. It''s strong—majestic even."


    He then smirked as he gestured to the burning battlefield below. "But like I said before... it''s just too slow. It was easy for me to fly and avoid it."


    Lucius also crossed his arms, tilting his head as he continued, "Gold is precious, majestic, and strong. But it''s also heavy, sluggish, and predictable."


    He raised his silver and let it shimmer under the moonlight and grinned. "Silver, on the other hand? Maybe it''s less ''valuable'' than gold... but it''s faster. Sharper. Cooler. And stronger."


    Then he pointed directly at Astorius and smirked even wider. "And let me tell you the most important fact, Astorius..."


    Lucius immediately gestured toward himself. "I am silver so silver is stronger than gold. Even the gold is you, the golden dragon emperor Astorius."


    Astorius frowned deeply. He was in rage as Lucius'' mocking words echoed in his mind. "Silver is stronger than gold."


    That was the last straw and Astorius finally erupted as his golden aura exploded outward, forcing even the air around him to ripple from sheer pressure.


    He glared at Lucius and roared. "You talk too much, Lucius! If you say I''m too slow... then I''ll just become stronger!"


    Suddenly—his entire body ignited with golden flames. His muscles tensed, his scales hardened, and a new power flooded through him.


    Astorius'' eyes glowed as his body began to transform further. His golden aura condensed into a concentrated force of absolute might.


    Then, he threw his arms out and let out a deafening dragon''s roar. "GOLDEN DRAGON ASCENSION!"


    [Species: Human-Beast Fusion]


    [Talent: Golden Dragon Emperor]


    [Level: 7 Star]


    [Stats:]


    [Str: S (7★)]


    [Vit: S (7★)]


    [Agi: A (7★)]


    [Int: A (7★)]


    ---


    Lucius frowned as he realized that two of Astorius''s stats were way higher than his. "Tch... That explains why it hurt so much."


    Astorius wasn''t just fast anymore—he was an unstoppable tank of raw power.


    Lucius slowly pushed himself up. He was analyzing his current situation. His own stats were nowhere near Astorius'' in raw physical strength.


    If he tried to clash head-on, he''d lose. His mind raced, calculating his next move. What''s the best way to handle this?


    Meanwhile, Astorius hovered above him, his massive golden wings spreading wide.


    His entire body was still radiating the overwhelming power of Golden Dragon Ascension.


    He then let out a hard laugh as it was his turn to mock Lucius. "What''s wrong, Lucius? Thinking of a way out from this situation?"


    Astorius folded his hands and continued as he sneered. "You were right about one thing, Lucius. Gold is heavy. It''s sluggish. It lacks the speed and finesse of silver."


    He clenched his golden fist and smirked. "But that also makes it stronger. Heavier. Unstoppable."


    He then spread his arms wide. "Thin silver may dance around gold, but in the end—gold crushes silver under its weight."


    Astorius then pointed directly at him, his golden dragon eyes glowing fiercely. "Face it, Lucius. You''ve lost. It''s time to end this—once and for all!"@@@@