Journey to Become the Zenith

Chapter 278: Spirit Kings Unbound

Spirit Kings Unbound

"Even as a young undead dragon, you’re bothersome, as expected of the apex predator. I can’t beat you without unleashing a few of my seals."

Isabella jumped upward as she was talking evading the tail whip of the undead dragon. She then sighed exasperatedly, annoyed by the whole situation.

The dragon’s tail tore through the air beneath her feet like a moving mountain.

BOOM!

The ground split apart where the attack landed.

Chunks of frozen earth and shattered stone were launched into the sky.

Meanwhile, Isabella floated downward with all the urgency of someone getting out of bed in the morning.

"Seriously..." she muttered.

Another roar shook the battlefield.

The undead dragon spun around and lunged at her again.

Its jaws snapped shut.

Only empty air remained.

A teleportation circle flickered briefly.

Isabella appeared atop a large boulder several dozen meters away.

"This is so beyond my paygrade. That irritating bastard Victor and his friends truly bring nothing but trouble."

The dragon attacked again.

Its skeletal claws ripped through the boulder.

Stone exploded outward as the massive creature lunged forward with murderous intent.

The entire structure exploded.

Isabella casually stepped through another teleportation circle.

Then her expression finally became serious.

A faint glow appeared in her eyes.

Without hesitation, she coated two fingers with mana.

The energy condensed into razor-thin threads of light.

Then she pierced her left forearm.

Next, the right side of her neck.

Two glowing symbols appeared.

Ancient seals.

Runes hidden beneath her skin.

The instant they shattered, a strange voice echoed throughout the battlefield.

"The first seal released."

"The second seal released."

The mechanical announcement seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once.

The atmosphere immediately changed.

The air grew heavy.

Mana surged violently.

The undead dragon halted its charge.

Even its instincts sensed danger.

The green flames inside its eyes flickered uneasily.

Ruby narrowed her eyes.

"What is she summoning now?"

Natalia slowly shook her head.

"I don’t think I want to know."

A storm of mana gathered beside Isabella.

The space itself began distorting.

Heat rose from one side.

Wind howled from the other.

Two silhouettes slowly emerged.

The first was a breathtaking woman surrounded by crimson flames.

Fire danced across her body like living silk.

Golden eyes gleamed mischievously.

The second figure was a tall muscular man.

Gentle currents of wind circled around him.

Unlike the woman, his expression appeared calm and relaxed.

The moment both fully materialized—

"YAHOO! Finally, I’ve been released! It’s been forever!"

The flame lady shouted excitedly.

Her voice echoed across the plains.

She stretched dramatically.

Fire exploded outward.

Nearby rocks instantly melted.

The muscular man simply smiled.

"Good to see you’re still energetic."

The flame lady ignored him.

Her gaze immediately landed on the undead dragon.

Then on Isabella.

A wicked grin spread across her face.

"Oh, you finally decided to release this lady queen and you did it in the middle of fighting? You didn’t even greet me properly as I was released. You’ve become truly bold Isabella. Still, as a benevolent ruler let the Spirit Queen of Fire listen to your excuses."

Isabella looked like she regretted every decision that had led to this moment.

She pinched the bridge of her nose.

Of all the Spirit Rulers she could have summoned, it had to be Zoella.

She pinched the bridge of her nose.

Of all seven Spirit Rulers...

Why did it always have to be Zoella?

The guild master glanced toward the wind spirit.

Kheter merely offered an apologetic smile.

As expected.

Completely useless in social situations.

Inside her heart, Isabella sighed.

She simply wanted Kheter.

The Spirit King of Wind was reasonable.

Professional.

Reliable.

Unfortunately, fighting a dragon required more power than that.

And that meant summoning Zoella.

A disaster disguised as an ally.

"Cut the crap Zoella! I have no time for your games!"

Isabella shouted as she dodged another dragon claw.

The attack missed by inches.

The shockwave still flattened a forest behind her.

Zoella placed a hand against her chest dramatically.

"My, my."

She looked deeply offended.

Then immediately smirked.

"Hohoho, little Isabella finally grew some nerves! How about I remove them right now and get back my submissive Isabella?"

Even Kheter looked away.

Far away, Videl blinked.

"...Did she just say that?"

Ruby burst out laughing.

Natalia covered her face.

"I refuse to acknowledge this battle anymore."

The undead dragon roared furiously.

Zoella pointed at it.

"Honestly, you’re interrupting a perfectly good conversation."

The dragon responded by trying to kill them.

"How rude."

Isabella finally lost her patience.

"Fine, I promise I won’t seal you anymore so help me out please!"

The moment those words left her mouth, Zoella’s entire attitude changed.

Her eyes sparkled.

A beautiful smile appeared.

"See? Was that so difficult?"

She floated closer.

"Please focus on the dragon."

"You’re no fun."

"That’s what I’ve been telling you for years."

"As expected, I really love my little Isabella."

"Please don’t call me that."

"No."

Kheter chuckled softly.

The wind around him became stronger.

Meanwhile, Zoella looked genuinely pleased.

The reason all Spirit Rulers respected Isabella wasn’t because of contracts.

It wasn’t because of power.

It was because she always treated them like equals.

Even when she could command them.

Even when she could force obedience.

She never did.

That was rare.

Very rare.

Seeing cooperation finally achieved, Isabella immediately moved to business.

"Kheter stop that undead dragon’s movements and don’t allow him to escape the area. As for you Zoella, you know what to do."

Kheter nodded respectfully.

"As you wish."

Zoella’s smile widened.

"Oh, I know exactly what to do."

The dragon suddenly felt very uneasy.

Kheter stepped forward.

The air around him became silent.

Then violent.

He placed his right hand over his chest.

Mana gathered.

The surrounding winds answered his call.

Then he pointed toward the undead dragon.

Instantly—

WHOOOOOOOOSH!

A colossal torrent of wind erupted.

The skies darkened.

Clouds spiraled.

The dragon found itself trapped inside a rapidly expanding dome of compressed air.

It slammed against the barrier.

Failed.

Tried flying upward.

Failed.

Tried breaking through.

Failed again.

The wind wasn’t merely blocking movement.

It was locking space itself.

Ruby’s eyes widened.

"Incredible."

Natalia nodded.

"That’s not ordinary wind magic."

Inside the prison of storms, the dragon roared continuously.

Then Zoella acted.

Her smile vanished.

The playful queen disappeared.

In her place stood a ruler of destruction.

She slowly lowered both hands toward the ground.

The earth trembled.

A deep rumble echoed beneath the battlefield.

The dragon sensed danger.

Real danger.

The kind even dragons feared.

Then—

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

A gigantic pillar of fire erupted from beneath the dragon.

The flames exploded upward.

Straight through the clouds.

Straight into the heavens.

The world became red.

The temperature skyrocketed.

The dragon screamed.

For the first time since its appearance, genuine panic emerged.

The wind prison prevented escape.

The inferno consumed everything inside.

The undead dragon tried everything in its power to escape the pillar of flames, but being surrounded by that torrent of wind it was unable to do anything as its bones slowly turned into ashes.

Meanwhile, Isabella rubbed her temples.

Summoning two Spirit Rulers simultaneously placed an enormous burden on her body. Mana continuously flowed from her core toward the two elemental monarchs, while exhaustion settled deeper into her muscles with every passing second.

Her vision blurred slightly.

Zoella glanced back.

"You look terrible."

"I feel terrible."

Kheter sighed.

"Your reserves have dropped considerably."

"I noticed."

"You should rest once this is over."

"That was already the plan."

Despite the raging inferno consuming a dragon in the distance, Isabella let out a tired yawn.

More than victory, more than glory, what she wanted most right now was a quiet bed and several uninterrupted hours of sleep.