Chapter 213 — SOVEREIGN RECOGNITION
For a mont after the last clash, the sky felt strangely still.
The clouds above the hospital district had been torn apart by the shockwaves of the previous exchange. Torn layers of vapor drifted like scattered islands in the upper atmosphere, glowing faintly under the erald light radiating from the Jade Dragon’s body.
Far below, the city continued to tremble.
Sirens scread through damaged streets. Firefighters worked frantically near collapsed hospital wings. Helicopters struggled to stabilize themselves against the unpredictable wind currents created by the battle above.
But despite the chaos—
Many people had stopped running.
They were watching.
Watching a man stand alone in the sky against a creature that had already flattened entire districts.
High above the skyline, the Jade Dragon hovered.
Its massive wings moved slowly, each beat creating ripples through the clouds that rolled outward like waves across the sky.
Across from it—
Long Hao floated calmly.
The void energy surrounding him was quieter now, no longer exploding in violent bursts. Instead, it drifted around his body in slow currents, like gravity bending the air itself.
The dragon studied him carefully.
Its erald eyes glowed brighter.
"You carry it."
The words rolled across the sky like distant thunder.
Long Hao tilted his head slightly.
"Carry what?"
The dragon’s wings expanded further.
The pressure in the air thickened instantly.
"Authority."
Below them, the Eight watched carefully.
General Han Dae-Woo scratched his jaw.
"Did the dragon just say ’authority’?"
Commander Rafael Ibarra nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
"I heard that too."
Astra Nyx narrowed her eyes as she observed the energy patterns around both fighters.
"That word matters."
Above them, the Jade Dragon continued.
"You carry the fragnt of a Sovereign."
The erald glow beneath its scales pulsed slowly.
"The remnant of a broken throne."
Long Hao stared at it for a mont.
Then shrugged.
"That sounds like sothing my system would say."
The dragon’s eyes sharpened.
"You na it system."
"But it is older than your species."
Long Hao rubbed the back of his neck.
"Figures."
The Jade Dragon inhaled slowly.
Erald energy rippled across its body like lightning traveling beneath crystal armor.
"You are incomplete."
Long Hao sighed.
"I’ve been told that before."
The dragon lowered its massive head slightly.
"Without the Anchor..."
"...you cannot beco whole."
At that word—
Long Hao’s expression changed slightly.
Anchor.
The word echoed through his mind like a distant mory.
Fragnts of the past surfaced briefly.
The system.
The dreams.
The strange visions of a young girl whose face had always remained blurred, just out of reach.
He whispered quietly.
"...Longyu."
The Jade Dragon’s eyes brightened.
"You recognize the fragnt."
Long Hao looked back at the creature.
"She’s part of this whole ss, isn’t she?"
The dragon’s voice deepened.
"She is part of the Anchor."
Below them, Kovács froze as her drones scanned the battlefield.
Her voice crackled through the comm channel.
"Energy resonance detected."
Rao turned slightly toward her.
"What kind?"
Her voice ca out slowly.
"His system is reacting to the dragon."
Han groaned.
"Oh good."
"More weird system stuff."
Above them, the Jade Dragon continued speaking.
"Only the Anchor may oppose the Anchor."
The dragon’s enormous wings stretched across the sky like a spreading storm.
"The fragnts exist to restore the throne."
Long Hao frowned.
"Restore?"
The dragon’s erald aura intensified.
"Yes."
Its voice carried ancient weight.
"The Sovereign must return."
The clouds twisted violently as the creature’s power expanded.
"You were created for that purpose."
Long Hao stared at the dragon.
"Created?"
The dragon’s eyes burned brighter.
"You are the result of a broken authority."
"A fragnt seeking completion."
Long Hao shook his head.
"No."
"I’m pretty sure I was just born."
The dragon roared.
The sound rippled across the skyline like an earthquake.
"You misunderstand."
Its aura surged violently.
"You are not ant to defeat ."
The creature’s voice dropped lower.
"You are ant to beco ."
Below them, the Eight exchanged uneasy glances.
Nyx whispered quietly.
"That explains the system."
Rao nodded slowly.
"The fragnts are pieces of sothing larger."
Han scratched his head.
"So basically..."
"Dragon god stuff."
Nyx sighed.
"Close enough."
Above them, the Jade Dragon spread its wings wider.
Erald energy poured through the sky like rising fire.
"Your fragnt."
"Your system."
"They were always ant to reunite with the Anchor."
Long Hao exhaled slowly.
"Yeah."
"I had a feeling you’d say sothing like that."
The dragon leaned forward slightly.
"You cannot escape your nature."
Long Hao cracked his knuckles.
"Watch ."
The Jade Dragon attacked again.
This ti with brutal speed.
Its claw tore through the sky toward Long Hao’s chest.
Long Hao moved first.
Void energy surged around his arm.
"Void Breaker."
His fist slamd into the dragon’s claw.
The impact detonated across the sky.
A shockwave rippled outward across the city.
Several helicopters spun wildly through the turbulence.
But this ti—
The dragon pushed through.
Its claw forced downward.
Long Hao blocked the strike with both arms.
The impact drove him backward through the clouds.
He skidded several hundred ters before stopping.
The Jade Dragon surged forward.
Tail.
Wing.
Claw.
Three attacks in rapid succession.
Long Hao dodged the first.
Blocked the second.
But the third clipped his side.
The strike launched him through another wall of clouds.
Below them, Han winced.
"That one definitely hurt."
Nyx watched carefully.
"The dragon is getting stronger."
Above them, Long Hao stabilized himself again.
He wiped a thin line of blood from his lip.
"...Okay."
The Jade Dragon hovered nearby.
"You see."
Its voice carried quiet certainty.
"You cannot win."
Long Hao rolled his shoulder slowly.
"Yeah."
"I’m starting to get that."
The dragon’s erald aura expanded again.
"Because you remain incomplete."
The clouds twisted violently around the creature.
"Without the Anchor..."
"...your authority remains broken."
Long Hao stared at the dragon.
For the first ti since the battle began—
His confidence faded slightly.
Because deep down—
He could feel it too.
Sothing missing.
Sothing unfinished inside the power he carried.
Below them, Rao spoke quietly.
"He realizes it."
Nyx nodded.
"He’s reached the limit of what he can do alone."
Above them, the Jade Dragon inhaled slowly.
Erald energy began gathering inside its throat again.
The glow grew brighter.
And brighter.
Long Hao looked at the building vortex of power.
Then sighed.
"Alright."
Void energy surged around his fists again.
"Guess we keep going until I figure it out."
The Jade Dragon roared.
The sky trembled.
And the war between Sovereigns continued.
[Chapter ENDS]
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