At 10,000 meters above Eiseberg,
on the colossal body of the Heavenly Vein Dragon, vast enough to rival half the Imperial Capital—
two figures stood among the broad mountain ranges to the southwest.
The battle between the strongest archmage in history and the strongest modern demon was on the verge of eruption.
Far from the battlefield, at the top of the castle built upon the dragon's back,
little Flamme and the Frieren she had brought along were watching the tense scene unfold.
"Aren't you going to stop them, Flamme?"
Frieren turned her head toward her miniature master sitting beside her.
Although she had never seen Serie in combat,
she had heard plenty from Flamme about their great master's ruthlessness—
As for Agusheed, there was no need to even mention it.
Frieren had witnessed with her own eyes how the northeastern mountains on the Heavenly Vein Dragon's back had been gradually flattened under Agusheed's magic over the years.
If these two really fought…
Even the residual shockwaves might kill the dragon beneath them.
"How would I stop them?"
Flamme puffed her cheeks in exasperation, holding her face with one hand.
"Master has wanted to fight from the start—"
"And Agusheed, for some reason, suddenly got impulsive today…"
She kneaded Frieren's cheeks in frustration as she spoke.
"If I forcibly separated them now, both would just end up angry."
"So I might as well let them go at it."
With Flamme's tiny hand still pinching her, Frieren asked, muffled:
"Aren't you afraid Agusheed will get killed if Serie slips up?"
"I've heard him say more than once, 'I'm no match for the Demon King or Serie...'"
Flamme simply smiled at the naïve question.
She let go of Frieren's face, turning her head.
She used magic to gaze at Agusheed's tall back in the distance.
Remembering the final battle at the northern edge of the continent during their ten-year journey together—
when Agusheed faced the Demon King—
Flamme chuckled softly, then asked:
"Frieren, did Agusheed ever tell you—
why he is regarded as the strongest Great Demon among his kind, where only power matters?"
Frieren shook her head.
Now that she thought about it…
Though Agusheed had told her he was the strongest,
he'd never explained why.
"He's called the strongest Great Demon—
because he once challenged the Demon King."
"And in direct combat—forced the Demon King to one knee."
To one knee…?
The ruler and strongest of all demons… forced to kneel?
Frieren looked in shock at the two figures about to clash.
Especially Agusheed, who remained calm from start to finish—
"As long as Serie doesn't aim to kill, Agusheed will be fine."
Stretching with her tiny frame, Flamme then cast her original Barrier of Isolation spell, fully encasing the Heavenly Vein Dragon's real body.
Smiling slightly, she winked at the stunned Frieren beside her.
"So don't worry—"
"He absolutely won't die."
————————————
"Should I let you have the first move?"
From several dozen meters away, Serie calmly retracted the stormy magic swirling around her.
"I'll just stand here—won't dodge, won't block. Hit me with your best shot, how's that?"
Mockery.
Pure, unfiltered contempt.
But Agusheed didn't react to the insult.
Instead, he nodded lightly, even asking calmly:
"So no matter how excessive it is, I can go all out?"
Serie smirked, her eyes glinting with joy.
"Give it your most savage."
At her words, Agusheed vanished.
He didn't flee or retreat—but rose, higher into the sky.
Above the clouds, below the firmament—
Agusheed summoned his vast, oceanic magical power.
The opening strike of the battle had begun to charge.
[Magic to Increase Own Magic Output]
[Magic to Accelerate Magic Recovery]
[Enhance Single Attack Power Spell]
[Enhance Single Attack Penetration Spell]
…
[All-Attribute Defense Spell]
[All-Attribute Special Attack Spell]
[All-Attribute Agility Spell]
…
[Magic to See Through Defensive Weaknesses]
[Barrier of Isolation]
[Curse Reflection Spell]
In under a minute, hundreds of enhancement, defense, anti-curse, and anti-detection spells were cast by Agusheed.
Serie, despite this blatant power-up that bordered on cheating, didn't move.
She stayed still, just as promised.
Only the smile at her lips widened.
Finally, as Agusheed completed his last buff,
his magical power peaked.
The strongest demon was ready to unleash his full-force strike.
"Old hag, let's begin—"
Smiling faintly, Agusheed raised his arms to the sky.
His power surged toward unreachable heights—
A meteor to start, out of respect.
700% Power: Spell of Meteor Summoning—
"Hah…"
He exhaled softly, mist forming before his eyes.
"Receive…"
He clasped his hands, the impact echoing.
"The Judgment of Seven Stars."
At his final word—
as Serie smiled and the observers stared skyward—
The sky tore open with a roar.
Something unstoppable crashed down from the heavens.
Within moments, the first meteor pierced the sky.
A dark-red tail streaked across the sky, leaving heat and fire.
Air twisted and cracked.
Serie looked up, flames reflecting in her pupils,
a smile tugging at her lips.
The second and third meteors followed.
They didn't fall simultaneously, but staggered in elegant sequence—
each aimed precisely at Serie's position.
The ground quaked.
Not from impact—just the sheer wind pressure.
Her golden hair billowed in the turbulence, clothes flapping violently.
Still, she didn't move.
The fourth meteor came next, larger, cloaked in nearly white flame.
Serie squinted and extended one hand—
not to block, but as if to touch something fragile—
Before she could act, the fifth and sixth meteors fell, spiraling together like twins.
The shock compressed the air into shrill howls.
Mountains on the Heavenly Vein Dragon's back cracked.
Serie's laughter was swallowed by thunder.
And then—
The seventh meteor descended.
Slower. Larger.
Its pitch-black surface veined with molten magma—like a miniature sun.
At last—
Serie raised her hand and reached forward.
She looked up at the incoming inferno—
Her grin—feral, ecstatic.