The Pantheon had decided to fight alongside humanity ..
a precedent never before seen in history.
This marked the first ti humans had ever received aid from another race ..
and not just any race.
The Pantheon were among the three strongest races in existence, second only to the Light itself.
Kalaet was a warrior of extraordinary caliber, his strength surpassing Nito's by a wide margin.
His true level hovered around the early fifth stage of the SSS rank .. the Curse of Immortality.
On top of that, he was the eldest son of the great Midir.
His presence alone was a monuntal addition to the coming war.
After concluding his agreent with Gehrman, Kalaet shifted his gaze toward Snow, who had caught his attention so ti ago.
Snow did not avoid the Dragon Emperor's stare.
He t it evenly, fully aware that Kalaet had been observing him for a while.
"Saint Gehrman… I was unaware that your Sect included one of the Light Bearers."
Gehrman imdiately corrected the Dragon Emperor's misunderstanding.
"He does not belong to our Sect.
We are rely allies, bound by a shared goal and a common enemy."
From the other side, Snow stepped forward and spoke for himself.
"My na is Snow Lionheart.
I may be a Light Bearer—but I am human as well."
Kalaet nodded in response.
"I see… and forgive my earlier curiosity. You are the strangest Light Bearer I have encountered in my life," he said as his eyes glowed faintly.
The Pantheon's eyes were unique—capable of clearly discerning auras.
That alone was enough to make Snow stand out to him.
"I can tell without doubt… you have only just broken into the SSS rank, yet your true level far exceeds it. My instincts are certain of this."
"Your instincts are correct, Dragon Emperor," Gehrman said calmly, dropping his words like a bomb.
"This is the man who defeated Nito—utterly and completely."
The entire Pantheon delegation stiffened, reassessing Snow from head to toe.
"He… defeated Nito?"
Kalaet could not hide the shock in his wide-open eyes.
Previously, he had assud that Nito's defeat had been at the hands of either Gehrman himself—or the terrifying Fulghor.
But not Snow Lionheart, who had only just reached SSS.
"Is what the Saint said true, Snow Lionheart?"
Kalaet could not restrain himself from asking, wanting to hear the truth from Snow's own mouth.
Snow nodded.
"Yes. I was the one who brought him down."
As he spoke, Snow raised his hand, forming a celestial mass of light, blinding in its purity and brilliance.
"The traitor of your race claid a power that never belonged to him.
It was my duty to reclaim it."
As the Pantheon stared at the radiant sphere, their astonishnt deepened once they recognized that power.
"That is… the Light Soul," Kalaet said heavily, reevaluating Snow entirely.
Taking a step forward, the Dragon Emperor approached Snow, a broad smile splitting his face.
"Honored Light Bearer, forgive my foolishness. I failed to grasp the extent of your power earlier."
Then ..
to the shock of everyone present—Kalaet made a request.
"If you do not mind… would you be willing to spar with ?"
Snow frowned slightly.
"A spar?"
Kalaet nodded.
"Yes. I wish to asure the strength of the man who defeated Nito."
The Dragon Emperor's fighting spirit burned fiercely... yet Snow sensed no hostility.
At that mont, one of the accompanying Dragon Kings stepped forward—a man with the sa overwhelming build as Kalaet.
"Sparring is customary among us Pantheon," he said.
"It is how we deepen bonds. No hostility is held, regardless of the outco—so there is no need for concern, Snow Lionheart."
"You are free to refuse," Kalaet added firmly.
"The choice is entirely yours."
Snow fell silent for a mont, first looking at Kalaet, then at Gehrman and the others.
The blue-eyed man showed no objection—almost as if he had anticipated this.
Fulghor, on the other hand, supported the proposal.
"Everyone present here is a true warrior. There is no better way for warriors to understand one another than through combat."
With the Order of Shadows offering no opposition, Snow decided to act according to his own will.
A wide smile—mirroring Kalaet's—appeared on his face as the Hero of the Empire stepped forward, standing face to face with the Dragon Emperor.
"I accept, Dragon Emperor.
Let us see the strength of the Pantheon's second strongest."
As if he had been waiting for those words, Kalaet's expression lit up with satisfaction.
The Dragon Emperor possessed a fighting spirit that burned endlessly ..
and that alone told Snow that the man before him was a true warrior, forged by battle itself.
Without delay, preparations were made, and the duel was set to begin imdiately—deep within an isolated section of the Dark Forest, far from all others.
Snow took his position, releasing his full power.
His body vanished entirely beneath the complete Lost War Form armor.
In his right hand, he wielded Vermithor, as always.
In his left ..
Slitherin.
The newest addition to his arsenal.
A weapon familiar to Kalaet.
"I see you claid quite a lot from Nito," Kalaet remarked.
"I hope you don't mind," Snow replied, his voice deeper after entering his War Form.
Kalaet shook his head.
"Not at all. The victor has the right to claim whatever he wishes."
With a fearso smile, Kalaet extended his hand.
A colossal force surged forth, taking shape in his palm ..
forming a massive silver spear, over three ters long, its enormous pointed head capable of piercing even the most monstrous beings.
"So… a spear wielder," Snow analyzed his opponent, fully aware that Kalaet would be a difficult adversary.
With that spear, Kalaet could strike from long range with deadly precision.
But Kalaet did not stop at summoning the spear alone.
The space around his body warped—
And from nothingness, a strange armor manifested, covering him completely in the sa silver tal.
It was a massive suit, perfectly tailored to Kalaet's towering fra.
His helt took the form of a furious dragon's head, its jaws wide open—Kalaet's face erging from within the dragon's maw itself.
With a single glance, Snow knew this armor was anything but ordinary.
"Let us begin, Snow Lionheart," Kalaet said.
Snow nodded calmly.
"As you wish."
The two warriors stood face to face as Fulghor leapt high above them, releasing his imnse aura and spreading it across the battlefield .. forming a protective domain that would prevent any collateral damage from reaching the Order.
"With this… you may fight without restraint."
Those words were the signal.
The mont Fulghor finished speaking, Snow launched forward, surging toward Kalaet at an insane speed.
His body blazed with an overwhelming amount of radiant light aura—
And this was no ordinary light.
Snow activated the Light Soul from the very start, granting his charge terrifying destructive power.
In response, Kalaet thrust his spear forward, bracing for the clash.
At first, the spear carried no noticeable special energy, giving Snow confidence that he could deflect it with ease.
But everything changed at the instant of impact.
From nothing—
A deafening explosion of aura erupted, manifesting as a burst of golden lightning, violent and unstable.
The golden lightning collided head-on with the Light Soul the mont the silver spear t Vermithor.
As the two attempted to overwhelm each other with their auras, Snow imdiately realized ..
That lightning was anything but normal.
"His offensive power… it's equal to mine?"
"No," Kalaet replied instantly, a terrifying smile spreading across his face.
"Mine is stronger."
The golden lightning intensified, surging in horrifying quantities until it completely overwheld Snow's light.
Snow realized it a mont too late.
"A World-Breaking Ability…"
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