Dragons begin with courage

Samson's massive claws, like a boulder being toppled, carrying a fierce wind that could crush steel, had already loomed over Caesar's head!

The alchemical surfboard beneath Caesar's feet groaned under the raging wind pressure, his pupils constricted, and he pushed the perception of "Kamaitachi" to its limit. The information brought back by the countless wind demons only converged into one despairing fact: there was no escaping it.

The area covered by this claw was too large, the speed was too fast, and the pure power had exceeded the limits of skill.

Caesar's lips curled slightly upward. Facing the deadly attack of the giant claw, he not only did not dodge, but instead drew a Desert Eagle from his waist and aimed it at Samson.

"President!"

At this critical moment—

boom! boom! boom!

Three almost consecutive, yet different-direction cannon fire roared as cannonballs tore through the air! Three specially crafted, alchemically refined armor-piercing shells struck Samson's descending arm and hand with the slightest error!

It's the China branch of the Executive Department of Kassel College!

After all, this is Chinese territory, and such an important matter as the awakening of the Dragon King cannot be hidden. The executive branch of Kassel College has branches all over the world, including Japan, France, the United States, Germany, and so on.

Tank armor-piercing shells are extremely powerful. Even though Samson's skin was protected by special alchemy and was incredibly hard, and was not penetrated by the armor-piercing shell, it was still deflected by the special alchemical armor-piercing shell.

With a loud crash, the giant claw, which had been deflected, landed heavily beside Caesar. The powerful impact and the waves nearly overturned Caesar, but fortunately, Caesar's Word of Power, the Kamaitachi, had already spotted the tanks poised to strike on the shore and made preparations in time.

"Even the special armor-piercing rounds made by the Equipment Department couldn't penetrate Samson's arm!" Professor Mans frowned.

"It's alright." Professor Schneider smiled and said, "The headmaster has already given the Philosopher's Stone to Caesar."

Caesar's pupils gleamed with gold. He pushed off with both legs, catching the recoil from the alchemical surfboard, and leaped high into the air like a falcon, soaring over Samson's head. His target was not to jump over Samson, but the back of Samson's neck, which was relatively unprotected by thick scales, exposed when he turned his head!

His golden eyes burned like molten gold, containing no fear, only icy calm and desperate madness.

During the near-death experience of circling around, Caesar used "Weasel" to capture a crucial detail—below Samson's neck, near his shoulder blade, there was a patch of scales whose color was slightly different from the surrounding area. It had a dark, ashen gray color, as if it had been burned and forcibly healed, and there were still extremely faint but terrifyingly high-level mental erosion fluctuations around it.

It's an old wound! And it's an old wound caused by the Philosopher's Stone!

Mai Shude's stunning shot not only saved Nono, but also pointed Caesar to the "Achilles' heel," the only possible path to creating a miracle!

That was Samson's weakness!

Descent, dive, shrinking the "Kamaitachi's" domain to its limit, all focused on calculating ballistics, wind speed, and the trembling patterns of Samson's muscles. Caesar's right hand flashed into the holster of his specially made combat suit, drawing not a "Dickel," but a Desert Eagle—a masterpiece of the Equipment Department's modifications, entirely silver with sleek lines and intricate alchemical etchings on its body, specifically enhanced to carry special bullets.

Caesar simultaneously reached into his waist magazine pouch with his left hand and pulled out a single bullet. The bullet's tip wasn't metal, but rather a dark red, translucent crystal with what appeared to be swirling nebulae inside—the Philosopher's Stone! It was the same Philosopher's Stone bullet that Mai had fired before, one that could even harm the Dragon King.

Click!

The bullet was loaded into the magazine, the crisp sound of it being cocked barely audible in the whistling wind.

Samson seemed to sense a different kind of threat from this tiny creature. It twisted its neck violently, attempting to ram its hard skull into Caesar, while the blazing white light of its breath began to flicker erratically, as if it were about to release its power prematurely or change direction.

But it was too late.

Caesar's falling figure abruptly stopped less than twenty meters from Samson's neck, as if time had frozen. The cannon fire on the river, the screams of the dead servants, the shouts of his comrades—all faded into the distance.

boom--! ! !

The gunshot wasn't deafening, but it carried a strange, soul-piercing clarity.

There was no muzzle flash, only a ring of dark red, ripple-like energy emanating from the gun. The Philosopher's Stone bullet left the barrel, drawing a straight, dark red line in the air, and with unparalleled speed and precision, struck the very center of Samson's old wound!

puff!

There was no explosion, no flying blood and gore.

The bullet, like a hot knife cutting into butter, easily penetrated Samson's incredibly tough scales and flesh, reaching deep inside.

Immediately afterwards—

"Awoooooooo—!!!!!!!!!"

Samson unleashed the most desolate, painful, and furious roar since the start of the war! The sound was no longer a majestic dragon's cry, but a mental storm mixed with excruciating pain, horror, and madness, sweeping across the entire river!

"It...it's a success?!" Professor Mans' voice trembled as he looked at the enormous creature that had suddenly lost its balance and was staggering as it sank into the river.

"No! It's not dead yet!"

Samson let out a low growl filled with resentment and weakness, and no longer wanted to fight. His huge body plunged into the churning river, leaving a trail of chaotic energy ripples as he sped away towards the depths of the Bronze City!

However, the situation on the battlefield has not been reversed, because the real troublesome thing on the battlefield is those fearless, densely packed monsters.

On the river, the defenses of Kassel College are being slowly but irreversibly swallowed up by the endless tide of bronze.

"Boom boom boom—!"

On both banks of the Three Gorges, the self-propelled artillery positions urgently mobilized by the Executive Department's China branch roared, and specially made alchemical armor-piercing shells rained down on the river. The explosions tore through the mist, and the shockwaves created giant waves on the river. Dozens or even hundreds of bronze undead were directly hit, turning into countless bronze fragments and twisted remains emitting blue smoke.

However, this devastating barrage brought with it a deeper despair.

"Damn it! The number...it's already over ten thousand! And it's still increasing!" A specialist in charge of observation exclaimed, his voice trembling. "They're...reborn at the bottom of the river!"

As he observed, the bronze fragments torn apart by cannonballs or severed by swords did not sink into the silt at the bottom of the river. Instead, drawn by some invisible force, they converged and sank rapidly toward the waters where the Bronze City was located, like iron filings attracted by a magnet.

Immediately afterward, in the intervals between explosions, new bronze figures emerged from the water once more! Their bodies were still wet, steam billowed from their joints, and ghostly blue flames flickered in their eyes. Silently, they filled the void left by their fallen comrades and continued their advance towards the defensive line. Their numbers seemed endless!

"I understand!" Professor Mance Lundstedt stared intently at the energy flow diagram on the tactical screen. "These aren't traditional Dead Servants... they're part of the Bronze City! As long as that alchemical capital continues to function, as long as its internal reserves of 'living spirits' don't run out, the broken bronze will be recycled, recast, and filled with new living spirits! This isn't an army... this is a production line that can self-repair indefinitely!"