“What’s going on!?”

It happened just after Iris and Sion reconciled.

We were about to inform the townsfolk, who had evacuated outside, that the demon had been defeated.

Suddenly, the ground itself began to shake violently.

At the same time, an indescribable sense of foreboding washed over us.

“Ike, look at that!”

Flare was the first to notice it.

She pointed toward the direction of the Septem Grand Labyrinth.

Above it, a small black speck was visible in the sky.

From this distance, it was impossible to discern what it truly was.

Yet, even without knowing, its presence alone was enough to chill us to the bone.

We all stared at it silently, unable to look away.

Gradually, the black speck grew closer and closer.

Finally, it came near enough that we could make out its form.

Its size was so immense that it could easily be mistaken for a small mountain.

Someone in the group muttered quietly.

“A... black dragon.”

Yes, it was a dragon.

The most powerful and supreme creature among all monsters.

Not even the hydra or the higher demons we had faced before could compare to its absolute presence.

For some reason, this monster was hurtling toward us at an incredible speed.

Why was such a creature here?

Why was it heading straight for us?

The confusion and chaos in our minds grew, until Lene spoke in a trembling voice.

“...Could it be?”

Her voice, usually calm and composed, was now filled with fear.

“Lene, do you know something about that?”

“...Yes, but only from legends.”

“Legends?”

Lene nodded.

“It is said to be an unparalleled calamity that existed thousands of years ago.

This calamity wielded such overwhelming power that it destroyed countless nations, turning them to barren wastelands.”

“...Are you saying such a creature really existed?”

“Yes. Its name was... the Calamity Dragon.

It is said that the hero of that time sacrificed their own life to seal it away, barely saving the world from its threat.

But for that monster to not only exist but also appear here...”

Lene’s words sent a wave of tension through everyone.

It was a story so absurd it bordered on myth, yet the aura emanating from the dragon made it impossible to dismiss as mere legend.

Meanwhile, the black dragon—the Calamity Dragon—continued its approach.

Its crimson eyes gleamed with unmistakable malice.

In that moment, we understood, instinctively and without doubt.

We would have to face it.

Everything up to now had been a prelude.

From this moment on, the true battle was about to begin.