The sky was crystal clear, every cloud having dissipated into nothingness.
Brilliant and piercing sunlight cascaded down from the azure sky, casting its rays upon the shattered white terrain below, creating an almost blindingly dazzling spectacle.
A gentle breeze stirred, making the wild grass on the ground sway uncertainly, their graceful emerald forms dancing in the wind.
Dust rose slowly from the white earth like a gossamer veil of mist, blurring the vision.
The turbulent magical energy that had been swirling around dissipated almost completely after the dark sword strike from the Goddess of Justice, leaving only orderly, smoothly flowing magical energy around the floating island.
The previous fury and chaos had been subdued, and the entire Twilight Domain returned to a peaceful atmosphere.
Ryan Kent looked perplexed as he watched Viktor quietly put away the gleaming black scales in his hand.
What? You call that a magical material?
That's way beyond the realm of magic!
He recalled in shock.
He had never witnessed such awe-inspiring magic that could even summon deities.
Perhaps this couldn't simply be called "magic" anymore.
Rather than magic, it seemed more akin to "divine power."
However, Ryan's thoughts were completely occupied by the magnificent scene of the Goddess of Justice's descent and that sword strike that had cleaved through chaos.
Ryan surveyed the shattered ground and the poetic blue sky surrounding them.
If Viktor hadn't been standing before him, he might have thought he'd ascended to heaven.
Trembling as he stood up, he asked Viktor curiously, "Vik... Councilor Kravina, how did you manage to accomplish that?"
He was referring, of course, to that mind-blowing magic that summoned the Goddess of Justice.
That power was truly incredible, seemingly boundless.
Viktor didn't directly respond to Ryan's question.
In truth, that magic paled in comparison to true divine power.
Though it borrowed the Goddess of Justice's power, it was merely a trace of divine energy. Compared to the complete Goddess of Justice, the difference was immeasurable.
Moreover, even summoning the goddess's shadow with that trace of divine power required Vega's full assistance.
All things considered, this magic was still quite troublesome to use.
But its power was indeed impressive.
Viktor sensed the rich magical energy in the surroundings, yet remained remarkably calm.
He gazed into the distance at two objects floating in the air and said:
"There are the scales we need."
On that cream-colored floating rock, several strange black scales basked in the sunlight.
They gleamed with an obsidian luster, with chaotic purple patterns flowing through their irregular cracks.
Floating beside the rock was a heart, encased in a light purple barrier.
The heart carried a sense of chaos, its form resembling a small Chaos Dragon King slumbering within that barrier.
Viktor extended his palm, and those two mysterious materials, as if sensing his magical energy, slowly floated toward him before landing in his palm.
[Chaos Dragon Scale]
[Description: Powerful scales obtained from the Chaos Dragon King's body, containing extremely deep and dangerous chaotic magical energy. Excellent material for weapon crafting.]
[Chaos Dragon King's Gene]
[Description: Mysterious gene containing the power of ancient dragons, possibly capable of combining with ancient dragons.]
Viktor glanced at them casually before storing the Chaos Dragon King's gene away.
For him, this was an extremely valuable item.
The Yade Divine Tree could achieve another upgrade with this.
As for the dragon scale, Viktor turned and handed it to Ryan beside him.
Ryan was somewhat bewildered but still reached out to accept the dragon scale with extreme caution.
Then, for a thorough inspection, he carefully polished his monocle with his white glove.
After rubbing it until it gleamed, Ryan put it back on and examined the scale closely.
"Hmm... let me see!"
He studied the black dragon scale, its purple patterns flickering behind his spectacled eyes.
Ryan had touched dragon scales before, and he himself had even slain several true dragons.
But this was his first time encountering a dragon scale of such unique material.
The scale was uneven but not sharp, instead resembling an irregularly shaped gem.
Chaotic magical energy flowed through its patterns, and when the scale landed in Ryan's palm, an ethereal sense of chaos shook his hand.
He hurriedly traced the violent and cold aura flowing through his senses, seemingly transported back to that terrifying chaotic environment.
The patterns on the scale pulsed rhythmically like a heartbeat.
That faintly warm "heart" fell into his palm, its tremors filling him with surprise and confusion.
Could this thing really still be considered a dragon scale?
At this moment, Ryan was somewhat troubled.
If he wanted to use this in staff forging, he wasn't sure how to incorporate it.
As for the other item Viktor had stored away, Ryan couldn't even tell what it was.
Although it probably appeared alongside the Chaos Dragon Scale inside the Chaos Dragon King's body, this was his first time seeing a Chaos Dragon King being killed.
Besides, it was Viktor's spoils of war, so he didn't feel right asking about it.
Now, the Twilight Domain beneath their feet was no longer dim, only brilliantly white, like an ordinary floating island.
This left Ryan somewhat regretful.
He loved environmental diversity, and despite its dangers, he was reluctant to see it destroyed.
Everything existed for a reason.
Ryan always told himself this.
Even when he needed materials to craft items, he would try his best to avoid damaging the environment during collection.
He would wait until the environment recovered and new materials appeared before setting out again.
Ryan took pleasure in this approach of never completely depleting any material source.
He felt satisfied with this environmentally friendly attitude.
However, the magical creatures of the Twilight Domain had been completely destroyed by this event.
Thinking of this, Ryan's heart sank with disappointment.
He shook his head and sighed deeply.
This was to be expected, after all, it was his request that had led Viktor to cast so many war-magic spells.
Viktor's power had left a deep impression on him.
All in all, Ryan was thoroughly satisfied with this expedition.
Viktor glanced at Ryan, as if already anticipating his reaction, and said:
"The Chaos Dragon King will regenerate."
Ryan looked completely baffled at Viktor's words.
Huh?
He didn't really understand what the Chaos Dragon King was.
After all, he had simply assumed it was just another true dragon.
Viktor's voice broke through the silence.
"This chaotic magical energy will continuously accumulate in space, eventually condensing into physical form on this floating island."
The chaotic magic would gather to form a new Twilight Domain, and then the Chaos Dragon King would gradually take shape within the overflowing magical energy until it was fully reborn.
The Chaos Dragon King that Viktor had dealt with had been absorbing chaotic magical energy for far too long.
As a result, the chaos within it had accumulated over countless years, and its power had grown increasingly stronger.
This was why the Twilight Domain appeared so dangerous and chaotic.
In fact, if the Mage City had regularly sent people to manage the accumulated magical energy here, the Chaos Dragon King would never have grown so powerful.
However, Heim Horn had never noticed the extremely dangerous elements in the Twilight Domain, and since the Chaos Dragon King never left this floating island.
So the problem of magical energy accumulation was never addressed.
Thus, the Chaos Dragon King's power accumulated day by day, finally developing into one of Endymion's famous dungeons, the Twilight Domain.
Ryan grew more confused the more he heard.
He found it very strange how Viktor knew such detailed information.
Ryan grew increasingly curious about how Viktor knew so much.
He seemed to have killed this Chaos Dragon King more than once.
He appeared to know the island and the dragon like the back of his hand.
However, no one was there to answer his questions.
Viktor glanced at the sun's position and said:
"It's about time, we need to prepare the other materials."
Ryan frowned, puzzled.
Other materials...
He remembered that crafting the staff required not only dragon scales but also Magic Vein Dragon Blood, Flame Rock, and Hurricane Steel.
The Magic Vein Dragon Blood wasn't too difficult, as it only needed blood from a fourth-tier magic dragon or above, which he had some of.
But the remaining materials had extremely demanding requirements.
Finding an actively erupting volcano and a raging typhoon?
And obtaining the hardest lava and steel from within them?
It sounded absolutely preposterous.
But at that moment.
Viktor's coat gradually became covered in patterns of flame, like a blazing inferno.
White heat permeated the air, with flames dancing wildly around.
At his feet, even the surrounding ground seemed to be covered in crimson streaks.
The air gradually grew scorching hot, causing Ryan Kent absolute surprise.
Then, cloud-white streaks began to climb up Viktor's coat.
In that instant, the wind ceased.
As if brewing some terrifying power, the clouds in the sky gradually thickened.
A gale began to rise.
Yet in this turbulent environment, Viktor still stood with his hands in his pockets.
Seemingly unaffected by his surroundings, his voice remained calm and clear:
"Step one."
"We'll gather materials right here."
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