Kong Tai did not answer Im.
Instead, he stared at the flying dragon with a peculiar expression.
This thing gave him the feeling of being alive and yet not, and in terms of power, it was comparable to the sea monster they had encountered not long ago.
However, the sea monster was alive, a true living being, while this creature was a metallic lifeform.
And its attack was likely more potent than the sea monster's.
If it hadn't been for his Spatial Blade deflecting that previous blast, he believed no one in this world could have withstood it.
Even so, apart from the central city of Bretts, the surrounding lands of Kokorudo were engulfed in the explosion and disappeared beneath the sea.
Finally, if he hadn't used his Black Hole energy again, opening a spatial rift above Bretts, the city would have vanished along with the explosion.
Therefore, the moment he intercepted the explosive energy, he teleported to the sky to see what kind of entity could unleash such immense power.
He hadn't expected such a colossal being.
"Flying dragon."
Gazing at the dragon suspended in the air, exuding an overwhelming pressure, capable of annihilating an entire island from this world with a single blast, Kong Tai thought of the Celestial Dragons and their iconic symbol, the "Hoof of the Flying Dragon."
His gaze shifted downwards, and indeed, this flying dragon also had four toes.
This must be the national treasure of the Celestial Dragons that Ming Ge spoke of!
As for Im...
Ming Ge likely had no knowledge of this being.
And its true name.
Kong Tai looked up, meeting the dragon's blood-red, spiraling pupils, and spoke, "Uranus, the King of the Heavens."
He then nodded with certainty.
"This flying dragon is Uranus, the King of the Heavens!"
Before Im could reply, Kong Tai continued speaking to himself.
"I've always wondered, eight hundred years ago, how could the vast kingdom, with the liberator Joy Boy, its ally Poseidon, and two other Ancient Weapons, be defeated by a mere twenty nations' allied forces?"
Kong Tai paused slightly, fixing his gaze on the dragon's eyes, and continued, "You were originally an ally of the vast kingdom, weren't you!"
"But for some reason, you betrayed the vast kingdom later, which led to the downfall of a kingdom with such immense power."
What Kong Tai said was a guess, but his eyes conveyed absolute certainty.
Im stared at Kong Tai, her gaze devoid of any emotion. However, the moment Kong Tai uttered Joy Boy's name, a flicker of killing intent appeared in her eyes.
After Kong Tai finished speaking, she finally opened her mouth, "Do you want to know the truth? If you do, come to the Holy Land Marijoa!"
With that, she gave Kong Tai a deep look and turned to leave.
Now was not the time to kill this brat, and besides, the King of the Heavens shouldn't be able to kill this brat. She needed to bring this brat to her true location and let her out.
Kong Tai watched the dragon's movement to turn away, his brows furrowing.
It seemed that one blast hadn't managed to kill it, and it intended to retreat.
He didn't believe the flying dragon had no remaining power.
If the King of the Heavens could only unleash one blast and then falter, it wouldn't have been able to destroy the vast kingdom.
From Im's words, it sounded as if she desperately wanted him to go to the Holy Land Marijoa.
"There's a conspiracy."
Kong Tai muttered to himself. Seeing the dragon turn, its wings poised to leave, his body vanished from its spot in an instant, reappearing to block the dragon's path.
"Leaving already?"
Kong Tai gazed into the dragon's eyes, his azure pupils swirling with nebulae, and an overwhelming aura erupted from him, soaring towards the heavens.
Crack—!
The lightning that had previously vanished reappeared with his momentum.
However, this time, the lightning was a purplish-red.
Kong Tai held Zankū in his left hand, raising the hilt upwards, and gripped the handle with his right hand, his eyes fixed on the dragon.
To attack him and then expect to run? That wouldn't be so easy!
The other party was clearly unwilling to engage, but he could test its defenses first.
If the defense was insufficient...
Zing—!
Before Im could respond, the crisp clang of a sword echoed through the sky.
The blade, entwined with purplish-black energy, sliced through the heavens and earth, slashing fiercely at the flying dragon.
"One Sword Style: Azure Dragon!"
A colossal sword aura condensed into the form of a dragon's head, unleashing a world-shattering sharpness that tore through the surrounding clouds and charged towards the flying dragon.
As the rapidly approaching slash neared, the flying dragon turned, its massive tail lashing out from behind, colliding directly with the attack.
Clang—!
A metallic impact, like the tolling of a bell, accompanied by scattering shockwaves, instantly dispersed the surrounding clouds, revealing Kokorudo below, which now consisted only of Bretts.
"What is that??"
"A dragon?"
"Celestial Dragon?"
"Or a god?"
Those who heard the bell sound looked up at the sky. Though they were too far away to see Kong Tai, they could see the silver flying dragon.
The overwhelming pressure emanating from it left them utterly stunned.
On the city walls, Koina, wearing a Door-Door Fruit necklace, stood surrounded by Hua, Charles, and others.
They too looked up at the sky.
Their eyes were filled with solemnity.
It was that silver flying dragon that unleashed the cannon blast that nearly destroyed Kokorudo, wasn't it?
Charles glanced at the sky, then down at Koina, opened his mouth as if to speak, but stopped himself.
Now, the countless lives of Kokorudo were focused on the figure battling the dragon above.
He couldn't demand anything more from others.
As if sensing Charles's worry, Koina turned back and offered him a relaxed smile.
"Don't worry, it was an emergency before. The dragon attacked as soon as it arrived. This time, we're prepared. Kong Tai won't let the dragon's attack land on Kokorudo again."
Charles looked at Koina. Perhaps it was Koina's relaxed smile that infected him, or perhaps something else, but he gradually relaxed, his expression no longer so heavy.
He nodded at Koina, then bowed and said, "Thank you."
Words failed him, and all he could express was his profound gratitude to Koina and the others, especially the silver-haired figure in the sky who had saved so many lives in Kokorudo.
However, he was unaware that the flying dragon was actually targeting Kong Tai and his companions.
They were merely caught in the crossfire, suffering unintended harm.
Koina looked at Charles deeply, a hint of apology in her eyes, then turned her gaze back to the sky.
She knew, of course, that the dragon was after them.
Fortunately, no irreparable major casualties had occurred. Although only Bretts remained of Kokorudo, as long as the people were safe, they could relocate to other islands later.
Not far from here was Doctor Indigo's hometown, Ges.
It would be perfect.
They could move to Ges.
The pirates there should be few by now; they would just need to clear them out.
Clang—!
At that moment, another metallic impact echoed from above.
The flying dragon's tail exerted its force once more, this time directly swatting away the purplish-black slash.
Then, the entire sky suddenly split open, and the clouds poured upwards like seawater.
And a dazzling golden light descended from the torn clouds, bathing the entire Bretts in warm sunlight.