Lord: Sequence Master

Instinctively, the Volcanic Blaze Dragon knew it should retreat immediately. However, it had been stuck at Sequence 4 for far too long and could no longer tolerate the hostile environment of the volcano, where only fire and magma existed. It longed to become a demi-god and escape to a place devoid of humans.

As the Blaze Dragon followed the lava river toward Rosen, Rosen sensed its approach through Death Perception. Both sides prepared for a stealth attack, inching closer until they were less than a thousand meters apart. Before the Blaze Dragon could strike, Rosen acted first, spreading his shadow outward to engulf the Blaze Dragon. Then, with Light-Dark Alternation, he succeeded in dragging the dragon into the Void Shadow Realm.

The scenery changed abruptly, alerting the dragon to the trap. Expecting an ambush from multiple Sequence 4 opponents, the dragon was surprised to see only the Sequence 5 human. Rosen quickly placed a Fate Mark on the dragon, then launched a guaranteed strike with his Twin Dagger from afar.

The Blaze Dragon, as an elemental being, lacked typical weak points. Its sole vulnerability was its Dragon Core, but only the dragon knew its location. Rosen's strike wasn't aimed at the dragon's body but its spiritual core. Coated in venom from the Ashen Honey, the Twin Dagger's blow had also applied Weakening and Poison traits that took effect directly on the dragon's spirit.

The Blaze Dragon's spiritual strength, initially at 72, was reduced to 71, and the venom continued to weaken it, sapping its vitality and exhausting its spiritual energy. With this opening strike alone, Rosen estimated the dragon's power would be diminished by at least 10%.

Enraged, the Blaze Dragon retaliated, unleashing a dragon's breath like an erupting volcano, engulfing everything in a torrent of flame. The "Blaze" in its name was no exaggeration. Despite its limited repertoire of attacks—Dragon Breath, Dragon Roar, and Dragon's Will—each one was devastatingly refined. Many dragons could breathe fire intermittently for a few minutes, but the Blaze Dragon's breath was relentless, with no sign of weakening. It could continue for hours or even days in volcanic environments, quickly transforming the Void Shadow Realm into a realm of flames.

Rosen withdrew from the Void Shadow Realm and returned to his Divine Territory, where a thousand Sequence 6 Shadow Demons concentrated their energy to reinforce the boundary. Still, the Void Shadow Realm wouldn't hold for long against the dragon's fiery onslaught.

Rosen's Wrath of the Dragon King transformed into a sniper rifle as he inserted the barrel into the Void Shadow Realm, targeting the Blaze Dragon. He fired a Dragon's Roar Blast, its energy enhanced by an anti-magic orb, which passed through the realm's barriers like a specter before striking the dragon.

The Dragon's Roar Blast was a modified breath of a Bronze Dragon, accelerating time within its range. The Blaze Dragon's fire breath, meant to last six hours, suddenly compressed into ten minutes. The anti-magic orb further stifled the dragon's breath, leaving it briefly stuck in its throat. As the Blaze Dragon forced it out again, it unleashed even more intense flames, while activating its Dragon's Will.

The Blaze Dragon's Dragon's Will, usually dormant, burst forth like a volcanic eruption, suffusing the realm with intense spiritual pressure. The psychic force shattered Rosen's Dragon's Roar Blast before it even reached the dragon. Now in full offense, the Blaze Dragon's defenses became impenetrable.

Rosen cursed the intelligence he had bought, realizing it contained half-truths that had led him into a precarious situation. He then shifted strategies, channeling the Fairy Dragon Pearl to warp to the seaside edge of the Sacred Wood Empire.

In the deep sea, he directed vast amounts of seawater into the Shadow Realm, where it met the Blaze Dragon's flames, evaporating into steam. While the dragon could continue for days, it couldn't last forever. The sea's endless waters would extinguish the dragon's fiery breath eventually.

Realizing the abnormality of the seawater in Divine Weapon Volcano, the Blaze Dragon's initial anger turned to relief, recognizing an opportunity. If it escaped this Shadow Realm, it could leave the Sacred Continent and embark on a new life. The dragon halted its fire breath and crouched, retracting its Dragon's Will and dimming its intense red glow.

Rosen immediately perceived the dragon's intention. By suppressing its breath internally, the dragon was building immense pressure. Though damaging, this technique could unleash a cataclysmic strike, but at the cost of great self-harm.

As time passed, the Blaze Dragon trembled with the effort, yet persisted. If it unleashed this power, the Shadow Realm itself might shatter. Realizing he couldn't wait any longer, Rosen activated his Celestial Crest and Ancient Divine Artifact, briefly raising his spiritual strength to Sequence 3.

Converting his spiritual power to Golden Divinity, he could only maintain this state for a second—enough for three all-out shots. He aimed Wrath of the Dragon King at the Blaze Dragon, firing the first shot as a Dragon's Roar Blast with Time-Sight and Future Silencer, set to hit nine seconds in the future. His second bullet was a Time Bullet infused with two thousand years' worth of life force. Since his strength had reached Sequence 5, his lifespan extended to twenty thousand years, ten times that of an average transcendent.

The dragon would lose two thousand years with this bullet, potentially lethal if its lifespan was shorter than that. However, knowing the dragon's life exceeded that, Rosen prepared a third shot: a Bullet of Ashen Canvas.

Nine seconds later, his Dragon's Roar Blast struck, accelerating the dragon's compressed breath to critical levels, forcing it to release its breath prematurely. As the dragon opened its mouth, the Time Bullet stripped two thousand years from its memory, leaving the dragon disoriented. The Ashen Canvas Bullet then filled this void with a deluge of chaotic memories, plunging the dragon into confusion.

The Blaze Dragon lost control and roared, unleashing an explosive Dragon Roar that combined the fury of its breath and psychic power, shaking the Shadow Realm to its core. If left unchecked, another roar could reduce the Shadow Realm to fragments.

Although it severely damaged the realm, the dragon itself suffered heavily from the backlash. The chaos in its memories drove it into a frenzied state. Taking advantage, Rosen commanded his Metal Slimes, each equipped with Nightmare Shackles. Together, they combined into a giant Metal Slime, surrounding the dragon with shackles laced with the power of the Time Tower, restraining the Blaze Dragon.

Rosen had also embedded Time Tower within the Nightmare Shackles, adding the element of temporal confinement. Driven by pure instinct, the dragon flapped its wings to retreat, but the Temporal Traps activated, encasing it within multiple layers of Time Barrier. Every movement became excruciatingly slow.

Seizing the opportunity, Rosen unleashed his rapid-fire attacks. He activated Time Acceleration Drawing to enhance his rate to 58 times the normal, drawing with one hand while firing with the other.

With this boost and Void Gun Dance's attack speed increase, alongside Godspeed from the Death Belt, Rosen reached a staggering 464 times his normal rate of fire. Had he not activated Bullet Time and enhanced his reflexes with Godspeed, controlling the Dragon King rifle would have been impossible. As it was, he wielded it like a machine gun.

Each shot contained an elemental bullet empowered by the Fairy Dragon's dream armor, specifically Dragon-Tongue Ice Magic, which froze upon impact. While the Blaze Dragon's intense heat melted each ice bullet, Rosen gradually pinpointed the spots where its body melted ice most rapidly.

Survival instinct told the Volcanic Blaze Dragon to turn and flee immediately. Yet it had been trapped at Sequence 4 for far too long, enduring the infernal environment of the volcanic core, where only flames and magma reigned. Yearning for demi-godhood, it wanted nothing more than to escape to lands untouched by humans.

As the Blaze Dragon slinked through the magma channels toward Rosen, he detected the dragon through Death Perception. Both sides prepared to strike, drawing ever nearer until only a thousand meters separated them. Rosen seized the initiative first, spreading his shadow to ensnare the dragon, using Light-Dark Alternation to pull it into the Void Shadow Realm.

Sensing the abrupt change, the Blaze Dragon realized it had fallen into a trap. It braced itself, expecting multiple Sequence 4 hunters, but found only a Sequence 5 human. Rosen swiftly marked it with Fate Mark and, from afar, struck with a guaranteed blow using his Twin Dagger. The dragon, being an elemental being, had no typical weak points. Its Dragon Core was the sole vulnerability, yet only it knew the location.

Rosen's strike, however, wasn't directed at its body but its spirit. The Twin Dagger was laced with the venom of Ashen Honey and bore a Weakening trait, directly affecting the dragon's spiritual core. As the venom took effect, the dragon's spiritual strength fell from 72 to 71, and its vitality ebbed. Rosen estimated this opening strike would ultimately cut the Blaze Dragon's strength by 10%.

Enraged, the dragon retaliated, unleashing a torrent of fiery breath that roared like an erupting volcano. While ordinary dragons could manage only brief, intermittent bursts, the Blaze Dragon's breath continued unbroken, the flames intensifying as if to raze the Shadow Realm itself.

Rosen retreated from the Void Shadow Realm, where a thousand Shadow Demons exerted all their might to reinforce the boundary. Taking up Wrath of the Dragon King, Rosen transformed it into a sniper rifle and aimed at the Blaze Dragon within the realm, loading a Dragon's Roar Blast imbued with anti-magic orbs. This projectile, imbued with a mutated Bronze Dragon's breath, accelerated time upon impact, compressing the Blaze Dragon's fiery breath to a fraction of its duration.

The Blaze Dragon, frustrated, instinctively intensified its fire and activated Dragon's Will. Normally subdued, the Blaze Dragon's Will erupted like a volcano, unleashing waves of psionic power that shattered Rosen's Dragon's Roar Blast before it even reached the dragon. Now that the dragon's defenses were up, Rosen was temporarily stymied.

Reflecting quickly, Rosen adjusted his strategy. He traveled to the coastal edge of the Shenmu Empire and plunged deep into the sea, drawing vast amounts of seawater into the Shadow Realm. The Blaze Dragon's breath vaporized the water on contact, filling the realm with steam. Nevertheless, an endless supply of seawater soon overwhelmed the dragon's flames. Realizing the unnatural presence of seawater, the Blaze Dragon grew suspicious, yet relieved at the chance for freedom.

Seizing its chance, it ceased its fiery attack, crouching down and consolidating the remaining flames within its core. Observing this tactic, Rosen discerned the Blaze Dragon's intention. Instead of dissipating its fire, it was compressing it internally, preparing a cataclysmic attack. Such a move could prove devastating but would leave it vulnerable.

As the Blaze Dragon endured the internal compression, Rosen activated his Celestial Crest and Ancient Divine Artifact, temporarily elevating his spiritual strength to Sequence 3. He then converted his heightened spirit into Golden Divinity—a force he could sustain only for a brief moment but sufficient for three decisive shots. First, he aimed a Dragon's Roar Blast with Time-Sight and Future Silencer, set to hit nine seconds later. Next, he loaded a Time Bullet imbued with two thousand years of life energy.

Having achieved Sequence 5, his lifespan had extended to twenty thousand years, ten times that of a typical transcendent. As the Blaze Dragon opened its maw, the Dragon's Roar Blast appeared in place, accelerating the release of its fiery breath to an uncontrollable level. Caught off guard, the dragon was struck by the Time Bullet, which stripped it of two thousand years of life, disorienting it with memories that it could no longer recall.

The Blaze Dragon's chaotic state provided Rosen with an opportunity to go on the offensive. Enraged, it roared and unleashed its Dragon's Roar—a psionic assault that shook the Shadow Realm to its core, forcing Rosen to resort to his strongest methods to keep the dragon bound. He commanded his Metal Slimes—now wielding Nightmare Shackles—to meld into one massive Nightmare Chain, ensnaring the Blaze Dragon.

The Time Tower, embedded within the Nightmare Shackles, released a temporal field, slowing the Blaze Dragon's movements to a crawl. Rosen's remaining energy had to be used strategically, so he unleashed a 464x Attack Speed, activating Time Acceleration Drawing to quicken his reflexes. The rifle, boosted by Godspeed, fired elemental bullets, each imbued with Dragon-Tongue Ice Magic.

As each shot struck, the Blaze Dragon struggled, its temperature dropping as the ice took effect. The impact zone grew hotter, indicating the Dragon Core's likely location. Rosen aimed precisely at this spot and, after compressing his spiritual essence into a single Enhanced Nen Qi Bullet, fired the ultimate shot.

The rifle barrel could not withstand the pressure and exploded upon firing, but the enhanced bullet tore through the dragon's defenses, piercing its core. With a furious roar, the Blaze Dragon struggled as its Dragon Core was forced out of its body, where Rosen's Devourer Nen Beast intercepted it. Without its core, the dragon's strength waned significantly, weakening by nearly forty percent.

Over the following week, Rosen continued flooding the Shadow Realm with seawater, draining the Blaze Dragon's elemental reserves. Eventually, it shrank to a fraction of its original size, unable to resist as Rosen sealed it within a painting. A living dragon was far more valuable than a slain one—Rosen needed its core for the Wrath of the Dragon King. A dead dragon would leave only a reward sphere, rendering his effort wasted.

To ensure security, Rosen erased the Blaze Dragon's memories with Ashen Canvas, then locked its soul within its core using Nightmare Shackles. He returned to Divine Arms Kingdom and approached the demi-god alchemist, Devon Gaines. Even Devon was stunned upon seeing the core.

"How on earth did you manage this?" Devon asked.

"With the remnants of a Bronze Dragon's bloodline, I lured the Blaze Dragon out," Rosen replied casually. "Then I used spatial binding to trap it, bringing it to the sea for the kill."

He made it sound easy, but Devon knew otherwise. Many had tried with higher dragon bloodlines, yet the Blaze Dragon had never fallen for it. It was clear now that it had been on the verge of demi-godhood, desperate enough to take the bait.

In his Alchemy Workshop, Devon set to work enhancing Wrath of the Dragon King. The materials far exceeded expectations, and after confirming Rosen's willingness to spend, Devon even acquired several Sequence 3 and Sequence 2 rare materials to ease future upgrades. Six months later, after a painstaking process, the enhancement was complete.

Rosen, upon receiving the Wrath of the Dragon King, immediately bound it as his primary weapon in Weapon Master. Its transformation was staggering:

Divine Artifact: Wrath of the Dragon King

Level: Sequence 4 (Evolution Value 0%)

Attributes: +300% base damage, multi-form transformation

Attachments: Time-Sight and Future Silencer

Core Skills: Fusion Evolution, Bullet Time, Dragon's Roar Blast, Volcanic Blaze Dragon Mimicry

Gem Slots: Cat's Eye Stones (Dual) — Increases base reaction and movement speed by 100%, with the Critical Strike skill.

The gun's base damage had increased by 180%, more than double. Dragon's Roar Blast, modified by Devon, now combined accelerated time with terrifying damage drawn from the Blaze Dragon's powers. The Cat's Eye Stones allowed for a Critical Strike—each hit stacked a "Critical Count," and on the 101st hit, the next attack would ignore all defenses, dealing true damage.

With the upgraded Wrath of the Dragon King, Rosen could now confidently hunt down even formidable Sequence 4s. Only a true trial by fire could reveal its full potential.

(End of Chapter)