The room looked as if gold itself had been carved into shape, as if molten treasure had been poured and cooled into walls, floor, ceiling, and every item within.

On a throne sculpted like a dragon in flight sat the man who had ordered Antsy to arrange the duel between Zaki and Maryam.

Most called him the Fat Man, but inside the Underground his identity carried weight far beyond that mocking name.

He was Noah Draco of Order Draco, also known as the Fat Amethyst Dragon.

He reclined lazily on his throne, his breathing calm, his amethyst eyes fixed on the letter in his hand.

He grinned. "Did the Scarred send you this?" he asked the servant bowing before him.

She was a young woman with caramel-brown hair tied neatly, her maid outfit clinging sinfully to her body. On her neck, a number was engraved, the same brand worn by every player inside the Underground of Freedom.

"Yes, Good Sir," she said quickly, bowing lower. "Scarred of the Order of Orion sent you this."

Noah nodded subtly, then unfolded the letter. It contained only one sentence:

You got what you wanted. He is mine now.

He grinned wider, stifling a laugh until it burst into a chuckle.

"Ah… honestly, such a boring duel. I expected them to slaughter each other, to watch teammates betray each other in the face of death."

That was usually how it went.

Instead, what he had been given was the so-called glorious sacrifice of a pathetic woman.

"Tsk. Tasteless." He clicked his tongue.

"The dragon is truly an unreasonable creature." a voice cut through the golden chamber, sharp enough to still the air.

Noah's gaze rose.

A creature stood there who had no business entering his chamber undetected.

Upper body human, silver hair falling like strands of steel, dark blue eyes behind glowing glasses that shimmered with unnatural wisdom. But below the waist, he bore the body of a silver horse with four legs, flickering tail, muscles that rippled with quiet grace.

The maid trembled, sensing the intruder's presence. But before she could act…

"Leave us." Noah ordered.

She vanished in a heartbeat, rushing out and heaving a sigh of relief once the door shut.

Noah fixed his amethyst eyes on the intruder.

"You of Order Centaurus always act like this world belongs to you. Who gave you the courage to enter my chamber without permission, Chevi?" His voice was calm, but the pressure in the room surged, swelling like the breath of a slumbering dragon about to wake.

Chevi only smiled faintly, unbothered by the suffocating weight that could bring a Grandmaster to his knees. He descended slowly from the ceiling, his four horse legs reshaping into two before sitting casually in the chair across from Noah.

His gaze drifted past the throne, where words were carved into the golden wall in radiant letters:

The Belly of the Dragon is Pitiless.

The motto of Order Draco.

Chevi shook his head. "You always stir trouble, Noah. You were not supposed to change the game."

"I do whatever I want, Chevi. And you still haven't answered my question. Who gave you the courage to enter here? Do you want to die that badly?" Noah's voice sharpened, cold as a bleeding blade.

Merciless.

"Who will kill me?" Chevi asked lightly, adjusting his glasses. "If I were you, I'd be more concerned about that little man."

"Worry?" Noah scoffed. "He is just a wretched Awakened."

"You gave him a Legendary Evolution Stone for the duel," Chevi corrected, tone calm as water. "He will soon be Intermediate."

"That only makes him a bigger ant. Not worth a dragon's attention. Even you, Chevi of Order Centaurus, I am not worried about you. Why would I worry about a goddamn child?" Noah's tone dripped with disdain.

Chevi's faint smile didn't falter.

"I am a scholar before I am a fighter. My threat level is low. That's exactly why I am here to tell you something, foolish dragon."

He leaned in, eyes locking with Noah's amethyst ones.

"It was stupid to kill that girl in front of everyone, Draco."

Noah's lips parted to retort, but Chevi pressed on.

"You made us all witness it — the players of the Underground, the Masters themselves. The sacrifice of a pure girl for her leader."

His voice sharpened.

"Do you know what you've made her?"

"A martyr."

Silence descended.

"And do you know the special power of a martyr?" Chevi's voice cut deep. "The sadder their death, the crueler their fate, the greater the power they wield over the masses. You planted a seed of rebellion in the hearts of all who resent us."

"You gave them hope."

"It doesn't matter," Noah said at last, waving his hand in dismissal. "They are ants. And the cries of ants are nothing to dragons."

Chevi shook his head.

"You gave them hope. And worse, you made one boy ready to carry that hope with all his being."

"You mean the arrogant youth who calls himself the Sky?" Noah sneered.

"I don't need to remind you of our motto." he growled, leaning forward now, his voice reverberating with the roar of a dragon.

"The belly of a dragon is pitiless, Chevi. There is nothing it cannot devour. Even the heavens."

Chevi was quiet for a long moment, then shrugged.

"Then we will see. But know this: you can no longer touch him. The Scarred is already on his way to claim him."

His body started to dissolve like mist before a storm wind.

Noah growled. "We can touch whoever we want."

"Would you risk war with the Orions?" Chevi's voice lingered even as he was about to vanish.

Noah's amethyst eyes narrowed, for a moment slitted like a beast's.

"Dragons indeed," Chevi's voice echoed faintly. "You arrogant, disgusting beasts."

And then he was gone.

Noah clicked his tongue.

"Centaurus bastards. Acting sagely when they're the most inhuman of us all. Fucking hypocrites. I'd take those betrayers snakes over them any day." His hands clenched with the desire to slaughter, but he held back.

Still, Chevi's words echoed in his head.

'Martyr, huh…'

What was the use of martyrs? They were just corpses. And the dead held no sway over the living.

Shoving the thought aside, Noah called for his servant, ordering wine. He needed to dull his mind before his rage pushed him into Centaurus' libraries to slaughter them all.

The wrath of a dragon was not easily quenched.

…

Meanwhile, in his room…

Zaki sat on the floor, his back against the bed where Maryam once slept. Her scent still lingered.

Tristan, Saul, and Azad stayed nearby, silent, giving him time. None of them blamed him, they knew it was not his fault but the Masters.

And yet, something shifted. Their dream of escape was gone. Now, only destruction remained. They wanted to shatter this cage, to rip it apart, to kill those who controlled it.

Their minds were consumed with rage.

Zaki's eyes were dry with stains of blood. His heart ached as Maryam's final moments replayed again and again. The more he remembered, the more it shredded him.

If he could, he would have torn open his own chest and ripped out his heart just to stop the pain.

It was too much. Far too much.

First, his mother had died for him, killed by one of his father's wives. Now, Maryam had died for him, crushed under the cruelty of the Masters.

A hollow laugh escaped his throat.

Was he destined only for agony?

Born into a family that hated him, branded a bastard. Loved only by those who would give their lives for him. His mother. Maryam. Each one dying for him, believing in something within him he couldn't see himself.

But then, another memory broke through.

Eimi.

His eyes cleared. The little girl who had loved the coward he was, ready to die for him without hesitation. The one who saw worth in him when no one else did.

He had promised to grow strong for her. To protect her the way she had once protected him. To preserve her smile, her purity, her light against the grotesque world.

He had failed Maryam.

But he would not fail Eimi.

His life no longer belonged to him. It belonged to his mother, who had sacrificed herself. To Maryam, who had given her dream and hope to him. To Eimi, who waited for him still. To Kaden, who had made him take his first step.

He was no longer Zaki Caelion, bastard of a wealthy house.

He was the Sky.

And here, in this hell, he was Wrath of Heavens.

He lowered his gaze to the Evolution Stone in his hand. Its light was radiant, mystical, beautiful. But to him, Maryam's final smile had shone brighter than this dead stone ever could.

'Your life was worth only one Legendary Evolution Stone, Maryam.' he thought bitterly, chuckling hollowly.

'How utterly ridiculous… in this world, the flesh is more spent than gold.'

His thoughts swirled until a cold voice cut through them.

"Sky."

Zaki lifted his head.

A man stood there, skin dark as charcoal, eyes burning red, his shaved head gleaming. A fiery beard clung to his chin like grass caught in flame. His left cheek bore five scars glowing faintly red.

His appearance was unforgettable.

"Who are you?" Zaki asked.

The man studied him, saw the rage burning inside, the fire begging to be unleashed.

He smiled, teeth stark white against his black skin.

"I am Scarred, of Order Orion. I am here to invite you, Sky."

He paused, his smile stretching wider as he watched the flames in Zaki's eyes grow.

'He is ready.' he thought.

"It's time to be the Hunter, not the Hunted, Sky."

—End of Chapter 240—

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