The frigid cold spread endlessly through the secret realm, biting into everything it touched. Frost crawled rapidly along the ground, and even the wood veins buried deep beneath the soil began to stiffen and crack under the pressure. If this continued, the very foundation of the secret realm would suffer irreversible damage.

Grey frowned deeply as he sensed the deterioration below. This was no longer a simple clash of energies.

Without hesitation, he clapped his hands together.

In the next instant, two talismans shot out from his spatial ring, spinning rapidly in midair. Dense runic light bloomed from their surfaces as they fused together, forming a tightly sealed barrier that enveloped the cocoon completely.

The barrier locked into place just as the temperature plummeted further.

Boom!

The frigid cold slammed violently into the barrier, sending shockwaves rippling outward. Cracks spread across the frozen ground, yet the barrier itself remained firm.

This was no ordinary defensive formation.

Every line, every rune had been personally designed, inscribed, and refined by Grey himself. It was infused with his understanding of energy, structure, and balance.

How could his dragon sister possibly shatter something like this?

However, in the very next moment, a sharp cracking sound echoed through the air.

Crack.

Crack crack.

The barrier fractured.

Runes shattered one after another as the defensive layer collapsed entirely, dissolving into fragments of fading light.

"..."

Grey's expression turned cold in an instant, his eyes narrowing sharply.

This was no longer about protecting the cocoon.

His powers, his techniques, and his authority were being directly challenged!

Grey raised his arms without restraint.

Nexus energy surged out of him like a raging tsunami. The flawless energy roared as it flooded the surroundings, bending space itself under its overwhelming presence. The air groaned, distorted, and warped as if struggling to exist beneath its pressure.

The moment the Nexus energy appeared, the world fell into an unnatural silence.

Mutated beasts lurking in the distance instinctively retreated, their bodies trembling uncontrollably. Even the power infernals lowered their heads, unable to withstand the pressure emanating from the perfect energy.

The frigid cold, however, did not retreat.

As if sensing the provocation, it reacted with fury. The temperature dropped even further as the cocoon trembled violently in response. From within it, a vast and ancient force surged outward.

The source law of frost erupted like a tide, flooding the secret realm with raw vitality and authority. Roots of law manifested in the air itself, pushing back against the Nexus energy with terrifying intensity.

However, it was futile.

Nexus energy had even worse anger issues than the source law of frost. How could it allow a puny law to affect it?

Boom!

An even more terrifying power erupted from Grey. Nexus overclock lines surged across his body as his energy, body, and mind followed the reversal scale of the golden ratio, amplifying endlessly.

The Source Law trembled violently.

It struggled desperately, forcing out the remaining authority of the frost law in a final attempt to resist. Vitality lashed out wildly, roots of energy whipping through space as the cocoon shook as if screaming in defiance.

But it was meaningless.

The crushing pressure of Nexus energy descended like a divine verdict. Every trace of the source law of frost was violently suppressed, torn apart, and overwhelmed without mercy. What little power remained was crushed into submission, unable to even maintain its form.

In front of Nexus energy, resistance itself was a mistake.

However, much to Grey's surprise, it was not only the law that failed.

To his dismay, even the cocoon began to crack.

"Maybe I overdid it," Grey muttered speechlessly.

The cracked cocoon suddenly shone with dazzling brilliance.

Grey frowned.

The next instant, his expression twisted into utter shock.

Something soft and heavy slammed into his chest.

A warm, pleasant fragrance rushed into his nostrils.

Grey stiffened.

In front of him was Alissa.

Frigid cold energy continuously seeped from her body, forming faint icy mist around her skin. However, what truly stunned him was not the energy.

She looked… different.

More mature.

Her figure had clearly developed, her curves far more pronounced than before. The Alissa he remembered definitely did not have such… overwhelming assets.

And right now, this girl was hugging him tightly.

Very tightly.

Her soft body pressed firmly against his chest, arms wrapped around him with no restraint whatsoever, like lovers clinging to each other after a long separation.

"Bad guy," Alissa muttered softly. Her voice was shaky, feverish, and filled with emotion.

She pulled back slightly, then lightly punched Grey's chest with her slender white fists, each hit lacking any real strength.

"You knew everything," she accused.

"You knew about me being a true dragon. You knew about that powerful senior. You even became the city lord!" Alissa shouted, her face completely red, as if she were burning up from a fever, or perhaps intoxicated by her own awakening.

Not only that, she looked even more beautiful than before. Her skin glowed faintly, her features sharper yet softer at the same time. On her forehead, two small blue horns had emerged, delicate and cute, perfectly matching her face.

"You're very strong too," Alissa suddenly said.

Her expression softened, eyes glistening.

The next moment, she hugged Grey again, even tighter than before. Her chest pressed firmly against him as she rubbed her cheek lightly against his shoulder, her small hands unconsciously circling his chest.

"..."

Grey's expression turned ashen.

"Hey," he said with twitching lips. "We are brother and sister. We shouldn't be this intimate."

Alissa froze.

Then she looked at him as if he were an idiot.

"What brother?" she scoffed. "You aren't the old Grey. You're a reincarnated being, aren't you?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"The old bad, evil Grey who bullied me is long gone. We have no relation."

She finally let go of him and folded her arms proudly, her chest lifting in a way that made Grey immediately avert his gaze.

"I already knew it," she declared. "Since you know my secrets, I should know yours too."

"What?" Grey frowned deeply.

"How did you find out?" He was completely certain he had never revealed it to anyone.

"I'm a true dragon from the world of source," she said proudly. "Nothing can escape my eyes."

Then her expression dimmed slightly, her voice turning softer.

"But one day, I suddenly stopped being able to sense anything from you. You became a complete mystery."

She tilted her head, her drunken, dazed expression returning.

"That's right!" she suddenly exclaimed. "It's because you're strong. Stronger than me!"

Her gaze turned affectionate once more.

Without warning, she leapt toward him again, clearly intending to hug him.

This time, Grey reacted faster.

He stepped back instantly, dodging her embrace.

He absolutely did not let the gone-crazy dragon girl get anywhere near him again.

For his own safety and hers.

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