For the Dragon God's Sake, I Shall Spare Your Life!

"Damn it all!" Mas seethed, his face darkening. With a swift motion, he unhooked two iron-plate-like primordial sacred artifacts from the back of his red battle armor's belt. As he swung them before his chest, the primordial sacred artifacts transformed into two mighty axes! He roared, "All hands prepare for battle! Let's get them! Sacred Artifact Cannon of the Golden Sail, prepare to fire!"

Alone, he faced three Ninth-rank early-stage The Masters, who were almost his equals, yet he remained fearless. He didn't even bother to ask Brook, who was beside Du Chen, to intervene. His confidence stemmed from the welcoming Golden Sail sent personally by the Pontiff, which they stood upon! More precisely, it was due to the war-grade sacred artifact embedded within it!

"Roar! Roar!"

Two other massive dragons in the sky let out hoarse, drawn-out cries. Second Sister Linda transformed into her human form, standing atop Third Sister Betty's head. Then, Betty spewed two streaks of light from her mouth, one green and one blue—also two sacred artifacts! The blue light solidified into a spear in Linda's hand, while the green light became an iron chain, coiling around Betty's dragon neck!

*Creak, creak!*

Though the sound was grating, the golden sail on Du Chen's ship lowered with astonishing speed. The mast twisted and transformed like lightning, astonishingly splitting into three rows of dark muzzles, each pointing at one of the three sisters!

Deboning, who had originally stood guard beneath the golden sail, coldly glanced at the cannon muzzles beside him as the canvas lowered, then turned his gaze towards the composed Du Chen!

"Roar! Let's do this!" Mas wiped the back of his axe-wielding hand across his red beard, then raised his other axe and roared!

Seeing Mas's impatient eagerness for battle, Jennifer's lips curved into a smug, cold sneer!

Jennifer, facing the muzzles of the war-grade sacred artifacts, felt a slight tremor of fear, but she gritted her teeth. *The Dragon God issued a death order,* she thought. *Today, no matter what, Francis must be brought back! Of course, it would be best if Mas and his crew made the first move! Because...*

Just then, someone shouted from the captain's cabin, "Mas, the Battle God, we cannot strike first! His Holiness and the Dragon God have a pact! Before the Five-Battle Pact concludes, whichever side's subordinates make the first move will be deemed the transgressor!"

Mas's great axe paused mid-swing, and he immediately retorted, "But, but they were the ones who provoked us first!"

"But they haven't made a move yet!"

Mas rubbed the back of his axe-wielding hand against his head, left speechless! Jennifer, however, secretly sighed with relief. *Hmph, consider yourself lucky you didn't strike first!*

"This Mas, at best, is nothing more than a fierce general and a thug. How did he ever become a Battle God Enforcer?" Du Chen, cradling Beibei, shooed the startled Andy towards Deboning, then approached Mas from behind, patting his shoulder. "Leave this to me!"

"Miss Jennifer, His Majesty the Dragon God wishes to see me. Coincidentally, I was just thinking of seeing him myself!" Du Chen observed the unsightly woman before him, and his mind suddenly drifted to Brockman, that 'competent servant' from the Misty Forest... Shaking off the thought, he continued, "However, I don't have the time right now. I must first meet His Holiness the Pontiff!"

"Hmph, we are currently in a state of war! We three sisters have already sworn a Military Edict before our God! You *must* be brought back now! Since battle is inevitable, there's no more room for discussion!" The three sisters, united in purpose, Jennifer reprimanded fiercely, while Betty and Linda had already closed in to mere tens of meters above the Golden Sail!

Yet, they didn't rush to attack. The pact mentioned by both sides earlier – "whoever strikes first is the transgressor" – still held *some* sway!

But only "some"! The implication was clear: it would be best if they could provoke Mas into striking first. If not, they would risk breaking the pact and make the first move themselves!

Since the Dragon God dispatched them to capture Du Chen, he had naturally made full preparations for breaching the agreement first!

"Oh? So, for my sake, you three ladies have actually sworn a Military Edict? To have three such 'beautiful' ladies pledge such an oath for me, Francis is truly honored!" Du Chen smiled warmly, but the sarcasm and displeasure in his words were apparent to everyone except Mas.

Changing the subject, Du Chen then asked, "What exactly is this Five-Battle Pact, Battle God Mas?"

Mas glared at Jennifer and snorted, "What else could it mean? When two sides can't negotiate a result, they naturally resort to fists! Two months ago, the Pontiff and the Dragon God established a pact: each side would send five combatants, and the first to win three out of five battles would emerge victorious, with the loser conceding! Four matches have already been fought, and it's currently a draw!"

Du Chen nodded. "So, before the fifth battle concludes, whoever strikes first is the transgressor. That's what you were implying earlier, correct?"

Mas heavily slammed his great axe down, a gesture of affirmation!

"Francis, enough chattering!" Jennifer, hovering opposite him, distanced herself from the Sacred Artifact Cannon. She shouted, "Give us three sisters a straight answer: Are you coming with us, or not? If not, then we'll risk everything and make our move!"

Linda, the Second Sister in the sky, added, "Francis, think carefully. We three sisters are acting under a Military Edict! If this mission fails today, we won't return alive!"

Her tone softened, following the threat with enticement. "Actually, although our God harbors a deep hatred for Constantine, he is also a reasonable and enlightened ruler. He never intended to take your life or Andy's... Come back with us, confess your transgressions, and we can still be considered family. What's so difficult about that?"

As Linda spoke, her gaze subtly flickered towards Deboning. After all this time, the three sisters had finally understood the truth. Back in the Misty Forest, Du Chen wasn't some reclusive, Return to Primordial Simplicity ultimate The Master at all! It had simply been their own wishful thinking and self-deception! Francis's true trump card was nothing more than a tall, slender man beside him, perhaps only slightly stronger than them, and the two teachers behind him – Roland and Zigurd!

However, for the sake of their pride, the three sisters naturally refused to tell anyone the truth. Before the Dragon God, they had already insisted that it was the accursed Francis who had impersonated a super The Master and deceived them!

Their proactive volunteerism to capture Du Chen this time was precisely so the three sisters could control him, preventing their lies from being exposed later!

The three sisters, brimming with killing intent, formed a triangular encirclement around the Golden Sail. The cannon muzzles on the Golden Sail also adjusted accordingly!

"Ah, why can't we simply sit down and talk things over? All this fighting and killing, it's just... unbecoming." Du Chen, gently tapping the nose of the daughter in his arms, stated calmly, "As a White-Robed Archbishop of the Papal Curia, I naturally cannot violate the pact signed by His Holiness the Pontiff. His Holiness is a man of his word, and I, having been deeply instructed by him, also understand the rules! Battle God Mas, ignore them! Set sail! As long as they dare to strike first, reason will be on our side!"

Jennifer's face flushed instantly. Du Chen was brazenly accusing them of being ignorant of the rules, and by extension, implicating the Dragon God himself for failing to properly supervise his subordinates!

"To hell with it!" Jennifer gritted her teeth. "My sisters, attack! You two deal with the Golden Sail's sacred artifact, and I'll tie down Francis's Battle God Retainer!" With that, she lunged forward, while Linda and Betty in the sky moved simultaneously!

"Hmph!" Deboning sneered inwardly. The last time in the Misty Forest, these three sisters hadn't truly witnessed his full power. Now, he had taken a significant step closer to the Divine Realm... And a mere Jennifer dared to boast of tying him down!? Was she courting death?!

Watching the three 'she-dragons' approach, Du Chen commanded, "Brook, shroud the entire ship in your Deboning Golden Mist! These three 'she-dragons' are too ill-mannered; we humans disdain to stoop to their level!"

"As you command, Young Master!"

Following Deboning's chilling voice, layers of black mist suddenly emanated from him, instantly shrouding the entire ship!

A potent aura also spread forth!

Jennifer, being the first to bear the brunt, felt her heart pound with terror upon sensing that aura, secretly exclaiming, *Heavens, this... this aura! It's no weaker than Roland, who defeated my father in the Five-Battle Pact just days ago!*

*It's over! My sisters and I still hadn't figured out Francis's true trump card!*

But at this point, if her sisters were to turn and flee, where would their dignity be!? *No matter! At the very least, I must test the true power of this mist!*

Mid-flight, Jennifer suddenly transformed into her dragon form, her massive wings flapping, but the mist remained firmly shrouded over the ship, unmoving. She extended herself, relying on the Dragon Clan's unique reinforced hide, to probe forward...

*Damn it! This isn't mist at all! Within that ethereal black shroud, floating not as tiny condensed Water Element droplets, but as needle-tip-sized black iron filings! And within these iron filings, there was a humid sensation that assailed her—a metal-elemental peak master, already beginning to fuse with a second element: water!*

*This was a realm even more profound than her own father's! Before the Godslayer War, it was called Ninth-rank peak; today, after the Godslayer War, this was the Divine Realm of a Tenth-Tier Titled Battle God!*

Jennifer's thoughts ended there!

Beneath the azure sky and vast ocean, beside the golden ship enveloped in black mist, a massive dragon attempted to ram the vessel. But as the black mist pulsed slightly, the dragon let out a mournful howl, its wings contorting, and it plunged "plop" into the seawater! It appeared that even if it wasn't dead, it had completely lost consciousness!

"Sister!" Betty and Linda, who were mid-charge, were stunned!

Du Chen's calm voice emanated from within the black-misted golden ship, "For His Majesty the Dragon God's sake, I shall spare her life! Convey to His Majesty the Dragon God that I, Francis, White-Robed Archbishop of the Papal Curia, will call upon His Majesty on a chosen day!"

After speaking, Du Chen gave Deboning an approving glance, then lowered his head in contemplation.

*Once this message is delivered, the Dragon God will understand that Francis has a The Master by his side who is no less formidable than a Sacred Dragon. Furthermore, his declaration as a White-Robed Archbishop implies that the Pontiff is also his backer. Therefore, anyone wishing to move against him would do well to consider the implications...*

*And Mas will relay everything that just transpired to the Pontiff. Thus, the Pontiff will learn that I, Francis, possess a The Master of Roland's caliber, and my relationship with the Dragon Clan is far from amicable. We share common enemies and can cooperate! Moreover, my claim as a White-Robed Archbishop indicates my superficial willingness to accept your rule, to be obedient, and to be of value...*

*These three sisters, they truly came at the perfect time!*

Du Chen smiled, then turned back to Mas and asked, "When will His Holiness the Pontiff grant me an audience?" *Heh heh, being merely 'of value' isn't enough, Pontiff. We need to have a deeper discussion!*