Chapter 568: Shadows Over Daybreak

On the far edge of the tarmac, a camera crew set up, the microphone held carefully by a young female reporter. The lens zoomed in, capturing the prestigious figures assembled like chess pieces waiting for a king to move.

"Good morning, this is Vivian Venn with Union News Live, reporting directly from the Daybreak Airfield. Behind me stands what might be the most extraordinary gathering of power our generation has ever seen: five Guildmasters, the Union Enforcement Commander, and the acting Branch Director of Magecity VI, all awaiting the arrival of a single man."

The camera panned slowly across the line of Guildmasters. Garruk’s muscles tensed despite his arms being folded, his gaze fixed on the horizon as if expecting a fight to break out mid-air.

Seraya adjusted her gloves, scanning the security perimeter with a sharp gaze. Varrow’s expression was blank; it was hard to tell what was on his mind beneath that poker face. The corners of his mouth twitched faintly, showing a trace of amusement at the sight of all this. Marrec lounged slightly, but his eyes tracked every movement. He was clearly alert despite his casual posture.

The camera pivoted again to show the banners of the guilds flickering in the wind, then returned to Vivian.

"Guildmaster Yuuto of the White Comets, the man many call the ’Silver Star,’ is expected to arrive any moment. Though technically a Guildmaster himself, Yuuto’s strength is said to rival even that of the late Union President, Galisk. With his passing, many hope Yuuto will assume leadership and guide the Union through this crisis after the fall of Megacity I."

Her expression hardened slightly, her voice lowering with gravity.

"But others question his silence during that event. Why did he not intervene when the so-called Dragon Lord conquered one of our cities? Was it restraint or complicity?"

The camera cut to a male reporter standing beside a hovering news van emblazoned with CIVISNET 24. His tone was sharper, almost confrontational.

"Complicity, Vivian. Let’s not dress it in polite words. Everyone knows Yuuto was present in Megacity I during the takeover. The Union sent no counterstrike, no reinforcements. He watched it happen."

Vivian frowned, turning toward him as the camera split their feeds.

"You can’t be serious, Merek. You think Yuuto wanted the city to fall?"

Merek stepped closer, his face grim under the sunlight.

"I think he let it happen. He’s not a man who acts without reason. Maybe he saw something in that Dragon Lord, something he couldn’t destroy. Or worse, something he chose to protect."

Vivian shook her head. "That’s speculation. Yuuto has always acted in the Union’s interest. His record speaks for itself. If he didn’t fight, it must have been for a reason."

Merek’s laugh was short and bitter. "Reason? Tell that to the millions still trapped inside Megacity I. Tell that to the guild members with families that never made it out. He’s no savior, Vivian. He’s a man who weighs the scales of life and death like currency. And maybe, just maybe, the Dragon Lord tipped them in his favor."

"You talk as if you know him," she said. "You weren’t there. You don’t know what he faced."

"He might have been preventing something worse!" Vivian snapped, stepping closer. "You think you can measure the choices of a man like him from a broadcast feed? You think power like that comes without cost? If he fought, the entire city might have fallen into ruin."

Merek’s tone turned cold. "And if he didn’t, then maybe he wanted it that way."

A brief silence fell between them, the tension humming through the crowd like static before a storm.

Vivian’s glare faltered. She lowered her mic, exhaling sharply, trying to gather her thoughts, but then she froze.

Her eyes went wide.

"Merek..." she whispered. "Look up."

The camera drone tilted upward automatically, focusing on the skyline beyond the runway.

At first, it seemed like clouds were forming, vast dark shapes against the pale morning light. But then the light shifted, revealing scales that glimmered faintly like molten bronze.

One shape. Then another. Then dozens.

Massive, winged creatures broke through the clouds, their bodies blotting out the sun in waves.

The air trembled as their roars rolled across the horizon.

The sound cracked a portion of the forcefield that encased the city.

Guild banners snapped violently in the gust that followed, and shouts broke out among the onlookers.

Enforcers raised their weapons instinctively. The Guildmasters turned to face it: Renard’s eyes narrowing, Seraya drawing a sharp breath, Garruk’s hand already flexing.

Vivian’s voice shook as she forced herself to keep speaking, the camera still rolling.

"T-this... this is not part of the arrival protocol... those... those aren’t aircraft!"

Merek looked up, face pale, as the shadow of one of the beasts swept over them.

"Oh gods... those are... dragons..."

A blinding flash erupted when the city’s barrier clashed with claws. The shimmering dome that had guarded the city for centuries shuddered, fractured, and then shattered in a deafening boom.

The shockwave tore across the runway, sending camera drones spiraling and knocking reporters to their knees.

And then the dragons descended.

The sky turned black as the colossal beasts crashed through the clouds. Their wings blotted out the sun. One landed on the far edge of the tarmac, its claws gouging deep trenches into the reinforced steel. Another swooped low, its roar shaking the control tower until windows burst outward like shards of ice.

The Guildmasters braced themselves as the dragons released their mana, flaring like stars in the storm.

Guildmaster Garruk was the first to move. His gauntlet flared with crimson light as he slammed his palm into the ground, summoning earthen pillars that rose to shield the civilians.

Even so, the pressure was unbearable.

"Defensive formation!" he barked. "Get the civilians out!"

A voice suddenly spoke up.

"Come now," it said, steady and clear. "There’s no need to rush off so quickly."

Everything froze. The dragons stopped moving, their wings half-spread as if time itself had paused. The air felt thick, charged with pressure.

Dust and smoke twisted in slow spirals, clearing just enough to reveal a tall, silver-haired figure walking through the haze. Each step echoed against the metal tarmac.