A golden-haired girl wielded her sword in an intense battle against the monstrous Bck Dragon, Maleficent.

  Maleficent had defeated Aurora once before. As the fight began, she remained confident in her inevitable victory.

  But once the battle truly commenced, she realized—defeating this little princess of Rose Kingdom was far harder than she had imagined!

  "What’s going on?! Aurora has gotten stronger!"

  The girl’s movements were quicker and more refined. Her sword strikes were sharper, her attacks fiercer!

  Maleficent attempted her old tricks. Like in their battle at sea, she opened her massive jaws and cast a vicious curse at Aurora.

  But this time, the curse’s effectiveness was greatly diminished. It only slightly hindered the princess’s movements and failed to bring her down.

  It was as if some unseen force was shielding Aurora’s soul, protecting her from the corruption of the curse!

  Maleficent fpped her massive wings and soared into the sky.

  She wanted to dominate the battle from the air!

  However—

  The shoes on Aurora’s feet sprouted wings.

  She lifted off the ground and shot toward Maleficent like a comet.

  Her sword struck true, piercing through Maleficent’s obsidian scales. The monstrous dragon roared in agony as foul-smelling green blood spttered across the nd.

  "Aaargh!!"

  Pain seared through Maleficent’s chest.

  She couldn’t understand—how had this little princess of Rose Kingdom become so formidable in just a few weeks?!

  What Maleficent didn’t know was that Aurora’s growth had come from two sources:

  First, she had an exceptional ability to learn. After surviving their first encounter, she memorized every strategy for battling the Bck Dragon, refining her skills to perfection.

  Second, she was now carrying the blessings of twelve witches once more.

  Aurora struck again and again, tireless and relentless. Her emerald-green eyes gleamed with an unshakable resolve.

  She knew—this was the peak of her existence, in both power and spirit.

  She had never been this strong. Never been this determined. Never been this invincible.

  And she knew—she was not fighting alone.

  "What’s wrong, Maleficent? Are you afraid?

  "A mighty witch like you, who destroys kingdoms on a whim, is trembling before a little princess?"

  Aurora’s voice was firm, her strikes swift as the wind. Meanwhile, Maleficent—the mighty Bck Dragon—was forced to retreat.

  Her colossal form meant she wouldn’t fall immediately, but with every wound accumuting, her downfall was only a matter of time.

  "No! This can’t be happening!"

  "Am I… going to lose?"

  "Impossible!"

  "I have destroyed dozens—no, hundreds—of kingdoms! I have crushed armies! Sughtered countless warriors and sorcerers!"

  "And now… I’m about to be defeated by a teenage girl?!"

  "A girl I cursed?!"

  Maleficent couldn’t accept this reality.

  Her moment of hesitation cost her—another strike from Aurora’s sword plunged deep into her body.

  "Maleficent, you’re retreating! You’re trembling!

  "Why, oh why, would the great Bck Witch—who wipes out nations for fun—be afraid of a mere princess?"

  "Wasn’t this duel your idea?"

  Aurora ughed wildly.

  Her beautiful face carried a madness that rivaled Maleficent’s own.

  "Thank you, Maleficent!

  "Thank you for giving me this one-on-one battle!

  "Now I finally get to end this with my own hands!"

  With that, Aurora leaped high into the sky, channeling all her strength into a single, devastating strike.

  This was the strongest attack of her life.

  The cold light of her bde fshed.

  A geyser of putrid green dragon blood erupted, drenching Aurora from head to toe and staining the fields of Oz.

  Maleficent’s massive body crashed to the ground, kicking up a storm of dust.

  Silence.

  "Is it over?"

  Aurora didn’t lower her sword. She narrowed her eyes, staring at the fallen Bck Dragon.

  "You… cough… don’t think you can kill me that easily."

  Maleficent wheezed, her breathing ragged.

  "Still resisting?"

  Aurora raised her sword again.

  Maleficent realized the danger and quickly muttered an incantation. Her body dissolved into bck smoke and shot into the distance.

  "You won’t escape!"

  Aurora bolted after her, moving with lightning speed.

  Maleficent growled in frustration.

  "Damn it… I didn’t want to use my final trick.

  "I didn’t think I’d even need it."

  She had one st card to py!

  The bck smoke twisted and turned, darting behind a distant mountain. There, standing alone in the barren pins, was a small wooden cottage.

  Maleficent’s smoky form slipped through its open window.

  Aurora frowned.

  A wooden cottage?

  How had this pce survived in the cursed nds of Oz?

  She strode to the front door and kicked it open.

  Inside, the room was pitch dark.

  She called out:

  "Maleficent! Come out!"

  Silence.

  Nothing moved in the gloom.

  Aurora hesitated.

  Something felt… off.

  She reached into her pocket and grasped a small, cold object.

  A sense of calm washed over her.

  It was a protective charm—prepared for her by Rhine.

  She exhaled slowly. She would be fine.

  After a brief pause, Aurora stepped into the darkness.

  The silence inside was suffocating.

  She walked forward cautiously.

  Each step she took caused the old wooden floor to creak.

  The air was still.

  Even the faintest rustle of the wind was eerily absent.

  Inside the Cottage

  Aurora took a few more cautious steps forward. In the darkness ahead, something stirred, producing a rhythmic, crisp-clicking sound.

  "Maleficent? Is that you?"

  Her right hand gripped her sword tightly. With her left index finger, she softly chanted a spell. A bright glow flickered to life at her fingertip, illuminating the dim room.

  At st, she could see the source of the sound.

  It was a… loom?

  A weaving loom, operating entirely on its own, spinning thread into fabric without a weaver in sight!

  "What…?"

  Aurora’s emerald eyes widened. Her breath hitched, her heart pounding violently.

  The moment the glow fully revealed the loom’s outline, something shot out from it—fast as lightning—aiming straight at her!

  Aurora was caught off guard—or perhaps, as if fate itself had willed it, she simply failed to evade.

  A sharp pain pricked her outstretched finger.

  A drop of crimson blood welled up from her fingertip and spttered onto the floor.

  The blessings that had once made her invulnerable did not activate.

  Thud.

  The object that had struck her tumbled to the ground.

  Aurora lowered her gaze.

  Her finger was only slightly wounded, barely bleeding. But when she looked down at the fallen object, her blood ran cold.

  It was a spindle.

  A chill spread down her spine.

  A familiar, icy voice spoke from the shadows behind her, sending a shiver through her body.

  "I enchanted the loom. The moment you got too close, the spindle would ensure your doom."

  "This is your fated curse, Aurora. Even destiny itself conspires to fulfill it!"

  Maleficent’s voice was sharp, cruel, and triumphant.

  Then, she ughed.

  A beautiful yet utterly deranged ugh.

  It echoed through the small, dark cottage, intertwining with the eerie prophecy that had been cast over a decade ago:

  "Oh, King…"I curse your daughter and this nd!"Your beloved child will perish, the moment she is pricked by a spindle!"

  Meanwhile, in Amaid Kingdom—A Ruined Castle

  Rhine, still disguised as the Middle Eastern Witch’s bck sve lover, continued telling his fabricated “dream”:

  "In my dream, I saw the Land of Oz—lush and green, a beautiful sight.

  "I walked into a dazzling city, its streets paved with emeralds. The people wore green robes and smiled brightly. Everything was peaceful and harmonious.

  "But suddenly, the scenery changed.

  "The city and the people vanished. In their pce was a vast ke, teeming with countless fish.

  "Those fish… they all stared at me, their eyes filled with sorrow. It was terrifying like they wanted to speak to me. Their gazes sent shivers down my spine."

  Rhine feigned a terrified shudder, hugging himself as if gripped by fear.

  "Tell me, what does this mean? I can still feel their haunting eyes as if they were trying to curse me in my sleep!"

  The Middle Eastern Witch chuckled, waving a dismissive hand.

  "Oh, my dearest master, you need not worry. The nd you dreamt of was transformed by my magic.

  "The Land of Oz is far, far away—it has nothing to do with us."

  Rhine furrowed his brows in mock confusion.

  "So… you’re the one responsible for this?"

  Then, his expression twisted into a furious gre.

  "You fool! If that country has nothing to do with us, why did you curse them? Now their damned fish are haunting my dreams!"

  The Middle Eastern Witch paled, dropping to her knees. Tears welled up in her eyes as she pleaded:

  "Master, please! You misunderstand!

  "I told you before—I have several sisters, fellow witches, who practice magic across the nds. We use enchanted mirrors to communicate across great distances.

  "One of my sisters begged me to cast the spell. She linked to me through the mirror and asked me to send the curse to the Land of Oz.

  "She is even more powerful than I am! But as for why she wanted Oz cursed… I do not know."

  Rhine’s voice thundered with anger.

  "You idiot! That ‘sister’ of yours—was her name Maleficent, by any chance? Could she turn into a bck dragon?"

  The Middle Eastern Witch gasped.

  "Master! How do you know that name? Did you see her in your dream?!"

  Rhine kicked her hard, sending her sprawling onto the ground.

  "You fool, you utter fool!

  "That bck witch Maleficent isn’t your friend! She tricked you!"

  The Middle Eastern Witch trembled, torn between disbelief and growing dread.

  "Master… why would you say that?"

  Rhine pretended to recall his “dream,” his voice grim.

  "I saw the bck dragon transform into a woman.

  "She held two children hostage and sneered 'T h e curse upon Oz? That was cast by a foolish witch I tricked. Only she can lift it.'

  "Then, she pulled out a single strand of hair and sneered,' If you don’t obey me, I’ll use this curse to kill that idiot witch. If she dies, the people of Oz will remain fish forever!'

  "When I saw this in my dream, I thought, 'What a treacherous, deceitful woman. Asking for help, only to threaten the very one who aided her!'

  "And then I thought…'That foolish witch—how utterly pathetic. She doomed herself for someone who never cared for her life.'"

  The Middle Eastern Witch recoiled in horror.

  "My hair?

  "My hair… fell into Maleficent’s hands?"

  Her face turned ghostly pale.

  "That bck witch is a master of deadly curses. With even a single strand, she could kill me instantly!"

  She suddenly clutched her head, realization dawning.

  "She was here in Amaid before… She must have stolen my hair while she was in my pace!"

  Back in the Cottage

  A deep chill crept through Aurora’s soul.

  Her life force was draining rapidly.

  Her mind grew sluggish.

  Maleficent’s figure blurred in her vision, the room dimming around her.

  Death was near.

  Cng.

  Aurora’s sword slipped from her weakening grip, cttering against the wooden floor.

  Maleficent burst into ughter, eyes gleaming with twisted delight.

  "Hah! I couldn’t defeat you in battle—but in the end, you still had this fatal weakness!"

  She stepped closer, her expression smug and wickedly beautiful.

  "You will die, won’t you? After all, your dear magician Rhine never used his blessings to weaken my curse. That means… your death is inevitable, isn’t it?"

  Maleficent smirked.

  "What a shame. If he had blessed you properly, perhaps he could have changed death into mere sleep. Then at least, you wouldn’t be doomed."

  Her smile was breathtaking yet sinister.

  "But oh, how foolish you were!

  "You could have lived a short yet peaceful life in your pace, enjoying your youth in comfort.

  "And perhaps, in the end, my curse might not have even cimed your life.

  "But no… instead, you threw it all away—just to die pitifully before me."

  Aurora colpsed.

  Her body struck the floor with a soft thud.

  But still—she stubbornly lifted her head.

  Her sharp, unwavering gaze bore into Maleficent.

  The bck witch’s expression shifted as Aurora, despite her paling complexion, smiled.

  "Why are you smiling?" Maleficent’s eyes narrowed.

  Aurora’s lips curled faintly.

  "Because this time, I never expected my teacher to save me."

  Her voice was wea, but resolute.

  "Because this time… I want to kill you with my own hands."

  Maleficent’s heart skipped a beat.

  Instinct screamed at her—danger.

  Though she didn’t understand why a dying Aurora spoke with such certainty, she felt it.

  Maleficent’s arms spread wide. Her body expanded, twisting as she began to morph back into a bck dragon—

  To end Aurora once and for all.