Chapter 450 The Church's Condemnation, the Second War of Nations
Beneath the vast, boundless wilderness and sky.
A giant dragon covered in amethyst-like scales is weaving and circling among the flowing clouds.
As the effect of the Ring of Despair that isolated the space dissipated, and the parallel space reconnected with the material world, Yseramas immediately sensed the moment the towering figure of the Red Iron Dragon solidified and appeared.
He quickly retracted his dragon wings and landed opposite the red iron dragon with a whistling sound.
Yseramas focused intently on Garros, sensing his almost unharmed state and surging vitality, and was slightly surprised.
Yseramas witnessed the battle between Garros and Aria the Fortunebringer at its inception.
Subsequently, when the Ring of Despair was activated and the Domain of Deathmatch unfolded, completely isolating and shielding the space, his senses were forcibly blocked. He could only vaguely perceive that an independent parallel space was generated and existed there. Then, following the subtle fluctuations in the space, he came to the vicinity of the landing point and waited patiently.
Seeing the Red Iron Dragon's current state, Yseramas's mind raced.
The most reasonable explanation he could think of seemed to be only one.
The amethyst dragon tilted its head slightly and asked, "Could it be... that Lady Lucky, seeing the situation was unfavorable, chose to flee without a fight?"
Upon hearing this, Garus's massive dragon head swayed slightly.
He said, "No, she didn't run away; she's a thing of the past."
"Our old grudges are now settled and wiped clean."
The amethyst dragon immediately caught the subtext in his words, and was filled with surprise.
He knew about the lucky charm's situation.
Despite being human, her life level is even higher than his own, not to mention that she is a favored one of the gods with special talents.
Yseramas previously thought that the Red Iron Dragon could win, but it would have to pay a heavy price.
"This battle will be anything but easy. His nonchalant demeanor suggests he possesses some extremely powerful characteristics or ultimate techniques."
Yseramas pondered to himself.
He reassessed the background of this Red Iron Dragon Emperor.
Just then, extremely subtle ripples appeared in the air beside them.
The red iron dragon immediately became wary, instantly turning its neck, covered in black and red dragon scales, towards the source of the ripples.
Under his gaze, a nearly transparent, blurry phantom slowly emerged from nothingness.
The illusory figure appeared and disappeared intermittently, its appearance and disappearance uncertain.
It can only be roughly discerned as the outline of a human.
"Huh? Is this... an undead? Or a ghost? It doesn't seem like either... a rather peculiar life form."
The amethyst dragon Yseramas also noticed the phantom.
Unlike the Amethyst Dragon's confusion and curiosity, Garos's lips slowly curled up, revealing a satisfied smile.
He said, "This is a heroic spirit. I originally thought he had died completely in the previous battle, but I didn't expect that he still had some life left and had not completely dissipated."
This phantom was none other than the legendary spirit who had fought fiercely against him earlier.
With Valhalla present, he can gradually recover as long as he hasn't completely dissipated.
"Immortal heroic spirits? Such beings seem to exist only in the 'Heroic Realm' plane."
"According to the tradition, they engage in endless battles and trials in the Heroic Realm. As long as the Heroic Realm itself does not collapse and perish, the heroic spirits residing within it will never face true death."
Iseramas carefully examined the illusory spirit and recounted all the relevant information he knew.
"No, what you're describing is a different situation."
“He did not originate from the realm of heroes, but was a heroic spirit belonging to the Hall of Heroes.”
Galos made a brief correction before turning his gaze back to the phantom of the Heroic Spirit.
"What's your name?"
He asked.
The light surrounding the heroic spirit flickered slightly.
He was somewhat surprised by Red Iron Dragon's calm, even peaceful, reaction, which was completely different from the cruel mockery or the arrogant attitude of the victor he had expected.
This doesn't seem like the attitude one would use towards an enemy.
After a brief silence, a weak voice came from the phantom.
“Mien Nelson”.
He answered truthfully.
Garus continued, "How did you become a Heroic Spirit?"
Mien's spirit shimmered with light as he calmly replied, "I fought for the Kingdom of Sak my whole life, and finally died from exhaustion in the war against the Kingdom of Lortheron."
"After my death, my soul was neither destroyed nor flowed to an outer plane, but was lost in the material world."
"During my aimless wandering, I met Aria by chance and subsequently became a Heroic Spirit."
The essence of the soul is far less fragile and vulnerable than ordinary living beings imagine.
On the contrary, the soul is an extremely resilient entity, especially for those beings who have stepped into the realm of legend.
It is extremely difficult to completely annihilate the soul of a legendary being and reduce it to nothingness.
Normally, when a creature's physical body dies completely, its soul is captured by the natural attraction of different outer planes, or directly received and accepted by the divine kingdom of the deity it worships, depending on complex factors such as its alignment, racial characteristics, and faith affiliation during its lifetime.
Afterward, these souls will have all their past life memories and personalities washed away, and will be transformed into a completely new life form unique to that plane or divine realm.
However, in this process, the more powerful the soul, the more likely it is to remain in the material world.
Perhaps it stems from the soul's strong obsession and unwillingness, or perhaps it possesses certain special means or treasures that can resist the attraction of different planes.
However, remaining in the material world is not without its costs.
These lingering souls will either gradually weaken and eventually dissipate under the erosion of time, or they will choose to transform into special life forms such as the dead or heroic spirits.
"Alia is dead, Valhalla now belongs to me."
Galos declared to the Heroic Spirits, "You may choose to fight for me, or simply vanish."
The spirit remained silent for a moment, and the light around it flickered.
After a few seconds, he slowly spoke: "Before I make my choice, may I make a condition... or rather, a humble request? Please listen."
Galos did not refuse.
He nodded slightly and said, "Speak."
The spirit's voice lowered slightly as he whispered, "I was born into a humble and poor family. It was the kingdom that nurtured and gave me opportunities, which allowed me to gain dignity, strength, and the honor of being a warrior."
"That is why I made a vow of watchfulness before the sacred emblem, vowing to protect the kingdom I serve and my compatriots who need protection behind me."
"I swear to fight for this for the rest of my life, until my last drop of blood is shed, until the very last moment."
“I have always been proud of this, and I have never had any regrets.”
His voice paused slightly here, and a trace of sorrow appeared on his face, which was shaped by light.
"However... in my dying moments, as my consciousness faded, what flashed through my mind was not the glory of the battlefield, nor the praise of the king... but my wife's increasingly rough hands, and the longing look in my child's eyes as he gazed at the beautiful robes."
The spirit raised its head and let out a long sigh: "Throughout my life, I have adhered to a life of poverty and always set an example."
"I have distributed all my rewards and wealth to the soldiers and civilians who are in greater need, in order to fulfill my oath and demonstrate my resolve."
"My family, because of my nobility, scrimped and saved, silently supported me, and endured a life of hardship."
"For a long time, I firmly believed that this was the price that had to be paid to fulfill the oath of watchmanship, and a sacrifice that was only right and proper."
"But it wasn't until the very moment my life came to an end that I suddenly realized it."
“I may have become a qualified paladin, a warrior loyal to the kingdom, but I have failed those who valued me most in my life and who needed me to protect me the most… my wife, my children, and my deceased parents.”
At this point, the spirit's voice trembled slightly.
"I am willing to fight for you and continue my duty of watching over you, but my only request is... could you provide some compensation and protection for my family in an appropriate way?"
"There is no need to make them rich and powerful, I only wish that they can live a carefree life and have a peaceful and joyful life."
After hearing the heroic spirit's account, Garus understood why the legendary paladin's soul lingered in the material world.
That guilt towards his family formed a powerful obsession that anchored his soul.
Red Iron Dragon slowly spoke, "As long as you are willing to pledge your loyalty to me and fight for me, your loyalty will be rewarded accordingly."
“Your family will be under my protection, and they will enjoy a peaceful and prosperous life, far from poverty and hardship.”
It is not difficult to judge from the words of the heroic spirit that he was not born into nobility and did not accumulate any substantial wealth during his lifetime.
After his pillar of support fell, such a family no longer had any value for outsiders to covet. It was not difficult for Garos to bring his family to settle in the Kingdom of Aura.
The light around the heroic spirit rippled slightly. He knelt on one knee and bowed to the red iron dragon.
“My lord, from this moment on, Mien Nelson will be your strongest shield and your sharpest blade, your protective armor and your claws that tear apart your enemies.”
"I will fight for you until my body is burned out again."
Galus accepted the pledge of allegiance, nodding slightly with his dragon head.
Then, as if remembering something, he asked, "During your time of loyalty to Alia, she didn't grant you this request?"
The spirit Mien replied, "She verbally agreed."
"However, she said that as a bishop of the Goddess of Fortune's sect, she had many affairs and heavy responsibilities, and she would only take care of my family and give them her lucky blessings when she had free time."
After hearing this, Galos said no more.
He took out the miniature and exquisite Valhalla.
The heroic spirit that the paladin had transformed into understood, and turned into a pure stream of light, entering Valhalla and returning to his resting place.
Yseramas witnessed the entire event from the side.
He chuckled and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, on the addition of another legend to your ranks."
Red Iron Dragon smiled slightly and replied, "The gains this time are far more than just one legendary hero."
Under the curious gaze of the amethyst dragon, he stopped there, revealing no further details, and then spread his wings and returned to the High Mountain Royal Court.
Upon returning to the royal court, Garos did not delay and immediately issued orders:
"Sorog, the Good Fortune Messenger is dead. Keep a close eye on the movements of the Cult of Fortune."
"Contact the Gem Merchant Guild and send people to the Kingdom of Sak to safely bring the family of the legendary paladin Mien Nelson to the Kingdom of Aura."
After efficiently explaining these two matters, he ordered the black dragon to retrieve the casket containing Charles's soul.
Afterwards, he ordered his other servants to bring him large quantities of food, black oil, and various gemstones and other supplies.
He needed to eat heartily to quickly replenish the energy he had consumed in the battle, especially to refill the dull dragon jade.
At this moment, the Dragon Jade's energy is exhausted, and it cannot be revived.
Having only one life made Galos somewhat uneasy.
Moreover, he was cursed by the messenger of good fortune.
In the long run, this curse will become a blessing through his adaptive evolution, potentially greatly enhancing his luck attribute. However, in the near future, he is destined to encounter many misfortunes, and the probability of facing danger will increase significantly.
However, Galos was not overly anxious about this.
The Good Fortune herself had already died under his claws, and no matter how strong her curse was, it could not surpass the limits she had in life.
This curse may bring him some minor troubles and annoyances, but as long as he is more cautious and vigilant in the coming period, he can cope with it without panicking.
Galus didn't rest during the intervals between eating and replenishing his energy.
He took out all the legendary items he had captured in the battle, laid them out in front of him, and began to carefully sort out and examine his gains.
The End of the Spellthief, Shadow Boots, Wings of Protection, Immovable Armor, Valhalla, and Ring of Despair.
All six legendary items were quietly displayed in front of him.
The first four items are all equipment items that can be directly equipped to enhance real-time combat power.
The last two items are rare items with special effects.
Unfortunately, those four legendary pieces of equipment were designed and crafted for human or humanoid beings, and were completely unsuitable for and unusable by Garros, a colossal dragon in his true form.
In his dragon form, he can only use two artifacts: Valhalla and the Ring of Despair.
As for the other four legendary items that are not needed for the time being, Garros also has a plan in mind.
He plans to use his own channels to trade with other human kingdoms or metal dragon domains, trying to acquire legendary items that he currently needs or that are more suitable for dragons. If he cannot find suitable trading partners for the time being, he will first keep them safe as the foundation and strategic reserves of the Kingdom of Aura.
"etc……"
A thought suddenly flashed through Garus's mind: "Can Heroic Spirits use these equipment?"
With that in mind, he summoned the paladin spirit he had just subdued again to test the feasibility of this idea.
Subsequent test results proved...it works!
Heroic spirits can wear and use these legendary equipment!
This discovery reminded Galos of their previous battles.
If the lucky Aria had been able to assign the legendary equipment to the hero Milne, Milne's combat power would have been significantly enhanced, and her own path to victory would have been much more difficult.
In terms of combat experience and skill alone, Mien, this battle-hardened paladin, far surpasses the Lucky One.
As for why Aria didn't do that, Galos had no idea.
Perhaps she didn't realize that Heroic Spirits could wear equipment, or perhaps she had some concerns or selfish motives, and simply didn't want to give the precious legendary equipment to the Heroic Spirits to use.
"With the spirits of heroes around, even if there are one or two legendary items left that can't be traded, they won't just sit there gathering dust."
Galos thought with satisfaction.
At the same time, he reviewed his recent battles and found that he had relied too much on his special abilities and gradually neglected to further develop several other approaches.
"Characteristics are like the foundation of a legendary life form, a kind of template, or a passive effect."
"Based on the characteristics, the path skills can also play a stronger role. I cannot become immersed in the power of the characteristics just because I have only recently become a legend and ignore the combat path."
Galos carefully considered the matter, looking for any omissions or gaps.
He was never perfect; his personality, which was capable of being completely thorough and comprehensive, would occasionally lead to oversights or mistakes.
However, Galus's strength lies in his ability to constantly examine himself, face his inner self and mistakes, and change and seek growth through repeated shortcomings, rather than being stubborn and going down a dead end.
Time slipped away quietly, second by second, as Galus ate, rested, tested, and pondered.
His body's energy was gradually replenished, and the Dragon Jade became full and bright again, regaining its former luster.
After a series of detailed tests and examinations, Garros gradually gained a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the specific effects, usage limitations, and potential applications of several legendary items.
Meanwhile, the outside world is not calm.
The higher-ups of the Cult of Fortune confirmed Bishop Alia's death through some unknown means.
What enraged them most was that she had perished within the territory of the Kingdom of Aura, and the special methods or divine revelations possessed by the sect led them to believe that the murderer was none other than the Red Iron Dragon Emperor.
The Church of Fortune was not about to tolerate the murder of a highly respected bishop.
then……
They issued a stern condemnation of the Kingdom of Aura and the Red Iron Dragon Emperor!
They declared the Kingdom of Aura an evil realm and solemnly proclaimed that luck would no longer favor the Kingdom of Aura and its allies, and anyone who was close to the Kingdom of Aura would be rejected by luck.
However, aside from these strongly worded condemnations and statements, they have not taken any substantive action.
Following this incident, the relations between the Lorthen faction and the Kingdom of Aura, which were originally in the same camp and had close ties with the Kingdom of Aura, remained unaffected and continued as usual.
Even the kingdoms in the Reipos camp, including the Kingdom of Theo, whose friction with the Kingdom of Aura was gradually escalating.
They all remained silent on the incident and made no further comment.
In the eyes of the other nations, the reaction of the Goddess of Fortune's sect seemed like a mere breeze, utterly ineffective in influencing their decisions.
They have more important things to do right now.
For example, amidst the increasingly tense situation, we should prepare for a second interstate war.
(End of this chapter)
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