Chapter 473 Power is the reason I am king (Super long chapter climax)
The night was illuminated by the boundless, burning flames.
Outside the Dragon-Slaying Pass, the formation of the Aura Legion surged like a black tide, pressing towards the pass walls; inside the walls, the Red Emperor, shrouded in thick smoke and flames, unleashed a suffocating dragon's might, the pressure almost tangible, enveloping every inch of the ruins.
The morale of Theo's defenders plummeted to its lowest point at this moment.
However, the supreme commander here had no intention of admitting defeat.
Rodrigo clenched his fists so tightly that his nails almost dug into his palms. His gaze passed over the billowing smoke and dust and landed on the burly figure kneeling on the ground. His eyes were filled with intertwined blood vessels.
"Uncle, we still have a slim chance, this is our last chance!"
Instead of calling him "General Whiteyatt" as usual, he used a title that symbolized blood ties and kinship.
Upon hearing this, the legend known as the Unyielding Shield slowly raised his head.
The flickering firelight clearly illuminated every wound on his face. From his forehead to his jaw, his skin was cracked with countless fissures, some so deep that the bone was visible. Blood was constantly seeping from those cracks, staining his face a scarlet red.
The devastation suffered at Norton Pass was also reflected in Whiteant, who had sworn an oath to watch over it.
The two main peaks cracked, the pass was pierced, the walls of Duanlong Pass collapsed... all these physical damages were reflected in every part of his body as wounds.
But this legend, who swore an oath to protect, seemed completely unconcerned about his injuries.
"Yes, little Rod, I know."
A smile spread across Whiteyat's face: "Not a single man in my Cronn family is a coward. Today, let this land and these mountains bear witness to me."
He did not stand up, but remained kneeling on the ground, his arms hanging heavily at his sides, his fists pressed heavily against the broken ground that was already soaked in blood.
"My bones are stone, my blood is iron."
"Where I swear my oath, ten thousand fortresses will not crumble; where I am buried, ten thousand enemies will retreat."
His words, solemn like an ancient prayer, began slowly and gradually grew loud and clear, echoing endlessly across the battlefield, a battlefield strewn with flames and ruins.
It was no longer just blood gushing from the gaps in his armor, but also streams of scorching heat like molten gold, within which countless runes belonging to the Holy Oath of Guardianship were rising and falling, flickering.
The life force flows, and the sacred oath of guardianship is upheld.
The two legendary powers from different paths merged completely at this moment, becoming indistinguishable from one another.
The dazzling stream of light started from his fists and quickly seeped into every crack in the earth, climbed over the crumbling walls and ruins, and wrapped around the two broken mountain peaks, as if the bones of the entire Emerald Mountain Range were being reforged and reconnected.
The Red Emperor on the other end immediately noticed this unusual commotion.
The dragon's hind legs bent slightly, and the air around it almost froze, clearly indicating that it was about to pounce on Whiteyat, who was casting a spell, at any moment.
Just then, the ground on the right side of the Red Emperor's body suddenly rose up, and a short, stocky figure burst out of the ground, wielding a double-edged heavy axe almost as tall as herself, and leaped up from below, the axe blade slashing straight at the side of the Red Iron Dragon's knee.
Galos almost instinctively raised his claws to kick.
clang--!
A piercing metallic clang rang out, sparks flying everywhere.
The dragon's ankle scales, harder than steel, were cleaved open by this axe, leaving a deep wound that revealed the bones beneath.
The short figure flew back even faster, eventually embedding itself heavily in the broken wall opposite, leaving a large, indented dent.
But the next second, she broke free from the bricks and fell back to the ground, wobbling.
"That's powerful... but what I like to chop the hardest things is the hard ones."
The female dwarf spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, and her gaze toward the Red Emperor showed not fear, but rather a burning fighting spirit, even with a kind of hunting excitement.
On the other side, the strategist, who had been calmly observing the changes in the battle, raised his staff.
"The Spear of Healing".
He whispered a short incantation, and without lengthy chanting or complicated gestures, the natural elements in the surrounding air quickly gathered and transformed into a spear emitting a soft green light, which accurately pierced the female dwarf's body, rapidly repairing the impact damage she had just suffered.
After this brief delay, the oath of the Unyielding Shield has reached its final stage.
"Today, I use the life force of my life as a lock, and the oath of guardianship as a cage."
"With this body and this blood, we will forge an indomitable wall once more!"
Beneath his skin emerged natural, rock-like patterns, and his eyes transformed into two burning amber pieces, as if subterranean fire flowed within them.
On the already crumbling indomitable barrier, a large amount of residual light flowed back into his body, and then, with an even more powerful and magnificent momentum, it fed back into the entire majestic pass.
The cracked walls rapidly healed with a low rumble, and the collapsed ramparts rebuilt themselves from the dust and rubble.
The two main peaks that form the foundation of the pass exude an indescribable sense of grandeur, like sleeping giants slowly awakening.
"Norton will never fall, for I will become Norton himself!"
As the last vow was uttered, Whiteyat straightened up again.
The terrifying lacerations all over his body had disappeared, and his aura had risen to an unprecedented peak. The life force that was as solid as a substance and the radiance of the Holy Oath of Guardianship swirled and flowed around him, as if he were wearing a layer of armor forged from radiance.
However, on the back of his hand that had been tightly gripping the soil, there was a glaring gray-white stain.
This grayish-white color was spreading upwards along the arm at a slow but unstoppable pace.
When this grayish-white color completely covers his entire body, it means that he has burned out all his life.
His physical body will be completely turned into rock, merging with the Emerald Peaks Mountains, and once this process begins, there is no possibility of reversal.
"We must spare no effort to hunt down the Red Emperor; this is our only chance!"
Rodrigo immediately issued clear instructions to all the legends present, and at the same time, he activated the amplification array to ensure that his voice could be clearly transmitted to the ears of every Theo warrior.
"The Red Emperor has fallen into the trap of the plan, is all alone and has no way out!"
"Gentlemen, follow me to slay the dragon, for Theo!"
So all of this was part of the plan from above?
Using the entire Duanlong Pass as a prison to lure the Red Emperor deep inside, and then surrounding and killing him?
After a moment of stunned silence, many of Theo's warriors' eyes lit up again.
The low morale began to rise rapidly. They suppressed their instinctive fear of the dragon's shadow and, following previous orders and training, returned to their posts.
Besides ordinary soldiers and lower-ranking officers, several legendary figures have voluntarily stood outside the remaining walls of the pass.
Their legendary level is relatively low, and it would be difficult for them to cause effective damage by directly participating in the siege of the Red Emperor. Therefore, their mission is to resist the advancing Aura Legion and the possible emergence of legendary figures from the enemy, and to cut off all possible external support for the Red Emperor.
Rumble—!
On the Aura Legion's side, the horn of attack has been sounded, the roar of Theo's alchemical heavy cannons tears through the air, and a dense barrage of bullets begins to rain down on the enemy.
The great battle finally broke out completely at this moment.
"Although there were some unexpected twists and turns in the process, the final result will not change."
Bosiva, who remained hidden in the shadows, smiled in a barely perceptible curve.
He glanced deeply at the crimson dragon shadow surrounded in the center, then silently took a step back, his figure disappearing as if blending into the shadows. No one knew which corner of the battlefield he was hiding in at that moment.
At the same time.
In the center of the ruins, where smoke and flames intertwined, the red iron dragon slowly turned its massive head.
He first looked up, his vertical pupils glancing at the unyielding barrier above, then looked away and calmly scanned the four figures surrounding him in the center.
To the left front is Whiteyat, the Unyielding Shield.
He stood tall and imposing like a mountain, the life force and the radiance of the sacred oath intertwined and flowed across his body, shining brightly.
This person's life was now deeply intertwined with the entire Norlton Pass, with the Sky Pillars on either side, and the Endless Cliff peak, and was in a state of a final burst of energy obtained through burning one's life.
He simply stood there, like an insurmountable wall of sighs.
Although this wall is irreversibly heading towards petrification and its end from within.
To the right front is Esther, the "Unbreakable Breaker".
The legendary female dwarf held the heavy, double-bladed axe, almost as tall as herself, in one hand. The axe blade trembled slightly and emitted a deep hum, due to its owner's soaring fighting spirit.
She grinned, revealing a set of strong teeth stained red with blood.
His short, stocky body exuded a fighting spirit far more intense than that of many giant monsters.
To the left and right rear are two legendary spellcasters with very different styles.
[The Shapeshifter] Derrick and [Eye of Ash] Hosander, one is a shapeshifter and the other a spellcaster.
There are a total of four legends, each occupying one of the four cardinal directions.
The unique pressure of the legendary powerhouse collided and squeezed invisibly in the air, making the air in the central area of the ruins viscous like glue, and the gravitational field became disordered and unstable. Tiny pebbles and ashes floated slowly into the air against the law.
The Red Emperor was located at the very center of this encirclement.
The form he was taking at this moment was not his usual appearance.
Stretching over sixty meters from head to tail, its jagged back was covered with grotesque bone spurs that shot upwards. Golden lightning patterns and blood-red flames rolled and swirled across its body. The lotus-like energy veins intertwined with the inscription-like scars left from countless battles, making each scale look like a branding iron that had been thrown into a furnace and heated red-hot.
He had displayed a similar fighting stance during the previous raid on the Theo satellite fortress.
Therefore, there is no need to hide it anymore.
In order to achieve the goal of destroying the barrier defenses in one fell swoop, Red Iron Dragon had already adjusted himself to a near-maximum combat state when he broke into the pass.
However, he did not look completely unharmed at the moment.
To bear the terrifying impact comparable to a falling meteor with pure flesh and blood is a heavy burden even for a being like Garos. His dark red, thick scales showed obvious cracks and rolls in several places, revealing the tough muscles underneath that were charred by the high temperature. There was also a tear at the base of his left wing.
Hot dragon blood was constantly seeping from these wounds, large and small.
But before it could drip, it turned into flames and burned silently.
The Red Emperor himself seemed completely unconcerned about these injuries, as if they were merely minor scratches.
"Instead of making a hasty escape, you deliberately locked yourselves in with me... Are you trying to make me laugh?"
"Humans, I must admit, you have succeeded."
The red iron dragon slowly shook its thick neck, opened its mouth full of sharp teeth, and revealed a smile that looked extremely ferocious to onlookers.
"Lizard... Ha, in the past, I used to use this word to refer to you dragons."
"However, you have changed my opinion of you."
"Dragon, we acknowledge your strength and power, but you are far too arrogant and disregard us."
The dwarf Esther brandished her giant axe and said gruffly, "Trying to smash through the barrier with your body? It certainly looks impressive, but the real battle hasn't even started yet, and you've already gotten yourself into this state. It's practically suicide."
Upon hearing this, Galos glanced at her.
Then, ignoring him, he slightly raised his enormous head, opened his dragon snout, and his chest swelled violently like a bellows.
The four legends surrounding them immediately became more alert, adjusting their postures to prepare for the possible devastating breath attack.
However, the red iron dragon did not spew flames.
He was taking a deep breath.
Life extraction!
At the same instant, he activated this large-scale looting skill derived from the path of eternal death.
An invisible and intangible wave, yet filled with a devouring power, rapidly spread out from him.
Inside the entire Duanlong Pass, the corpses of all the Theo soldiers who had just died in battle and whose bodies had not yet been disposed of seemed to have all their moisture and essence drained away in an instant, shriveling, weathering, and finally turning into clumps of grayish-white ashes.
Threads of life energy, barely visible to the naked eye, flowed like rivers flowing into the sea.
They converged from all directions of the battlefield and were all swallowed up by the giant mouth of the red iron dragon.
The gruesome wounds on his body immediately began to wriggle and heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Fresh granulation tissue quickly grew from the edges of the cracked scales, interlocking and covering each other; the charred muscle tissue fell off, and the newly formed pink granulation tissue quickly filled the gaps; even the severe tear at the base of the left wing quickly closed and scabbed over as the muscle fibers twisted together.
Red Iron Dragon let out a deep, satisfied roar.
He took a steady step forward and stretched his newly healed shoulders and neck.
Buzzing—!
The dragon energy, as condensed as liquid metal, surged and intertwined. With this step, the Red Emperor's body underwent a terrifying transformation, turning into a horrifying form with two heads and four arms.
Immediately, the four dragon eyes, burning with fury, turned simultaneously, locking onto the first target.
The Red Iron Dragon suddenly tucked its folded wings inward, its powerful hind legs stomping the ground, while at the same time, its massive membranous wings swung back to provide instantaneous propulsion.
boom!
His body transformed into a streak of crimson lightning that tore through the air, and under the influence of the blazing domain, his target was none other than the shapeshifter Derrick, who was positioned to his left rear! The colossal dragon body plowed through the air, creating visible milky-white shockwaves. Wherever it passed, the ground was torn into two deep trenches by pure wind pressure, and the rubble was swept away as if by an invisible giant hand.
Despite the swift and unexpected attack, the shapeshifter Derrick remained calm.
Any legendary spellcaster who has experienced the true baptism of war has long been psychologically and tactically prepared to be prioritized and attacked by the enemy's strongest forces.
Misalignment and overweight!
Whiteton responded immediately.
Instead of trying to move to intercept, he slammed his fists into the ground even harder.
Buzz—!
Centered on the Red Iron Dragon, the gravity around him suddenly surged! Invisible layers of gravity were generated, each layer having a completely different, chaotic, and constantly changing effect. Even with Garos's resistance to gravity, he was not completely immune.
The momentum visibly halted, as if the red iron dragon had crashed into viscous molten gold and iron.
At the same time, the alter mages' amplification spells fell upon the dwarves.
Several magical lights of different colors lit up and merged on Esther's short and stocky body.
"Haha! That's the feeling! A wonderful power!"
Esther felt the surging power within her and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Her height suddenly increased dramatically under the influence of the magic, turning her into a "giant dwarf" who was nearly two meters tall and whose shoulders were almost as wide as her height.
Almost at the same moment Whiteyant activated, she pressed the domain against her body, crouched down, and stepped forward, turning the ground beneath her feet into dust.
His figure vanished, and in the next instant he appeared on the flank of the Red Emperor's charge.
The dwarf warrior used no fancy moves; his giant axe swung upwards, the blade aimed directly at the Red Emperor's slightly flared left armpit as he spread his wings to generate power.
Her weapon is called the "Armor-Piercing Axe," and its effects are extremely pure.
—Ignoring the vast majority of physical and magical defenses, causing real structural damage.
If this axe strike lands squarely, it could very well sever the Red Iron Dragon's entire left wing at the root.
Despite being bound by multiple forces of gravity, the Red Iron Dragon maintained its charging stance, but a countermeasure had already been developed.
Faced with Whiteyat's dislocation and overweight, he extended his main arm, the back of his claws glowing with anti-magic patterns, and suddenly grabbed and tore at both sides.
Sizzle!
Like tearing apart thick cloth.
The invisible supergravity field was forcibly torn open with two gaps.
Faced with Esther's tricky axe strike, the Red Iron Dragon neither dodged nor evaded. Its massive arm, formed from dragon energy, swept across, meeting the axe blade head-on. At the cost of creating a huge gash, it slammed the female dwarf away and continued its attack on the shapeshifter.
Derrick remained calm under pressure, and a powerful spell took shape as he chanted it.
Body activated!
Invisible ripples swept across the red iron dragon's body.
In an instant, the red iron dragon's tail went out of control.
It suddenly rose up, and as if it had an independent life, it coiled back and wrapped around the red iron dragon's neck.
Therefore, the Red Iron Dragon had to stop its charge.
He struggled with his own tail, gripping the base of it tightly with his dragon claws, using almost all his strength.
But what made the Transformer frown was that the spell, which should have lasted for several minutes, only worked on the Red Iron Dragon for three seconds before returning to calm.
At the same moment, the Transformer relaxed his brow and waved his staff again.
Blood and flesh flow backward, tendons and ligaments become disordered!
As the magical energy swept through the Red Emperor's body, the thick muscle bundles inside him immediately began to spasm and writhe unnaturally. Several key tendons that were used for generating power seemed to be about to knot and break on their own, severely interfering with his movements once again.
Evil Gaze! Cataclysmic Black Blade! Amplify Damage!
Hosander's support arrived in an instant, with three spells falling one after the other.
An insidious malice stared at the Red Iron Dragon, severely sluggishing its dragon energy; several massive black blades sliced through space, slashing at its body and leaving deep wounds; an ominous red light emerged from its body, doubling the effects of all damage it suffered.
In an instant, the Red Emperor's offensive was perfectly contained.
His movements inevitably slowed down, and although he still tried to fight back against the spell, Derrick easily dodged it with a short-range teleport.
Immediately afterwards, with the spellcaster's blessing, Whiteyat and Esther, one facing forward and the other side, confronted the red iron dragon head-on.
The shapeshifters and spellcasters constantly conjured spells, either amplifying their own forces, weakening their targets, or launching direct attacks. Although they didn't engage the enemy head-on, they caused the Red Iron Dragon the most trouble.
The battle entered a brief stalemate and attrition phase.
Red Iron Dragon's fiery domain has been broken, and it can only rely on its extremely powerful body to resist the endless spells and transformations.
His two heads and four arms swung violently, striking with claws, sweeping with his tail, and exhaling breath, causing Whiteyat to be forced to retreat continuously. Cracks gradually appeared on his incredibly hard body, and the two main peaks of Norton Pass also began to crack slightly.
Esther attempted several lunging slashes.
However, the Red Iron Dragon showed great vigilance towards the female dwarf who could easily break through its scales, always managing to force her back to a safe distance with wing attacks, area-of-effect claw attacks, or a small-scale breath attack.
He would rather endure one or two offensive or debilitating spells from Derrick and Hosander than give Esther a chance to land a solid hit on a vital spot.
Whiteyat, who was bearing the brunt of the Red Iron Dragon's attacks head-on, was under the heaviest burden at this moment.
The grayish-white stain on the back of his hand, a symbol of the passing of life and the process of petrification, had spread past his elbow and was now eroding his shoulder and chest. Though the process was slow, it was difficult to stop.
Derrick and Hosander, on the other hand, entered a state of highly focused spellcasting.
One combination of spells constantly changed according to the battle situation, interfering with, delaying, and weakening the Red Emperor's attack rhythm at every possible moment; the other abandoned the various elemental and creature summoning skills that the Conjurer was good at, and focused all his attention on releasing various negative status spells, trying to cooperate with Derrick to gradually suppress the Red Iron Dragon's condition to a low point.
"Bosivar, what are you doing?!"
On the other side, Rodrigo's eyes showed anxiety as he sent a message to the vanished legend.
When the encirclement began, Posiva was nowhere to be found. This hunter, who should have possessed the greatest destructive power and been able to keep the Red Emperor firmly in check, did not participate in the encirclement of the Red Emperor.
Otherwise, the battle would never have reached this stalemate.
"be patient."
"Can't you see how resilient his body is? Although he keeps getting new injuries, they don't matter to him. Moreover, he seems to have some kind of continuous recovery ability. Even if I take action now, I can't change this stalemate."
"The Aura Legion's relentless assault has not stopped for a moment, and the Unyielding Barrier will not hold for long."
"The only way to win this battle is to follow my method."
Bosivar's voice condensed into a thin line, reaching Rodrigo's ears precisely.
Rodrigo opened his mouth, but ultimately couldn't utter a rebuttal, only letting out a dejected sigh.
He understood that he could not control the will of this legendary Fate Hunter.
Although Bosiva is not a member of the royal family, he was deeply intertwined with the Theo royal family because he married a royal princess in his early years, and their interests are intertwined.
He disliked the Crown family and was unwilling to be commanded by a mortal commander with no legendary strength.
Aside from silently praying that Bosiva's plan would succeed, Rodrigo sadly realized that there was nothing he could do at that moment.
In this world, power is everything.
Commanders like him ultimately have limited influence.
Just then, the situation on the battlefield, which had been deadlocked for quite some time, suddenly changed.
Red Iron Dragon once again adopted the pose of pouncing on changer Derrick, with the same momentum as before.
As always, Whiteyatt and Esther engaged in a head-on interception while the other sought opportunities to strike from the flank.
Hosander habitually raised his staff, preparing to cast another round of weakening spells, while Derrick began to calmly channel a powerful alteration spell.
However, this time was different from any other time.
A cold glint flashed in the red iron dragon's vertical pupils. Its wings flapped suddenly, and its massive body, which was about to pounce, made an unbelievable deflection in mid-air, completing a sharp angle change of direction at high speed!
The thick dragon tail swept across like a steel whip, violently lashing out and sending Whiteyat, who stood like an iron tower blocking its path, flying away.
In the blink of an eye, the red iron dragon, which seemed to be pouncing on Derrick, suddenly turned around!
Four massive arms, covered in hard scales and burning with dragon energy, suddenly shot out like four streaks of crimson lightning tearing through space.
His real target was that dwarf warrior, whose fighting spirit was boiling.
In the intense and high-pressure legendary siege battle, this female dwarf's fighting style became increasingly aggressive and unrestrained, and her eyes quietly filled with fine blood vessels.
At this moment, in order to intercept the Red Iron Dragon's "attack" on Derrick.
She herself was now completely within the optimal attack range of the Red Iron Dragon's giant arm.
"roar--!!!"
The red iron dragon raised its two heads high at the same time, letting out a deafening roar full of rage.
This roar was not a simple sonic attack; it carried an extraordinary power that ignited fury, directly penetrating the depths of the dwarf warrior's mind.
In an instant, the blood vessels in the female dwarf's eyes suddenly swelled up as if they were alive.
"kill!!!"
Faced with the terrifying claws that the Red Iron Dragon was lunging at her, she did not retreat or dodge. Instead, she let out a beast-like roar and advanced. Her short, stocky body burst forth with astonishing power as she leaped high into the air, swinging her legendary battle axe in a wide arc, and fiercely cleaved down towards one of the Red Iron Dragon's heads.
"Oh no! Something's wrong with her mental state... She seems to have been bewitched and enraged by some force? The Red Emperor has this kind of ability?!"
Both spellcasters felt a chill run down their spines, but their extensive combat experience allowed them to quickly take remedial action.
Blood and flesh flow backward, tendons and ligaments become disordered!
Derrick once again swiftly cast this transformative spell, which was quick to construct and highly effective.
As for the body activation technique, which requires more time to prepare and stronger control, there simply wasn't enough time to complete it in such a rushed moment.
However, the effect of the spell completely exceeded the shapeshifter's expectations.
Red Iron Dragon's muscles visibly twisted and writhed unnaturally, and there were faint cracking sounds coming from the tendons inside.
However, his movements did not falter at all!
Moreover, in addition to the raging flames and golden lightning that were originally on his body, layers of deep and resilient crimson light suddenly appeared on his body.
Unyielding and unyielding!
—Injuries and pain will not affect your actions; on the contrary, they will make your attacks more threatening and deal more damage to your enemies!
Galos's three dragon-like arms suddenly shot up, viciously grabbing at the enraged dwarf warrior from different angles.
At the same time, his right arm suddenly rose and aimed at Hosander, who was rapidly chanting the next spell.
He's taking my life!
A force of attraction and pull arose out of nowhere and acted on the sorcerer's frail body.
The robes on Hosander's body instantly burst forth with dazzling magical light, several preset automatic defensive spells were triggered and activated, and countless protective runes shone and appeared, rapidly forming powerful magical shields in front of him.
Click! Click!
However, a series of ear-piercing cracking sounds rang out, and countless spiderweb-like cracks on the magic shield rapidly extended and spread, on the verge of complete collapse.
The sorcerer's expression changed drastically, and he had no choice but to forcibly stop the offensive spell incantation that was already halfway through.
As a learned spellcaster, he immediately recognized that the Red Emperor was using the Eternal Dragon's signature deadly skill.
Given the vast difference in their physical strength, if he were caught in this pull without any magical protection, his frail body would likely be drained of its life essence instantly, turning him into a dried-up corpse.
He pulled out one protective spell scroll after another, radiating intense magical energy, and tore them open as quickly as possible.
Layers of protective auras of different colors and attributes lit up around him, resisting the deadly skill.
All these changes and responses happened in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, the Red Iron Dragon's thick, dragon-powered arm slammed down, knocking away the legendary battle axe that the dwarf warrior was swinging with all his might. Meanwhile, his left arm, burning with surging lightning and fire, struck Esther's defenseless chest and abdomen from below.
Boom!!!
A visible white sonic boom suddenly burst forth and spread out from the point of impact.
"Ugh—!!!"
The dwarf warrior's armor collapsed, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs. His short, stocky body was blasted away like a broken sack, tracing a tragic arc in the air before crashing heavily into a section of the ruins and being buried under the bricks and stones.
Just one strike.
The legendary dwarf warrior's life force rapidly weakened, almost extinguished, like a candle flame in a storm, his life force flickering precariously.
"The first one."
Red Iron Dragon slightly raised its left head, declaring its verdict. Its right head, however, unleashed a torrent of scorching dragon breath at Whiteyat, who was attempting to charge again, forcing the powerfully defended legend to retreat temporarily and preventing him from providing timely assistance.
"His real target has always been Esther! All the previous attacks, including the feints against the two of us, were all to lull us into a false sense of security and create the opportunity for this fatal blow!"
Derrick instantly understood the Red Emperor's tactics, and cold sweat soaked through his inner robe.
He was right.
From the start of the battle, Garus's primary target for elimination was the female dwarf warrior.
The two spellcasters possessed a wide range of skills and profound knowledge, clearly not the resource-poor, unorthodox methods of the Dragon Worship Cult. They carried countless protective artifacts and scrolls, making them extremely difficult to kill completely in a short time.
However, in the face of the Red Iron Dragon, the dwarf warrior's relatively strong physique was not actually much stronger than that of the spellcaster.
So Garus first feigned an attack on the spellcaster to paralyze him, and then at the right moment, he struck and killed one of them.
Having lost a legendary figure to block his advance, Whiteyat alone was completely unable to stop Garros's advance. This time, he no longer feigned an attack but launched a real assault on the two spellcasters.
With a sudden flap of his dragon wings, his enormous body seemed to tear through the distance of space, appearing almost instantaneously before the shapeshifter Derrick.
A massive claw, burning with dark red dragon energy, slammed down like a collapsing mountain, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression!
Faced with this unavoidable and fatal blow, Derrick took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the fear in his heart.
As a seasoned and legendary spellcaster, he always kept a trump card up his sleeve.
A pre-set alteration-based defensive spell takes effect instantly at the critical moment.
Time stops!
—Your speed and reaction are incredibly fast, as if you have transcended the effects of time. For such a short time as you act, the flow of time in the surrounding world almost freezes, and during this period, you are unable to cast spells.
It was as if an invisible giant hand had pressed the pause button on the world.
Centered on Derrick, everything around him suddenly froze.
The drifting smoke and dust remained suspended in mid-air, the flying debris stopped moving, and the horrified expressions on the faces of the soldiers in the distance froze.
Even the terrifying red iron dragon in front of him stopped only about a hundred meters away from Derrick.
Derrick could see the patterns on every scale of the Red Iron Dragon with perfect clarity, the bloodstains on its claws and teeth, and even the deep black vertical pupils on its two heads that were rotating at an extremely, extremely slow speed.
etc? !
Derrick's pupils suddenly contracted, his heart filled with horror.
He discovered that the red iron dragon was not completely still.
He was turning his head toward himself at an extremely slow but increasingly rapid pace!
Two heads and four eyes were gradually locking onto him!
Then, the giant claw that slammed down began to fall at a speed that gradually accelerated from almost a standstill, becoming faster and faster, bringing a sense of deathly oppression that almost made one's heart stop beating.
"What...what kind of monster is this?!"
The transformationist Derrick was in turmoil.
Red Iron Dragon's resistance to magic, as well as the strength of his body and will, have reached an unbelievable level.
Left with no other choice, he dared not gamble on how long it would take for the Red Iron Dragon to completely shake off the spell's effects, and decisively lifted the time stop.
The stagnant world was as if the play button had been pressed, and the torrent of time roared and surged forward once again.
The enormous dragon claw, having lost its final resistance, crashed down with overwhelming force!
Boom!!!
The earth trembled violently, and smoke and dust billowed into the sky. A huge claw-print crater appeared where Derrick had been standing, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading wildly from the bottom of the crater outwards.
Meanwhile, Derrick appeared on another set of ruins.
The teleportation scroll in his hand, which emitted strong spatial fluctuations, had already turned to ashes and scattered in the wind.
He was breathing heavily, still shaken, his forehead covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.
Under the watchful gaze of the red iron dragon, Derrick felt like prey targeted by its natural enemy. Without hesitation, he reached out and tightly gripped the dark red necklace around his neck.
This necklace contains a drop of blood from the Balrog Lord, who came from the bottomless abyss.
Using this as a medium, Derrick can cast a forbidden transformation spell with a huge cost, briefly transforming himself into the legendary Balrog form.
At that time, he will acquire all the skills that match it, and perhaps he will be able to confront the Red Iron Dragon head-on.
However, at that moment, Red Iron Dragon shifted his gaze and turned to look at the Spellcaster.
Derrick hesitated for a moment.
The cost of casting the Flame Demon Avatar is extremely high. Not only will it permanently shorten one's lifespan, but it will also leave one in a state of extreme weakness for a long period of time after the spell ends.
More importantly... even in his Flame Demon form, he still lacked close-combat experience.
He might die if he faced the ferocious Red Iron Dragon head-on.
For the Kingdom of Theo, for this war that did not belong to their own country, they completely sacrificed their lives and legendary future?
It's not worth it.
The idea quickly spread through Derrick's mind.
His mind raced, and finally, he slowly loosened his grip on the necklace.
He wasn't planning to fight to the death; in fact, he was secretly preparing a way out of the battlefield.
On the other side, Whiteyat roared and charged toward the Red Iron Dragon again, but his speed seemed clumsy and slow in the face of the fully unleashed Garoth.
Red Iron Dragon didn't even turn around; its long tail lashed out again at Whiteyat's chest, sending him flying once more into a pile of rocks in the distance.
The Red Iron Dragon's true form, like a crimson meteor, hurtled straight towards the sorcerer Hosander.
Under the relentless onslaught of the Red Iron Dragons, Hosander was like a spent arrow.
His magical ornaments, the protective talismans on his robes, the life-saving scrolls he treasured in his bosom... all lit up one after another, only to shatter and vanish under the impact of the dragon claws, dragon breath, and pure power.
His face was ashen, and he was breathing rapidly, being pushed to his limit.
The spellcaster, who had previously caused trouble for the Red Iron Dragon with various spells, now truly felt death approaching.
"This can't go on..."
His trump cards are being exhausted at an alarming rate.
Hosander tore open three scrolls in succession, and the dark energy transformed into tangible chains, a cage made of white bones, and a torrent of curses that struck straight to the soul, layer upon layer rushing towards the red iron dragon.
Galos let out a low growl and swung his dragon claws.
The runes of destruction shone brightly on the back of the claws, tearing apart any chains and cages that stood in their way.
The impact, which should have been the most powerful on the soul level, only caused him to pause almost imperceptibly, and he was otherwise unaffected.
collapse!
The final shield, composed of seven rotating star-like phantoms, groaned under the weight of the dragon's claws and shattered into pieces.
The red iron dragon's figure tore through all obstacles, carrying the aura of thunder, flames, and death, heading straight for the spellcaster.
Even though there were two legends nearby, Hosander felt more isolated and helpless than ever before.
Whiteton was knocked away and unable to provide assistance, while Derrick seemed to be holding back.
"There's no escaping it..."
Hosander watched as his last defensive spell shattered, despair flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by madness.
Since we're going to die anyway, let's make the enemy pay the price!
A resolute glint flashed in Hosander's eyes as he began chanting rapidly, his magical energy igniting and being channeled into the next spell.
With his protection gone and his companions unable to stop the Red Iron Dragon in time, his chanting had just reached its end when the Red Iron Dragon's massive claws, covered in scorching scales, slammed down on him.
Snap!
A dull thud.
The legendary sorcerer Hosander's body instantly exploded into a cloud of scarlet blood mist.
But at that moment, a tiny yet incredibly profound point appeared within the blood mist.
Ultimate Destruction Orb!
Without any warning, this point suddenly expanded, transforming into a colossal, pitch-black sphere that engulfed the Red Iron Dragon's body.
The sphere's surface was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the distorted and shattered battlefield, while from within came the sounds of dragon scales constantly collapsing and tearing apart.
Immediately afterwards, a deep, thunderous roar came from inside the sphere.
The entire surface of the pitch-black sphere began to fluctuate violently, with grotesque bulges constantly rising outwards, and thick cracks extending wildly across its surface. Clearly, this ultimate spell, unleashed by the legendary sorcerer at the cost of his life, while powerful enough to temporarily trap or even harm the Red Iron Dragon, could not be sustained for long.
But this brief restraint and control is enough for the hunter who has been lurking in the shadows!
"Now!"
Bosivar, who had been hiding on the edge of the battlefield with an almost ethereal aura, suddenly flashed a sharp light in his eyes.
This was the opportunity he had been waiting for!
The Red Emperor was bound by powerful magic, severely affected, and forced to the brink of a desperate moment!
At the cost of the sacrifice of two legends, the Tooth of the Mountains finally found his chance.
He no longer concealed himself, took a step forward, and appeared on a high, broken wall, the longbow in his hand humming and trembling as if it had come to life.
"With my soul as the guide, with my life as the string!"
"The mountains lend me their backbone, and the departed give me their sharpness!"
Bosivar drew his bow and nocked an arrow, the bowstring creating swirling vortexes that sent surrounding pebbles floating into the air.
"Witness this, for this is the end of the hunt for life!"
"This arrow is the one that pierced through the King Beast!"
Bosiva's eyes were sharp to the extreme, his bow was as taut as a full moon, and behind him appeared the wailing phantoms of countless fallen behemoths.
He concentrated all his spirit and will into this arrow. The air collapsed before the arrowhead, the light distorted beside the bowstring, and the clamor of the entire battlefield suddenly fell silent. Only the arrow trembled and emitted a sharp whistling sound.
The next moment.
The pitch-black orb reached its limit, its surface cracked, and then it shattered and dissipated like broken black glass.
The Red Emperor's enormous and imposing figure was once again exposed to the air.
His injuries were shocking.
Large swaths of dark red scales were eroded and peeled away, revealing bloody, mangled wounds, some even deep enough to expose bone. In many places, wisps of smoke still rose from the scorching energy of destruction. The once mighty and intense dragon aura had also clearly diminished, appearing somewhat weak.
Even so, he remained firmly in mid-air, his four arms hanging down, his head held high, exuding an aura of authority.
It seemed that the injury was still a nuisance rather than a problem for him.
Just as the Red Emperor's figure was exposed, in a split second...
Bosivar released the bowstring.
The arrow left the bowstring without making a sound.
Because the speed of death surpasses that of sound.
It split into three, transforming into three pure, condensed, and dazzling golden beams that caused all who watched to feel a burning pain in their eyes. It seemed to completely disregard the concept of spatial distance, and at the same instant that Percival released the string, it had already pierced through the heart and two heads of the Red Iron Dragon.
Fast! Accurate! Ruthless!
It transcends reaction and defense, striking at the heart of the matter.
Time seemed to stand still for a moment.
Galos's massive body stiffened abruptly, and his movements stopped.
In an instant, whether it was the Aura Legion still fiercely attacking the fortress, or the Theo defenders struggling to hold on, whether it was Rodrigo, or the shapeshifter Derrick whose expression changed, or Whiteyat whose body was cracked and whose petrification had spread to his neck...
All eyes were fixed on the crimson giant that was slowly tilting over.
The invincible, ever-victorious Red Emperor... is he really about to fall?!
Bosiva stood alone atop the ruins, holding a trembling longbow, his eyes slightly narrowed as he stared intently at his victory.
As he fired that arrow that had gathered all his strength, it was as if his energy and spirit had been instantly drained. His once sharp, hawk-like aura plummeted, and an unnatural paleness appeared on his face.
But a bright smile spread across his face.
Simply because he did it!
He reversed a seemingly impossible outcome!
He shot down the Red Emperor who was soaring in the sky!
To save a collapsing building from imminent collapse, and to turn the tide from a desperate situation!
This arrow will surely be recorded in great detail in the annals of Theo and even other nations.
From this day forward, the world will remember his name, Bosivar.
In a desperate situation, the legendary Fate Hunter pierced Emperor Aura's heart with a single arrow, saving the fate of the Kingdom of Theo! He will receive endless praise and supreme glory...
The wonderful fantasy was like the sweetest wine, almost intoxicating him.
"Heh...heh..."
A low, hoarse gasp suddenly broke the silence, interrupting Bosivar's vision of a glorious future.
Instead of continuing to tilt, the red iron dragon, which should have collapsed and lost its life in mid-air, suddenly stabilized itself in an illogical manner.
You should find a way to cut off my head.
He thought to himself.
At the same time, an incomparably dazzling blazing white light suddenly shone from the dragon's wounded body.
To live in the face of death!
A terrifying aura, far more dangerous than his previous peak, erupted from his body like a dormant volcano.
Bosiva's bright smile froze instantly.
The next second.
The red iron dragon, gleaming with a blazing white light, vanished completely from his sight.
By the time Bosival realized what was happening, the red iron dragon, its body gleaming with white light, was already standing in front of him.
The crimson iron dragon, its body ablaze with blazing white flames, stood like a god descending upon the broken wall before him.
The colossal creature with two heads and four arms stood on the earth in an almost upright posture, its body slightly leaning forward, casting a shadow that completely enveloped Bosivar.
His huge, thick right arm hung down, and sharp, spear-like hooked toes protruded from his claws, pointing at Bosiva's brow.
"Now, it's my turn."
Like the whisper of death, it rang in Bosivar's ears.
As the dragon's shadow intertwined with the blazing white light, Percival's pupils contracted.
Almost instinctively, he took a step back and disappeared.
For professions like his, once they reach the legendary level, even if they are not proficient in spatial skills, they still possess some means of using space to hide.
However, tear!!!
A giant claw engulfed in blazing white flames forcefully pierced into the blurry spatial ripples! Then, with an irresistible and terrifying force, it ripped to both sides.
The space was brutally torn open.
The figure of Posivana, who had not yet fully entered the dimensional rift, was like a fish being pulled out of the water, firmly grasped by this giant claw and forcibly dragged out!
"No...this is impossible...why aren't you dead?! That arrow clearly..."
Bosiva's lips trembled violently as he screamed incoherently, his face contorted with despair.
He instinctively tried to struggle and use other survival skills to create distance.
But it was all too late.
The red iron dragon's giant claws gripped his entire body firmly in its palms.
Galos had no interest in talking to this extremely dangerous enemy who had taken his life with a single arrow, nor did he intend to stay.
He began to clench the dragon claws.
"No--!!!"
Bosivar let out a final, defiant roar, using his last ounce of strength to expand his domain.
However, all he received in response was a series of cracking sounds, like jade or glass being crushed.
The legendary realm is shattered.
Immediately following was the dull sound of human bones, muscles, and internal organs being completely crushed and exploded by an irresistible force.
Bosivar's tiny human body, along with his final struggle and roar, was swallowed up by the crimson dragon claws.
That concludes the discussion.
The Tooth of the Mountains, the Blade of the Kingdom of Theo, the Hunter of Fate who pierced the Red Emperor's heart with a single arrow and nearly created a legend—Pocival—is dead.
The Red Emperor slowly spread out his hands.
In his palm, apart from a small amount of embers mixed with bone powder and ash, which dissipated with the hot winds of the battlefield, there was nothing else.
At this moment, the brilliant and violent blazing white light on his body also receded and dissipated rapidly like a tide.
The aura that had surpassed the limits stabilized, and in its place was a dragon body that, although still bearing many scars, had all its fatal wounds gone, and whose life force had become powerful and surging again, almost restored to its peak!
Despair, like a cold wave, swept through the hearts of every Theo man on the battlefield the instant that small wisp of embers dissipated.
This is so heavy.
So much so that even the few remaining legendary powerhouses felt a chill to the bone.
"So... all the struggle was ultimately in vain..."
Whiteyat let out a long, heavy sigh, filled with weariness and relief.
He stopped trying to hold on, slowly closed his eyes, and let the grayish-white petrification marks cover his final face and body.
A rock sculpture covered with natural cracks stands amidst the ruins.
As he was completely petrified, the indomitable barrier, which had been teetering on the brink of collapse and whose light had dimmed under the fierce attack of the Aura Legion, emitted a final, faint hum before completely dissipating into the air.
"Resurrected from the dead... How is that possible?!"
The Transformer, gazing at the Red Emperor whose aura had returned to its peak, gasped in astonishment.
Resurrection is not absolutely impossible. As a legendary change master, he has several methods to bring back to life mortals and even low-level professionals who have recently died and whose bodies are relatively intact.
However, this comes with strict preconditions.
The level and intensity of life are very important.
The more powerful a life form is, the more exponentially more difficult it becomes to revive.
Reviving an ordinary mortal is easy for him; but reviving a level 20 powerhouse would require a considerable price, and the success rate is not 100%; and reviving a legendary powerhouse... that is almost an impossible task.
The backlash and costs involved are enough to deter any spellcaster.
But how could the Red Emperor, this dragon with such a powerful physique, be resurrected in a very short time after suffering a fatal blow when his heart was pierced by an arrow from a legendary Fate Hunter, and even recover to near-full strength?!
This completely defies the common sense that Derrick knew.
The legends on Theo's side finally understood what the Red Emperor relied on behind his seemingly reckless and arrogant behavior.
Unfortunately, by the time everything became clear, it was too late.
"This place is no place to stay any longer, let's get out of here!"
Without the slightest hesitation, the Transformer Derrick pulled a scroll from his pocket.
An extremely precious "ultra-long-distance directional transmission scroll" that can resist interference.
The moment the scroll was torn open, a strong silver-white spatial aura enveloped his entire body.
His figure flickered rapidly in the spiritual light, blurred, and then completely disappeared from the ruins of the Duanlong Pass battlefield in the next moment.
Red Iron Dragon slightly turned its head and looked in the direction where Derrick had disappeared.
Within the vision of the Eye of Truth, he could vaguely detect a faint spatial trajectory pointing into the distance, which was rapidly dissipating.
However, he had no intention of pursuing them.
After casting Time Stop, this Transformer basically just coasted along.
Moreover, and most importantly, Galos has just used up the Dragon Jade, so he must be even more cautious in the upcoming battle.
Pursue a high-level legendary shapeshifter who is desperate to escape and may be hiding powerful trump cards.
Risk and reward are not directly proportional.
Whew!!!
The wind howled!
With a flap of its wings, the red iron dragon soared straight into the sky.
He said nothing, but simply spread his wings, revealing his majestic body, and raised his head to let out a loud and powerful dragon roar.
This dragon's roar, like the final war drum, shattered the psychological defenses of Theo's defenders.
Thus, the army was defeated, collapsing like a mountain.
The remaining Theo soldiers and officers fell to their knees one after another, like wheat fields swaying in a strong wind.
They trembled, numbly discarding the weapons they clutched, their last glimmer of fighting spirit extinguished.
Encirclement and suppression?
Defeat the Red Emperor?
This has become a huge joke.
They witnessed firsthand how their own team's legends were completely overwhelmed by the Red Emperor single-handedly!
Such a dragon, such an emperor—who could defeat him? Who would dare to be his enemy?
The Kingdom of Theo... is beyond hope.
On the other side, Rodrigo looked at the remaining soldiers kneeling in surrender, at the Aura army surging in unstoppable, and at the rock statue that blended into the mountain one last time, before looking at the crimson giant standing in the sky, overlooking the earth.
All the struggles, all the plans, all the sacrifices seem pale and laughable at this moment.
Further resistance is pointless.
April 13, 344 AD.
The light of dawn pierced the darkness, illuminating the mountains ahead.
The Red Emperor, Garo Ignas, charged forward alone, like a meteor falling from space. With his flesh and blood, he smashed through the formidable Norton Pass, directly shattering the Unyielding Barrier. He then killed "Fang of the Mountains" Percival and "Eye of Ash" Hosander, severely wounded "Unbreakable Breaker" Esther, and frightened away "Changer" Derrick... With the power of a single dragon, he utterly destroyed the Norton Pass and all its defenders, capturing many generals and legends, including Commander Rodrigo.
The Aura Legion then occupied the entire Green Mountain Range defense line, and its advance pointed directly towards the heart of Theo.
P.S.: I'm done for, please vote for me next month!
(End of this chapter)
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