Chapter 467 Wherever I am, that is the king's land
Iron Fortress, atop the highest city wall.
The red iron dragon spread its wings and slowly placed the huge silver satellite beside it.
The satellite's surface still shimmered with magical light, but under the Emperor's claws, all the light appeared docile and dim, like a captured beast.
He stood atop the city wall, his gaze seemingly encompassing the entire battlefield.
At this moment, the Aura Legion was advancing across the entire front. The effect of the Oath of All Armies was significantly enhanced due to the surge in morale, making the warriors move more swiftly and increasing the power of their spells. In contrast, the Theo Legion's formation magic was noticeably dimmed, their formation was loose, and signs of retreat had spread from local areas to the entire front.
Ash Plains, Eastern Section.
Bescal's body was covered in charred and cracked skin, with pale bluish-white dragon skin exposed where the scales curled up. Frost-covered wounds and burn marks from flames were interspersed throughout the area.
He was already at a disadvantage under the combined attack of the three legends.
Each flap of the dragon's wings seemed heavy, and its frosty breath was no longer as sharp and biting as before.
But just now, the sight of the Red Iron Dragon Emperor returning with his satellite was witnessed by the vast majority of creatures. At the moment the meteor streaked across the night sky, Theo's three legends simultaneously received an urgent message from the Commander.
Their faces suddenly turned solemn, and they exchanged a glance.
Rodrigo has just issued new instructions.
—At all costs, capture or kill the White Dragon Beskar to minimize the losses.
Almost at the same instant the order arrived, the three legends suddenly intensified their attacks, putting even more pressure on the White Dragon.
But he was not afraid.
Instead, Bescal raised his scarred head and let out a thunderous laugh from deep in his throat. As he laughed, his tattered wings suddenly stretched to their limit, and every crack in the wing membrane emitted a chilling aura.
"Humans—!"
The roar shook the plains.
"You want to kill me?"
The white dragon's aura began to rise, and the air temperature around him plummeted. Thick white frost condensed in the sky, and tiny ice crystals danced wildly in the air, forming a rapidly spinning vortex of cold air.
"The great Frostblight, the noble ancient dragon, will never flee without a fight!"
"If you think you can kill me, then come on! But the condition is that each of you must be prepared to be dragged to hell by me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the white dragon lunged forward.
The movement carried a desperate and tragic momentum, as if it wanted to burn the dragon's life out.
His wings flapped, stirring up a blizzard; his claws tore through the frozen air; and his dragon head pointed directly at the most vulnerable part of his body—the fire mage.
Theo's three legends instantly tensed up.
They were all prepared to face the white dragon's dying counterattack.
However, at that moment, the white dragon's massive body suddenly froze with astonishing agility.
His wings tilted sharply, his massive dragon bones creaked slightly, and his entire body used the momentum to complete an extremely fast backflip.
The blizzard suddenly changed direction.
The white dragon turned its head, flapped its wings with all its might, and trailed a long, cold tail as it charged headlong toward the Iron Wall Fortress without looking back.
That wasn't a charge.
It's about escaping.
Using the most heroic posture as cover, they carried out the most decisive escape.
The three legends were stunned for a moment, then their faces turned ashen.
"Chase!"
But it was too late.
Bescal possessed speed, and in his desperate escape, he gained the upper hand, instantly transforming into a rapidly shrinking white dot on the horizon.
Ash Plains, western section.
Karu paused slightly, looking up in the direction of the Iron Wall Fortress.
The trail of the meteor in the night sky had not yet completely disappeared, and that crimson mark was still imprinted in the eyes of every soldier who looked up.
Karu took a deep breath, the air thick with the smells of gunpowder, blood, and scorched earth filling his lungs. Then, he grinned and roared with a force that could shake the battlefield.
"The great emperor has seized the Eye of Theo! Victory—belongs to Aura!"
The sound spread like rolling thunder.
On the battlefield, all the Aura warriors paused for a moment.
Immediately afterwards, fervent shouts erupted from every corner of the battle line.
"May His Majesty live forever!"
"The sacred Aura will connect us!"
"Victory is certain! Victory is certain! Victory is certain!"
One cry louder than the next, one wave after another.
The wounded struggled to straighten their backs, the weary men's eyes rekindled their fire, and the vanguard warriors swung their weapons with an unexpected threefold increase in force.
The shouts coalesced into a tangible wave that soared into the sky, almost dispelling the smoke and clouds that shrouded the battlefield.
"roar----!!!"
The Gluttonous Demon Karu roared to the sky.
He sensed it.
A blazing, surging, and overwhelming force was surging in from all directions, from every shouting warrior, from every burning fighting spirit, and from every pair of eyes gazing up at the emperor.
That power was formless and intangible, yet real and undeniable, continuously flowing into the oath of command of ten thousand armies on his chest.
The emblem is burning hot.
The next moment, power surged forth, flowing into his bulging muscles, into his burning blood, and nourishing his battered body.
Visible crimson flames rose from his body.
It was no longer the fleeting, indistinct halo of the past, but a solid, viscous, and tangible scarlet flame! The flame coiled around his limbs and bones, flickering with each breath, causing the surrounding air to distort slightly.
Even more astonishing changes are occurring on the body.
The wound on his chest, pierced by Barna's spear, was now enveloped in crimson flames.
The muscle fibers wriggle, grow, and re-weave like living things, and the hideous blood hole shrinks and heals at a speed visible to the naked eye, eventually leaving only a dark red scar.
The scales, the parts that were blasted off by the golem's cannon fire.
New scales emerged from under the skin, quickly hardened, expanded, and covered the exposed flesh. The scales were thicker than before, with edges that gleamed with a metallic sheen.
The flesh, the wound torn open by human magic.
The burning sensation caused the bleeding to stop, scab to form, and the scab to fall off, revealing the new skin underneath.
As his injuries healed rapidly, his overall aura also steadily increased.
Karu clenched his fist and swung his arm violently.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The four sonic booms exploded almost simultaneously.
The air in front of his fist was compressed to its limit, forming four visible cone-shaped shockwaves that tore through the ground and plowed out four long furrows.
At this point, the morale of Theo's army had plummeted. The image of the emperor plucking stars completely shattered their psychological defenses. Many soldiers looked terrified, their formation began to crumble, and even the commander's desperate shouts could not stop the signs of a rout.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, the legendary warrior Barna had just sheathed his gun.
Theo's legend was clearly aware of the complete reversal of the battle.
Without lingering in battle, he sped off towards the rear of his own lines.
"Trying to run?!"
Karu grinned maliciously.
He no longer needed to conserve his energy or worry about his injuries; with the morale of the entire army boosted, his condition was at an unprecedented peak.
He stepped back with his right leg and lowered his body slightly.
The ground groaned beneath my feet.
The next second, Karu suddenly pushed off the ground.
Bang! The ground collapsed, and spiderweb-like cracks spread wildly outwards, sending dust and debris flying into the sky. Karu's figure had already vanished from the spot.
Only a scarlet afterimage remained in the air.
The pursuit began.
Ironwall Fortress, the figure of Iron Dragon Sorog flew out of the fortress and landed beside Garros.
He looked at the wounds on Red Iron Dragon's body caused by the spatial rupture and asked in a low voice, "You're injured."
"It's alright. How's the battle going now?"
Tie Long replied, "We are advancing along the entire front, while Theo's morale has collapsed and they are fleeing. Our legions are in pursuit, but they have also suffered heavy casualties."
Galos nodded, unsurprised.
Even if the enemy's morale collapses, swords and magic can still take lives. The desperate struggle of a defeated army is sometimes more brutal than a direct confrontation, because they have no way out but to exchange their lives for each other.
"Don't pursue too deeply. Focus on consolidating the lines we've already gained, taking stock of casualties, and repairing fortifications."
"Garos said."
Just then, a petite figure flew over, wobbling and staggering.
It's the fairy dragon Vera.
She had reverted to her original form, a petite dragon body resembling a cat, which now looked extremely disheveled. Her scales were dull and lifeless, her wings were flapping erratically, and her flight path swayed as if she were drunk.
When she flew in front of the red iron dragon, she closed her eyes and plummeted straight down.
Galos extended its giant claws and steadily supported her.
The fairy dragon collapsed completely in the emperor's claws, belly up, its limbs limp and its tail hanging down listlessly.
She was panting heavily with her mouth open, looking as if her time was about to come.
"...I'm exhausted..."
Vera spoke in a weak voice, her eyes slit open as she stole a glance at Red Iron Dragon's expression.
"One hundred gems... far from enough... I need two hundred..."
The dragon's lips curled up slightly.
"Very well," the emperor said, "I'll give you two hundred coins."
Vera played a crucial role in his successful surprise attack on the satellite.
Her "Red Iron Dragon Emperor's Descent Technique" is so difficult to detect unless a legendary expert observes it closely at close range.
Although Theo's satellites were equipped with numerous detection spells, they ultimately lacked sufficient understanding and experience in dealing with rare, mysterious beings like dimensional dragons.
Vera's eyes widened instantly.
All weakness, fatigue, and the feeling of impending death vanished.
She sprang from the giant claws with a whoosh, flapping her wings and hovering in front of the red iron dragon's massive head, her rainbow-colored scales regaining their vibrant luster.
"It's a deal! No backing out! Two hundred gems! Sparkling, dazzling gems!"
"Haha! Vera is going to become rich!"
She excitedly did somersaults in the air, spinning seven or eight times in a row.
But soon, the fairy dragon stopped.
She blinked, rested her chin on her little paws, and looked thoughtful. Then, she began to mutter softly, just loud enough for Galus to hear.
"You agreed so readily... isn't two hundred gems too little?"
“I should ask for three hundred… no, five hundred… Galos is so generous, he might even give me five hundred…”
Just then, three meteors streaked across the distant sky, tracing bright arcs before finally hovering in mid-air in front of the Iron Wall Fortress.
As the light faded, the figures of three Theo legends were revealed.
Posivar stood in the center, his gaze passing over the Aura defenders on the city wall, locking firmly on the Red Iron Dragon, and then moving to the captured silver satellite.
"Ignas".
Bosivar spoke, addressing Red Iron Dragon by his surname.
Do you think you've won?
His expression was cold and his gaze sharp as arrows, as if he wanted to dissect and examine the red iron dragon from head to tail.
“Look back at your capital, it will be reduced to ashes.”
Galos's vertical pupils narrowed slightly.
He noticed the way Bosivar was addressed.
In the interactions among intelligent species, addressing someone by their first name is more common among acquaintances, while using their surname often signifies formality and respect, or deliberate disrespect.
Clearly, Bosivar's attitude at this moment belongs to the latter.
The way Theo's guardian looked at the Red Iron Dragon was not like he was looking at a monarch of an equal kingdom, but more like a hunter assessing a rare and dangerous prey, evaluating its weaknesses, its habits, and its value.
Information about Bosivar flashed through Galos's mind.
Posivar, this legendary powerhouse of the Kingdom of Theo, did not come from a noble family; on the contrary, he came from an ordinary background.
Before embarking on the Ranger's Path, he was born into a hunter's family at the foot of the Serpent Mountain. He grew up surrounded by forests and wild beasts and was a natural hunter. At the age of seven, he was able to set traps and hunt snow wolves on his own.
On a winter night when he was twelve, a group of orcs massacred his family.
He found the broken hunting knife in his father's stiff palm; it was the entire inheritance he had received.
At fifteen, he tracked the last orc deep into the ancient forest, eventually piercing the orc's eye socket with his sharpened antlers.
During this hunt, a military knight discovered the lone wolf and brought it into the army.
At the age of twenty-five, a pack of fearsome winter wolves crossed the mountains. As the mountain's guardian, Percival led thirty hunters through nine days and nights of blizzards, burying the entire pack with crevasses, avalanches, and deadly arrows.
At forty, he tracked down a powerful, aging dragon that had destroyed a kingdom's town, and a month later brought back the dragon's head.
Bosivar's fame grew, and he was regarded as a hero of Theo. The King of Theo personally bestowed upon him the title of "Tooth of the Mountains" and married a princess to Bosivar, who had never married.
Now, Bosivar is two hundred years old and is Theo's pillar.
Considering the typical lifespan of five hundred years for legendary humans, he is still very young. He is an extremely talented human star and is very skilled at hunting giant life forms, which has given him his unique characteristics.
Galos shifted his gaze to the other two legends.
He had already noticed that only three legends had returned, one was missing.
Judging from what Posivar said, they were probably going to attack the Crimson Flame Royal City.
With Theo Satellite captured, Rodrigo refused to admit defeat. While ordering the annihilation of the White Dragon, he also dispatched another legend to strike at the heart of the Kingdom of Aura, the lair of the Red Iron Dragon, the Crimson Flame Royal City.
He tried to turn the tide.
If they could destroy the Crimson Flame Royal City, even if it was just causing major damage, Theo's morale could be somewhat restored, and the balance of the war might be able to shift again.
Emperor Red Iron Dragon merely rolled his eyes indifferently at this.
The deep black vertical pupils reflected the flames of war on the battlefield, as well as the figures of the three Theos legends.
"The entire Kingdom of Aura exists because of me."
He slightly raised his head, and his dragon might spread out like a mountain collapsing and the sea overturning.
"Do you think I would care about a royal city?"
After a pause, Hong Tielong's tone became even more solemn and powerful: "Wherever I am, that is the king's land."
Arrogant, cocky, and disdainful of others.
If these words came from the mouth of a human king, they would surely invite questions from his subjects, criticism from his nobles, and even condemnation from history books.
However, when it burst forth from the depths of the Red Iron Dragon Emperor's throat, the Aura warriors on the battlefield felt only the overwhelming power of the dragon, as bright as the sun in the sky, and their awe and fervor burned even more intensely.
"Besides..."
Galos grinned, revealing sharp, white fangs: "You think a mere legend can destroy my royal city?"
Across from him, Bosivar's pupils contracted slightly.
Does the Kingdom of Aura hold hidden legends? Or even more powerful masters?
Almost at the same moment Hong Tielong finished speaking.
Dragon Ridge Mountains, Crimson Flame Royal City.
A shooting star streaked across the night sky, hovering above the royal city before coming to a steady stop, revealing its true form.
He was an old man clad in a dark gray robe, his face gaunt, his eyes sunken, yet burning with silver magical flames. He held a staff twisted like withered wood, its tip inlaid with a constantly spinning crystal.
【Eye of Ash】Hosander, a legendary spell from the Kingdom of Theo.
Upon arriving at his destination, the sorcerer did not hesitate at all.
He raised his staff high, his withered lips began to move, and ancient and obscure incantations poured out like flowing water. Each syllable drew in the surrounding magical energy, the air began to tremble, and an invisible pressure spread outwards from him.
That was the prelude to a legendary spell.
A spell that requires a legendary sorcerer to prepare is powerful enough to move mountains and fill seas, and rewrite the landscape. Even a dragon like Garus would not want to face a well-prepared legendary spell head-on.
However, Hosander's chanting suddenly slowed down.
It wasn't a voluntary pause, but rather a premonition of danger that seeped into his spine.
He looked up.
Then, his pupils suddenly contracted.
High in the sky, among the clouds, a pair of enormous vertical pupils made of pure psionic energy floated silently.
The vertical pupils were a deep purple, more than ten meters in diameter, with starlight flowing around their edges. They showed no emotion, simply looking down indifferently at the royal city below and the legendary spells that appeared as tiny as insects above it.
It's as if they're looking down on ants.
"Psionic... a mind warlock? A legendary amethyst dragon?!"
Hosander's heart sank as he sensed the presence of the dragon's might.
The type of opponent he least wanted to face had appeared.
When facing spellcasters, mind warlocks often gain the upper hand with their unpredictable psychic abilities, such as interfering with spellcasting, spying on thoughts, and creating illusions—they have a natural advantage in these areas.
Moreover, this is a legendary dragon, not just a mind warlock.
Those vertical pupils slowly turned, locking onto Hosander completely.
Then, a voice resounded directly in the depths of his soul.
Just two simple words.
"Leave."
Hosander's chanting stopped completely.
He froze in mid-air, his withered fingers gripping the staff tightly, his knuckles turning white.
For a fleeting moment, he considered risking everything to try and complete the spell before the other party could interfere, even if it only destroyed half of the royal city, it would still give Theo an explanation.
But reason prevailed over impulse.
His chances of success against a legendary amethyst dragon who was well-prepared were extremely slim.
The silence lasted for three seconds. Hosander took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.
He didn't make any harsh statements, didn't try to negotiate, and didn't even glance at the capital again.
The crystal at the top of his staff spun rapidly, constructing a dark blue portal. He stepped into it and vanished.
In front of the Iron Wall Fortress.
Bosivar fell silent.
The Fate Hunter stared intently at the Red Iron Dragon, trying to discern something from its deep black vertical pupils.
Is it just bluffing, or... are they truly fearless?
A few seconds later, Bosiva seemed to receive some kind of message, and his expression froze.
"The legendary Amethyst Dragon... would actually guard the royal city for you?"
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the two Theo legends beside him changed slightly.
Amethyst Dragon? Isn't that a dragon known for its neutrality, reclusiveness, and refusal to intervene in kingdom conflicts? When did the Kingdom of Aura recruit such a legendary amethyst dragon?
Galus neither admitted nor denied it.
He simply looked calmly at the Fate Hunter, Percival, his deep black pupils reflecting the other's gradually darkening expression.
"The war is not over yet."
Red Iron Dragon spoke slowly, his voice like thunder rumbling across the night sky: "You have lost your eyes, lost your defenses, while I have only just finished warming up and just started to get serious."
Bosiva remained silent for a moment.
He gave Galos a deep look, then at the captured silver satellite, and finally turned away.
"retreat."
Two words: decisive and efficient.
Three streaks of light shot into the sky, streaking across the night sky and hurtling towards the Kingdom of Theo, disappearing into the horizon in an instant.
Galos watched them leave without rashly giving chase, then slowly withdrew his gaze.
Below, the sounds of fighting on the battlefield are gradually fading.
The defeat of Theo Legion was inevitable. The Aura warriors began to pursue the enemy, clear the battlefield, gather the wounded, and consolidate their positions. Flames still burned on the plains, turning the night dark red. The smell of scorched earth mixed with the stench of blood permeated the air.
Tick-tock, tick-tock, time slips away.
The territory of the Kingdom of Aura stretches out in the darkness and the glow of flames.
Theo's defeated army abandoned the border region and, under the protection of several legends, retreated all the way to the Emerald Mountains overnight.
This is also the last natural barrier between the two Aura Kingdoms. Once they cross the Emerald Mountain Range, the Aura Legion can advance unimpeded and rush into the main areas of the Kingdom of Theo, bringing the flames of war to the heart of Theo, rather than the peripheral areas.
Theo, the capital city of Silvershine.
The joyous atmosphere of the Flower Festival did not last long before it was completely shattered by the overwhelming battle reports from the front lines, and the entire capital was shrouded in a somber atmosphere.
The crushing defeat at the front made all the people realize that the Kingdom of Aura was not the weak and barbaric nation they had imagined.
The main headline of the Kingdom Daily has also changed.
The phrase "[The Red Iron Dragon's tyranny is crumbling, civilization will ultimately triumph over barbarism]" has been replaced with "[The ruthless Red Emperor seizes the satellite, and the despicable Kingdom of Aura invades the border region]".
(End of this chapter)
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