novelraw Chapter 108: The Key to Victory
Chapter 108: The Key to Victory
Under the vast and profound night sky, the fierce battle between the hybrid dragon and the Diamond Stone Giant finally came to an end.
When the battle concluded.
The tension in his nerves and muscles slightly eased, while his excited mind and body gradually returned to normal.
What followed was a tidal wave of exhaustion and pain.
Garoth touched his head.
One of his horns had broken off. Twisting his neck to scan the surroundings, he saw his severed dragon horn embedded deep into the Diamond Stone Giant's arm, with dense cracks radiating from the impact point.
He stretched his body unsteadily.
The pain from both inside and outside made Garoth grimace.
The dragonfall strike that surpassed his limits had killed the Diamond Stone Giant, but it had also left Garoth severely injured.
He felt at least three of his ribs were broken.Dragon blood flowed from his wounds, pooling on the ground.
This condition was just one step away from critical injury.
It had almost reached Garoth's limit.
This battle against the Diamond Stone Giant had been truly perilous and arduous.
The Diamond Stone Giant's overall prowess was actually superior to Garoth's.
Standing firmly on the ground, relying on its formidable defense and regenerative abilities, it could ignore most of Garoth's attacks, while its own strikes could penetrate Garoth's scaled armor and inflict real damage.
But in the end, Garoth had won.
By luring the Diamond Stone Giant away, engaging it in prolonged combat while feigning weakness to lower its guard, then having his vassal legion arrive to attack its camp and distract it, Garoth had finally revealed his trump card—delivering the fatal blow with his ultimate strike.
"I won by striking first, by preparing in advance, by careful planning."
Garoth reviewed the battle silently.
Had the Diamond Stone Giant been prepared, the outcome might have been entirely different.
Despite its superior life level and raw power, the Diamond Stone Giant had died due to negligence and obvious vulnerabilities exploited by Garoth.
This made Garoth deeply realize:
Even after becoming stronger, unless he reached a level where he could sweep aside all obstacles with absolute power, he needed to remain cautious and not let arrogance or overconfidence dominate him.
Especially when taking risks—he must think thoroughly and not act on impulse.
Strength was the key to victory, but not the only factor.
The Diamond Stone Giant was a stark warning.
Just because it reacted slightly slower, Garoth had been able to plan and strike first. Despite its greater strength, it had been led step by step into the quagmire, ultimately meeting its demise filled with resentment.
"The threat posed by the Stone Giants is resolved."
"I can finally live peacefully again."
"I hope the days ahead will be less turbulent, allowing me to develop steadily."
With his territory's development on track, Garoth didn't want too many unexpected incidents.
Putting aside his thoughts, Garoth's gaze swept over the Diamond Stone Giant's shattered remains.
With its death and the extraction of its diamond core, its once-gleaming body had turned ordinary. Yet the broken fragments still shimmered with diamond-like luster—not ordinary diamonds, but magical ones infused with flowing magical energy.
The Diamond Stone Giant's remains were a considerable fortune.
Traded, they could fetch Garoth large quantities of black oil or other resources. Alternatively, he could consume them directly—such magical diamonds were highly beneficial for developing his claws, fangs, scales, and bones, enhancing their hardness, sharpness, and magical resistance.
The only problem:
He had to fight against a dragon's innate hoarding instincts.
"Eating a little each day can promote growth while training my resistance to treasure's allure."
Thinking this, Garoth picked up a fist-sized magical diamond, took a deep breath, and reluctantly swallowed it despite the overwhelming urge to keep it.
Next, he picked up a second piece.
This one lingered in his mouth, nearly impossible to swallow, as if every cell in his body resisted. Garoth felt extreme reluctance.
But ultimately, he steeled himself and devoured the second piece as well.
When attempting the third, Garoth waged an intense internal battle against his desires, his face twitching and body trembling, unable to bring himself to eat it.
Still, this was progress.
Previously, he couldn't even consume two magical gemstones consecutively—now he'd reached the third.
"Someday, I'll be able to devour all my treasures without batting an eye."
Garoth mused.
The Diamond Stone Giant's remains were too scattered to collect easily, so he left them for now, taking only the most precious diamond core with him as he took flight, returning to the Stone Giant camp.
The battle at the giants' camp wasn't fully over yet.
Led by Gluttonous Ogre Karu, Garoth's vassal legion was still besieging the remaining Stone Giants.
Several sorceresses had enhanced Karu with buffing spells, and Warlord Bloodfang had boosted his attributes with combat auras. Now, the Gluttonous Ogre faced the Granite Stone Giant head-on without any disadvantage.
His heavy punches and kicks landed brutally.
Striking the taller and bulkier Granite Stone Giant, they sent stone fragments flying and dust cascading down.
Boom!
The Granite Stone Giant punched Karu, sending him flying backward.
But before it could aid other giants, the Gluttonous Ogre steadied himself.
His feet shattered the ground as he shot forward like a cannonball, slamming bodily into the Granite Stone Giant's chest.
With a dull crash,
The Granite Stone Giant's chest armor cracked in a spiderweb pattern, stone shards scattering like shotgun pellets.
Its massive body staggered back, fury etched on its stony face as it swung its arm at Karu.
The Gluttonous Ogre met it head-on, stone fist against meaty fist, the impacts resonating dully.
"Taste my SUPER MAGIC FIST!"
Karu suddenly stepped back, raising a massive fist and roaring.
Hearing this, the Granite Stone Giant grew wary, eyes fixed intently on the ogre's fist.
The next moment,
Karu threw his punch, and the giant swung to meet it.
Upon collision, the Granite Stone Giant felt puzzled—this strike seemed no different from before.
Simultaneously, Karu's maw gaped open, revealing a thick energy ball already charged within.
"Trickster!"
The Granite Stone Giant's pupils contracted.
BOOM!
Karu fired the turbid energy sphere point-blank into the giant's chest, blasting it off its feet to crash heavily onto the ground.
Before it could rise,
Karu's stocky form leaped atop it, fists hammering down in a furious storm of blows, leaving the Granite Stone Giant unable to rise, its body riddled with fractures and craters.