novelraw Chapter 345: Gorsas: Mad Fire? Mine!
Chapter 345: Gorsas: Mad Fire? Mine!
"Second stage? Interesting... No wonder you're ranked alongside me as a Map King. You're truly no ordinary opponent."
A flash of intense heat passed through the red iron dragon's eyes.
The Purple Crystal Lion King's powerful transformation didn't intimidate him—instead, it excited him even more.
Immediately, the red iron dragon's wings beat violently as he dove toward the transformed Purple Crystal Lion King.
The moment dragon claws met lion claws mid-air, the red iron dragon clearly sensed the surging, torrential power within his opponent.
At this moment, the Purple Crystal Lion King's power level faintly surpassed his own normal state.
"In that case..."
Garoth's thoughts raced, and he held back no longer.
Frenzied State, activate!
Crackle! Brilliant golden lightning burst from between his scales like living creatures, swirling and dancing around him.The red iron dragon's body visibly expanded once more, his already bulging muscles growing even more pronounced. The power flowing within him surged in levels, his physical attributes skyrocketing in every aspect.
Zap!
His speed exploded, becoming more acute as he gracefully avoided the Purple Crystal Lion King's purple flame-wreathed pounce with a backward leap, simultaneously twisting his waist violently.
His dragon tail tore through the air, striking the Purple Crystal Lion King's side ribs with impossible-to-dodge speed!
The lion king had no time to react. His massive body was instantly sent flying by an irresistible force, tracing a graceful parabola as he plummeted rapidly into the depths of Echo Rift.
Only then did the terrifying shriek of air torn by the tail strike finally spread through the area.
The red iron dragon didn't pause for even a moment. With wings fully extended, his massive body shot skyward, tracing a sharp arc as he dove into the rift after the falling lion king.
At the bottom of the rift.
In the deep crater formed by the impact, the Purple Crystal Lion King shook his dazed head and struggled to rise.
Seeing the approaching red iron dragon.
He abruptly opened his massive jaws, purple light blazing deep in his throat.
Then, a highly condensed energy breath seemingly composed of countless purple crystals burst forth.
This was the breath skill belonging to Amethyst Dragons. Upon contact with a target, it would trigger violent explosions, dealing both physical and psychic destructive energy damage.
Almost simultaneously, the red iron dragon inhaled deeply.
Crimson flames and dancing golden lightning surged and gathered in his throat, transforming into a blazing, frenzied flame thunder dragon breath that met the lion king's crystal breath head-on without retreating.
Boom!
Two torrents of energy collided violently mid-air, triggering an earth-shattering explosion.
The shockwave spread in a ring shape, shaking the entire rift's walls violently and making them groan. Countless massive rocks, unable to bear the strain, peeled off and tumbled down like a rain of stones.
The next second.
The red iron dragon, with golden lightning and Dragon Qi bursting from his body, tore through the area where flames, thunder, and spiritual energy still clashed. Like a meteor from beyond the heavens, he descended upon the Purple Crystal Lion King in the pit with unstoppable force!
The Purple Crystal Lion King had just recovered from the violent energy collision when his vision was covered by a massive shadow.
His neck was seized by a scorching dragon claw, his entire body pressed into the ground with brute force. Accompanied by a teeth-grating scraping sound, he was plowed through the ground for dozens of meters, creating a deep trench before finally crashing violently into the rear cliff wall and embedding within it.
The red iron dragon's four incredibly thick arms rose high.
The next moment, attacks carrying thunder, fire, and pure physical power poured down like a storm.
The Purple Crystal Lion King hastily condensed a layer of crystal-clear yet exceptionally resilient purple crystal armor over his body in an attempt to defend.
However, with each heavy blow that landed, the mountain wall emitted unbearable tremors, continuously denting inward as rocks flew in all directions.
The figures of dragon and lion gradually sank deep into the crater they had smashed.
After several seconds, enduring the painful blows, the Purple Crystal Lion King barely stabilized his shaken mind.
—Psychic Step!
His body instantly blurred, transforming into a fading afterimage as he broke free from the red iron dragon's death grip. His true form had already appeared on the open ground at the rift bottom a hundred meters away.
The purple crystal armor he had previously condensed had completely shattered and disappeared.
Even with the layered weakening of defensive skills and damage transfer, his main body still gained countless new wounds. The originally surging purple flames had become dim and thin, his aura severely weakened.
Boom!
Rocks exploded as the red iron dragon burst forth from the collapsed mountain wall crater with overwhelmingly powerful momentum. Once again, he stood imposingly within the Purple Crystal Lion King's sight, surrounded by golden lightning and Dragon Qi, his imposing manner even greater than before.
"Any other trump cards? Use them all."
The red iron dragon spoke calmly but received no verbal response.
"Such high intelligence yet unable to speak? Perhaps you never learned other races' languages."
His thoughts flashed, his gaze gradually growing sharper as he locked onto his opponent.
Across from him, the clearly weakened Purple Crystal Lion King still emitted an unyielding roar.
A purple crystal floating among his mane suddenly descended, then disintegrated, transforming into pure spiritual energy light that rapidly integrated into the Purple Crystal Lion King's body.
His external wounds didn't show much improvement, but his weakened spiritual energy fluctuations became vigorous once more.
Crunch!
The ground beneath his feet shattered from the giant dragon's impact, but the Purple Crystal Lion King's figure had already vanished from the spot.
The red iron dragon lifted his head, his gaze piercing through the drifting dust to lock onto the Purple Crystal Lion King, who once again radiated surging spiritual energy light as he tried to create distance.
With a sweep of his dragon wings that created an earsplitting sonic boom, he pursued once more at terrifying speed.
After suffering heavy losses in close-quarters combat, the Purple Crystal Lion King changed tactics, no longer confronting the red iron dragon head-on.
He began using various psychic skills at extremely high frequency—Psychic Shock, psychic lashing, mental shackles... conducting long-range interference and attacks while relying on Psychic Step to continuously perform short-distance blinking, employing extreme kiting tactics.
Whenever his own spiritual energy diminished from frequent spellcasting.
He would consume one of the floating purple crystals on his body without hesitation to replenish his spiritual energy, then repeat the process.
"This guy is trying to wage a war of attrition?"
After just a few minutes of high-intensity pursuit and confrontation, Garoth roughly understood the Purple Crystal Lion King's intention.
He likely believed that Garoth's current explosive Frenzied State couldn't be maintained for long. Relying on those companion crystals that could quickly restore spiritual energy, he prepared for a prolonged battle, betting that when Garoth's state ended and he fell into weakness, that would be his moment for counterattack and victory.
The concept itself was good, the choice not problematic.
Unfortunately, his opponent was Garoth. His judgment was completely wrong.
"These purple crystals on his body seem to be treasures containing highly purified spiritual energy... But I remember pure-blooded Amethyst Dragons don't possess this skill. Could it be a special talent emerging from hybrid bloodlines?"
Garoth's gaze swept over the remaining crystals on the lion king as he pondered.
For him, the once highly effective Faerie Dragon scale powder had gradually developed resistance from long-term use. Its enhancement of his mental strength had become minimal, causing his mental growth rate to lag behind his physical development.
This Purple Crystal Lion King might bring him a pleasant surprise.
Boom!
Dragon wings waving to create sonic boom clouds, the red iron dragon once again charged directly toward the continuously blinking Purple Crystal Lion King with suffocating pressure, forcing him to continue consuming spiritual energy and crystals for evasion and counterattacks.
As time passed minute by minute, the floating purple crystals on the lion king's body decreased one after another, being consumed.
His eyes gradually shifted from initial steadiness to anxiety and unease.
Until only two or three crystals remained on his body.
Staring at the distant red iron dragon—whose muscles bulged, golden lightning and Dragon Qi still blazing and boiling without showing any signs of weakness—he began deeply doubting the combat experience and understanding accumulated over countless years, questioning his lion life.
This explosive state... how could it possibly last this long?!
It must be fake!
However, the cruel reality gave him the truest answer.
He tried to escape, to completely distance himself from the dragon monster that seemed to know no fatigue.
The problem was, while short-distance Psychic Step gave him capital for entanglement and kiting, it couldn't match the red iron dragon's absolute flight speed.
Soon after.
With another intangible shattering sound, the mental barrier hastily constructed by the lion king was torn apart by the red iron dragon's pure strength. His spiritual energy once again fell to rock bottom.
And now, on his body, only one solitary purple crystal remained floating, emitting faint light.
In contrast, the red iron dragon still crackled with lightning all over, Dragon Qi surged powerfully, showing no signs of weakness. Maintaining his current state seemed as simple and natural as breathing to him.
Finally.
The Purple Crystal Lion King stopped his meaningless fleeing, landing on the ravaged ground at the valley bottom.
Facing the red iron dragon charging at extreme speed once more, he no longer dodged. Instead, his four limbs went soft, his massive body prostrating as he deeply lowered his head. Simultaneously, he opened his mouth and spoke clear, fluent dragon language, his voice filled with exhaustion and fear.
"I surrender, noble and powerful dragon. Please withdraw your wrath."
"I am willing to submit to you, offering my loyalty."
Thud!
The red iron dragon landed heavily, his steps shaking up a circle of dust.
A massive claw covered in scorching scales pressed down on the Purple Crystal Lion King's head. The latter offered no resistance, docile as a house cat, completely unlike his previous arrogance and ferocity.
"So you can speak."
Garoth lifted the Purple Crystal Lion King's massive head, examining him carefully with dragon pupils as he asked, "Why pretend not to understand language before? Playing deaf and mute?"
The Purple Crystal Lion King shamefully lowered his head, his voice as faint as a mosquito's:
"Because I thought that being taciturn, communicating only through roars, would add... add some imposing and ferocious demeanor."
Garoth: "..."
Silence enveloped the area for two seconds. The lion king's reason left him unable to refute.
"Recover."
The red iron dragon released his claw, his tone plain yet carrying an undeniable quality. "I still prefer your previous unyielding and arrogant appearance."
The Purple Crystal Lion King's expression turned serious. He immediately raised his head, emitting a low, authoritative roar, reclaiming the dominance of a Map King.
[As you wish]
He no longer used dragon language but instead employed psychic skills to directly transmit the general meaning contained in his roar into the minds of surrounding creatures.
With the Purple Crystal Lion King's submission, this battle between Map Kings thus came to an end.
Not long after, the lion pride—already retreating steadily under the Molten Iron Legion's offensive and nearing collapse—learned of their king's defeat and will. They too ceased resistance, prostrating on the ground.
Splash—!
Simultaneously, the first raindrop brewing for so long in the sky finally fell. Then, torrential rain poured down.
Countless water threads interwove into an immensely thick rain curtain, urgently washing away the congealed blood on warriors' armor, cold weapons, and sharp fangs and claws. On the ground, they converged into countless winding, flowing crimson streams.
Dragon flocks circled high in the cloud-covered sky, emitting victorious long cries.
The lion pride all prostrated in the muddy ground, showing submission.
The war between the two Map Kings ultimately concluded with the Lord of Molten Iron's victory.
Meanwhile.
In the central region of the Ser Wilderness, similarly shrouded by thick dark clouds and pouring rain.
A red dragon with scales bright as blood and an exceptionally massive build glanced disgustedly at the gloomy sky.
Raindrops falling on him were instantly completely evaporated by the extreme heat radiating from his body, forming swirling rising white steam that made him seem as if placed within a furnace.
Around him lay numerous torn, charred massive corpses. The scent of blood couldn't be completely dispersed even by the heavy rain.
"Map King? So weak yet worthy of being called kings?"
The red dragon Gorthax emitted a disdainful snort, extending his sharp claws to easily twist off the charred head of some giant monster leader still twitching beneath his feet. He casually tossed it into his mouth, his sharp teeth opening and closing with terrifying chewing sounds.
"Only I, Gorthax, am qualified to become the wilderness's sole ruler, the only king."
Slowly, as the battle ended and cold rainwater washed over him, a rare hint of contemplation appeared in the red dragon's eyes.
Recently, the claws and fangs under him had brought some fragmented, unclear messages.
They seemed to mention frenzied flame.
"Frenzied flame... If new frenzied flame has truly appeared in this wilderness, it must belong to me! It can only belong to me!"
The red dragon's eyes flashed with violent light.
He never believed his power completely originated from frenzied flame.
But this was his distinctive characteristic, his unique trait. Therefore, he regarded frenzied flame as an inviolable taboo, unwilling to see it appear on any other creature.
Because the messages he heard were too fragmented and vague, Gorthax still didn't know where the suspected appearing frenzied flame specifically was.
But he couldn't be bothered to distinguish the messages' truth or falsehood, nor willing to expend mental effort to ponder deeply. His chaotic mind couldn't produce good thoughts anyway.
Thus.
This powerful red dragon grew increasingly irritable, swinging his bone-spike-covered tail as destructive desires surged within him once more.
He decided to destroy something else, to please himself with lamentation and flames.
Finally, he suddenly waved his massive dual wings. Terrifying high temperatures instantly evaporated the rain curtain around him as he carried endless brutality, charging toward some kingdom stronghold in his memory.