novelraw Chapter 356: Father, I'm here to kill you!
Chapter 356: Father, I'm here to kill you!
Ser Wilderness, Sky Pit Territory.
A massive shadow tore across the sky, its scales flashing a chilling sheen like blood-colored armor.
“My dear Leticia, my treasure, are you not willing to come out and greet me?”
Gorthax circled in the heavens, each beat of his wings whipping up fierce gusts.
He lifted his head and released a thunderous roar, a deep, oppressive dragon song that echoed in layers through the air. Then he suddenly folded his wings and dove from great height.
With an ear-splitting thunder, he crashed into the ground, creating a deep pit.
The red dragon shook his head, dangerous light flickering in his eyes.
Almost at the same instant, a dragon silhouette shot out from the largest lair.
Leticia stopped before the red dragon, every muscle taut with high alert, dragon pupils brimming with wariness.
She demanded, “Gorthax, what business do you have here, coming into another’s territory instead of staying in your own?”Gorthax flicked his tail nonchalantly and surveyed the surroundings as if merely taking a stroll.
“Relax, Leticia.”
“I just wanted to catch up, why so tense? Would I harm you? Impossible.”
His tone sounded easy, but those burning dragon pupils never stopped searching for something.
Suddenly his gaze swept the area and his tone shifted.
“I remember when this Sky Pit Territory was barren, scorched earth everywhere, still smelling of meteor heat, not even the hardiest spikes could survive.”
His eyes passed over the now lush vegetation and he continued, “Now it’s so full of life and green, it seems you really poured countless efforts into this, Leticia.”
“Gotta say, this soft green isn’t really my taste, but it does have its own charm.”
Gorthax wagged his thick tail with amusement. “How about showing me around? Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever properly admired this territory’s sights.”
At those words, Leticia’s gaze flickered and she privately guessed his motive.
Her claws tightened and dug into the rock beneath her.
Sorog’s earlier suggestion — using news of the frenzied flame to lure Gorthax — had clearly taken hold and drawn him here.
Even if it were mere rumor, given Gorthax’s obsession and fixation on frenzied flame, whether true or not he would investigate personally.
Besides, the frenzied flame had first appeared here with meteor landings.
Even if it had not been fully gathered back then, some residual embers might remain.
That was reason enough.
“Gorthax, don’t hem and haw.”
Leticia sneered and cut to the chase, “You came for the frenzied flame, didn’t you?”
Gorthax registered that, then burst into a loud laugh that rustled the leaves: “You really know me! The one who understands me best will always be you, Leticia.”
He stopped laughing and pressed the question: “So, my dear Leticia.”
“Have you seen any trace of the frenzied flame? Even the slightest hint?”
At the moment, Gorthax’s mood seemed relatively stable, showing no clear malice.
He even kept a friendly air, which only made Leticia more wary.
Leticia knew well his temperament was mercurial and his anger unpredictable; this calm could easily be the calm before a storm.
If she failed to satisfy him, the mad dragon could erupt at any moment.
The immediate priority was to keep him steady while hiding any irregularities.
Leticia’s mind spun as she subtly called to her descendants and kin, her face a mask of undisguised disgust as she scolded, “Look at you now, Gorthax! The frenzied flame has burned you nearly senseless, turned you into a beast that acts only on instinct, with not an ounce of wisdom left!”
“What else is in those eyes besides burning madness?”
She stepped forward, her voice threaded with restrained fury: “And yet you still seek more of that flame? Hopeless, utterly foolish! Do you have to let that fire consume you completely before you’re satisfied?”
That reaction risked provoking the red dragon, but it was Leticia’s natural character.
Being overly gentle or submissive might instead arouse suspicion.
Faced with her blunt, contemptuous rebuke, Gorthax’s expression darkened instantly.
Danger flashed across his pupils and the air grew scorching with his wrath.
Yet he seemed to notice something, his feral look slowly fading as he resumed his boisterous grin, unconcerned.
“You’re wrong, Leticia.”
“The frenzied flame is fully under my control now. I am stronger and keener than ever.”
“Now I simply refuse all constraints, no more pretense.”
He spread his wings, displaying his robust body: “Do as I please, without restraint, without taboo…that’s the life I’ve always craved. That unbridled freedom is something an order-bound, rule-following iron dragon like you will never understand.”
Gorthax paused and regarded Leticia.
“But from what you just said, I do hear some concern.”
“Leticia, you still care about me? Want to rekindle old times? Hard to blame you — just look at me now, so magnificent and powerful.”
A teasing edge crept into his tone. “Say the word and I’ll grant you anything you wish.”
Disgust almost seeped through Leticia’s faceplate.
She forced down the urge to retaliate, her tail slapping the ground in impatience.
She had no desire to parley further, but needing to steady the situation, she answered, “Recently, while I was away from the territory, some reckless adventurers sneaked in.”
“They were driven out by my followers, but they seemed to find something.”
“After that, rumors about the frenzied flame began to spread.”
Leticia paused and watched Gorthax’s reaction. “I don’t know if they actually found anything or just spread lies, but if you want to pursue the frenzied flame, that’s all I know.”
She gestured across her domain. “Search carefully here yourself.”
“But I warn you, Gorthax, don’t harm a single plant or stone of mine. Once you’re done, leave my territory at once.”
Allowing the red dragon to search the Sky Pit Territory on his own was an effective stalling tactic.
The territory wasn’t vast, but thoroughly scouring every corner would still take time.
Hearing this, Gorthax spread his enormous blood-colored wings and chuckled, “Fine, but you must accompany me, Leticia.”
“Searching alone is dull, and you might help me identify the traces those adventurers left.”
Leticia’s face remained cold as she refused decisively: “I have no interest in joining your madness.”
The smile vanished from Gorthax’s face in an instant; his gaze snapped to lethal intensity and dragon might pressed down like a mountain, seeming to freeze the air around them.
“You may refuse.”
His voice was eerily calm, like a sea before a storm, “But I promise, this place will be scorched to barren ground in moments, returned to the desolation I prefer.”
“You should know I always follow through.”
With that he beat his wings, ascended, then in midair turned to stare at Leticia, waiting for her decision.
Leticia fell silent for a few seconds.
Finally, under Gorthax’s stare, she spread her wings and rose slowly to follow.
“Good, that’s the Leticia I admire.”
Gorthax smiled in satisfaction.
Accompanied by Leticia, he began circling above the Sky Pit Territory.
Two clusters of fire seemed to ignite within his chest as he carefully sensed and scanned every inch below, searching for any trace of the frenzied flame, leaving no suspicious sign unexamined.
While circling and probing,
he casually asked, “By the way, Leticia, have you heard the name Lord of Molten Iron recently?”
Leticia’s pupils tightened.
Her heart skipped, but many years of experience returned her calm quickly.
For a moment she feared their alliance plan had been exposed, but in watching Gorthax’s reaction it seemed it might have been a casual question or a probe; she needed to handle it carefully.
She kept her face composed and answered frankly, “You mean the newly risen ruler in the northwest region? A fellow dragon who has been gaining much attention lately.”
“It’s said he conquered several Map Kings and now rules the northwest.”
Gorthax snorted in displeasure.
“A cocky, ignorant crawler, a clown that popped up from who knows where.”
He sneered, “Soon enough I’ll personally twist off his head and let every dragon know who truly rules this wilderness.”
At that Leticia’s gaze flickered again and she tentatively said, “The wilderness is chaotic and dangerous; conquests are constant.”
“The Lord of Molten Iron is still of dragon blood, perhaps coexistence is possible without an all-out war.”
“Another ally is better than another enemy.”
She paused and added, “Besides, I’ve heard he carries red dragon blood; in some sense his lineage is close to yours.”
Gorthax laughed and blew two scorching flames from his nostrils, thick with contempt.
“Close lineage? Meaningless.”
A twisted, cruel smile crawled across the red dragon’s face. “Oh, if that lineage serves any purpose, it’s that ending him would be twice as exhilarating.”
“Imagine.”
“When my claws pierce his chest, when I crush his heart in my grasp, wrench his neck…feeling a similar bloodline stop beating—that’s pure delight!”
Leticia fell silent, saying nothing more.
At the same time,
in the northwest of the wilderness, on an open plain,
the massive form of the red iron dragon stood on the ground.
Before him stood Amethyst Dragon Lion, Holy Spirit Deer, and Phoenix — three enfeoffed lords, solemnly arranged.
They had been summoned for a single task — to be sparring partners for the Lord of Molten Iron.
On one hand,
the Amethyst Dragon Lion’s psychic strikes that attacked the mind, the Holy Spirit Deer’s attacks imbued with divine harm, and the Phoenix’s shockingly sharp beak strikes… every attack capable of affecting Garoth was used in precise drills, repeatedly stimulating and strengthening his defenses and resistances, making his body gradually more unbreakable through adaptation.
On the other hand,
the more they participated in this training, the deeper their reverence for Garoth became.
They could hardly find any obvious weakness on the red iron dragon.
What frightened them further was that the effectiveness of their attacks seemed to visibly diminish; this Lord of Molten Iron continued to grow stronger without pause.
Suddenly,
the red iron dragon, who had been enduring the three lords’ attacks, trembled sharply.
“Stop!”
The three lords immediately halted and looked at Garoth in confusion.
The training ground fell silent.
By usual custom this session had just begun; they hadn’t even finished warm-ups. Garoth normally trained until the stars filled the sky, until every lord was exhausted.
Beneath their puzzled stares,
a succession of complex emotions — excitement, hesitation, solemnity — flashed through Garoth’s eyes. His claws tightened instinctively, scales rasping softly as his body tensed, inner waves surging.
Garoth had received a mental message from Sorog.
He already knew that Gorthax the red dragon was currently in the Sky Pit Territory.
Leticia would try to stall him, and now was the best moment to deal with this dangerous and powerful Mad King.
After a brief, rapid deliberation, Garoth’s turbulent emotions settled into a fathomless calm and, beneath that calm, a resolute determination.
Father, I’m here to kill you!
“Everyone, follow me!”
“Surround and annihilate the Mad King Gorthax!”
Garoth’s gaze swept over the three lords as he spoke in a low voice.
At the same time, Gold Dragon Alberto and Lord Flower Shire also received the message.
While Gorthax was still circling the Sky Pit Territory, lost in his pursuit of the frenzied flame, powerful figures were already streaking like arrows from all directions of the wilderness, converging swiftly to encircle the Sky Pit Territory.