Defeating the World with the Power of One Dragon!

Chapter 401: Decision, Garoth’s Confidence and Backup

"The Fungus King's territory has been attacked, war has broken out."

After hearing Iron Dragon Sorog’s urgent message, the Red Iron Dragon’s eyes narrowed slightly, glinting with thought.

The Fungus King's domain is vast, occupying almost the entire southern part of the Ser Wilderness.

And the south is precisely the area that borders the southern kingdoms most closely, the first to feel any blow.

If any kingdom decided to carry out a so-called purge of the wilderness, the Fungus King's lands would inevitably be the first target.

Moreover,

the surface coverage of spreading fungal carpets, and the many creatures controlled by fungal spores that move like walking corpses… in terms of outward menace and visual shock, the Fungus King is one of the regional kings who must be eradicated first.

In earlier internal discussions, Garoth had already anticipated this.

Therefore, the Molten Iron Tribe had long ago planned ahead, deploying a large number of scouting followers around the Fungus King's territory.

Among them were stealthy, perceptive scout creatures as well as numerous tamed or utilized flying birds and beasts, all meant as a contingency.If the Fungus King's territory were to suffer a large-scale attack, the Molten Iron Tribe would receive a warning immediately.

When it came to intelligence gathering and layout, the Molten Iron Tribe had always been the most thorough among the regional kings.

And now, that prior deployment was finally paying off.

"We have forward scouts who saw it with their own eyes. A sword's radiance tore the sky, shot straight up, even ripping a huge hole through the clouds."

Iron Dragon Sorog's voice grew heavier.

He added, "Judging from this... I believe it is very likely a Legend personally intervened."

The regional kings of the wilderness were not to be trifled with; for those human kingdoms to handle them decisively and efficiently, sending a Legendary to oversee the operation was almost the only choice.

Legendary... chewing over that word made the Red Iron Dragon uneasy.

Only a Legend can take down a Legend.

Legends are hard to defeat.

Below Legends are mundanes.

Such phrases echoed in his mind, making him nervous and unsettled, making him feel his life was under threat, and his gaze sharpened coldly.

This kind of emotion hadn't surfaced in Garoth for years.

This was no trivial matter.

Sorog quickly pulled Iron Dragon Gordon and Red Dragon Samantha into the mental network and explained the situation as fast as possible.

"Do we go to aid the Fungus King immediately?"

Then Iron Dragon Sorog spoke rapidly, "If the southern regional king is quickly crushed, our central region could easily be next. If the regional kings can temporarily unite, we might buy some time together to resist the Legendary's assault."

Garoth suppressed the turmoil in his mind and gave a slight shake of his massive head.

I said, "Elina, he’s not that reckless."

"Rushing to ally with the other regional kings now has no substantial meaning."

Hearing this, Iron Dragon Sorog took a deep breath, calming his agitation and gradually returning to his usual composure and rationality.

Compared to Garoth, in the face of a huge crisis he had lacked some serenity.

"You’re right, I was indeed a bit hasty moments ago."

Sorog admitted.

He calmed himself to think it through and realized there was no need to unite with the other regional kings.

Putting aside whether those regional kings could truly set aside past grievances and unite without reservation,

the most important point was the chasm between Legendary and non-Legendary — an abyss hard to cross.

A Legendary's power is not something a few non-Legendary strongholds can simply resist by joining forces.

If numbers alone could kill a Legendary, then the very life threshold that had vexed so many heroes — something even dragons needed long years to overcome — would not be so impenetrable and despairing.

"The might of a Legendary is undeniable, but our dragon host is by no means weak!"

Red Dragon Samantha’s fierce voice rang in the mental network, "Just like when we hunted down Gorthax together, assembling dragon power for a siege could also kill a Legendary!"

"No, Samantha, this situation is completely different from when we hunted Gorthax."

Sorog immediately dismissed that overly optimistic idea and spoke rationally, "First, we no longer possess that precious magic item, the Duel Array Disk, to limit movement. Second, even if we had one, it wouldn’t trap a Legendary."

"Besides, the enemy did not come alone. There is an organized legion accompanying them."

A Legendary leading an army is far more dangerous than the solitary Red Dragon Gorthax of old.

At that moment, the Red Iron Dragon’s steady voice sounded again, "Immediately dispatch more elite scouts, use every available surveillance method, watch every movement in the Fungus King's domain."

Sorog responded at once, "Understood!"

After a pause he asked, "Should we also call all the lords and the entire dragon host into a war posture? Or… prepare to withdraw from the wilderness if necessary?"

Garoth did not answer immediately.

This was a major strategic decision that could affect the tribe’s future and even his own path, so it had to be handled with extreme caution.

At the same time, Iron Dragon Gordon, who had been silent in the mental network for a moment, suddenly spoke and brought unexpected information.

"I just informed Elina of the general situation and asked her for related intelligence."

"Elina used the celestial instrument to observe the Fungus King's territory remotely and fed back some key information."

He paused, speaking clearly, "The purge operation is being carried out by the Divine Kingdom of Theo’s Legendary Sword Saint, 'Unfinished Sword' Kailos."

"This person rose to Legendary during the federation’s civil war, breaking through amid the flames of battle."

"He is a relatively young Legendary, level 21."

With the end of Lothrian Federation’s civil war, Elina’s trading relations with the dragon host had been effectively severed.

However, perhaps because of the special connection with Gordon, or because she still harbored a long-term investment view toward the dragons and Garoth, she did not seem prepared to cut the line entirely.

At least the information she provided now was crucial for Garoth.

The Red Iron Dragon’s spirit suddenly surged, and he immediately said, "Tell Elina there will be returns in the future."

Then he said gravely to Sorog, "Prepare both war and retreat simultaneously."

His voice was steady, carrying a determined resolve; a decision had been made.

Preparing both plans at the same time also meant that Garoth’s heart leaned toward facing this Legendary Sword Saint head-on. Whether he would eventually retreat would be decided after the fight.

Until now, the biggest uncertainty had been the lack of concrete intelligence on the enemy Legendary.

The unknown had been the prime source of fear.

Now he knew the enemy’s identity, pathway, and exact level — level 21.

That was vital for the Red Iron Dragon.

There are also power differences among Legendaries.

A level 21 versus a level 22 or 23 Legendary — while not the chasm between mundane and Legendary — still reflects distinct tiers of strength.

If a seasoned high-level Legendary had come, evasion and saving strength would clearly be the best choice.

But a level 21, newly promoted Legendary human Sword Saint?

Garoth was cautious by nature, but he was not a coward who would back down without grounds.

Through dragon heritage knowledge, gathered information, and his own accumulated experience, he had a rough understanding of the Legendary realm.

He knew that while Legendaries are formidable to the pinnacle of mundanes, they are not utterly invincible.

For example, a normal level 20 great dragon, though likely unable to defeat a level 21 human Legendary outright, could use its naturally robust body and immense life force to hold out for a time.

Not necessarily instantaneously killed on sight.

With Garoth’s draconic body, a level 20 mundane peak forged by repeated adaptive evolution… apart from domains, the Legendary’s attribute values are not necessarily higher than his.

Furthermore, the Sword Saint is an advancement of the Warrior Path, specializing in offense and damage. They are relatively lacking in wide-area control, strange curses, and space-sealing auxiliary and control skills.

This meant that even if Garoth ultimately lost in a direct confrontation, he had considerable confidence that, using his evolved, stronger, faster dragon wings, he could retreat immediately.

Meanwhile, Sorog sensed Garoth’s intent from his words.

He did not offer admonitions like "fighting a Legendary is too risky."

Over the years he had watched his brother's style of action closely.

Garoth never fought without a firm grasp.

If he had decided to engage a Legendary, it at least showed he believed he had some life-saving assurance, perhaps even a chance to win.

Sorog did not hesitate, replying solemnly, "Good! I’ll arrange it and issue the orders now!"

After a brief, swift exchange, this urgent mental communication ended for the time being.

At the convergence lands training ground, the Red Iron Dragon exhaled a hot breath that condensed into a short white mist in the air.

He did not panic and dart off to the wilderness upon learning the Legendary was coming. Instead he remained, methodically stretching and relaxing his muscles and joints. His black-red scales reflected a cold metallic sheen — like a war machine warming up.

At the same time, he used a communication device to contact followers developing in the south.

Recent movements of the Divine Kingdom of Theo and intelligence about Unfinished Sword were being rapidly collected by the Gem Merchant Consortium and the Spark Monastery, and reported to him through Nick.

"What’s wrong? Your aura suddenly became so heavy."

Nearby, Gold Dragon Alberto sensed Garoth’s change in state, stopped his training, and came over to ask.

"I might soon face a human Legendary head-on."

Garoth did not hide anything. He briefly explained the attack on the Fungus King's domain and the appearance of the Divine Kingdom’s Legendary Sword Saint to Alberto, then asked, "If I fight a level 21 Legendary Sword Saint, what do you think my chances are?"

Alberto had seen — and even felt — the power of Legendary dragons firsthand.

His understanding of the Legendary realm was more direct and profound than Garoth’s, and Garoth knew this and did not hesitate to seek his opinion.

"A human Legendary... well, at least it’s not a dragon Legendary."

Alberto revealed a thoughtful expression.

He sized up Garoth’s formidable body and said, "I can’t speak for other dragon domains, but in the Vophal Dragon Domain as I know it, aside from seniors who have already entered the Legendary realm, no young or adult dragon carries the kind of presence you do."

He measured his words, evaluating cautiously, "You may not be a match for those Legendary dragons yet."

"However, facing a level 21 human Legendary Sword Saint? I think... you should at least be able to contend with him, hold him to a draw. At worst, with your defense and speed, escaping alive should be no problem."

Garoth pressed, "Hold or lose? Is there no chance I could win?"

Alberto shook his head, his expression turning serious, "Garoth, you must understand, after all, it’s a Legendary!"

The existence of a Domain already places them nearly invincible. This is a qualitative leap after an ascension of life; take the Lothrian Holy King for example. When he was level 20, he only managed a draw against an ordinary Legendary and couldn’t break the opposing Domain."

The Gold Dragon warned gravely, "You haven’t experienced Domains; you don’t know how impervious they can be."

"Fighting a Legendary is possible, but don’t get carried away. Don’t throw away your retreat paths for a momentary thrill."

Garoth offered no reply.

He had some contact with Domains before.

They were astonishingly hard, but not absolutely unbreakable in the truest sense.

Otherwise even a weakened Domain would have been impossible to breach at that time.

Still, Alberto’s advice was sound.

Garoth was not a reckless brute who wanted a death match for pride; survival meant a future.

The Red Iron Dragon turned his gaze to Alberto and extended an invitation, "Join me to reverse-attack a Legendary? If we succeed, it would be a tremendous feat."

Alberto’s face lit with strong interest, but in the end he sighed and shook his head regretfully.

"Garoth, I would love to fight at your side. If I had reached level 20, I would not hesitate to stand with you against the Legendary. But right now, my level gap is too great."

"Recklessly joining a conflict at this level would not help; it would become a burden."

Then he changed tone, speaking with gallantry, "But rest assured! Since we are allies, I Alberto will not stand idly by while you face a great enemy or are slaughtered by a Legendary without doing anything!"

"I will go observe near the battlefield."

"If you are completely outmatched, or retreat becomes difficult, stall and buy time dealing with the Legendary as best you can! I will immediately send a distress signal to the Vophal Dragon Domain."

Good — this Gold Dragon was not uselessly harbored.

He could be relied upon in a crunch.

Garoth felt a flash of satisfaction and nodded.

Given his cautious nature, once he decided to engage a Legendary he would do everything to stack advantages and prepare multiple layers of security.

Alberto’s presence was undoubtedly an important safety valve.

Also, he knew this battle was necessary.

Its purpose was not to prove his exact strength or chase the glory of reversing a Legendary; Garoth valued substance and had no interest in superficial honors.

The crucial matter was:

For the Molten Iron Tribe to hold onto the territory it had taken in the Ser Wilderness, this fight was unavoidable!

Now that the Lothrian Federation had dissolved and the southern nations’ nominal joint authority over the wilderness no longer existed, future competition in the wilderness was naked survival of the fittest.

In the coming wilderness, the weak and backward would be beaten and carved up at will!

Garoth needed a victory to show the southern kingdoms the tribe’s muscles and fangs — to tell them he was not a soft target to be trifled with!

Strike with a single powerful blow to avoid a hundred weaker ones!

Only by demonstrating a strength that commands fear could they secure room for survival and development.

"Vira."

The Red Iron Dragon called in a low voice.

"Yes!"

A subtle ripple appeared in the air and the small figure of the faerie dragon appeared instantly, surprise on her face at being summoned.

She then beat her wings in mild confusion and circled Garoth half a turn.

"Garoth, how did you know I was nearby? Has your perception become so sharp now? You can see through even my perfect concealment?"

Garoth replied simply, "Instinct."

He paused, then instructed, "I’m preparing to head to the wilderness. Relay the message to Deborah to reassure her, and notify all the valley's follower leaders to raise their alert level. But without my order, do not act rashly."

"Okay! Mission guaranteed! Loyal!"

The faerie dragon Vira puffed out her tiny chest and assumed a solemn face, pretending sternness as she replied.

Garoth no longer delayed. His broad wings flapped violently, whipping up fierce gusts, and his massive body rocketed like an arrow toward the clouds.

Gold Dragon Alberto followed without hesitation, beating his wings to trail as a streak of golden light.

High above, biting cold winds and flying ice met them.

Alberto shouted over the roar of the wind, "Are we heading straight to the Fungus King's territory to fight that Legendary Sword Saint?"

"No, there's no need to rush so recklessly."

Garoth shook his huge head, looking toward a certain direction in the wilderness, "Before a formal encounter with the Legendary, we’ll stop by another place first."

Alberto asked curiously, "Where to? Who?"

Garoth said, "To see your sister, Nasha."

He was going to add one more layer of insurance.