Defeating the World with the Power of One Dragon!

Chapter 408: When will you become the King of the Wilderness?

Divine Kingdom of Theo, Iron Crown City, military stronghold, Far Regions Strategy Office headquarters.

Inside a wide and solemn hall, the atmosphere was so heavy it felt like water could drip from it.

A massive magical crystal ball hovered mid-air, steadily emitting a dim blue radiance. Within it, a clear aerial view of the distant Ser Wilderness, specifically the Silent Plains, was displayed.

From the moment the Unfinished Sword and the Lord of Molten Iron confronted each other across the distance.

To the moment the two erupted into a world-shaking, earth-shattering battle, dragon breath and sword beams tearing apart the sky and the earth.

Then to the moment the red iron dragon, with an overwhelming, crushing momentum, brazenly shattered the Kaleidoscopic Sword Domain, and finally covered the Legendary Sword Saint's body with its claws, grinding his life and glory into dust together.

Each of these heart-palpitating scenes was projected and played back by the magical satellite.

Finally, the image froze on the scene of the legendary gold dragon descending and conversing quite amicably with the red iron dragon in a somewhat eased atmosphere.

Below the image was a dark, dense mass of Divine Kingdom of Theo soldiers kneeling on the ground, their weapons discarded like scrap iron, surrounded by dragon flocks and countless monsters, and the area of the massive crater where Kailos had fallen, a region that seemed to be silently mocking something.

A deathly silence firmly enveloped the entire room.The air seemed to solidify, even the sound of breathing was barely audible. Only the flickering light of the magical crystal ball added to the oppressive atmosphere.

Marquis Marcus's face was ashen, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were white and trembling slightly from the excessive force.

The generals and senior staff officers standing beside him also had tense expressions, their pupils shaking with earthquake-like intensity, filled with disbelief and an inability to accept reality.

"Kailos... died under the claws of that wilderness dragon?"

"He was a legend tempered in the blood and fire of the Federation's civil war! In the prime of his life! The entire kingdom believed he still had immense potential to tap, that he could even become one of the kingdom's pillars in the future! Not long ago, His Majesty the King personally awarded him a medal of honor."

"How could he possibly be killed by a mundane creature? It defies reason!"

"Is there a possibility... that our magical satellite..."

A senior staff officer said with a dry voice, but his words grew softer and softer until he fell silent, speechless.

The possibility of the kingdom's heavily funded and maintained magical satellite being hacked or tampered with was so low it was negligible.

Now, the bloody fact was laid bare before their eyes, leaving them no choice but to believe.

The Unfinished Sword, in whom they had placed high hopes and sent to seize the initiative for the kingdom in the chaotic Ser Wilderness and re-establish control, had actually been beaten to death by a so-called regional king of that area, a dragon they hadn't paid too much attention to before!

Moreover, the soldiers who followed Kailos had also become the other side's prisoners.

This was a result the Far Regions Strategy Office had never considered when formulating the pacification plan.

They had anticipated that those regional kings might unite in a desperate, last-ditch resistance, might use the terrain for guerrilla harassment, might even secretly collude with other kingdoms to seek external aid... But no matter how they calculated, they never expected that the Lord of Molten Iron entrenched in the northwest and central regions could actually kill a kingdom legend head-on.

The room fell silent once more.

Not long after, another staff officer's voice broke the silence, saying, "The legendary gold dragon that appeared at the end... based on an analysis of its flight trajectory, it can be confirmed it originated from the Vophal Dragon Domain."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the two other young gold dragons in the frozen image who were clearly closely connected to Vophal.

"The appearance of a legendary gold dragon in the Ser Wilderness, and it seems to be conversing quite amicably with the Lord of Molten Iron, plus there are two young gold dragons... Could this mean that there exists some kind of... previously unknown connection between the Lord of Molten Iron and the Vophal Dragon Domain?"

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a fierce voice.

"Isn't that already obvious enough?!"

Marquis Marcus slammed a fist onto the heavy tabletop made of hard ironwood, producing a dull, thunderous bang.

He almost roared, saying, "We've all been deceived! Hoodwinked by that cunning red iron dragon!"

"He is no lucky upstart who just happened to rise in the wilderness! Behind him stands the Vophal Dragon Domain! Stands those self-proclaimed righteous, yet equally greedy metal dragons!"

Simultaneously, standing beside the Marquis, a Deputy Director with a gloomy expression added in a low voice.

"The Director is right! A mundane creature, even if he is a dragon, how could he normally stand up to a legendary powerhouse in perfect condition, let alone kill him in such an unbelievable manner?"

"But if he has the Vophal Dragon Domain backing him from behind, providing powerful support, then everything makes sense!"

"With a powerful dragon domain backing him, this Lord of Molten Iron naturally acts without fear! His ability to kill Kailos was probably also reliant on powerful equipment provided by the dragon domain."

This statement made the surrounding personnel's hearts skip a beat.

Regardless of whether it was due to equipment, the Lord of Molten Iron's own power was now undeniably formidable, troublesome and headache-inducing enough.

If behind him there was also a powerful gold dragon family, or even the entire Vophal Dragon Domain supporting him... then the significance of this matter was completely different. This was no longer a simple border conflict or cleanup of wilderness natives, but something that could very likely escalate into a direct confrontation and diplomatic crisis between the Divine Kingdom of Theo and a powerful dragon race faction!

To be fair, their Divine Kingdom of Theo was not weak.

But compared to a dragon domain, they still fell short by a lot.

Although there was an Empire above that wouldn't sit idly by and let a dragon domain run rampant, such minor matters could only be resolved by themselves.

"Those metal dragons! Usually putting on an appearance of moral integrity and strict adherence to order! But in secret, they are hypocritical and cunning!"

Veins bulged on Marquis Marcus's forehead as he angrily denounced.

"They surely covet the resources of the Ser Wilderness, but are unwilling to personally get involved, tarnishing their so-called 'goodness' and 'orderly' reputation, so they chose to secretly nurture an evil dragon as a proxy! What a clever scheme!"

"What about metal dragons and Five-colored Dragons being irreconcilable enemies?"

"What about good dragons and evil dragons being sworn enemies?"

"It's all a hypocritical act to deceive other races!"

"In the face of true interests, they are all birds of a feather! A bunch of arrogant, conceited, greedy, and shameless giant lizards! Potential enemies of all human nations!"

The more Marquis Marcus spoke, the angrier he became.

Pacifying the Ser Wilderness and re-establishing the kingdom's authority there was originally a strategic plan he had pushed forward.

If successful, in these chaotic times with the political landscape of various nations still unstable, he would have surely rendered great service to the kingdom, gaining many benefits and further favor from the king.

Yet now, the harsh reality was like a resounding slap, striking him hard across the face.

A legend with boundless prospects had fallen in battle, a large number of compatriots were captured.

It was foreseeable that his days in Iron Crown City would not be pleasant from now on.

Accountability from the king, attacks from political rivals, pressure from the military... all would come one after another.

Marquis Marcus inwardly wished he could mobilize an army at any cost, skin and dismember that red iron dragon, completely erase the entire Molten Iron Tribe from the map of the Ser Wilderness, to vent the hatred in his heart!

But his remaining reason told him that the development of events had now exceeded his control.

How to recover the losses to the greatest extent and reduce the negative impact of this incident on the kingdom was now the most urgent problem he needed to think about and solve.

"Immediately transmit the order!"

Marquis Marcus forcibly suppressed the churning fury and sense of humiliation, forcing himself to calm down, and issued the command in a hoarse voice.

"All military action plans surrounding the Ser Wilderness are to be comprehensively suspended effective immediately! Without my direct command, no troops are to enter the wilderness further, nor engage in any form of conflict with the Molten Iron Tribe, to avoid further escalation of the situation."

"Then... what about the captured soldiers? How should we handle..."

A staff officer hesitated for a moment, then mustered the courage to ask.

Marquis Marcus closed his eyes, painfully squeezing the words out from between his teeth.

"Send people... to attempt contact with the Molten Iron Tribe in a moderate manner, to discuss the matter of ransoming back the prisoners."

"The terms... can be appropriately relaxed. As long as the other party's demands are not too excessive, they can be considered."

Humiliation!

What an utter disgrace!

A legend fallen, the kingdom's heritage and prestige damaged, a large number of compatriots reduced to prisoners, and now they, these proud people of Theo, had to humbly go negotiate with a bunch of wilderness barbarians, monster chieftains.

Marquis Marcus felt a blazing flame burning in his chest.

It was a pain mixed of extreme anger and humiliation.

But given the currently complex and dangerous situation, no matter how much anger and unwillingness he had, he could only forcibly suppress it, swallow his teeth and blood.

Although the Divine Kingdom of Theo was quite powerful, its domestic political situation was newly stabilized, and externally there were also neighboring countries watching covetously and numerous pressing troubles awaiting resolution.

To go to war with a powerful evil dragon lord and the legendary gold dragon behind him, and possibly the entire Vophal Dragon Domain...

The risks and cost were simply too great.

However, this matter would absolutely not end here.

Marquis Marcus secretly swore in his heart that once the kingdom's other troubles gradually subsided, once the domestic situation stabilized, the Divine Kingdom of Theo would never forget the deep humiliation and losses suffered in the Ser Wilderness.

That vast and fertile land would never be willingly given up.

Meanwhile.

Lothrian, Valdo Palace, Star Observation Tower.

Crystal Princess Elina, and the iron dragon Gordon, who had a close relationship with her, were inside a spacious, massive hall.

Before them, the celestial instrument was projecting a three-dimensional image that was even clearer than the one in the Divine Kingdom of Theo, even capable of giving people a sense of immersion.

The image displayed was also the battle on the Silent Plains.

Seeing the Lord of Molten Iron crush the Legendary Sword Saint to death with one claw, Iron Dragon Gordon only felt his blood surging, his heart full of envy, and also some contemplation.

Simultaneously, a thought involuntarily sprouted in his heart.

"Why is it always Garoth who attracts the attention of the masses every time? And not me?"

He fell into deep thought, a look of confusion and contemplation mixed on his dragon face.

"Could it be that my previous thinking was wrong? He is the true dragon ordained by destiny? And I, merely because I am one of his blood relatives, can only be sheltered by him, sharing a portion of the weight of destiny, and therefore can repeatedly encounter smooth sailing, turn danger into safety?"

Gordon pondered thoughtfully.

Meanwhile, standing beside the iron dragon, Crystal Princess Elina also had a deep look of contemplation in her eyes.

Regarding this battle between the Lord of Molten Iron and the Legendary Sword Saint, her original expectations had not been optimistic. She had even mentally prepared herself, thinking that Gordon's blood relative brother, who had operated in the wilderness for so long, might suffer a crushing defeat under this forceful intervention by the kingdom, facing devastating blows.

However, the final result far exceeded her expectations.

The Lord of Molten Iron's power was truly unimaginable, and he even seemed to have connections with the Vophal Dragon Domain, having backing.

Individual power strong enough to slay a legend, plus a profound dragon domain background... Elina quickly realized she needed to further adjust her strategy towards the Molten Iron Tribe.

Another point worth mentioning.

Ever since the reappearance of the Holy King and the end of the civil war, although the Lothrian Kingdom had won unprecedented prestige and stability, it also faced numerous long-accumulated internal affairs that needed handling.

The vast Ser Wilderness was naturally an indispensable part of the kingdom's future strategy.

Elina had long ago made a request to her brother, King O'Brien, stating that she had been consistently monitoring the changing situation of the Ser Wilderness and hoped she could be primarily responsible for diplomacy and affairs related to the wilderness.

And King O'Brien, after consideration, had agreed to her request.

Therefore, Elina was aware of the news that the Divine Kingdom of Theo's Legendary Sword Saint Kailos had led troops into the Ser Wilderness.

This was also why she was able to so quickly pass the crucial intelligence about the "Unfinished Sword" to the Molten Iron Tribe through Gordon.

This was both a gesture of goodwill and a probe of the Molten Iron Tribe.

Originally, her follow-up plan was to wait until Kailos swept away those so-called regional kings with overwhelming force, then dispatch long-prepared personnel to intervene as mediators or representatives of the Lothrian Kingdom, pluck the fruits of victory, bringing the Ser Wilderness into Lothrian's sphere of influence, at least in some regions.

But now, the development of the situation had completely deviated from the script she envisioned.

Not only had Kailos failed to pacify the wilderness, he had instead left his own life there forever, the Unfinished Sword broken.

The Lord of Molten Iron had demonstrated formidable power and background.

"Eradicate the Molten Iron Tribe?"

This thought flashed through Elina's mind, but she immediately shook her head slightly, instantly rejecting it.

To forcefully push a powerful entity that could become a friend or ally into a hostile position was undoubtedly the most foolish decision in the world.

Crystal Princess Elina pondered for a moment, already having reached a decision in her heart.

She planned to transform the previous limited cooperative relationship with the Molten Iron Tribe into a deeper alliance, establishing a more solid and profound binding of interests.

The Lord of Molten Iron's growth speed, the potential he had displayed, and the background he was now connected to.

All these were worth the Lothrian Kingdom continuing to increase its investment.

"Gordon, ask your brother for me."

Crystal Princess Elina smiled slightly and said, "Is he interested... in becoming the true and rightful ruler of the entire Ser Wilderness—the Wilderness King?"