novelraw Chapter 411: Dragon Breaks the Heavens 24
Chapter 411: Dragon Breaks the Heavens 24
Tempered by war and settled by peace, a series of events like a hand of fate slowly brushed across every inch of the Ser Wilderness’s domains.
As of today.
The central and northwestern regions of the wilderness, under the rule of the Molten Iron Tribe, have blossomed with unprecedented vitality, order restored, and strength rapidly increasing.
In the south, with the Fungus King falling to the Legendary Sword Saint—and that once-arrogant Legendary Sword Saint finally reduced to ashes under the red iron dragon’s claws—this unclaimed land is, without doubt, poised to be annexed into the Molten Iron Tribe’s territory.
Now, only the rugged mountainous area in the northeast still harbors another regional ruler
—the Mountain King.
A powerful hill giant.
He commands a large gathering of giant kin.
These exiles from the Thalassian Continent followed the Mountain King’s footsteps, crossing countless barriers, finally finding shelter in the northeastern corner of the Ser Wilderness.
Not long after the Lord of Molten Iron brazenly killed a human legend in open combat,the news spread like a gale, sweeping through every corner of the wilderness.
Whether it was residents of settlement hubs like Ximu Town that rely on the tribe, merchants and well-informed wanderers who crisscross the wastes, or bloodthirsty adventurers, all were deeply shocked and awed.
Even before this, the Lord of Molten Iron’s ferocious reputation and might had echoed across the wilderness, ranking him among the foremost regional rulers.
Red Flame Scourge, Wings of the Skyrend, Earth’s Devastator, and so on.
…People, with reverence and fear, gave him many imposing titles.
After the death of the Legendary Sword Saint, his renown soared to its peak, instantly making him the most famous, unmatched presence in the Ser Wilderness.
At this moment, every intelligent being living on this land,
regardless of race or allegiance, carved the name Lord of Molten Iron into their memories, knowing that this red iron behemoth possessed the strength to slay a legend.
And not just within the wilderness.
His fame burst beyond the wasteland’s borders.
The red iron dragons and the Molten Iron Tribe officially entered the sight of the southern nations’ rulers.
Many realized for the first time that in that land regarded as savage wilderness, a dragon overlord called the Lord of Molten Iron perched there, and under public gaze, accomplished the feat of killing a legend.
With his rise in fame, rumors and legends about the wilderness and the kingdoms proliferated.
Some said: the Lord of Molten Iron is actually an ancient dragon who has long reached the Legendary tier.
He is eccentric, fond of disguise, and wanders among mundane beings to experience life.
Some said: the Lord of Molten Iron is very young.
He possesses a once-in-decades talent, able to strike down a legend, killing one with a single blow.
Some said: his dragon-handling methods are overwhelmingly strong.
Though he is an evil dragon, he is close with the orderly Metal Dragons, with a deep background that breeds jealousy.
There were even stranger claims: the Lord of Molten Iron was born in one of the Metal Dragon domains and is an ill omen.
Because he formed a forbidden bond with a descendant of the domain’s lord, he was exiled. Furious, he swore to grow stronger, even making a “three-hundred-year pact” with the domain, vowing one day to break through the domain itself.
These rumors around the Lord of Molten Iron fermented and spread—some grounded in partial facts, others pure fabrication.
Regardless, the name Lord of Molten Iron resounded far and wide.
Many intelligent beings believed this mighty dragon’s ambition would not be satisfied with the status quo; he aimed to rule the entire Ser Wilderness and become the true Wilderness King of these vast dominions.
That assessment was not wrong.
Garoth had resolved to unify the wilderness.
He would found a nation here, letting the Molten Iron Tribe take a dramatic qualitative leap and make a crucial step forward.
After a period of discussion, Garoth and his blood kin made a plan:
first remove the Mountain King entrenched in the northeast, then spend time consolidating control over the wilderness, assimilate the gains, and finally proclaim kingship and found a realm.
At this moment, the mind-net remained connected.
The Ignas Dragon Cluster was discussing the detailed strategy to defeat the Mountain King.
“The Mountain King’s territory lies entirely within the towering ranges of the northeast,”
the iron dragon Sorog spoke with his usual calm, “those mountains are dense, ravines crisscrossed, terrain perilous—few flat lands and few passable roads. It’s the most rugged, harsh region in the Ser Wilderness.”
“In such terrain, assembling large legions for a direct assault is inefficient.”
Red dragon Samantha immediately replied, her thoughts always direct and destructive: “Then don’t bring a legion!”
Speaking from Garoth’s perspective, she said with fiery tone, “If I possessed Garoth’s power, I would go alone, and with dragonfire reduce the giants hiding in rock crevices and their lairs to ash.”
“Legends aren’t even my match—why need a legion to slaughter a bunch of giants?”
Iron dragon Gordon, rare to agree with Samantha on anything, nodded and added, “Samantha’s right, I lean toward that plan as well.”
Garoth did not immediately respond, instead reflecting quietly.
Then Sorog addressed the two slightly militant blood kin: “You two tend to get arrogant after victory. Don’t forget how the Ignas Dragon Cluster rose from nothing to where we are.”
“Caution and steadiness have always been our first principles, paramount above all.”
He paused, then intensified his tone: “The Mountain King and his giant tribe have long held that mountain domain and almost never venture out. Their patterns are unusually low-key, and we still do not know what they are plotting deep within the ranges.”
“Moreover, that area contains an unstable Abyssal Rift.”
“These are points we must be wary of. We cannot grow complacent just because of a temporary advantage.”
Listening to his blood kin’s conversation, Garoth spoke.
“The northeast mountains are treacherous, not suited for gathering a legion for conventional warfare.”
“Some time has passed since I felled that legend, but the Mountain King remains unnervingly quiet; that is odd itself.”
“He may have something to rely on, or he may be preparing something.”
“Out of caution, I will not choose to go alone to attack.”
He pondered a second, then issued the order: “Here’s the plan: select a portion of followers to accompany us. Their main duty will be post-battle cleanup, taking over the northeast, establishing strongholds, and maintaining order.”
“Prior to that, I will personally lead the dragon cluster, together with three lords, to attack the Mountain King, striving to capture him in one fell swoop.”
The steep mountain terrain could not prevent dragons from soaring, nor would it hinder the few powerful lords.
They could, in a short time, clear obstacles for Garoth, hold off giant rabble interference, and create the conditions for Garoth to focus entirely on combating the Mountain King.
As for the accompanying followers...
Frankly, aside from a few strong leaders, ordinary follower soldiers provide limited value in battles of this caliber.
Like legions that follow a human legend.
For Garoth now, followers’ value lay mainly in post-battle order maintenance and territory administration.
Of course, this stabilization work mattered.
Otherwise, with only a limited dragon cluster, how could they effectively govern an expanding domain?
Also, given Garoth’s growth speed, if he hoped his follower army to be more useful in the future, acquiring and mastering army-array magic would be crucial.
Army-array magic is a class of magic developed specifically for large-scale warfare.
Through complex formations, ritual procedures, and resonant runes, ordinary soldiers are linked and aggregated; once a legion is large enough, it can form a colossal collective energy comparable to a legend.
In previous southern nations’ civil wars, army-array magic played a remarkable role.
Sadly, such powerful war magics are treated as core secrets by kingdoms and tightly controlled.
If the Molten Iron Tribe wants to obtain them, there appear to be only two paths.
One, rely on themselves, investing long time and vast resources to research and experiment independently; two, somehow obtain them from the recently allied Lothrian Kingdom at some cost.
Meanwhile, the three dragons who heard Garoth’s final decision reacted differently.
Sorog calmly said, “Alright, then it’s settled. I’ll be responsible for mustering the dragon cluster and notifying the other lords.”
Gordon said dejectedly, “Hmm... I’ll cheer you on from the royal court, waiting for news of your triumphant return.”
Samantha exclaimed excitedly, “Wonderful! I can’t wait! Those giants will be completely buried by our dragon cluster!”
After a brief exchange, consensus was quickly reached among the dragons.
That “consensus” ultimately was always finalized by Garoth’s hammer strike; the Ignas Dragon Cluster worshipped and trusted him almost blindly, rarely contradicting his final decisions.
Therefore, when Garoth deliberated, he seldom revealed his own thoughts first.
He preferred to listen to his blood kin’s opinions, draw valuable suggestions, discover overlooked flaws, then synthesize all information and issue the most prudent command.
Soon after, the discussion about the campaign concluded and the mind-net was closed.
The red iron dragon flew into the whirling blizzard, unfurling his enormous wings and executing difficult rolls, dives, and abrupt stops in the biting wind to rouse his body.
During a pause, a snow-white dragon silhouette approached.
It was white dragon Trixie.
Upon approaching, she first offered sincere congratulations for Garoth’s slaying of the legend.
Her congratulations were heartfelt, because with Garoth’s ecological niche and renown rocketing upward, as one of his earliest core followers, her own standing rose sharply.
Then she shifted topics and reported on the progress of her mission.
“The dragon academy I mentioned before is now fully completed.”
“It’s located in a part of the convergence lands where wind and snow are especially harsh—an environment ideal for tempering young dragons’ will.”
She paused slightly, the white dragon Trixie flicking her long tail with pleasure and baring her stark white fangs.
She grinned and said, “From now on, all dragons in the tribe below the youth tier will receive more systematic and stricter education and... discipline at this academy.”
“I believe they will be cultivated into dragon talent useful to the tribe.”
During this time, she had led many below-youth dragons and some followers to build the Great Dragon Academy.
Just a few days ago, the project was declared completely finished.
Garoth said, “Good. When I have time, I’ll personally inspect it.”
Trixie nodded, then added, “By the way, I originally intended to name it the White Dragon Academy, but after reflection I felt that name wasn’t suitable, so I thought of a new name.”
Garoth, intrigued, asked, “Oh? What’s the new name?”
Under his gaze, white dragon Trixie solemnly replied: “Name it directly after you—Garoth Academy.”
“That way, every young dragon who studies and grows in this academy will, from day one, always remember whom they serve and know whom they will fight for.”
Hearing this, the red iron dragon was briefly stunned, then let out a throaty laugh that echoed in the blizzard.
“Fine, that’s a good name.”
He approved the name.
A moment later, as usual, Garoth sent the message of his journey into the wilderness via a faerie dragon messenger, then launched toward the Ser Wilderness.
The dragons’ execution was unquestionable.
In less than a day, the dragon cluster participating in this expedition and the three summoned lords gathered at the designated location.
Besides the Ignas Dragon Cluster, the Dominik Dragon Cluster, which had submitted to him, was also present.
Every dragon present was at least of the youth tier or higher, radiating ferocity.
Amid the multicolored dragon cluster, one especially striking golden figure was intermingled.
Gold dragon Nasha.
Garoth’s gaze fell on Nasha, and he asked, “Are you sure you want to take part in this operation?”
The gold dragon nodded, her eyes gleaming with excited battle intent.
She said eagerly, “If this were an ordinary territorial fight among wilderness races, I wouldn’t be interested. But giants? Ha, that’s different.”
“I’d be delighted to fight side by side with your dragon cluster and remind those giants of the fear once imposed by dragon wings.”
Most internal wilderness disputes center on survival resources and territorial dominance and do not usually concern moral alignments; orderly, benevolent gold dragons typically stay out of such conflicts.
However, when giants are involved, the situation is entirely different.
During the second era when many races united to resist dragon hegemony, giants had often been the vanguard at the forefront of resistance.