novelraw Chapter 413: Breakthrough at the Line? Four Claws Shatter a Legendary Dream!
Chapter 413: Breakthrough at the Line? Four Claws Shatter a Legendary Dream!
Mountain winds howled as they tore through the steep, scaled rock faces, emitting intermittent wails.
The once-silent colossal range of boulders was now frozen by an air of grim intent. Though sunlight still fell from the sky, it seemed to have lost all warmth.
Led by the mountain-mighty Mountain King, the entire giant host stood ready in battle formation.
They stood silently on the earth, and from a distance they looked like one powerful hill after another.
At the very front stood the largest of them, a hill giant whose muscles clung to his frame like bedrock.
Their skin was as coarse as rock weathered for millennia, almost blending perfectly with the surrounding terrain. In their hands they gripped enormous wooden clubs as thick as house beams, or massive battle axes tempered and shining with cold light, their thrown shadows carrying a suffocating oppression.
Slightly farther back stood a smaller number of other giants.
Some had dark red skin and radiated a scorching, distorted heat—these were the fire giants—while others were stocky and heavy, as if carved from whole blocks of granite—the stone giants.
Not a single one lacked powerful, stormy energy fluctuations.
Clearly, all of them were adult elite warriors.At this moment, every giant’s expression was solemn and grave, heads raised in unison, eyes fixated on the heavens.
Dragon silhouettes darkened the sky, turning the day briefly bleak.
At the forefront stood the Lord of Molten Iron, a massive and unrivaled physique radiating a ferocious aura honed by countless blood-and-fire battles. His thick black-and-red scales were etched with deep battle-hardened patterns; even surrounded by so many dragons, he shone like the brightest star in a night sky, the undisputed center of attention.
Beside him hovered several other powerful dragons of differing forms.
Red Dragon Samantha beat her wings plated with alchemical scales; scorching breath issued from her nostrils, warping the air itself, and her dragon pupils, alight with warlike flames, stared intently below. Iron Dragon Sorog stood as solid as a mountain, black-iron scales reflecting sunlight; he wore a specially constructed helmet that exposed almost only his eyes.
Gold Dragon Nasha and Blue Dragon Zoraya emanated even stronger dragon might.
The Amethyst Dragon Lion, the holy spirit deer, and the phoenix each held their stations, their powerful presences second only to the Lord of Molten Iron. Further back, younger and adult dragons formed a dread-inspiring aerial array.
Neither side struck first rashly.
They were all observing each other with extreme care.
In the midst of their standoff, the air felt frozen; even the mountain wind seemed to sense and hold its breath.
Finally, under the watchful gaze of the Red Iron Dragon, the Mountain King Grumm broke the balance first.
He took a heavy step forward, his shoulder height surpassing forty meters; the ground trembled at each footfall, stones leaping.
Among the main giant races, hill giants have always been famed for their immense size.
In his hand the Mountain King gripped an archaic yet terrifyingly powerful battle axe—the Earth Sunderer.
He merely set it down casually onto the earth, and with another clear vibration, a deep, bottomless chasm instantly propagated outward from the strike point, displaying unrivaled might.
The Red Iron Dragon narrowed his eyes slightly, and his sharp gaze locked onto the Mountain King’s weapon.
From that axe he distinctly sensed a trace of danger, something reminiscent—though not as intense—of the feeling he once faced against that Legendary Sword Saint.
“This blade bears a conspicuous nick on its edge, and many cracks run across its heavy face. It’s very likely a damaged legendary-grade weapon.”
Garoth assessed quickly and calmly in his mind.
That the Mountain King possessed a legendary weapon was not something Garoth had expected beforehand.
Still, he did not grow nervous; rather, he felt only an added dose of necessary caution.
He understood well that no matter how fine the equipment, its true worth depended on who wielded it.
Even a flawless legendary weapon could not be fully utilized by the Mountain King’s strength—let alone this one, which was damaged.
Across the giant ranks, the Mountain King Grumm had long ago shed the initial resentment and determination that had flared when the dragon host first arrived. Now he had returned to mountain-like composure, quickly thinking through other possible means to avert this crisis.
After a few seconds of silence, the Mountain King spoke, his voice rolling like a boulder through the hollow valley.
“Mighty Lord of Molten Iron, your renown has spread to all corners and reached my ears. Your feat of slaying a legend inspires genuine awe within me.”
His gaze was as solid as rock, fixed upon the towering Red Iron Dragon, his tone humble.
“We giants and your honored dragonkind do carry deep grievances left over from ancient times, but at root we are not born enemies.”
“My people and I have fled here only seeking a place to sustain our race.”
“For decades since we settled here, we have never once initiated aggression into Molten Iron territory.”
“I, Grumm, am willing to coexist in peace with the Molten Iron Tribe.”
Under the Deep gaze of the Red Iron Dragon, the Mountain King continued, “We can become your most steadfast ally—no, even your vassal! I will regularly offer the resources we gather to the mighty Molten Iron Tribe. I only beg that you allow us to retain this last homeland so my kin may reproduce and continue our bloodline.”
While showcasing his formidable power and the legendary weapon, he lowered his posture and spoke with sincere, almost pleading tones.
This made him appear not overly threatening.
However, this was not genuine submission.
The Mountain King’s true intent was to buy time and seize a chance to catch his breath.
As long as he survived the present danger, then with time, by drawing upon earth vein energy to break through to the Legendary realm, he could repay any price tenfold.
The Dragon Legacy records note that hill giants are among the slowest of thought in the giant categories. Their natures are steady like mountains, and they are stubborn, blunt, and not inclined toward subtle scheming.
If Garoth had been facing another dragon whose trust in the legacy ran deep, that dragon might have accepted Grumm’s words at face value.
But Garoth had seen too many dragons who could not be judged by ordinary rules—the conquest-hungry Gold Dragons, the outwardly stern but devious Silver Dragons, the White Dragons who could deduce ecological niche theory. He knew group impressions from the legacy were for reference only.
Still, he weighed the situation calmly.
If the Mountain King truly chose vassalage, that could bring longer-term benefits greater than destroying him and starting anew.
Garoth’s gaze was sharp and steady as he looked down at Grumm on the ground.
“It’s clear your compromise is aimed at preserving your kin’s survival.”
A low, authoritative voice issued forth as he presented his condition: “Peace? Very well.”
“Then first, hand over your weapon as proof of sincerity.”
Grumm hesitated, pain and difficulty showing on his face. He explained, “Respected Lord of Molten Iron, the Earth Sunderer is my father’s last reliquary. It carries our tribe’s legacy and honor. Only a warrior with pure hill giant blood can activate its inner power.”
Garoth’s expression did not change; he calmly offered another demand.
“That does seem an unreasonable request. In that case, I’ll make a simpler one.”
His tone was even. “You will sever one of your own arms and then come alone with me to the heart of Molten Iron territory. There, we can sit and negotiate the specific terms of vassalage.”
On the earth, Mountain King Grumm sank into deeper silence, turmoil surging within.
Surrendering his treasured legendary weapon, or going alone into the core of the Molten Iron Lord’s territory, either choice carried unbearable risk.
Should the dragon turn on him, without terrain advantage or allies, death would be certain and resistance impossible.
He could not stake his life and the tribe’s entire future on the uncertain mercy of one dragon.
Seeing Grumm offer no reply, Garoth’s gaze grew colder.
“I see no genuine sincerity in you. It appears your so-called submission is merely a bluff to buy time.”
How keen and swift Garoth’s mind was.
He had guessed the Mountain King likely had some backup or trump card needing time to prepare—that explained why Grumm had stood his ground here for decades and not expanded.
At that moment, the dragon wings that had shadowed the sky suddenly unfurled. The wing membranes began to flow and blaze with a scorching crimson glow, billowing like banners in the wind.
“Crush them.”
The Lord of Molten Iron issued the final command for the assault in a calm voice.
“Arrogant dragons! I will personally lop off your head and adorn my throne with it!”
Seeing negotiations fail, the Mountain King ripped off any vestige of restraint and roared a fury that could shatter surrounding stone, his voice rumbling like thunder.
“Warriors! For the honor of the giants! Follow me—kill!”
At his war cry, the assembled giant warriors, as if plucked by the same string, released a synchronized, world-shaking roar, their battle fervor erupting!
In an instant, dragon roars and giant bellows interwove into the prelude of war.
At the same time, at Garoth’s command, the massive dragon host that had been coiled in the sky launched a ferocious initial attack like oppressive storm clouds.
From the outset, the dragons leveraged their natural aerial advantage to seize absolute initiative.
They did not hurry to land and engage the giants on the ground where they excelled. Instead, dominating the skies, they unleashed overwhelming high-to-ground assaults.
Blue Dragon Zoraya circled elegantly and lethally at high altitude.
With each sweep of her enormous wings, countless verdant lightning bolts poured toward the ground.
These thunder-arrows—laced with potent toxins and paralyzing effects—penetrated the fire shields fire giants tried to form, and stiffened the movements of the tough hill giants, producing large patches of necrosis on their skin.
Around her, squadrons of blue dragons summoned raging vortices and thunder that battered the ground where the giants stood.
Red Dragon Samantha likewise did not precipitously dive into the close-quarters brawl she loved.
From her flight height, alchemical runes gleamed in the depths of her throat as she gaped her jaws.
Explosive fireballs enhanced with special rune magic rained like meteors onto densely packed giant formations.
When the fireballs detonated, they turned into sticky, inextinguishable flames, making the giants scream in pain and rage.
Iron Dragon Sorog kept a safe distance and used his masterful Mind Sorcerer skills; invisible ripples of spiritual energy disrupted the giants below, especially interfering with any giant sorcerers attempting to cast, causing spells to backfire on their casters.
Gold Dragon Nasha displayed a different combat style.
She became a streaking beam of light that brazenly plunged into ground formations, alternating scorching flames, freezing frost, thunderous strikes, and stone-armored defense. She wielded the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind with skilled efficiency, tailoring attacks to each giant type and felling many in her wake.
The Amethyst Dragon Lion, the phoenix, and the holy spirit deer—all with average levels above eighteen—were similarly unstoppable.
Other young and adult dragons formed squadrons, using breath and claws to dive onto giants or provide ranged strikes.
Although the giants had immense physical strength and defense, they were passive and clumsy when confronting flexible, multifaceted assaults from the sky.
Hill giants and stone giants hurled massive boulders.
The dragons, nimble in the air, easily beat their wings to dodge.
Fire giants spat long-range fire attacks; those too failed to hit the highly mobile dragons.
After a short but fierce exchange, a hill giant champion second only to the Mountain King gave a deafening roar.
“Raise your arms! Let these arrogant flying lizards feel the weight of the earth!”
At his command, all hill giants ceased pointless ranged attacks.
They tilted their heads and roared, thrusting their thick, pillar-like arms skyward with palms aimed at the ravaging dragons above. A heavy, primal earth energy surged from their burly bodies into the ground, resonating strongly with the terrain beneath their feet.
Instantly!
A low, shocking hum rolled across the battlefield.
In a flash, a massive gravity field covering the entire field was generated, as if an invisible giant hand had pressed down on that space.
Dust in the air suddenly felt many times heavier and plunged earthward.
The dragon host attacking from the sky all felt their bodies sink; it was as though countless tenacious chains had materialized and bound their wings and torsos. Flight that had been effortless instantly became arduous; maintaining altitude became taxing, and they involuntarily began to descend.
This was the anti-air skill mastered by their natural adversaries, the hill giants.
By collectively channeling earth energy, they formed a powerful regional supergravity field, precisely to counter those in the sky.
“You can’t fly now, can you, you damned crawlers! Come down!”
A mountain giant watching the dragons slow to a crawl smiled and hefted his stone club, muscles tensing to greet foes soon to plummet out of control.
But in the next moment, something happened the giant host could hardly believe.
Under the sudden supergravity, the dragons’ flight had indeed grown heavy and sluggish—but not a single dragon fell out of control as the giants had predicted or hoped.
At the necks, wing roots, or sturdy wrists of each dragon, small metal ornaments engraved with complex runes suddenly lit with steady brilliance.
Runes flowed without end, emitting stable energy waves that hugely counteracted and nullified the gravity’s influence.
Dragonkind have always been proud and seldom willing to rely on external items, particularly alchemical tools; they trust their innate claws, breath, and tough scales more than artifacts.
But Garoth’s dragon host was different.
For one thing, these anti-anti-air alchemical devices were nearly standard issue for every dragon in their force.
“Foolish buffoons! Did you think we came without preparation?”
Samantha unleashed a sharp, mocking dragon roar.
Seizing the giants’ momentary shock, she launched a charging dive. High-temperature molten slashing blades, glowing with dangerous red light, ejected from her claws and easily sliced the neck of a stone giant.
The dragon host intensified their onslaught.
Although the giants’ anti-air tactic had failed, this was still their long-cultivated territory; they retained home-field advantage, and their numbers exceeded the invading dragons. For now, there was no sign of a one-sided collapse.
The dragons and giants quickly plunged into a brutal, heated exchange.
Yet the most crucial place on the battlefield remained the duel between the Lord of Molten Iron and the Mountain King.
They had moved away from the main conflict and engaged in a king-to-king duel among remote, perilous peaks.
Here only jagged stones and knife-like cliffs witnessed the duel of rulers.
The Mountain King stood erect on the ground, his shoulder height over forty meters accentuated by the echoing mountain rock behind him, making him seem even more imposing.
In sheer size pressure, he even surpassed the Red Iron Dragon.
Facing the Mountain King armed with a legendary axe, Garoth did not underestimate him.
At the fight’s start, he unreservedly activated Frenzied State and Bloodburst State; he planned to open the heat-accumulating Crimson Lotus Form opportunistically during the battle.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Heartbeats like ancient war drums exploded from his strong chest; muscles beneath his black-red scales bulged terrifyingly, bristling with explosive power.
Golden arcs of electricity danced across his body with sharp snaps.
The Star-of-Self Helmet formed, greatly amplifying perception.
The Star-of-Self Arms manifested, initiating a four-arm form.
In an instant, Garoth’s speed, strength, and neural response—all attributes—lifted to a new tier; his overall momentum surged violently.
The Mountain King felt the oppressive aura emanating from him and dared not relax.
A flash of ferocity passed his eyes as he gripped the thick haft of the Earth Sunderer and stepped forward. His heavy step cracked the ground; then he swung the axe to strike first.
The axe screamed through air, slicing a nearly twenty-meter-long earth-colored blade of energy like a crescent plowing the atmosphere toward the Red Iron Dragon.
This blade’s speed did not match the Legendary Sword Saint’s beyond-vision attack, nor did it carry a guaranteed-hit effect.
Yet the Red Iron Dragon, who was its target, suddenly felt crushed as if an invisible giant hand grabbed and squeezed him, his movements stiffening.
Clearly, this was an effect the Earth Sunderer conferred.
Garoth narrowed his eyes and shot his wings out to the limit.
Crimson energy shimmered across the wing membranes like flowing flame, unfolding into a glorious pair of luminous wings.
With one sweep, an immense force launched forth, tearing apart and dissipating the invisible squeeze.
The Red Iron Dragon easily avoided the solid axe-blade.
Whoosh!
Almost simultaneously with dodging the blade, Garoth opened his maw and fired a destruction breath orb, its potency slightly less than a linear breath but far more flexible and rapid, hurtling straight toward the Mountain King’s face.
The Mountain King reacted quickly; seasoned in battle, he did not dodge, but calmly raised the broad face of his axe as a shield and swept it across the incoming breath!
A violent explosion tore out, a conflagration and shockwave spreading.
The Mountain King was blown backward several paces, the air ahead of him filled with scorching flame.
However, before the flames dissipated, razor-like dragon claws had already shredded the fire-screen and slammed hard toward his head!
“Trapped!”
Unexpectedly, instead of fear, a grin split across the Mountain King’s face.
Unlike many of his rough-natured hill giant kin, Grumm combined brutish strength with acute subtlety and keen tactical senses.
When he saw the Lord of Molten Iron emit that breath orb, Grumm instinctively anticipated that a close-range burst might follow as cover and had readied a response.
While his body was shoved back by the breath, he shoved the heavy haft of the Earth Sunderer down into the ground.
Earth Vein Cleaver!
Boom—crack!
Centered on the axe’s point of contact, an irresistible invisible force ripped the earth wide open. A violent energy shockwave surged toward Garoth’s comparatively vulnerable abdomen as he advanced through the flames.
Smaller stones on the path were instantly pulverized by the shockwave; lingering flames were violently dispersed.
The air seemed to be plowed into a transient vacuum channel.
Garoth remained composed in the face of the sudden counterstrike.
His evolved wings twisted at an unimaginable angle and vibrated at high frequency, forcing a near right-angle upward turn in his high-speed dash to avoid the direct brunt of the Earth Vein Cleaver.
Nonetheless, the shockwave radiating from the attack’s edge still brushed his form.
Garoth’s body jolted, tiny fissures blossomed across his scales, but they did not split; his internal organs felt a slight upheaval, like minor internal bruising.
But that was all.
Such injuries were negligible to these tenacious dragons.
Grumm used the chance to steady his retreat and, with the Earth Sunderer in hand, slashed upward, its earth-rending momentum aimed directly at Garoth.
Garoth spun laterally; his massive wings folded with an almost paradoxical nimbleness.
The axe’s shockwave grazed his scales, leaving shallow wounds.
At the same time, Garoth used the spin’s force to move to the Mountain King’s flank.
He lowered his center of gravity and lashed his tail like a steel whip at Grumm’s knee joint.
Clang!
A resounding metallic-peal burst out.
The tail blade struck the axe haft that Grumm had hastily brought across, scattering a spray of dazzling sparks.
The Mountain King’s tactics were simple and direct—few flashy moves, but every strike precise and effective. He wielded the Earth Sunderer like an extension of his arm.
After blocking the tail strike, Grumm’s arm muscles bulged as he raised the Earth Sunderer high.
He poured force into it and slashed at Garoth’s spine with a downward blow.
The legendary weapon’s shock effect pushed to maximum; the air around the blade rippled and warped.
As before, Garoth again felt oppressive weight pressing down.
Against many dragons of comparable level, this might have severely hampered movement, making them slow or even immobile.
Yet Garoth’s body was all numbers; in a blink he shook off the suppression and slid swiftly to the side.
!!!
The axe came down in an earth-rending strike, tearing a ravine as if carving open the land.
At the very moment the axe struck, Grumm’s heart suddenly braced as a danger alarm flared from behind.
Garoth had not moved away while evading the axe. Instead, using the spin’s inertia, he had traced a flowing arc and slithered to Grumm’s rear.
The wing-edge blades buzzed like saws and vibrated, slicing at the Mountain King’s back.
Mountain Barrier!
At the last instant, Grumm triggered the Earth Sunderer’s defensive skill.
Centered on the blade embedded in the ground, a heavy, solid earth-colored halo instantly rose.
The glow was weighty and thick, bearing an impregnable, mountain-like presence that rapidly enveloped the Mountain King’s massive body.
Crack!
The dragon wing slammed into the halo and a huge fissure cracked across its surface.
Grumm staggered back again.
Before he could steady himself, Garoth’s attack followed without pause, his wings slamming down hard as a battering ram onto the halo already riddled with cracks.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Countless fractures spread like a spiderweb, the once-solid halo flickering uncertainly.
Grumm was struck and blasted against another mountain behind him, causing a seismic roar.
That peak rocked violently and began to split, as if about to collapse at any moment.
“Still far from a true legendary realm,” thought Garoth.
From that lightning-fast series of clashes, he had probed the Earth Sunderer’s functions.
In short, the weapon made the Mountain King stronger than a typical level-20 creature, but it still lagged behind the Legendary Sword Saint he had slain earlier.
Having grasped the basics, Garoth decided to finish things swiftly.
He drew a deep breath; his scales gradually turned Forge-Red. Threads of fire flashed and traced sensuous crimson-lotus patterns across him, raising his aura another notch.
Crimson Lotus Form, activate!
In the rocky hollow where Grumm lay buried, he felt a wave of mortal peril wash over him, drowning him in a heartbeat.
His body still embedded in the fractured mountainside, he did not attempt to extricate himself.
Instead, he voluntarily sank deeper into the mountain.
Rumblings—countless stones cascaded down due to this strange shift.
In the next moment, the whole peak began to convulse violently.
It changed and compressed before the eye, reshaping with visible speed. In a blink, the huge peak transformed into a compact yet denser rock giant still hundreds of meters tall.
This giant was composed of tightly bound, hardened stone; its massive form blotting out the sky.
In its hands remained a colossal stone battle axe molded from countless boulders.
Opposite it, Garoth’s wings extended to their limit, heat waves rolling off his body, the crimson sheen on his membranes flowing like lava.
He swung his wings violently!
Air behind him compressed and detonated under absolute force, producing a clean sonic-boom cloud.
His body vanished from the spot, a blazing red meteor of fury charging at the stone giant.
“Earth, heed my command!”
A low thunderlike voice roared.
At that command, the ground along Garoth’s charging path cracked open.
Countless razor-pointed stone pillars shot skyward like great timber posts, crisscrossing and spearing up like tusks from the deep earth. They aimed to bite into the red meteor.
Yet they all shattered in an instant.
The crimson fury-star was unstoppable, tearing through every barrier to slam into the stone giant.
Time seemed to elongate in that emergency moment.
The stone giant let out a cataclysmic roar and swung its rock axe with mountain-splitting force at the incoming red dragon.
Swoosh!
But Garoth, at full speed, carved a spiraled trajectory with baffling agility and precision, evading the giant’s axe range.
The next second, the crimson meteor struck solidly into the stone giant’s chest!
Time paused for a heartbeat as colossal kinetic energy and savage power accumulated at the point of impact.
Crack!
A thunderous shattering sounded across the heavens.
The stone giant’s reinforced, massively thick body collapsed, layer after layer, like glass struck by a sledgehammer, caving and fragmenting!
The crimson meteor punctured through the heavy torso and burst out from the rear, casting flying debris across the sky.
And that was only the beginning.
The red-star Garoth did not stop. He drew a sharp folding arc in the air and charged again from a new, precarious angle, punching through the already-ruined body once more.
Again and again, these assaults pierced the corpse, and after several penetrations and charges, the massive body could no longer hold.
It disintegrated into innumerable stones of all sizes, raining down in a grand meteor shower that bombarded the earth.
Mountain King Grumm’s real body fell with that stone rain.
He had only just landed heavily and had no chance to steady himself before his vision blurred.
A crimson silhouette tore through the dust and instantaneously appeared at his side.
Garoth bolted up through the falling stone shower and, saturated with Dragon Qi, his claws aimed for Grumm’s ribs.
Slash!
Garoth’s Crimson Lotus claws shredded through the halo, emitting a teeth-grating ripping sound!
This time the mountain barrier’s halo violently warped and was torn open; the claw slashed across Grumm’s body, leaving deep gash-like waves.
“Argh!”
Grumm roared in fury and swung the Earth Sunderer to sweep the dragon aside, attempting to force Garoth back.
But Garoth, now in Crimson Lotus State, had speed utterly crushing the wounded Mountain King.
A red flash, and Garoth appeared on the other side; his tail, like a heavy hammer, smashed hard at Grumm’s knee joint.
Crack!
A heart-stopping shattering sound rang out.
The Mountain King’s knee buckled and shattered; he collapsed onto one knee, striking the ground so forcefully the earth caved in.
Rocks around him seemed summoned, gathering quickly to patch his knee wound.
He roared and swung his axe again.
Garoth circled him, always moving to avoid the axe’s lethal edge, while every part of his body—claws, tail, wings—became weapons that battered the Mountain King relentlessly, repeatedly tearing open his mountain barrier and leaving cut after cut on his body.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The shockwaves from their duel tore through the surroundings.
Nearby peaks were struck by his tail, tops fractured and collapsed; solid cliff faces split with huge fissures from axe impacts; the battlefield was a ruin, as if struck by catastrophe.
Garoth was like a death-dancer on a blade.
He charged, dodged, and countered in flowing rhythm; his assaults came in uninterrupted torrents like a gale, pushing Mountain King Grumm nearly to suffocation.
Throughout Grumm’s long life, he had met many swift opponents.
His usual tactic was to endure initial onslaughts via immense defense and resilience, then seize a momentary opening or his adversary’s fatigue to unleash a thunderous counterstrike and finish them.
But speed was not the Red Iron Dragon’s only forte.
In the earlier exchanges, Grumm had indeed seized two rare opportunities.
The Earth Sunderer’s blade did land upon Garoth and left wounds deep enough to see the bone.
Yet those wounds did not gush red blood but spewed burning flames; Garoth’s breath and vigor were undiminished.
Moreover, Garoth always absorbed damage with minimal cost.
Those two successful hits had struck his thickest, toughest areas—not true weak points.
Faced with a speed-based, astonishingly evasive dragon whose body strength and defense far exceeded expectations, Grumm’s breath grew feeble and his actions slowed.
He finally realized there existed an unbridgeable gulf between himself and the Lord of Molten Iron who could slay legends.
Even a good weapon could not fill that gap.
A minute later.
Garoth evaded a heavy, downward swing and his form shot skyward, then dove like a mountain-smashing meteor.
Grumm panted heavily, his chest like a tattered bellows.
He tilted his head and watched the growing shape in the sky.
The Forge-Red dragon’s body blazed with burning patterns. His four fearsome dragon arms coiled, and his vertical pupils were deep and calm.
It seemed the Lord of Molten Iron had not yet exhausted his might.
Grumm knew he had lost, utterly and completely.
But inside he heard a voice screaming madly,
I cannot die! Not here!
Otherwise, the echoes of Theresia, his vow of revenge, the future of his tribe...
All responsibilities and attachments would be obliterated with his death today.
“No— I cannot die yet!”
“My great vengeance unfinished, my tribe yet to rise—how could I... how could I die here?!”
The Mountain King let out a hoarse roar.
He poured every last strength, his longing for homeland, and fury at fate into his legendary weapon.
The Earth Sunderer rose aloft, ringing and trembling; a ocher glow flared with unprecedented intensity.
This blow gathered his all; it was the strongest strike of his life—and his final struggle.
“A death-throe struggle.”
Garoth’s dive did not slow; it accelerated again, as if intending to collide head-on and crush the Mountain King.
Dragon Qi compressed around him, especially concentrated in the fingertips of his four dragon arms, like he grasped four miniature stars.
“Kill!”
Grumm roared, and the Earth Sunderer lanced at the Red Iron Dragon with blinding brilliance.
The legendary weapon’s suppression effect surged to its limit, the pressure unprecedented.
Yet for Garoth at his peak, it still fell slightly short.
He ramped his speed to the extreme and, before the Mountain King’s blow landed, snapped free of the suppression and vanished from the spot.
Slash!
The aimless strike smashed into the earth.
The ground split like a brittle eggshell.
A deep, bottomless, and astonishingly wide chasm formed in an instant and extended forward with destructive momentum, cleaving a hundreds-of-meters-high mountain in its path neatly from base to peak.
At the same time, a nasty wind rose from behind the Mountain King.
“No—!!!”
Grumm roared, grief and fury in his voice.
Perhaps it was this extreme despair and unwillingness to yield that triggered a hidden potential in his body.
At that moment his unshakeable legendary barrier wavered, and his aura began to swell.
That coveted legendary domain—the threshold of a leap in power and life—seemed within reach, almost tangible!
Grumm’s eyes flashed with joy.
Yet at that exact moment, the Lord of Molten Iron’s four dragon arms all pulled back to their limits, muscles knotted like coiled dragons, drawing taut like full bows.
Bloodshot veins rapidly appeared and spread in Garoth’s eyes.
He did not hesitate and activated Rage State; then—BOOM!!!
Garoth’s attacks slammed down like four falling meteors, striking the Mountain King almost in the same instant.
Crack—!!!
The mountain barrier shattered completely.
Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash!
Four successive muffled booms!
Each of Garoth’s blows left a huge hollow in the Mountain King’s form, pulverizing his hardened body piece by piece until it utterly collapsed and fragmented into countless chunks.
Dust and debris mingled with erupting flames, soaring high and then scattering down.
As the smoke cleared, the ravaged land showed only the towering, stately Forge-Red body of the Lord of Molten Iron and heaps of shattered stone.
Four claws shattered a legendary dream.
Mountain King Grumm—the ambitious exiled giant—was mercilessly finished when he stood merely one step from the Legendary realm.
Whether by long-term accumulation of earth vein energy or by a forced breakthrough under life-and-death pressure, from start to finish Garoth gave him no chance.