novelraw Chapter 438: Encirclement and Slaughter? Talk to My Dual Domains and Twelve Characteristics!
Chapter 438: Encirclement and Slaughter? Talk to My Dual Domains and Twelve Characteristics!
A few days later, the clamor from the nation-founding feast gradually died down and returned to calm.
Envoys from various countries, burdened with complicated feelings and full of what they had witnessed, began packing their belongings and setting off for home one after another.
They needed to take back the impressions from these days in the Aola Kingdom.
For example: that disciplined military presence, the perfected governance structure, the powerful lords, and especially the unfathomable Red Iron Dragon Emperor.
All of that would make them reassess how to deal with this suddenly risen dragon kingdom in the northern frontier.
In the end, only the Lothrian delegation remained.
They had been the first kingdom to officially recognize Aola’s sovereignty, and their relationship with the Ignas Dragon Court was deeper than most due to years of contact.
Putting aside long-term interests and future complications, at least for now both sides were still in a honeymoon phase.
The Lothrian envoys stayed for a while,
escorted by attendants who showed them the rough, primeval natural scenery of the Ser Wilderness.Outside the Citadel of Crimson Flame, across the vast wilderness, a string of carefully planned secondary cities and fortress strongholds were taking shape at a visible pace.
Their construction speed could not match a capital built by the whole nation, but they steadily laid down foundations and outlines in an orderly way.
They rooted between mountain ranges, atop hills, or deep within forests, their contours already forming.
It was foreseeable that under Aola’s governance and development, the Ser Wilderness—once considered barbaric land—would flourish.
Before long this region would display a new face, where civilization and wildness interwove.
The lords and senior retinue leaders who had gathered in the capital for the ceremony dispersed like a cast net after the celebration, returning to their fiefs and duties across the wilderness, each serving as a solid, crucial node in Aola’s sprawling governance network.
Meanwhile,
on the wide training ground behind the Dragonback Mountains,
Garoth stood on a peak, his massive black-red body shading much of the summit, gazing down at two figures below locked in tense confrontation.
On the left, the sturdy red dragon Samantha crouched low, muscles taut, her body like a volcano ready to erupt; her wings pressed to her spine, her thick tail pounding the ground and carving ruts.
Her scales bore rough battle-worn grooves and some battle-hardened patterns.
On the right, the iron dragon Gordon was even larger than Samantha, muscles bulging and layered outside with thick fat used for defense and energy storage, giving him a rounder, mightier silhouette.
His polished, gleaming scales were decorated in places with exquisite plated patterns.
Both stared at each other without blinking, stepping constantly, sparks seeming to flash from their dragon pupils.
The smell of gunpowder heightened as the standoff prolonged.
Now, with iron dragon Gordon present, these bickering siblings—who never missed a chance to belittle each other via their bloodline connection even across great distance—finally had the opportunity for an offline physical duel, rather than simply trading barbs.
Aside from Garoth, who acted as referee and spectator,
another gold dragon, Karus, watched the duel.
He stayed out of curiosity about the dragon kingdom.
Rarely leaving the orderly dragon domains, he had been invited to the wilderness for the nation-founding ceremony and became even more interested in everything on this land.
As for Alberto, the gold dragon, he had already rushed to the fief Garoth had bestowed on him to put into practice his blueprint for "order".
Another kin of the Ignas Dragon Cluster, the iron dragon Sorog, had little interest in such duels; he was occupied and very happy with the weighty state affairs that came with founding a kingdom.
Meanwhile, Deborah and a faerie dragon took the Crystal Princess to tour the wilderness scenery.
"Who do you think will win?"
Garoth turned his huge head and looked toward the gold dragon Karus perched on a neighboring peak.
This second-place gold dragon from the Everbright Dragon Domain retained a dignified, composed posture even while spectating, scales glinting golden under the sun.
Hearing Garoth's question, Karus’s gaze flicked briefly between the red dragon and the iron dragon below.
Then he replied calmly, "If we only compare basic physical attributes, the iron dragon's strength and defense should theoretically surpass the red dragon's, but in my view, the red dragon will most likely win."
Garoth asked, "Oh? Why do you think that?"
Karus considered and explained, "The iron dragon’s scales are polished and his frame imposing, but he resembles a noble attending a court banquet rather than a blade tempered in blood and fire.
"Samantha the red dragon looks ferocious, like a warrior marching to battle."
"Her combat experience must be far richer than the iron dragon’s."
"That can make up for, even surpass, the differences in raw attributes."
The gold dragon who once lost to Garoth but was no weakling had his own unique observation.
Below, the standoff had reached its peak, the battle ready to erupt at any moment.
"Fat ball! Ready to be pummeled till you beg for your mama?"
Samantha bared rows of white teeth and spat a sharp taunt.
"Hmph! Crude red-scaled savage! Today you’ll learn who the stronger dragon really is!"
Gordon roared back in a low, indignant tone.
On the summit, Garoth watched below.
He said, "As you requested, neither of you may use any equipment or external skills. Fight purely as dragon bodies. Ready?"
Two deep, battle-laced roars answered.
"Good, begin."
The Red Iron Dragon’s voice dropped, instantly igniting the spark for this sibling duel.
Roar—!
Almost the moment Garoth finished speaking, Samantha moved first.
Without testing or hesitation, her powerful hind legs slammed the ground; her massive body unleashed a speed that belied her size, streaking like a crimson lightning that ripped through the air, headlong at Gordon!
The red dragon roared, eyes full of raw, brutal fighting intent.
Gordon didn’t expect Samantha’s opening to be so violent and ferocious; his expression tightened.
However, his training at the Lothrian royal court and his own bloodline prevented him from cowering under her might.
The iron dragon reacted decently and rose.
He intended to rely on his much greater weight and strength to use his sweeping claws to push Samantha away or pin her down.
His claws sliced wind with impressive force.
Yet Samantha's wilderness-tempered battle experience far surpassed Gordon’s.
At the split second before impact, Samantha’s forward momentum subtly shifted.
What looked like a full-power ferocious pounce was a lifelike feint.
Her muscular, agile body slid by Gordon’s clawstorm with near-grounded grace.
At the same time, her heavy, plated tail carved a phantom arc through the air and struck the side of one of Gordon’s hind-leg joints used for support.
"!"
Gordon bellowed in a mix of pain and fury.
Severe pain and imbalance at the joint made his heavy body slam down in a violent stumble, exposing a massive opening.
Samantha would not miss such an opportunity.
She rolled through, a hooked talon flashing cold, tearing into the relatively vulnerable seam of scales at Gordon’s belly.
Slash—!
Although Gordon’s thick fat layer and tight scales provided excellent protection, Samantha’s talon still left several clear blood furrows; dragon blood oozed slowly.
But it must be admitted Gordon’s unique defensive layer worked wonders.
Otherwise, with Samantha’s ferocity, this strike would have been more than a surface wound.
"Damn it!"
Gordon howled, swinging his claws to try to force Samantha back.
Each strike carried weight and a dull gust of wind, but lacked rhythm.
Samantha, though hot-tempered, fought cold and calculated; she avoided wasting energy in futile direct clashes.
She used superior reflexes and nimble bodywork to dodge Gordon’s heavy, simple attacks, then like a crafty hunter seized openings to counterattack.
She attacked joints with talons, slammed wing-bones into his ribs—each strike landed where Gordon’s defense was thinner or too slow to react.
Gordon had superior strength and defense.
But against Samantha’s storm of precise and seasoned blows, he was a clumsy punching bag, only absorbing hits.
His counterattacks missed and, because of their exaggerated motions, repeatedly exposed openings.
Samantha seized each chance and soaked him with brutal strikes.
Gordon’s once-pristine polished scales soon became smeared with dust, claw marks, and mottled bloodstains—utterly disheveled.
"All you do is dodge! What sort of skill is that? If you have the guts, take a hit from me head-on!"
Frustrated at failing to break through, Gordon roared,
"Fool! Combat isn’t about who’s stronger, it’s about who stands last!"
Samantha mocked him without restraint, then seized the moment when his anger left him wide open and slammed her head down.
A crushing headbutt collided with the iron dragon’s lower jaw.
Thud!
A muffled sound!
Gordon’s vision blackened; dizzy and unsteady, his massive body toppled like a half-mountain, sending dust flying.
Samantha pressed the advantage without mercy.
She pinned one talon to the relative vulnerability at the side of Gordon’s throat, the talon tip even piercing scales and lodging into flesh.
Though not lethal against such stout defense, it was effective suppression.
!!!
Samantha raised her other free talon and brought it down on Gordon’s pinned head, raining blows.
"Submit! Submit! Submit?!"
She beat and shouted, brimming with menace.
Gordon struggled helplessly and couldn’t break Samantha’s weight-and-technique suppression.
Finally, facing reality, he begged, "I... I submit! Don’t hit me! I give up! I give up!"
Garoth and Karus, watching, showed expected expressions.
"This iron dragon seems to have received systematic combat training; basics are okay, but he severely lacks real, intense confrontation experience and can’t skillfully use his bodily advantages in actual combat."
Karus said, "For example, he could have slammed his wings to roll and easily thrown the red dragon off his back and even secured the pin himself.
"But in pain and panic, he didn’t think of these counters and instead flailed instinctively."
"By contrast, the red dragon’s moves are efficient and savage, each aimed at the vital points, minimizing wasted effort."
"She must have grown through countless battles; the gap between them is too large."
On the summit, Garoth slowly withdrew his gaze.
He felt no surprise at this near one-sided, quick conclusion.
If they had gone back decades when everyone was younger, Gordon might have beaten Samantha with pure attribute advantage at a time when her combat experience hadn’t matured.
But with the Molten Iron Tribe’s rapid development, Samantha had access to far more resources and hadn’t grown slowly.
Combined with decades of battle tempering, her clean, decisive victory made perfect sense.
Despite losing, Gordon showed little dejection.
He had been pinned by his sister more than once back when he was a dragon.
"Damn, when I get back to the court I’ll train harder!"
"Let her get arrogant now. Once I’m stronger I’ll humiliate her twice over!"
While begging with his belly on the ground, Gordon vowed fiercely to himself.
If White Dragon Trixie heard his thoughts, she would surely sympathize and see him as a true kindred spirit.
"Be smarter from now on, stop making Samantha laugh. When you see me, keep your head down, got it?"
Samantha lifted a claw stained with a little iron-dragon blood and slapped Gordon’s face in a swaggering display of wilderness arrogance.
"Yes, yes, your scolding is righteous! It was my fault before, I was immature! I’m completely awake now!"
The iron dragon instantly adopted a fawning smile, nodding eagerly while fantasizing in his head about swapping roles someday and finally standing tall.
Satisfied, Samantha released her hold.
"Go play on your own. I, the governor, have work in the alchemy workshop to handle. I’m not as free as you in Lothrian." She said this, flapping her wings, she flew to Garoth’s peak to bid him a cheerful farewell, then headed straight for the capital’s industrial district.
Gordon clambered up, shaking dust and grass from his body.
Thick-skinned and resilient, he quickly forgot the pain and flew to Garoth’s peak, nudging the Red Iron Dragon with his bulk.
"Garoth, Elina just told me the Lothrian delegation plans to leave tomorrow."
"This parting—who knows when we’ll meet again? Thinking about being back in that prosperous but shackled royal court makes me miss this free wind already."
"Especially you, my dear, mighty brother!"
"I promise, I will never forget your might in Lothrian! If you ever need anything in the wilderness, use our bloodline connection to order me—intelligence, resources, whatever—and I won’t refuse."
Now his thought was simple: cling to this brother’s thigh.
After witnessing the nation-founding ceremony, Gordon understood more clearly that his current standing probably owed much to Garoth’s shine.
"I haven’t formally titled you, but the Aola Kingdom will always keep a special place for you."
Garoth patted Gordon’s thick shoulder with his claw, looking down at him, saying in a deep voice, "Remember, Gordon, even if you belong to Lothrian, don’t forget your roots."
"You will always be an indispensable member of our Ignas Dragon Court."
At those words, Gordon shuddered as if a warm current flowed through him.
He looked up at Garoth’s majestic silhouette in the sunlight and felt as if his brother radiated a calming light, making him seem even more grand.
"I will remember it firmly! Forever!"
He snapped back to himself and replied resolutely.
A few days later, the Lothrian delegation, including Gordon, set off for home and gradually vanished over the southern horizon of the wilderness.
Whew!
After a period of fierce training, Karus panted heavily, while in front of him Garoth looked as if freshly massaged, wearing a satisfied expression.
"Are the bodies of legendary dragons all absurdly tough like this?"
Karus shook his slightly sore claws from sustained attack and asked.
"I'm okay. I feel like I'm about to bleed, come on Karus, don't stop, keep going." Garoth smiled lightly and said in a relaxed tone.
Karus paused, then shook his head slowly but firmly, "No, Garoth, this is meaningless. I can’t harm your defenses."
Garoth urged him, "How will you know your limits without trying?"
"A chance to assault a legendary dragon is rare."
Karus shook his head again.
"I’ve recently felt weariness—probably from a long slumber. After I return to the dragon domain and finish my slumber and become a legend, I will come ask you for guidance."
He had planned to explore the wilderness longer, but slumber was a top priority in dragon life, not to be delayed, so he prepared to return to the safest dragon domain.
"Fine, I’ll wait. I look forward to your post-legend challenge."
Garoth nodded with understanding.
After a simple farewell, Karus transformed into a brilliant golden streak and vanished into the southern sky.
A month passed since the nation-founding ceremony.
On the rear training grounds, after Garoth had tired Deborah nearly to collapse with high-intensity training and completed several rounds of extreme exercise alone, he flapped up to the highest peak.
He faced the keen mountain wind and gazed over his wilderness domain.
"Since officially founding the nation, I haven’t inspected this land properly. I’ve spent nearly all my time training."
He thought for a moment.
After a few seconds of consideration, Garoth decided to personally patrol his kingdom to relax his mind and body.
Whoosh!
He beat his wings, tore through the clouds, ready to start his first sovereign inspection.
High above, Garoth flew at an unhurried pace.
He looked down; his sharp gaze swept the miniature-like wilderness—new cities rising between mountains and woods, villagers busy in them—all within his sight.
Once, he had struggled to survive in this vast, primeval wilderness, sensing danger everywhere.
Time changes people; now the entire wilderness had become his backyard under his rule.
Such a dramatic turn stirred a sense of satisfaction within him.
As he circled and surveyed, Garoth occasionally glanced toward the snow-covered tundra.
He planned that when the time came, he would fully bring the Permafrost Tundra under control, elevating his titles like "Wilderness King" or "Convergence Lands King" to an even higher rank—the master of the whole northern frontier!
Then the southern lands could be left to other nations’ disputes, and this vast northern region would wholly belong to him with no rear worries.
While this king surveyed his realm, silently weighing future plans,
just as he flew over a field of strange, scale-like stone formations,
Garoth’s expression suddenly tightened; his warrior sense detected a highly unusual aura.
Hum—!
Almost at the same moment, without warning, the surrounding space instantly stiffened.
An invisible vast barrier, like an overturned bowl, sealed a few kilometers of airspace and ground below.
Light inside dimmed suddenly, and all outside sound ceased.
Then a strong sensation of spatial rotation hit, as if an invisible hand overturned heaven and earth.
Garoth’s massive body halted in midair; his wings flapped sharply to steady him.
His eyes flashed like lightning as he scanned the abrupt change in environment.
"Is this... some mirror space detached from reality?"
Garoth instantly realized he had walked into a planned ambush.
The next moment, four powerful auras ceased any pretense and erupted from the east, south, west, and north, encircling him in the center.
They wore identical gray robes, faces and bodies tightly concealed, gender and age indistinguishable, but their legendary presence revealed their extraordinary nature.
"Honored guest, why have you come?" Garoth narrowed his eyes and asked in a deep voice.
"Of course we came for you, glorious Emperor Ignas." A tall gray-robed man answered with a smile, "We sincerely hope to walk a broader, more glorious path under your lead."
"My lead?"
Garoth didn’t rush to attack; he wanted more information first.
"Hiders and liars won't win my favor."
He said, "Since you have sealed the space, why not reveal your true faces and speak openly?"
The gray-robed figures exchanged looks, reached a consensus, and the tall man smiled.
"As you wish."
Slash! Slash!
The gray robes shredded and fell away, revealing the true forms beneath.
An elderly man in a shadow-patterned robe holding a spiral wooden staff; a burly man wearing dull metal armor with a two-handed greatsword on his back; a seductive woman in a mercurial flowing dress; and a hulking bald giant whose skin resembled rough granite.
At the sight of their true faces, Garoth’s pupils tightened.
Despite varied appearances, they shared similar traits.
Vertical pupils, dragon horns, scaly skin, sharp claws—typical markers of dragonborn.
Yet their aura felt strange, with little of true dragon essence; those features seemed like some form of mutation or decoration.
"Your Majesty Ignas, we are followers of the Way of Scales."
The elder at the front spoke with a friendly tone, polite.
"Followers of the Way of Scales?"
Garoth’s heart chilled.
This group had another, more notorious name:
the Dragon-Worship Cult.
They idolized dragons as the ultimate life form, but they were dangerous because they also believed undead immortality represented life’s true apex.
Thus they used any means—seduction, deception, coercion—to transform dragons into dragon liches.
In Garoth’s ancestral memory, the Dragon-Worship Cult was explicitly flagged as something to be wary of.
"Now that my kingdom rises and my fame grows, new challenges have indeed arrived."
Garoth’s mind raced, noting the four as Dragon-Worship Cult legends.
He knew that beneath their affable exterior lay grave threat.
After a brief thought, Garoth said, "So you are leaders of the Dragon-Worship Cult."
"You should know I am far from senescence and have no plans to become a dragon lich anytime soon."
"Please return. When my twilight comes, I might consider working with you."
The alluring woman shook her head gently and smiled, "The path of time is long and merciless. Even mighty dragons face an end."
"Since destiny is set, why not let us choose a new, greater way for you? Death is not an end but rebirth! O King, you will become stronger, and we will gladly prostrate ourselves to your perfected new form."
Her voice carried a strange power that subtly affected minds.
Garoth’s gaze seemed to grow fixed.
"Your words... sound persuasive."
He relaxed his guard slightly and beat his wings to approach, saying thoughtfully, "Perhaps I should reconsider—come, tell me about this path of rebirth."
At that instant, the staff-bearing elder lifted his staff and flicked it.
An invisible ripple of space spread; the distance Garoth had just closed vanished and he was shoved back to his original spot.
The gap between them remained unchanged.
This man was Malcolm, a dimensional mage called the Space Weaver, master of the Mirror Dimension field. As a spatial specialist, his domain was vast.
Garoth was now inside Malcolm’s domain.
Within this mirror dimension Malcolm could freely create spatial barriers and lengthen or shorten actual distances.
He also held three legendary traits: Spatial Affinity, Dimensional Displacement, and Spell Overlimit.
The alluring woman whispered regretfully, "Your Majesty’s will is indeed firm, but we are not so easily fooled."
She was named Bethis, a Mind Sorcerer called the Soul Whisperer, whose field was Pain Echo—a power that could amplify physical and mental pain to disrupt will and fabricate convincing pain illusions.
Her trait was Mental Piercing.
Garoth’s eyes turned icy and indifferent.
Malcolm said, "When you step into a new life level, you will understand our intentions."
The horned armored giant was blunt.
He drew his two-handed greatsword and bellowed, "Your fate is sealed! We will kill you and then lead you to rebirth!"
"For the supreme glory of the Way of Scales—join us!"
The dimensional mage made his declaration and waved his staff.
At once, countless chains formed from spatial energy, weaving into a living web that wrapped and suppressed Garoth.
Flame Domain!
Garoth let out a low roar.
Boom!
In an instant, a towering blaze erupted centered on his vast body, forming a burning realm.
The incoming spatial chains contacted the searing flames and were burned and melted away.
Whoosh!
With a mighty flap, Garoth’s body, wrapped in the Flame Domain, turned into a blazing meteor and charged toward Malcolm.
"Haha, excellent! Now we’ll personally test what the Wilderness King can do!"
The armored giant cheered and swung his greatsword, flames climbing the blade.
At the same time, a strong unease crept through Garoth.
The last time he had been ambushed like this he was young and nearly died; it was by a similar encirclement that he had once killed the mighty red dragon Gorthax.
Subconsciously, Garoth sensed this danger was greater than before.
Facing four prepared Dragon-Worship Cult legends, any tentative assault was futile.
No more restraint!
Frenzied State! Bloodburst State! Crimson Lotus Form! Rage State!
With a roar that shook heaven and earth, Garoth activated his fiercest, most extreme combat states! If Wild State did not require accumulated rage to trigger, he would have opened it too.
Colossus Stance!
During the frenzied charge, golden lightning and flames flew as his body visibly and rapidly ballooned! In a blink he became a terrifying beast over fifty meters long, and with the Rage State’s amplification, his size kept growing.
A suffocating wave of terrifying pressure hit like a tsunami.
The four Dragon-Worship Cult legends’ pupils shrank and for the first time serious expressions crossed their faces;
the armored giant’s cocky grin disappeared.
At the same time, the flame-and-lightning-beset giant Garoth slammed forward.
The giant gripped his two-handed sword named Joy of Ashes.
Joy of Ashes—Rend the Realm!
He roared and swung the sword like a mountain-cleaving strike.
Instant—!
A massive, visible distortion ripple surged out like a huge stone in a calm lake, sweeping toward Garoth with impossible speed—inescapable!
Where the ripple passed, Garoth's blazing Flame Domain suffered severe damage.
Large sections of fire silently extinguished; the domain looked torn and riddled with unstable gaps.
"So strong?"
Garoth’s mind raged with unease, yet his coolness in danger sharpened.
Space Compression!
At the moment gaps opened in the Flame Domain, Malcolm waved his staff aptly.
Suddenly, the space around Garoth hardened like steel and compressed from all sides, trying to crush him while severely limiting his movement.
"Roar!"
Garoth raised his head with a deafening roar; dragon qi burst forth and formed extra massive limbs.
His talons swept and wings beat with unimaginable force.
Crack! Crack!
The hardened space shattered like fragile glass under the terrible power, unable to hold the giant beast back.
But the enemy were not alone.
At the moment Garoth broke free,
countless pillar-sized rock spears formed from solid earth shot toward him!
They were summoned by the bald giant, sealing all escape routes.
Moreover, these piercing attacks carried area shockwaves and stun effects on impact—his legendary trait, Shockwave, at work.
Thud! Smash!
Cracks and indentations appeared across Garoth’s nearly steel-like scales.
However, Garoth had Advanced Physical Immunity, so the damage was limited and the stun effect was nullified.
Four particularly large rock spears lunged for his eyes.
Garoth reacted fast and raised a talon to block.
But then the situation changed.
As a subtle spatial ripple spread, those four spears disappeared in an instant,
then reappeared with spatial-rending added, stabbing the joints connecting Garoth’s limbs.
Puncture!
The spears pierced flesh; dragon blood splattered.
Pain Echo!
At nearly the same instant, Bethis’s field did not center on herself but instead overlaid Garoth’s vast body!
Pain that would have been trivial for a dragon was amplified dozens to hundreds of times.
The deep agony from pierced limb joints seemed to erupt straight at his soul!
This level of pain could topple a veteran warrior with iron will.
Her Mental Piercing trait could break through most mental defenses, making even the steeliest will tremble.
The four legends coordinated like a storm.
In seconds they formed an oppressive chain few legends could withstand.
"Die! With your death we shall forge our rebirth!"
The armored giant seized the moment and roared victory.
He gripped Joy of Ashes, channeled power to the peak, and charged at the thoroughly suppressed, immobile Garoth.
Surge of Strength!
His legendary trait erupted: his muscles surged like waves, unleashing monstrous power beyond normal limits.
Lethal Slash!
Aiming at the relatively vulnerable neck, he poured all his strength into the blade for a decisive strike.
However, just as he closed and the sword was about to fall,
the supposedly immobilized Garoth cracked a dangerous grin.
Heart Like Iron! Unyielding Perseverance!
The Mind Sorcerer’s attacks, though vile, hadn’t blanked Garoth’s mind.
As for the pierced joints impeding him—Under Unyielding Perseverance, they could not hold him back; instead, they fanned his fury and allowed him to unleash even greater damage.
"You fools! You fell for it!"
Garoth reared his head and released a roar that split the skies!
Steel Domain!
Centered on him, the wavering, broken Flame Domain suddenly receded like a tide.
Then a metallic ringing filled the air as a brand-new Steel Domain burst forth, instantly enveloping the approaching armored giant!
"Damn!"
The giant’s heart sank.
He compressed his domain and switched from offense to defense.
"Die!"
At the same time, Garoth’s steel-layered, enormous claws surged with lightning speed and precision.
Quick! Accurate! Relentless!
The giant’s vision blurred; a claw brushed him and—
Crack! Crunch!
In a flash, the giant’s domain-screen groaned under pressure, spiderweb cracks spread, and then, like stone crushed by a hydraulic press, he was mercilessly crushed!
"Argh—!"
With his domain shattered, the armored giant screamed in refusal.
He poured his last strength into swinging Joy of Ashes for a final strike!
Clang!
A screeching metal clash rang, sparks like fireworks flew.
The layers of steel on Garoth’s claws were torn; the tough claw scales split with a bone-deep gash.
But that was all.
The dying counterattack failed to stop Garoth’s resolute killing intent.
His talons snapped shut like lightning, fully enclosing the armored giant, then squeezed.
Squelch!
A muffled explosion.
The legendary warrior was instantly crushed into a blood-and-metal paste, dead beyond any recovery.
His weapon was taken in the process.
Though it appeared slow, everything happened in a flash.
The remaining three Dragon-Worship Cult legends hadn’t yet coordinated a rescue when one of their powerful comrades was already killed in a counter-kill.
Their apparent advantage was an illusion.
It had been bait crafted by Garoth’s design.
He’d feigned rage and pain to lure the most threatening melee foe—the armored giant—then, once his Flame Domain was broken and he’d analyzed the situation, he executed the best strategy and cut him down first.
"My... my mental attacks didn’t affect him much!"
"Dual domains?! He controls two distinct domains!"
"His limbs were pierced, yet why does his movement remain unaffected?!"
The three remaining legends trembled, faces full of disbelief.
They had not expected this Red Iron Dragon to possess a dual-domain setup and likely many traits.
Meanwhile, Garoth’s wings had fully spread to the limit, shrieking as they tore air. He charged toward his next mark with terrifying speed.
Dimensional Mage Malcolm!
Space Fold! Spatial Chains!
Malcolm’s gaze was unusually grave as he cast two signature spells at once.
It felt as if the distances between them were stretched to the horizon.
Still, Garoth’s charge speed was so fearsome that even elongated space couldn’t prevent him from rapidly closing.
At the same time,
countless metal spikes and rotating blades formed from steel materialized around Garoth like loyal bodyguards, slicing the wrapping spatial chains; his massive body performed nimble maneuvers to avoid the remaining spatial locks.
"Buy me time!"
Malcolm roared and his face took on solemnity.
Spell Overlimit!
Severe ripples shook the mirror dimension; its entire structure trembled under the monstrous energy.
Clearly he was brewing an immensely powerful spell!
The bald giant, seeing this, drew a deep breath with a resolute look and decisively blocked the path between Garoth and the dimensional mage.
Mountain Domain!
Layered mountain illusions rose around his body and rammed to squeeze Garoth!
Unmoving like a mountain!
The bald giant’s feet seemed rooted to the void; a dense earthy light emanated, boosting his defense.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Against that unstoppable steel meteor, the mountain illusions were like paper—torn through and shattered!
Garoth’s momentum didn’t wane; he smashed into the bald giant’s yellow-hued body.
Crack... Snap!
The dense earthen glow lasted less than half a second before fracturing under strain, spiderweb cracks spreading across its surface.
The giant’s eyes widened.
Boom!
In the next moment his body exploded like a porcelain vase struck by a giant hammer, detonating into a cloud of blood mist and fragments—shattered into pieces.
"Blocking my path, I thought you were tougher."
Garoth smirked inwardly.
Strong defense?
Try my Colossus Stance and Unyielding Perseverance.
Now Garoth had activated everything but Wild State, plus two major trait amplifications; the man’s supposedly sturdy defense shattered at his touch.
Mind Storm!
The female Mind Sorcerer Bethis funneled her spiritual energy to the limit, veins bulging on her forehead, launching the strongest psychic attack to disrupt or even halt Garoth.
Yet the result matched earlier outcomes.
Even with Mental Piercing, her assault was like a breeze over a hillside to Garoth—it provoked no effect.
"How can any being’s will be this strong?"
The Mind Sorcerer’s assumptions were overturned; she felt like an outsider, rendered ineffective.
Garoth blasted through countless obstacles with unmatched force and confronted Malcolm.
His talons swept with shredding intent as if to crush Malcolm into pulp.
But at the critical instant, the surrounding space twisted and warped strangely.
Garoth’s certain blow skewed, barely grazing Malcolm’s body and striking only air.
Dimensional Displacement: At a key moment, it deflects an enemy’s lethal strike.
"Got it!"
Malcolm’s eyes flashed.
Spell Overlimit: Dimensional Shatter!
His figure grew unreal and blurry—just in time to dodge Garoth’s follow-up claw. Bethis likewise became translucent and vanished.
Both disappeared while Garoth remained trapped in the collapsing mirror dimension.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Countless lightning-fast spatial fissures crawled and spread until the whole domain was riddled.
Then the space began collapsing inward toward Garoth in the center, inch by inch extinguishing itself.
When the cracks reached Garoth’s massive form, his hard scales began to split.
Fortunately, this was not true spatial annihilation but a dimensional spell effect; Garoth’s advanced magic resistance let him negate most of the damage.
Though the fissures looked bone-deep and terrifying, they could not tear him apart, and his Unending Regeneration took effect.
"These Dragon-Worship Cult people..."
Garoth drew a breath, crossed his giant wings like two shields over himself, and silently endured the dimensional shattering’s damage.
Outside, above the stone forest, Malcolm and Bethis reappeared from the air, gasping, faces pale—especially Malcolm, utterly drained by his last series of operations, especially the dimensional shatter.
They exchanged a fearful look, each seeing dread mirrored in the other’s eyes.
"He’s only a level-21 great dragon, but the four of us combined failed and two of us were killed by him!" Malcolm’s voice trembled as he whispered, "This Red Iron Dragon Emperor is terrifyingly strong."
Bethis murmured, "My spells—mental attack and pain amplification—seem to have completely failed on him."
"How can this be?"
The Mind Sorcerer, usually resolute, now doubted herself deeply.
Malcolm calmed his breath and tried to reassure, perhaps more to himself, "Regardless, the eventual victor will be us. The stronger he is, the richer our gains will be."
"Wait another five seconds. When the mirror dimension fully collapses, his corpse should drop out."
He began a final countdown.
"Five, four, three, two, one!"
At his final number, the space above them rippled violently as Malcolm had predicted.
But the two legendary spellcasters’ anticipation turned to horror.
An enormous figure burning with aura slowly emerged, wings tattered and full of holes, stretching wide.
Boom!
Dragon qi surged and mended the wing membranes at a visible pace.
The vast wings overshadowed the sky, their shadow engulfing the two weakened legends below.
Majestic Dragon Might rolled over them like a tide, battering their fragile mental defenses and leaving them pale and trembling uncontrollably.
The Red Iron Dragon Emperor lowered his head, eyes sharp as blades, locked on the two spellcasters.
Then he beat his wings and dove.
"Wait... wait! We can talk! Terms are negotiable..."
Malcolm tried a final desperate plea to buy a breath of time.
But Garoth’s will was iron-hard.
He would not grant clemency to such despicable ambushers, and with so many legendary techniques at play he could not risk leaving them alive.
Garoth’s dive did not slow; if anything it accelerated!
Facing a death strike, the dimension mage, weakened to the extreme by Spell Overlimit and self-destructive domains, could only squeeze out his final energies to warp a sliver of space and barely avoid the blow.
Swish!
The talon grazed the warped edge,yanking and shredding the wizard’s robe, leaving deep, bone-revealing wounds.
That was the mage’s limit.
He had a chance to slip away earlier, but his insistence on killing Garoth had drained his avenues of retreat.
The next moment Garoth’s enormous tail followed.
Its speed and force allowed no reaction; dimensional displacement couldn’t cope further due to his extreme exhaustion.
Bang!
The mage’s body exploded into a foul red mist and broken bone fragments; he did not even release a full scream before being obliterated.
The last remaining spellcaster fled, turning into a translucent spiritual form and streaking away at incredible speed.
Garoth glanced indifferently and opened his mouth.
An Overlimit Dragon Breath erupted, striking her from behind and instantly consuming and vaporizing her—no remnants left.
Within breaths, two legendary spellcasters who had seemed untouchable to mortals were crushed like insects before the Red Iron Dragon Emperor.
The sky held only Garoth’s majestic form, dragon qi and blood-fire entwined all around him.
"The Way of Scales, the Dragon-Worship Cult—very well, I will remember you."
Garoth scanned the land to ensure no survivors remained, then beat his wings and soared toward the Citadel of Crimson Flame, carrying an unresolved killing aura.
ps: Sorry for writing a bit slow, and also asking for a monthly ticket.