Translator: AnubisTL
Cracked Spine Hills, Bonechewer Clan.
The ogres, their bellies full, lay sprawled lazily in semi-reclined positions, picking their teeth, dozing, and gnawing on their fingernails. Their demeanor was utterly relaxed.
Yet...
Their weapons lay close at hand, within easy reach.
With a single command, these indolent ogres could instantly transform into elite warriors, their weapons at the ready.
Three days had passed.
To ensure the Diamond Elder's absolute demise, Garos had summoned elite forces from other clans—warlords, sorcerers, and the like—all converging in ambush behind the hills.
Train soldiers for a thousand days, use them in one battle.
Garos didn't normally require his familiars to fight for him, but that didn't mean he intended to act as a nanny, shielding them from danger.
The Diamond Elder was no ordinary foe.
Without using detection magic to avoid alerting the creature, Garos estimated its size to be at least 11th grade, possibly 12th or even 13th. The probability of it being 12th grade was highest.
This life grade was three levels above Garos's own, placing the Diamond Elder in the adolescent stage—equivalent to a gold dragon over 25 years old.
Each increase in life grade elevates a creature's average strength by one tier. Diamond giants, as the elite of their kind, are exceptionally formidable at their own level and are capable of fighting opponents of higher grades.
For such a diamond giant, a coordinated hunt is the best strategy.
A one-on-one duel might be a knight's honor, but it held no appeal for Garos. He cared nothing for such illusions.
More than hollow glory, Garos craved victory—to win the game of survival, again and again, no matter the method.
But it wasn't just about winning.
The key was to achieve the greatest victory with the minimal cost.
A hard-won triumph that left him severely wounded or near death would be no victory at all in Garos's eyes, but a dangerous precedent that invited future threats.
Garos was neither self-deprecating nor arrogant.
He knew he wasn't yet a true powerhouse, but he was no longer weak. He was no longer the young dragon who had just left the Iron Dragon Maiden's territory, forced to survive with utmost caution. Fighting opponents of higher grades was no longer a challenge for him.
Yet Garos was far from overconfident.
Garos knew that dragons and giants were far beyond the capabilities of ordinary ferocious beasts and demonic creatures. Defeating a Diamond Giant, a creature of higher rank, would be no simple feat and carried considerable risk.
But for the sake of his thriving territory, which had already set course for growth and development, and for its future expansion...
After weighing the pros and cons,
Garos decided the risk was worth taking.
His chosen were positioned in ambush behind the hills,
while Garos himself remained concealed in the highest skies, hidden by thick, dense clouds.
From this vantage point, with sufficient distance and accelerated qi, he could unleash an attack far exceeding his normal capabilities.
"Black oil, scale powder, Bloodburst Technique—all prepared," he thought.
"While my chosen distract the Diamond Elder and draw its attention, I'll build kinetic energy, then launch a sudden, devastating strike at its most vulnerable state.
"If this initial, all-out attack can severely wound it, we can finish it off together with minimal losses."
Garos pondered his battle strategy, patiently waiting.
However,
things didn't go as planned.
Garos's plan failed.
Time slipped away, from day to dusk, yet the Diamond Elder never appeared. It hadn't come alone.
Another creature had come in place of the Diamond Elder.
The Kora Giant Eagle—a species originating from the Wind Elemental Plane that had gradually spread across various planes. These semi-intelligent creatures possessed a level of intelligence comparable to that of demonic beasts like the Earthstorm Bear. They were naturally attuned to and capable of manipulating wind element energy, their flights marked by both speed and elegance, like dancers in the wind.
Two Kora Giant Eagles circled high in the sky, their wingspans exceeding ten meters.
Under the cover of twilight, they silently approached the Cracked Spine Hills, their sharp eyes monitoring the ogres' movements.
But the Kora Giant Eagles didn't know—
They had already been exposed.
Higher in the sky above them, Garos silently observed their every move.
"Scouts sent by the stone giants," he mused.
During his reconnaissance of the Stone Giant Camp, Garos had noticed several Kora Giant Eagle familiars under their command. It was easy to deduce that these two eagles had been dispatched by the stone giants.
Due to their own dull senses and lack of detection skills, stone giants would domesticate creatures like the Kora Giant Eagle to handle surveillance and scouting tasks. Moreover, their inheritance contained specific methods for taming these creatures.
Seeing is believing, hearing is deceiving.
There's a gap between hearsay and firsthand observation.
Garos personally investigated the Stone Giant Camp instead of sending his familiars, both for efficiency and because he trusted his own eyes and senses more.
Flying at a higher altitude, he avoided the Kora Giant Eagles' patrols, yet had a clear view of their camp.
"The Diamond Elder didn't come alone; instead, he sent giant eagles to scout."
"Did he sense danger, or was it out of caution?"
Garos narrowed his eyes as he watched the two Kora Giant Eagles, pondering.
Meanwhile, the giant eagles circled silently in the sky. From their vantage point, they surveyed the Cracked Spine Hills, not just the front but also the area occupied by the Bonechewer Clan. Flying over the rear of the hills, their keen eyes spotted the elite troops hidden there.
The two giant eagles exchanged a glance.
Then, under the cover of twilight, they spread their wings and quietly flew away, as silently as they had arrived.
However, before they could leave the airspace above the Cracked Spine Hills, an overwhelming pressure suddenly descended from the sky.
The feathers of the two Kora Giant Eagles stood on end as they simultaneously looked up at the sky.
Their pupils contracted sharply, and their breathing hitched.
Above the clouds, a crimson comet was tearing through the night sky, its descent marked by a trail of dark red flames burning like scorched scars across the darkness.
Garos descended like a malevolent star, radiating an overwhelming aura of death.
Screech!
No longer flying stealthily, the two Kora Giant Eagles accelerated to their maximum speed, soaring in opposite directions. Under the immense threat to their lives, the graceful flight of these "wind dancers" turned clumsy and desperate.
Garos pursued with even greater speed.
He instantly closed the distance to the larger male eagle, his left claw clamping onto its cervical vertebra. The bird's frantic wingbeats were futile against his grip. As Garos carried the eagle, dark red flames billowed behind him, tracing a curved trajectory through the air.
He swiftly changed course, intercepting the female eagle flying in the opposite direction.
His right claw clamped around the second eagle's chest like a vise, his talons sinking slightly into its feathers. A slight squeeze would have shattered its ribs.
One giant eagle in each claw.
Under Garos's restraint, they were rendered helpless, their struggles and resistance utterly futile.
With a final flap of his dragon wings, Garos landed on a rocky platform atop the Cracked Spine Hills, carrying two giant eagles in his claws.
"Now."
He released the eagles, dropping the still-breathing creatures onto the rock.
Instinctively, they tried to flee.
Garos swept his dragon wings like scythes, shaving off a tuft of feathers from the top of each eagle's head before they could react.
The two Kora Giant Eagles immediately fell silent, trembling in Garos's shadow, too terrified to move.
"State your purpose," Garos commanded.
The red-iron dragon's voice was calm, as if asking an ordinary question, but his ferocious appearance made it sound like a death threat, freezing the eagles' courage.
"To investigate the Bonechewer Clan."
"Report any anomalies to Elder Abaddon."
"The Elder believes the Bonechewer Clan's behavior is unusual and suspects foul play."
The two Kora Giant Eagles blurted out in unison.
Without a doubt, the Elder Abaddon they spoke of was the diamond giant.
Garos fell silent, his eyes burning with a cold, palpable killing intent.
(End of the Chapter)
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