The Red Iron Dragon's tail swept.
The earth ripper, lying quietly in the rubble, was dragged out, creating a cascade of rolling stones.
He lifted the massive battleaxe to his eyes, his claws caressing the chipped blade, then he bared his draconic maw, revealing a playful smile.
"Seeking a breakthrough right in front of me, huh, did he think breaking through to Legendary would grant him invincibility frames?"
Regardless of whether Mountain King Grumm could truly take that step in his moment of life and death, the fundamental leap in life essence itself was often not an instantaneous miracle, unable to be achieved in one go. It required a relatively quiet environment, undisturbed by strong external interference.
Forcing a breakthrough in front of a powerful enemy? The success rate was minuscule.
Moreover, during the breakthrough process, due to violent energy fluctuations and extreme instability of aura, one cannot precisely control power, and one's strength would actually be inferior to normal, which is almost tantamount to seeking death.
In those storybooks, there were indeed many plots where the protagonist broke through in battle and turned the tide.
However, cruel reality often delivered the most ruthless blow to such fantasies.
Galos attempted to mobilize the Dragon Qi within him, channeling it into the earth ripper.
However, the battleaxe showed no reaction; the patterns on its body that should have lit up were now completely still.
It looked like nothing more than a massive, ancient-style battleaxe, entirely devoid of the various powers it displayed when used by the Mountain King.
In fact, a continuous faint recoil emanated from the axe handle.
It seemed to be resisting his power.
Or rather, resisting his identity as a Dragon.
This Legendary equipment, at the time of its forging, seemed to have considered the possibility of it falling into the hands of non-Giant races, especially their archenemy, the Dragon race.
"An equipment with racial restrictions, what a pity... Otherwise, I could use it to adapt and train."
The Red Iron Dragon shook his head with a hint of regret, weighing the battleaxe in his claw.
However, he quickly reconsidered, and his heart was relieved.
Its value still existed.
Even if he couldn't use it, he could exchange it for something extremely valuable with the Metal Dragon Domain or the Lothorn Kingdom.
They would most likely not refuse.
Top Alchemists had the ability to reshape it into a brand new Legendary equipment, or simply remove the restrictions on it.
The Red Iron Dragon no longer dwelled on it.
He suddenly flapped his wings, stirring up a cloud of dust from the ground, his claws tightly gripping the massive battleaxe, and his body soared into the sky, flying swiftly towards the area where the Dragon Group and the Giants were still fiercely engaged in battle.
At this time, although the Giant race was firmly suppressed by the Dragon Group, relying on their numerical advantage and familiar home ground, they had not yet shown a one-sided collapse, and the battle was still raging.
It wasn't until the sky suddenly darkened that the situation underwent a fundamental change.
The majestic figure of the King of Molten Iron circled down, his outstretched Dragon wings seemingly obscuring the sun, casting a huge shadow that completely covered a large area of the battlefield below.
The Giants, fighting fiercely, instinctively looked up.
They saw the King of Molten Iron, and they saw the weapon of their leader, casually held in his claws.
However.
Looking around, they could not find the familiar mountain-like figure, their King, Grumm.
After a brief, deathly silence, the Giants, realizing what had happened, let out roars filled with sorrow and despair, while their dependents began to flee in all directions.
"For Lord Grumm! Revenge!"
"Kill! Kill all these damned Dragons! Let's all die together!"
"Blood for blood! Tooth for tooth!"
"..."
The Giants, having lost their leader, not only did their morale not collapse, but it surged like a dying flame, or rather, they became completely insane.
Their eyes burned with the resolute fire of mutual destruction, ready for their final desperate struggle.
They had no intention of surrendering, completely abandoning defense and evasion, and began to exchange injuries for injuries, lives for lives, launching almost suicidal, frenzied counterattacks.
Facing such a degree and will of desperate counterattack.
Even a powerful Dragon Group would inevitably pay a price in casualties, more or less.
And in Galos's view, this was completely unnecessary and avoidable.
Thus.
The Red Iron Dragon made his move.
He swooped down, his gaze instantly locking onto a Mountain Giant of level 18.
This Giant's strength was second only to the Mountain King, his aura was incredibly powerful, and he had just wielded a runic warhammer to temporarily force back a Four-Symbol Golden Dragon.
It was at this very moment that a crimson figure was reflected in the Giant's eyes.
The King of Molten Iron appeared within tens of meters of the Mountain Giant.
This distance was almost within arm's reach for creatures of such size as Dragons and Giants, where one could hear their breath.
And only then did the deafening sonic boom, generated by his ultra-high-speed movement, erupt like a belated thunderclap.
In the nick of time!
The Mountain Giant roared, raising his runic stone hammer, which descended with the force of shattering mountains and breaking stones towards Galos's head. The runes on the stone hammer's surface suddenly lit up, condensing a heavy, mountain-like earth element glow.
The Red Iron Dragon, however, did not dodge, his front claw darting out like lightning, striking first despite moving later, precisely grasping the falling hammerhead!
Clang!!!
A dull clang, like a massive bell, reverberated. The Giant elder felt an irresistible, immense force transmit along the hammer handle, numbing his arms and almost rendering them senseless. The stone hammer could no longer move down an inch, frozen in mid-air.
At the same time, Galos's Dragon claw suddenly exerted force and clenched.
Crack—Boom!
The heavy warhammer, crafted from refined mountain rock and inscribed with countless profound runes, was actually crushed into powder as if it were fragile pottery! Rubble and fragments of runes rustled down from between the Dragon's claws.
The next second, without giving the opponent any time to react,
Galos's left claw, like a crimson lightning bolt, forcefully pierced through the Giant's chest.
The Dragon claw entered from the front and exited from the back!
As he suddenly shook his arm, a surging Dragon Qi exploded from inside out, instantly turning the powerful Mountain Giant into scattered remains.
From locking onto the target, to approaching with a supersonic dive.
Then to crushing a weapon with bare hands, instantly killing an 18th-level Mountain Giant.
The entire process was smooth and fluid, taking only a few short seconds.
This overwhelming scene, like a dousing of ice water, instantly extinguished the frantic flames of grief and indignation in the hearts of most Giants, their movements becoming involuntarily sluggish and stiff.
However, the Red Iron Dragon did not stop his killing spree because of this.
He locked onto another Giant leader, his figure like lightning, and charged forward.
Time, at this moment, seemed to become exceptionally slow and cruel.
The Red Iron Dragon was unstoppable, sweeping all before him like an autumn wind over withered leaves. Wherever he passed, one after another of the Giant leaders and powerhouses, who had been fighting bravely just moments before, died on the spot without being able to put up any decent resistance, having no match for him.
Furthermore, without his command, the Dragon Group showed no signs of stopping either.
Led by Galos, the Dragons swept across the land, and before long, they completely ended the battle, annihilating all the Giants without leaving a single one.
As for the dependents who scattered and fled, the Dragon Group did not immediately pursue them, temporarily letting them escape in different directions.
The Red Iron Dragon flapped his wings, ascending back into the sky, his sharp gaze slowly sweeping over the undulating mountains below.
At the same time, the victorious Dragons flapped their wings, gathering from all directions of the battlefield with the posture of victors and reverence for their King, surrounding the majestic figure of the King of Molten Iron like stars orbiting the moon.
"Samantha."
Galos looked at the Red Dragon beside him and commanded in a deep voice, "You are responsible for taking over the Giants' former core lair, as well as any workshops, storage facilities, and other key locations they might have."
He paused, then continued, "I suspect that the reason Mountain King Grumm has been entrenched here for decades is that there might be some unknown secrets hidden beneath this territory. After the subsequent dependents arrive, you will personally lead our Alchemist team to conduct a thorough and detailed investigation of this area."
A Legendary breakthrough is never accidental, nor can it be achieved in one fell swoop.
The Mountain King's ability to show signs of a Legendary breakthrough at the last moment, besides the pressure brought by death, was also related to his long-term accumulation. Coupled with his decades-long unwavering defense of this territory, and his various attempts to stall for time before the battle.
Galos had reason to believe that there might be unknown treasures buried beneath this land.
"Okay, understood. I'll handle it."
Samantha's huge Dragon head nodded, accepting the task, then added a suggestion: "The mineral resources in the Northeast Region are the most abundant in the entire Serre Wilderness. I should stay here and develop the Alchemist industry here."
Galos: "Alright, do as you think."
He paused slightly, then gave an additional instruction: "There is an Abyssal Rift in this territory. It was previously suppressed by the Mountain King, but its exact location is unknown. You must pay close attention during your exploration."
This was a potential hidden danger.
However, in front of the powerful Molten Iron Tribe, it wasn't too much trouble; the key was to discover and control it in advance.
Immediately, the Red Iron Dragon turned his gaze to Zoraya.
He said: "The army led by the Gluttony Demon will still need some time to arrive. Before then, you will lead a portion of the Blue Dragon to temporarily maintain order and defense here."
Zoraya lowered her slender neck and softly said: "I obey your will, my King."
"I will do my best not to disappoint you."
Finally, the Red Iron Dragon's gaze fell upon Iron Dragon Sorog.
"The Serre Wilderness is vast; we need a sufficient number of dependents to effectively control various areas."
"After our army arrives, you will have full discretion to deal with the Giant dependents who fled earlier—eliminate those who need to be eliminated, and incorporate those who can be incorporated. After you've finished, you'll return to the Northwest Region."
Sorog slowly nodded and responded in a deep voice: "Understood, I will handle it properly."
The construction, integration, and development after conquest were no less important than the war itself.
As the King of Molten Iron issued clear and precise orders one after another, although the smoke of battle had not completely dissipated, a new order had already begun to sprout and grow in these mountains.
At this point, the Northeast Region of the Serre Wilderness, the last piece of the puzzle, was incorporated into the King of Molten Iron's grand vision.
Several days later, Gluttony Demon Karu led a massive army of dependents, arriving as scheduled and skillfully beginning to clear the battlefield.
The dependents carefully inspected each Giant's corpse, ensuring no one was faking death, while collecting all valuable materials.
Fragments of Mountain Giant bodies, the Molten Heart of Fire Giants, the elemental crystals of Stone Giant... these were all excellent Alchemist and enchantment materials.
If they were put into the Earth Vein Symbiotic Pool, they could produce top-grade materials.
Especially the body fragments of Mountain King Grumm, their rarity was no less than materials from a Dragon.
Samantha showed great interest in this; she collected all the body fragments left by the Mountain King, preparing them for Alchemist creations. She then dedicated herself to a comprehensive exploration of the mountains, striving to uncover possible hidden secrets and the exact location of the Abyssal Rift.
And at this moment, the towering figure of the Red Iron Dragon was no longer among these conquered mountains.
In the Northwest Region of the Wilderness, what was once a nest of undead had now been transformed into a Dragon-forged base.
From the outside, it appeared to be an inconspicuous hill, but its interior and underground had been completely hollowed out, forming a vast, complex structure.
Galos folded his wings and slowly descended onto a flat surface.
Two Dragon had already been waiting there for a long time.
One was Black Dragon Seraphina, with deep black scales; the other was Green Dragon Ludwig, entirely vibrant green.
Now, they had both successfully entered the Youth Dragon stage, and in terms of both physical size and actual life level, they had surpassed ordinary Adult Dragon, clearly outperforming their kin.
"Dragon Lord."
Seraphina's voice was low and slightly hoarse, full of reverence.
"Lord Galos, you've arrived."
Ludwig's voice was relatively more lively, but also full of reverence.
The Red Iron Dragon nodded slightly to both of them in response.
Then, he used polymorph to slightly shrink his overly massive body to fit into some of the base's internal passages.
He said concisely: "Lead the way."
Immediately, guided by these two Youth Dragon, he stepped into the depths of the Dragon-forged modification base.
After decades of continuous investment and constant modification, this place was now vastly different from its appearance when first occupied.
On both sides of the passage leading inside, the originally rough and uneven rock walls had been smoothed and covered with a layer of hard metal. Undead guards or hidden magic traps were placed at regular intervals, making the security extremely tight.
The deeper they went, the more spacious the interior became.
Finally, a magnificent cavern, as if the entire mountain belly had been completely hollowed out, appeared before Galos's eyes.
This was the most important area of the entire Dragon-forged modification base.
The first thing that caught his eye was an enormous pool.
The pool was not filled with scorching magma, but with a viscous, heavy, strange liquid constantly flashing with dark red and metallic luster. It was Dragon-forged primordial fluid, processed through complex Alchemist techniques and mixed with Dragon blood and various catalytic agents.
Numerous thick energy pipes connected around the pool, continuously feeding geothermal energy from deep underground and elemental energy gathered from all directions into the pool, to maintain the primordial fluid's activity and constant high temperature.
"This is the Dragon Blood Furnace."
Green Dragon Ludwig, who was beside him, introduced in a low voice: "Now the modification process has been simplified a lot. It only needs an initial immersion here to quickly complete the most basic first Dragon Scale modification."
"Further, more in-depth modifications require going through other different rituals."
Through years of practice and optimization, the Dragon-forged modification ritual gradually matured and became systematic, no longer as cumbersome and dangerous as in the initial exploratory phase.
At this moment, dozens of elite warriors from races such as Ogre, Gnoll, or Centaur, carefully selected, were stepping onto specific stone platforms at the edge of the furnace, with complex feelings of awe and longing.
Once they stood in position, complex bone giant arms slowly descended from the dome.
The bone giant hands held them firmly, then slowly immersed them into the constantly boiling, swirling Dragon-forged primordial fluid.
"Ugh ah—!"
"Roar!!!"
Painful screams and muffled roars immediately echoed through the cavern.
Their bodies twitched and struggled violently in the viscous primordial fluid, muscles under their skin peristalsis irregularly, and rough, Dragon-like scales pierced through their skin, growing out with streaks of blood.
Dragon-like features appeared and solidified on them at a visible speed.
They were being transformed into Dragon-forged Warriors.
Just then, an unexpected change occurred.
A Jackalwere Warrior undergoing modification let out a sharp, piercing scream.
His body uncontrollably swelled violently, and the scales on his body began to proliferate wildly and irregularly. His eyes were bloodshot, and his skin cracked, on the verge of losing control and failing the modification.
At this critical moment.
On an observation and control platform above the furnace, a Lich Mage responsible for monitoring the modification process quickly raised his withered bone hand and pressed it onto a rune in front of him.
Whoosh!
A gray energy ray shot out in response, precisely coiling around the collapsing Jackalwere Warrior. The gray energy permeated his body, effectively suppressing the rampaging Dragon blood energy within him, causing him to gradually calm down.
The Jackalwere Warrior's condition stabilized, and the modification process was able to continue.
Soon after, the Dragon-forged Warriors born from this base will be assigned to the various strongholds, outposts, or resource points of the Molten Iron territory spread across the Serre Wilderness.
They are all elite members who have been carefully selected, are loyal to the tribe, and whose own strength far exceeds that of ordinary dependents.
After successfully undergoing modification, they can generally become minor leaders commanding other dependents, or they are already chieftain-level existences who, after modification, advance further, becoming key pillars for the King of Molten Iron to firmly control his vast territory.