The night sky was illuminated as bright as day by the boundless, burning flames.
Outside Dragon Severing Pass, the Ranks of the Aura Legion surged like a black tide, pressing toward the pass walls; inside the walls, the Red Emperor, clad in thick smoke and fire, was releasing a suffocating dragon might. That pressure had almost solidified, enveloping every inch of the ruins.
The morale of the Xio defenders plummeted to its lowest point at this moment.
However, the supreme commander of this place had no intention of admitting defeat.
Rodrigo clenched his fists tightly, his nails almost embedding into his palms. His gaze pierced through the permeating smoke and dust, falling upon that burly figure kneeling on one knee, his eyes filled with a network of bloodshot veins.
"Uncle, we still have a slim chance. This is our last chance!"
He did not address him as "General Waitanyat" as he usually did, but instead switched to a title symbolizing Bloodline and kinship.
Hearing this, the Legendary known as the unbending shield slowly raised his head.
The flickering firelight clearly illuminated every scar on his face. From his temples to his jaw, his skin was cracked with countless fissures, some deep enough to see bone, and blood was constantly seeping from those cracks, staining his face a deep crimson.
The heavy damage suffered by Norton Pass was also reflected upon Waitanyat, who had sworn the Oath of the Watch.
The cracking of the two main Peaks, the piercing of the pass, the crumbling of the Dragon Severing Pass walls... all these physical damages were mapped onto every part of his body in the form of wounds.
But this Legendary, who lived by his oath of protection, seemed completely indifferent to his injuries.
"Mm, little Rodrigo, I know."
Waitanyat's face pulled into a smile: "Not a single man of my Crown Family is a coward. Today, let this land and these mountains bear witness for me."
He did not stand up, still maintaining his posture with one knee touching the ground. His arms hung heavily, and both fists pressed hard against the shattered earth that had long been soaked in blood.
"My bones are stone, my blood is iron."
"Where I swear my oath, ten thousand forts shall not fall; where I bury my bones, ten thousand enemies shall retreat."
Words as solemn as an ancient prayer rang from his mouth, initially low and slow, then becoming grand and sonorous, echoing incessantly across the battlefield filled with rising flames and ruins.
What surged from the gaps in his armor was no longer just blood, but also streams of air as hot as molten gold, within which countless runes belonging to the Watchman's Holy Oath were bobbing and flashing.
Life-Stream Qi and the Watchman's Holy Oath.
The Legendary powers of two different paths completely fused at this moment, no longer distinguishable from one another.
A brilliant flow of light started from his fists, rapidly seeping into every crack in the earth, crawling over the ruins of the collapsed pass walls, and wrapping around those two fractured mountain Peaks, as if the very skeleton of the Cui Luan Mountain Range was being reforged and reconnected.
The Red Emperor at the other end immediately noticed this abnormal movement.
The Dragon's hind legs crouched slightly, and the air around him nearly stagnated. Clearly, he was about to pounce on the Spell-casting Waitanyat in the next moment.
But just then, the ruined ground to the right of the Red Emperor's body suddenly bulged. A short, stout, and sturdy figure burst out of the earth, swinging a double-edged heavy axe almost as tall as herself with both hands. She leapt up from below, the axe blade cleaving straight toward the side of the Red Iron Dragon's knee.
Galos almost instinctively raised a claw to kick it away.
Clang—!
The ear-piercing sound of clashing metal exploded, sparks flying in all directions.
The scales at the Dragon's ankle, harder than fine steel, were actually split open by this axe strike, revealing a deep wound where the bone beneath was faintly visible.
Meanwhile, that small figure flew backward at an even faster speed, finally embedding heavily into the broken wall opposite, leaving a human-shaped crater in the wall.
But a second later, she broke free from the masonry herself and landed back on the ground, swaying slightly.
"That's got some kick... but what I love most is cleaving hard things."
The female dwarf spat out a mouthful of blood-streaked saliva. Her gaze toward the Red Emperor held no fear; instead, it was filled with a burning Battle Intent, even carrying an excitement akin to finding a worthy prey.
On the other side, the Shapeshifter, who had been calmly observing the battle, raised his staff.
"Spear of Healing."
He whispered a short incantation. Without the need for a long chant or complex gestures, the natural elements in the surrounding air quickly gathered, transforming into a spear emitting a soft green light. It shot accurately into the female dwarf's body, rapidly repairing the impact damage she had just sustained.
After this brief delay, the oath of the unbending shield had also reached its final stage.
"Today, I use Life-Stream Qi as a lock and the Oath of the Watch as a cage."
"With this body and this blood, I reforge the Unbending Wall!"
Natural stone-like patterns emerged beneath his skin, and his eyes turned into two burning ambers, as if subterranean fire was flowing within them.
On the originally dissipating Unbending Bulwark, a massive amount of residual light flowed back into his body. Then, with an even more majestic and grand momentum, it fed back into the entire great pass.
The cracked walls rapidly mended amidst a low rumbling, and the collapsed battlements reshaped themselves from the dust and rubble.
The two main Peaks serving as the Foundation of the pass emitted an indescribable sense of heaviness, like sleeping giants slowly awakening.
"Norton shall never fall, for I shall become Norton itself!"
As the final line of the oath fell, Waitanyat stood straight once more.
The terrifying lacerations all over his body had disappeared, and his Aura had climbed to an unprecedented Peak. The solidified Life-Stream Qi and the radiance of the Watchman's Holy Oath swirled around him, as if cladding him in armor forged of light.
However, on the back of the hand that had just gripped the soil, an eye-catching grayish-white appeared.
This grayish-white was spreading up his arm at a slow but unstoppable speed.
When this grayish-white completely covered his body, it would mean he had burned through all his life.
His Physical Body would turn entirely to stone, merging with the Cui Luan Mountain Range from then on. Once this process began, there was no possibility of reversal.
"Hunt the Red Emperor at all costs! This is our only chance!"
Rodrigo immediately issued clear instructions to all the Legendaries present. Simultaneously, he activated an amplification array, allowing his voice to be clearly transmitted to the ears of every Xio warrior.
"The Red Emperor has fallen into the cage of our plan. He is alone and without aid, his retreat cut off!"
"Everyone, follow me and slay the Dragon, for Xio!"
So all of this was the plan from above?
Using the entire Dragon Severing Pass as a cage to lure the Red Emperor deep inside and then carry out an execution?
After a moment of stunned silence, light rekindled in the eyes of many Xio warriors.
Their low morale began to rebound rapidly. They suppressed their instinctive fear of that Dragon silhouette and, following previous orders and training, returned to their respective posts.
Besides the ordinary soldiers and middle-to-lower-level officers, several Legendary powerhouses had already taken positions outside the remaining barriers of the pass walls.
Their Legendary Ranks were relatively low, and directly participating in the hunt for the Red Emperor would be unlikely to cause effective damage. Therefore, their task was to withstand the approaching Aura Legion and any enemy Legendaries that might appear, cutting off all possible external support for the Red Emperor.
Rumble—!
On the Aura Legion's side, the horn of attack had already sounded. The roar of Xio's heavy alchemical cannons tore through the air, and a dense barrage of fire began to pour toward the enemy.
The great battle finally erupted in full at this moment.
"Although some unexpected twists occurred in the process, the final result will not change."
Percival, who had been hiding in the shadows all along, curled his lips into an imperceptible arc.
He took a deep look at the crimson Dragon silhouette surrounded in the center, then silently took a step back, his figure vanishing as if merging into the shadows. No one knew which corner of the battlefield he was hiding in now.
At the same time.
In the center of the ruins where smoke and flames intertwined, the Red Iron Dragon slowly turned his massive head.
He first looked up, his vertical pupils glancing at the Unbending Bulwark above, then withdrew his gaze to calmly sweep over the four figures surrounding him.
To the front-left was the Unbending Bulwark, Waitanyat.
He stood as imposing as a mountain, the glow of Life-Stream Qi and the Watchman's Holy Oath flowing and intertwining on his body, shining brilliantly.
This man's life was now deeply bound to the entire Norton Pass, to the Pillar of Heaven and the main Peak of the Cliff of No End on either side. He was currently in a state akin to a terminal lucidity brought about by burning his life.
Just by standing there, he seemed like an insurmountable Wall of Sighs.
Even though this wall was irreversibly moving toward petrification and its end from within.
To the front-right was the "Unbreakable Breaker," Esther.
That female dwarf Legendary held that heavy double-edged giant axe, almost as tall as herself, with one hand. The axe blade trembled slightly due to its master's surging Battle Intent, emitting a low hum.
She grinned, revealing a row of sturdy teeth stained red with blood.
Within her short and stout body, however, emanated a desire for combat purer than that of many giant monsters.
To the rear-left and rear-right were two Legendary Casters with vastly different styles.
The "Shapeshifter" Derrick and the "Ashen Eye" Hosand—one was a Shapeshifter, the other a Spellcaster.
A total of four Legendaries occupied the four cardinal directions: East, West, South, and North.
The unique pressure of Legendary powerhouses collided and squeezed invisibly in the air, making the air in the center of the ruins as thick as glue. The gravity field became chaotic and unstable, and small pebbles and ashes slowly floated into the air against common logic.
And the Red Emperor was located at the very center of this encirclement.
The form he displayed now was not his usual appearance.
His length from head to tail exceeded sixty meters. On his craggy back, sections of hideous bone spikes and processes jutted toward the sky. Golden lightning patterns and blood-red gaseous flames rolled and coiled around his body. Those red lotus-like energy pathways intertwined with rune-like scars left by countless battles, making every scale look like a branding iron freshly pulled from a furnace.
He had displayed a similar combat posture in the previous battle when raiding Xio's satellite fortresses.
Therefore, there was no need for any further concealment.
To achieve the goal of destroying the barrier's defenses in one stroke, the Red Iron Dragon had already adjusted himself to a state close to his strongest combat form when he broke into the pass.
However, his appearance at this moment did not look entirely intact.
Using a pure Physical Body of flesh and blood to bear a terrifying impact comparable to a falling meteor was a heavy burden even for an existence like Galos. On his dark red, thick scales, there were several places with obvious cracks and peeling, revealing the tough muscles beneath that were somewhat charred by high temperatures. There was even a laceration at the base of his left wing.
Scalding Dragon blood was constantly seeping from these various wounds.
But before it could even drip, it turned into gaseous flames, burning silently.
The Red Emperor himself seemed completely indifferent to these injuries, as if they were merely trivial scratches.
"Instead of taking the time to run away, you've actively locked yourselves in with me... are you trying to make me laugh?"
"Humans, I must admit, you have succeeded."
The Red Iron Dragon slowly shook his thick neck and pulled back his tooth-filled Dragon maw, revealing a smile that looked incredibly hideous to others.
"Lizards... ha, in the past, I used to call you Dragon members by that word."
"However, you have changed my mind somewhat."
"Giant Dragon, we acknowledge your greatness and strength, but you are far too arrogant, and you look down on us far too much."
The dwarf Esther swung the giant axe in her hand and said in a gruff voice: "Smashing through the pass walls with your body? That was indeed impressive to the extreme. But you see, the real battle hasn't even begun, and you've already made yourself look like this. This is practically no different from actively seeking death."
Hearing this, Galos glanced at her.
Then, ignoring her, he slightly raised his massive head and opened his Dragon maw, his chest cavity swelling violently like a pair of bellows.
The four Legendaries surrounding him immediately heightened their guard, each adjusting their stance to prepare for a potentially devastating Dragon Breath.
But the Red Iron Dragon did not breathe out flames.
He was inhaling deeply.
Life Drain!
In the same instant, he activated this large-scale plundering skill derived from the Eternal Death Path.
An invisible and intangible wave, yet filled with the power of devouring, rapidly spread out with him as the center.
Inside the entire Dragon Severing Pass, the corpses of all the Xio soldiers who had just died in battle and hadn't been dealt with yet seemed to have all their moisture and essence drained instantly, shriveling, weathering, and finally turning into puffs of grayish-white ash in the blink of an eye.
Threads of life energy, faintly visible to the naked eye, flowed like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.
They gathered from all directions of the battlefield, all of them disappearing into the wide-open maw of the Red Iron Dragon.
The hideous wounds on his body immediately began to squirm and heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Fresh granulation tissue quickly grew at the edges of the cracked scales, hooking and covering each other; charred muscle tissue fell away, replaced by rapidly filling pink new flesh; even the severe tear at the base of his left wing quickly closed and scabbed over amidst the constant twisting of muscle fibers.
The Red Iron Dragon let out a low roar of satisfaction.
He took a steady step forward, stretching his newly healed shoulders and neck.
Buzz—!
Dragon Qi, condensed like liquid metal, surged and intertwined. With this step forward, the Red Emperor's body underwent a terrifying transformation, turning into a horrific form with two heads and four arms.
Then, four dragon pupils burning with furious flames turned simultaneously, locking onto the first target.
The Red Iron Dragon snapped his folded wings inward and kicked off the ground with his thick hind limbs. At the same time, that pair of giant membranous wings swung back to their limit, providing instantaneous propulsion.
Boom!
His body turned into a streak of crimson lightning tearing through the air, enveloped by the Flame Domain. His target was the Shapeshifter Derrick, located to his back-left! The massive dragon body plowed through the air, creating a visible milky-white shockwave. Wherever he passed, the ground was torn into two deep gullies by pure wind pressure, and rubble was swept away as if by an invisible giant hand.
Facing this lightning-fast assault, Shapeshifter Derrick's expression remained calm.
Any Legendary Caster who had experienced the baptism of true war was already mentally and tactically prepared to be prioritized and rushed by the enemy's strongest combatant.
Displaced Overweight!
Waitanyat instantly reacted.
He didn't try to Move to intercept; instead, he slammed his fists even harder into the ground.
Hum—!
With the Red Iron Dragon as the center, the gravity around him suddenly skyrocketed! Invisible gravitational fields were generated layer upon layer, with each layer's overweight effect being completely different, chaotic, and constantly changing. Even with Galos's resistance to gravity, he couldn't completely negate it.
His momentum visibly stalled, as if the Red Iron Dragon had crashed into viscous molten metal.
At the same time, the Shapeshifter's buffing Spell landed on the dwarf.
Several magical glows of different colors lit up and merged on Esther's short, stout body.
"Haha! This is the feeling! Wonderful power!"
Esther felt the power surging within her and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Her height suddenly shot up under the effect of the Spell, turning her into a "giant dwarf" nearly two meters tall, with a shoulder width almost equal to her height.
Almost at the same time Waitanyat acted, she pressed her Domain against her body, crouched, and stepped forward, the ground beneath her turning to powder.
Her figure vanished, and in the next instant, she appeared at the flank of the Red Emperor's charge path.
The dwarven warrior used no fancy moves; her giant axe slashed upward from below, aiming directly for the armpit of the Red Emperor's left wing, which was slightly exposed as he exerted force with his wings.
Her weapon was named the "Armor-Breaking Axe," and its effect was extremely pure.
—Ignore most physical and magical defenses to cause true structural damage.
If this axe strike landed solidly, it would very likely shear off the Red Iron Dragon's entire left wing at the root.
The Red Iron Dragon, trapped in multiple layers of gravitational restraint, maintained his charging posture, but his response had already been formed.
Facing Waitanyat's Displaced Overweight, his main body's arms reached out, Anti-Magic Runes lighting up on the backs of his claws as he suddenly grabbed and tore at both sides.
Rip!
It sounded like heavy cloth being torn apart.
Two gaps were forcibly ripped into the invisible overweight gravitational field.
Facing Esther's tricky axe strike, the Red Iron Dragon didn't dodge. A giant arm condensed from Dragon Qi swept across, actively meeting the axe blade. At the cost of a large gash, he slammed the female dwarf away and continued his pounce toward the Shapeshifter.
Derrick remained calm in the face of danger, a powerful Spell already taking shape as he chanted.
Body Animation!
An invisible ripple swept over the Red Iron Dragon's body.
In an instant, the Red Iron Dragon's tail went out of control.
It suddenly reared up, curling back to wrap around the Red Iron Dragon's neck as if it had an independent life of its own.
Because of this, the Red Iron Dragon had to stop his charge.
He struggled with his own tail, gripping the base of it tightly with his dragon claws, using almost all his strength.
But what made the Shapeshifter frown slightly was that this Spell, which should have lasted for several minutes, only took effect on the Red Iron Dragon for three seconds before subsiding.
In the same moment, the Shapeshifter smoothed his brow and waved his staff again.
Flesh Reverse, Meridian Disorder!
Spell energy swept across the Red Emperor's body. The thick muscle bundles inside him immediately spasmed unnaturally and squirmed in reverse. Several key tendons for generating force seemed to knot and snap on their own, severely interfering with his movements once again.
Gaze of Evil! Calamity Black Blade! Damage Amplification!
Hosand's support arrived in an instant, the three Spells falling one after another.
A vague sense of malice gazed upon the Red Iron Dragon, causing his Dragon Qi circulation to become severely sluggish; several giant black blades cut through space, slashing into him and leaving deep wounds; an ominous red light emerged from his body's surface, doubling all damage effects received.
For a moment, the Red Emperor's offensive was perfectly suppressed.
His movements inevitably slowed. Although he still tried to pounce and kill while pushing through the Spells, he was eventually avoided by Derrick with a short-range blink.
Next, Waitanyat and Esther, under the enhancement of the Casters' Spells, struck at the Red Iron Dragon from the front and side.
The Shapeshifter and the Spellcaster constantly constructed Spells, either buffing their side, weakening the target, or attacking directly. Although they didn't face the enemy head-on, they caused the Red Iron Dragon the most trouble.
The battle entered a brief stage of stalemate and attrition.
The Red Iron Dragon's Flame Domain had been broken, and he relied solely on his extremely powerful Physical Body to counter the endless stream of Spells and transmutations.
His two heads and four arms swung violently, with claw strikes, tail sweeps, or Dragon Breaths, slamming Waitanyat back repeatedly. Cracks gradually increased on that incredibly hard body, and the two main Peaks of Norton Pass also cracked slightly as a result.
Esther tried to rush in for a slash multiple times.
But the Red Iron Dragon showed high vigilance toward this female dwarf who could easily break through his scale armor defense, always using wing strikes, area-of-effect claw strikes, or a small-scale Dragon Breath to force her back to a safe distance.
He would rather endure one or two offensive or weakening Spells from Derrick and Hosand than easily give Esther a chance to land a solid hit on a vital spot.
And as the one bearing the vast majority of the pressure from the Red Iron Dragon's frontal attacks, Waitanyat's burden was currently the heaviest.
The grayish-white color on the back of his hand, symbolizing the passage of life and the process of petrification, had already spread past his elbow and was encroaching toward his shoulder and chest. Although the speed was slow, it was hard to stop.
Meanwhile, Derrick and Hosand entered a state of highly focused casting.
One constantly changed Spell combinations according to the battle situation, interfering with, delaying, and weakening every possible explosive attack rhythm of the Red Emperor; the other gave up on the various elemental and creature summons that Spellcasters excelled at, concentrating all his spirit on casting various debuff Spells, trying to cooperate with Derrick to suppress the Red Iron Dragon's state to its lowest point step by step.
"Percival, what are you doing?!"
On the other side, anxiety appeared in Rodrigo Crown's eyes as he sent a transmission to call that missing Legendary.
When the encirclement began, Percival had vanished. This Fate Hunter, who should have possessed the strongest killing power and been able to firmly tie down the Red Emperor, was not participating in the encirclement of the Red Emperor.
Otherwise, the battle would never have stalled like this.
"Be patient."
"Can't you see how resilient his body's state is? Although new wounds are constantly being added, they are all inconsequential to him. Moreover, he seems to possess some kind of continuous recovery trait. Even if I strike now, it won't change this stalemate."
"The Aura Legion's fierce attack hasn't stopped for a moment; the Unbending Bulwark won't last much longer."
"To win this battle, we can only do it my way."
Percival's voice condensed into a thin line, accurately entering Rodrigo's ears.
Rodrigo opened his mouth, but in the end, he couldn't say anything in rebuttal, only letting out a dejected sigh.
He understood that he couldn't influence the will of this Legendary Fate Hunter.
Although Percival was not a member of the royal family, because he had married a royal princess in his early years, he had long been deeply bound to the Xio royal family, with intertwined interests.
He himself disliked the Crown Family and was unwilling to be commanded by a Mortal commander without Legendary strength.
Besides silently praying in his heart that Percival's plan would succeed, Rodrigo sadly realized that he could do nothing at this moment.
In this world, power is everything.
A commander like him ultimately has limited influence.
Just then, on the battlefield that had been stalemated for a considerable time, the situation suddenly changed.
The Red Iron Dragon once again made a Move to pounce on Shapeshifter Derrick, his movements and Aura exactly the same as before.
Waitanyat and Esther also acted as they had in the past, one intercepting head-on and the other looking for a chance to slash from the flank.
Hosand habitually raised his staff, preparing to apply a new round of weakening curses, while Derrick began to calmly channel a powerful transmutation Spell.
However, this time was different from any previous time.
A cold light flashed in the Red Iron Dragon's vertical pupils, his wings flapped violently, and his massive body, which had been pouncing forward, actually underwent an inconceivable deflection in mid-air, completing an acute-angle turn while moving at high speed!
His thick dragon tail swept across like a steel whip, slamming Waitanyat, who stood in front like an iron tower, far away.
In the blink of an eye, the Red Iron Dragon, who had originally seemed to be pouncing toward Derrick, suddenly turned!
Four giant arms covered in hard scales and burning Dragon Qi reached out like four streaks of crimson lightning tearing through space.
His true target was that dwarven warrior whose Battle Intent was boiling.
In the high-intensity, high-pressure Legendary encirclement battle, this female dwarf's fighting style had become increasingly aggressive and wild, her eyes quietly filled with fine bloodshot lines.
At this moment, in order to intercept the Red Iron Dragon's "attack" on Derrick.
She herself had completely entered the optimal attack range of the Red Iron Dragon's giant arms.
"Roar—!!!"
The Red Iron Dragon's two heads both reared high, letting out a deafening roar filled with fury.
This roar was not a simple sonic attack; it also carried an extraordinary power that ignited anger, rushing directly into the depths of the dwarven warrior's mind.
In an instant, the bloodshot lines in the female dwarf's eyes suddenly surged like living things.
"Kill!!!"
Facing the terrifying sharp claws of the Red Iron Dragon rapidly reaching for her, she didn't retreat or dodge. Instead, she let out a beast-like roar and charged forward. Her short, stout body exploded with amazing power as she leapt high, swinging her Legendary battle-axe with both hands in a heavy jumping chop toward one of the Red Iron Dragon's heads.
"Oh no! Her mental state is wrong... It's as if she's been bewitched and enraged by some kind of power? The Red Emperor has a skill like this?!"
The two Casters' hearts sank simultaneously, but their rich combat experience allowed them to immediately make amends.
Flesh Reverse, Meridian Disorder!
Derrick once again quickly cast this transmutation Spell, which was fast to construct and had significant effects.
As for the Body Animation Spell, which required longer preparation and had stronger control, it was simply impossible to complete in such a hurried moment.
However, the result of the Spell taking effect was completely beyond the Shapeshifter's expectations.
The Red Iron Dragon's muscles clearly showed unnatural twisting and squirming, and the faint sound of tendons snapping came from within.
But his movements didn't stall in the slightest!
Not only that, besides the originally churning flames and golden electric sparks, layers of deep and tough blood-colored light suddenly surged on his body's surface.
Unyielding Stand!
—Injuries and pain cannot affect your movements; instead, they will make your attacks more threatening and cause higher damage to the enemy!
Three of Galos's Dragon Qi giant arms struck out, viciously grabbing at the dwarven warrior who was in a state of madness from different angles.
At the same time, his main body's right arm suddenly rose, pointing from a distance at Hosand, who was hurriedly chanting the next curse.
Life Reaping!
A pulling force was born out of thin air, acting on the Spellcaster's frail body.
The robes on Hosand's body instantly burst with a blinding magical Aura, triggering several pre-set automatic defense Spells. Countless protective runes shimmered and emerged, rapidly constructing powerful Spell shields in front of him.
Crack! Crackle!
However, a series of ear-piercing cracking sounds rang out as countless cobweb-like fissures rapidly extended and spread across the Spell shields, which looked as if they were about to collapse completely.
The Spellcaster's expression changed drastically, and he was forced to interrupt the offensive incantation he had already chanted halfway through.
As a knowledgeable Caster, he immediately recognized that what the Red Emperor was unleashing was the signature Life-Taking Skill of the Eternal Death Dragon.
Given the immense disparity in their physical strength, if he were caught by this suction without any magical protection, his frail body would likely be drained of its life essence instantly, turning him into a dried corpse.
He pulled out one protective Spell scroll after another, each radiating intense magical fluctuations, and tore them open as fast as he could.
Layer upon layer of protective light in various colors and attributes lit up around him, resisting the Life-Taking Skill.
All these changes and responses occurred within just one or two breaths.
At the same time, the Red Iron Dragon's thick giant arm of Dragon Qi had already smashed down violently, knocking away the Legendary battle-ax that the Dwarf warrior had swung with all her might. Meanwhile, his own left arm, burning with surging thunder and fire, struck Esther squarely in the unprotected chest and abdomen from below.
Boom!!!
A visible shockwave of white sonic boom airwaves erupted and spread outward from the point of impact.
"Ugh... Argh!!!"
The Dwarf warrior's armor caved in, and she spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs. Her stout body was sent flying like a tattered sack, drawing a tragic arc in the air before heavily crashing into and collapsing a section of ruins, where she was buried under the masonry.
Just one strike.
The Aura of this Legendary Dwarf warrior weakened as rapidly as a candle flame in a gale, nearly extinguished, her fire of life flickering on the verge of going out.
"The first one."
The Red Iron Dragon's left head rose slightly, pronouncing the result. Meanwhile, his right head spat a blast of blazing Dragon Breath toward Waitanyat, who was trying to charge again, forcing this powerful defensive Legend to temporarily retreat, unable to provide timely rescue.
"His real target has always been Esther! All the previous attacks, including the feints against the two of us, were all meant to numb us and create this opportunity for a one-hit kill!"
Derrick instantly understood the Red Emperor's tactics, and cold sweat soaked the robes beneath his outer layer.
He was right.
From the start of the battle, the target Galos had prioritized for elimination was the female Dwarf warrior.
The two Casters had many methods and deep foundations; they clearly weren't the resource-starved rogue practitioners of the Dragon Worship Cult. He didn't know how many protective curios and scrolls they carried, making it extremely difficult to kill them outright in a short time.
But in front of the Red Iron Dragon, the Dwarf warrior's relatively tough physique was actually not much stronger than a Caster's body.
Thus, Galos first feinted against the Casters to make them complacent, then chose the right moment to eliminate one member of the team in a single blow.
Having lost a Legendary interceptor, Waitanyat alone was completely unable to block Galos's path. This time, he no longer used feints but launched a genuine onslaught toward the two Casters.
With a sudden sweep of his dragon wings, his massive body seemed to tear through the distance of space, appearing before the Shapeshifter Derrick almost as if he had teleported.
A giant claw burning with dark Red Dragon Qi slammed down with a suffocating sense of pressure, like a mountain overturning!
Facing this unavoidable fatal blow, Derrick took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the terror in his heart.
As a seasoned Legendary Caster, he always kept a trump card for himself.
A pre-set Transmutation defense Spell took effect instantly at the critical moment.
Time Stop!
— Your speed and reaction have reached an incredible level, as if transcending the influence of time, such that within the extremely short duration of your actions, the flow of time in the surrounding world nearly stagnates, and during this period, you cannot cast Spells.
It was as if an invisible giant hand had pressed the world's pause button.
With Derrick as the center, everything in the vicinity suddenly froze.
Drifting smoke and dust were fixed in mid-air, splashing rubble stopped moving, and the horrified expressions of distant soldiers froze on their faces.
Even the terrifying Red Iron Dragon before him had its massive, ferocious body stopped at a position only about a hundred meters away from Derrick.
Derrick could see the texture of every scale on the Red Iron Dragon with absolute clarity, see the blood staining its claws and teeth, and even see that within its two heads, the deep black vertical pupils were... moving at an extremely, extremely slow speed?
Wait?!
Derrick's pupils suddenly constricted, his heart filled with horror.
He discovered that the Red Iron Dragon was not completely still.
It was turning its heads toward him at an extremely slow but increasingly fast speed!
Two heads and four eyes were locking onto him bit by bit!
Then, the falling giant claw began to accelerate from a near-stagnant state, getting faster and faster, bringing a pressure of death that almost made his heart stop.
"Wh... what kind of monster is this?!"
A storm of shock surged within Shapeshifter Derrick's heart.
The Red Iron Dragon's resistance to Spells, as well as the strength of its own body and will, had reached an unfathomable level.
Out of necessity, he didn't dare gamble on how long it would take the Red Iron Dragon to completely break free from the Spell's influence, so he decisively deactivated Time Stop.
The stagnant world was like a play button being pressed, and the torrent of time began to roar and surge once again.
The giant dragon claw, losing its final obstacle, crashed down with the force of an overwhelming mountain!
Rumble!!!
The earth shook violently, and smoke and dust spiraled into the sky. A deep pit in the shape of a giant claw appeared where Derrick had originally stood, with cobweb-like cracks spreading frantically from the bottom of the pit.
Meanwhile, Derrick's figure appeared atop another pile of ruins.
A Blink Scroll in his hand, radiating intense spatial fluctuations, had already turned to ash and scattered with the wind.
He panted with lingering fear, his forehead covered in fine beads of cold sweat.
Under the Red Iron Dragon's subsequent gaze, Derrick felt like prey locked on by a natural predator. He no longer hesitated and reached out to tightly grasp the dark red necklace around his neck.
Within this necklace was stored a drop of blood from a Balor Lord of the Bottomless Abyss.
Using this as a medium, Derrick could cast a forbidden Transmutation Spell at a great cost, briefly transforming himself into a Legendary Balor form.
When that happened, he would gain all the matching skills and might be able to confront the Red Iron Dragon head-on.
However, just then, the Red Iron Dragon looked away and turned its heads toward the Spellcaster.
Derrick's movements couldn't help but falter for a moment.
The cost of unleashing the Balor Incarnation was extremely high; not only would it permanently drain his lifespan, but he would also fall into a state of extreme weakness for a long time after the Spell ended.
More importantly... even if he transformed into a Balor, he still lacked close-combat experience.
Facing the ferocious Red Iron Dragon directly, he might die.
For the Kingdom of Theo, for this war that didn't even belong to his own country, was it worth throwing away his life and his Legendary future?
It wasn't worth it.
This thought rapidly spread through Derrick's heart.
His mind raced, and finally, his fingers gripping the necklace slowly loosened.
He wasn't prepared to risk his life and even began to secretly prepare a way to retreat from the battlefield.
On the other side, Waitanyat roared as he charged to intercept the Red Iron Dragon once more, but his speed seemed clumsy and slow before the fully unleashed Galos.
The Red Iron Dragon didn't even look back; its long tail lashed out violently against Waitanyat's chest, sending him flying again to crash into a distant pile of rubble.
As for the Red Iron Dragon's main body, it was already like a crimson meteor, pouncing straight for the Spellcaster Hosand.
Under the Red Iron Dragon's storm-like onslaught, Hosand was like a spent arrow.
His magical ornaments, the protections enchanted on his robes, the life-saving scrolls he cherished in his bosom... one by one they lit up, and one by one they shattered and were annihilated under the dragon claws, Dragon Breath, and pure impact of power.
His face was as pale as paper, his breathing rapid; he was being pushed to his limit.
This Caster, who had previously caused trouble for the Red Iron Dragon with various incantations, now truly felt the approach of death.
"This can't go on..."
His life-saving trump cards were being exhausted at an alarming rate.
Hosand tore open three scrolls in a row. Dark energy transformed into physical chains, a cage made of bone, and a torrent of curses that struck directly at the Soul, pouncing toward the Red Iron Dragon in layers.
Galos gave a low growl and swung his dragon claws together.
Mage-Bane Runes on the back of his claws shone brightly, tearing through all the obstructing chains and cages wherever they passed.
The Soul-level impact, which should have been the most powerful, only caused him to pause imperceptibly; other than that, he was unaffected.
Crack!
The final shield, composed of the phantoms of seven rotating stars, let out an overburdened moan under the strike of the dragon claws before shattering into pieces.
The Red Iron Dragon's figure completely tore through all obstacles, carrying the Aura of thunder, flames, and death as it went straight for the Spellcaster.
Though there were two other Legends not far away, Hosand felt more isolated and helpless than ever before.
Waitanyat had been knocked away and could hardly help, while Derrick was suspected of holding back.
"Can't escape..."
Hosand saw his final defense Spell shatter inch by inch. Despair flashed in his eyes, but it was immediately replaced by madness.
If he was going to die, he would make the enemy pay the price!
A flash of resolution crossed Hosand's eyes as he began to chant at high speed, his Magical Power burning as he poured it all into the next Spell.
In the absence of protection and with his companions unable to intercept the Red Iron Dragon in time, his chant had just reached its conclusion when the Red Iron Dragon's giant claw, covered in scalding scales, slammed into his face.
Splat—!
A muffled explosion rang out.
The body of the Legendary Spellcaster Hosand instantly exploded into a cloud of crimson blood mist.
But just then, within the blood mist, a tiny yet incredibly deep point appeared.
Ultimate Destruction Orb!
Without any preamble, this point suddenly expanded, turning into a super-massive pitch-black sphere that swallowed the Red Iron Dragon's body.
The sphere's surface was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the distorted and broken reflections of the battlefield, while from within came the sound of the dragon's scales constantly collapsing and tearing.
Immediately afterward, Galos's muffled, thunderous roar came from inside the sphere.
The entire surface of the pitch-black sphere began to fluctuate and heave violently, with ferocious bulges constantly protruding outward and thick fissures frantically extending across the sphere's surface. Clearly, this ultimate Spell released by the Legendary Spellcaster at the cost of his life, while powerful enough to temporarily trap and even harm the Red Iron Dragon, could not be maintained for long.
But this brief binding and distraction was already enough for the hunter who had been lurking in the shadows!
"Now!"
Percival, who had been hiding at the edge of the battlefield with an Aura that was almost non-existent, had a sharp light burst from his eyes.
This was the moment he had been waiting for!
The moment the Red Emperor was bound by a powerful Spell, severely affected, and pushed to the limit where he had to respond!
At the cost of the sacrifice of two Legends, this fang of the mountains finally found his opportunity.
He no longer hid anything and stepped out, his figure appearing atop a high section of broken walls, the longbow in his hand humming and vibrating like a waking living creature.
"With my Soul as the guide, my life as the string!"
"The mountains lend me their spine, the fallen grant me their edge!"
Percival drew his bow and notched an arrow; the bow's body sent out ripples of air currents, and the surrounding rubble floated into the air.
"Witness this, the end of the life hunt!"
"This arrow is the Shaft that Pierces the King Beast!"
Percival's eyes were sharp to the extreme, the bow drawn like a full moon, and the wailing phantoms of countless fallen giant beasts emerged behind him.
He condensed all his mental will into this single arrow. The air collapsed in front of the arrowhead, light distorted beside the bowstring, and the clamor of the entire battlefield suddenly fell silent, leaving only that arrow vibrating and letting out a sharp whistle.
The next instant.
The pitch-black orb reached its limit of endurance, its surface covered in cracks, and then it shattered and dissipated like broken black glass with a loud bang.
The Red Emperor's massive, ferocious body was once again exposed to the air.
The injuries on his body were shocking.
Large patches of dark red scales were eroded and peeled off, revealing the bloody and mangled flesh beneath, with wounds so deep that bone was visible. Wisps of blue smoke from the destructive energy's burn still drifted from several places. His originally majestic and blazing dragon Aura had clearly plummeted significantly, appearing somewhat listless.
But even so, he still stood firmly in mid-air, his four arms hanging low, his two heads held high, his Aura awe-inspiring.
It was as if that extent of injury was still merely a nuisance rather than a predicament to him.
And just as the Red Emperor's figure was exposed, in a split second of lightning and flint,
Percival released the bowstring.
When this arrow left the string, it didn't make a sound.
Because the speed of death surpassed sound.
It split into three, transforming into three pure, condensed, and dazzling golden beams of light so bright they caused a burning pain in the eyes of all observers. It seemed to completely ignore the concept of spatial distance; at the same instant Percival released the string, it had already simultaneously pierced the Red Iron Dragon's heart and two heads.
Fast! Accurate! Ruthless!
Surpassing reaction, surpassing defense, it aimed straight for the vitals.
Time seemed to stand still for a moment.
Galos's massive body suddenly stiffened, his movements halting.
In an instant, whether it was the Aura Legion still fiercely attacking the barrier, or the Xio defenders struggling to hold on; whether it was Rodrigo, or the shifting expression of the Shapeshifter Derrick, as well as Waitanyat, whose body was covered in cracks and whose petrification had spread to his neck... everyone's gaze froze on that crimson giant shadow slowly toppling over.
The overbearing, invincible Red Emperor... was he really going to fall just like this?!
Percival stood alone atop the ruins, holding a slightly trembling longbow, his eyes narrowed as he stared intently at the results of his battle.
Following the shot of that arrow that had condensed everything just now, it was as if his spirit and energy had been instantly drained. His originally sharp, hawk-like Aura plummeted sharply, and an abnormal paleness appeared on his face.
But a brilliant smile radiated from his face.
Simply because he had done it!
He had reversed a seemingly impossible outcome!
He had shot down the Red Emperor who soared in the sky!
Supporting the building as it was about to collapse, turning the tide as it was about to fall!
This arrow would surely be recorded in the annals of Xio and even the various nations with heavy strokes.
From now on, the world would remember his name, Percival.
In a desperate situation, the Legendary Fate Hunter who pierced the heart of the Aura Emperor with a single arrow and saved the fate of the Xio Kingdom! He would receive endless praise, supreme glory... the wonderful fantasy was like the sweetest mellow wine, almost making him intoxicated.
"Heh... heh..."
A low, raspy sound of panting abruptly rang out, interrupting the glorious future Percival was constructing in his mind.
The Red Iron Dragon in mid-air, who should have completely fallen and lost his life, not only did not continue to topple but instead, in a manner that defied common sense, suddenly stabilized his body.
"You should have found a way to cut off my head."
He said in his mind.
Simultaneously, atop the Dragon's wound-covered body, an incredibly brilliant incandescent white light suddenly flared up.
Living Towards Death!
A terrifying Aura, far more dangerous than his previous Peak state, erupted from within his body like a dormant volcano.
The brilliant smile on Percival's face instantly froze.
The next second.
The Red Iron Dragon, shining with incandescent white light, completely disappeared from his field of vision.
By the time Percival reacted, the Red Iron Dragon, with white light shining on its body, was already standing before him.
The Red Iron Dragon, with incandescent white flames burning on its body, already stood atop the ruins in front of him like a deity descending.
The two-headed, four-armed behemoth stood upon the earth in an almost upright posture, its body leaning slightly forward, the shadow it cast completely enveloping Percival.
His massive, thick right arm hung low, spear-sharp hooked toes extending from his claws, pointing at Percival's brow.
"Now, it's my turn."
A whisper like the declaration of a death god rang in Percival's ear.
Under the intertwining of the Dragon's shadow and the incandescent white light, Percival's pupils contracted.
Almost instinctively, he took a violent step back and vanished.
For his class, after reaching Legendary, even if they were not proficient in spatial skills, they would still master some means of using space for concealment.
However, rip!!!
A massive dragon claw burning with incandescent white flames actually forced its way into the blurred spatial ripples! Then, with an irresistible and terrifying force, it tore to both sides.
Space was brutally torn open with a gap.
Percival's figure, which had not yet fully entered the dimensional rift, was like a fish pulled from water, firmly grasped by this dragon claw and dragged out by force!
"No... this is impossible... why aren't you dead?! That arrow clearly already..."
Percival's lips trembled violently as he roared incoherently, his face filled with collapse.
He subconsciously wanted to struggle more, wanting to activate other life-saving skills to pull away.
But it was all too late.
The Red Iron Dragon's dragon claw firmly grasped his entire body in its palm.
For this extremely dangerous enemy who had taken one of his lives with a single arrow, Galos had no interest in conversation, nor did he intend to leave him alive.
He began to tighten his dragon claw.
"No—!!!"
Percival let out a final, unwilling roar, exhausting his last bit of strength to expand his Domain.
However, what answered him was only a series of cracking sounds, like jade or colored glass being crushed.
The Legendary Domain shattered.
Immediately following was the dull sound of human bones, muscles, and internal organs being completely crushed and exploded by an irresistible force.
Percival's tiny human body, along with his final struggle and roar, was submerged within the tight grip of the crimson dragon claw.
At this point.
The fang of the mountains, the blade of the Xio Kingdom, the Fate Hunter who had almost created a legend by piercing the Red Emperor's heart with a single arrow—Percival, died.
The Red Emperor slowly opened his hand.
In his palm, there was nothing but a small handful of embers mixed with bone dust and ash, which scattered with the hot wind on the battlefield.
At this time, the brilliant and violent incandescent white light on his body also rapidly receded and dissipated like a tide.
That Aura that surpassed limits stabilized, replaced by a Dragon's Physical Body that, although still bearing many scars, had all its fatal wounds vanished, and its life force had become majestic and surging once more, nearly returning to its Peak state!
Despair, like a cold wave, swept through the hearts of every Xio person on the battlefield the moment that small handful of embers scattered.
It was so heavy.
So much so that even the few remaining Legendary experts felt a bone-chilling cold.
"So... all the struggling was ultimately in vain..."
Waitanyat let out a long, heavy sigh, filled with exhaustion and relief.
He no longer held on, slowly closing his eyes, allowing the grayish-white petrification marks to cover his final expression and body.
A stone statue covered in natural cracks stood amidst the ruins.
And with his complete petrification, that Unbending Bulwark, which had already been teetering under the Aura Legion's fierce attack with its light dimmed, let out a final faint hum and then completely dissipated into the air.
"Resurrection from death... how is this possible?!"
The Shapeshifter watched from afar as the Red Emperor's Aura returned to its Peak, and he sucked in a breath of cold air.
Resurrection was not an absolutely impossible thing; as a Legendary Shapeshifter, he had several methods to bring recently deceased Mortals or even low-Rank professionals with relatively intact bodies back to life.
But there were strict prerequisites.
The level and strength of life were very important.
The more powerful the life, the difficulty of resurrection increased exponentially.
Resurrecting an ordinary Mortal was easy for him; but resurrecting a Rank 20 powerhouse would require him to pay a significant price, and the success rate was not 100%; as for resurrecting a Legendary powerhouse... that was an almost impossible task.
The backlash and consumption involved were enough to make any Caster hesitate.
But the Red Emperor, a Dragon with such a powerful body, after having his heart pierced by a Legendary Fate Hunter's arrow and suffering a fatal blow, could actually resurrect in an extremely short time and have his state restored to near Peak?!
This completely contradicted the common sense Derrick knew.
The Legendaries on the Xio side finally understood what the reliance behind the Red Emperor's seemingly reckless arrogance actually was.
Unfortunately, by the time they understood everything, it was already too late.
"This place is not suitable to stay for long, I'm out of here!"
The Shapeshifter Derrick did not hesitate for a moment and took out a scroll from his robes.
An extremely precious "Ultra-Long-Distance Directional Teleportation Scroll" that could resist interference.
The moment the scroll was torn open, a strong silver-white spatial light enveloped his entire person.
His figure flickered and blurred rapidly within the light, and in the next moment, he completely disappeared from the ruins of the Dragon Severing Pass battlefield.
The Red Iron Dragon slightly turned his head and looked in the direction Derrick had disappeared.
Within the vision of the Eye of Truth, he could vaguely catch a tiny spatial trajectory clue pointing into the distance, which was rapidly dissipating.
However, he had no intention of pursuing.
This Shapeshifter had basically been slacking off after casting Time Stop.
And most importantly, Galos had just used the dragon jade, so he had to be more cautious in the upcoming battles.
Pursuing an Advanced Legendary Shapeshifter who was determined to flee and might still hide powerful trump cards.
The risk and reward were not proportional.
Whoosh!!!
The wild wind howled!
The Red Iron Dragon flapped his wings and soared straight into the clouds.
He said nothing, simply spreading his wings to reveal his magnificent body, raising his heads to let out a loud and resonant dragon roar.
This dragon roar was like the final war drum, shattering the psychological defense line of the Xio defenders.
Thus, the defeat was like a mountain collapsing.
The remaining Xio soldiers and officers, like stalks of wheat blown by a gale, knelt to the ground one after another.
They trembled, numbly discarding the weapons they held tightly, the last trace of Battle Intent in their eyes completely extinguished.
Encirclement?
Defeat the Red Emperor?
This had become a giant joke.
They had seen with their own eyes that the Legendaries on their side were clearly slaughtered by the Red Emperor single-handedly!
Such a Dragon, such an Emperor, who else could defeat him? Who else would dare to be his enemy?
The Xio Kingdom... has no more hope.
On the other side, Rodrigo watched the remaining soldiers kneeling in surrender, watched the unstoppable Aura army pouring in, took one last look at that stone statue merged with the mountains, and then looked at the crimson giant shadow standing in the sky, looking down at the earth.
All the struggles, all the plans, all the sacrifices, appeared pale and laughable at this moment.
To resist further was already meaningless.
new calendar Year 344, April 13th.
Before the dawn light pierced the darkness and illuminated the mountains.
The Red Emperor, Garos Ignis, Advanced alone, like a meteor falling from space, smashing the majestic Norton Pass with his Physical Body, frontally crushing the Unbending Bulwark, then killing the "fang of the mountains" Percival and "Ashen Eye" Hosand, heavily wounding "Unbreakable Breaker" Esther, and frightening away the "Shapeshifter" Derrick... with the power of a single dragon, he broke the Norton Pass and all its defenders, capturing multiple generals and Legendaries, including the commander Rodrigo.
The Aura Legion subsequently occupied the entire Cui Luan Mountain Range defense line, their spearhead pointing directly at the heart of Xio.