After the meteor shower swept across the Aolotala Continent, the gears of time continued to turn.
Year 398 of the new calendar.
In the Lothorn Kingdom, King Raymond's aunt, the Grand Princess, Crystal Princess Elena Lothren, began to age at an extremely rapid pace, and the treasures in the kingdom's inventory could not reverse the waning of her life.
This princess, once famous for her wisdom and beauty, was inevitably approaching the end of her lifespan.
However, the Crystal Princess was not content to simply accept this fate.
She had grown up during Lothorn's period of peace and prosperity, experienced the tempering of continuous wars firsthand, and witnessed the kingdom's decline and difficult Rebirth. Deep in her heart, she did not fear death, but she worried that the young generation on the throne would make the wrong choices, fearing that this land would repeat the mistakes of the past.
In the final moments before the candle of her life was extinguished.
Relying on the magical knowledge accumulated throughout her life and the ancient rituals hidden within the kingdom, the Crystal Princess transformed herself into a pure Fire Elemental Spirit, discarding her flesh-and-blood body to remain in the world in a burning elemental form, continuing to watch over her kingdom.
Year 401 of the new calendar.
Heartening news came from the Aura Kingdom.
The Amethyst Dragon Lion Ennus, having previously undergone Bloodline purification and after a long period of accumulation, finally broke through his Bottleneck, achieving a leap in the essence of his life and officially stepping into the Legendary Realm.
This lord's strength increased greatly, and he became one of the solid pillars of the kingdom.
In the year 402 of the new calendar, the long-slumbering Iron Dragon Sorog awakened.
His life Rank had already reached the limit of level twenty, with majestic power restrained beneath his cold, hard, iron-colored scales.
In the same year, under the leadership of this prince known for Iron Blood and wisdom, a grand project that had been temporarily halted due to his slumber—with only a few final steps remaining—codenamed "Sanctuary," was fully restarted.
The kingdom's resources and wisdom were once again poured into this endeavor.
Year 403 of the new calendar, as autumn deepened.
In the heart of the Aura Kingdom, deep within the Dragon Ridge Mountains.
Surrounded by layers of steep mountains, there existed a vast basin strictly guarded by countless layers of magical barriers and physical defenses.
This place was under heavy guard year-round, and ordinary creatures had no way of approaching it.
At this moment, in the center of the basin, a building stood quietly.
It was shaped like an inverted silver peak, constructed entirely of countless precisely interlocking regular geometric shapes, with cold, hard lines and a bizarre structure, its outline vaguely resembling a giant Holy Symbol magnified ten million times.
Its material was neither metal nor stone, and its surface flowed with a dull, mercury-like luster.
Countless runes, so complex they were dizzying, were engraved upon it layer by layer.
This was the alchemical crystallization into which massive resources and time had been poured: the Aura Kingdom's magical satellite, "Sanctuary."
The entire project not only condensed the efforts of Aura's own sorcerers but also attracted the collaboration of elites from Lothorn, Matna, and even the Fubo Dragon Domain.
High hopes were placed upon it; it was a true strategic asset.
On the western side of the basin, atop a peak that rose abruptly from the ground.
The Iron Dragon Sorog, his body shimmering with a cold metallic luster, was perched at the highest point, his massive frame casting a large shadow that covered half of the mountain rock.
He slowly turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the grand silver creation in the basin below, a hint of satisfaction crossing his face.
Standing half a step behind the Iron Dragon was a figure condensed from pure light.
It was in the form of a human male, with a resolute face and calm eyes that revealed the vicissitudes of life after being tempered by years and war.
He also silently gazed at the "Sanctuary," the light around him flickering as his emotions fluctuated slightly.
This was Rodrigo, the former Shield of Xio and now one of the Sanctuary Heroic Spirit Commanders.
"It is finally complete," the Iron Dragon's low voice broke the silence of the mountaintop. "My slumber delayed things for a while, but in the end... it was finished at the right time."
He hoped that when his blood relatives awakened, they would see the Sanctuary hanging high in space.
Opposite him, Rodrigo bowed slightly, his posture composed of light appearing respectful.
"The Prince possesses great strategic vision. With the Sanctuary fully formed, the foundation of the Aura Kingdom will be even more stable, deterring all directions."
The Iron Dragon turned his head, focusing his gaze on the face of the human Heroic Spirit.
"Rodrigo, as you know, I have high expectations for you," he said slowly. "The Sanctuary, a strategic asset belonging to Aura, will also become the stage upon which your light will shine."
At this point, the Iron Dragon's tone suddenly shifted.
His voice became direct and sharp as he said, "But if one day Aura's military might is once again pointed toward Xio, the land for which you once fought and eventually died—what will you think then? Will there be turmoil in your heart?"
The air on the mountaintop froze for a moment.
Rodrigo fell into silence.
In his eyes, countless complex emotions flashed rapidly before finally returning to a state of calm.
After a few seconds, the Heroic Spirit slowly raised his gaze to meet the Iron Dragon's eyes.
"Rodrigo has already shed his last drop of blood for Xio, dying on the battlefield and being buried in horsehide... I have long since owed Xio nothing." He paused, then continued, "Now, I am a Heroic Spirit of Aura and one of the Sanctuary's commanders. My loyalty belongs to this land that granted me new life."
"However," he added candidly, "if possible... I would prefer not to personally lead an army to descend upon that land."
"This is not cowardice, but... some useless old memories might affect my judgment and decisions at a critical moment. A commander's heart should be as clear as a mirror, unstained by dust."
The Iron Dragon looked down at him for several seconds, but no anger or dissatisfaction appeared in his eyes.
Instead, he grinned, revealing stark white fangs in a gesture that resembled a smile.
"Old memories... very well, this King has no interest in forcing others to do things against their will."
"If the day comes to use military force against Xio, other Heroic Spirit Commanders will be responsible for the front lines."
The Iron Dragon looked away, casting his gaze back toward the silver-glowing Sanctuary in the basin, as if seeing a more distant and grand future through it.
Then, he spoke again slowly, his tone certain.
"Xio... it will sooner or later become Aura's Xio."
"The only difference is in what way and at what time. By then, there will likely be no distinction between Aura and Xio on that plain. The old memories in your heart will naturally dissipate like smoke, leaving no more lingering attachments."
Rodrigo was silent for a moment before bowing again. "I thank the Prince for his understanding."
The Iron Dragon said no more.
At the same time, the human Heroic Spirit's figure turned into a stream of flowing light, plunging into the Sanctuary in the center of the basin and merging with it.
Time passed quietly, gradually approaching noon.
Around the basin, besides the Iron Dragon Sorog, more and more powerful figures arrived one after another, each finding a spot with an open view to stop and watch.
The White Dragon Beskar was perched on the eastern cliff, his scales glinting coldly under the autumn sun; the Amethyst Dragon Iselamas stood quietly nearby, purple radiance flowing around him.
Blue Dragon Zoraya, Green Dragon Ludwig, Black Dragon Seraphina, and other Dragons each occupied a side, their Dragon might faintly intertwining.
On the other side, the four offspring of the Red Emperor had now all entered their youth stage. They were robust in form and steady in Aura, each possessing a size and life Rank that surpassed adult Dragons, drawing much attention. They stood solemnly alongside the Red Emperor's adopted Black Dragon daughter and several outstanding graduates of the Ignas Dragon Academy.
Further away, several other lords were also present.
Almost all the main forces of the Aura Kingdom had gathered here.
Elvie and Karu were also among the observers.
Deep within their eyes was a luster different from usual—it was the gaze of another consciousness.
The slumbering Red Emperor, through these two pairs of eyes from Below the Dragon Throne, was witnessing this historic moment along with his kingdom.
Soon, when the sun rose to the zenith and the sunlight was at its most intense.
The Iron Dragon Sorog raised his majestic Dragon head, his voice like a great bell spreading throughout the basin and echoing among the mountains.
"Let it begin. Sanctuary, lift off!"
Once the command was given, the nine giant Energy Guidance Towers surrounding the edge of the basin simultaneously emitted a low hum.
They burst forth with dazzling pillars of light that shot straight into the clouds, intertwining and spreading at the highest point of the sky, finally forming a massive three-dimensional magic circle diagram that covered the entire basin.
The diagram rotated slowly, its speed increasing, drawing the surrounding magic power to surge like a tide.
Hum!
The previously calm luster on the Sanctuary's surface suddenly became incomparably brilliant. The countless runes engraved upon it, starting from the lowest foundation, lit up one by one like kindling being ignited, rapidly spreading upward.
In a matter of moments, the entire magnificent Sanctuary seemed to be completely ignited from the inside out.
It turned into an incredibly dazzling luminous body, the radiance it emitted even momentarily surpassing the midday sun.
Immediately after, a low and continuous tremor came from the earth.
Under the gaze of countless eyes, this creation, which had condensed so much effort, began to break free from the earth's shackles and rise steadily upward.
Initially, its speed of ascent was very slow, like a giant whale surfacing from the deep sea.
But soon, as more propulsion arrays were activated stage by stage, the speed increased noticeably.
Its silver body tore through the air, whipping up the dust accumulated within the basin and forming a thick, straight pillar of gray smoke, while the Sanctuary itself, like a sharp sword piercing the mortal world, surged upward along the center of the smoke column.
The howling gale swept across the viewing area, blowing against the hard scales of the Dragon and the fluttering manes and long hair of the lords.
"Majesty over the universe, may Aura prosper forever!"
Some young Dragon members couldn't suppress their surging emotions and let out excited roars and low growls.
Followed by countless gazes, the Sanctuary rose higher and higher, its massive form gradually shrinking in their field of vision until, not long after, it appeared from the ground as a bright, silver-white star.
Even in broad daylight, its radiance was clearly visible, shining alongside the sun.
The Aura Kingdom's strategic asset, the Heroic Spirit Sanctuary, was officially in place!
Subsequently, under the influence of the preset Spell arrays, this newborn star gradually introverted, slowly vanishing into the azure sky and hiding within an untraceable dimensional rift.
It disappeared from the conventional sight of the nations.
Only when the Aura Kingdom needed it would this sword hanging above the heavens reveal its form once more.
new calendar year 405.
In the northern border of the Aura Kingdom, north of the Eternal Frozen Tundra, the vast icy sea known as the Coldwater Ocean was no longer calm.
Coastal outposts and patrols established by the kingdom there began to come under frequent attack by Sahuagin, evil intelligent creatures known to land-dwelling races as "Sea Devils."
They resembled a combination of humans and fish, possessed a cruel and bloodthirsty nature, and were accustomed to raiding.
At first, it was just sporadic harassment and small-scale looting, which didn't attract much attention from the higher-ups and was handled only by local garrison guards.
However, the Sahuagin's incursions quickly escalated from harassment to large-scale landing operations.
More and more Sahuagin swarmed out of the seawater, attacking Aura's coastal bases, destroying facilities, and plundering supplies with increasingly rampant behavior; moreover, there were even Legendary leaders among them.
Blue Dragon Heliam realized that he alone could not completely resolve the threat from the deep sea, so he urgently reported the situation to the capital.
Soon after, along the long northern coastline of the Eternal Frozen Tundra, beacon fires were lit one after another.
The Sahuagin launched a long-premeditated large-scale offensive, tearing gaps in the defensive lines in multiple places as landing troops pushed inland.
Just as the pressure on the defenders intensified.
From above the heavens, pillars of brilliant light tore through the clouds and descended vertically.
Heroic spirit warriors from the Sanctuary descended upon the battlefield.
Composed of pure ectoplasm and energy, they were unaffected by cold or fatigue, and they feared neither injury nor death.
The tide of battle turned instantly.
The Sahuagin were routed under the onslaught of the Sanctuary Legion, retreating in disarray and leaving behind many corpses; the Sahuagin leader was heavily wounded by a Legendary heroic spirit but managed to escape through the water due to the proximity to the ocean, barely clinging to life.
The Aura Kingdom did not stop there.
Under the instructions of the Iron Prince, Ancient Dragon Beskar personally entered the sea and pursued for hundreds of kilometers, finally capturing the wounded Sahuagin leader in a deep undersea rift.
After interrogation, the Aura Kingdom learned the reason for the Sahuagin's massive offensive.
They were trying to escape the might of the White Calamity.
—The White Dragon of Myriad Spells, Hissfield.
This powerful and famous Archaic White Dragon had appeared many times in the depths of the Coldwater Ocean in recent years, specifically hunting Legendary lifeforms with cruel methods and mysterious movements.
The Daylight Dragon Domain had issued a high bounty on her and organized several crusades, all of which returned unsuccessful.
Some Legendary lifeforms dwelling in the deep sea were forced to abandon their homes and migrate toward relatively safer shallow waters or even land.
These Sahuagin, unaware of the Aura Kingdom's true strength and facing a survival crisis, were forced to land and invade the Aura coast in search of new living space.
Ultimately, the remaining Sahuagin chose to submit to the Aura Kingdom.
They became a vassal of the kingdom, and thus Aura gained another Legendary being.
In the same year, the Aura Kingdom's Prince of Fire and Industrial Governor, Red Dragon Samantha, woke from her slumber; her life Rank had also broken through to the limit of Rank 20, just one step away from Legendary.
new calendar year 406.
On the Aolotala Continent, the aftermath of the former Meteor Calamity had not yet fully subsided; the Elven Empire was busy repairing its homeland and soothing nature, while other kingdoms on the continent had also suffered heavy losses from the disaster, their national strength not yet recovered, leaving them all in a state of being unable to look after themselves.
In the Southeast of the continent, a vast wilderness area.
An Evil Dragon, previously obscure, seized the perfect opportunity to expand her influence at an astonishing speed.
Her monster legion conquered in all directions, annexing weak tribes and city-states, quickly establishing a loosely structured but territorially vast Evil Dragon kingdom.
Since the core of its territory was a massive, lush green wilderness, the kingdom was simply called the Greenfield Kingdom.
The Lord of Greenfield was a female Green Dragon.
Before reaching prime age, she had already quietly ascended to the Legendary Realm, possessing some powerful special talent, yet she had remained patient, low-profile, and unknown.
Not until this god-given opportunity arrived did she strike suddenly, rising like a comet streaking across the night sky and making a name for herself overnight.
Renowned for her cunning, patience, and strength, she quickly rose to fame.
Some intelligent beings and intelligence organizations that continuously monitor the activities of Dragons worldwide couldn't help but compare the newly risen Greenfield Kingdom with the well-established Aura Kingdom far away on the Atlantis Continent.
Some busybodies even began calling this female Green Dragon the "Green Emperor," placing her on par with Aura's illustrious "Red Emperor."
Although there was currently no intersection between the two, many people had already begun comparing them.
For now, the Red Emperor, who had created many Legendary deeds, clearly held a superior reputation.
new calendar year 410.
The Orc Empire of Cantum on the Theresia Continent never lost its desire for conquest.
However, while Orc individuals were brave, their alchemy and industrial technology lagged severely behind; their massive armies were confined to their home continent, making it difficult to launch transoceanic expeditions.
For nearly a century, the entire Orc Empire had been holding its breath.
They poured resources and time frantically into the research of maritime technology; with the whole nation united, they finally achieved a Breakthrough. This alternative Empire, composed mostly of savage brutes, developed a reliable fleet capable of deep-sea navigation.
An unprecedentedly massive Orc naval fleet was assembled.
Amidst the fanatical war cries of countless Orc warriors and the blessings of priests, they officially set sail.
The massive Orc Fleet pointed directly toward the Aolotala Continent, which had not yet fully recovered from the disaster, while several smaller vanguard fleets were also dispatched toward the Atlantis Continent.
new calendar year 413.
Within the Aura Kingdom, a new Legendary figure was born among the humans.
Delia Haynes.
He was a grandson of Charles Haynes, but he hadn't inherited a trace of Snakeman Bloodline and was a pure human.
This lad showed remarkable talent; under the premise of his own hard cultivation and tempering, he also enjoyed the kingdom's resource cultivation, eventually successfully breaking through the Legendary hurdle.
In terms of age, his achievement might not be stunning among Legendary powerhouses.
However, Delia was a first-generation Auran through and through, having studied, grown, and ascended in the country ruled by the Red Emperor; he was the first human Legendary figure independently cultivated by the Aura Kingdom, which held profound significance.
Time flies, and seasons pass.
In the blink of an eye, another three years passed.
Summer of the new calendar year 416.
The Lain Kingdom, which had gained the most extensive territory during the Second War of the Nations of Romania, suffered from increasingly severe internal attrition and deep-seated problems due to spending massive national strength year-round on suppressing resistance and maintaining rule.
Various remedial reform measures were of no avail.
They sought help from their former allies, but received no effective response.
Finally, this kingdom, long riddled with holes from within, could no longer maintain even a semblance of unity.
Pushed by certain invisible hands, it collapsed with a crash, splitting into several duchies that acted independently and were either hostile to or allied with one another; the former kingdom's territory became a chessboard for warring warlords.
Winter of the same year.
In the Serre Wilderness, on the Dragon Ridge Mountains, the wind and snow were intense.
On a cold day with fine snow falling, an ordinary mountain peak covered in white snow suddenly shook violently without warning; one deep crack after another quickly fissured and extended across the mountain surface, as large amounts of snow and rocks rolled down.
It was as if some massive existence sleeping inside the mountain was slowly waking up, turning its heavy body.