Defeating the World with the Power of One Dragon!

Dragonback Mountains, rear slopes of the royal court.

The rocky cliffs of Linxun stood silently, braced against the north wind.

The red iron dragon was coiled at the center, its massive body unmoving, flames that seemed alive rising all around it.

Those flames were not ordinary fire, but torrents of heat that erupted autonomously from the gaps between its scales and from the surrounding air, scorching and warping the atmosphere into a quivering, blazing barrier.

Opposite the red iron dragon stood two distinctly different Heroic Spirits.

One was the legendary paladin, Mien.

He was tall and broad, his light condensed into solid armor, and the greatsword in his hands looked ancient and weighty. The other was Shire, the Flower Knight, Garoth’s earliest human follower.

Shire had left his previously hazy spiritual state behind and transformed into a more solid, powerful Heroic Spirit form.

His light shone brilliantly, his bearing heroic, and his handsome face carried an expression as sharp as a blade.

"With blade as shield, I uphold my oath!"

Paladin Mien uttered a low shout, his voice like a resonant bell.

He took a step forward, and the greatsword in his hands suddenly emitted a brilliance rivaling the sun.

The light extended and condensed, forming a radiant blade dozens of meters long, carrying a pure conviction to cleave through all things. From above, it descended with the force to split mountains, striking the red iron dragon’s Flame Domain.

Crack—!

A harsh shattering sound rang out.

The surface of the vast, relentless Flame Domain split open with a clear fissure from that slash.

Where the light blade passed, vast sheets of roaring flame were extinguished, revealing Garoth’s blurred dragon silhouette beneath.

But the domain’s resilience exceeded expectations; almost as soon as the damage appeared, more flames roared, surged together and quickly filled and mended the crack.

Within a few breaths, the domain had returned to its prior state, only dimming by an imperceptible fraction.

The paladin’s strike, powerful as it was, still fell quite short of piercing the domain’s defensive ceiling.

And he had already launched multiple similar assaults before; the damage each time had been considerable, yet the domain’s tenacious restorative power had always quickly erased the harm.

"Mien, do not fear that breaking the domain will harm me—go ahead, press on. I need greater pressure."

Garoth shook his heavy head, his deep draconic words still audible through the roaring flames, prompting the paladin to increase his exertion.

He aimed to repeatedly shatter and let the domain reform, using that cycle to temper and strengthen his domain power.

However, whether the "adaptive evolution" effect could act upon the domain itself remained uncertain to the red iron dragon; he could only attempt it first and see.

The paladin fell silent for a moment. A trace of awkwardness passed over the face formed by his light.

He lowered his voice in embarrassment, "My lord, I swore the Oath of Watch, and I am adept at guarding and defending. When it comes to breaking through fortifications, that is not my specialty."

When they first confronted Garoth, Mien had been able to pin the red iron dragon largely thanks to the Summoner’s augmented summoning arts and the myriad spell enhancements randomly granted by the Thief of Laws’ terminal techniques. Alone, his own strength truly posed little threat to Garoth.

Garoth turned his gaze to the other Heroic Spirit and said, "Shire, you try."

A trace of eager anticipation lit up the Flower Knight’s handsome face.

He did not charge at once. Instead, he took steady steps toward the red iron dragon.

Astonishingly, with each step he took, his radiance condensed and strengthened, and his aura climbed steadily; at the same time, the paladin Mien’s light visibly dimmed and his momentum fell.

When Shire reached the front of the Flame Domain, the energy waves radiating from him had already broken past that threshold—he had ascended to Legendary tier! Mien, in contrast, had temporarily fallen back below Legendary.

This was one of the potent effects of the Hall of Heroic Spirits.

It can concentrate the power of other Heroic Spirits and temporarily amplify one of them so that they erupt with combat strength far beyond their usual level.

Of course, that energy transfer is not without loss.

Originally a level-22 Oath Paladin, Mien dropped below Legendary, while the boosted Flower Knight reached only level-21, not inheriting the entirety of the other’s strength.

Still, Shire’s expertise lay in a completely different direction from the defense-focused Oath Paladin.

"Your Majesty, please instruct me."

Shire inclined his head slightly, light circulating in his hands as he quickly forged a long, elegant arming sword of condensed radiance.

The gentle smile in his eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by a hawk-like sharpness.

In the next moment, three skills were almost executed simultaneously.

They were the Arcane Knight’s "Enchanted Edge" and "Weakness Insight," along with the Boundary Walker’s "Dimensional Piercing."

The sword’s edge was instantly cloaked in a dark magic sheen.

In Shire’s eyes, the energy flows within the Flame Domain traced patterns; he locked onto the thinnest, weakest seam.

Then, with a flick of his wrist, the blade seemed to ignore spatial obstruction, exuding a dangerous, silent intensity as it thrust forward!

Sss—!

There was no earth-shattering roar, only the subtle sound of cloth being torn by a razor-sharp object.

The heavy wall of flame met its nemesis at Shire’s sword tip—inch by inch it was silently pierced and torn, revealing a deepening, inward-stretching aperture.

The sword’s momentum did not cease; it pierced through the domain.

Ultimately, a clear, though not deep, bloody hole was driven into the dark red scales on Garoth’s shoulder.

Shire’s attack style emphasized highly concentrated power and space-penetrating damage that was hard to defend against.

Even Garoth’s defenses could not fully negate it.

However, Shire’s attacks were too localized; against Garoth’s massive body, they felt like being pricked by a needle—causing a brief sting, nothing more.

Sensing the sting, the red iron dragon did not become angry; instead, a hint of satisfaction crossed his face.

He lowed, "That’s it, continue!"

Shire nodded, and his silhouette blurred.

He ceased frontal strong attacks and became a flickering streak of light, pulling up countless illusory afterimages as he began a storm of circling strikes around the red iron dragon.

His swordlight fell like raindrops across the Flame Domain.

Each stab carried space-piercing power, slicing through the domain’s defenses, producing a dense chorus of penetrating sounds.

Time flowed in the intense give-and-take.

After about half an hour, Garoth’s once-magnificent Flame Domain had become riddled with holes, the fire flickering and faltering, its repair rate far outpaced by the destruction.

Finally, after a concentrated series of rapid stabs, the entire domain let out a strained wail and collapsed with a thunderous roar.

It dissolved into drifting embers that gradually extinguished in the air.

Seeing the domain break with his own eyes, Heroic Spirit Shire finally exhaled in relief.

His radiance had dimmed greatly; his form even seemed a little transparent.

The red iron dragon made no evasive movement, and Shire felt he had expended a great deal of energy from the sustained high-intensity output.

He stopped to catch his breath and, by habit, adjusted the dim collar of his light-formed attire, a graceful smile returning to his face as he began, "Your Majesty, I—"

Before he could finish, the smile froze; his eyes widened.

The embers from the dissolved Flame Domain had not yet fully dispersed when the space around the red iron dragon convulsed violently!

Countless metallic objects glinted into being, flashing with cold steel light.

They did not pile up chaotically; instead, they rapidly shifted and combined into countless shapes—knives, spears, swords, halberds, shields, pikes—dense, layered formations that slowly rotated around the red iron dragon, creating a Steel Domain that was starkly different in nature from the Flame Domain, exuding a deadly, unyielding aura.

Shire stood hushed, his light-formed body stiff for a moment.

He realized now that Garoth had, beneath him, two different attribute domains.

Garoth raised an eyelid and looked at the stunned Flower Knight, saying blandly, "Continue, Shire."

Shire’s wavering radiance flashed violently.

Although a Heroic Spirit does not need to breathe, he took a deep breath and gritted his teeth.

Under the paladin Mien’s sympathetic and understanding gaze from afar, Shire picked up his arming sword again and his figure flickered as he began his new round of "shaving work."

This time the target was Garoth’s tougher, more durable Steel Domain.

After a long period of fierce assault, when the final arc of Shire’s swordlight finally tore through the Steel Domain, the entire formation collapsed like a metal mountain crumbling, clattering apart and disintegrating.

At this point, Heroic Spirit Shire was in an extremely poor state.

He had nearly become a blurred silhouette—his light so faint it resembled a candle flame in the wind, flickering precariously as if a strong gust might blow him entirely away.

"Su—su—cc—..."

Shire’s vision swam and his words came out broken.

The red iron dragon slowly rose, stretching his enormous frame.

At the same time he cast a wary glance at his scales.

The tiny, needle-like wounds Shire had made through the domain were so minute they had long since healed under Garoth’s Unending Regeneration trait.

A highly aggressive Legendary Heroic Spirit had nearly exhausted himself yet only shattered the domain.

His stronger physical body remained almost entirely unscathed.

Garoth was not fully satisfied with the training result.

Testing whether the domain could be strengthened through repeated breaking and reforging was only one goal; after domain training, he also wanted to use spatially-attuned attacks to grind down his own resistance to spatial damage.

At present, only Shire could undertake that heavy duty.

But seeing Shire in an exhausted, nearly spent state showed he could not sustain much more.

"If Shire can break through to Legendary tier and then receive concentrated strengthening from the Hall, his attack power and endurance would increase greatly, making him a far better sparring partner for me," Garoth thought inwardly.

Heroic Spirit tiers are not fixed; they can continue to grow stronger.

Because they are highly condensed spiritual bodies, their advancement hinges on whether they can obtain rare resources that nourish or amplify spirit strength.

Moreover, the Hall of Heroic Spirits itself was no ordinary tool; it possessed rare capacity for growth!

By absorbing treasures compatible with Heroic Spirits or spirit attributes, the Hall’s internal space, the maximum strength and number of Heroic Spirits it can contain, and other properties could gradually improve.

No wonder the Summoner had been so unwilling to relinquish it.

Its potential and value were enormous—enough to serve as a foundational treasure for a kingdom.

Garoth had already placed his phylactery into the Hall to strengthen the link and control; he also invested a considerable amount of spirit-class resource materials into the Hall, planning to concentrate resources to cultivate Shire and push him to Legendary rank.

Heroic Spirits cannot form domains like living Legendary experts.

However, with Shire’s talent and combat skill from life, once he broke through, he would certainly surpass ordinary human Legendaries.

For resource-rich but Legend-deficient Aola Kingdom, investing in Shire was a guaranteed win.

The only thorny issue: for a Heroic Spirit to reach Legendary, besides normal nourishment, it needs a rare core material called a "High Spirit Essence Crystal."

The conditions for producing one were extremely harsh.

Either a vast number of intelligent beings must die within a short period to gather and condense the dissipated soul essences via a necromantic array; or one must hunt Legendary-grade undead and extract from their cores.

Worse, these crystals were extremely difficult to preserve.

If not used immediately, their contained pure spirit essence would rapidly dissipate and degrade, eventually becoming indistinguishable from ordinary souls and vanishing.

Hence their surviving quantity was vanishingly small.

Shire was already a level-20 Heroic Spirit, only one step from Legendary; what he lacked was a suitable High Spirit Essence Crystal. Once obtained, Aola Kingdom would gain a new Legendary who would be absolutely loyal.

"All right, you go back and rest, recover as quickly as possible."

The red iron dragon calmed his mood and said to the two drained Heroic Spirits.

Shire and Mien bowed together; their figures gradually faded, finally becoming streams of light and returning to the Hall of Heroic Spirits to recuperate.

Garoth then turned his focus inward and began to review progress and skills across his three Paths.

First was the Star Path, the one he had first embarked upon.

This Path had relatively few skills; generally every three to four levels awarded a new ability.

After the fierce battle with the Summoner, Garoth’s Star Path had broken through to level fourteen and, after the Star-Body step, he finally gained a brand-new skill—Star Head.

Huu—!

The red iron dragon inhaled deeply; his already vast body trembled, and dense, black-red Dragon Qi surged from within like a volcanic eruption, coiling around him.

Then that immense Dragon Qi, as if drawn by invisible forces, converged, compressed and shaped above his right shoulder!

In an instant, the thick neck contour formed, followed by a head covered in heavy energy scales, imposing dragon horns, cold-glinting vertical pupils, and a maw filled with sharp teeth...

A second dragon head, entirely composed of Dragon Qi, now loomed above Garoth’s right shoulder!

It was not directly fused as flesh to the shoulder; its base maintained a slight hovering gap above the shoulder, similar in construction to his Star-Arm.

Therefore, this "Star Head" could rotate flexibly, providing nearly three-hundred-and-sixty-degree coverage.

At the same time, Garoth felt an added independent, clear visual field within his consciousness—their perceptual range became unprecedentedly broad and keen.

This was a basic effect of Star Head.

And besides lacking independent sentience, the Dragon Qi head possessed most of the functional capabilities of Garoth’s physical head.

It could breathe draconic blasts, perform savage ramming attacks and deliver powerful bites.

Its hardness depended on the Dragon Qi that formed it; while not at the level of Garoth’s real, battle-hardened scales and bones, it was no ordinary target and could not be destroyed by casual attacks.

—!

Dragon Qi surged again. Above and slightly behind Garoth’s shoulder, two thick, powerful Dragon Arms coalesced.

The solidified Dragon Qi outlined clear muscular textures, covered with hard scales and sharp claws, and the arms burned with unceasing black-red flames.

At this moment Garoth had completely broken out of the conventional dragon form.

The terrible giant beast with two heads and four arms stood silent among the mountains, its rolling black-red flames warping light and heating the air, turning the surrounding hundreds of meters into an oppressive, hellish tableau filled with destruction.

Multiple vision fields delivered all-angle perception.

This body could simultaneously respond to attacks from any direction and mete out crushing retaliations.

A pure, terrifying dominance emanated from the dragon, as if the beast itself were a natural disaster, a mobile death ground.

Any enemy daring to approach would be shredded to primal dust within the deathly zone woven by his heads, great arms, wings and tail-blade.

"Good... Compared to Star-Body, this localized enhancement that adds attack and perception dimensions—the Star Head—now fits my combat style better."

Garoth’s natural head and the Dragon Qi head both shook slightly, his four dragon arms clenching and producing the muted pop of air being crushed.

Satisfaction showed plainly in his eyes.

The Star-Body skill had been strong; during the brutal duel with the Bronze Dragons, it had provided extra protection that allowed Garoth to withstand much of the direct pressure and energy impacts from Legendary domains.

However, once he himself rose to Legendary and successfully crafted dual domains, Star-Body’s importance diminished somewhat due to overlap with domain effects.

Star Head was different.

Built on top of Garoth’s dual domains and twelve formidable traits, it could further expand his attack dimensions, perception and sustained output ceiling, producing effects where one plus one was greater than two.

Maintaining the powerful two-head, four-arm form, Garoth spent some time getting accustomed to coordinating movement and perception.

Then he turned his attention to the second Path, the Eternal Death Path.

The Eternal Death Path had a skill count similar to the Star Path—sparse—but each skill was unique and mighty.

After the battle with the Summoner, Garoth’s Eternal Death Path broke through to level six, and he gained a new skill—Claim Life.

Lock on to a specific target and siphon life from them to restore oneself or strengthen one’s state.

This was a powerful single-target skill whose effectiveness hinged on a constitution attribute contest.

In other words, as long as Garoth’s physique surpassed the mark, he could directly plunder the target’s life.

Given Garoth’s repeatedly evolved body and near-broken limits of physicality, this skill, against the vast majority of foes, could be considered almost certain to work.

The current situation was not suitable for testing Claim Life on a living target.

Garoth suppressed the urge to try it for now.

He cast his gaze upon the final Path, the Wild Path.

Unlike the steady gain of various skills in the other Paths, the Wild Path’s core revolved around the Wild State—"the angrier, the stronger."

Thanks to the presence of the frenzied flame, Garoth’s Wild rank rose quickly.

Now his Wild rank had surpassed the Eternal Death Path and reached level ten.

Beyond basic rage, fury and wildness, he had successively mastered skills such as Reckless Strike, Fanatical Might and Battle-Mad Charge.

However, these skills shared a trait.

They only reached full power when the Wild dragon lost reason entirely and executed them instinctively; the clearer his mind, the less effective they became.

In the deadly duel with the Bronze Dragons, Garoth was sure he had used those Wild skills.

But once he sobered from the frenzy, his memory of precisely how to employ them was fuzzy.

What truly caught Garoth’s attention was a key skill the Wild Path unlocked around level fourteen—Rage Without Fear of Death!

Extreme rage refuses to accept death!

When a Wild practitioner dies in battle, this skill triggers and grants a terrifying three-minute state exempting them from death.

As long as the fight can be decisively ended and the deadly foe eliminated within Rage Without Fear of Death’s duration, the Wild dragon can seize a sliver of survival, shifting from death toward near-death.

"When I raise my Wild Path further and obtain Rage Without Fear of Death, I’ll gain another decisive trump card to reverse life and death at critical moments," Garoth calculated inwardly, his eyes flashing.

"It’s a pity my Dragon Pearl triggered when I was extremely close to death, not at true, complete death."

"The Dragon Pearl’s trigger probably cannot simultaneously activate the effect of Rage Without Fear of Death... Otherwise, with two death-refusal chances, I could almost do as I pleased."

A faint regret flickered through his thoughts, then was pressed down.

The road to power was long and required steady steps.

Time passed slowly as Garoth continued to familiarize himself with his newly acquired Path skills.

When the sun sloped toward the west and dusk thickened, Garoth paused mid-action.

At the same time, Iron Dragon Sorog’s deep voice sounded directly in his mind through their mental link.

"The official reply from Lothrian has just arrived. They say their stock of High Spirit Essence Crystals is indeed exhausted and they cannot provide any. They offer their deep apologies."

Hearing this, surprise crossed Garoth’s eyes.

Aola Kingdom itself had no reserve of such rare materials; he had expected that.

But he had presumed that Lothrian, having endured years of civil war and countless large-scale battles that birthed many deaths, might very well have stockpiles; that was why he had instructed Sorog to communicate.

After all, High Spirit Essence Crystals, though extremely precious, had very narrow practical application.

For Lothrian to curtly claim they were depleted was somewhat unexpected.

Garoth did not probe their truth immediately. Instead he asked, "And the other allied nations? Contact their envoys stationed here?"

Through the alliance with Lothrian, Aola had indirectly established ties with several other nations in the same camp.

To obtain High Spirit Essence Crystals for the Hall, Garoth had also ordered Sorog to reach out to those countries.

Sorog’s low voice came through the mental link again.

This time the content left Garoth even more surprised and puzzled.

"All of them said they have no stock."

Sorog paused, then continued:

"From what the envoys hinted privately—some bluntly, some circumspectly—their nations originally held High Spirit Essence Crystals.

"But around the time the first civil war broke out, those reserves were largely bought up by Lothrian at high prices, or exchanged for other strategic resources."

This formed a rather curious picture.

Lothrian had once spared no cost to gather up this specific material from allied nations and perhaps broader sources, yet now claimed to the honeymoon-phase Aola that their supplies were exhausted.

So what had those numerous, narrowly useful crystals been used for?

Garoth’s mind sparked and raced, connecting fragments of information quickly.

In an instant a hypothesis nearly burst forth, striking his thoughts with force.

The Holy King!

There was a high probability it was connected to the Lothrian Holy King who reappeared at a critical moment and altered the balance!

Those amassed High Spirit Essence Crystals could very well have been the foundation or the cost supporting his reappearance or sustaining some special state.

Garoth could not be one hundred percent certain.

But based on the clues, the probability was not small—perhaps very high.

"Sorog, what do you think about this?"

Garoth asked through the mental link, seeking his assessment.

Iron Dragon Sorog was silent for two seconds, then clearly voiced five words: "Lothrian Holy King."

His mind was sharp; he shared Garoth’s conjecture.

"High Spirit Essence Crystals..." Garoth mused inwardly, "these things are not monitored like some forbidden weapons or major strategic resources; nations are less alert to their flow."

"But the Holy King’s reappearance would cause enormous upheaval."

"Beyond surface probes, countless eyes and intelligence networks would surely scan for any anomalies."

"If I can hypothesize this from limited data, the older kingdoms likely realized it earlier and may already have firmer evidence."

If that was true...

The tension in Garoth’s mind over the prospect of war tightened further.

The second nations’ war might break out sooner than he had expected.

Finally he said in a low voice to Sorog through the link: "Have all channels continue to dig up information on High Spirit Essence Crystals, and closely monitor signs from the Divine Kingdom of Theo."

"We must prepare for the Second Nations War, especially the possibility of war with Theo."

If war flared again, because of geography and their placement in opposing camps, Theo and Aola would have virtually no buffer—inevitably becoming each other’s primary and most direct adversary, dragged into a lethal struggle.

Conversely, for Aola to advance further, it would have to pass the barrier that was Theo.

"Understood!"

Sorog’s response was concise, without a trace of hesitation.

After a brief additional exchange, the mental link concluded.

Garoth stood on the Dragonback Mountains.

He raised his head and gazed toward the wide, distant south; it seemed he could already see skies to be stained by smoke and fire, and faintly hear the clangor of metal and the distant cry of war.

Seconds later he withdrew his gaze.

While solemn dread of war filled his mind, another feeling quietly grew in the red iron dragon’s heart.

It was a burning thrill, a furtive eagerness for chaos and challenge.

Once he had been an anonymous drifter struggling to survive in the wilderness and the convergence lands, growing quietly.

Only because the nations had fallen into the quagmire of civil war, unable to focus elsewhere, had he seized the chance to thrive and rapidly develop, eventually building his own grand realm in that neglected wilderness.

Now was different.

A new war loomed, but this time he need not hide in shadows nor scrape for survival between giants.

The red iron dragon emperor and his fledgling Aola Kingdom would stride overtly onto the grand stage of nations’ contention—participating, bargaining and seizing their share, all while continuing to grow stronger.

"High Spirit Essence Crystals... If none are stored now, then I will make them myself."

A glint sharpened in Garoth’s eyes.

The coming large-scale war would be the most fertile birthplace for them—the souls of the fallen, the deaths of Legendary figures, would all be prime raw material.

The red iron dragon exhaled a plume of scorching breath.

Under the deepening night, he gathered his scattered thoughts and once more immersed himself in forging and mastering his powers.

Complacency was never his way.

Days slipped by in silence.

In the height of summer the winds over the wilderness became especially scorching, blowing with sand and dry heat. In that wind a visitor arrived, one Garoth had not expected.

After brief consideration, the red iron dragon emperor decided to accept the visitor’s audience request.

Citadel of Crimson Flame, Dragon Court palace.

This structure was less a human palace and more a vast dome tailored for a colossal beast.

Aeron Leviborg, ambassador of the Kingdom of Reebos, now walked the wide corridor—large enough for multiple war elephants abreast—flanked by two silent, armored dragon-blooded guards.

He maintained outward composure, but his eyes could not help scanning the surroundings.

The corridor walls were not ornate stone reliefs or lavish murals; they were cast from a dense, dark metal, radiating an unbreakable sheen.

An invisible but palpable pressure filled the air—not aimed at him personally, but heavy in every inch of space—causing his breath to ease and his step to shorten.

At the corridor’s end stood a giant door dozens of meters high, polished from a single slab of deep obsidian.

Its surface reflected his small silhouette like a mirror.

"His Majesty awaits you."

The dragon-blooded guard leading them halted, his voice emotionless.

At that moment the heavy obsidian doors slid open inward.

A surge of heat smashed into the corridor, accompanied by an ineffable, majestic life force and royal presence that made Ambassador Aeron involuntarily squint.

He steadied his heightened heartbeat, inhaled deeply and stepped into the dragon court.

What lay before him made even this seasoned Reebos envoy hold his breath, his heart racing.

It was a space beyond the definition of a hall. Its scale surpassed human architecture.

A dizzying dome seemed a sky of its own, supported by towering colonnades.

But Aeron had no time to admire the structure.

All his attention was riveted upon the enormous being occupying the court.

The heat he had felt outside was merely the residue of that being’s slow breath.

The red iron dragon emperor, Garoth Ignas, lay there in his true form.

Aeron’s face showed shock; he felt human insignificance like a physical thing.

What a sight!

Even at rest, that massive body armored in black-red scales resembled a sleeping mountain; its undulating spine lines were the aesthetic of raw power.

His eyes were half-lidded.

In the bright light Aeron could see they were not simple vertical pupils; they were deep, as if containing stars.

At that moment the dragon pupils shifted slightly and fixed on the tiny human.

The oppressive aura wrapped around him like tangible mercury.

Aeron felt his knees weaken and his throat dry.

He knew the red iron dragon emperor had not unleashed his full Dragon Might—otherwise he’d already be unconscious or dead. That presence combined life level, power tier, gargantuan size and sovereign dignity into an overwhelming field.

As an envoy, Aeron had seen dragons before.

But a dragon so immense, so oppressively majestic, sitting as monarch within his court, produced a psychological shock utterly different from any ordinary dragon.

Aeron forced down his palpitations.

He inhaled the scorching air deeply, kept his steps steady, and advanced; the faint sounds of his boots echoed in the cavernous space.

Finally he stopped at a proper distance.

He had to tilt his head slightly upward to see the dragon’s massive form.

"Ambassador of the Kingdom of Reebos, Aeron Leviborg, pays respects to the ruler of Aola Kingdom, the great Emperor Ignas."

The diplomat’s voice rang steady and respectful as he bowed deeply with his right hand over his chest.

He could feel the star-bearing dragon pupils probing his thoughts without emotion, as if staring into the inner reaches of his mind.

Several seconds of silence stretched like centuries, the dragon’s low breathing the only echo.

Then a voice sounded.

Not a roar, but deep, sonorous, with a metallic friction to it—each syllable carried weight.

"The envoy has traveled far and is dusty. Do you bring Reebos’ friendship, or some other message?"

The red iron dragon emperor did not change his relaxed posture; he only raised his head a fraction and let his gaze lazily settle on the envoy.

Aeron’s heart fluttered.

He knew that in facing this monarch, any insincere flattery or long preamble would be wasted or even off-putting.

The envoy steadied his breathing, lifted his head and said, "May Your Majesty judge clearly."

"I come with my nation’s sincere goodwill."

He stepped half a pace forward, his tone more earnest. "Storms and change sweep the continent; the balance shifts daily."

"My nation recognizes the importance of deepening understanding and building stable trust with a vigorous, rising power like Aola." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"We are willing to open priority trade rights to critical minerals, to share advanced magical construct technologies, and to give Aola greater voice and support in nations’ affairs."

"All of this is to forge a sincere, mutually beneficial friendship, to exchange for enduring peace and development."

Aeron watched Garoth’s reaction closely.

But the giant dragon’s head did not stir; no emotion showed.

After a brief pause the emperor’s deep voice sounded again.

"I have sensed Reebos’ goodwill."

"Aola is new and needs to build beneficial connections and absorb developmental nourishment."

Hearing that, a glimmer of hope rose in Aeron—there was a door. But Garoth’s tone shifted: "True friendship is not merely a list of concessions or momentary conveniences."

"Aola’s friendly trade and contact with Lothrian currently bring practical benefits to my realm."

Aeron immediately replied.

He lowered his voice and said, "Your Majesty’s concern is understandable, but forgive my frankness—Lothrian has been all show and no substance for some time."

The red iron dragon emperor said nothing at first, only quietly watched.

Seeing that, Aeron continued softly, "The Holy King Lothrian relies upon is not in stable condition."

"The so-called formidable might is all bluster with little substance."

His words were blunt, without concealment.

Finally Garoth moved a little more perceptibly.

He adjusted his head, angling to look more directly at the envoy. The subtle shift dramatically increased the invisible pressure.

"The Holy King’s renown stands on confirmed past deeds."

"As for now... rumors and speculation always travel faster and more beguiling than facts."

A blade of grass on a wall sways before the storm; when the storm comes, it is first torn from its roots and ground into the earth.

Reebos’ attempt to court Aola likely aimed to curb Lothrian.

Garoth found it hard to trust them.

"I have heard your offers."

"True friendship and stable alliances require time to cultivate and tests to prove them."

"Our gates remain open to sincere friends. We will explore mutually beneficial cooperation with any nation that respects Aola’s independence and development."

With that the red iron dragon seemed to lose interest in prolonged talk; his massive head slowly turned back to its former position.

The Reebos envoy knew it was time to withdraw.

But—there was no explicit acceptance, no promise, no refusal. Garoth’s words were vague and offered him no decision.

"Your Majesty’s wisdom and foresight are most enlightening."

Aeron bowed deeply again. "My nation sincerely hopes to build genuine friendship with Your Majesty and Aola, not empty words. If Your Majesty has doubts about our proposals or other needs, I will convey them."

"Reebos will show greater sincerity and strive to meet Your Majesty’s requests."

At those words the red iron dragon lifted an eyelid and appraised the envoy carefully.

"Very well. Bring me three High Spirit Essence Crystals."

"On that basis I will seriously consider cooperation with the Kingdom of Reebos."

Having said this, the great beast slowly closed his eyes.

"I will have an answer transmitted within three days."

The envoy maintained the protocol, stepping back and slowly exiting the hot, oppressive dragon court.

The air outside felt far cooler; Aeron felt sudden intense thirst, and his robe was damp with cold sweat without him knowing when.

That red iron dragon emperor—no need for anger or roaring—yet supremely majestic and unfathomable, Aeron thought inwardly.

Reebos was a powerful nation, but Aeron himself was not the highest-ranking diplomat; standing before the red iron dragon left him simultaneously fearful and relieved.

Inside the Dragon Court, the red iron dragon emperor, who had seemed unfathomable and deep as an abyss to the envoy, opened his eyes after confirming the outsider had left. He then carelessly turned his body, rising from a prone position to stand and stretch his enormous frame.

"Keeping up an emperor’s image is tiring, but it should be effective."

Garoth pressed his forelimbs down and stretched his spine, joints crackling crisply as he thought idly.

As he stretched, he acutely felt that the war was likely very near.

The arrival of the Reebos envoy had been a signal, and the envoy’s frank words had almost laid bare their intention to go to war with Lothrian—forcing Garoth to choose.

Garoth disliked being forced into choices.

So he gave Reebos one: the High Spirit Essence Crystals.

If Reebos was ready to produce them, it first had to consider whether Garoth might immediately hand those crystals to Lothrian.

This would test whether their approach was sincere or merely politeness.