Defeating the World with the Power of One Dragon!

One week later, at the Rhen Plateau.

Garoth sat upon the Dragon Court throne, with the iron dragon Sorog standing at his side, reporting on the negotiation results with the Halden Empire.

"The terms are basically settled."

The iron dragon said.

Garoth gave a slight nod, signaling him to continue.

Sorog raised a dragon claw, revealing a fist-sized gem resting quietly in his palm.

It was a deep, profound black, its surface rough and covered with fine, natural patterns resembling ancient runes or the intricate network of blood vessels.

"According to the agreement, they have paid a portion of the deposit first."

"This Power Gem."

Garoth's gaze fell upon the gem, narrowing his eyes to examine it for a moment.

"Condensed from the blood of the Primordial Wastes?"

"So they claim." Sorog handed the gem to him. "I have verified it repeatedly. It is indeed a good item. The people from Halden didn't play any tricks regarding this matter."

Garoth took the gem.

It felt warm to the touch, and a faint but continuous pulsation emanated from deep within the gem, like the breathing of a living thing. He clenched the gem in his claw, his eyes slightly narrowed, sensing the feeling of that power flowing into his body.

His power was rising.

Outwardly, he showed little change, but he could indeed feel the increase in his strength.

A moment later, Garoth opened his eyes and looked at Sorog. "About thirty percent... What is the amplification for you?"

"Also thirty percent."

The iron dragon replied.

Hearing this, Garoth was slightly taken aback, his eyes then turning serious.

The same proportion?

This meant that, even for him, it still hadn't reached its limit.

Even though he had already broken through to the crown-level, could he still receive this thirty percent amplification? If so, it indicated this gem's upper limit was extremely high, and the energy it contained was unfathomable.

"The people from Halden explained the usage method."

Sorog continued, "If swallowed directly, the amplification can surge to at least sixty percent or more within a short time. However, this consumes it all at once. It's better to wear it for a slow, sustained effect."

Garoth toyed with the gem in his claw and asked, "What else did they say?"

"Also, about the nature of Primordial Stones."

The iron dragon pondered briefly, organizing his words. "Their research basically confirms that if a large quantity of the same type of Primordial Stone is collected, it will inevitably produce some kind of incredible effect."

"As for what effect, even they themselves are unclear."

"Additionally, they mentioned one thing." Sorog paused, then said, "The Empire previously attempted to obtain new power by collecting Primordial Stones. Unfortunately, the Primordial Stones on the Atlan continent were far too few. They excavated all the mountains but still didn't have enough to achieve the effect they desired."

"After that, they turned their gaze towards the Abyss."

Collecting a large quantity of the same type produces an incredible effect?

Garoth pondered this internally.

Summon a dragon god?

It probably wouldn't be that simple.

These things condensed from the blood of the Primordial Wastes... gathering too many of them likely carries a higher probability of attracting danger.

He shook his head slightly, not delving deeper into this aspect.

He only had one Primordial Stone here, far from a large quantity. No need to overthink it for now.

"What about the other conditions?"

"The other things they promised will only be delivered after you take action at least once."

Sorog reported. "Legendary items, black oil concentration technology, complete blueprints for the fourth-generation Skysoar Engine... all are included. Once the matter is settled, those will be delivered successively."

As he spoke, the iron dragon took out a disc-shaped device.

"This is the communication device they left. They said it's made from special materials, can operate without interference, and transmit messages across space and planes. Once a Sky City is about to go out of control, they will notify you through this immediately."

Garoth took it, examined it carefully for a few moments, then put it away.

The iron dragon looked towards the southern sky and asked, "Halden has been quite active lately. Do you think it might be to deal with a greater danger?"

Garoth nodded. "That's possible."

"However, regardless, we still need to prepare for both possibilities. Continue the development of the central continent, and don't stop the Serene Spirit Wilderness either. If the situation deteriorates, we at least have a fallback route."

"Understood." Sorog nodded. "I'll go make the arrangements right away."

Time passed.

Spring gave way to autumn, cold and heat alternated.

As the years rolled on, the Aola Kingdom entered an unprecedented phase of development.

The development of the Central Land Northern Border progressed steadily.

The first wave of pioneer teams gained a foothold in the Green River Valley, establishing three permanent settlements.

Mines began production, forests began to be harvested, farmlands began to yield... The resources shipped back from the central lands each year filled the kingdom's warehouses to the brim, with even the officials in charge of inventory complaining about insufficient manpower.

But this was only the beginning.

The second wave, the third wave... More and more pioneer teams went out.

Greater numbers, better equipment, the occupied areas expanded wider, the resources extracted increased accordingly. The flag of Aola was planted on one new piece of land after another.

Simultaneously, the development of the Serene Spirit Wilderness did not stop.

The area of the Verdant Homeland expanded several times compared to its initial size, with new settlements spreading along the riverbanks.

The fey still lived joyfully.

Centaurs cavalry patrolled the borders daily, the sound of hooves echoing; the fruits from the evil fey side grew plumper; other fey settlements also gradually accepted the presence of Aola garrisons.

This place was becoming a true backup base.

Once the situation in the Material Plane deteriorated, it could immediately accept subjects evacuated from various places.

Aola's population was also growing.

The decree lifting birth restrictions had been in effect for some time, and the results were beginning to show.

In various Aola cities, the number of young ones increased noticeably. Young ones of various races played, roughhoused, received unified education, and grew up together.

And in places unseen, changes were also occurring.

Within the dream.

The red iron dragon's aura surged around him as he fiercely battled his imagined enemies.

He found joy in this, honing his combat skills through it.

"Left! There's an opening on the left!"

"Wow, that claw strike was beautiful!"

"Yes, yes, just like that—Whoa, you tore that enemy in half!"

Cerora lay on her cloud bed, her chin resting on her claws, watching lazily. Whenever Garoth executed a beautiful strike, she would cheer.

Garoth ignored her noise, continuing to focus on the battle.

Every pounce, every bite, every tail swipe... he strived for perfection.

After fighting for a while, Cerora also got interested, jumping down from her cloud bed to join the battle.

The two had grown accustomed to this way of interacting.

Sometimes, as soon as Garoth fell asleep, he would find himself in the dream world. Cerora was always there first—sometimes lying on her cloud bed reading, sometimes playing with the fish in the stream, sometimes simply asleep, waking up only when he arrived.

The two resided on different real continents.

But in the dream, they were almost inseparable.

And so, time arrived at five years later.

Since the third Sky City was prevented from falling and didn't crash to the ground, in these five years, no new Sky Cities had continued to fall.

Some carefree humans had gradually begun to forget about the Abyssal invasion, returning to their peaceful lives.

Only those truly in the know understood that the calm was only temporary.

"Grade eleven black oil crystals..."

Garoth held a freshly produced black oil crystal, examining it for a few moments. Its color was deeper than before, its surface glossy with an oily sheen, feeling heavy in his claw.

He placed it in his mouth and swallowed.

Whoosh!

It felt like a ball of raging fire ignited in his belly.

His body instantly became hyperactive, blood flow accelerated, muscles filled with a pumping sensation, every scale slightly opened, emitting waves of heat.

Training in this state greatly improved efficiency.

"Ah, this wonderful feeling."

The dragon shook his head, letting out a low, pleased hum.

As he grew stronger, his requirement for the purity of black oil crystals also increased. However, the Aola Kingdom's crystallization technology had once hit a bottleneck, unable to produce higher purity crystals.

This feeling of his entire body being pumped full of energy was something he hadn't felt for a long time.

Fortunately, Aola obtained more advanced crystallization technology from Halden. Not long ago, new refining facilities were completed and began operation, finally capable of producing grade ten black oil crystals.

Garoth took a deep breath, his aura surging around him, preparing to train intensely for a period.

But at that moment, his movements halted.

Then, he took out Halden's communication device from his spatial storage.

The message had arrived.

The disc-shaped device flashed with red light while emitting a piercing sound, like an alarm. Under Garoth's gaze, a straight beam of red light lit up, pointing directly towards the southern sky.

He picked up the device, looking at it for a few moments.

The light was stable, the direction clear.

"Finally, it's here."

Garoth murmured to himself.

He raised his head, his gaze following the red beam of light. Under the scrutiny of his True Eye, his vision began to zoom in infinitely, magnifying, piercing through clouds, piercing through space, landing on a distant Sky City.

That city was far away, and it also had protective arrays. He couldn't see the specific internal details clearly.

But judging by its general outline, it hadn't tilted yet.

"About to go out of control? It looks quite normal right now."

He didn't hesitate for long.

Since Halden had sent the signal, it meant the situation had reached a critical point requiring his intervention.

Garoth looked towards that distant Sky City and raised a pair of dragon claws.

The muscles on the dragon's arms bulged, and the space before his claws began to twist, crack, torn apart at a visible speed by him, like ripping an old, tattered curtain.

This was Garoth's "teleportation."

Any place he could clearly see with his eyes, he could reach by tearing space with his Spell-Extinguishing Claws. Over the years, he had practiced this ability repeatedly and was now quite proficient in its application.

Given time, he might be able to reach any planar world with his own two claws.

Before long, the rift grew large enough to accommodate the dragon's body.

Garoth leaped inside.

The next moment, he appeared in the high sky near the Sky City.

This time, Garoth saw clearly.

The Sky City was trembling slightly.

Countless runes on the city's surface flickered intermittently, like candles about to go out. Some places had already developed fine cracks. Purple Abyssal energy seeped from the cracks, condensing into eerie shapes in the air.

But he soon noticed one thing.

Although it was going out of control, the city... was largely empty.

Within the vast city, there were only empty buildings and streets. The once bustling marketplaces were deserted, the once noisy residential areas were silent, and the majestic halls had their doors tightly shut.

The people of this city had evacuated in advance.

When the first two Sky Cities fell, the people in those cities had no time to escape. They crashed towards the earth along with the cities, shattered upon impact, or were swallowed by the Abyss when the rifts opened.

But for this one, Halden had evacuated in advance.

Garoth's eyes narrowed slightly.

"They've stabilized their footing somewhat."

He said quietly.

This meant Halden was now capable of detecting severe Abyssal erosion in advance, having enough time to organize evacuations. To some extent, they had gained a slightly firmer footing, no longer as helpless as at the beginning.

Garoth gathered his thoughts and looked at the Sky City again.

It was filled with towering spires, continuous buildings, wide plazas, and crisscrossing streets. But now, all the buildings were empty. The wind blew through the deserted city, making a mournful sound.

Only Abyssal energy churned.

Purple light seeped from cracks all over the city's structure, growing denser, stronger.

They seemed like living things, flowing between buildings, spreading through streets, trying to devour the entire city. Where they passed, stone discolored, metal corroded, everything took on a bizarre, twisted appearance.

Simultaneously, the city's trembling amplitude gradually increased, and its angle slowly tilted.

Some originally stable spires began to sway, sturdy buildings developed larger cracks.

This was the precursor to the fall.

Garoth took a deep breath.

His form began to change.

Three heads manifested, six arms extended, each arm bulging with muscle, dragon claws sharp as blades.

Golden lightning and blood-red aura simultaneously ignited, coiling and intertwining around him. The edges of his scales glowed with a more vivid fiery red, lotus-like patterns spread across the scales, like flames burning.

Battle form.

All three heads breathed out simultaneously. The six giant claws compressed Dragon Breath and Dragon Qi, slowly bringing them together before his chest.

Dragon Breath, Dragon Qi.

They fused, compressed, and sublimated between his claws, shifting from fiery red to dark red, then from dark red to a profound black, so dense it seemed to devour all light. The surrounding space began to warp and distort.

Just then, the city began to fall.

At first very slowly, almost imperceptible, then faster and faster. The acceleration caused the entire city to emit groans of unbearable stress.

Buildings began to collapse, spires cracked and tilted, rubble and debris scattered down, mixed with streams of purple energy, plummeting towards the earth.

Some Abyssal creatures surged from the cracks, but before they could even adapt to the environment of the Material Plane, they fell along with the rubble.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

Garoth's gaze sharpened.

All six giant arms pushed forward simultaneously. The sphere of destruction in his claws shot out, striking the Sky City dead center.

In that instant, the world lost its color, and silence reigned.

Boom!

Light erupted.

It expanded rapidly, engulfing the entire massive Sky City.

All the cracked buildings, the Abyssal energy flowing within, the demons flying out from the fine cracks, the Skysoar Engines deeper inside...

Everything, all of it, was swallowed by the light, vanishing into nothingness.

Shockwaves spread out in all directions, sweeping the clouds clean. The sky became clear and transparent, like a massive sapphire.

Except, faint black cracks were vaguely visible—traces of shattered space not yet fully healed.

They stretched across the sky, like cracks on glass or scars on a canvas, healing at a visible rate.

When the light faded, the Sky City was gone.

Nothing remained.

Only the empty sky and the gradually dissipating heat waves.

The dragon hovered in the air, all three heads surveying the surroundings.

He looked at the other Sky Cities. They still floated quietly, but now, they no longer seemed like swords hanging overhead.

Garoth took a deep breath, the aura around him slowly receding.

The three heads merged into one, the six arms retracted, returning to his normal dragon form.

"It's done."

He said quietly, then tore space and returned to the Rhen Plateau.

In the following days, congratulatory messages flew in like snowflakes.

The congratulatory message from the Halden Empire arrived first.

The wording was respectful, the tone sincere, thanking the Red Emperor for stepping in to save the critical situation. They promised the subsequent rewards would be delivered as soon as possible, including the legendary item, complete documentation on black oil concentration technology, and all blueprints for the fourth-generation Skysoar Engine.

Congratulatory messages from other kingdoms also arrived successively.

Some were formal in wording, some enthusiastic, some simple and sincere, but all expressed respect and gratitude towards the Red Emperor.

Time continued to pass.

Not long after the fourth Sky City went out of control, another Sky City went out of control.

However, it was similarly shattered in the air by the Red Emperor, unable to land and form, and no large rift was born.

The process was the same: the communication device lit up, the red beam pointed the way, Garoth tore space to arrive, and completely destroyed the Sky City before it could fall.

Time continued to pass, year after year.

After the fifth Sky City was destroyed, the demons seemed to realize this was just a waste of effort and gradually quieted down.

A long time passed, but no more news of Sky Cities going out of control came.

Halden gradually stabilized their situation.

Their Sky Cities still floated in the sky, but were no longer as precarious as before.

As for other small and medium-sized rifts, they were cleared out by the joint efforts of various nations and no longer occurred frequently. Rapid response forces formed by various countries stood ready at all times, heading to suppress any new rifts as soon as they were discovered.

And from the distant Arotala Continent, new news also arrived.

The Elves' Moon of Nausil shone with unprecedented brilliance.

It illuminated the entire Arotala, even making distant Atlan bright as day. The light pierced through clouds, through forests, through all obstacles, gathered together, and, cooperating with the elven immortals, locked onto an orc demigod.

Then, the orc demigod died.

In the light of the Elves' Moon, he died under the sword of a Nausil immortal.

This loss was too great.

Even with the orcs' madness, they had to slow their offensive. The flames of war slightly subsided.

For a time, the chaos level across the entire Bernardo planet stopped rising and even began to fall.

It was as if the storm had passed.

Everything was getting better, thriving and prosperous.