Defeat the entire world with the power of one dragon!

Chapter 509 Making the World Tremble Under the Dragon's Wings

A crimson meteor streaked across the sky, crashing down towards the mountains with a low whistling sound.

The wind pressure pressed the trees along the way almost to the ground. As the dust settled, the dark red giant claw slowly released its grip, and a figure staggered and tumbled down.

Thorfinn Chapman, the ruler of the Kingdom of Theo, was in a sorry state.

He was dizzy and pale. His royal robes were covered in dust and torn by pebbles, and the gold embroidery looked dull in the sunlight.

While caught in the dragon's claws, the human king vaguely recalled a scene from his childhood, playing with ants in the palace garden.

He was squatting by the stone path, poking at the ant colony with a twig, watching them scatter in panic.

This time, however, the ant was himself.

Torrefin slumped down, panting heavily.

He tried to stand up, but his legs were weak, and he could only support himself with his trembling hands. A gust of mountain wind howled, whipping up fine sand and gravel that hit his face, making him shiver and bringing him back to his senses.

"What...what do you want to do..."

The king mustered his courage, looked up at the majestic dragon that resembled a mountain range, and stammered out the question.

Upon hearing this, Hong Tielong merely glanced at him with his eyes lowered.

His gaze swept over the human king without lingering, as if he were looking at a stone or a dead tree.

Then, he casually withdrew his gaze, and suddenly spread his wings.

The red iron dragon shot straight into the sky and disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving only a trail of clouds that gradually dissipated.

Torifon stared blankly as the dragon sailed away, his mind a complete blank.

Am I dreaming? He was still somewhat dazed, thinking to himself.

He pinched his arm, and the pain was clearly felt.

call!
Another strong gust of wind swept in, bringing Torifen back to reality.

He looked around and found himself on an unnamed mountaintop.

The location here is extremely high, offering views of distant, rolling mountains appearing and disappearing amidst a sea of ​​clouds.

The wind was biting cold, and the surrounding area was full of jagged, steep rocks, with a few clumps of wild grass growing tenaciously in the crevices of the rocks.

He struggled to his feet and carefully walked to the edge to look down.

The bottomless abyss sent a shiver down his spine, his stomach clenched, and he almost collapsed to the ground again. The cliff was almost vertical, the rock face smooth, with a few protruding rocks, but none of them could serve as footholds for climbing.

The Red Emperor...

Is this terrifying dragon trying to leave me here to die?
As he thought about it, a feeling of despair began to spread through his heart.

As a king, he had experienced many things, but never before had he faced such a stark and absolute disparity in power.

In the face of the unruly and arrogant Red Emperor, all his schemes, army, and wealth lost their meaning.

Just then, the sky darkened.

A shadow fell over Torifen.

He instinctively looked up and saw a giant dragon circling in the air.

That wasn't the Red Emperor, but a colossal black dragon exuding a chilling aura.

It was an iron dragon, much smaller than the Red Emperor, but still enormous and breathtaking.

Its scales were jet black and shiny, gleaming with a metallic sheen in the sunlight. Its muscles were as clearly defined as finely forged steel, each muscle containing terrifying power.

Thorfinn's heart clenched again.

He recognized the dragon.

The second most powerful being in the Kingdom of Aura, the Iron Prince, the blood brother of the Red Emperor, Sorog Ignas.

The iron dragon slowly descended, its broad wings stirring up the air currents and raising dust from the ground, looking down at the tiny king.

Thorfinn's heart was in his throat.

He tried to stand up and maintain the dignity of a monarch, but his weak legs forced him to kneel and look up at the enormous thing in front of him.

This posture made him feel humiliated, but he couldn't change it.

“Sorog...Ignas…”

Thorfinn's voice still trembled, but he forced himself to finish the sentence: "Do you...do you know what you've done? Kidnap a king?!"

He took a deep breath and said, "Absurd! This is utterly lawless."

"This is a trampling of the bottom line of all nations! This is a declaration of war against the New Federation of Lortheron! Release me immediately, or else..."

"How else?"

Iron Dragon's voice was deep and thunderous, making the human king almost have ringing ears and interrupting his blustering but cowardly threat.

Sorog asked with great interest, tilting his massive head slightly to one side: "Will Lorthen fight for you? Or will your Theo's legends protect you?"

The king's face froze.

After a few seconds of silence, he said, "I want to speak with Garoth Ignas, the true king of Aura."

This is in the hope of negotiating directly with the supreme ruler to try and change the situation.

Upon hearing this, Tie Long couldn't help but raise his enormous head, his laughter echoing through the clouds.

"Haha, you insignificant human being, who do you think you are?"

Tie Long's laughter gradually subsided, but his gaze became even sharper: "Are you telling a joke? If so, I must admit, you made me laugh."

Torrefin's face was as pale as paper.

He gritted his teeth and asked, "Dragons, what exactly do you want to do?"

Upon hearing the human's words, the Iron Dragon's laughter suddenly ceased, and its eyes transformed into cold, vertical pupils.

He lowered his head slightly, and the enormous shadow completely engulfed the king.

"Thorfin Chapman".

Tie Long called him by name directly, his voice flat and straightforward: "You have violated the Norton Treaty."

"Tariff barriers, military expansion, secret alliance with Lorthene... each one is a provocation against Aura's bottom line."

“That was…that was a necessary adjustment under the new circumstances of the nations,” Thorfinn argued. “The war is over, it is now an era of peace, and we can negotiate.”

Iron Dragon grinned, revealing sharp fangs that gleamed with a cold light.

"Taking you here alive from the royal court is our dragons' way of negotiating."

Thorfinn's heart sank.

"What...what do you want? To kill me?"

Thorfinn said, "That will only make the people of Theo even angrier, and give Lorthern a good reason to unite all the kingdoms to attack you."

Tie Long leaned forward, intensifying the pressure.

"Kill you? You could say that."

"We have decided to impose the most severe punishment on the Kingdom of Theo for its breach of contract."

"First, execute the source of the breach of contract, namely you, King Thorfinn Chapman of Theo, as a warning to others. Then, send a large army to crush Theo, burn this ignorant kingdom to ashes, and wipe it off the map completely."

No! You can't!

Thorfinn screamed, “This will start a full-scale war! Lorthorn won’t stand idly by! The entire kingdom of the plains will…”

Just then, a low growl filled with impatience came from the other side.

"Hey bug, what are you chirping about?"

Accompanied by a scorching heat, a red figure, even larger and more robust than the Iron Dragon, descended, causing the surrounding temperature to rise sharply.

Torrefin also recognized the dragon.

Samantha Ignas, the Fire Prince of Aura and another blood relative of the Red Emperor.

Her physique was more imposing than Sorog's; she was at least a fifth longer than Iron Dragon and had a higher shoulder height.

She was clad in an extremely heavy suit of armor, which seemed to be directly embedded in her body, fused with the scales, even her chin was encased in steel. The exposed bright red dragon scales gleamed in the sunlight, like burning charcoal. Her dragon snout was slightly open, revealing her interlocking fangs, and a spark spewed out with each breath, landing on the rocks with a sizzling sound.

The red dragon looked down at Thorfinn, its eyes flashing with undisguised ferocity and hunger.

"Sorg, why are you wasting your breath talking to this little bug that violates the treaty?"

Samantha stretched out her claws and pinched Thorfinn, who was trying to argue.

The red dragon held the human king up to its eyes and examined him closely, its vertical pupils shrinking into thin slits: "I have never tasted what a human king tastes like. You have lived a life of luxury, so your flesh should be quite tender."

As she spoke, she stuck out her long, scarlet tongue and licked her chin.

Then she actually opened her enormous mouth full of fangs—and threw the human king directly into it.

"Do not!!!"

Thorfinn let out a death scream and his soul vanished.

Under the terrifying dragon's kiss and fangs, all royal dignity and diplomatic rhetoric were crushed, leaving only the most primal fear.

He smelled sulfur and lava, and felt the heat wave hitting him.

He could even imagine himself being chewed up.

Immediately afterwards, the dragon's snout closed.

The king's figure and voice vanished.

dark.

Scorching hot.

A suffocating sense of oppression.

Torrefin thought he was dead.

"Samantha, wait a moment."

Tie Long's voice rang out just in time, as if it came from a very distant place.

The red dragon paused, glancing at the iron dragon with displeasure, but in the end, she opened her dragon mouth and spat out the human king.

Thorfinn collapsed to the ground, trembling all over.

He was covered in sticky saliva, the liquid carrying a pungent sulfurous smell that corroded his royal robes and left a burning stinging sensation on his skin.

He coughed violently, each breath accompanied by a burning pain.

For a fleeting moment, he thought he had been eaten; images flashed through his mind.

His father's serious expression as he taught him the ways of governing; the glory of the coronation ceremony; the strategic maneuvering during negotiations with Lorthen's envoy; the dream of reviving Theo; and the view of the capital city from the palace balcony on an ordinary afternoon...

These ordinary memories became exceptionally clear during the moment of near death.

Looking at the king, who lay on the ground barely recognizable as a human, Tie Long slowly said, "Thorfin, haven't you understood why you were brought here today?"

He paused, waiting for the king to regain some of his senses, before continuing to speak.

"We, the Aura, have resolved to personally ignite the war and set the nations ablaze."

"You, and Theo, are the first sacrifices."

Thorfinn's mind went blank.

War...sacrifice...these words buzzed in his mind, pounding against his consciousness.

He recalled the past, how Theo had struggled to rebuild under the shadow of defeat, and his vow upon ascending to the throne to make Theo rise again and no longer be at the mercy of any power.

And now...

"The king deserves a somewhat dignified death, rather than being eaten alive."

The iron dragon lowered its massive head slightly, close to the limp king.

Torifen could almost see his own reflection in the Iron Dragon's pupils.

Disheveled, terrified, and insignificant. "We will build a tall enough gallows in the square of Crimson Flame City and hang you with ropes soaked in ferocious beast oil."

Sorog calmly described, "Your physique is much stronger than that of an average person, so you won't be hanged immediately."

"The rope will slowly tighten. You can struggle for a while longer, but it will be difficult to hold on for long. Envoys from various kingdoms may gather in the square, and they will witness the fate of those who break the rules."

"After you die, we will attack Theo."

“We will kill those who rebel and use their heads to build monuments; we will set your kingdom ablaze with dragon's breath and turn it to dust; your family, your ministers, and all those who are loyal to you will be wiped out.”

"Ultimately, the name Theo will be erased from history."

Tie Long spoke as if he were describing a future that was destined to happen.

Without a sound, a glimmer of psychic energy appeared in his eyes, making his words even more penetrating and causing listeners to involuntarily imagine the scenes he described.

"no, do not want……"

Thorfinn's pupils were somewhat unfocused, and he murmured softly.

He could see the scene, feel the pain of the rope digging into his neck, hear the clamor of the crowd, and imagine his own corpse swaying in the wind… Then there was Theo, the burning capital, the fleeing people, and mountains of heads…

His description of Tielong was as if he were there himself.

Just as he was on the verge of a mental breakdown, Tie Long's voice rang out again.

"However, our Emperor is kind-hearted and does not like senseless killing."

"Theo... there is another option."

As if the darkness and blood fire in his eyes had suddenly faded and wisps of light had appeared, Thorfinn abruptly raised his head.

He hurriedly asked, "What?"

Tie Long spoke in a deep voice, enunciating each word clearly: "To turn a rumor into reality, to become the Theo of Aura."

He paused, then continued, "Abrogate all alliances with Lorthorn and pledge allegiance to Aura."

"At that time, Theo will become Aura's vassal, and you, Thorfinn Chapman, will be able to survive and continue to manage Theo, of course, under Aura's will. Your family can be preserved, and your throne can be passed on, but from then on, every major decision Theo makes will need to be approved by the Crimson Flame Royal City."

"Too much trouble!"

Samantha, the red dragon, impatiently flicked her tail, sending pebbles flying everywhere. "Just eat this bug, then flatten Theo! How easy! Let Garos lead us, burning our way through!"

She leaned closer to Torifen, her breath on his face: "Human, do you know what I like most? It's watching everything turn to ashes in the flames."

"The scene was... absolutely beautiful."

"Samantha, be patient."

Iron Dragon looked at his blood relative and said in a steady tone, "Garos prefers conquest to destruction. Dead lands cannot produce food, and cities turned to ashes cannot provide tax revenue. Give the human king some time to...think things through."

After saying that, he looked back at Thorfinn, whose eyes were constantly changing.

"Think about it carefully here."

Sorog pointed with his paw at the steep cliffs around them: “You have plenty of time to think. The nights here will be cold, and you will feel hungry and thirsty, but that’s all part of thinking.”

"I will come back here in three days and give you my answer."

"Will you be a sacrifice, ending your life on the gallows, with your kingdom turning to ashes; or will you be a vassal, allowing your bloodline and throne to continue?"

Beside him, the red dragon tilted its head and sized up the king.

"Hey, human, I hope you can bravely choose to die."

Samantha said, "At that time, you will gain my appreciation and even respect. Although that will not change your fate of being eaten, I will also get what I want and have a delicious meal."

"What a wonderful ending, isn't it?"

After the two dragons finished speaking, they flapped their wings and gradually rose into the sky, disappearing into the distant heavens.

At the mountaintop, only the howling, cold wind and the human king with a struggling expression remained.

Thorfinn slumped onto the rock, remaining motionless for a long time.

The cold began to seep into his body, but he could barely feel it.

He struggled to climb to the edge and looked down the cliff, where the bottomless abyss appeared even darker in the twilight.

Jump down... and it will all be over.

There will be no more struggles, no more humiliation, no more difficult choices.

In time, Theo will have a new king.

He might rebel against Aura, seek help from Lorthorn, or there might be a war... or perhaps, he might simply surrender.

On the other side, nestled among the mountains.

The two dragons folded their wings and landed beside another blood relative.

At this moment, the Red Iron Dragon was pinching a large rock with one claw and putting it into its mouth.

A large chunk of the mountain not far in front of him had been hollowed out, leaving a clear indentation in the rock face. Judging from his appearance, it was clear that he had eaten it.

"Garos, what are you doing?"

Samantha, the red dragon, tasted the rock that Garus was gnawing on, immediately spat it out with a look of disgust.

"It's really tacky, not some kind of treasure that looks like dirt."

"It's really dry and unpalatable, it reminds me of some bad memories."

She stared at the red iron dragon, somewhat puzzled: "Drinking black oil is one thing, I know you can get energy from it, but why are you eating dirt now?"

"If outsiders find out, they'll think that we, the Dragon of Aura, are so poor that we can't afford normal food, and that even the emperor can only eat dirt."

The red iron dragon stopped eating.

"This is one of my new ways of exercising."

He said, "I'm trying to stimulate the stomach and intestines to improve... never mind, I can't explain it to you. How's the situation with King Theo?"

The red dragon immediately shook its head and showed a smug expression.

She even stood up on her hind legs, gesturing with her front paws as if imitating the terrified look of a human king.

"You didn't see the look on that human's face when I scared him, it was hilarious."

"When I grabbed him, he was trembling all over, like a frightened rabbit..."

She laughed so hard she almost fell over, her tail slapping the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Haha, my performance was flawless. He probably thought I was a brainless, crazy, and violent ordinary red dragon that he wanted to eat. Tsk, he didn't even realize that his little bit of meat wouldn't be enough to fill my teeth. What a stupid human."

"Don't you think so? Sorog, if this human submits, I, the dragon, will have played a crucial role."

Under the watchful gaze of the red dragon, the iron dragon Sorog slowly nodded.

He had regained his usual calm demeanor, his wings neatly folded behind him like two enormous shields.

"Yeah, that was almost a natural performance; even I couldn't tell the difference between real and fake."

He said this with a hint of teasing in his voice.

Samantha paused for a second, then her eyes widened: "Wait, what do you mean? What do you mean by 'playing myself'? You mean I actually..."

"All right."

Galos interrupted the potential argument.

Red Iron Dragon turned to Sorog, his gaze turning serious: "How did King Theo react?"

Tie Long's smile faded, and he answered seriously, "Fear, struggle, but not yet broken down. He's still weighing his options—that's a good thing. It means he'll at least seriously consider the choices we've given him. If he gave in immediately, he wouldn't be trustworthy."

He paused, then continued, "However, King Theo may not necessarily agree to the choice I have made."

"If he were strong enough, he would jump off the mountaintop or simply choose to commit suicide. Some people value dignity more than life, especially rulers."

Galos's expression remained unchanged.

"It doesn't matter."

He said, "There are quite a few people in Theo's royal family, and even those who know they are just puppet kings would love to be one."

Sorog nodded: "Conquering Theo is actually not difficult for us, or rather, it's very easy."

"Under the influence of our media and propaganda over the years, there are actually many people in Theo who are close to us."

He grinned, revealing sharp teeth.

"Sometimes we don't even need our mouthpieces to push things along; Theo's people will naturally speak up for us."

"It's as if by getting close to us, they can wash away the shame of being a defeated nation, feel a sense of superiority in front of their compatriots, and be able to hold their heads high."

"In addition, our scouts reported that after the king was captured alive, some of the Theos even paraded and celebrated in the capital."

"They cursed their own king and warriors for being too weak, praised Emperor Aura for his greatness and bravery, and were eager to join us. How...foolish."

Tie Long gave a clear assessment of this type of person.

They might make Aura's rule easier, but that doesn't mean they'll be taken seriously by Aura.

On the contrary, the people of Aura, who take pride in their own kingdom, will only look down on such people in their hearts. Those who betray their own people will eventually be despised by everyone, whether they are enemies or allies.

Galos listened in silence until Sorog finished speaking, at which point he slowly opened his mouth.

"Theo is not important; he is just a starting point."

“The other kingdoms, especially Lorthorn, are our real obstacles. Don’t let your guard down.”

He wasn't in a hurry to occupy Theo before the dust settled.

On the surface, Theo is just a piece of meat, but if we really go to occupy it... the fate of the Kingdom of Ryan is right before our eyes. Although Aura will not completely repeat its mistakes, it will inevitably be affected.

Sorog nodded in deep agreement.

“Lothane alone, while not easy to deal with, is not a great threat.”

As he spoke, his tone became serious: "But we are the greatest anomaly among all nations. Human kingdoms can wage war against each other, can form alliances and betray each other, but when faced with us..."

"I'm afraid that Lorthorn might really unite the nations and launch a joint attack against us."

"If that's the case...we'll have no choice but to abandon this place, which means we'll suffer huge losses."

Galos nodded slowly: "You're right. Lorthorn has his new federation, ostensibly for peace and development."

He paused, a sharp glint in his eyes: "And Aura will also have our allies. Power attracts strength, fear drives unity. Not all kingdoms are willing to grovel beneath Lorthen."

Samantha, the red dragon, brightened up and excitedly flapped her wings.

“Rebos! This kingdom has twice fallen short of Lorthen by a hair’s breadth, and it will never willingly grovel before Lorthen!”

Hong Tielong gave her an approving look, then chuckled.

"It's really fun."

“Once upon a time, Rebos was our enemy, and Lortherne was our ally.”

At this point, Hong Tielong's vertical pupils narrowed slightly, as if recalling those war-torn years, before he spoke again.

"However, times have changed."

“Now Lorthern sees us as the biggest threat, and we also see Lorthern as an obstacle.”

"Rebos has become a potential ally. Haha, the line between friend and foe is so fragile in the tides of interests and power. There are no permanent enemies, nor permanent friends, only permanent interests."

At this point, Hong Tielong looked up at the sky.

By this time, night had completely fallen, and the stars began to twinkle, especially the elven moon belonging to the Nausir Empire, which shone brightly almost every night in recent years.

"But in any case..."

"This time, we will ignite the flames with our own hands, and we will also end the war between nations with our own hands."

He spread his wings and looked at the Iron Dragon and the Red Dragon.

“Ready, my brothers,” he said. “The fire has been lit, and we will ride it, making the whole world tremble under the wings of dragons.”

(End of this chapter)