Defeat the entire world with the power of one dragon!

Chapter 512 The True Path to Legend

The wilderness of Ser, nestled among mountains.

"The fragrance of blood, the wails of the dying, and the flames burning the earth... what a beautiful scene."

Samantha the Red Dragon's voice was full of pleasure, and her huge head swayed slightly, but then she let out a regretful sigh.

"It's a pity that their legend couldn't be preserved."

"Lothane's legend seems to be richer than I expected. A legendary warrior who looks quite ordinary actually carries a high-level teleportation scroll with him."

Teleportation scrolls themselves are not extremely rare.

While mages capable of crafting ordinary teleportation scrolls are rare among the Romanian kingdoms, the court mage corps of each kingdom typically possesses a certain number of them.

However, when it comes to legendary lives, the situation is quite different.

Legendary creatures have excessively high life strength, and their teleportation puts a greater burden on space. Teleportation scrolls that can work on legendary creatures not only require extremely advanced craftsmanship, but also use materials that are extremely rare.

When Aura fought Theo, Theo Legend was only able to pull out a teleportation scroll a handful of times throughout the entire battle.

"Lotharn is wealthy and powerful, so it's not surprising that his legendary subordinates possess teleportation scrolls."

Galos's voice came from the side.

During the Battle of Norton Pass, the shapeshifter from Reipos, realizing that the battle was beyond saving, used a teleportation scroll to leave the battlefield.

In this respect, Lorthorn's foundation will only become deeper.

However, Galos didn't care about this.

Samantha lacked the means to counter spatial abilities, so it was normal that she couldn't stop the opponent from escaping.

But the Claws of Garus are different. These claws, capable of even gripping space itself, will never allow their prey to escape easily.

call!
Strong winds descended from the sky, stirring up dust and dry grass from the ground.

The massive figure of Iron Dragon Sorog circled several times in the sky before folding its wings and landing beside its two blood relatives.

"How did Lortherne react?"

Noticing the arrival of the Iron Dragon, Galos turned his head and asked calmly.

Tie Long shook his head and said, "They have officially declared war on us."

"Lothern is currently assembling a large army in Pyongyang, Cana. Judging from the location of their legion's assembly and their overt movements, they most likely intend to cross the Ryan Plateau, then aim for Theo, and then directly attack us."

The Rhine Plateau, this land was once the territory ruled by the kingdoms of Rhine and Sak.

After the Second War, although the Kingdom of Ryan annexed Sak, it was also torn apart by the intervention of various forces. The name of the kingdom no longer existed, and only the geographical name of Ryan Plateau remained to remind people of its former affiliation.

The region located between Aura and Lorthen mainly consists of the Lyne Plateau and Theo.

Today, Theo belongs to Aura to some extent, so the only thing separating Aura and Lorthen is the Lyon Plateau.

Once they cross this plateau, Lorthen's army will set foot on Aura's territory.

After a moment of contemplation, Galos said, "Lothern's movements are not so important now. I am more concerned about the reactions of other nations."

Upon hearing this, Tie Long grinned, revealing his sharp white teeth, and curved his lips into a smile.

"No response, they remain silent."

Upon hearing this, Samantha, the red dragon, raised her head and let out a hearty laugh: "They're afraid! They fear the dragons, they fear Aura, so they dare not be our enemies!"

She spread her wings, and shadows enveloped a vast expanse of land: "Very good, very good!"

“I’m tired of those so-called alliances, allying with insect-like creatures? Humph, I’ve had enough! Now our only opponent is Lorthorn. Once we win this war, the other nations will naturally respect us and acknowledge us as their kings!”

The specific reasons for the silence of the various nations are actually not entirely the same as those stated by the Red Dragon.

But Galos did not correct her; he simply nodded slightly, acknowledging Samantha's last statement.

Just then, Tie Long's gaze suddenly paused, his vertical pupils slightly contracting, as if listening to some unseen voice.

Galos noticed his reaction: "What new information have you received?"

Iron Dragon Sorog nodded, his expression becoming somewhat subtle: "Yes... a diplomatic ambassador from Reipos has secretly arrived in Crimson Flame City and is contacting our people, hoping to have an audience with Lord Aura."

He paused for a moment, then added, "That human's name is Aaron Leviberg."

It sounds familiar.

Galos searched his memory for a moment, then suddenly realized.

On the eve of the Second War of Nations, this Riberian ambassador came to us, on the orders of the kingdom, to win over Aura.

However, faced with the high-grade spiritual crystals that Garus demanded, Rebus worried that Aura was providing them for the Holy King, and ultimately chose to refuse, abandoning his attempt to win her over.

Back then, probably no one could have imagined that Aura would grow to its current size in such a short time.

No one expected that Aura would turn against Lortheon so quickly.

"Send someone over now..."

Red Iron Dragon's tail tip swayed slightly as it said, "Let him come."

Not long after, at Takayama Dragon Court.

Inside the spacious and majestic hall, towering pillars support the dome, and light shines obliquely through the stained glass windows, casting dappled and ever-changing shadows on the floor.

A slightly hunched figure, led by two dragonborn guards, walked step by step into the depths of the main hall.

He was wearing a dark gray robe, and now he had lowered the hood, revealing a face covered with deep wrinkles.

Time has etched lines on his face, but his eyes are not dull; they still shine with wisdom.

Aaron Leviberg, diplomatic ambassador of the Kingdom of Riper.

Aaron stopped, raised his head, and looked toward the throne, or more precisely, at the black and red dragon that was quietly coiled on the throne.

Compared to their first meeting many years ago, the Red Emperor's physique was even more magnificent and imposing.

Each of his scales seemed to have been tempered by a fierce fire, radiating a metallic luster. Just by lying there, he exuded an aura of imposing authority that enveloped the entire hall.

Aaron took a deep breath, bowed his aged body, and paid the most solemn salute to the Red Emperor.

"Your Majesty the Great Ignas, the Great Red Emperor."

His voice was slow and hoarse as he said, "It is a great honor to be able to meet you again after so many years and behold your face. You... are even more dignified and majestic than before."

The Red Emperor lowered his enormous head, his vertical pupils gazing down at the tiny humans below.

He was old, and looked like he had one foot in the grave.

At his age, he should be enjoying his retirement in Reibos, but he has risked coming to Aura. It is highly likely that the Reibos leadership has recalled him because he had met the Red Emperor.

“Aaron Leviberg…I remember you.”

The Red Emperor's voice was deep and thunderous, making the air buzz: "Last time, you wanted Aura's friendship, and my condition was a high-grade spiritual crystal, but you failed to provide it."

The Riberian diplomat gave a wry smile, his wrinkles deepening.

“Your Majesty, thank you for your mercy back then, which allowed me to return to Rebers alive. At that time, I thought I would become just another skeleton before the throne, like many other messengers who offended the dragon.”

"To be honest, I feel endless regret about that incident."

He raised his head, his gaze sincere, and said, "If I could go back to the past, I would do everything I could to persuade my superiors and let Your Majesty have your wish."

In Aaron's resume, "having met the Red Emperor" is his greatest honor.

But in his heart, this was also the deepest thorn.

If Aura had been persuaded to befriend Reipos, or even just remain neutral, perhaps Reipos wouldn't have suffered such a crushing defeat in the last war, wouldn't have lost so many elite troops, and wouldn't be in the kingdom's current predicament.

The Red Emperor stopped exchanging pleasantries.

He lowered his eyes to stare at the diplomat and asked directly, "What is your purpose in coming here secretly this time, Rebos? Don't tell me you want to form an alliance with us to fight against Lorthen."

“If Reboss had the guts, you should have already declared war on Lorthern.”

Aaron lowered his head and clasped his hands in front of him: "Your Majesty is wise."

"I am not here on behalf of the Kingdom to conduct formal diplomatic negotiations or to form alliances."

"Rypos is not yet ready for a full-scale war with Lortherne. Our army needs time to rebuild, our treasury needs time to replenish, and our people need time to recover from the trauma of the last war."

"I have only brought some insightful people from the kingdom with their... goodwill and expectations for Aura."

“Goodwill?” Galos’s voice was devoid of emotion.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The old diplomat took out a fist-sized crystal from his pocket.

It is pale purple, and there seems to be flowing light inside.

Aaron respectfully presented the item with both hands. "Inside this is some information that might be helpful to you."

He paused, lowering his voice even further: "Furthermore... during a recent internal reorganization, our kingdom's secret archives inadvertently lost a magical catalogue containing records of military formations. Those formations were once the pride of our Reipos."

As he spoke, Aaron looked up, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.

"We don't know where the lost array diagram has gone. It was purely a regrettable oversight. If Aura learns of its whereabouts, we hope she will let us know."

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, Iron Dragon's whisper echoed in Garos's mind.

"The so-called array diagram is already in our hands. It was discarded in the Royal City Square this morning and picked up by a patrolling guard. Because it was too unusual, it was reported through the hierarchy and has now been sealed up."

Galos listened quietly, his eyes gleaming.

The military formation... the military formation obtained from Lorthern back then has restrictions that it cannot be passed on to outsiders, nor can it be used against Lorthern, so it cannot be used in the subsequent war.

Now, Aura has a new option.

Excuses like "lost" are just excuses that can't be more perfunctory.

Rebos was clearly providing Aura with the war tools they desperately needed in this way, while maintaining a facade of neutrality and ignorance.

"What does Reboss want?"

Garros asked.

The diplomat quickly shook his head: "No, we have no demands." He paused, then added: "Reboss only hopes to gain Aura's friendship, a friendship that Lorthern does not cherish, but we will treat it with respect."

A brief silence fell over the hall, broken only by the long, heavy breathing of the dragon and the faint sound of wind in the distance.

After a long silence, the Red Emperor slowly spoke: "Human, you know better how to deal with dragons than when we last met."

“I accept Ripos’s gift. Alright, you can go back now.”

He made no promises, but he didn't refuse either.

On the other side, the diplomat secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that the purpose of the trip had been basically achieved, and accepting the gifts was itself an expression of attitude.

Aaron bowed deeply again, the hem of his robe touching the ground.

"May your kingdom be as indestructible as your scales; may your enemies be reduced to ashes in your wrath, like autumn leaves in the fall."

He said no more, maintaining a respectful posture, and slowly retreated, each step steady and deliberate, until he exited the hall and then turned and disappeared at the end of the corridor.

"This is a nice gift."

Iron Dragon Sorog emerged from the side hall and arrived at the center of the royal court hall.

"Yes, intelligence and military formations both have some use."

Garos gazed in the direction the diplomat had left and said slowly, "However, the real victory will ultimately be won by our own men."

“Rebos’ information can be used as a reference, but it cannot be relied upon.” “Their perspective has its own limitations, and their intelligence may have omissions or be misleading.”

"These are just icing on the cake."

He extended his dragon claw, and the pale purple crystal floated up and drifted to his eyes.

Hong Tielong closed his eyes slightly, his spiritual power probing into the crystal to perceive the vast amount of information recorded within.

Time ticked by, and Sorog waited patiently, knowing that his blood relatives were carefully processing the intelligence.

About fifteen minutes later, Red Iron Dragon reopened his eyelids, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

As the saying goes, the person who understands you best is often your enemy, not your friend.

The Kingdom of Reipos had fought two major wars with Lor'then, and their understanding of Lor'then was indeed far superior to that of Aura, and the information they provided was also very detailed.

For example, regarding the weaknesses of the Holy Spirit.

During World War II, the presence of the Holy Spirit of Lorthorn caused Reboss great suffering.

Although Rebos was defeated after the war, he was still unwilling to accept it.

They collected all the information from the war, studied and analyzed it repeatedly, and finally pieced together a series of weaknesses of the Lorthorn Holy Spirit.

In addition, there are detailed accounts of the Lorthorn legend.

The information on each known legend—their fighting style, preferred skills, possible magical items, personality traits, and duties in the military—was so detailed that it was as if Rebos's intelligence agents had infiltrated the upper echelons of Lorthion.

Of all these, what Garoth cared about most was information about the Grand Legends.

In particular, the human Grand Master named Sodrian Lorthen.

"Champion...the power of time..."

Hong Tielong muttered to himself, his expression turning serious.

Time is a more precious attribute than space.

Since his birth, Garus has never truly faced an enemy who wields the power of time.

In the Battle of Norton Pass, the Transformer Ribbons' "time freeze" was merely a name; it was essentially an extreme acceleration of his own speed and did not involve any real mystery of time.

According to the intelligence provided by Reipos, Sodrian's abilities are completely different.

"Using time as a barrier in an instant."

"When I parry, I can construct a time barrier that even a legendary figure of destiny cannot break through, and reflect all damage. It sounds very powerful, but I don't know if my claws can tear apart the so-called time barrier."

"In an instant, through the medium of time."

"After dodging, you can enter a kind of time-out state and counterattack in a near-static time flow. This is somewhat similar to the time stop of the Transformer, but it is a true time skill."

"."

Reipos valued this Crowned Charioteer highly and provided a great deal of information, among which the two points mentioned above were the most important to Galos.

That cannot be simply summarized by the word "mechanism".

If there is no upper limit, then it is almost a skill at the conceptual level, using time as a shield and time as a blade.

Moreover, Reibos also seriously mentioned that what the Crown Chariot showed might not be the whole story.

Sodrian has lived for over four hundred years. As the guardian of Lorthorn, he has experienced many great battles, but he rarely reveals his full strength on the battlefield. He likely still has some hidden skills that he will only use at the most critical moments.

"Grand Legends are the pinnacle of legends, having reached the limit in some aspects."

Galos mentally sorted through the knowledge in the Dragon's Legacy.

"The path to legend is not quite the same as what most intelligent beings think. It is not a simple ladder distribution... As long as one is in good condition, has a long lifespan, and has no irreversible damage, theoretically, every crown position can achieve its destiny."

"Similarly, as long as this prerequisite is met, every destiny can achieve immortality."

Lorthorn's Grand Master, judging from his age, is basically beyond hope of reaching the end of his reign, and his physical condition probably can't withstand a few more intense battles.

A legendary figure with no future and little time left to live...

This sounds like a good thing for Aura, because the other side has no future and lacks the capital for a long-term game.

But in reality, this means that confronting him head-on would be extremely dangerous.

How terrifying would a Grand Order character, who no longer cares about their own lifespan and can burn everything without reservation, be in their final, desperate counterattack?
Moreover, what Sodrian was protecting was Lorthene, the kingdom his family had ruled for thousands of years. The power of this desperate battle, fueled by such conviction, was immeasurable.

Furthermore, Lorthene also has a newly crowned champion.

Because it was developed during the post-war period, Reipos lacks detailed information about its Grand Rank skills, with only some records from before the Grand Rank.

These factors combined made Galos feel somewhat troubled.

Strategically, one can despise the enemy, but tactically, one must pay attention to every detail.

To underestimate a Grand Legend, especially one who has mastered a high-level attribute like Time, is an extremely foolish act.

But to say that I'm afraid... is far from it.

Crown?

Let me talk about my four combat states, True Sight, Claw of Destruction, Fearless Fury, Life Against Death, Unyielding Resilience, Immortal Life, Endless Recovery, Rapid Regeneration, and Eternal Battle... and all these traits and characteristics.

Knowing that Lorthorn had a Grandmaster in charge, they still decided to ignite the war.

This was a decision made after repeated weighing and careful consideration, not on a whim.

It's important to understand that on the path to legendary status, due to the differences in talent among various races, level is always just a rough reference.

Before Garus fell into slumber, he had already surpassed the vast majority of human Grand Rank beings in terms of destructiveness, strength, and vitality.

At that time, he was only a so-called "beginner legend" in the ranking system.

And now, he is a "high-level legend".

"Send information about the Lorthorn legend to all our legends and high-ranking leaders."

Garros handed the crystal to Iron Dragon and asked, "How is the assembly of the various legions progressing?"

Sorog's gaze was intense as he said, "The warriors of Aura have been silent for too long and are eager to fight. They are in high spirits and yearn to win glory on the battlefield and prove their worth with the blood of their enemies."

Galos nodded slowly: "In that case, tell me your thoughts first, how do you plan to fight this time?"

Upon hearing this, Tie Long fell into deep thought.

He paced a few steps before slowly speaking:
"After the Kingdom of Ryan was fragmented, many lords who ruled over their own territories were scattered across the plateau. Among them were many legendary powerhouses whose strengths varied, but they all had the advantage of the terrain and were familiar with it."

"Moreover, that area is at a high altitude, with undulating terrain, and is full of canyons and dangerous peaks, making it difficult to march."

“For a large-scale legion to pass through, it must choose a limited number of routes, otherwise it will disperse its forces and be easily defeated one by one. If Lorthern wants to cross the Ryan Plateau, unless he is willing to take a long detour, he will inevitably encounter some twists and turns and pay a considerable price for it.”

Garros looked at the Iron Dragon: "You mean, you want to wait for Lorthen to cross the plateau, and then start a war with them within Theo's borders?"

"Waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out is indeed an option."

Sorog shook his head. "If we're fighting against other kingdoms, this would be the best strategy. It would deplete some of Lorthen's strength and weaken its morale."

"However, Lortherne possesses a war machine called the 'Earth Manipulator'."

His tone turned serious: "Every time we capture a key location, Lorthern can use this machine to gradually modify the terrain, making it suitable for our legion to fight. If we let them cross the Ryan Plateau and enter Theo, it will only give them time and space to set up the battlefield."

Iron Dragon turned around to face Garos and said seriously, "I suggest sending a legion to take the initiative and head directly to the Ryan Plateau."

"Let's make this land of the old kingdom our main battlefield against Lorthorn and confront them head-on."

"Our soldiers are all skilled in frontal combat."

"Positional assaults and head-on battles are where the Aura army's strength lies."

In terms of war system, the Kingdom of Lorthen is indeed more complete than Aura.

They have a rich heritage spanning thousands of years, possess a vast number of war machines, and are proficient in various complex tactics.

Sorog considered himself excellent at commanding wars, but he also knew that this enemy was not to be underestimated.

The war with Lorthorn must not be complicated.

The more complex the battle situation, the more room there is for Lorthorn's war system and those bizarre war machines to play their role; conversely, the simpler and more direct the war method, the more difficult it is for Lorthorn's tactical advantages to be demonstrated.

For example, a direct, frontal assault.

Force Lorthen to abandon his sophisticated tactical arrangements and fight Aura on the same level, drawing them into Aura's preferred fighting style.

Use force against force, use will against will, use blood to exchange for blood.

"Moreover, this is very likely the kind of war that Lorthern is hoping for."

Iron Dragon's eyes flashed with psionic light, his thoughts raced, and his speech quickened, "If they want to establish a new federation, they must fully demonstrate their strength on the battlefield and let other kingdoms feel their absolute power."

"A victory that crushes a powerful enemy head-on is more convincing than ten battles won through trickery."

"Circumvention, trickery, attrition... this kind of war is not suitable for them to establish their prestige. What Lorthorn needs is the image of a 'king's army,' a righteous and honorable force that crushes all resistance with power. This meets their expectations. The people of the thousand-year-old kingdom yearn to see their army prove its invincibility once again."

Just like when Aura faced the Norton Pass, she had other options, but ultimately chose to launch a frontal assault.

That battle directly shattered Theo's will to resist, bringing the war between the two Oskars to a swift end. Sometimes, the most direct approach is the most effective.

"Yes, you've thought of everything very thoroughly."

Galos said, "But there is another possibility."

“There is a way for Lorthern to end the war with minimal cost, or even without bloodshed.”

The Kingdom of Aura is a behemoth entirely built around the Red Emperor.

This is a consensus among all Romanian countries.

Therefore, as long as the Red Emperor can be beheaded, the entire Kingdom of Aura will immediately fall apart and collapse without a fight. His legendary units will most likely scatter and flee, unable to regroup and no longer pose a threat to Lorthen.

If other kingdoms were to become enemies of Aura, this idea would be difficult to implement.

How easy is it to behead the Red Emperor?
Some people have tried it, but the results were not very pleasant.

But Lorthorn is different.

They possess the legendary status of Grand Masters, a foundation built over millennia, and a variety of incredible magical creations.

For them, decapitation strikes were not a pipe dream.

“I believe they have definitely considered beheading me, and are ready to do so at any time.”

Red Iron Dragon slowly stood up, and his once calm eyes suddenly flashed with a sharpness that seemed to solidify the air in the hall: "And I am ready to meet them and crush them."

"Ah, let their Grand Legends, with their pride and legacy, come before me."

“I will make them understand why dragons were able to rule the sky and the earth in ancient times; and why, even though humans have established kingdoms and built cities, they still harbor a deep-seated fear of dragon wings.”

June, 417 AD.

The war horns sounded simultaneously in both countries.

Lorthorn and Aura, two massive war machines, began to operate at full speed.

Legions surged out of their respective territories like an iron torrent, rushing towards the area known as the Lion Plateau. The dust raised by the cavalry blotted out the sky, and the magical fluctuations of the mage legions intertwined in the sky, forming visible ripples.

Along the way, the various lords entrenched on the Ryan Plateau made different choices.

Some put up a stubborn resistance, trying to withstand the unstoppable torrent in their castles, only to be reduced to ruins by the dragon's breath or the bombardment of siege engines; others wisely retreated, taking their belongings and confidants to more remote areas to wait for the war to end; still others tried to maneuver between the two major powers, but were often seen as obstacles by both sides and quickly eliminated.

The armies of both countries advanced unstoppably and encamped on the Ryan Plateau.

(End of this chapter)