Beneath the Red Dragon

Chapter 60: Chapter 18: Somber Dragon Fire

On top of the White Tower, two great mages sat opposite each other, quietly watching the grand and resplendent Imperial Palace outside the floor-to-ceiling window, their eyes viewing it as if it were just gray tiles and gravel, scrutinizing and indifferent.

”Lapus, have you really made up your mind? Is this the path you’ve chosen?” The black-haired old man with the exclusive emblem of the royal mages pondered for a long while before speaking.

The white-haired mage, Lapus, turned his head. Facing the elderly mage, also a Holy Sanctuary Grandmaster, his expression was no longer so relaxed,

”I’ve found the singularity of destiny. Although I can’t observe its trajectory, I can observe the destinies of those influenced by it. Some lives, which should have long fallen to dust, have changed because of it. I believe my path to legend lies within.”

The black-haired mage sighed, ”I’ve maintained a friendship with the Charal Clan for many years, and there’s always a bit of reluctance.”

Lapus said indifferently, ”If His Majesty the Emperor could peacefully be just an emperor, why would so many be dissatisfied with him? No one wants to follow him into the depths of Hell, Epharos. You shouldn’t hesitate any longer. Once I step onto the path of legends, everything here will need to be led by you. Such a mindset isn’t suitable for a leader.”

Epharos sighed and suddenly said, ”You interfered with that dragon’s trajectory. Be careful he’ll seek revenge when he finds out later.”

”Heh,” the white-haired old mage, Lapus, squinted his eyes and smiled, ”Although I made him suffer a little loss, I also gave him a huge advantage. He shouldn’t be that petty.”

The old mage frowned as he said this, as the response from destiny’s singularity flashed fragmented, blurred, and chaotic images through his mind suddenly.

”Hard to say. Your lineage isn’t known for having broad minds,” Epharos, who understood the character of his seemingly smiley old friend across from him, asked, ”When will you act?”

”Soon. When His Majesty the Emperor is about ready, we will give him a reason to initiate a war, a reason he cannot ignore. Let’s calmly await the emperor’s moves,” Lapus said with a smile on his face, yet his eyes were calm, and he lightly tapped his fingers on the table.

Boom,

Karon effortlessly knocked over his opponent holding a heavy shield. The over two-meter-tall barbarian, along with his heavy shield, was lifted by the Red Dragon’s horn, the sharp and sturdy horn piercing him directly.

Then, using the horn, he sliced the barbarian’s body in half, with blood trickling and entrails gushing out, landing on the Red Dragon’s head and neck.

However, the smooth scales of the Red Dragon’s body and a thin layer of elemental protection prevented any of it from adhering. With a thud, the barbarian’s broken body fell like a ragged sack, sticking to the dry, solid ground.

The other barbarian warriors immediately grew more cautious. They knew that the strength of one person was insufficient to counter the Red Dragon before them, so they called out to form a battle formation.

The foremost barbarians slammed their heavy shield sheathed in thick iron into the ground, their sturdy bodies leaning into the shield as they advanced slowly.

The second row of barbarians then thrust long iron spears and sabers through the gaps between several heavy shields, while other barbarian warriors chose the more handy war axes, following the barbarians in the front to launch an offensive against the Red Dragon.

At this time, Karon’s body had reached nine meters in length. Although a bit thin, he was full of deterrence, especially with the rational spiritual light in his eyes and the fury hidden beneath his indifference, which filled the barbarian warriors with awe.

The Red Dragon looked at the approaching battle formation, and the sub-brain cluster connected to his brain was operating frantically.

Under Karon’s will, the knowledge and memories contained within the Dragon Race’s legacy and scattered in the depths of his mind were retrieved by the sub-brain cluster.

The overlooked or forgotten knowledge and memories turned into orderly information, flowing back into Karon’s mind, enabling him to understand much about his opponents before him.

The barbarians, those brave and fierce warriors that appear both in the frozen Northern Wilderness and the hellish southern rainforests.

Humans, who represent civilization, all refer to them as barbarians or berserkers, thinking they embody destruction, evil, and brutality.

These adjectives can rival the Five-Color Dragons, but existences that often don’t conform to the mainstream of human civilization are labeled with various tags.

Yet, in reality, barbarians are brave and steadfast warriors, sharp and tenacious, ruthless on the battlefield.

The powerful berserkers among them dare to take on the overlords who rule the frozen wastelands—the Frost Giants.

These barbarians are formidable warriors, so what are their weaknesses?

The information running through Karon’s mind was summarized: Barbarians are diverse, but all harbor a deeply rooted fury, uncontrolled, unceasing, and thoughtless anger.

Barbarian rage is not just an emotion, but the ferocity of a predator driven to despair, a stormy and reckless onslaught like the rolling waves in the sea.

Though such fury affords barbarian warriors many advantages, like agility and strength enhancement.

But excessive rage can allow their minds to be dominated by anger, causing strict formation to collapse without an attack.

Then, Karon stepped forward and crushed the corpse of the reckless and arrogant barbarian warrior on the ground into a bloody pulp.

The massive dragon claw crushed the barbarian warrior’s body, while the crimson vertical eyes provocatively stared at the barbarians still holding onto their rationality.

Sure enough, this insulting and contemptuous action thoroughly enraged these already anger-prone barbarians, causing red veins to spread across their eyes, and in a blink, their eyes were filled with disturbing red light.

”You damn winged reptile,”

”I’ll cut off your wings, break your spine, and make you like the lowliest hunting dog,”

The enraged barbarians instantly dismantled their previously organized formation, with the barbarians in the rear, previously behind heavy shields, roaring.

Their rage made their strength surge, swinging their heavy axes like toys.

They impulsively leaped over the frontline heavy shield warriors, wanting to chop the Red Dragon’s flesh with their axes, soothing their angry souls.

But the Red Dragon merely pretended to escape. As the barbarians approached gradually, their bodies suddenly halted, with the stout dragon claws gripping the ground securely.

The long, powerful tail that dragged along the ground suddenly rose, precisely striking the heads of those berserk barbarian warriors who were charging crazily, like a spear from behind.

The hard tip of the tail under the immense dragon strength was more fearsome than any weapon, and as a result, these barbarians’ heads shattered like watermelons struck heavily, releasing a murky mixture of brain matter and streaks of blood red.

Roar, the Dragon Power from Karon’s body, always concentrated and unyielding, scattered from the Red Dragon’s body at this critical moment, slightly disturbing those frenzied barbarian warriors, and then he lunged fiercely.

These barbarian warriors, abruptly counterattacked, even in their frenzy state, couldn’t withstand a nine-meter-long Red Dragon without the protection of formation.

Karon’s robust body collided with the oncoming barbarians, with dragon claws sharper than any ironware effortlessly harvesting the lives of all remaining barbarians, leaving the ground covered with fragmented bodies momentarily.

The cheers of the gladiatorial arena suddenly became agitated, yet Karon was growing weary of such dull life.

His dormant period was nearing, and possibly after enduring it, even the last shred of relative freedom would be stripped away, compelling him to willingly sign a contract with the emperor.

”Tell Hughes and the others to quicken their pace; I’m getting impatient. My Dragon Fire has been suppressed for too long, and I’m becoming impatient.”