The sudden attack of Crimson Dragon ignited everything in the jungle. Its breath was the fatal weakness of these plants.
"Burn! Burn!"
Raphael watched the engulfed Leonardo with ruthless cruelty. This place was not angered or had any connection with him, but in order to uncover more secrets, Crimson Dragon did not care about harming others for its own benefit.
"Let's see if I can destroy this place! Will that Aslan appear? If I can obtain the power of a god directly, why bother with experiments and research?"
"Roar!"
Raphael madly spewed breath while flapping its wings to create a tornado to spread the fire. Its massive draconic body blocked out the only sliver of daylight.
Fel was blown away a great distance before painfully turning back to look. The ferocious and enormous body of Crimson Dragon immediately left an indelible sense of oppression and terror in her mind.
"Waaaaaahhhh!"
She screamed, releasing the fear that exceeded her limits, covering her head with her hands and shaking it, unwilling to accept reality.
However, the rain of fire descended from the sky, and the scorching heat and thick smoke assaulted her senses, forcing her to regain her senses.
"That is...a dragon? Our enemy?"
This was Fel's first time seeing a dragon's true form - a superior being far beyond dragon kin, with power rivaling even deities.
Raphael acted recklessly, continuously burning everything on the ground with its breath. Without the battle dragons, gryphons, or anti-air defenses to restrain it, no one could challenge it in the sky. For the first time, it carried out the slaughter so smoothly. Seeing the lush jungles burned to ashes, Crimson Dragon felt an inexplicable pleasure.
"All green plants should disappear! The world is better off composed of mountains and lava!"
It could not help but think of this ideal in its heart, intensifying the power of its breath.
"Fel!"
As the young elf sat on the ground, staring blankly at the unstoppable demonic dragon, several familiar voices came from the sea of fire.
"Who's there?"
She immediately turned her head to find her companions who had reacted quickly and fled from the supply station.
"Go, hurry back to Narnia and notify everyone!" Susa's mother, the giant bear, urged frantically. At that moment, sparks from a fallen tree behind her ignited her fur.
The giant bear initially paid no heed, casually rolling to extinguish the small flame.
But soon, the demonic fire began to spread like a disease, and the bear felt a torment ten, a hundred times more painful than being whipped.
"Argh!"
It howled in agony and collapsed, drawing the attention of those attempting to flee.
"What's wrong with you?"
The temporary leader approached, trying to extinguish the flames with water from his canteen. But when the water hit the Tempest, it only made it swell further. The bear's agonizing screams became more heart-wrenching as the last shreds of its rationality gave way to primal instinct.
"The dragon's flames cannot be extinguished?"
"What do we do?"
The hunting party lacked the courage to abandon one of their own. They surrounded the bear, unsure of what to do as the forest fire spread, about to consume them all.
"Woooo!"
Susa cried, wanting to rush over and embrace her mother, but Fel held her back tightly, unwilling to let her go to her death.
"Ah! Kill! So hot! I want to kill everyone!"
The bear, driven mad by the demonic flames, erupted with boundless ferocity. The terror of Raphael's breath was that it not only brought endless pain but slowly burned the individual, unable to be extinguished, a prolonged torment that could drive any being insane and seek death to end their suffering.
Susa broke free from Fel's embrace and charged forward, standing upright as she squeezed her eyes shut, gathering her natural forces.
The smoke-shrouded sky suddenly opened a gap, and the faint outline of the moon shone a dim light.
"What is that?"
Raphael, ever vigilant for any anomalies, immediately noticed the gap and looked over.
The moonlight fell directly on Susa, drawing Crimson Dragon's gaze as well.
"Is it them?"
Crimson Dragon flapped its wings and instantly charged over!
As Susa gathered the power of moonlight but did not know how to wield it, a powerful gust pinned them all to the ground, unable to raise their heads.
Bang!
Raphael appeared right in front of them, its front paw casually crushing Susa's mother to death - a mercy for the tormented bear.
"A bear?"
Susa, enveloped in silvery-white moonlight, instantly caught the dragon's attention.
"Run!"
The hunting party members who regained their senses immediately turned and fled. Raphael did not try to stop or kill them.
"Go ahead, let's see if your grief and suffering will attract the gods of nature." With a casual clamp of its jaws, the crazed, thrashing cub was captured in its claws.
"Susa..." Fel could not help but shed two streams of sorrowful tears at the sight, but she was powerless and could only turn and flee with the others.
Raphael paid no heed to the fleeing ants. Gripping the cub tightly in another claw, it lightly flicked its head, knocking it unconscious.
Then it took to the air again, continuing to breathe fire, turning the entire forest into an inferno!
...
At Narnia's sanctuary, Arnold slowly descended while Nana had already used her blink to evade Kala's ambush and take shelter behind the golden dragon.
With the blue dragon protected behind him, the golden dragon casually filed his claws and said calmly, "Mr Kala and Miss Meldor, your reaction was impeccable. In such a perilous time, treating strangers with violence is indeed the proper way to eliminate any unstable factors, no matter what good deeds or help they have provided."
"Just like what we are about to do."
Arnold's hands radiated a brilliant glow as he channeled magical energies.
"Stop lying, Mr. Arna!"
Kala stepped forward bluntly. "I've seen humans before. They only come off ships and would never risk traversing the treacherous Dragon Domain. Moreover, those mages never leave their wand catalysts behind - no one can freely cast spells with just their bare hands!"
"Can't I have an exceptional talent?" Arnold chuckled lightly before suddenly thrusting out his right hand, releasing a torrent of arcane energy towards one of the high priests.
That high priest extended a withered, tree-like hand holding a bell talisman, and the forces of nature began to flow in reverse. The sunlight overhead grew increasingly dazzling, its rays concentrating on the arcane torrent until it dissipated into vapor.
"What is this?" The golden dragon could not help but furrow his brow.
Hum!!
Another high priest harnessed the power of the sun, his body radiating brilliant white light that formed a blazing solar ring hurtling towards Arnold.
Arnold immediately channeled his magic immunity to withstand the attack physically, but the solar ring passed straight through his body before returning like a boomerang to orbit the high priest, gathering power.
"I didn't sense any fluctuation of magic power? How are they wielding the raw forces of nature?" The golden dragon winced in pain. His magic immunity had no effect, indicating this technique contained not a shred of magic - it was the purest manifestation of natural forces.
But this defied the principles of magic: when casters used elemental spells, the essence was manipulating mana to envelop natural elements into a stable form for attack. Mana played a crucial role, and elemental attacks always contained at least some magical components.
"It's as if...the sun has gained self-awareness and is willingly lending them its power? Without a guiding consciousness, is that talisman the source of their abilities?"
Arnold fixed his gaze on the priests' prayer artifacts.
"Stranger, you are undoubtedly lying," said the lead elf high priest. "I have seen many humans, but none could withstand the sun's ring unscathed like you. Your life essence is clearly higher than you present yourself. Tell us, are you truly not a dragon kin?"
"Hmph!"
Arnold let out a cold laugh and covertly passed a crystal orb to Nana behind him, signaling her.
He spoke loudly, "So what if I am? Did you bring me here just to kill me?"
"No, Mr. Arna," Kala interjected. "We merely wish to clarify the origins and intentions of every stranger to see if they can aid our long war."
Sensing that Nana had received the communication orb, Arnold felt assured and began contemplating:
"The enemy has six wielders of unknown power. If I transform into my true dragon form and unleash a few super-six-tier spells, it would end this. But the sacred artifacts on this pyramid must not be damaged..."
He did not worry about Nana; as a blue dragon, any minor injuries would be trivial once she regained her true form. But he could not risk the item Raphael sought.
"High Priests!" Arnold suddenly called out loudly. "I was just wondering, even if I truly am the dragon kin spy you suspect, why would you dare reveal the locations of the supply station and this place?"
Kala scoffed dismissively, "So what if one supply station is exposed? We have thousands of outposts with resources constantly flowing to replenish them. As for this place, have you forgotten what I said about children and the elderly being separate from war?"
"Oh! So your command center lies elsewhere, probably underground, I'd wager?"
Arnold pondered thoughtfully before continuing with a mocking tone, "Then did you know the fire coverage and spatial anchoring techniques?"
"What are those?" A sense of unease crept into Kala's heart.
"High Priests! The dragon calamity has arrived!"
Suddenly, a young elf girl named Fel came stumbling in, riding on the back of a hare.
Kala rushed over. "What dragon calamity? Why are you covered in soot?"
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
The high priests gathered around. "These are burn marks from flames. Has a dragon appeared in Leonardo?"
"Yes!" Fel spoke incoherently. "The dragon killed Susa's mother and captured her. Everything is burning!"
"Oh? Why are you all here? Mr. Arna?"
She suddenly noticed the high priests' battle-ready stances and the benefactor she was infinitely grateful to, silently watching.
"Your Mr. Arna is a dragon kin spy! He came here to gather intelligence!"
Kala whipped his head around, his bloodshot eyes brimming with hatred. "You exposed the location of the supply station! That's what drew the dragon here!"
Arnold shrugged nonchalantly. "In fact, I believe that no matter which dragon attacks, your feeble efforts would amount to nothing. There was no need to gather intelligence - they could simply burn their way here."
"Burn? Was it not the Lord of the Emerald Nest?"
Kala sharply noticed this detail. The green dragon would only eliminate living forces but leave the forest intact by default.
"Who are you? You are not its dragon kin!"
"Of course I am not a subordinate of the Lord of the Emerald Nest —" Arnold's eyes suddenly shed their disguise, revealing dazzling golden vertical pupils that caused Kala to avert his gaze. "I am the son of Ludwig's lineage, the offspring of the Draconic Sage, friend of Calamity Demon - Arnold!"
Golden radiance brighter than sunlight emanated from the golden dragon's body. Then, a dragon over a hundred meters tall towered within the primordial jungle, its coiled body shielding the five-sided golden pyramid.
"A dragon!?"
The high priests and Kala turned deathly pale, never expecting the proud dragon to stoop to maintaining a human guise, only to usher in such a calamity.
"This cannot be...could that dragon be the one Mr. Arna brought? No, it was I...I who led them here," Fel slid off the roe deer, the successive blows completely shattering her psyche.
"Attack!"
After a brief moment of shock, the high priests launched their assault, miraculous forces of nature - wind and solar power - continuously gathering and surging towards the enormous golden dragon.
Arcane Arrows.
A volley of magic-infused arrows shot forth, their power countering the might of the miracles.
"Is that all?" Arnold breathed a sigh of relief. In his true draconic form with its vast mana reserves, his spellcasting prowess soared, able to withstand their onslaught.
"This...!"
The high priests fell silent, the strength of magical forces determined by the caster's own potential, which for Arnold, raised on magic from birth, far surpassed any mage's.
"Aslan, please bestow your blessings! Protect the safety of the forest!"
They raised their talismans towards the heavens, Arnold noting the withered elven hands, bear claws, deer hooves, and vines.
Lightning Serpent.
Arcs of lightning began coalescing around Arnold's claws before lashing out, ensnaring the priests. He tried using precise, minor spells to avoid demolishing the golden five-sided pyramid.
But the sun's power had already been invoked. The forest priests, wreathed in holy flames, became uncontrollable. The Lightning Serpent dissipated inch by inch, its magic force dissolving as it reverted to mere sparks dispersing into the air.
Arnold had no choice but to use the more powerful Arcane Torrent, but even when struck, the priests did not fall from the force, standing their ground as if made of stone.
"Inconceivable!" The golden dragon marveled. Meanwhile, an invisible pressure gathered in the sky, layers of turbulent airflow converging into a massive serpentine cloud.
Winds from mountain crevices and drifting clouds combined into this miraculous phenomenon - nature itself seemed to have gained sentience.
"I can delay no longer!" Unable to wait for the priests to complete their grand attack, Arnold immediately reared up, unleashing a super-six-tier spell!
"Frozen Devastation!"
Ice shards and blizzards rapidly coalesced, barreling forward. The raging blizzard and magical force finally overcame the holy flames, blasting the priests away as the power in the sky began dissipating.
But the super-six-tier spell's power quickly spread, enveloping half the jungle in a frozen wasteland, instantly killing and entombing any rabbits, squirrels or animals unable to flee in icy caskets.
Yet as Fel and Kala were about to be caught in the blast, Arnold furrowed his brow, his psychic powers guiding the spell away from them.
The remaining priests, however, were struck head-on, shattering into scattered ice shards.
"Now we can be calm." Arnold easily ended the battle, shaking off the hail of ice from his wings before leaning down to stare at the shell-shocked Kala.
"So this is...the power of dragons?" He could not believe the priests who had prayed to the gods for centuries were so easily slain like mere livestock.
"In truth, it is the result of magic fully unleashing our latent draconic might. This is the essence of our kind's life force," Arnold explained calmly, glancing back to inspect the five-sided pyramid for any damage.
The seven-colored vitreous liquid flowed steadily into the groove atop the pentagonal pyramid. Arnold heaved a sigh of relief before turning his head, his draconic eyes reflecting the utterly stunned expressions of Kala and Fel.
The magical pollution caused by Frozen Devastation was still spreading. Those raging elements, once bound by the immense gathering of arcane forces, had now broken free and begun to devour everything in sight, turning it into ice sculptures. The distant calls and fleeing sounds of forest dwellers echoed as if doomsday had arrived.
"Impossible..." Kala could hardly accept the reality. According to the map, Leonardo was an independent region spanning some two hundred thousand square kilometers, a dominion like those of the dragons, humans, and orcs.
Yet a single dragon could easily destroy even the mightiest of high priests. The so-called sacred forest defense was merely a joke - the dragons had been toying with them all along.
"That is the truth." Arnold unfurled his coiled draconic body, slowly crawling toward them on all fours.
"You two should leave. I will not harm you," said the golden dragon, turning its head away.
A blue light flashed upward rapidly as Nana too shed her human disguise, reverting to her draconic form. Kala and Fel's pupils constricted sharply once more.
"Two dragons...why do such mighty beings fixate on the weak like us, who only wish to live in peace?" Kala's face muscles tensed as he mustered his voice in a roar from the depths of his heart.
Arnold's draconic eyes dimmed slightly while Nana turned away, seemingly unable to face the question.
After all, they were not Raphael. Bullying the weak and slaughtering the innocent was never right.
"Sir Kala, I can only say that the world is ever in motion. In the outer realms, lions must kill to eat, humans loathe rats and employ cruel methods to hunt them down, while rats in turn find ways to steal what little food the poor have left..."
Arnold sighed before uttering his final words: "...You are simply too weak. Weakness itself is the original sin. The unintended actions of the strong can destroy you utterly, like accidentally spilling water that drowns and obliterates an ant empire."
Kala's lips trembled. Taking a deep breath, he slowly drew his curved sword and charged silently toward the towering golden dragon before him.
"So this is what humans call 'defiant martyrdom', as you wish."
Arnold shook his head mournfully. This male elf warrior, despite having deceived and damaged their trust and friendship, was undoubtedly noble.
Swish!
An arcane arrows was instantly loosed, easily piercing Kala's heart. He froze mid-charge and fell lifeless.
"Fel, you should go. I do not wish to grant you martyrdom," Arnold turned to the young female elf, eyes wide and speechless.
"Yes!" Nana whipped her head around, tears welling in her pale golden eyes - clearly the senseless slaughter had shaken her.
The blue dragon hurried over in front of Fel. "Leave now before it's too late. You saw that great dragon - he'll spare no one."
Fel's mouth opened but no sound came out.
Nana released some human gear from her spatial ring - winter clothes, a tent, healing scroll, cured rations, alchemical lighting equipment, fire starters, and several gold ingots that Raphael had tinkered with in West Trade Valley.
"Take these, they might..."
She was about to push the supplies to the elf girl, urging her to flee somewhere safe. But a fireball plummeted from the sky, instantly engulfing Fel!
"Ahh!" With a scream, Nana watched in horror as she was reduced to a pile of ashes in just a few seconds.
Boom!
Raphael landed from above, standing tall with a dazed bear cub clutched in his right claw and a glowing communication orb in his left.
"Is this the place? Nana, have you been well these past few days?" He turned to the blue dragon.
Arnold hurried over and, seeing the elf girl's remains, could only shake his head resignedly, banishing her from his mind.
Nana, however, felt unbearably weighed down and weary. "Dearest, I'm so tired. Take me home, quickly."
"We'll depart shortly." Raphael nodded briskly, following Arnold's guidance to the pentagonal pyramid.
"That's it, but the stuff inside reminds me of your Mountain Heart Jewelry."
"Is that so?"
Raphael listened as Arnold recounted what he had seen and heard, while approaching to gaze at the iridescent slurry atop the pyramid.
"The scent is unmistakable." Crimson Dragon sniffed - their kind had an innate sensitivity to precious metals and minerals, able to discern deep mountain lodes by scent alone.
"Wait, you said their spells required no arcane power?"
"Correct," the golden dragon recollected. "It was as if the winds, clouds, and sunlight had 'coincidentally' gathered their forces at precisely the 'right' locations - a miracle, not driven by intent."
Raphael glanced back at the piles of icy debris - the remains of the slain priests.
"Hold this for me." He tossed the bear cub to Arnold, who fumbled to catch it.
Crimson Dragon approached the frozen ground, heat and steam rising in his wake as his immense body temperature affected the environment.
"This is..."
Raphael dug out a bell talisman from the ice pile - a dull brass alloy of over a hundred different metals by scent.
"It seems they used these to commune with nature," Arnold added.
"Son of the Sky God...Aslan...I know not his relation to the orc's Behemoth, but Aslan's holy artifact is Mountain Heart Jewelry - no, the primal quintessence. And Behemoth too seems bound to the dwarves' Mountain Heart Jewelry. What connection could they share?"
Deep in thought, Raphael did not notice the faint tinkling sound that broke the stillness, until his gaze was drawn to a cracked expanse of ice.
Swish!
A female elf clawed her way out, face streaked with five gashes.
As she emerged, she saw a crimson dragon the size of a skyscraper looming over her, its face shadowed but for two burnished gold eyes boring into her.
"Her name is Meldor, an elf warrior who slew many of Yutushir's lure drake. She also led those five elves back home, though their current state is unknown," Arnold explained.
Raphael scoffed derisively. "That pushover Yutushir, always tagging along to poach my leftovers. And some scrawny commoner could defeat his underlings."
Crimson Dragon belching a gout of flames from nostrils that engulfed and immolated Meldor.
"Right, let's head home! Ah...we can take the sea route, skirting past the Karuk Forest. Arnold, be a dear and bring that pyramid along."
After issuing his instructions, Raphael scooped up Nana in a princess carry, but the blue dragon did not reach up to drape her arms around his neck as usual.
"Is something on your mind?" Crimson Dragon finally noticed her reticence.
"No...let's just go." Nana did not wish to discuss further, tucking her head into Raphael's chest instead.
They took to the air, forced to fly upright while carrying their burdens.
"I never realized flying upright is more balanced," mused Raphael, feeling his four wings coordinate the airflow perfectly behind his massive body. From the ground, he appeared an imposing four-winged angel.
...
Erl.
In the underground dragon kin laboratory, Shena coughed up another vile puddle, the warped, wrinkled tendrils twitching unnervingly on the floor.
He hurriedly drank a potion from his pocket, the liquid releasing micro-organisms into his body. The accelerated necrosis in his rebelling organs soon halted, resuming normal function once more.
"It's getting faster! Just a month ago I only needed one dose every three days, but now it's every half-day!"
Shena slumped back in his chair amid piles of experiment logs, ancient tomes, calculation drafts, alchemy slates and styli.
The pressure from Crimson Dragon was immense. To the dragon kin in Erl, he was the embodiment of power, violence and terror, kept under close watch by over a dozen 'guards' that left him no room to relax.
Yet the intensifying workload only hastened his bodily deterioration as his spirit and physical form drifted further apart - they were never meant to be paired.
This caused his body to increasingly perceive itself as 'dead', exhibiting necrotic reactions that Shena could only stave off with life potions.
"If I haven't activated the immortality experiment before my flesh fails, where will my spirit form drift to?"
Shena shuddered at the thought. Normally, brain death - the dissipation of the spirit - precedes bodily expiration.
But his modified spirit form had immense resilience and adaptability. Experiencing his flesh rotting was a horrific prospect, and the aftermath was something he dared not contemplate, only avoid at all costs.
"Yet with these dragon kin never leaving, how can I access the secret lab to initiate the immortality plan?"
He glanced at the dragon kin scurrying about, a new batch of food supplies having arrived for storage and transport.
If they discovered his secret, so too would Crimson Dragon - and he would likely be 'pruned'.
"Perhaps I should attempt another cycle. I had intended to spare this generation of descendants, but under the circumstances..." Shena began considering alternatives.
"Indeed, the current climate is far removed from the increasingly centralized monarchy of Morey's era. Those emerging media powers, the merchant and civilian classes, even the nobles and royal agents watching me so closely - Crimson Dragon swept them all away. And it has no moral qualms about my secrets."
A cruel smirk played across Shena's lips. "With no governing or civil forces left to obstruct me, a pause on the immortality plan is not out of the question. I could even take more time to refine it. Yes!"
Ding! Dong! Ding!
The faint tolling of bells suddenly echoed, audible even within the soundproofed dragon kin lab.
"What's happening?"
Shena rose swiftly, then winced and clutched his aching liver.
A blood wyvern swooped down. "Lord Vattier, my master has returned. The new bell towers across the city ring in welcome for him."
"Crimson Dragon is back?" Shena immediately made his demand. "Go inform your master - I have urgent matters to discuss with him!"
...
It took Raphael a few weeks to return to Erl, mainly due to carrying Nana and being unable to fly at his usual breakneck pace.
The journey was still filled with memorable experiences that reminded him of his childhood and youth.
After discreetly settling the blue dragon and golden pyramid, Crimson Dragon descended once more upon Erl's city streets to announce his return. Hundreds of newly constructed bell towers pealed joyously across the city, workers from the alchemical plants and the burgeoning merchants, artisans and civilians now joining the populace all streamed into the streets. Facing Crimson Dragon gliding overhead, they raised their right arms in the enforced salute, mouthing the indoctrinated oath in Draconic whether willingly or not:
"Crimson Dragon is supreme! Immortal as the heavens, eternal as the seas!"
"It seems those humans have been productive," Raphael noted with satisfaction, seeing Erl operating smoothly now, the unrest from before quelled - likely due to Hil's installation in governance.
As he soared over each district, roars of adulation followed, until students had nearly brought the heavens down when he alighted at the great academy grounds.
Crimson Dragon settled regally on the designated dry field, silent as he observed these alien younglings descend into familiar frenzied reverence for his might. It prompted contemplation on the deeper workings of ideology.
"Alvis' methods have proven effective in turning this foreign tribe fanatic despite their hatred and racial divide."
More than just might makes right, these humans had been spiritually bound to him through systematic indoctrination and learning. Raphael's power was transmuted into the collective's strength - their affirmation of him became self-affirmation.
Even the most insignificant could be recast as a self-deluded 'elite' under the intoxicating deluge of this mass movement. And an elite is but one person's ambition made manifest, however they may demur.
At its core, the expansion of a singularity into an ideological contagion. Coupled with Hil's Crimson Dragon Guild and Raphael's increasing control over Erl, it catalyzed a transcendental unity irrespective of caste or kind - materializing as an exponential surge in productive capacity to fuel his grander visions.
"My power is your future!" Raphael's resounding proclamation rang out, his four wings unfurling in a breathtaking display of might made beautiful.
"Cast off those shackles of regressive dogma! Embrace the new age! One that shall know no division of race or rank! The keys to that destiny are in your hands! Rally to my crimson wings! Let your sacred cause be etched into the annals of history to be extolled by generations eternal!"
His impassioned words, saturated with conviction, further fanned the zeal burning in those student's souls, ensuring their allegiance and setting the foundations for what was to come.