For Duke Tsunami, the end of Saga’s Golden Halo Body Shield was undoubtedly good news.
However, the bad news was that Duke Tsunami was now on his last breath, barely distinguishable from a dead man, while Saga, after using the Golden Halo Body Shield, had all his conditions fully replenished. The injuries previously inflicted by Duke Tsunami had now completely healed.
“Come at me, dragon, I have not yet been defeated.”
Exhaling deeply, Duke Tsunami struggled to support his body, which was at its limit, and looked up at the Golden Dragon circling high in the sky, speaking in a deep voice.
To die at the hands of a non-legendary creature would be a disgrace for Duke Tsunami, a legendary being, a tragic end.
Once word of this spread, while it would solidify the reputation of the Emperor Dragon, he himself would become the laughingstock of the legendary world.
But only Duke Tsunami, who had faced Saga head-on, truly understood.
If any other legendary being of his level were in his place, their fate would be no better.
This Golden Dragon already possessed unimaginable combat power, not even at the ninth tier, but could exchange blows with him without using its trump card. After using an unknown spell to amplify its power, it directly achieved a terrifying force surpassing the second tier of legends, overwhelmingly defeating him.
It wasn’t just the amplification spell that was powerful, but also the perfect execution by Saga, the user. His dragon body had an incredible capacity to maximize the effects of amplification spells. The same spell could have different effects when used by different creatures.
If a ninth-tier human warrior used the Golden Halo Body Shield, the effect might only allow him to escape from a legend’s grasp, let alone fight to a draw or win outright.
Although he was about to be defeated and die, Duke Tsunami found some solace in the fact that Saga was no ordinary opponent. Moreover, dying in battle was the ideal end for a warrior; Duke Tsunami, whose light was nearly extinguished, did not fear death.
By contrast, dying a natural death as life ebbed away over time would be the true tragedy in Duke Tsunami’s eyes.
“Oh? You seem not to fear death.”
“I can see your life force is nearly spent, but if you submit to me, I will grant you a new life,” the Golden Dragon murmured, looking down.
“If I wanted to cling to life, there are many ways I could choose.”
The lifespan of a legendary being is not infinite.
Once a creature reaches the legendary realm, there are indeed many ways to continue living, such as the simplest method of transforming oneself into an immortal undead being.
However, this would result in the loss of free will, and the spirit would gradually decay due to the influence of the undead body, becoming an existence unacceptable to oneself. Few legends would choose this path, and most other methods of pursuing immortality also have significant drawbacks.
The more widely known method of immortality without apparent downsides exists in a powerful magical kingdom protected by the god of death, Kalsas, and the goddess of magic, Misriel. It’s called the Art of Immortality, but only very powerful arcane casters, at least of the sixth tier of legends, can master it.
Duke Tsunami was a warrior, finding it harder to resist death than casters. The methods of immortality he knew all had significant drawbacks, which he was unwilling to use, preferring death instead.
“To die in a bloody battle is the ultimate destiny of every warrior.”
“This is the end I deserve, and it is an honor,” Duke Tsunami said solemnly and focused.
As he spoke, he once again conjured a gemstone water blade, burning the last bit of his life force to muster new strength. The water blade pointed at the Golden Dragon that loomed high above him in the sky.
At this moment, because Duke Tsunami had been severely injured and his aura was weak, the storm he had stirred began to subside and vanish into nothingness. The clouds that had gathered in the sky slowly dissipated, and rays of sunlight descended from the heavens, casting an ethereal golden light on the already dazzling dragon, making it even more radiant, as if it were at the center of the world.
“If that’s the case, then I shall grant you a dignified end,” the dragon said, looking down at the tiny figure of Duke Tsunami, its voice rumbling like thunder.
Saga took a deep breath, his chest swelling slightly, and his dragon maw opened.
The annihilating dragon breath gathered in his mouth, brewing.
Below, feeling the invisible yet extreme danger of death emanating from the dragon’s mouth, Duke Tsunami’s gaze became solemn. He surged upward, his body rising from below to meet the sky, wrapped in waves.
Whoosh!
The Golden Dragon exhaled, and the annihilating dragon breath descended from the sky, obliterating everything in its path, including dust and water vapor in the air, creating a blank void trail that headed straight for Duke Tsunami.
Facing this terrifying dragon breath, Duke Tsunami did not dodge or evade. Given his current state, even if he wanted to, he couldn’t escape, so he faced the dragon breath head-on, regardless of life or death.
Time seemed to slow down, and the approaching void trail reflected in his vision. Squeezing the last bit of life force from his body, Duke Tsunami glared furiously and roared.
Water God Slash!
Buzz!
The sea below roared and churned in response, with countless streams rising, extending from Duke Tsunami as the center, forming the water giant once again. However, compared to the previous hundred-meter giant, this water giant was only about half the size.
Duke Tsunami and the giant swung their arms simultaneously, sacrificing life for a powerful slash that still held the standard of legend, cleaving through the dragon breath.
The massive water blade touched the annihilating dragon breath and silently dissipated, the dragon breath unstoppable, tearing through the legendary counterattack and easily ripping through the water giant’s chest, continuing towards Duke Tsunami.
In an instant.
Duke Tsunami’s body was engulfed by the dragon breath, leaving no trace, vanishing from this world. The aftermath of the dragon breath continued downward, striking the turbulent sea and tearing a vast void channel through the water.
In fact, the moment Duke Tsunami unleashed the second Water God Slash, he had already lost his life, and whatever the outcome, his death was certain.
Sigh…
Looking at the surging waves, which were gathering into the void channel and gradually filling it, Saga exhaled two breaths from his nostrils and stopped the dragon breath.
“The dust has settled, it’s over.”
Saga withdrew his gaze and looked towards Starfall Island, spreading his wings and flying away.
The shadow of the enormous dragon once again enveloped Tevel Duchy.
Fear, dread, despair, numbness, anticipation, awe… The citizens of Tevel Duchy had varied reactions as they looked up at the Golden Dragon circling in the sky, presenting a diverse tapestry of human emotions.
From high above, the many humans, already small in size, appeared even more like panicked ants in Saga’s eyes.
“The legendary duke is dead. Do you have any other forces to resist?”
“If so, come out now, so I don’t have to hunt you down one by one.”
Shifting his gaze, the dragon looked at the ninth-tier fire caster, who was pale and had not yet recovered from the aftereffects of being forced to use the national protective spell. The dragon smiled wryly and said in a deep voice:
“If not, you’re about to suffer greatly.”
In front of the arrogant Golden Dragon, the fire caster remained silent.
With Tevel Duchy at the forefront, the tri-duchy legion was being suppressed by Saga’s five-nation legion and could not spare troops to support their rear base. After Duke Tsunami’s death, the highest combat power within Tevel Duchy was this fire caster, but in his current state, he couldn’t use any high-level spells.
At this moment, Tevel Duchy had completely lost the ability to resist, cornered and vulnerable under Saga’s shadow, like a helpless young girl at the mercy of others.
“Sigh…”
In a situation of utter helplessness, the fire caster prepared to surrender, hoping to spare Tevel Duchy from further suffering.
“Mighty King of the Near Seas, Tevel Duchy will…”
Before he could finish speaking, at that moment.
To the fire caster’s astonishment, the Golden Dragon suddenly threw its head back, and a large enchanted bullet, moving at incredible speed, grazed the dragon’s faceplate and vanished into the sky.
Boom!
At that moment, the sound of metal clashing thundered.
Bang!
Within Tevel Duchy, an inn collapsed in an explosion, and several figures with strong auras rose into the air, unleashing a storm of attacks.
Amidst the debris of the inn, a ninth-tier gunner stood on the ground, his several-meter-long mechanical sniper rifle resting on a special metal stand, looking quite exaggerated with energy runes flowing over it.
“How could that be dodged?” the gunner muttered in frustration.
Click, click… Metal arms extended from his spine, four in total, converging above his head and revealing a dense array of dark gun barrels, strikingly conspicuous.
But the most eye-catching was the tall, burly figure who had risen into the air.
He wore a simple, unadorned combat outfit, with blood-colored patterns twining over his exposed skin, including his face. At the same time, he was enveloped in a mist-like aura that rose and fell like blood, emitting the scent of blood, like rust.
Blood manifested as four crimson wings on his back, proudly fluttering.
A terrifying black and red axe was tightly held in one hand, also wrapped in swirling blood, boiling like fire.
The Bloodthirsty Warrior—Serilim, The Indestructible Fang.
Buzz!
Next to The Indestructible Fang, a beautiful and delicate half-elf druid shone with a faint light, rapidly transforming and swelling. In a flash of light and shadow, the slender figure became fierce and massive.
Roar!
With a deafening roar, a silver dragon, fifteen meters from head to tail and slightly smaller than Saga but roughly similar, appeared in the sky, its body radiating bone-chilling cold.
This dragon, with its metallic silver scales and the profound Dragon Might of a ninth-tier dragon, was majestic and nearly indistinguishable from a true Silver Dragon.
Simultaneously, on the other side of the silver dragon, an agile female assassin vanished, leaving no trace.
A fully armored Holy Knight, riding a unicorn pegasus, raised his arm, and a white lightning bolt descended from the sky, transforming into a massive hammer in his hand.
A high-ranking priest in a holy robe clasped his hands together, standing on a rooftop, murmuring prayers, his body radiating warm holy light.
…
The Indestructible Fang’s adventuring team had boldly taken action.
They had intended to intervene at the critical moment when Duke Tsunami was about to die from the final blow, to owe him a favor. But upon realizing that Duke Tsunami was already at his last gasp and would die regardless, The Indestructible Fang chose to wait and see, hoping Duke Tsunami would drain more of the Golden Dragon’s strength.
Now.
The King of the Near Seas had played his hand, and the duration had passed. They no longer needed to wait.
The fire caster blinked, and then hope rekindled in his dim eyes.
There were no weaklings in The Indestructible Fang’s team; all were outstanding beings of their tier, and except for the priest who was still at the eighth tier, the rest were all at the ninth.
This was a high-quality adventuring team, specifically targeting the King of the Near Seas.
With this unexpected reinforcement, the fire caster’s hope was reignited.
At the same time, the Golden Dragon, which had narrowly avoided the gunner’s sudden attack, narrowed its eyes, observing the formidable adventuring team, its gaze sweeping over each member before finally settling on The Indestructible Fang, whose aura surged like billowing smoke.
Without any warning, able to dodge the gunner’s sudden snipe, Saga relied not only on his perception and reaction. Even during the battle with Duke Tsunami, Saga had always kept a part of his attention on his surroundings to guard against unexpected attacks.
“It was you lot who were secretly watching me back at the Grayrock Archipelago, wasn’t it.”
Suddenly, the dragon chuckled deeply.
Addressing the group that was subtly encircling him, he said.
“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Serilim, The Indestructible Fang Serilim, with a bit of fame in the Adventurers’ Association. I came here specifically to hunt you down at the request of a now-deceased comrade. As for now, it’s more out of my own interest. Hunting down special beings has always been my hobby.”
The Indestructible Fang spoke loudly.
“Without any direct contact, you were still aware of our presence.”
“Such perception and intuition amaze me.”
“And to think, facing the legendary Duke Tsunami, you managed to triumph over him… King of the Near Seas, I indeed did not misjudge you.”
Without rushing to attack, after encircling the Golden Dragon, The Indestructible Fang looked directly at him and continued to speak in a praising tone.
“Leaving the Grayrock Archipelago and heading straight for Starfall Island, it seems you were certain I would come to Tevel Duchy, so you waited here in advance.”
The dragon’s gaze narrowed, speaking with certainty.
Excitement gleamed in The Indestructible Fang’s eyes as he spread his muscular arms, his voice filled with fervor:
“Because I understand, you and I are the same kind of creature.”
After a pause, The Indestructible Fang stepped forward, his blood wings fluttering behind him, and said with a spirited expression:
“When encountering mountains, we go through them; when crossing seas, we leap over them. On the path to the summit, we cut through thorns and face challenges head-on, advancing in ways ordinary beings cannot imagine.”
“…”
“You and I are the same, so I knew you would definitely come to Tevel Duchy, unafraid of the might of legends, and you did not disappoint me.”
Hearing what The Indestructible Fang had to say, Saga raised an eyebrow.
After a few seconds of silence, the Golden Dragon couldn’t help but burst into dragon laughter: “You say, we are the same?”
Pausing, the dragon’s tone shifted, sharp and mocking:
“What level are you to even compare yourself to me!”