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“Damn it! How could I have just forgotten about Deathwing!”
Rhonin and Krasus exchanged a glance, both seeing the tension and fear in each other’s eyes.
At the same time, the Black Dragon King slowly raised his head, his gaze so cold and unfamiliar that it made the other guardian dragons instinctively step back.
“The Earth-Warder is no more.”
“My name is Deathwing, the World Destroyer, the Ender of All Things, unstoppable, unyielding. I am—Cataclysm!”
His voice rumbled like thunder, echoing across the sky.
According to later analyses, the Earth-Warder had already fallen into corruption before the War of the Ancients.
In ancient Azeroth, the battle between the Titans and their ancient enemies, the Old Gods, ended in a Titan victory. However, it wasn’t a complete victory. The defeated Old Gods weren’t truly dead but were sealed in various ways, some even within Azeroth itself, with the Well of Eternity being one such seal.
Over time, some of these seals began to weaken.
One of the Old Gods regained some of its power, observed the many guardians, and ultimately chose the Black Dragon King to corrupt, leading to his fall.
As for why the Black Dragon King was chosen—
Despite being revered as a guardian dragon, he was deeply unhappy with the burdens imposed upon him.
Although he could command all of Azeroth, the weight of this responsibility pressed down on him every day, suffocating his free-spirited nature.
The titles and respect given to the Black Dragon King also added immense pressure.
When he realized that the Titans only saw Azeroth as an experiment for the birth of a world-soul, rather than genuinely protecting it, his inner turmoil intensified.
Unfortunately, no other dragons noticed the sensitivity of the Black Dragon King’s heart.
Thus, when the whispers of the Old Gods echoed in his mind—
Already deeply dissatisfied with the Titans and unwilling to continue as a guardian, the Black Dragon King chose to fall into corruption without hesitation, seeking relief from his inner torment.
“Neltharion, what are you saying?”
The Blue Dragon King, who had always been close to the Black Dragon King, furrowed his brows and questioned.
“I said, the entire world will bow beneath my wings!”
Gripping the Dragon Soul tightly, the Black Dragon King—no, Deathwing—roared.
With a sweep of his dragon arm, the Dragon Soul emitted a dazzling light, indiscriminately sweeping across the battlefield below, turning countless demons, dragons, and elves to ash.
“Retreat! Retreat! I knew the dragons couldn’t be trusted!”
The Ravencrest Lord urgently ordered a retreat, and the heavily wounded elven army began to withdraw from the battlefield.
The demons, under Archimonde’s command, also did not pursue, retreating from the battlefield while Archimonde’s fel projection stared intently at Deathwing.
More precisely, at the Dragon Soul in Deathwing’s possession.
The demon commander’s gaze flickered, lost in thought.
“Damn it, Neltharion, you’ve gone mad!”
Meanwhile, the Blue Dragon King, guardian of the sky and magic, commanded the Blue Dragonflight to gather, surrounding Deathwing with himself at the forefront.
Buzzing!
Magic runes, like stars, appeared around the Blue Dragon King, spinning and converging into a powerful binding spell to control the crazed Black Dragon King.
“Malygos, do you intend to stop me?”
Surrounded by the entire Blue Dragonflight, Deathwing roared wildly.
The Dragon Soul in his claws glowed, its light waves washing over the entire Blue Dragonflight, including Malygos.
In an instant, as if a pause button had been pressed, all the flying blue dragons froze, struck by lightning, then fell like rain. Most of them were instantly drained of life by the Dragon Soul, and the Blue Dragon King suffered a severe injury in a moment.
“Neltharion!”
The other guardian dragons, leading their flights, soared into the sky, abandoning the ground battle with demons and elves to launch an assault on Deathwing. The Black Dragonflight, loyal to Deathwing, wavered before quickly splitting into two factions: one siding with the guardian dragons, the other remaining loyal to the Black Dragon King, even though he had become Deathwing.
“With the Dragon Soul, you are but insects to me!”
“Dragons, elves, demons—all races will bow to me!”
“Rebels, kill! Kill! Kill!”
Facing the oncoming guardian dragons and dragonflights, Deathwing flapped his wings, raised the Dragon Soul high, and let out a frenzied roar.
An endless white light burst from the Dragon Soul, sweeping over all the surrounding dragons and guardian dragons.
It was as if a massive immobilization spell had been cast; all dragons, including the guardian dragons, were frozen.
The Dragon Soul contained a hidden mechanism set by Deathwing, specifically targeting the dragons who had poured their power into it, allowing him to suppress the entire dragonflight single-handedly.
“Neltharion exploited our trust. His heart is filled with rage and madness.”
“Hyperion, you were right, but I didn’t heed your warning.”
“The demon army and the mad Neltharion—Azeroth is in grave danger.”
Amidst the raging winds, the immobilized Green Dragon Queen felt deep regret.
Meanwhile, facing the immobilized dragonflight and guardian dragons, Deathwing laughed maniacally, his eyes bloodshot, turning into blood-red pupils.
He unleashed a violent attack without mercy, wounding the guardian dragons and causing many dragons to fall to their deaths.
“Malygos, old friend, I will personally send you out of this twisted world.”
Deathwing approached the Blue Dragon King, ready to deliver a fatal blow.
However, just as he raised his dragon claw, Deathwing’s expression twisted, and his body began to tremble violently.
Crack! Crack! His mighty, steel-like body began to crack, with dragon scales trembling and fissures appearing.
The Dragon Soul’s power was immense.
Its reckless use was too much for even Deathwing to bear, especially the recent overuse that immobilized the entire dragonflight, causing his body to start breaking apart.
This revealed the current state of the former Black Dragon King.
His inner corruption had spread throughout his body.
Boom!
The scales on his chest shattered, exposing a molten heart, beating and surrounded by magma and flames.
Other parts of his body also showed numerous cracks, but no blood flowed, only bloodfire rising and burning, even in his dragon eyes.
The once holy and majestic Black Dragon King now appeared as a terrifying demonic dragon.
“Consider yourselves lucky.”
Deathwing panted heavily, his voice suppressed, saying, “Survive in the world I am about to control!”
Whoosh!
With a mighty flap of his wings, Deathwing and his loyal Black Dragonflight soared into the sky, leaving the battlefield without hesitation. As they flew away, his scales continued to crack, making him look even more terrifying.
The surviving dragons watched the departing Black Dragon King with fear in their eyes.
“What should we do now?”
The Blue Dragon King, his breath weak, asked with a dim gaze.
He had trusted the Black Dragon King the most, and the betrayal and attack had hit him the hardest.
“We must reclaim the Dragon Soul! We can’t let the fallen Black Dragon King continue to wield it, or the fate of all dragons in Azeroth will be doomed.”
The Red Dragon Queen said heavily.
“But no dragon can face Neltharion now.”
“He has the Dragon Soul, which completely suppresses us.”
The Bronze Dragon King sighed.
At this moment, the Green Dragon Queen Ysera’s eyes sparkled. Under the watchful eyes of the other guardian dragons, she stepped forward and said slowly:
“No, not all dragons.”
“We still have one last hope.”
The other guardian dragons’ expressions shifted:
“Who?”
When Saga arrived at the scene, responding to the telepathic call of the Green Dragon Queen Ysera, he saw a shattered land and collapsed mountains, along with the corpses of dragons, demons, and elves, and the wounded guardian dragons.
The Green Dragon Queen, the Red Dragon Queen, the Blue Dragon King, and the Bronze Dragon King.
Of the five guardian dragons, only the Black Dragon King was absent.
Something had gone wrong.
Seeing the other guardian dragons, especially the regretful look in Ysera’s eyes, Saga’s quick mind guessed that the Black Dragon King had caused some trouble.
“What happened here? Was it because of the Black Dragon King?”
Having seen many death scenes and experienced great storms, Saga remained calm and simply asked.
The Green Dragon Queen, weary, flapped her wings and lowered her head in shame as she approached Saga, saying softly:
“I was wrong. I didn’t heed your warning and ended up trusting Neltharion.”
“He has gone completely mad, using the Dragon Soul to attack us. Fortunately, it seems he couldn’t fully bear the power of the Dragon Soul and left after being injured by its backlash.”
Hearing Ysera’s answer, Saga nodded slightly and said:
“I understand. This is not your fault.”
The five guardian dragons had fought side by side for many years, and mutual trust was normal. Ysera’s choice was not wrong; the problem lay with the Black Dragon King.
At the same time.
The other guardian dragons were carefully observing Saga.
They had heard of this Golden Dragon.
Besides his stunning appearance, he was also known as the Bane of Demons, the Demigod Slayer, the Golden Wing, and more. He had single-handedly killed many demigod-level demon leaders, and most importantly, he was not yet at the demigod level, only very close.
“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Alexstrasza, the Life-Binder, the Red Dragon Queen.”
The Red Dragon Queen gazed at the Golden Dragon with shining eyes.
At this moment, Red Dragon Krasus flapped his wings, flying into the sky and approaching the Red Dragon Queen.
To his dismay, the Red Dragon Queen ignored his approach, focusing all her attention on the Golden Dragon before her.
Krasus, with his handsome appearance, was the youngest consort of the Red Dragon Queen in the millennia to come, deeply loved by her.
Even in this ancient time, Krasus believed he would still attract the Red Dragon Queen’s attention.
However, because of Saga’s presence, Krasus was completely ignored.
“May I ask where you come from? Do you have a mate? Would you accept a new mate, like me?”
The Red Dragon Queen, passionate and straightforward, asked Saga bluntly after a brief introduction.
“Sigh, the Queen has taken a liking to him.”
“Why? Just because he’s much better looking, much stronger, and much more charismatic than me? Damn it, I can’t compete.”
Seeing his future mate focusing entirely on Saga and ignoring him, Krasus couldn’t help but grumble inwardly.
Of course, he didn’t feel any jealousy towards Saga.
The Red Dragon Queen was known for her promiscuity, with countless consorts from ancient times to the future, enough to circle the Well of Eternity. Krasus was long used to it.
“Thank you for your affection, but you’re not my type.”
Facing the Red Dragon Queen’s sudden and straightforward courtship, Saga also gave a straightforward rejection.
In the eyes of dragons, the Red Dragon Queen had a hot and athletic body, shiny scales, and a fiery temperament, but Saga could sense the presence of other dragons on her, so he refused.
“Alright, it’s a pity we can’t form a deeper connection.”
The Red Dragon Queen looked regretful, her gaze still lingering on Saga’s magnificent physique, like a dragon in love.
Meanwhile, the Blue Dragon King glanced at the Red Dragon Queen.
“Alexstrasza, restrain yourself.”
After speaking, the Blue Dragon King looked at Saga, sighed slightly, and said:
“This is our first meeting, and I am ashamed to let you see the dragons of Azeroth in such a sorry state.”
“No matter.”
The Golden Dragon shook his head, indicating it didn’t matter.
At this moment, the Red Dragon Queen wiped a bit of dragon saliva from her mouth, then said seriously:
“Deathwing was injured by the Dragon Soul’s power when he attacked us. Now is the best time to pursue him and reclaim the Dragon Soul.”
“But we don’t know where he will go.”
Deathwing?
Saga’s eyes flickered.
In the Great Ring, because he brought terrifying death to his enemies, he also had a nickname, Deathwing. He didn’t expect to encounter a dragon with the same name in Azeroth, and it was the highly respected Black Dragon King he had met before.
“Ysera, convey everything that happened here to me telepathically.”
Saga said with interest.
Ysera nodded, then closed her eyes slightly, transmitting all the scenes she had witnessed to Saga.
The battle between the demon army and the elven army.
The dragonflight descending from the sky.
And the indiscriminate, rampant attacks of the fallen Black Dragon King—Saga took it all in, understanding the events.
“The World Destroyer, the Ender of All Things, unstoppable, unyielding. I am Cataclysm.”
“This guy’s slogan is not bad. But when I leave Azeroth and return to the Great Ring, it will be mine.”
“Since we’re both Deathwing, it’s not too much to borrow it.”
Saga thought happily.
At this moment, Krasus weakly raised his dragon claw and said:
“He will return to his lair and have his goblin engineers forge a suit of steel armor covering his entire body to better wield the Dragon Soul.”
“How do you know?”
The Blue Dragon King asked sternly.
The Bronze Dragon King stared closely at Krasus, sensing an unusual temporal aura about him, and said thoughtfully, “This red dragon… does not belong to our world. He comes from the future.”
Krasus nodded heavily and said:
“I come from ten thousand years in the future, sent here by the Bronze Dragon King.”
The other guardian dragons looked at the Bronze Dragon King.
The Bronze Dragon King shook his head and corrected, “Not the current me, but a me from some other time sent him here.”
“Another time version of me might want to change something through this future existence.”
“But some things destined to happen are not so easily changed, especially major events.”
Krasus nodded in deep agreement.
After arriving in this ancient time, Krasus’s memory had many blanks, with the missing parts being crucial memories. Only when events happened before him and couldn’t be changed would the blank memories return, such as the birth of Deathwing.
“Hyperion, the dragons of Azeroth cannot face Deathwing.”
“Only you are our last hope.”
“We will give you the maximum magical enhancement. Please reclaim the Dragon Soul for us!”
The guardian dragons pleaded with Saga to hunt down Deathwing and reclaim the Dragon Soul.
However, Saga did not immediately agree.
“Reclaiming the Dragon Soul… If it were the former Black Dragon King, it would be fine.”
“But now, with the Dragon Soul, even if it can’t target me, it seems that the empowered Black Dragon King can almost wield power beyond a demigod’s level in a short time, which is quite troublesome.”
With psychic energy shining in his eyes, Saga thought deeply, and finally, his flickering gaze settled into calmness.
Looking at the guardian dragons, Saga said:
“If you want me to risk my life to reclaim the Dragon Soul, fine.”
Pausing, under the expectant gazes of the guardian dragons, the Golden Dragon continued calmly:
“But first, I must state my conditions.”
Saga would not work for free, even for his kin.
Even in the Great Ring, Saga wouldn’t risk his life for a group of dragons unrelated to him, let alone dragons from another universe.
He didn’t mind opposing the now-arrogant Neltharion.
But the premise was that he could get what he wanted, and not just the Dragon Soul, which was his primary target.
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