The Silent Plains, vast and desolate.
Only drought-resistant thorn grass grew on the hard earth, and the wind wailed, kicking up fine dust.
This place was located at the junction of the central and southern Serel Wilderness, serving since ancient times as a natural coliseum for clan conflicts and monster struggles, burying countless bones.
Today, it would witness a duel on a much higher level.
To the north of the plains, a dark mass of legions stood solemnly.
The warriors of the Molten Iron Tribe formed a solid line.
Ogres clad in heavy armor and wielding explosive greataxes stood like a forest of steel; Gnoll hunters had fierce eyes and half-drawn bowstrings; the scales of the dragonkin, modified by the first stage of Dragon-Forging, reflected cold light, their Dragon Might and Killing Intent mixing and soaring into the sky.
In the sky.
Giant dragon shadows spread their wings, casting shadows, their roars low.
Lords such as the Amethyst Dragon-Lion, the Holy Spirit Deer, and the Phoenix were also arrayed at the front, their auras extraordinary.
At the same time, the gazes of all warriors were focused on the majestic figure at the very center of the front line.
The King of Molten Iron, Garros Ignis.
He stood at the very front, his black and red scales fierce and imposing, his size far larger than any dragon behind him. Simply standing still, he was like an insurmountable mountain range, radiating a suffocating sense of pressure.
To the south of the plains, the legions of the Kingdom of Theo were also waiting in full battle array.
The soldiers' armor was bright, their spears like a forest, and the wall of shields shimmered with the cold light of metal.
Accompanying mages held staves, surrounded by the spiritual light of elements; the heavy footsteps of Alchemy Golems made the ground tremble slightly.
Their formation was more orderly, carrying the discipline and solemnity of a civilized nation.
However, all the soldiers, including the generals with no weak auras, had a trace of unconcealable tension in their eyes.
Compared to the legions of the Molten Iron Tribe, they were far inferior in both quantity and quality; after all, they were not the kingdom's main legion, but had merely come to follow and assist the Sword Saint in handling wilderness affairs.
However, when they saw the figure at the front of the line, their tension immediately vanished.
The Legendary Sword Saint, the Unfinished Sword, Kairos.
He stood alone, a hundred meters in front of the legion.
Compared to the King of Molten Iron's massive body, his figure appeared so small, wearing only a simple set of light armor, covered by a short cloak with a mountain lion emblem, and the Sun-Chaser sword hanging at his waist.
But just by standing there, he was like the soul and blade of the entire legion.
His face was calm, his eyes like polished gems, sharp and deep.
His aura was restrained, not as intuitive or powerful as the King of Molten Iron's, but even the wind became gentle and subsided as it approached him, as if he were at the very center of the world.
The gazes of man and dragon met in the air, crossing a distance of several kilometers.
No sparks, no Killing Intent, only calmness and scrutiny.
Kairos was the first to speak.
His voice was not loud, yet it clearly masked the sound of the wind on the plains, traveling across the vast distance.
"King of Molten Iron, challenging me directly is quite a novel idea."
"Good, it will save me a lot of time."
The Legendary Sword Saint said with a smile, looking as if victory were already in his grasp.
Opposite him, the King of Molten Iron's low dragon roar sounded, like muffled thunder rolling across the plains.
"The power of a Legend—I have looked forward to experiencing it for a long time. I hope you do not disappoint me."
These words also revealed great confidence.
"You will find out soon enough," Kairos said.
"To have me personally take action is enough for you to be proud, but unfortunately, your 'King's' throne ends today."
The Red-Iron Dragon's limbs lowered slightly; he said no more, merely staring coldly at the human Legend.
A brief silence.
The atmosphere between the two legions froze to the extreme, and everyone held their breath.
"It seems there is no need for further words."
Kairos's hand lightly rested on the hilt of Sun-Chaser.
Almost at the same instant his fingers touched the hilt.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Like ancient war drums beating, or the muffled thunder before a dormant volcano awakens, a heavy and highly oppressive heartbeat exploded from the Red-Iron Dragon's chest, spreading clearly across the entire plains. Countless fine golden electric arcs crackled, jumped, and soared spiritedly across his black and red scales.
At the same time, his already robust muscles bulged and swelled again.
The Red-Iron Dragon's massive body expanded once more at a visible rate. The solid ground beneath him could not bear the weight and cracked inch by inch, with huge fissures spreading frantically like a spiderweb.
Roar—!
He let out a roar that shattered the clouds, his massive dragon wings suddenly flapped, and the ground beneath him collapsed with a boom.
His massive body soared into the sky, so fast that he even left a sonic boom cloud behind that lingered for a long time.
He did not immediately strike at the Legendary Sword Saint but instead circled rapidly in the sky. His scales turned glowing red due to high-speed friction, and the red patterns on his body surface became brighter and brighter. Then, bright lines of fire ignited, quickly spreading across his entire body and weaving into alluring, lotus-like patterns in an instant.
He directly activated the Crimson Lotus State.
Rolling Dragon Might mixed with high-temperature heat waves, pressing down overwhelmingly.
Kairos, bearing the brunt of it, looked a bit more serious.
He could clearly perceive that the energy level and degree of threat the opponent radiated at this moment were infinitely close to the threshold of Legend, and in some aspects, had even surpassed some who had just entered the Legendary rank!
"Indeed, he has some tricks, stronger than that Mushroom King."
Kairos whispered in his heart. His pride as a Legend and confidence in his Domain kept him steady.
"Before a Domain, the power of mortal beings eventually has a limit. It just means spending a bit more time."
He waited no longer, and Sun-Chaser clanged as it left its sheath.
At that moment, Garros in the sky moved!
His wings suddenly spread, red light shining, revealing a terrifying wingspan of over a hundred meters.
Then, his Dragon Qi wings suddenly closed, wrapping around his massive body.
The Red-Iron Dragon was like a crimson meteor falling from the heavens, diving fiercely toward Kairos on the ground at a speed beyond the limit of visual tracking, trailing a long, scorching tail of flame.
Facing this attack that was like a natural disaster, Kairos's pupils shrank slightly.
Myriad Flower Sword Domain—Expand!
Endless brilliant sword light flowed like a galaxy; he did not hesitate to activate his Domain.
The next second, the meteor crashed into the Domain.
Boom—!!!
An indescribable, terrifying explosion erupted.
The point of impact burst with light more dazzling than the sun, and a violent shockwave spread wantonly in a ring, uprooting the thorn grass on the plains and swirling it into the high sky, causing the earth to cave in and collapse in layers.
In the distance, the soldiers in the front rows of both legions were knocked over.
Under the dragon's impact, the Sword Saint's small body was pressed deep into the collapsing layers of the earth.
His Domain vibrated violently, its light flickering.
Upon it, countless ripples appeared like rain hitting a lake.
Even fine cracks appeared!
Although these cracks healed and disappeared almost instantly, his Domain had actually been cracked by a creature below the Legendary rank?
It was only fleeting, but it had already exceeded his expectations.
At the same time, the Red-Iron Dragon's attack had not ended.
The surrounding earth and stone were completely unable to hinder his movements.
His massive dragon body flipped, those crimson dragon wings fully extended, and the wing bones, sharp as knives, vibrated at a high frequency. Like a divine weapon splitting the earth, with an aura that could tear through everything, he slashed fiercely at the light wall of the Sword Domain.
Squelch!
The ear-piercing sound of energy tearing rang out again.
The Red-Iron Dragon's wing blades collided with the Domain, setting off countless splashing energy sparks.
The Myriad Flower Sword Domain shook violently, ripples pulsing across the light wall, and a more obvious and larger crack even appeared, which for a moment could not fully heal.
Kairos frowned deeply.
The pressure fed back from the Domain far exceeded his expectations.
At this point, he set aside all his flippancy, his eyes sharper than ever before.
"Danger!"
The Red-Iron Dragon's pupils suddenly shrank, his wings flapped hard, and his massive body pivoted and maneuvered, soaring into the sky.
Whoosh!
A Sword Beam pierced through the dust and rubble, shooting straight into the clouds.
Garros had already activated his Visage of the Astral Self, his perception and reactions reaching their limit, but even so, the Sword Beam still left a deep cut on him.
However.
At the cut wound, the dragon blood had just begun to flow when it ignited instantly, turning into a black and red high-concentration aura, adding even more ferocity to the Red-Iron Dragon.
After the exploratory clash, the true fierce battle began.
Kairos became completely serious.
He swung his sword casually, and a prominent sword glow broke through the air, slashing at the Red-Iron Dragon.
The Red-Iron Dragon tilted his right wing to deflect and avoid it.
Just then, the Sword Saint's body on the ground suddenly disappeared. The sword glow that had already passed Garros solidified, revealing the Sword Saint's body.
Sword Beam Teleportation—the ability to instantly teleport to the position of a specific Sword Beam.
Kairos's gaze was cold, and Sun-Chaser erupted with dozens of meters of sword light, slashing at the Red-Iron Dragon's back neck, as if to decapitate him in one blow.
The Red-Iron Dragon's reaction was extremely fast, and he dodged instantly, but Kairos's attack was too quick. It still landed on his back, slicing through the scales after a slight resistance and leaving a wound deep enough to see the bone.
"Even with my defense, it's hard to withstand; that strike almost reached my bone."
"A Legend is indeed powerful."
The Red-Iron Dragon felt solemn in his heart, more aura igniting on his body.
Little did he know, the Sword Saint's heart was even more heavy than his.
"This sword only managed to cut through the dragon scales and flesh?"
The strength of the Red-Iron Dragon's defense was somewhat unbelievable to Kairos.
He was a Sword Saint; his attacks naturally carried peerless sharpness. Let alone cutting the Red-Iron Dragon in two, shouldn't that strike have at least broken a few bones? The result was unacceptable to him.
His eyes flickered, and a flash of sword light seemed to pass through his pupils.
Simultaneously, on the Red-Iron Dragon opposite him, lines appeared that only he could see.
Weakness Insight—a Sword Saint can perceive weaknesses and penetrate defense.
This was one of the key skills of the Sword Saint path, allowing them to penetrate the target's defense to a certain extent. When a Sword Saint becomes a Legend, Weakness Insight also evolves, becoming a skill that can almost ignore defense to cause damage as long as a weakness is hit.
Right now, the weaknesses on the Red-Iron Dragon were few, most of them only appearing for a fleeting moment.
But these were enough for the Sword Saint; he could keenly capture all the changes in the weaknesses.
"Your body is strong, strong beyond imagination."
"But every one of my strikes can wound you. How many strikes can you endure?"
As he spoke, Kairos flicked his wrist, and the tip of Sun-Chaser instantly shot out hundreds of Sword Beams, raining down toward the Red-Iron Dragon.
But as they approached, they did not attack the Red-Iron Dragon; instead, they began to rotate rapidly around him.
At the same time, the Sword Saint's body constantly teleported between these Sword Beams, launching attacks as he approached the Red-Iron Dragon.
Every one of his strikes was tricky and ruthless, pointing directly at the gaps in Garros's scales, the joints, the nodes of Dragon Qi circulation... these weaknesses, which would not even be considered weaknesses in the eyes of ordinary opponents, became breakthroughs under the Legendary Sword Saint's Weakness Insight.
Squelch! Squelch! Squelch! Squelch!
Wounds continued to appear on Garros's massive body.
On his legs, shoulder blades, and even the side of his neck; on his faceplates, all were deep enough to see the bone.
The defense he was so proud of appeared very fragile before the Legendary Sword Saint.
The warriors of the Northern Legion watched with trepidation, the dragon flocks emitting restless low growls, while the Southern Legion's morale soared, believing the scales of victory were rapidly tipping.
However, the Red-Iron Dragon showed no signs of weakening.
Dragon blood flowed out, turning into an aura of flames, only to be drawn back into his body and converted back into fresh blood.
In this process, his aura did indeed weaken, but only by a negligible amount.
Kairos possessed a skill to suppress regeneration and had already employed it, but the Red-Iron Dragon's blood-Qi conversion was not ordinary regeneration, so the Legendary Sword Saint's suppression effect was minimal.
At the same time, the Red-Iron Dragon was also launching a violent counterattack.
He flapped his wings wildly, leaving countless afterimages in the sky.
He had already revealed his four-armed form, his attacks ferociously overwhelming—four arms, dragon wings, sharp claws, and a dragon tail. Every strike that landed on Kairos's Domain caused it to bristle with cracks.
Especially the Red-Iron Dragon's wings.
They were lethal weapons in the truest sense.
They were not only the source of extreme speed and impact but also resembled two indestructible giant war blades. At times they slashed down like celestial sabers, carving huge cracks into the Legendary Sword Saint's Domain; at other times, they acted as barriers, blocking Sword Beams and colliding head-on with the Unfinished Sword. Though they were cut and split, they recovered quickly as Dragon Qi surged.
Before this, Kairos had never heard of any Dragon capable of developing its wings to such a degree.
Yet even now, he remained calm.
"This guy is currently in some sort of burst state; he won't be able to hold on for long."
"Right now, this is nothing but a desperate struggle."
Kairos believed the advantage still lay with him.
As time passed, the battle descended into a brutal war of attrition.
The Unfinished Sword and the King of Molten Iron fought from the ground to the sky, and from the sky back to the ground, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake.
Kairos, relying on his impeccable Domain and peak sword techniques, continuously added wounds to the Red-Iron Dragon's body.
Garros relied on the terrifying strength and defense provided by the Crimson Lotus State, the extreme mobility brought by his Dragon Qi wings, and the astonishing endurance and recovery granted by his blood-Qi conversion to forcibly withstand the Legendary Sword Saint's attacks, all while constantly searching for opportunities to counterattack.
After some time.
The Red-Iron Dragon was covered in blood, his aura of flames enveloping his entire body, burning fiercely. In contrast, the Legendary Sword Saint appeared unchanged; let alone wounds, there wasn't even a speck of dust on him.
However, only Kairos knew that he had already consumed a small portion of his energy.
A Domain this powerful was naturally not easy to maintain, and among the many Legendary figures, the Legendary Sword Saint was not known for sustained combat.
He no longer completely tanked the King of Molten Iron's attacks, choosing instead to dodge selectively.
However, Kairos had no intention of stopping the battle.
With the Domain in existence, he stood in an invincible position; he just needed to be mindful of his consumption.
Slish!
He brandished the Unfinished Sword, locked onto a weak point, and a Sword Beam slashed across the Red-Iron Dragon's right neck, leaving a wound deep enough to see bone.
The Red-Iron Dragon's counterattack arrived simultaneously; his body spun, a monstrous aura of flames ignited on his right wing, and it slammed heavily onto the Legendary Sword Saint's Domain.
Cracks proliferated, and the Domain shook.
Using offense as defense, Kairos cast a stern gaze and struck again with his sword.
Several illustrious Sword Beams tore through the air, piercing the Red-Iron Dragon's scales and leaving several deep, bloody holes.
The Red-Iron Dragon roared, ignoring the new sword wounds on his body. His dragon maw opened, and he spat out a breath of Breath of Destruction condensed to its limit, slamming it fiercely against the Domain.
Crack... a dense sound of shattering rang out.
A gap, more obvious than all previous cracks, bloomed on the Domain.
The Breath of Destruction pressed against the Domain, pushing it a thousand meters away. The Dragon Breath burned through, turning a corner of the Legendary Sword Saint's clothing into ash and reducing a lock of his hair to dust.
Although the Dragon Breath was quickly dispersed and the cracks in the Domain were healing rapidly.
This was undoubtedly a dangerous signal.
Kairos's eyes turned completely cold.
He realized he could not keep dragging this out.
The level of trouble this Red-Iron Dragon posed far exceeded any opponent he had encountered in his long career of conquest; his resilience, recovery, and aggression had reached an unfathomable level.
He had already begun treating him as a Legendary equal.
"I must end this quickly!"
"Otherwise, I will be exhausted to death."
"His state appears to be some kind of burst, but the duration is far too long; I cannot see where the limit lies."
Kairos took a deep breath.
His Domain lit up, and countless sword rays converged toward the Unfinished Sword, causing its edge to condense a sharpness more dazzling than the sun. These rays were highly compressed, gathering at a single point on the blade and exuding a sense of being indestructible.
Overloading and squeezing the Domain—this was a life-draining skill.
With this strike, Kairos would lose at least twenty years of his lifespan; therefore, he was unwilling to use such a skill unless it was an absolute last resort.
Before this, he never imagined he could be pushed to such a degree by a non-Legendary creature.
"To die under this sword strike of mine will be your honor."
Kairos's gaze was cold; the sharpness on the blade grew increasingly blinding, to the point that the surrounding space was constantly cracking, shattering like a mirror.
He had not yet struck.
However, countless Sword Qi had already spontaneously manifested around the Red-Iron Dragon, leaving wounds of varying depth on his body.
Garros's gaze became solemn.
He knew it was time to reveal his trump cards.
There could be no more holding back.
Victory or defeat would perhaps be decided in the next instant.
The Red-Iron Dragon raised his head slightly; the spatial item inside his storage stomach pouch lit up, and nine different potions appeared from within, all shattering simultaneously.
At the same time, streaks of golden light flew out from his open maw, attaching themselves to him.
Boom!
The Red-Iron Dragon flapped his wings and charged fiercely toward the Legendary Sword Saint.
The nine dragon potions transformed into ferocious energy within his body, like pouring oil on a fire.
The Red Lotus patterns on his body instantly boiled, their color shifting from crimson to a deeper, more majestic dark gold! Substantial dark golden flames erupted from the gaps between his scales all over his body.
At the same time, the armor fully formed.
"Beneath the Heavens! Above the Earth! I alone am supreme!"
The Red-Iron Dragon roared, shouting the incantation to fully activate the armor.
Hum, hum, hum!
All the runes on it lit up, and the shimmering golden light enveloped the Red-Iron Dragon, turning him into almost a golden sun.
Power!
The sensation of power—to destroy everything, to dominate everything—flooded his body!
The passage of time seemed to slow down.
Kairos's pupils constricted; a sense of crisis washed over him like icy water.
He let out a wild roar, the light of his Myriad Flower Sword Domain flared, and the sharpness on the blade condensed to an unprecedented peak.
Sun-Chasing!
The Legendary Sword Saint thrust his sword forward, seemingly slow but actually fast.
The sharpness at the sword tip was incomparably fast, piercing toward the Dragon figure that came wrapped in the scorching sun, penetrating his armor, dragon scales, flesh, and bones, running through his entire body and leaving a hole that went straight through.
Feeling the attack connect.
The Legendary Sword Saint's lips curled slightly upward.
In the end, he still won—hm?
The golden sun in his field of vision did not slow down in the slightest; the Dragon aura was monstrous, and in an instant, it was already right before his eyes.
The black-red aura of flames burned within the bloody hole in his body; the Red-Iron Dragon roared as he approached the Legendary Sword Saint and raised his giant claw.
"Break for me!"
Garros poured all his power—in the simplest, most direct, and most brutal way—into his right claw, and then, slammed it violently toward that brilliant and tough Legendary Domain in front of him!
In front of the sharp claw, the space seemed to turn into a dented mirror, presenting an unnatural, collapsed appearance.
"Dragon, with the Domain, I am invincible!"
Kairos manipulated the Domain, using energy and even his own life to support its operation.
Amidst the gaze of all, the Red-Iron Dragon's claw and the condensed-to-the-extreme Domain collided once more.
There was no explosion, only a sound so crisp it made one's heart tremble.
Crack———!!!
In Kairos's incredulous gaze, the Domain that was originally regarded as an absolute defense and indestructible was, by this explosive claw of the Red-Iron Dragon, from the front, with the most barbaric posture, thoroughly, completely—smashed! To! Pieces!
Like glass struck by a heavy hammer, his Domain collapsed.
Whether it was the wild warriors of the Molten Iron Tribe or the disciplined army of the Southern Theo Kingdom, all living beings who witnessed this scene fell into immense shock and speechlessness.
The Legendary Domain... was smashed apart in one go with the purest power!
This was a scene that subverted cognition!
"Freak, too much of a freak!"
"Is Garros a Dragon? Or some monster of divine sin draped in dragon skin?!"
As an allied force, the Gold Dragon also felt it was inconceivable at this moment.
At the same time, the Unfinished Sword had not yet steadied himself when the space above his head suddenly darkened; the King of Molten Iron's giant dragon claw, after shattering the Domain, descended like a cage.
Sword Waterfall Countercurrent!
Kairos roared, raising the Unfinished Sword; countless Sword Beams rushed upwards, attempting to tear through the dragon claw.
The Red-Iron Dragon's claw only paused slightly, blooming with one burst of aura of flames after another, and then, with an unstoppable momentum, slammed down fiercely.
Crack!
Another crisp sound rang out, and Kairos's Unfinished Sword shattered.
However, the Dragon's offensive remained violently fierce, pressing the Legendary Sword Saint's body straight to the ground with one claw.
Rumble!
The earth rolled and rose like waves! A huge deep pit appeared on the plains, and Kairos's body was pressed firmly at the center of the pit bottom.
"My Lord!!"
The Southern Legion was in an uproar; countless people cried out, wanting to rush forward to rescue him, but they were blocked by the earth-shaking roars and dragon howls erupting from the Molten Iron Legion, and dared not act rashly.
At the center of the deep pit.
The King of Molten Iron spread his wings, dispersing the dust filling the sky.
He slowly lifted his claw; beneath it, there was no longer any sign of the Legendary Sword Saint, only a humanoid pile of ashes.
In the early stages of the battle, the Legendary Sword Saint had left countless wounds on the Red-Iron Dragon, but at the most critical moment, the Red-Iron Dragon had killed him completely with just one strike.
The Unfinished Sword was completely broken before it could be completed.
"Legendary, so it turns out it was nothing more than this."
Garros slowly exhaled, finally having a clear understanding of himself.
Before this, he had overestimated the power of a Legendary, or rather, he had underestimated his own power.
In this battle, he had used the Dragon Core, but he still hadn't activated his Fury state; even without the nine dragon potions and without the armor, he could still defeat a Legendary.
It was just that if the opponent were more cautious, it wouldn't be easy to kill them.
The Red-Iron Dragon took a deep breath, retracting all the burning aura of flames on his body back into his body, converting them into blood to stabilize his injuries.
Although he still looked covered in wounds, the Red-Iron Dragon's fierce might remained undiminished.
Then, he flapped his dragon wings lightly and stood in the sky, while the Legendary Sword Saint lay forever in the ground.
The entire plain fell into silence; the human legion's morale dropped to freezing point. At the same time, countless roars and dragon howls rang out, cheering and celebrating for their King.