"Warriors of Lothern! Follow me—fight to the death!!!"
King Aubrien drew the royal sword of dawn 'Dawn', inherited from his Saint King ancestor, and pointed the blade straight ahead.
The remaining Royal Guards, along with all the soldiers still willing to follow the King, let out a thunderous roar. Like moths flying into a flame, they followed their monarch and charged forward without hesitation.
The battle instantly entered its most tragic and white-hot phase.
Relying on his formidable Legendary-tier strength and resolve to die, Aubrien charged back and forth across the vast battlefield. Every swing of the royal sword of dawn brought a storm of blood and gore, as he attempted to delay the kingdom's collapse with his personal Martial Skill.
High above the royal palace, Elena used a Spell to ascend into the air, wanting to witness with her own eyes the final battle outside the city walls that would decide the fate of the kingdom.
However, shortly after she ascended, a massive shadow suddenly enveloped her.
The Iron Dragon Gorton had returned, hovering before her.
His heart was filled with struggle and contradiction, but in the end, the emotions accumulated over nearly a century overcame the calculations of reason. He simply could not bring himself to be cruel enough to flee alone.
He still clearly remembered the fear and unease he felt when he was sent into the royal court as a tribute in his youth.
He had assumed that imprisonment and humiliation awaited him.
However, the first thing he saw was the then-young Princess Elena, who gave him a smile as warm and surprising as sunlight.
The miserable life he had envisioned never came; instead, there were flowers, delicacies, and the Princess's unreserved kindness and companionship.
Over the course of nearly a century, they grew up together.
Elena would confide all her thoughts to him, whether it was frustration, grievance, or the occasional joy and anticipation.
And every time he awoke from his slumber, the first thing he always saw was Elena's smiling figure.
Whoosh!
The Iron Dragon extended his massive claws. This time, it was not an invitation, but a gentleness that brooked no refusal. He gently lifted Elena by the waist, placed her onto his broad and solid back, and carried her as they flew toward the higher sky.
"Elena, I will say this one last time—the moment the royal city truly falls and the defensive line completely collapses, I will flee without a second thought. I will never sacrifice my life to defend the city."
Gorton's voice was unprecedentedly serious: "But before that... I will accompany you to spend this final time."
The Crystal Princess was stunned. Looking at the neck of the Dragon beneath her, which was covered in hard scales, a complex and indefinable look flashed in her eyes. Although there were many wrinkles of age on her face now, that graceful bearing derived from her bloodline and upbringing, as well as the calm beauty born of weathering storms, made her all the more moving.
She leaned down gently, her palm stroking Gorton's cold scales, and a smile suddenly blossomed on her face.
"Alright, Gorton."
"If... I mean if, in this desperate situation, the kingdom could truly manifest a miracle and turn defeat into victory."
"Then, after the war ends and everything has settled, I can, as you wish, truly become the Princess who belongs only to you."
For this Iron Dragon who had accompanied her through almost her entire life, Elena also harbored complex and deep emotions within her heart. It was just that in the past, the responsibilities and boundaries of being a human princess had made it impossible for her to face this emotion that transcended species.
But at this moment, at this critical juncture of life and death where everything could be lost.
She chose to face her heart honestly.
Gorton's massive body trembled imperceptibly.
Although his luck had always seemed good, deep down he knew very well how slim such a so-called miracle was at this moment.
However, even so.
Hearing Elena's promise with his own ears had already instantly released a certain emotion that had been bottled up in his heart for years.
"It's a deal."
The Iron Dragon opened his large mouth, also revealing a smile.
Afterward, the Iron Dragon flapped his broad wings, carrying the Crystal Princess on his back, and cautiously approached the city wall.
Outside the city, it had already turned into a meat grinder.
Severed limbs and broken weapons and armor were mixed together, staining the earth a dark red. Blood gathered into trickles, forming pools of blood in the low-lying areas.
King Aubrien was like a burning meteor at this moment.
He charged and slaughtered with unparalleled ferocity in the densest part of the enemy formation. Every time the royal sword of dawn struck down, it erupted with blinding golden sword radiance. Wherever he passed, the incoming enemy powerhouses were easily cleaved in two along with their armor. Those hideous and terrifying Alchemy Golems draped in heavy armor were also slashed to pieces, with parts and magic circuits splattering everywhere.
Apart from attacks by Legendary powerhouses of the same tier and a few special war weapons specifically designed to counter Legendary powerhouses.
Ordinary attacks could not penetrate a Legendary Domain.
Aubrien stood like a rock on the battlefield, standing firm in the torrent of destruction.
Led by the King who fought at the forefront, the Legendary Guards were also fearless of death. Countless Lothern soldiers erupted with their final courage, throwing themselves at the enemy without regard for their own lives.
For a time, they withstood the Coalition's first and most ferocious wave of attacks, even forming a brief counter-push in local areas.
Aubrien's blood-soaked figure became the most dazzling coordinate on the entire battlefield, and the final pillar in the hearts of all Lothern defenders that supported them and kept them from falling.
In the air, the Iron Dragon Gorton carried Elena, circling beneath the massive magic shield that enveloped the royal city.
The round magic array, flowing with the radiance of runes, resisted the Alchemy shells and destructive Spells constantly bombarded by the Coalition outside the city. Every hit splashed out countless tiny ripples of energy.
The streets inside the city were crowded with civilians who were either terrified or wore expressions of determination, a mix of complex faces.
The clamor of war remained deafening.
The situation seemed to have fallen into a brief stalemate; the Lothern defenders were unimaginably tenacious, but everyone with a discerning eye knew that this was merely a flash in the pan.
The Coalition held an absolute advantage in numbers and overall quality.
More fresh legions were being thrown into the battlefield like a tide, like a steel noose that was constantly tightening, slowly and firmly squeezing the defenders' already narrow living space.
At this moment, just as Aubrien had finished repelling a Coalition Legendary powerhouse and immediately cleaved a massive war Puppet in two with another sword strike, at the instant his own Demonic Energy showed a slight dip.
A sudden change occurred!
A Lothern Legendary powerhouse who had been following close behind Aubrien's flank, the vice-chair of the Royal Court Mage Corps, suddenly lashed out.
The Legendary Spellcaster waved the staff in hand, and a twisted chain carrying countless wailing phantoms shot out. It did not shoot toward the enemy, but instead entangled King Aubrien.
Soul Chain!
This vicious binding Spell did not act on the body, but directly bound the target's Soul, the Demonic Energy surging within the body, and the Legendary Domain upon which their existence relied!
Aubrien's towering body stiffened abruptly!
The radiance of his Domain dimmed, crawling with wailing faces, and his sword-swinging motion also suffered a fatal lag.
"Maive?! You...!"
Aubrien's voice, filled with shock and rage, had just sounded.
Puchi!
A muffled sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh and armor followed immediately!
The greatsword that symbolized the highest honor of the Lothern Royal Knights, now imbued with an indestructible Domain characteristic, stabbed fiercely from Aubrien's back!
The wielder was the commander of the Royal Knights, who was deeply trusted by the King and had always been known for his steadfast loyalty.
"For a new era! My apologies, Your Majesty!"
The commander of the Royal Knights roared in a low voice. That face, which had always been steadfast, now appeared incomparably hideous due to the decisiveness of his betrayal.
Puchi!
The sound of the blade completely piercing through the Legendary armor and the King's tough body rang out piercingly on the deafening battlefield.
The blood-stained tip of the sword protruded from his chest.
Aubrien's body shuddered violently, and the questioning in his mouth turned into a mouthful of hot blood that gushed out.
"Traitors!"
"Protect Your Majesty!"
The surrounding Imperial Guards and other Legendary powerhouses were furious, their eyes splitting, and they attacked in anger, instantly forcing the two traitors back.
Someone quickly stepped forward and poured the top-grade healing potion into the King's mouth, barely stabilizing his rapidly fading life force, but it still could not change the fact that he was seriously injured.
"I didn't expect... that the ones to finally betray me would be the two of you."
Aubrien spat blood, his face pale as paper, but his expression was unusually calm, and his gaze remained sharp, locking tightly onto the two traitorous Legendary powerhouses.
The commander of the Royal Knights was a veteran Legendary powerhouse of the Lothern Kingdom who had personally instructed the young Aubrien in Martial Skill; the other, the Legendary Spellcaster Maive, had also been the magic enlightenment mentor for many princes and princesses.
"Good birds choose their trees to perch on, and wise ministers choose their masters to serve."
The female Spellcaster Maive said softly: "Your Majesty, you killed your brother and usurped the throne back then; the throne was never legitimate."
"Now that the Lothern building is about to collapse, you are stubborn, refusing all possibilities of peace talks and dragging the entire kingdom into the abyss of destruction... We have no choice but to seek another way out."
Seeing the King seriously injured, the Coalition side erupted in earth-shattering cheers, their morale greatly boosted.
On the faces of the traitors, there was also the smugness and relief of impending victory.
On the other side, the Iron Dragon Gorton, circling in the air, had his expression change drastically, and the instinct to flee urged him strongly once again.
But looking at Elena's face, which had lost all color, and her resolute eyes on his back, he ultimately could not bring himself to be cruel enough. He continued to circle in the airspace with her, while taking a deep breath, preparing to forcibly carry her away to escape.
"Gorton, go, leave here immediately!"
"I will fulfill my oath and die with the kingdom!"
The Crystal Princess began to mobilize all the Demonic Energy in her body, preparing to cast the strongest and final Spell of her life, to drag as many enemies as possible down with her.
However, at this darkest moment when the kingdom was about to fall and all hope seemed lost.
Aubrien, who was seriously injured, suddenly smiled.
He stared at the two traitors, his gaze slowly sweeping over the surrounding Coalition Legendary powerhouses who were eyeing them covetously and ready to move. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of every powerhouse: "Do you think you have already won?"
"Fools, if I were you, I would start praying right now, and then... run for your lives."
Hum!
An indescribably powerful Aura erupted without warning from the deepest part of the Lothern royal city.
Deep within the royal palace, the Lothern Sacred Stele, regarded as the symbol of the kingdom and covered in the traces of time, shattered with a boom.
A brilliant light, pure to the extreme, warm and majestic, gushed out from within and shot straight into the sky.
The dark clouds that had gathered over the royal city, filled with countless war haze and the Aura of death, melted like ice and snow, instantly dispersed completely. The entire world was shrouded and illuminated by this glorious light.
In the very center of the light, a figure slowly stepped out.
He was dressed in an ancient yet spotless white royal robe. His face was as young as a youth's, his hair black as ink, draped behind his shoulders. His eyes were as deep as if they contained the entire starry sky, making one feel awe upon seeing them, not daring to look directly.
The moment they saw this figure appear.
All the Legendary powerhouses present, whether from the Lothern side or the Coalition side, had their expressions change drastically in unison, freezing at almost the same moment.
This person was none other than the strongest powerhouse in the history of the Lothern Kingdom.
A top-tier Legendary powerhouse, known as the Saint King—Allen Lothern.
He descended into the very center of the battlefield. His gaze was as calm as still water, sweeping over the gruesome scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, before finally landing on the two traitors frozen in place.
"Betraying oaths, regicide, and treason."
The Saint King spoke. His voice was not loud, yet it carried the weight of a decree, filled with an unquestionable sense of authority.
The two traitors were terrified.
In the instant they attempted to beg for mercy or flee.
Hum!
An invisible yet powerful Domain instantly expanded, swallowing and covering both of them. Their own Domains manifested on their skin, but they seemed to be under immense pressure, constantly cracking.
"You deserve the punishment of ten thousand swords slicing your bodies!"
The Saint King's words fell calmly, like a final judgment.
In an instant, countless sharp swords appeared out of thin air, filling every inch of space around the traitors.
These swords of light seemed to possess life, converging into two torrents of death that shot out like funnels, piercing through the traitors' bodies again and again.
They opened their mouths wide, their faces twisted to the extreme by intense pain, emitting shrill wails.
However, within the Saint King's Domain, even their screams were completely stripped away. They could only watch helplessly as their bodies and Souls were sliced and torn apart amidst the traversing swords, heading toward death in extreme agony.
Silence! A deathly silence blanketed the entire battlefield.
Whether it was the Lothern garrison or the coalition soldiers, everyone stood frozen in place as if under a paralysis Spell, staring at this scene in dumbfounded shock.
The intense war came to a brief, momentary standstill.
While punishing the traitors, the Saint King Allen slowly raised his gaze, surveying the entire bloody battlefield.
His gaze swept over the coalition soldiers covering the hills and plains outside the city, seemingly endless, and swept over those Legendary powerhouses who had been arrogant just moments ago but were now tense.
His gaze was calm, without anger, without killing intent, and without even a ripple. There was only indifference and majesty.
Immediately after, his Domain expanded once again! The range was unimaginably vast, far exceeding the limits of what normal Legendary powerhouses understood about Domain range.
With the Saint King as the center.
The soldiers of Lothern felt a warm and powerful Aura surge into their bodies, soothing their pain and fear, while the coalition side felt as if they had been struck head-on by an invisible and vast force! Soldiers fell in droves, suppressed and unable to rise, their tight formations collapsing.
Those massive Alchemy Golems lost control one after another, standing stiffly in place or colliding with each other.
Even the Legendary powerhouses hovering in the air were struck as if by lightning; their own Domains constantly cracked, and their movements became difficult.
Panic! Like a plague, it spread wildly through the coalition at an unprecedented speed.
All Battle Intent, all greed, all ambition, before this Saint King who had reappeared in the world, turned into the most primal fear.
"The Southern Federation was established by my own hands."
The Saint King's voice rang out again, without any emotional ripples, yet it echoed between heaven and earth like a great bell. The sentence structure and word choice of his speech carried an ancient flavor.
"It aimed to unite the kingdoms, set aside private prejudices, jointly resist external enemies, and share peace."
His words paused slightly. That calm gaze seemed to contain a heavy pressure, making every enemy swept by it feel their Soul trembling.
"However, as hundreds of years passed, people's hearts changed. You, whether due to selfish desire, shortsightedness, or inner cowardice, have long forgotten the initial intention of the union and betrayed the oath of coexistence, causing weapons to rise again and war smoke to fill the land."
Speaking to this point, the Saint King's voice suddenly rose slightly.
"Since that is the case, a forced union is nothing more than sleeping in the same bed but having different dreams, only increasing internal friction and wasting the Origin Qi of this land that I cherish!"
"Today, I shall personally end this nominal alliance!"
"The Southern Federation is hereby dissolved!"
Once these words were spoken, the whole field was shocked.
Whether it was the Lothern garrison or the coalition soldiers, almost none could believe their ears.
Dissolve the Southern Federation? This meant the Saint King voluntarily abandoned the supreme legal authority to unite the Southern Kingdoms, abandoning his status above all kings.
The Saint King's next words shook them even more.
"As for you, the coalition army, today you stepped onto my territory, violated my borders, and killed my people. You should all be exterminated to serve as a warning to others!"
The killing intent flashed and vanished, making all enemies feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, with even their breathing almost stopping.
"But!" The Saint King changed his tone. His voice remained majestic and vast, his temperament as grand as mountains and rivers: "Slaughter is not my wish, and hatred is not the path to long-term peace."
"I pity the soldiers in your army, mostly driven by the ambitions of those in power, with parents, wives, and daughters waiting at home, innocently suffering the pain of this war."
"I cherish the living beings of the continent; they should not bleed dry and exhaust their Origin Qi because of a momentary dispute or political maneuvering, causing pain to loved ones and joy to enemies."
"Therefore, today, I, in the name of Saint King Allen Lothern, forgive your crimes of invasion."
"Lay down your weapons, take your wounded and the corpses of your companions, and retreat to your respective territories."
"After today, Lothern and the various kingdoms will no longer be bound by any alliance. Each will go its own way and not interfere with the other. I hope you will conduct yourselves well, remember today's lesson, and do not commit unrighteous acts again, lest you provoke war and bring disaster to the common people."
He stood tall within the endless light, his figure appearing as high as heaven and earth, his voice spreading across the wilderness.
"If, one day, you violate the territory of Lothern again, there will be no more Southern Federation friendship, and it will not be comparable to today's forgiveness. At that time, no matter where you flee to the ends of the earth, I will surely make you pay an unbearable price!"
As his voice fell, the massive and vast Domain that covered the battlefield, centered on the Saint King, receded like the tide.
After a brief deathly silence came a total collapse.
The coalition army that had been imposing and vowed to flatten Valdor now only regretted that their parents hadn't given them an extra pair of legs!
They threw away their helmets and armor, abandoned their heavy equipment, and like a frightened flock of sheep, fled in panic, trampling over each other, never daring to look back at the royal city shrouded in the Saint King's radiance again.
The Saint King turned his head, his deep gaze looking at Aubrien, and nodded slightly to him.
Subsequently, his figure, shrouded in light, began to slowly fade, eventually dissipating like an illusion, as if he had never appeared.
On the other side. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Iron Dragon Gorton flapped his wings and slowly landed on an intact plaza within the palace.
"A miracle... really happened? That Legendary Saint King is actually still alive!"
He muttered to himself. A few seconds later, as if he had suddenly realized something, a look of sudden enlightenment appeared on his dragon face, which was immediately replaced by an extremely inflated sense of confidence.
"Perhaps, I, Gorton Ignas, am the Legendary Child of Destiny! The existence destined to lead the storms of an era!" The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed, and his dragon tail began to wag triumphantly without him realizing it.
"Otherwise, there is simply no explanation for why I am always able to turn danger into safety at critical moments! Even this dangerous situation was reversed because of the Saint King's reappearance!"
"Yes, that's right! It must be like this! I, Gorton, am the one destined by heaven!"
"Solrog, Samantha, including Garros... the achievements and luck they have today might all be because they benefited from me, sharing my heavenly favor!"
Immersed in self-intoxication, Gorton, like a victorious general, held his chest, covered in iron-gray scales, high, acting haughty and arrogant.
He shook his massive body, looked down at Elena, who had just climbed down from his back, and grinned wide.
He chuckled and reminded her: "Elena, the promise you made to me in the air earlier—now that the kingdom's crisis is resolved and the miracle has happened, you cannot go back on your word."
An Evil Dragon and a princess are a perfect match. From today on, Garros and the others should be envious that he has a princess.
The Crystal Princess was currently looking at the direction where the Saint King had disappeared, her heart surging with emotion. Hearing Gorton's words, she slowly turned her head, a puzzled expression on her face, and tilted her head slightly.
"What words? Did I promise you anything?"
The triumphant smile on the Iron Dragon's face froze instantly. He was speechless for a moment, and then a sense of shame and anger at being teased surged into his heart.
"Hmph! Despicable, fickle human!"
He angrily puffed two streams of steam carrying sparks from his nose, ignored Elena, flew to a corner of the plaza on his own, and then covered his head tightly with his large wings, lying on the ground and starting to sulk.
Meanwhile, Aubrien returned to the city under the escort of the imperial guards. Elena immediately went up to meet him and helped her brother.
She suppressed the excitement in her heart and asked in a low, urgent voice: "Brother! Since the ancestor has reappeared, can we implore him to take action and hunt down those coalition Legendary powerhouses? They must pay the price for today's betrayal and slaughter!"
"The ancestor is broad-minded and pities the common people, but those invading enemies must never be forgiven just like that."
"The world says you have the style of the ancestor and are deeply valued by him. Perhaps you... could try to change the ancestor's mind? At least, we cannot let them retreat so easily!"
Aubrien endured the severe pain coming from his wounds and shook his head with a pale face. He did not explain much, only saying weakly: "The ancestor's intent is not something we can fathom, nor can it be easily changed."
Elena was unwilling and wanted to persuade him further: "But brother..."
Aubrien waved his hand wearily, interrupting her: "Let's talk about it later. My injuries are not light, and I need to rest immediately."
Elena swallowed the words that had reached her lips and said no more.
Subsequently, time passed at a leisurely pace.
The civil war of the Southern Federation, which had lasted for decades, finally came to a complete end with the reappearance of Saint King Allen Lothern, who personally dissolved the Southern Federation. The coalition army quickly withdrew in fear and fled back to their respective territories in a panic.
They dared not act rashly, nervously watching the subsequent attitude of the Lothern Kingdom.
The Lothern Kingdom, as the Saint King had said, did not continue to pursue the crimes of the various kingdoms after recovering its lost territory.
The Saint King, with his kindness and compassion, once again won the admiration and reverence of countless Southern subjects.
The kingdoms in the coalition camp were spurned by the world for their treachery and moral decay, with frequent domestic turmoil and unstable rule, while those allied kingdoms that had always followed the Lothern Kingdom were full of celebration and felt honored.
However, the wounds brought by the war could not be healed overnight.
After putting away their weapons, the Southern Kingdoms began to slowly lick their wounds and calm the chaos brought by the war, which unexpectedly allowed them to regain peace after a long time.
Just like that, time passed, and it arrived at the beginning of the year 318 of the New Era.
At the same time, in the North, far from the disputes of the South, in The Borderlands shrouded in snow and wind.
After nearly thirty years of silence, at the age of 98, the King of Molten Iron slowly opened his eyes in a cave buried deep underground, waking from his slumber.