A Dragon against the Whole World

——Earth Ripper.

It once was a piece of legendary equipment.

The reason for saying "once" is because it suffered severe damage in a brutal battle, and its power today hasn’t even recovered to half of its peak strength.

However, a skinny camel is still larger than a horse.

Even in its broken state, it is stronger than any top-tier equipment below legendary level.

Moreover, if observed closely, one can see with King of Mountains continuously drawing earth energy, at the edges of the deep cracks on the axe surface, incredibly fine threads of energy are slowly wriggling, mending the wounds bit by bit.

Given time, it might very well regain its former legendary glory.

King of Mountains Groom’s aura itself also becomes more profound and more intense under the continuous nurturing of earth energy.

The flowing sand-like substance swirling around him is essentially earth energy.

King of Mountains chose to reside here because he discovered a rich source of earth energy.

After dividing the wilderness with King of Molten Iron and Fungus King, he stopped expanding outward, choosing to firmly hold his mountain domain, silently drawing earth energy day after day for decades, hoping to accumulate it over time, eventually sparking a qualitative change to break through the legendary barrier.

At that time, King of Molten Iron slept, and Fungus King seemed to have a similar method of accumulation.

In short, the few regional kings coexist in peace, all with the aim of breaking through to legendary with wilderness resources before the civil war in the Southern Countries ends. War is not their goal; becoming stronger is.

Unfortunately, things did not go as they wished.

The legendary barriers are extraordinarily strong; otherwise, countless heroes would not have been stuck.

Especially for the Dragon Race, Giants, and such naturally powerful but slow-growing long-lived species, as well as unique beings like Fungus King with different lifeforms, it is even more difficult to reach the legendary domain in a short time.

Until the civil war in the Southern Countries ended, gradually stabilized, and turned their attention back to this lawless land.

The three regional kings all failed to take the crucial step, only reaching the level 20 peak of mortality.

"Power... I need more, stronger power!"

King of Mountains’ deep roar echoed through the Stone Hall, with an ancient accent from Celestia.

He once belonged to a powerful and ancient Mountain Giant Tribe on the Seresia Continent, and was the son of the chieftain.

However, the good times did not last long.

The Beastman Empire continuously expanded, sweeping across the Giant’s homeland with their unstoppable forces of destruction.

The grand giant city turned to ruins, his chieftain father fought to his death in the battlefield to cover the retreat of their people, and the once-prosperous tribe collapsed in an instant.

He could only lead the remaining tribesmen into flight, relying on Earth Ripper to repel wave after wave of pursuers, and along the way, gathered a few Fire Giants and Stone Giants.

During this time, he used Earth Ripper to fend off a Beastman Legendary, but Earth Ripper also suffered damage.

After a perilous journey across mountains and rivers, they reached the Atlantia Continent, and after many twists and turns, finally found refuge in a place called Sel Wilderness.

All these years, a fire of revenge burned incessantly in King of Mountains’ heart.

That flame scorched his soul, driving him to relentlessly pursue greater power.

He longed to break through to legendary, to become stronger, to one day lead his people back to the homeland defiled by Beastmen and demand blood debts from those cursed invaders, using their skulls to mourn their lost ancestors and kin.

But all these grand plans for revenge must first pass the imminent survival crisis.

Not long ago, the news that King of Molten Iron killed a legendary, repulsing it from the wilderness, reached King of Mountains’ ears.

Having faced Legendary Powerhouses head-on, he understood more profoundly than anyone the terror of the legendary domain.

It is a level of life crushing.

The gulf is so large that it is almost insurmountable.

Thus, upon hearing the news, a shadow of unease loomed over King of Mountains’ heart.

Yet amidst this unease, a sliver of hope grew within him.

For instance, human legendries are usually slightly weaker than Beastmen legendries, perhaps King of Molten Iron just fortunately killed the weakest legendary.

If time, place, and luck are all on his side, with the existence of Earth Ripper, in theory, he has a chance to achieve the feat of slaying a legendary himself.

Nonetheless, even with such wishful thinking, the threat from King of Molten Iron hung like a sword over his head.

Retreat?

Abandon the groundwork of several decades, the countless poured resources, and this earth node that holds the hope for revenge, to once again flee with the tribesmen into an unknown exile like a pack of strays?

The echoes of Celestia still linger in dreams, the scene of his tribe’s destruction vivid; he cannot reconcile with this fate.

Desperate gamble?

Accelerate, desperately drawing earth energy, forcibly assault the legendary barrier, betting that after battling a legendary, King of Molten Iron himself suffered severe injuries needing a long rest to recover, incapable of striking him down anytime soon.

This is a high-stakes gamble, wagering his life, every dream of revenge he ever had.

Eventually, his desire for strength, his desire for revenge, overshadowed all rational caution.

King of Mountains did not flee; he chose the desperate gamble, staying to accelerate the absorbance of earth energy.

However, as a leader who experienced the pain of a perished tribe, he is not entirely unprepared.

He had already sent away all young, yet-to-grow tribesmen in advance, led by several stronger giants.

These tribesmen offer little practical contribution in war; if a legendary breakthrough succeeds, they could return; if failure... at least the seed of revival remains.

Under King of Mountains’ command, the whirlpool of earth energy spun faster and faster.

More pure sand-like energy frenziedly flooded into his body.

Clusters of sharp rock crystals began to appear on the surface of King of Mountains’ body, his aura climbing up amidst chaotic fury, the intense pain surging like tides inside out, but he stubbornly held on.

However.

The speed of King of Molten Iron’s recovery, the tribe’s resolve and efficiency, was beyond King of Mountains’ expectations.

On the seventh day, when he focused all his spirit, desperately assaulting for legendary status, attempting to grasp the last straw.

Giant Dragons soared across the sky, violently tearing open the heavens.

Led by King of Molten Iron, the Dragon Group arrived over the Northeast Region, covering the sky and earth with its mighty dragon might, flying directly toward King of Mountains’ territory.

"Enemy attack! Molten Iron Tribe is here! Giant Dragons! Lots of them in the sky!"

The giant’s outposts stationed on critical peaks at the territory’s periphery sent out the alarm immediately, transmitting urgent messages to the rear.

In the Stone Hall, King of Mountains Groom’s eyes snapped open, filled with unwillingness.

He could feel he was really just a thin membrane away from the legendary domain he dreamed of and had a chance to break through.

But the enemy was already at the doorstep, not giving him any more time.

"Too late... Damn it!!!"

He let out a roar, rising abruptly, simultaneously drawing Earth Ripper from the earth energy whirlpool.

He steadied his spirit, forcing himself to calm down, his fingers like stone columns gripping Earth Ripper tightly.

Earth Ripper itself is powerful legendary-tier equipment, and the recovery after absorbing earth energy was fast. Although not completely restored, its power had increased significantly; combined with his level 20 extreme life level and powerful racial attributes, it might still kill a weaker legendary.

He has one last chance.

Right now, right here, taking a desperate gamble at all costs, using the power of legendary equipment, to kill the damned Giant Dragon!

"Prepare for war!"

The roar of King of Mountains shook the earth and mountains, the dragons tore through the sky, coming from afar to near..... the war between Giants and Dragon Race was on the brink of eruption.