Chapter 630: New Traits, Dragon Seductress, Battle Dragon
In the sky, several blood kin gathered around.
Red Dragon Samantha was the first to rush forward. Her wings slightly spread and folded in excitement, her tail tip uncontrollably swaying left and right, her eyes filled with excitement and admiration.
She flew a small circle around Garoth before stopping at his right side.
"Garoth, my dear brother, that posture of yours just now..."
She said excitedly, "That sky-covering, sacred and majestic posture was truly amazing! Haha, you even killed a Saint with one claw, like crushing a bug!"
As she spoke, she circled again, her tail wagging even more joyfully.
"We still haven't settled accounts with Halden for dropping Sky City on us, let alone Kantum. The Bone-Gnawing Saint was just the first; the Chosen One of the Red Tide is still hiding in Thalassia. Once he hears the news, he'll definitely cower in their temple, too scared to come out."
"Left claw smashes Halden, right claw crushes Kantum!"
"Haha, our Aola is invincible now!"
The Red Dragon laughed out loud, extremely arrogant, without a shred of restraint in her laughter.
She had expected Garoth to become powerful after waking up, but she never imagined he'd be this strong—
In one leap, he stood at the very pinnacle of the Material Plane, unrivaled.
Bernardo?
Already conquered!
The entire planet would be theirs.
In Samantha's mind, she was already imagining the expressions of those once-arrogant factions upon learning that the Bone-Gnawing Saint had been crushed with a single claw.
Halden's central command would have to hold an emergency meeting all night; the Kantum Saint would probably be panicking.
Just thinking about it made her tail tip want to curl up to the sky.
"If Nausil doesn't know its place, we'll destroy Nausil with a single sneeze."
Iron Dragon Gordon chuckled and chimed in, "All of Bernardo should bow beneath our dragon wings. Let them all see what true power is, what true dragons are."
As he spoke, his tail couldn't help but sway left and right.
The feeling of winning effortlessly was just too wonderful.
Unlike the excitement of the two blood kin, the Red Iron Dragon slowly shook his head.
"It's not that simple."
"The situation isn't as straightforward as it seems."
He said.
His voice returned to its usual low tone, no longer the majestic sound of a thousand-meter giant proclaiming doctrine.
Beside him, Sorog had been studying Garoth, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
"That state you were in just now... it resembled the ascension to godhood described in our heritage, ascending through faith."
"Is there no problem with the outside world?"
He asked.
As the calmest and most analytical among the blood kin, he had noticed Garoth's anomaly the moment he exited that divine state.
Garoth looked at Iron Dragon Sorog and nodded solemnly: "There's a big problem."
Faith was not a simple force.
It carried will, expectations—the emotions and desires that every believer poured in during their prayers, like droplets of water in a river, converging into a torrent, carrying everything along.
Recalling the sensation from just now, Garoth spoke slowly: "The moment I accepted the faith, countless voices drowned me. They appeared directly in my consciousness, all telling me what they wanted me to become."
"An undefeated victor in every battle, an emperor crowned with glory, a guardian god protecting Aola."
"They were sincere. Every voice was sincere. But it was precisely that sincerity that made them irresistible."
Garoth's eyes showed caution.
Such an expression rarely appeared on his face.
"In that ocean of converging faith, I felt like a lone boat. The gathered will was like waves, carrying me, pushing me, making me drift uncontrollably toward the direction they wanted."
He knew how deeply the Aola citizens revered him.
That reverence was earned through countless victories, the trust and reliance that surged in every Aola citizen's heart when they looked up at the sky in times of crisis and saw his figure.
Unknowingly, this reverence had reached the level of faith.
The key was that the current Aola Kingdom ruled the entire continent of Atlan, its scale already quite massive.
The faith born from the Aola Kingdom was also powerful enough to be difficult for him to control.
"He who wears the crown must bear its weight."
Iron Dragon Sorog said softly.
"Faith has never been a free lunch. It has corresponding drawbacks. All dragon heritages that have touched the divine realm contain similar warnings."
The Iron Dragon paused, then asked: "What do you plan to do?"
Garoth's eyes narrowed slightly as he fell into thought, not answering directly.
The feeling from just now still lingered in his heart.
Sky-covering, annihilating a Saint like crushing an ant—recalling it even now made his blood surge.
But it was too dangerous.
Even though he had returned to his normal state after that brief ascension, Garoth was still affected.
He keenly noticed his own changes.
For example, he couldn't help wanting to consider the Aola citizens' needs, respond to their expectations, become what they envisioned, bring them countless victories and glory, and so on.
If the ascension had lasted even a little longer, the consequences would be unpredictable.
His consciousness might have been completely drowned by the torrent of faith, his self-will dissolving in the believers' expectations.
In the end, he might have become a perfect god meeting all believers' expectations.
But whether that deity would still be Garoth was anyone's guess.
Fortunately, Garoth's will was strong enough. Otherwise, he would likely have been immersed in the overwhelming power of ascension, in the trust of countless believers, unable to extricate himself.
"Can I adapt to the influence of faith?"
He pondered this question in his mind.
Then he slowly shook his head.
Probably not.
Throughout his life, Garoth had never feared persistent negative influences because he could gradually adapt to them and turn them into part of his foundation.
Whether curses, poisons, or other forms of negative effects.
As long as enough time was given, he could always adapt, if not completely immunize himself, then at least minimize the impact.
But correspondingly—
Drastic, overwhelming influences like a raging flood were what he needed to guard against the most.
The influence of faith was like that.
It was incredibly violent, giving Garoth no time to adapt, flooding in like a breached dam, instantly drowning consciousness without any gradual process.
"At root, it's because the intensity of the faith exceeds my current life level."
"If I were already Immortal, it wouldn't be so violent. I could adapt gradually."
He thought to himself.
The territory of the Aola Kingdom had long surpassed the limit a Mandate-level ruler should control.
The faith born from this kingdom had reached a scale and purity that only a demigod-level being could bear.
A demigod was also a god, a true god, not the false beings that rely on deities to grant them Authority.
Theoretically, demigods were at the lowest level of the divine pyramid, on the same tier as Saints, but fundamentally incomparable to so-called Saints who relied on Authority granted by deities.
A Saint's Authority was borrowed, bestowed by a deity, and could be taken back at any time.
A demigod's Authority belonged entirely to themselves.
The attributes of Garoth's Double Radiant State had already reached the Immortal level.
The combination of the two allowed him to kill the Bone-Gnawing Saint with one claw.
"If I choose to ascend to godhood, once my Authority is fully condensed, it should be Victory and Glory—a relatively powerful Authority."
In his ascended state, he had already proclaimed his title.
Lord of Victory and Glory.
It represented the expectations of the Aola citizens for him.
Unfortunately, for him at this moment, ascension was far too dangerous, completely uncontrollable.
Garoth seemed to understand something, and a decision gradually formed in his mind.
He looked at his blood kin.
"Aola exists because of me, not I because of Aola."
"Until I can control this power, I won't use it unless absolutely necessary."
Upon hearing this, the Red Dragon blinked.
On one hand, she felt that ruling the world as a divine being wasn't a bad thing either.
She just wanted her brother to stand at the pinnacle of the world, to make all things bow beneath his wings, receiving the worship and fear of all races.
And she could stand by his side, sharing the glory.
Just thinking about that scene excited her.
But on the other hand, she respected Garoth's own thoughts even more.
He always knew what he was doing, and his judgment had never been wrong.
Samantha said seriously: "I believe that even without faith, there aren't many creatures on this planet who can match you."
Garoth wasn't as optimistic as the Red Dragon.
After his clash with the Bone-Gnawing Saint, he had a much clearer understanding of his own standing.
Without ascending, if he was in perfect condition, he and the Orc Saint would probably be evenly matched.
He might be able to defeat him, suppress his Authority and power, but killing him would be extremely difficult.
"When I was level 20, I could kill human legends in direct combat, but against legendary dragons, I only barely escaped with my life."
"My life level is now 35, not yet the legendary limit."
"Maybe when I reach level 38 or 39, I'll be able to kill an Orc Saint with 100% certainty like before. Only an Immortal-level dragon could put me in danger."
Garoth pondered these things in his mind.
He didn't guarantee his judgment was correct, because he often slightly underestimated himself, making himself more cautious in his actions and giving himself more room for error when facing risks.
This was a habit he had cultivated over the years, and one of the reasons he had survived until now.
If anyone knew his inner thoughts, they might be speechless—
A legendary being, thinking about when he could kill a Saint with 100% certainty, and that's even with regularly underestimating himself?
Who would believe that?
But looking at Garoth's past, one could know he wasn't arrogant—he was just being realistic.
At this moment, Iron Dragon Sorog said: "The Aola citizens now revere you as a god."
"Do you need interference?"
Garoth lightly nodded and said seriously: "Intervene appropriately. Make every Aola citizen clearly understand that I am their emperor, not a god."
Faith wasn't something you could simply reject.
Once generated, it would continuously converge, like a hundred rivers flowing to the sea.
He had only broken free from the ascension state through extraordinary will.
But even so, the endless stream of faith would still subtly change his thoughts. Changes like this weren't as drastic, and he might be able to adapt, but he couldn't fully guarantee it.
"I need time."
Garoth thought to himself.
He needed time to adapt to the influence of faith, to find a way to both use the power of faith and not be changed by it. This could be a long process.
For now, he would choose caution.
Iron Dragon Gordon said: "I'll handle this matter."
Garoth nodded, then asked: "During my slumber, did you create something that sped up my awakening?"
The blood kin all froze slightly, exchanging glances with each other.
"Wasn't it because of the Green Queen?"
Samantha tilted her head, confused.
They had thought Garoth's early awakening was because the Green Queen's means of shortening sleep time had advanced further.
But actually, that wasn't the case.
The scales on Garoth's forehead slightly furrowed.
His condition was strange.
Although he had indeed reached Mandate level, in his age perception, it felt as if he had directly passed through over two hundred years, making his actual age reach over six hundred years—the stage of an extremely ancient dragon—rather than having only slept for thirty years.
But if it really had been over two hundred years, his life level shouldn't be just 35.
This was an obvious contradiction.
His actual age perception didn't match his actual life level, meaning something had interfered with his perception, or the flow of time upon him.
Garoth had fought against opponents who controlled time-based skills before.
He was familiar with this feeling.
Someone must have used a time-type skill on him.
Was it the Gold Dragon King Audothos?
Time-based beings were rare and mysterious, with only a few creatures having touched this domain.
On Bernardo, the known time-based beings could be counted on one hand, and those who could affect him and might have done so, after careful thought, Garoth could only think of the Gold Dragon King.
"I'll go to the Everbright Dragon Domain when I have time."
Garoth thought to himself.
He needed to clarify this issue.
At the same time, Iron Dragon Gordon said: "My dear brother, since you're temporarily not ruling the world in a divine form, at least we should have a proper celebration."
His voice regained its cheerfulness, and his tail began to sway left and right again.
He loved hosting banquets.
Every banquet let him eat his fill and drink to his heart's content.
Garoth didn't dampen the mood.
He knew his blood kin had guarded Aola during his slumber all these years, protected his territory—they deserved a grand celebration.
"Alright. To celebrate my awakening and breakthrough, hold a grand feast."
He thought for a moment, then added: "Not limited to Aola. Extend invitations to the monarchs of all surface nations in Atlan. Tell them the Emperor of Aola personally invites them to the feast. I have an important matter to announce."
Samantha asked: "What matter?"
The Red Iron Dragon smiled slightly, his expression becoming dignified.
"For today's Aola, the name 'Kingdom' no longer suits its reality."
"Our territory covers all of Atlan, our power towers above all other forces, our citizens are countless. The title of Kingdom underestimates our strength and fails to respond to the expectations of the Aola citizens."
His gaze swept across the blood kin, and he said: "It's time to announce to the world—the Sacred Aola Empire, the first Dragon Empire in Bernardo's history, will be born beneath our wings."
The blood kin were all quite pleased.
They had long wanted to shed the title of Kingdom. It was too limiting, completely unworthy of their current status.
Every time foreign envoys referred to Aola as a Kingdom, Samantha wanted to swat them with a claw and make them take a good look—how could a force with such territory and power still be called a Kingdom?
But amidst the joy, Sorog keenly realized that the previous ascension must have had some effect on Garoth.
The normal Garoth didn't care about such empty titles.
He focused more on actual power and benefits, not a change in name. Kingdom or Empire, as long as the strength was there, the name didn't matter.
Aola was Aola. Its power wouldn't increase or decrease because of a change in title.
But this time, he had voluntarily proposed changing the Kingdom to an Empire.
This was a bit unusual.
Sorog suddenly asked: "Why do you have this idea?"
Without hesitation, Garoth directly replied: "Because this is what the Aola citizens wish for in their hearts. As their emperor, I should fulfill their desires. This is what they deserve."
As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes narrowed.
Garoth also realized—this was the influence of the ascension on him.
The expectations contained within the faith still lingered in his heart, affecting his decisions and judgment.
"If a similar situation occurs, remember to remind me."
He said to Sorog.
The Iron Dragon nodded solemnly: "Mm, I will. Every time your decision shows signs of deviating from the norm, I will immediately remind you and ask about your decision-making motive."
Then he paused and asked: "Do you still want to announce it?"
Garoth thought for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Do as I said just now."
He said.
The change of name wasn't the key point; whether it was influenced by faith didn't matter. Since he had already decided, he didn't want to change it again.
Not long after, Garoth returned to the Dragon Court.
This body was severely depleted and needed replenishment.
Garoth stayed in the Treasure Vault, beginning to feast voraciously.
He devoured precious treasures that other dragons would be reluctant to eat, swallowing them piece by piece into his stomach.
At the same time, he began to carefully summarize the trait changes after reaching Mandate.
Under normal circumstances, when a legendary being reaches Mandate, the traits they had previously shaped would begin to fuse and undergo qualitative change—the quantity would decrease, but the quality would increase.
But Garoth was somewhat different.
On one hand, his traits were indeed fusing and qualitatively changing, but on the other hand, their quantity had also increased.
**Giant Slayer.**
*You often face opponents of higher life levels and have achieved victory each time. When you attack an opponent of higher life level, you have a greater chance of breaking through their defenses and dealing more damage.*
**Dragon Seductress.**
*You are a rare anomaly among dragons, your bloodline flowing with an allure irresistible to your kin. When you converse with dragons, you more easily gain their favor and trust. You more easily gather many dragons around you, regardless of gender, age, or species.*
These two traits—
The former gave Garoth more confidence to contend with Saints or Immortals. As for the latter...
Frankly speaking, Garoth hadn't expected that someone as overwhelmingly powerful as himself would end up with such a social-oriented trait.
But thinking carefully, it seemed to make sense.
Traits, after all, were a summary of the past.
Because Garoth himself was strong, he had condensed and shaped these traits, not the other way around.
He had indeed unknowingly attracted many dragons.
Besides these two traits, the most crucial one was the third.
**Mutant Body.**
*You have demonstrated different mutated forms on multiple occasions. You can now retain up to three mutated forms simultaneously and quickly switch between them in battle.*
*After each transformation, you temporarily inherit a portion of the attributes from the previous mutated form.*
*Each mutation puts a burden on your body. The higher your physical strength, the more mutations you can undergo in a single battle.*
"The trait related to form changes from the Tear of the Immortal has been absorbed by me."
"With Mutant Body, the previously uncontrollable mutations have become somewhat controllable."
Garoth was quite satisfied with this.
In the battle against the Bone-Gnawing Saint, the effect of Mutant Body hadn't been brought into play—
Because he had just woken up from slumber, and his time was off, his base condition at the time was too poor to withstand several mutation transformations, nor had he stacked much attribute boost.
In the end, he had chosen ascension to quickly end the battle.
If he had been in peak condition, the situation would have been completely different.
As long as the enemy couldn't quickly kill Garoth, then through repeated mutations and evolutionary traits, he would make himself strong enough to drive his enemies to despair.
Moreover, Garoth also possessed the Undying Life trait.
This meant that unless the gap with the enemy was so vast as to be hopeless, no one could quickly kill him; they could only watch helplessly as he grew stronger and stronger.
Additionally, what Garoth cared about most was that his evolutionary trait had finally undergone a leap.
The Eternal War Eternal Progress trait was gone.
Also gone were basic numerical traits like Colossal Strength, Superspeed, Agility, Advanced Physical Immunity, and Advanced Magic Immunity.
Replacing them was a brand-new trait.
**Battle Dragon.**
*Born for battle, born for evolution.*
*Your body possesses attributes far beyond those of dragons of the same level—indestructible and unstoppable.*
*You can undergo adaptive evolution in battle. Besides the adaptive increase in attributes, whenever sufficient damage is accumulated, your body structure will also undergo temporary adaptive changes.*
"Battle Dragon, Mutant Body, Giant Slayer."
"These three new traits will be my confidence to contend with Immortals or Saints."
Garoth murmured.
At the Immortal and Saint stages, mastering qualitatively further evolved Potency or Authority was no longer something traits could compare to.
But that couldn't be helped—Garoth's traits were both strong and numerous.
Born from Death, Undying Life, Battle Dragon, Mutant Body... any one of these traits could serve as the core trait for other Mandate-level beings, yet on him, they were just one of many.
When these traits were stacked together, the resulting effect made him comparable to an Immortal.
The Red Iron Dragon raised his claw and rubbed his chest.
No one noticed that besides the changes in traits, at the center of his chest, hidden beneath the dragon scales, a multi-layered crystal-like structure had appeared.
This was a new trait evolved from his own adaptation.
It was closely related to both Mutant Body and Battle Dragon.
Or rather, these two traits existed because of it.
It was Garoth's anchor point.
Without this structure, performing form changes multiple times quickly would cause his body to deform and collapse irreversibly.
Physical form changes weren't simple transformations, nor were they the same as combat states like the Starlight State or Radiant State.
They involved rearranging body structures, reallocating energy, and even adjusting at the soul level.
Without the stability of the anchor, these changes would cause chaos in self-perception, leading to irreversible collapse.
This anchor ensured he could maintain the integrity of his self after countless changes.
Every change in Garoth's body would also be recorded by it.
Detailed information about mutated forms was stored within it.
Moreover, when it began to shine brightly, it meant enough had accumulated to undergo adaptive evolution in battle.