Defeating the World with the Power of One Dragon!

The red iron dragon stood atop the cliff, facing the vast ocean.

The sea surface stretched before him to the edge of the sky, layer upon layer of gray-blue waves surging forward and receding, crashing against the jagged rocks and splashing up white, frothy foam.

The Raging Sea, where the Raging Tides Dragon Domain was located.

The dark, almost black seawater was daunting, deterring anyone from venturing in carelessly.

"Sheffield once guarded a super-large Abyssal Rift beneath these deep waters."

"Later, for some unknown reason, that rift healed on its own. Sheffield regained his freedom, returned from his deep slumber, and then, a series of subsequent events unfolded."

Garoth gazed down at the sea surface with lowered eyes.

The surface was as turbulent as ever, waves pushing and shoving against each other, as if some danger lurked beneath the deep water.

Garoth's perception detected nothing unusual.

But the more serene it seemed, the more he felt the need to see for himself.

Abyssal Rifts don't disappear without a trace, especially super-large ones.

Garoth had confirmed this repeatedly.

The scale of this rift beneath the Raging Tides Dragon Domain exceeded the one formed by the Sky City's fall, and could even accommodate an Immortal Demon King passing through.

However, even an Immortal Demon King couldn't descend completely; only a part could fit through.

For example, first extending a hand.

If there were no obstruction, it could continue to tear and expand the rift, then descend entirely.

In such a situation, having a peak Mandate of Heaven Dragon King guarding it, combined with the Raging Tides Dragon Domain's own grand array, could basically ensure complete security.

"Knowing Sheffield's personality, unless he was certain the rift had completely disappeared, he wouldn't have left rashly."

"This much can be assured."

"But has this rift really left behind no hidden dangers?"

Garoth pondered.

He knew very well just how dangerous the Abyss truly was.

In the eyes of many Aola citizens, the Abyss and demons were nothing special.

That was because countless demons had died beneath their Emperor's claws. Those snarling figures that had once surged from the rifts had gained nothing before the warriors of the Aola Empire.

Even if a Great Demon descended, it could do nothing to Sacred Aola.

But this fearlessness came from ignorance.

The real danger of the Abyss lay in the plane itself.

It represented the most extreme chaos and evil in all worlds and planes, a place so perilous even gods dared not tread.

No exceptions.

Even if you defeated the demons emerging from the Abyss, drove them back, or even killed them outright, once the Abyss's corruption reached a certain level, it became irreversible.

Invisible corrosion would seep into the soil, the water, the air, and even merge into the bloodlines of living beings.

The entire world would be inevitably dragged toward the Bottomless Abyss, becoming part of the Abyss itself.

By then, the sky would turn dark red, the earth would split open with fissures, and all life would be devoured, becoming nourishment for the Abyss.

"The previous Abyssal Rifts that appeared, I erased them completely with dragonqi bombs that vaporized the surrounding land, but that was only a remedial measure afterward."

"In reality, they still caused impact and erosion on the Material Plane."

"If demons were to launch a desperate, large-scale invasion and couldn't be dealt with in a short time, the residual erosion from before and the ongoing erosion would overlap, causing the Abyss erosion rate to skyrocket."

"Once the erosion rate breaks through the baseline, the entire Bernardo will be doomed."

Garoth considered the worst-case scenario.

For a moment, he almost felt nostalgic for the time when he was fighting in the wilderness.

Back then, he only had to look after his own territory. Life was simple and straightforward.

Things like empire disputes, developing the Abyss, exploring the stars, were just background noise. They had nothing to do with him, just topics for conversation.

But now, it was different.

Ancient Primordial Wastes were eyeing them from space, drawing closer to Bernardo day by day, while countless demons in the Abyss drooled with anticipation, ready to invade Atlan at any moment.

These were all things he had to face.

They didn't automatically disappear as his strength grew; instead, they grew larger and more complex as his power expanded.

Every time he thought about it, it brought Garoth a sense of urgency and unease.

But from another perspective, this was also a good thing.

It could drive this red iron dragon to never forget his original purpose of pursuing power, not to become lazy or complacent because of his current achievements and strength.

Pressure itself was also a kind of fuel.

Additionally, it had been some time since Sacred Aola took over the Raging Tides Dragon Domain.

His mate, the brass-silver dragon Deborah, Deborah's parents, and several of their offspring with Metal Dragon bloodlines, had also moved back to the Raging Tides Dragon Domain from the Vophal Dragon Domain.

This place had always been their family's long-standing home.

The previous migration to the Vophal Dragon Domain was mainly out of necessity.

Now that the Raging Tides Dragon Domain had returned to normal, many Metal Dragon families that had migrated to other dragon domains were gradually choosing to return. Everything was slowly returning to how it was before, and even better.

And Garoth's visit to the Raging Tides Dragon Domain this time wasn't aimless.

On one hand, he hadn't seen Deborah in the Serene Spirit Wilderness and wanted to come check on her; on the other hand, he decided to personally investigate the Abyssal Rift that had supposedly healed.

He already knew the general location of this rift through the Gold Dragon, Fenoris.

"I hope there really is no problem."

He folded his wings and leaped from the edge of the cliff.

Splash.

When his enormous body plunged into the sea surface, it stirred up a churning wave of white water. Water splashed everywhere before quickly disappearing into the deep blue.

Upon entering the water, seawater surged in from all directions, enveloping the dragon's scales, cold and heavy.

But Garoth's perception was not affected in the slightest.

His vertical pupils still gleamed brightly in the seawater, seeing through everything clearly, completely unaffected by murkiness or darkness.

He dove deeper and deeper.

The current grew heavier and colder, the temperature dropping sharply with increasing depth.

An ordinary terrestrial life form would be utterly unable to survive here, dying instantly, but for Garoth's physique, this environment was no different from being on the continent.

The great dragon swayed his long tail, continuing to sink deeper, stirring up churning undercurrents along the way.

The surrounding light dimmed rapidly, transitioning from deep blue to dark purple, and then to complete darkness. The sea surface overhead had vanished, leaving only a thick, viscous blackness.

But this darkness was as nothing in his eyes.

The True Eye's vision pierced through the darkness, reaching straight to the seabed.

It was the bottom of an extremely deep submarine trench, flanked by towering underwater cliffs like two enormous blades slowly closing in. The canyon between them was narrow and deep.

Black sediment covered every inch of the rock surface, hiding the original terrain.

This was the position where Sheffield had once been stationed.

Garoth landed, his four claws touching the soft seabed, his claws sinking into the thick layer of sediment. Then, he turned his neck inch by inch, looking around, his vertical pupils scanning every stone crevice and every depression.

It seemed nothing special.

The dragon narrowed his eyes slightly, then suddenly swung his dragon wings, stirring up a powerful current.

The undercurrent swept across the valley floor, lifting layer upon layer of sediment that had covered the rock surface for who knows how many years.

Mud, broken shells, seaweed debris, crushed coral bones... all were swept into the undercurrent, forming a churning, murky wall that spread rapidly in all directions.

After the turbid cloud dissipated, the bedrock beneath the valley floor was exposed.

Smooth and complete, with continuous texture, showing no signs of any fracture or healing.

Hmm.

A deeper light shone in Garoth's eyes as he scanned inch by inch across the deep-sea canyon.

But still, nothing unusual could be seen.

Nothing at all.

It was as if the Abyssal Rift had never existed.

"Healed so perfectly, without even leaving a trace."

The red iron dragon frowned, causing several deep creases to rise above his brow bone.

He had personally erased more than one Abyssal Rift. Each time, it had created an enormous disturbance and left obvious marks in the surrounding area, marks that were very difficult to completely eliminate even after a long time.

But the situation here was completely opposite.

It was unnaturally clean.

As if the rift had healed silently on its own, leaving no residue.

Garoth continued to stay in the submarine canyon for several more hours, carefully inspecting the place.

In the end, he found no lingering hidden dangers.

"Sheffield's sensitivity to evil far exceeds mine."

"If he thinks there's no problem, it's normal that I can't see anything either."

"Maybe it really did heal perfectly. Although this situation is rare, there are a few recorded examples in the inherited knowledge."

Garoth stopped fixating on it.

Whoosh!

With a flap of his wings, the great dragon's body broke through the layers of water, shooting straight toward the sky. The water was split open into a huge gap behind him, then closed with a roar.

"You're here."

A familiar voice came.

Garoth looked down and saw the brass-silver dragon Deborah strolling along the beach, followed by the silver dragon Isanora.

He circled once in the night sky, then swooped down toward the beach.

The brass-silver dragon Deborah stood at the edge of the tide line. Her honeyed silver scales glowed with a warm luster under the moonlight. Her tail swayed gently behind her, carrying an innate elegance.

In comparison, the silver dragon Isanora's posture was much more casual.

She was closer to a pure Silver Dragon, but without any of that elegant air. Her wings were loosely folded, and she occasionally stretched out a front claw to poke at the foam that washed up to her feet.

Seeing her father land, her tail gave a gentle wag, which served as a greeting.

Garoth landed beside them and folded his wings.

The brass-silver dragon tilted her head to look at him and asked, "What were you doing underwater just now? It seemed like you stayed down there for quite a while."

Garoth flicked his tail, shaking off the water droplets clinging to the tip, then walked slowly to Deborah's side, standing next to her.

The silver dragon Isanora followed behind, keeping a distance of a few dozen meters.

She blinked her eyes, looked up at her parents walking side-by-side, and silently followed behind them.

"I went to take a look at where that Abyssal Rift used to be."

Garoth's voice was low and slow. "Although Sheffield says there's no problem, and other great dragons have confirmed it, I'd still feel better checking it out myself, just in case."

The brass-silver dragon looked at him and asked, "How was it?"

"It looks like there's no problem."

Garoth said, "The rift healed very thoroughly, much cleaner and more perfectly than I imagined. I couldn't find any residual traces. It's probably safe."

He paused, his vertical pupils narrowing slightly, his voice sinking a little.

"But we can't just ignore it entirely."

"Later, I'll send some dragons down here for regular observation. If anything changes, at least we'll know about it immediately."

Deborah nodded. "When it comes to the Abyss, you can never be too cautious."

Then, she didn't ask any more about the topic.

The brass-silver dragon tilted her head, her gaze passing over Garoth's shoulder to look at Isanora behind them, then turned back, her tone becoming lighter.

"Let's put those matters aside for now. No more talk about them tonight."

The tip of her tail lifted slightly, pointing towards a cluster of rocks not far away. "I was just about to go fishing with Isanora. Since you're here, let's go together."

Garoth looked in the direction her tail was pointing.

The reef was shining with a dull light under the moonlight. The tide was ebbing and flowing between the rocks, and he could see the silhouettes of fish swimming beneath the surface. Occasionally, one or two silver shadows would flash by under the water.

Garoth asked, "Fishing?"

The brass-silver dragon blinked lightly and gave a faint smile. "Yeah, using our tails."

Tail fishing was one of the favorite recreational activities of young Metal Dragons.

You dip your tail into the water, use the movement of your tail scales to attract a school of fish, and when a fish bites your tail, you yank it up sharply.

It's simple, but full of fun, passed down through generations among Metal Dragons.

Garoth had also gone tail fishing with Deborah before, but that was a very long time ago.

As he grew, he became more absorbed in his own power and participated in this kind of fun less and less. Deborah never forced him to join.

If he refused, Deborah wouldn't say anything.

But under the brass-silver dragon's expectant gaze, Garoth let out a laugh and agreed, "Alright, let's do it together."

Immediately, all three dragons shrank their bodies.

After all, even Isanora, the smallest of them, had already grown into a Legendary Dragon. She was enormous and powerful, and there weren't many rocks that could support their full-sized forms squeezed onto them.

Their scales gathered and compressed in the light.

Their massive bodies quickly became lean and agile, landing on the exposed reef.

Deborah skillfully walked to the edge of the flattest rock.

She turned sideways and slowly dipped the tip of her tail into the water. Her tail scales swayed slightly beneath the surface, stirring up tiny ripples.

Isanora crouched on another rock, also dipping her tail into the water.

Her posture was slack, the tip of her tail hanging almost motionless in the water, as if she thought the fish would just bump into her tail on their own. She looked completely indifferent.

Garoth found a spot next to Deborah and sat down, dipping his tail into the water.

Even after the transformation, the red iron dragon's tail was still thick and long, and his scales were heavier. When he entered the water, he stirred up a sizable ripple, scattering several small fish that had been swimming nearby.

He thought for a moment, then looked at the brass-silver dragon.

"Just fishing is a bit boring. How about a competition?"

Deborah turned her head to look at him, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

She asked, "Okay, what are we competing on?"

Garoth said, "Let's see who catches the most fish in one hour."

Deborah nodded. "Alright."

After a brief moment of thought, her eyes darted around, and she said, "If you lose, you have to put everything else aside and spend a full month accompanying me in the Raging Tides Dragon Domain. How about it?"

Garoth looked at her, then let out a low laugh. "Deal."

Deborah asked again, "And what if you win?"

Garoth shook his head slightly. "I haven't thought of that yet. I'll tell you after I win."

Isanora poked her head in from the side. Her tail was still soaking in the water, but her body was already tilted, and she curiously leaned her head a little closer.

"Um... Father, Mother, what if *I* win?"

She asked timidly.

Both dragons turned their heads to look at her at the same time, then turned back at the same time, as if they hadn't heard anything.

Isanora pulled her head back.

"Ugh, completely ignored."

"It's like they don't even see me."

She muttered softly, pouting as she crouched back down, her tail hovering motionless in the water again.

Moonlight spilled across the sea surface, scattering into a silver-white patch of crushed diamonds, their shapes constantly shifting with the ebb and flow of the tide.

The tails of all three dragons hung down, silently sinking beneath the surface, each maintaining a different posture.

Deborah's tail moved slowly through the water.

Her movements were gentle and precise. Every soft sway created a tiny swirl of current that seemed to have a life of its own, attracting nearby fish.

Before long, her tail suddenly gave a slight twitch, and she flicked it upward, pulling out a silver-white fish.

The fish's body flopped twice in the moonlight before being tossed onto the rock.

Tail fishing was a skill.

And Deborah was clearly a master of it.

She was quite satisfied with her catch. She turned her head, raised her chin at the red iron dragon, with the exact same expression she'd had when they were younger.

But then, as if she felt it wasn't dignified enough.

The smugness was gone in a flash, and Deborah's expression returned to being calm and unruffled.

Time flowed quietly on.

One fish after another was caught by Deborah. Silver ones, blue ones, striped ones, all different kinds. The catch on the rocks slowly piled up into a small mound.

She caught the most, and her movements were the steadiest. Almost every so often, her tail would flick up another one.

Second was Isanora.

Her posture was slack, but occasionally a fish would bite her tail scales on its own, and she would casually flick it onto the shore. Her movements were nimble.

Last was Garoth.

His tail was thick and long, each scale like a blade-like weapon. Even underwater, it carried a fierce aura.

The fish nearby clearly gave him a wide berth, not daring to approach at all, swimming far around his tail.

"Father, you're going to lose."

Isanora glanced over and said.

"No, I still have a secret move."

The red iron dragon said solemnly.

He straightened his sitting posture and gazed deeply into the seawater.

"Fish, I hope you will bite the hook of your own accord, offering your lives to the great Master of Sacred Aola."

He said.

The next moment, the sea surface erupted, and it wasn't a metaphor; it was a literal eruption.

The entire sea surface around the reef churned violently. White foam and spray kept bubbling up, and fish converged from all directions.

Silver-scaled fish, blue-finned fish, spotted eels...

Even a few deep-sea fish that would never normally swim into the shallows came rushing up, their bellies turned white.

They swarmed in groups toward Garoth's tail, scrambling to bite onto his tail scales, crowding and piling up around him.

A few of the larger ones even jumped straight out of the water, landing with a *plop* on the rocks, still flopping around.

Garoth's eyes lit up slightly.

He curled and flicked his tail, bringing up three or five silvery fish in one go, landing them steadily on the rocks beside him. He flicked again, and again, in a series of clean, crisp motions. The pile of fish on the rocks quickly swelled.

Isanora was dumbfounded.

"Cheating! Father, how can you, the great Emperor, cheat?!"

She shouted.

Garoth's tail kept flicking fish onto the shore, while he said with a serious face, "I didn't use any spells. These fish are biting on their own. Where is the cheating?"

Deborah turned her head to look at the spectacle on his side.

She didn't say anything, just focused on swaying her own tail again, continuing to attract the fish.

"Hahaha, it looks like I'm going to win."

The red iron dragon lifted his head slightly, let out a hearty laugh, and flicked his tail even faster.

But then, as if he was too happy, he slipped up. He didn't hold back his dragon might properly, and a sliver of it leaked out.

This trace of dragon might was insignificant.

In his normal state, it wouldn't even be considered dragon might, just a faint wisp of aura.

But to the fish gathered around his tail, it felt like the entire ocean had suddenly turned into the Abyss.

An aura from the top of the food chain spread out, exerting an overwhelming pressure on every weak creature within its perception range.

The fish that had been scrambling to get closer to him just a moment ago were now scattering in panic.

Silver scales churned, water splashed everywhere. In less than two breaths, a large empty space had opened up around his tail, not a single fish left.

Garoth's laughter stopped abruptly.

Time slipped by silently with the ebb and flow of the tide.

Finally, the hour was up.

The brass-silver dragon gave her tail a final swish, flicking the last fish onto the rocks, then retracted the tip of her tail and sat down gracefully. She glanced at her own pile of fish, which was stacked high, then at Garoth's side.

He had accumulated a decent amount in the first half, but there was almost nothing new in the second half.

"Garoth, I won."

She said, unable to hide her eagerness, her chin lifted high, her tail curling upward. Her previous dignified demeanor was gone.

Garoth gave a slight nod. "You're tough. I'll admit defeat."

As he spoke, he leaped over to the rock where Deborah was.

The red iron dragon looked down at Deborah, his voice gentle. "For the next month, I won't worry about anything else. I'll stay right here, by your side."

Their eyes met.

Under the red iron dragon's intense gaze, Deborah, just as she had countless times before, lowered her head once more.

Her gaze fell on the scales of her own front claws, her mouth slightly pursed, showing her usual shyness.

But she quickly mustered her courage, lifted her head again, and met the red iron dragon's gaze bravely.

A night breeze blew in from the sea, carrying the echo of the tide.

Deborah slowly moved closer, pressing her body against Garoth's side, her shoulder and neck against his chest. The red iron dragon's tail coiled around from the rock, gently draping over her side, the tip of his tail loosely resting on hers.

The shallow waters grew calm.

The night was romantic. The stars shone silently, as if gathering all their light into the quiet bay.

Behind them, Isanora crouched on her rock.

Even though it seemed she had been ignored again, she thought this was fine.

The silver dragon had no intention of interrupting. She had a fish dangling from her mouth, her tail still soaking in the water and gently swaying. She watched the two figures nestled together in front of her and chewed with gusto.