Chapter 642: The Great Red Emperor Arrives in His Loyal Raging Tides Domain 21
The Manov Sea, also called the Maelstrom Sea.
It is the most dangerous area within the entire Boiling Sea.
Storms never cease here, tides surge unpredictably, and countless ferocious sea beasts lurk around; no fleets traverse this sea.
Not even flying creatures appear in the sky.
Seabirds dare not cross the boundary of this sea, and even the thunder-birds that habitually dart through storms will detour far around this stretch of water.
All except the great dragons.
This is the primary habitat of the metal dragons.
The Raging Tides Dragon Domain rises above the Maelstrom Sea.
Islands, some large and some small, are linked by reefs and shoals, tightly clustered around the supermassive main island of the Raging Tides, like stars scattered across the turbulent ocean surface yet unmoving, steady as a mountain.
For ages, the Raging Tides dragons have dominated the Maelstrom Sea.
They play and hunt amid the harsh weather, treating the ferocious sea beasts other creatures fear as routine prey.
Young Raging Tides dragons practice flying in the storms, while elders prefer to lie on reef rocks pounded by waves, savoring the symphony of sea and lightning.
The whole Maelstrom Sea is their home.
And not only the Maelstrom Sea.
Beyond it, all of the Boiling Sea is considered their territory.
They purge malicious pirates, tear apart brutal sea monsters, drive away dragon groups that plunder merchant ships... the Raging Tides dragons are committed to guarding the Boiling Sea’s justice and order, treating it as their home.
Many coastal kingdoms and city-states have benefited from the protection of the Raging Tides dragons.
Until the Evil Dragon Empire extended its claws here.
This development left the metal dragons sleepless with worry.
On a cliff of the main island.
Giant waves crashed against the scaled reef, spraying white foam that pounded the cliff one after another.
Dark clouds hung low in the sky, thunderclouds threading through the layers, casting the sea in shifting light and shadow. The gale carried salty mist, howling through the cliffside.
A group of metal dragons gathered around the open cliff, their scales glinting in the lightning with different hues.
Their sizes varied, but each had at least reached the Legendary tier. Storms roared around them, yet the wind on these Legendary dragons’ scales was no more than a gentle breeze.
Still, every dragon’s face was written with anger and unwillingness.
Usually mild-tempered, the metal dragons now had flames of rage burning in their eyes.
“Those damned evil dragons have completely taken control of the outer shallow seas.”
A bronze dragon whose scales bore mottled scars snarled in a low voice.
His tail struck the cliff hard, anger swimming in his gaze:
“The Raging Tides guardians were driven out, powerful clans nesting on the isles were coerced, merchant ships flying red banners casually drift through lanes that should belong to you, as if strolling in their backyard.”
“They are chewing away our home inch by inch!”
The surrounding metal dragons let out low sighs.
The sea differs from the continent.
Because the ocean is vast and life dispersed and lacks soil for habitation, only a few intelligent sea races and island clan tribes live there.
The Raging Tides Domain can be self-sufficient.
The islands have freshwater, prey, and rich mineral deposits, enough to meet the metal dragons’ basic survival needs.
But beyond basic needs, the metal dragons had other requirements they met through trade.
In the past, many races willingly traded with the Raging Tides dragons.
Coastal kingdoms, island clans, and some sea peoples gladly did business with them because the dragons’ prices were fair, and trading with them meant receiving their protection.
Now it was different.
When the Evil Dragon Empire rose in Atlan, kingdoms that had once traded with the Raging Tides now viewed them as scorpions to be avoided.
Merchants who once greeted them with smiles now refused to even meet the envoys from the Raging Tides Domain.
Even small marine clans and tribes refused to trade with the Raging Tides anymore.
They were isolated.
Those who had once been under their shelter now wouldn’t send a single ship into the Maelstrom Sea.
How much had they sacrificed for the Boiling Sea’s justice and order? Yet those who once enjoyed their protection abandoned them.
The Raging Tides dragons did not vent their anger on those clans and tribes.
They knew the weak must consider the Evil Dragon Empire’s face to survive; they knew any other species under that threat would likely make the same choice.
Ultimately, it was the existence of the Evil Dragon Empire that led to their current plight.
“If this continues, the next target will be the Maelstrom Sea.”
A brass dragon agreed in an indignant tone, “First the shallow seas, then the deep seas, and next our very domain beneath our feet. Those evil dragons’ appetites are insatiable; they will only swallow more until the whole Boiling Sea is gone.”
“If the Dragon Lord were still here...”
The voice trailed off, unfinished.
After a brief silence, a bronze dragon’s voice rang out passionately: “If the Dragon King were still here, the Evil Dragon Empire would never dare act so brazenly!”
“When His Majesty Sheffield reigned, even the Red Calamity would have had to think twice.”
“Now the Dragon King is lost in the Abyss—alive or dead unknown—and those evil dragons exploit the opportunity shamelessly!”
Back then they should not have let the Red Calamity grow.
Compared to the Red Calamity, the Storm Dragon of those days was insignificant.
They should have targeted the Red Calamity then, driving it out of Bernardo at the very least.
Sadly, the Red Calamity’s disguise was masterful; even the Dragon King was deceived and did not treat it as an evil that must be eliminated at once.
At this, the present metal dragons nodded in agreement, but two figures remained silent.
One gold, one silver.
The dragons’ self-light gradually focused on them.
The Gold Dragon, Fenoris.
His scales were not the bright golden yellow of ordinary gold dragons, but a deep, serious antique bronze-gold, like ancient metal tempered by time.
He was the largest among the metal dragons present.
Even coiled on the cliff, he rose above the standing bronze dragons; his eyes quietly watched the churning waves for a long while.
He was a Crown Ancient Dragon, infinitely close to Mandate.
When the Bronze Dragon King guarded the sea chasm, Fenoris managed the domain on his behalf, enjoying a status and prestige under only the Dragon King.
The Silver Dragon Archel was likewise a Crown dragon, her renown only slightly below Fenoris’s.
She lay quietly beside the gold dragon, her vertical pupils also watching the distant sea, thoughts unknown.
“You are right.”
The Gold Dragon said slowly.
His voice, unlike other metal dragons’ fiery tones, was low and steady, like an undercurrent deep below the water.
“If back then, before it rose, we had seen today’s situation clearly, perhaps everything would be different. But ‘if’ means nothing.”
“The facts have happened; no matter how much we regret, we cannot change them.”
Fenoris slowly rose; his vast golden wings unfurled slightly, stirring a gale.
He scanned his comrades; self-light swept across every dragon’s face as he spoke in a low voice:
“The times have changed.”
“The Red Calamity we once underestimated now stands at the height of its might, commanding countless troops, while our Raging Tides Domain’s king is lost to the Abyss, his fate unknown.”
Hearing this, the metal dragons bowed their heads and sighed.
“We cannot confront the Evil Dragon Empire head-on, that is the truth.”
Fenoris’s self-light sharpened.
He looked around to ensure every dragon listened, then continued: “But that does not mean we will allow the Red Calamity’s pawns to run rampant.”
Silver Dragon Archel spoke next.
“We will continue striking the Evil Dragon Empire’s pawns in the shallow seas.”
Her tone was cold and sharp:
“Before, we sent patrols to harass their lanes, but from now on we will bring the storms to every waterway they occupy.”
“Their shallow-sea strongholds? Leave not a single one standing.”
“We will cut off the Evil Dragon Empire’s access to the Boiling Sea’s resources, let those evil dragons understand that even without a Dragon King, the Raging Tides Domain will not permit them to bully it.”
At these words, the metal dragons let out low roars, eyes alight with warlike intent.
Yet hesitation still surfaced.
“But... what if the Evil Dragon Emperor intervenes personally?”
A brass dragon asked.
Worry shadowed his eyes, lacking the fighting spirit other dragons displayed.
“He is Mandate, and his power has always transcended tiers, comparable to Immortal.”
“If he comes himself, what could we use to resist?”
Silence followed.
The brass dragon’s worry was shared by most Raging Tides dragons.
The Red Calamity, the Evil Dragon Emperor...
He was too powerful.
Mentioning his name alone could unsettle or delude great dragons with fear.
Fenoris inhaled deeply and said, “With the great formation, we can gather every Legendary’s power together. The Red Calamity has not truly ascended to godhood; he may not be able to breakthrough our celestial array.”
“Moreover...”
“If he attacks the Raging Tides Domain personally, would other dragon domain kings stand idle?”
Fenoris’s voice was resolute, “The Evil Dragon Emperor has indeed seduced some metal dragons into becoming his lackeys; some domains are close to him.”
“But I believe!”
“When a dragon domain faces annihilation, our kin will set aside differences and see who the true enemy is, uniting like never before and returning to the right path.”
Archel nodded seriously.
“This is not only a war.”
“For us, it is also an opportunity for other domains to see the Evil Dragon Empire’s true face.”
“For a long time, some metal dragon domains looked favorably upon the Red Calamity, even considering the rise of sacred Aola as a symbol of dragonkind’s honor.”
“They treated that tyrant as the hope of dragon revival, as an ally they could rely on.”
Her voice turned cutting: “But treating an evil dragon as savior?”
“That foolish fantasy must be broken.”
The Five Great Dragon Domains have long shared enmity and unity.
Ideological disputes had created fissures, but these were internal matters. If the Evil Dragon Empire dared attack their domains and they could not resist, both Crown Ancient Dragons believed the other four domains would not stand idly by.
In wind and storm, the metal dragons could reunite.
At that moment, an orange-gold figure tore through the storm curtain and dove toward the cliff at tremendous speed.
A brass dragon.
His scales were smeared with seawater and foam, obviously having rushed through the tempest; his wing membranes beat violently, his descent unstable.
“Elder Fenoris! Elder Archel!”
The brass dragon’s voice was urgent; he did not pause to catch his breath and reported directly:
“The Evil Dragon Empire! Their Legendary dragons have appeared in the Boiling Sea! All are above Legendary! They are closing on the Maelstrom Sea at high speed, heading straight for our Raging Tides Domain!”
Chaos erupted among the dragon hosts.
“How many?”
“Who leads them?”
“How long until they arrive?”
Fenoris and Archel exchanged a glance, then rose together.
“My kin!”
Fenoris’s roar echoed across the cliff, overbearing the storm: “The Evil Dragon Empire thinks that without a leader we are easy meat.”
“They are wrong. The spine of the Raging Tides is never bound to one body!”
“They come with iron and fire.”
“But remember, the storms are our ally, the ocean our home, and justice is on our side! Victory will belong to justice!”
His low, drum-like voice resounded through heaven and earth.
Fenoris raised his head, drew a deep breath of wind-laced sea air, and slowly exhaled:
“All Legendary dragons, fall into position!”
“For the honor of the metal dragons, prepare to fight!”
Gales roared, monstrous waves rose.
All metal dragons present lifted their heads and long-chantered, dragon roars rising and falling like an ancient solemn battle hymn.
“Prepare to fight!”
Silver Dragon Archel spread her wings first.
Her wing membranes ripped through the rain, tracing a bright silver arc under the lightning as she streaked toward one of the subsidiary isles.
One by one silhouettes launched into the sky.
Gold, silver, red-bronze, brass, bronze... colored figures left long trailing wakes under the lightning, like fireworks that plunged into the many corners of the Raging Tides Domain’s isles.
Fenoris also took to the sky.
He lingered above the main island; the antique-bronze shape rose into the low clouded dome like a setting sun.
At once, the Raging Tides Domain seemed to come alive.
Since the first generation Raging Tides Dragon King planted roots in the Maelstrom Sea, generation after generation of metal dragons strengthened this homeland.
Beneath the islands, countless magical veins spread like spider-webs.
After countless years of accumulation, they had fused with the islands themselves.
Each isle, each reef, each inch of sea thus becomes connected into a whole. Each time a Legendary dragon is born, the scope expands.
Ordinarily, the great array lay dormant across many isles like a sleeping ancient beast.
It lay quietly, showing no edge.
Now, as the Legendary dragons returned to station, that beast finally stirred.
The first change took place in the sea itself.
The Maelstrom Sea already rolled with waves, crashing reef after reef, but in an instant the wild waves seemed seized by an invisible hand and began to flow along a set course.
Wall after wall of water rose from the sea surface.
They stacked and interlocked, spreading outward from the Raging Tides main island, the inner walls encircling the main island, the middle around subsidiary isles, and the outer reaching the Maelstrom Sea’s edge.
The water walls grew ever higher and thicker.
They fused and overlapped until they formed a colossal water curtain that joined sea and sky, enveloping the entire Raging Tides Domain and its surrounding isles.
From outside, the Maelstrom Sea looked as if covered by a giant dome.
At the same time, the Legendary dragons stationed on the isles became more ethereal, as if merging with the ground beneath them.
But this was not disappearance; it was a deeper connection.
Their wills, determination, and life energies linked with the formation itself.
At the center stood Gold Dragon Fenoris.
His chest heaved as an unprecedented power surged into his body—hot, violent, as if each scale would be forced apart.
His breath climbed higher and higher.
After a brief pause, the gold dragon broke from his Crown level and rose into Mandate; yet the ascent did not stop; his aura continued to climb.
Fenoris slowly opened his eyes.
“The Dragon King’s loss in the Abyss does not mean no dragon can shoulder the Raging Tides’ spine.”
“Red Calamity? Come.”
“Evil can never triumph over justice!”
Fenoris lifted his head slightly, spread his talons, and unfurled his wings fully, blocking half the sky.
Immense power filled every inch of his body.
Splash! Splash!
The sea rose as countless waters churned and coalesced into lifelike giant dragons around the major subsidiary isles.
They were embodiments of the Legendary dragons, identical to their true forms, radiating the powerful aura of Legendary life.
The Five Great Dragon Domains’ arrays were similar in essence yet distinct.
The Raging Tides’ array is named the Oath of the Maelstrom.
It can strengthen a dragon leader while allowing other Legendary dragons to continuously form avatars for battle. These avatars possess nearly the full power of the originals and do not die; as long as the Oath of the Maelstrom remains unbroken, they can be produced endlessly.
Through the Oath of the Maelstrom, the Raging Tides Domain can contend with enemies many times its size.
The arrays of other domains were likewise formidable.
This deep foundation was why the Five Great Dragon Domains could stand in Bernardo even without Immortals.
Fenoris hovered at the very center of the Oath of the Maelstrom, gazing over the sea beyond the water curtain.
The formation enhanced his senses to an unprecedented range.
He could clearly perceive every raindrop whipped by the storm, every undersea current, every sea beast hiding in reef crevices.
Then he saw them.
At the storm’s end, along the dim line where sea met sky, a cluster of black specks closed in with terrifying speed.
At first they were blurred silhouettes, hidden by the heavy curtain of rain.
But in a flash the outlines cleared.
Dragon wings tearing the rain, scales glinting in the lightning, and the undiluted mixture of murderous intent and excitement in their dragon might... surged forward like a tidal wave before a tsunami.
All were above Legendary, and all were dragons.
No lesser followers or servants appeared.
Fenoris’s pupils narrowed slightly.
Does the Evil Dragon Emperor want to proclaim to the world that Aolan dragons are the true dragon lineage? To use raw dragon power to crush any who disobey?
Impossible.
Evil dragons are evil dragons.
Fenoris sneered inwardly and suppressed the flicker of doubt.
Then his gaze stiffened.
Among the group was an Iron Hybrid Dragon.
Dark silver scales were coated with frost that never melted; every wingbeat scattered glittering ice fragments, and a frosty tail-trail shimmered behind him.
His pupils were vertical; merely meeting his gaze chilled Fenoris.
The Deep Freeze Tyrant, Mandate Chrome Dragon,
Claudia.
The Evil Dragon Emperor’s first hound.
This evil dragon’s expression was twisted with excitement, lip muscles twitching, drool spilling from the gaps in his fangs, looking ferocious and dangerous to the extreme.
The distance between the sides shrank rapidly.
When the dragon host reached the edge of the Oath of the Maelstrom, they stopped and confronted the water-dragon avatars spawned by the Oath and the Mandate Gold Dragon.
“Coming to punish the Raging Tides Domain will be your most foolish decision.”
Fenoris said slowly.
Claudia bared his teeth in a grin, sharp fangs protruding, frost spreading across the tooth tips. “Back in Arotala I heard of a group of metal dragons who called themselves champions of righteousness.”
“Purification Faction, right?”
He tilted his head, his voice hoarse: “You claim to embody justice and maintain order, but under the brilliant light of the Scarlet Emperor Cangxing, your false justice will crumble!”
The moment his words fell, war erupted.
Maelstrom avatars sprang from the sea, wings spreading as they roared and charged the invaders beyond the water veil.
Fenoris dove into the enemy line as well.
His target had been clear from the start.
Among the Evil Dragon host, the sharpest fang, the notorious Claudia.
The dark-silver Mandate Chrome Dragon grinned; drool dripped from his fanged gaps, his pupils slitted thin as he locked on the charging gold dragon.
“Come!”
“Let me crunch your bones!”
Claudia roared and charged.
At the instant they closed, the chrome dragon’s huge maw opened.
Rows of fangs crisscrossed like interlocked daggers, each reflecting the lightning’s cold gleam, seeming capable of shredding anything.
Flesh, bone, or steel—everything seemed destined to be ground between them.
His neck lunged forward.
Fangs snapped together with a metallic clang, aiming straight for Fenoris’s throat.
The gold dragon did not retreat.
The Oath of the Maelstrom granted him not only increased power but heightened perception and reaction.
Before the chrome dragon’s jaw muscles fully contracted, Fenoris had already read the attack’s direction.
His right wing struck, his body tilted to dodge; the chrome dragon’s bite missed, and the sparks from clashing teeth splattered onto Fenoris’s scales.
Now!
Fenoris’s right claw had finished gathering energy during the dodge.
He twisted and slashed, the talon cutting into the chrome dragon’s flank, scales shattering under the tip, flesh parting as a wound opened.
Claudia let out a low snarl.
His tail swept, generating wind pressure that carved a vacuum in the storm, slamming into Fenoris’s side.
Fenoris’s body tilted slightly, but his scales bore no mark.
Instead, the vast array encircling the domain rippled. Ripples spread over the water curtain, then settled, and the formation calmed.
The Oath of the Maelstrom can transfer the damage it absorbs.
“Is that all the Evil Dragon Emperor’s hound has?”
Fenoris snarled, both claws reaching to seize Claudia’s tail before he could retract it. His talons wedged into the tail-scale gaps and gripped flesh.
He twisted the chrome dragon, arced him through the air, and slammed him into the sea.
Boom!
White water erupted, towering higher than the cliffs.
The sea depressed into a colossal bowl from the impact, exposing reef and sand. Water rushed back to the bowl’s center and collided, shooting up another water column.
Fenoris dove, wings tucked, plunging into the ocean.
Underwater he opened his eyes, pupils cutting in the currents, fixing on the chrome dragon recovering from the strike.
The two colossal beasts tangled again beneath the waves.
The Oath of the Maelstrom had bestowed Fenoris with tremendous force.
Now he was far stronger than a normal Mandate dragon, pressing the chrome dragon relentlessly.
A roar!
Claudia lost his cool; his jaws unhinged to an impossible degree, almost touching his chest, then snapped down.
Fenoris moved to dodge but then his body suddenly stalled.
The surrounding space congealed.
The hound’s bite arrested the space, making the gold dragon like an insect trapped in amber, unable to move.
This was what the chrome dragon had learned from the Emperor.
After shaking off his ravenous hunger, he had become more adept at wielding his power. With Law-Eating fangs and the Emperor’s guidance, he did more than twist space—he could, like the Emperor, lock or even tear open space.
Crack!
The chrome dragon’s fang bit into the gold dragon.
The Oath of the Maelstrom’s defenses were pierced bit by bit.
Scales shattered, followed by subcutaneous membranes and muscles.
Fenoris howled in pain.
He finally tore through that frozen space and kicked his claws into the chrome dragon’s belly to free himself from the fangs.
The two behemoths rolled and writhed in the sea, churning massive whirlpools. Reef under their bodies crumbled to dust; silt surged, obscuring vision.
Claudia’s counterattacks were ferocious and wildly reckless, as if he didn’t care about his own safety.
But it did not change his being suppressed.
As time passed, they fought back up into the sky; Fenoris continued his fierce assault while watching the battlefield.
The Maelstrom avatars spawned by the Legendary dragons fought the Evil Dragon legendaries.
Archel’s maelstrom avatar was beset by two Crown dragons of the Helmod Dragonflight and was hard-pressed.
Among the Evil Dragons were also two Emperor’s sons.
These evil dragons, bearing the Evil Dragon Emperor’s blood and grown to Legendary, displayed special powers far beyond peers.
Blue Dragon Heloise spread her wings.
Boom!
Countless thunderbolts struck down like a net across a large sea area.
Normally, such broad attacks lack precision and rely on numbers, but Heloise’s eyes shone with starlight and every strike hit enemies’ weak points.
One by one, the maelstrom avatars were suppressed.
Whenever anyone tried to approach the blue dragon, they were intercepted by her blood kin—the other Emperor’s son, an Explosive Scales Iron Dragon.
The iron dragon’s scales regenerate extremely rapidly, hard enough to tear through peer defenses, and can detach like blades producing terrifying explosions.
The maelstrom avatars could not break his defense.
Seeing this, Fenoris’s heart weighed heavy; he could not celebrate his advantage over the chrome dragon.
Even mediocre offspring of the Evil Dragon Emperor show such competence.
What horrors could truly outstanding ones produce?
If this empire endured and such emperor-blooded evil dragons bred for generations, what terrifying breed would they become?
Would the Bernardo of a thousand years hence still have a place for metal dragons?
The thought chilled Fenoris.
Boom!
At that moment, lightning split the sky like daylight and under its glare an imposing figure flashed.
He stood upright above the clouds, in a humanoid posture.
Wings slowly spread behind him, arms folded across his chest, lightning reflecting in his eyes, his faceplate like steely calm.
Just that was enough.
Fenoris’s scales bristled instinctively; dread seized his heart.
The Evil Dragon Emperor! He had come in person!
Alertness honed by countless trials flared to its peak; it felt as if each cell screamed to flee—never confront him directly.
Fenoris struck out with a claw to push the chrome dragon away like a hound.
Then, without looking back, he turned and flew toward the heart of the Oath of the Maelstrom.
All this was instinctive.
When he regained composure, he found himself inside the heart of the Oath; the water veil sealed behind him, cutting off the outside.
“All Mandate dragons—am I this fearful of him?”
Across the formation, Fenoris felt shame for his earlier reflex. He wanted to dash out and clash with the Evil Dragon Emperor, to prove with talon and fang he was no coward.
But his body was nailed in place.
Deep inside he understood.
Even with the formation’s amplification, he could not beat the Evil Dragon Emperor.
At best, he could suppress one of the Emperor’s lackeys; he could not defeat him quickly. He had only achieved his advantage with great effort—how could he withstand the Emperor himself?
Still, there remained a buffer.
Fenoris breathed deeply and quelled the surging emotions. He roared: “All Raging Tides dragons, tighten the defensive lines!”
Hum!
Maelstrom water dragons dissolved into sprays and merged into the enclosing water curtain, thickening it and giving it an impenetrable feel.
“Heh, hiding in your shells—are you turtles or dragons?”
Claudia taunted.
Fenoris ignored the hound’s barking.
He lifted his head, his gaze piercing layers of water to fix on the figure standing upon the clouds.
“Red Calamity! As the Dragon King suspected, when you grow strong enough you discard all disguise and reveal your ferocity. Ha, you presume to annihilate our Raging Tides Domain?”
Fenoris demanded.
Clouds churned as wind from the Emperor’s wingbeat cleared a wide corridor, as if making way for their sovereign.
The Red Emperor’s figure came into view for all dragons.
He was not in a normal state; his body seemed cast of steel, scales and frame so dense as if without seam.
Even standing silent, he emitted an aura of unassailable, sovereign arrogance, as if his mere presence made everything beneath him naturally inferior.
Inside the Raging Tides Domain,
metal dragons raised their heads to the legendary Evil Dragon Emperor, each gaze different.
Among those many stares, Garoth lowered his eyes and looked down at Fenoris.
“I will build a Dragon Empire, restore the lost glory of the dragonkind, and behind me the dragons’ banners will fly to skies never before reached.”
“And you, and the dragons behind you, will not even call me ‘Your Majesty.’”
The voice dropped from the sky and reached every metal dragon’s ears.
Fenoris fell silent.
He looked at the imposing figure above and suddenly felt that the face across from him lacked the pure malice and danger he had imagined; in the Emperor’s words he even heard the sigh of one who is misunderstood.
Moreover, the Emperor’s achievements were unmatched.
Under his iron wings dragon territories expanded unprecedentedly. Many young dragons now took pride in being Aolan dragons. They did not care about scale color or origin, only power and honor.
Could they really be wrong?
Could this Red Emperor not be an Evil Dragon Emperor but the hope of a dragonkind resurgence?
No!
Fenoris shook his head violently, banishing the doubt.
“An evil dragon’s emperor does not deserve the honor of dragonkind. Red Emperor... Red Calamity, all you do is for yourself!”
Fenoris said in a low voice: “I warn you, withdraw at once.”
“You face not only the Raging Tides Domain.”
“The Five Great Dragon Domains share one enemy; the other four will never stand idle while one falls. If you dare break this water curtain today, tomorrow all dragon domain kings will unite, and you will pay for your deeds!”
At these words the Red Emperor remained silent.
He only calmly lifted his head, spread his wings, and ascended into the high sky.
Clouds parted beside him, the storm fell silent beneath his feet, even the lightning seemed to avoid his ascent path.
The Raging Tides dragons’ hearts tightened.
They knew this was the prelude to the Evil Dragon Emperor’s assault.
All the legends of the Red Emperor descending from the sky to break a city with one strike flooded their minds.
“Oath of the Maelstrom! Full power!”
“Raise the defenses to the limit!”
No sooner were the words spoken than the whole domain boiled; the water curtain spun faster, thickened, and countless scale-like patterns appeared on the surface, creating a watertight fortress around the domain.
At the same time, the Red Emperor began to fall.
Like a meteor from beyond the heavens, bearing the weight of the sky, he smashed onto the top of the Oath of the Maelstrom.
A visible ripple of space spread outward from the impact.
Where it passed, the storm was cut in half, the sea pressed into a giant hollow; several distant uninhabited reef isles were crushed to dust by the ripple’s force.
Then, crack!
A web of fissures radiated from the impact point with each fracture accompanied by pained roars from the Raging Tides dragons; those Legendary dragons linked to the formation saw scales split and blood seep from the cracks.
After a brief resistance, the maelstrom water curtain shattered.
Countless torrents of seawater cascaded down as torrential rain.
The Red Iron Dragon pierced the defense like a crimson spear and in an instant stood before the gold dragon.
His claws reached out and clamped the gold dragon’s throat like iron pincers. The Spell-Extinguishing Claws sealed off all surrounding energy; the Oath of the Maelstrom’s last aid for Fenoris was forcibly cut.
Fenoris’s body was hoisted up, hind claws dangling, wings sagging at his sides.
He struggled; talons scraped sparks from the Red Emperor’s arm-guards but could not move him.
At that point Fenoris stopped struggling.
“Ah, kill me.”
“You can destroy my body, but not my conviction.”
“This will allow other domains to see your true face. Then they will unite and complete the work we started.”
Fenoris forced a grim smile. “Our sacrifice will be the final victory of the Raging Tides Domain.”
Could that be victory?
Garoth was silent a moment, then began slowly.
“You call yourselves justice yet treat your kin in the most unjust ways. You call yourselves order yet cause the greatest division among the dragonkind.”
“Wake up.”
“You so-called Purification dragons have long been shunned by other kin; even metal dragons cannot tolerate you and avoid you.”
He let his self-light flicker, dragon pupils reflecting Fenoris’s cracked face.
“I have stained my claws with much blood—those who opposed me, those who refused to submit, those who tried to harm me and my people—I do not hesitate to spill dragon blood.”
“But slaughter was never my original intention.”
“You call me Evil Dragon Emperor, Red Calamity, a bloodthirsty tyrant, but have you considered why under my empire dragons of different scale colors can fight side by side under Aola’s banner?”
Fenoris was speechless; his gaze shifted.
Could the Bernardo dragons’ future truly lie in this Red Emperor’s claws?
Here he was, his throat already in the Emperor’s grip—one push and his life would end—yet the Emperor did not finish him. Instead he spoke to him with a patience and restraint that should not have been in such a figure.
He was unlike the evil and brutality Fenoris had assumed.
Rather... he radiated the dignity and magnanimity befitting a dragon sovereign.
Fenoris’s conviction began to show hairline cracks.
“I can crush your domain and slay every dragon who defies me.”
“But that would only harm the entire dragonkind.”
“You are foolish and stubborn, blinded by absurd beliefs, yet you are still a part of the dragonkind.”
“The glory of sacred Aola shines upon you as well.”
The Red Emperor’s majestic voice spread through the Raging Tides, striking deep into the dragons’ souls.
The storm still howled.
But inside the Raging Tides Domain the air congealed.
For an instant, dragons once firm in their beliefs revealed confused expressions.
The Bronze Dragon King once told them to eradicate evil utterly; even kin of the same scale must be cut down if they bear evil dragon blood and walk a wicked path.
But the Aola Emperor said the sacred Aola’s light shines upon them, even if they stand opposed.
The former upheld justice with cold slaughter, the latter cultivated an empire with broad magnanimity.
Who is justice?
Who is evil?
Firm beliefs clashed with facts, and in the cracks of this collision doubt sprouted like weeds.
Almost all Raging Tides dragons, like Fenoris, found clear fractures appearing in the walls of their faith.
Chapter end.