Chapter 675: Demon King Garoth
The sky over Atlan had already regained its color.
The dark clouds had dispersed, and sunlight poured down unhindered, illuminating the scorched black earth, the broken banners, and falling upon countless faces gazing up at the sky.
The rift that had torn through the sky vault had been completely erased.
In its place were massive collapsed voids, their edges lined with black cracks—at first glance, they looked even more alarming than the Abyssal Rifts from before.
However, these voids were healing rapidly.
The space of the Material Plane possessed an extremely powerful self-regenerative and repairing ability. Now that the Abyssal Rifts rooted in space had been erased, pure spatial damage was not a major issue. The edges of the black cracks were visibly contracting inward.
It wouldn’t be long before they recovered, returning the sky to its pristine, unblemished form.
The battle lines of the demon legions had also completely collapsed.
With no reinforcements coming through the rifts and no demon generals to command them, the demons that had once surged like a tidal wave were now just scattered remnants on the scorched earth.
Low-tier demons still blindly roared and charged, lunging at anything that moved, but there was no longer any order to it.
It was merely instinctive, last-ditch struggle.
The counterattack of the allied nations had begun.
The war banners of the Aola legions rustled loudly in the wind, the emblem of Sacred Aola shining like a solar corona.
Phalanxes advanced, infantry shields forming an iron wall, cavalry hooves crushing the scorched earth, and waves of magic from the mage formations lit up one after another, harvesting the remaining demons in droves…
This was the moment of cleanup.
The once-surge of demons had now become prey.
The sound of dragon wings breaking through the air rang out.
Massive winged shadows flew in from the west, their wingspans blocking part of the sunlight and casting moving patches of shadow on the ground.
A group of great dragons had arrived.
Fenoris flew at the front, his golden scales shimmering brilliantly.
He slowed his pace, and the dragons behind him also decelerated. The Bronze Dragon followed beside him, now looking down at the already shapeless battlefield below, his gaze sweeping over the demons fleeing in all directions.
Fenoris turned his head and said:
“Now you should know why His Majesty said we were coming to clean up the mess.”
The Bronze Dragon slowly turned his head, the shock in his vertical pupils not yet fully faded.
He muttered: “After fighting the Demon King, he could still destroy the Abyssal Rifts and wipe out the demon legions… the Red Emperor, is he really just a legendary?”
No one answered.
The dragons looked down at the demons being slaughtered, then raised their heads toward the figure hovering between light and embers in the high sky. His posture of overlooking the mortal realm from the clouds made all the clamor before him seem insignificant.
Then, they all fell silent.
The dragons that had rushed to Anqiya’s war zone were all legendaries without exception.
In terms of age, they were at least ancient dragons, each having experienced long years and looked down upon countless mortals.
But at this moment, all their experience and knowledge were teetering.
Legendary?
Could a legendary truly reach this level?
Precisely because they were all legendaries, they understood what the Red Emperor’s battle achievements meant, and precisely because they understood, they found it all the more unbelievable.
One day, when he became an Immortal, just how powerful would he be?
Just imagining it was enough to make their dragon scales tremble.
Fenoris folded his wings, raised his head, and fixed his gaze on the red iron dragon’s figure.
“The era of dragons is arriving because of His Majesty.”
“Legendary is just his beginning, and Immortal is not the end. The height he will reach is something the dragons of Bernardo have never attained.”
The Gold Dragon paused, then spoke again:
“And we must unwaveringly carry out the Emperor’s will and fight for the era of dragons. I believe His Majesty is the only leader who can lead the dragon race back to greatness. There will be no second choice.”
The Silver Dragon Archer nodded.
She tilted her head, her vertical pupils sweeping down over the remaining demons on the scorched earth, the corners of her mouth slightly parting to reveal a row of sharp teeth.
“Carrying out the Emperor’s will… let’s start by executing these demon scum.”
With that, she folded her wings and suddenly dove downward.
Fenoris followed close behind, and the other legendary dragons did not hesitate either. They all folded their wings and scattered downward, their wing shadows crisscrossing across the sky.
Breath attacks rained down from the sky, igniting the routed troops and turning swaths of demons into charcoal.
Sharp claws raked across the scorched earth, tearing apart the struggling figures.
This was a thorough hunt.
The Abyssal Rifts no longer existed, and the demons had lost their retreat route back to their lair. They were trapped in this world with nowhere to go.
On Atlan, they were like prey trapped in a cage.
The hunters were descending from the sky, their claws and breath attacks weaving a death net so dense it was impenetrable, and it was closing in faster and faster.
The sun slanted westward.
The light shifted from the blinding white of noon to a dusky yellow, long shadows dragging across the scorched earth.
Time flowed by amid the smoke and the roars of demons.
Nightfall shrouded the land.
The red iron dragon had already folded his wings, his massive, rugged body standing atop the dragon court, looking down at Atlan under the night sky, taking in the battles happening across the lands.
After watching for a while, he withdrew his gaze.
Cleanup work like this didn’t require Garoth’s serious attention; someone else would naturally handle it.
What he cared about was the Raging Tides Dragon Domain.
The red iron dragon raised his head, tilted it slightly, and his eyes began to shine with a brilliant light. Using his True Eye, he pierced through layers of space and material obstacles, landing on the Maelstrom Sea.
The ocean was still in its seven-colored hues.
Waves surged, churning endlessly.
The battle between the two deities had not yet ended. The residual waves of divinity still churned beneath the sea surface.
However, the undulation of the sea surface had noticeably diminished.
It was no longer as violently turbulent and surging as before.
Garoth estimated that this battle would be over before long, with a decisive result at the latest before dawn. He waited quietly.
Swoosh!
A fiery red figure swept in from the western night sky.
Its tail feathers dragged a long trail of flames, cutting through the heat-wavering air and landing at the edge of the dragon court.
The flames folded and extinguished the moment she landed, revealing the interwoven feathers of crimson and golden orange beneath.
𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
She lowered her head and began preening her feathers.
She preened extremely meticulously, going feather by feather along the texture of the coverts, and whenever her beak tip touched a feather that was stained with dust and smoke, it would regain its fiery luster.
The phoenix did not speak.
As if preening her feathers was more important than everything around her.
“Anqiya.”
The red iron dragon turned his head toward the phoenix who had landed at the dragon court and called her name.
The phoenix did not stop her movements. “Don’t call me yet, I’m busy right now.”
She looked very dissatisfied with the state of her feathers. In fact, one could see with the naked eye that many of her feathers still had residual Abyssal aura, ruining the overall beauty of the phoenix.
To Anqiya, this was unacceptable.
A few minutes later.
She finally finished preening her feathers, returning every plume to its proper place. Her tail feathers spread out, her wings folded neatly, and she was completely renewed.
The phoenix let out a sigh of relief.
“These demons from the Abyss are just too filthy.”
Her face was full of disgust, and her beak tip clicked disdainfully. “And being filthy is one thing, but they’re also hideous to the extreme. Each one is crooked and misshapen, practically an attack on my eyes. Looking at them for even a second longer makes me sick.”
With that, the phoenix shook out her feathers.
Only after ensuring there were no traces of contamination did she withdraw her gaze, satisfied.
Garoth watched Anqiya’s actions, his gaze calm.
“The battle is basically over.”
“The remaining demons are being cleaned up and slaughtered by the warriors of Aola and the legions of the allied nations. You don’t need to face those… ugly things anymore.”
Anqiya stopped preening.
She tilted her head and stared at the red iron dragon for a few seconds.
“I saw it. Before you erased the last rift, you used Dragon Qi to construct a clone, and then it charged straight into the rift.”
“What did you send it to the Abyss for?”
Anqiya slightly turned her body, showing off a more beautiful curve of form, and said: “Demons cannot be killed off. Those things keep breeding from the Abyss. Kill one batch, and another will be born. There’s no end to it. No matter how many you kill, there will never be a true conclusion.”
“Sending a clone over to chase those demons that fled back seems completely pointless.”
“And by doing this, you’re only increasing the risk of being corrupted by the Abyss.”
Toward the end, the phoenix’s tone became serious.
The red iron dragon shook his head slightly.
“That’s exactly why I did it.”
He said: “I have experienced how terrifying the corruption of the Abyss can be, but precisely because of that, I need to face it, not avoid it.”
The corruption of the Abyss is insidious and silent.
And this thing seemed to have a will of its own, capable of identifying and selecting target objects, showing different erosion intensities toward different targets.
For example, if an ordinary adventurer accidentally fell into the Abyss, as long as they could avoid the claws and fangs of the demons, they might not be affected by even a trace of corruption.
The power of the Abyss wouldn’t even bother to notice their existence.
Because the Abyss scorns mediocrity.
On the contrary.
The more powerful, more outstanding, and more extraordinary the life form, the stronger the malicious corruption it would suffer in the Abyss. And such beings often had stronger resistance to corruption. There was a delicate balance between the two.
In short, the corruption mechanism of the Abyss was extremely complex, far beyond what simple infection could describe.
But Garoth was very clear about one thing.
No matter how complex it was, it was a continuous influence.
This also meant…
One would adapt.
At this point, Anqiya blinked and suddenly said: “Garoth, you’re not planning to occupy the Sulfur Lands, are you?”
The red iron dragon grinned and asked back: “Why not?”
The phoenix’s eyes widened, and her crest stood up in surprise.
“No way, you actually want to become an Abyssal lord? You’ll get ugly!”
Other dragons might have reminded Garoth to keep Halden as a cautionary tale.
But the phoenix’s focus was clearly elsewhere.
The red iron dragon chuckled in spite of himself. “I’m only sending a clone. Even if I become a lord, it will be as a clone sitting on the throne. My true body won’t go to the Abyss. You don’t need to worry about my appearance.”
The Ember-Doom Clone enjoyed the environment of the Sulfur Lands. The scorched earth and toxic smoke there were like nutrients.
Moreover, to him, who had the bloodline of a red dragon, even if his true body went there, there wouldn’t be any rejection.
But that wasn’t the point.
The point was that after the death of the Lord of the Flame Prison, the Sulfur Lands became an ownerless layer. And an ownerless layer didn’t mean it was safe.
Quite the opposite.
Demons running rampant in an ownerless layer would more easily attract the attention of other demon lords. Lords accustomed to expansion and annexation would not let an empty territory slip by.
If some great lord discovered the Sulfur Lands and occupied them…
That would spell endless trouble for Atlan.
Furthermore, those Abyssal Rifts appeared to have been cleared away.
But the erosion of the Abyss wasn’t that simple. It would leave some kind of *trace*, or rather, a brand, marking this material realm and making it easier to invade in the future.
The Sulfur Lands in particular.
Its channel with Atlan had opened and closed repeatedly, and the connection between the two had been repeatedly opened and closed. The mark and brand between them and Atlan were already very deep.
Even if the rifts were erased, the connection was not completely severed.
“Occupying the Sulfur Lands can at least mitigate the risk of a second invasion.”
“At the very least, when a great lord notices it, we can have an early warning and won’t be caught off guard when they come knocking.”
Garoth thought to himself.
As for whether, aside from this, he had any thoughts of becoming a demon king?
Actually, he did.
In Garoth’s eyes, remaining unchanged was no different from death. He pursued power, and he also pursued *change*, because only through change was there a chance for *evolution*, to break through existing limits.
Taking the seat of a demon lord was a powerful change.
The phoenix breathed a sigh of relief, and her crest flattened again.
“That’s good, that’s good. As long as you don’t get ugly, it’s fine.”
With that, she raised her head and added: “My nirvana flame can purify the corruption of the Abyss.”
“Of course, it has its limitations. The effectiveness of purification depends on the depth and scope of the corruption. If it’s just surface erosion, my flame can remove it easily. If it’s deep-seated corruption, it will take more time, and may require other means as well.”
“So, if you are affected, or if you pick up something you shouldn’t in the Abyss, remember to come find me.”
“I’ll burn it for you. As long as it’s not too severe, I should be able to purify it cleanly.”
Purify Abyssal corruption?
The red iron dragon showed a hint of surprise in his eyes. “Your phoenix flames… have this effect?”
Anqiya clearly noticed the change in his gaze.
Her crest fully stood up, her head raised high, a flash of smug satisfaction in her pupils. “Of course.”
“We phoenixes are sacred beings, incredibly rare. My nirvana flame is on a completely different level from mundane flame magic, alchemical formulas, or a priest’s purification spells.”
“And while the inheritance of you great dragons is vast, don’t think it contains everything.”
Theoretically, the species values of phoenixes and great dragons were not far apart.
Both were legendary creatures.
However, the former were actually more mysterious and rarer. To date, Garoth had only encountered Anqiya, this one phoenix.
He had tried to study the nirvana flame but had found nothing.
Nor had his descendants with Anqiya inherited the nirvana flame.
This thing was exclusive to pure-blooded phoenixes, impossible to replicate, impossible to transfer, and impossible to obtain through other means.
“I understand. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Garoth slowly nodded and said.
Anqiya withdrew her gaze with satisfaction, shook her wings again, and said: “I’ve rested enough. I’ll go clean up some more demons.”
Garoth looked at her: “Not complaining that they’re ugly anymore? Just now you were complaining about them soiling your feathers.”
Anqiya had already leaped off the dragon court, spreading her wings as a trail of flames cut a bright streak through the night sky.
“Precisely because they’re so ugly, I can’t stand it. I have to personally purify this ugliness!”
The phoenix’s figure gradually faded into the distance, clearing out the remaining demon stragglers just like the other Aola lords.
Time continued to pass.
The night grew deeper. A full moon hung high, casting a silvery radiance, as if coating the world in a veil of silver, enveloping the scorched earth and the wreckage in a soft glow.
About two hours later.
Suddenly.
The red iron dragon, who had been coiled in his own lair and had already consumed a large amount of metal and gems, raised his head, his gaze turning toward the direction of the Maelstrom Sea.
He tore through space, stepped into the rift, and in an instant appeared above the Maelstrom Sea.
Moonlight spilled onto the sea, stirring up fine, silvery ripples.
The seven-colored glow from before, as well as the texture of the soft, undulating seawater, had all returned to normal. The seawater was once again clear and deep.
Garoth looked down, gazing at the sea surface, his vertical pupils glowing with a faint luster under the moonlight.
Just then, a miniature figure burst out of the water.
Netal flicked his tail, shaking off the last droplets of seawater, and fluttered his wings to fly up to eye level with Garoth.
He tilted his head, a smile on his face.
“Guess who defeated Tiamat’s avatar?”
After saying this, the Faerie Dragon stared straight at Garoth, waiting for his answer.
Garoth didn’t spoil the fun.
He said: “You did. The Faerie Dragon in front of me.”
Netal blinked.
Then, he suddenly spread his wings wide, spinning in place, bursting into laughter. The sound was crisp and joyful.
“That’s right!”
“It’s the great God of Faerie Dragons, the wise, adorable, and powerful Netal!”
He spun around once more, cheering for his victory.
After a while, the Faerie Dragon regained his composure.
He extended his tail to his side, curling around something bigger than his entire body from a fold in the air, and tossed it toward Garoth.
“Tiamat couldn’t digest it.”
“Here. It’s your spoils of war. I didn’t keep it for myself.”
The great dragon raised his right claw and caught it.
A flame-shaped emblem.
It was a dark red all over, with fine lava patterns flowing across its surface. Embedded in the center was a flickering flame, exuding a deep, burning heat.
The temperature wasn’t high, just slightly warm to the touch.
But the moment Garoth grasped it, a burning and familiar feeling welled up inside him.
He recognized this.
The Potency of the Lord of the Flame Prison.
This also meant that the Lord of the Flame Prison was well and truly dead.