Chapter 49: The Strongest Flame Dragon
Outside the ancient royal city, within the manor grounds, the earth was covered in a dark purple fungal carpet. Not only flowers, grass, and trees, but even the buildings were being decomposed. Vein-like protrusions spread across the fungal carpet, faintly forming a massive summoning array.
Su Xiao stood at the center of this fungal carpet, crouching down with one hand pressed against it, activating the ultimate effect of the [War Lord] title.
「Strongest Flame Dragon · Barbatos (Active): Summon the Demon Flame Dragon · Barbatos. If there are no insectoid units of the same clan in the world where the Demon Flame Dragon · Barbatos resides, it will enter a Brutal State and receive a boost from the entire Demon Insect Race. The greater the number of Demon Insect Race members, the higher the boost Barbatos receives in its Brutal State…
Note: The cooldown for this ability is 30 natural days.
Note: After summoning the Demon Flame Dragon · Barbatos, it can remain for a maximum of 1 to 5 hours (depending on the summoner's soul strength), after which it will be teleported back to the Eternal Light World and have its Brutal State dispelled.」
The insectoid Void Gate in the Witch Realm had disappeared. Upon arriving in this world, Barbatos would immediately enter its Brutal State. However, this was not what Su Xiao wanted. He intended to perform a temporary enhancement that combined the perfect timing, location, and conditions—something that could absolutely never be replicated again.
A loud boom came from beneath Su Xiao's feet. The ground cracked open, and magma from deep underground surged out, splashing in a boiling state.
"ROAR!"
The dragon head and part of the upper torso of the Demon Flame Dragon · Barbatos burst forth from the magma. Scorching molten rock dripped down its lower jaw and folded dragon wings. Its massive dragon claws reached out and slammed down heavily.
"ROAR!"
The Demon Flame Dragon · Barbatos raised its head and let out a roar. If viewed from a distance in front, one would see Su Xiao ahead, with the newly arrived Barbatos behind him. The dark purple tendrils hanging from its dragon belly were less than half a meter from his back.
At this moment, Barbatos had a total body length of over a kilometer. Its dragon hide was rough and pitch-black, its back covered in bone spikes of varying lengths. Dark purple tendrils hung from its belly and lower jaw, while several rows of neatly arranged bone spikes lined the back of its neck. As it spread its dragon wings, a slow-flowing black liquid substance was visible beneath them—this was the insect race's ultimate technology: Living Scale Fungus. Even if its dragon wings were pierced or destroyed, they could be instantly repaired. In critical moments, they could also harden, greatly enhancing Barbatos's defense.
CRACK!
A bolt of world thunder struck down from the sky, landing a hundred meters away from Barbatos. If not for Su Xiao summoning it, this world thunder would have definitely hit Barbatos. Any world would reject such an ultimate, single-unit combat powerhouse of the insect race.
As the Demon Flame Dragon · Barbatos lowered its dragon head, Su Xiao leaped onto it. He grasped the [Devouring Mark] with one hand and, with a tearing sound, deeply imprinted it onto Barbatos's skull.
After doing this, he walked onto the dragon's back. But after standing there in thought for a moment, he leaped down again. The Storm Flame Dragon · Dis, which had just arrived, swooped over to pick him up.
Su Xiao sat cross-legged on the Storm Flame Dragon's back. As it turned out, the riding experience on dark blue, large feathers was far superior to the hard, rough dragon hide.
Exhaling a breath of dragon mist, Barbatos, with magma patterns on its lower neck, stared down at the Storm Flame Dragon · Dis. It was worth noting that Barbatos now had a body length of 1,850 meters, while the Storm Flame Dragon · Dis was only 12.6 meters long.
From Barbatos's vertical pupils, one could roughly discern what it was expressing to the Storm Flame Dragon · Dis. The meaning was: "You little weakling seem pretty cocky, flying right over me just now."
However, after Su Xiao glanced sideways at it, the Demon Flame Dragon · Barbatos immediately wilted, shrinking its head. It dared not exhale dragon mist from its mouth anymore, instead snorting two puffs from its nostrils—this was its last shred of stubbornness.
Barbatos's gaze secretly flicked toward the Storm Flame Dragon · Dis, meaning: "Just you wait, you little weakling. When I get the chance, I'll give you a one-day tour of my stomach."
With a whoosh, the Storm Flame Dragon · Dis took off, heading straight toward Moon Ring City. To invade the Green Shade Star where the Calamity Legion was located, a world-class teleportation array was needed. Moon Ring City had one, and it was large enough to teleport the massive Barbatos.
By the time Su Xiao, riding the Storm Flame Dragon · Dis, arrived near Moon Ring City, it was almost evening. The following Barbatos landed on the massive teleportation array below. The space wizards, who had been waiting, began activating the teleportation array.
Beside the teleportation array, Alanna looked at the Demon Flame Dragon · Barbatos with great curiosity. Barbatos turned its gaze, looking down at this tiny figure from its lofty height. After a moment, it ignored this human—a human carrying a faint trace of the Supreme Will's aura. Of course, it dared not devour such a being. As for who was the insect race's Supreme Will, that was naturally Su Xiao.
BOOM!
A dull thud echoed as the world-class teleportation array activated. Kaisa, who was on Green Shade Star, had already set up spatial coordinates there. As soon as the Demon Flame Dragon · Barbatos teleported over, the Three Rascals of the Arbiters would strike at the Calamity Legion's treasury.
Spatial crystal fragments scattered everywhere. Seeing this, Su Xiao was in a good mood. When activating the [Law-Destroying Teleportation Array], there was also a dull thud… ahem, a loud boom, accompanied by spatial crystal fragments scattering. This indicated that the [Law-Destroying Teleportation Array] was not only a good teleportation method but also quite advanced. Thinking of this further encouraged his determination to develop the [Law-Destroying Teleportation Array].
The Storm Flame Dragon · Dis carried Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, Baha, and Alanna toward the 1st District. Half an hour later, Su Xiao was already in the council hall on the 32nd floor of the Witch Guild Headquarters.
Su Xiao didn't care about seating arrangements and casually found a spot to sit. This, however, made the Dark Star wizard next to him a bit nervous. This wizard, who had the same hairstyle as Kingsley but wore glasses, cleared his throat, pulled out a terminal from his pocket, forced a smile, and, due to nervousness, abruptly asked to take a photo with Su Xiao.
"…"
Su Xiao was pondering matters related to the [Moon Holy Temple] and naturally had no mood to take a photo with a wizard he had no connection with. Moreover, to avoid any potential tricks, he was about to decline when he saw Serin across from him making exaggerated expressions and mouthing the words "he's my brother." So, he didn't refuse.
Soon, many high-ranking members of the wizard faction arrived. The Moon Witch, seated in the main position, cast her gaze toward Su Xiao.
As the saying goes, the customer is God. Not to mention, the Moon Witch had taken out an [Primordial Core], a [Will Gem], and a bottle of lost Second Era alchemical potion to order a "complete annihilation" package.
One could be ruthless and decisive in killing, but a person cannot stand without integrity. Since the client was generous, they should clearly see how the Calamity Legion was destroyed.
Su Xiao raised his right hand, and soul energy gathered in his palm. This soul energy then floated to the center of the large council table, suddenly expanding to form an irregularly shaped frame. Within this frame, five meters high and seven to eight meters wide, images began to appear.
This was Su Xiao using the summoning contract to establish a shared vision. As a Contract Grandmaster, he had slightly optimized the contract, changing what should have been a first-person perspective shared vision into a third-person perspective.
At this moment, above Green Shade Star.
RUMBLE…
A massive vortex of light gray clouds formed, as if the world had finally awakened to vent its wrath upon the Calamity Legion. The clouds gradually turned white, but don't be mistaken—this wasn't purification. The white cloud vortex grew brighter and brighter, turning into a dazzling gold-white, until its center blazed with the color of flames.
In an instant, the entire world's sky was set ablaze. Billions of corrupted beings on the ground looked up at this sight. On the top platform of the Black Castle, the Calamity Lord, draped in a dark red feathered cloak, also gazed at the sky.
"My Lord, as long as it's not an insectoid army descending, we can handle it calmly."
The Archfiend Leader knelt on one knee and spoke, his tone so confident that the Evil Spirit King beside him couldn't help but wonder if this guy had some hidden trump card. In fact, he did. Although the World Core of Green Shade Star had been stolen in recent days, over the years, with the permission of the Corrupted Lord, the Archfiend Leader had used this World Core to nurture over a million Fallen Ones.
The Fallen Ones were the ultimate evolution of the Corrupted. With bodies like black fluid, they had no weaknesses. They were highly aggressive and possessed strong parasitic abilities, capable of adhering to an enemy's surface and then invading through the mouth, nose, or mucous membranes to achieve mental control and physical parasitism.
The Fallen Ones could also attach themselves to elite Corrupted, allowing them to break through their limits. In simple terms, this created over a million mini-bosses.
Such a trump card naturally couldn't be used during the invasion of the Witch Realm; it was better kept as a backup. Now was the time to reveal this card.
On the wind-swept top platform, seeing the Archfiend Leader so calm and composed, the Evil Spirit King's hanging heart eased a bit. Just then, another anomaly occurred in the sky.
A massive flame vortex gathered in the burning sky. Magma flowed down along the vortex, and with a boom, magma splashed everywhere. An ultra-giant Flame Dragon burst through the magma, revealing its dragon head and half of its upper body, with one dragon claw also extending out.
"ROAR!!!"
The dragon roar shook the heavens and earth. The space within a radius of hundreds of kilometers shattered with a bang. Irregular spatial cracks spread everywhere, accompanied by falling magma, creating a spectacular scene.
Seeing this, the Archfiend Leader and the Evil Spirit King were both stunned for a moment, then smiles appeared on their faces. They could sense that although this Flame Dragon had terrifying combat power, it wasn't to the point where the Calamity Legion couldn't handle it. They had been worried about what methods the wizards and that Law Destroyer would use, but now it seemed things weren't as bad as expected.
Magma poured down from the sky, accompanied by the arrival of the Demon Flame Dragon · Barbatos. This apocalyptic scene made the Corrupted on the ground extremely agitated.
Several corrosive missiles flew in, each dozens of meters in diameter, trailing filthy tails. They slammed into Barbatos, and countless Corrupted Flying Dragons rushed toward it. In an instant, the sky was covered by these corrupted flying creatures.
On the ground, the Corrupted gathered together, piling up into a living mountain. As the Corrupted Mountain's footprint grew larger and its height approached Barbatos, an elite Corrupted ran across the bodies of other Corrupted, leaped up, and hooked its claws onto Barbatos's dragon belly.
Compared to Barbatos, this elite Corrupted was as small as a flea, but it carved bloody gashes across Barbatos's body. This was the Corrupted Legion's strongest ability: corrosion and reduction of defense.
In an instant, Barbatos was engulfed by a sea of corrupted creatures, forming a massive sphere tens of thousands of meters in diameter in the sky. Worse still, this giant sphere was falling. Once Barbatos was dragged to the ground, it would be difficult for it to fly again.
In the council hall of the Witch Guild Headquarters, this scene was projected in real-time. For a moment, the high-ranking wizards fell silent. Many of them secretly glanced at the Moon Witch. This powerful reinforcement was brought in by her. If they failed at this critical juncture, everyone would lose face. Serin's brother said:
"In my opinion, this is definitely a probe."
"I share the same view."
"Me too."
This "me too" was naturally not from a wizard but from Baha on Amu's shoulder, speaking in a suppressed voice.
In reality, Barbatos wasn't probing. During its world-class teleportation, it had bumped into something and swallowed it into its stomach, using the teleportation array in its stomach to send that thing back to the Eternal Light World.
As for why Barbatos had this ability, back when it had the Eternal Light World as its home, Jila wasn't wealthy either, so she had to find ways to generate income. This [Devouring Plunder] was developed by the insect race scientist, Pross.
The flames in the sky gradually extinguished. Surrounded by countless corrupted creatures, Barbatos had fallen to within a thousand meters of the ground. Just then, its dragon eyes suddenly snapped open.
WHOOSH!
Deep, rich dragon flame spewed out. All targets caught in the flame were instantly reduced to ashes. In truth, Barbatos's stat allocation was quite extreme. As a Demon Insect Race creature, it had only two strengths: 1. Incredible survivability, and 2. Dragon flame attack power so strong it was incomprehensible.
Even with its dragon flame fully unleashed, Barbatos was still at a disadvantage against the entire Calamity Legion. The dragon flame crashed to the ground, and the pressure caused it to spread. The Corrupted caught in it cracked and popped, turning to ash.
"ROAR!"
Barbatos spread its wings and flew. The Corrupted hanging on it fell off, only to be engulfed by the spewing dragon flame mid-air.
The scene of the entire Calamity Legion besieging Barbatos was spectacular. All kinds of ranged attacks slammed into it, but every enemy killed by the dragon flame turned into scorching life force, absorbed by it. This kept its health fluctuating between dropping and recovering.
The battle was intense, and Barbatos displayed extremely powerful combat capabilities. However, given the sheer numbers of the Calamity Legion, even if Barbatos used its dragon flame for a month, it might not be able to kill all the Corrupted. Moreover, it couldn't withstand such prolonged attacks. The rate at which its health dropped was slightly faster than its recovery rate.
Seeing this, the Evil Spirit King and the Archfiend Leader both felt relieved. The Corrupted Lord turned and walked into the Black Castle, leaving the situation to the Archfiend Leader.
"That Law Destroyer really doesn't dare to come himself. Relying solely on this insectoid Flame Dragon can't threaten us."
The Archfiend Leader sat down in the Corrupted Lord's grand chair. This position felt very comfortable, and his thoughts began to multiply.
"Archfiend, do you feel that this Flame Dragon is a bit bigger than before?"
The Evil Spirit King looked up at the sky. Even from this distance, he could still feel the scorching heat of the dragon flame.
"Now that you mention it, it is. So what? Even if it's a bit bigger, what does it matter?"
"Well…"
The Evil Spirit King was speechless. The fact was indeed true. Even if it were twice as big, it would still be surrounded and killed by the Corrupted Legion sooner or later.
No one noticed that the [Devouring Mark] on Barbatos's skull was quietly devouring World Force, using it to enhance Barbatos's dragon body. It wasn't that the Evil Spirit King and the Archfiend Leader had dull perception, but rather that what Barbatos was devouring wasn't the World Force of this world, but that of the Witch Realm.
This was, of course, a long-prepared plan. The reason this plan could be achieved was due to the following points…