Many years ago, in a highly anticipated national swordsmanship finals.
The young Kellos, with his own imperfect and dangerous self-made skills, unexpectedly defeated another opponent with a lot of experience and high reputation for winning the championship.
All the referees and the audience burst into cheers for him and were ready to award him the reputation of "Peerless Sword" on the spot.
However, he raised his hand and refused the honor that many warriors dreamed of.
In front of everyone present, he said, "Remember, I am "The Unvanquished Sword". When I become the strongest Sword Saint and truly achieve the unparalleled name, it will not be too late to cheer for me again."
This incident made him first show his talent and become famous.
Until recently, he has been successfully promoted to the respected Legendary Sword Saint, but still has not changed the name "The Unvanquished Sword". Obviously, this Legendary Realm has greater ambitions and pursuits, and is not satisfied with the status quo.
At this time, Marquis Marcus looked at Legendary Sword Saint and spoke.
"Nearly thirty years of brutal civil war have almost made us forget that the sharp fangs of the wilderness have never really fallen off. They are always sharpening in the shadows, waiting for opportunities to move."
His voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of anger, which seemed particularly clear in the quiet room.
"Except for the Northeast, our base area that we have worked hard for hundreds of years in Ser Wilderness was almost uprooted by the barbaric natives! This is a huge loss and a great shame that has never happened in our Theo Kingdom development history."
"Those wilderness natives are so audacious and don't know whether to live or die!"
The civil war, which lasted for decades but ultimately failed to capture the expected benefits and instead wasted national power, left Southern Kingdoms, including Theo Kingdom's senior executives, feeling depressed with nowhere to vent.
Now, Marquis Marcus seems to have found a suitable outlet.
Lothern Kingdom, who cannot defeat Saint King, cannot defeat those ignorant and backward wilderness natives?
"According to intelligence analysis compiled by all parties, this does not appear to be a sporadic tribal rebellion."
Marcus The Marquis's fingers tapped heavily on the dazzling red patch on the map.
"The one who rules the northwest and central regions is the so-called "Molten Iron King", who has integrated a large number of monster tribes and even dragons under his command, has strong soldiers and horses, and has even developed an organized and systematic alchemy armed force. The organization level is far beyond that of ordinary monster groups."
"And "Mushroom King" that occupies the southern area of the wilderness should not be underestimated either."
"So far, there is no reliable information that can reveal its true identity. All we can see is the Fungal Monster army under its command."
"In contrast, Mountain King, who is entrenched in the northeast, and Giant, who escaped from the Theresia Continent, have behaved relatively calmly."
Marcus Marquis assesses the conditions of the wilderness.
Next to him, Legendary Sword Saint Kellos had his arms folded, his posture relaxed but with a restrained edge.
His eyes were as sharp as a sword, as if he could penetrate the map and look directly at the chaotic land.
"The entire Ser Wilderness, in theory, should be the territory that civilized countries will explore and conquer in the future."
Kellos said calmly, "Those entrenched Beast, uncivilized monsters, and those two giant dragons and mushrooms that emerged from unknown corners, are they worthy of usurping the throne?"
"They are openly challenging the majesty of the kingdom and trampling on the bottom line of civilization."
Hearing this, Marquis Marcus nodded slowly, deeply convinced.
He stood up, walked steadily to the huge map, and placed his fingers heavily on several scarlet areas such as the northwest, middle and south.
"We can't let this go any longer."
"We must let those ignorant bastards in the wilderness understand who are the real Ser Wilderness and Overlord people."
"Otherworld Strategy Directorate has made a plan and submitted it to His Majesty the King. We have decided to conduct a cleanup operation against Ser Wilderness. The goal is to get back all our base areas, seize more new resource points, and make those monsters who dare to provoke them pay the price with blood."
As he spoke, Marquis Marcus turned his eyes to the Unvanquished Sword, who was standing quietly aside.
"Kellos, no matter in terms of strength, prestige or knowledge of the wilderness, you are the best person to carry out this purge operation."
"I will immediately request formal authorization from His Majesty the King, and you will personally lead the team back to Ser Wilderness."
"The goal this time is very clear, to execute the so-called "Molten Iron King" and "Mushroom King", destroy their dragons and fungus legions, regain and consolidate our control in the wilderness, and restore the glory of the Theo Kingdom."
Legendary Sword Saint heard this, the corner of his mouth twitched, and he made a tut sound with unknown meaning.
"The civil war has just ended and Federation has been declared disbanded. The country is full of waste and there are many conflicts. His Majesty the King is probably very worried right now."
"I originally chose to form a close alliance with the Rybos Kingdom and advance and retreat together. Now it seems that it was really not a wise choice."
His words seemed to lack enough respect for the king of a country.
However, the existence of any Legendary Realm is the foundation on which the kingdom relies, and it is a precious resource that needs to be carefully maintained.
Even if a strong Legendary Realm criticizes the king secretly, as long as he does not really do anything that harms the core interests of the kingdom, he usually will not receive any substantive Punishment.
This is the privilege that comes with power.
"Things are unpredictable. Who would have thought that Saint King, who should have passed away long ago, is not dead?"
Marcus The Marquis lowered his voice.
"If this were not the case, we Theo Kingdom could have gained more benefits and made the country stronger by relying on this civil war."
He paused, changed the subject, and spoke in a slightly lower voice, "Kellos, you were also present during the original Valdo City battle and witnessed that scene with your own eyes."
"Based on your judgment... do you think Saint King is really resurrected? Or is there something fishy?"
Legendary Sword Saint's expression became serious.
He pondered for a moment and slowly shook his head.
"I don't know."
He answered very simply, "As soon as Saint King took action, he killed two Legendary Realm with a crushing force, and they were both senior Legendary Realm who were above me. I couldn't understand the domain and level of power he displayed at that time."
"Maybe he really took that crucial step."
"Perhaps his original death was just an illusion, a kind of dormancy."
"Otherwise, it would be impossible for his aging human body to still maintain such incredible power."
Marcus When the Marquis heard this, his brows furrowed tightly, forming a deep furrow.
He asked, "So, is there another possibility... that it is just a back-up device left by Saint King during his lifetime, which contains powerful power, but can only be used once? Lothern Kingdom is actually bluffing, using the remaining power to frighten other countries?"
Sword Saint Kellos nodded. "Of course it is possible, and the possibility is not low."
But he immediately changed the topic, with a half-smile expression on his face, and said, "But the question is, do you dare to bet on this possibility? Anyway, I don't dare. I believe that our King, as well as the leaders of other kingdoms, probably don't dare to bet easily either."
"If the bet is wrong, the price will be the destruction of the entire country."
Marcus The Marquis sneered twice, his laughter sinister.
"What is false can never be true."
"Even if all countries are now afraid of the power of Saint King and dare not act rashly, as time goes by, some people will eventually be tempted to test it."
"If Saint King is not truly resurrected, or if his condition is not as perfect as shown, Lothern's bluff will eventually show its flaws."
"We'll just have to wait and see."
After many years of war, although the countries finally won nominal autonomy, they did not gain more expected real benefits such as territory and resources.
On the whole, after this internal conflict, the losses of various countries have become more serious.
The countries are now temporarily dormant due to the reappearance of Saint King's thunderous methods, and they dare not take a step beyond the thunder.
But how long can this fear-based calm last?
In particular, there are rumors that there seems to be an unknown source of support behind the Rybos Kingdom. Those powerful ordnance that suddenly appeared in the war do not seem to have the foundation and reserves it should have.
"That's all, let's not talk about these overly involved matters for now."
"The target we need to focus on now is Ser Wilderness."
Marquis Marcus waved his hand, as if to dispel those complicated thoughts. He looked at Kellos again, and his tone returned to his previous determination.
"Kellos, please prepare in advance."
"His Majesty the King will definitely authorize and approve the use of troops in the wilderness to regain lost territory and demonstrate the country's prestige. It won't be long before you return to the land you have guarded for many years."
Kellos's mouth corners were slightly raised, outlining a confident and cold smile.
"I'm looking forward to it," he said.
"It's just a good time to take a look at those wilderness monsters that the ignorant natives call "kings" and see if their heads are a bit harder than ordinary monsters."
For him, returning to Ser Wilderness is as familiar as going home.
Before he was promoted to the Legendary Realm, he had guarded the wilderness border for a long time. With the sword in his hand, he prevented a large number of fierce monster tribes from easily showing up and suppressed their space for activities.
Now, he has set foot on the Legendary Realm, and his life level has undergone a qualitative leap.
To kill those vulgar monsters who only know how to rely on instinct and brute force, in his opinion, it will only be easier, just like chopping melons and vegetables.
At the same time.
Borderlands, Dragon Valley, Burning Steel Fortress.
Red Iron Dragon stood on the edge of the tall platform, staring at the howling wind and snow sweeping across the sky.
At the same time, he calmed down and touched Blood Kin Link in his heart.
He has already asked Deborah and the others about the general situation of the tribe in recent years.
However, they stay in Borderlands all year round and do not know enough details about the outside world, especially the specific details of what happened on Ser Wilderness.
Garos still needs to talk to those dragons who are directly in the wilderness and on the front line.
Soon after, with Iron Dragon Sorog as the spiritual node, the spirits of the red dragons Samantha and Iron Dragon Gordon also gathered in this spiritual world.
Iron Dragon Mother, who also owns Blood Kin Link, was not called this time.
After all, she is an ally of Ignas Dragonflight, with her own independent territory and dependent system, rather than a core member of the Molten Iron Tribe.
There was no need to inform her of some conversations involving internal affairs of the tribe.
After the mental connection is stable and all participants have arrived, Garos will get straight to the point.
He said, "What important things happened during my sleep that are worth mentioning? According to your understanding, tell it."
The temperaments of Red Dragon Samantha and Iron Dragon Gordon don't like this kind of formal reporting situation.
In the end, Iron Dragon Sorog, the most steady and meticulous person, recounted the important events that he had already compiled and summarized in a clear timeline and in a clear and orderly manner.
After some time.
Through Sorog's narration, Garos already has a clear understanding of the important events that occurred during the twenty-nine years of his sleep.
This includes the changes in Abyss, the end of the civil war in Southern Federation, the reappearance of Lothern Saint-King, etc.
After pondering for a moment.
Red Iron Dragon turns his attention to the consciousness representing Iron Dragon Gordon in Mind Network.
In the spiritual world, the appearance of the conscious body can roughly reflect the true state of the ontology.
At this moment, in the image of Gordon, although the scales are still covered with a thick layer of fat, clear and strong muscle texture outlines can also be seen, revealing a mighty dragon posture.
His body is so strong and tall that he is second only to Garos among his blood relatives.
Garos asked directly, "Gordon, you were in Lothern Royal City before and saw the "resurrected" Saint King with your own eyes?"
Gordon's mental fluctuations immediately became active.
He said, "Yes, I saw it with my own eyes! He strolled out of the endless light, and then, with just one move, he easily killed two Legendary Realm strong men with overwhelming force. He then announced the disbandment of Federation, so that the originally aggressive coalition forces of various countries did not dare to take a step further, and finally each retreated to their homeland."
When Lothern Federation still existed completely, Saint King's prestige was as high as the scorching sun, unmatched by anyone.
Garos is not surprised that he has such a powerful deterrent.
The question is, is Saint King... really resurrected?
The step that Saint King tried to break through was much more difficult than being promoted to the Legendary Realm from a mortal being. Even the powerful Gold Dragon King failed in the end. With his already aging human body, the probability of success will only be lower.
Of course, there is another possibility.
He was not dead at all at first. The so-called signs of his death before were just that he was severely injured due to his failure to attack a higher level, and he has been silently recovering and healing since then.
However, although this king always had a reputation for kindness, he forgave his invading enemies so easily.
Is this... too generous?
Tracing the path to his rise, there has never been a shortage of those decisive and ruthless deeds of Ironblood.
If Garos were in that position, he would at least kill all the enemy Legendary Realm who participated in the attack as a warning to others.
Of course, this may just be the thought of a giant dragon, and it is too taken for granted.
He is not human now, and it is normal for him not to fully understand decision-making under complex political trade-offs.
Perhaps, as Saint King grew older and stronger, he truly reached a certain transcendental state. He got tired of killing, became more kind and compassionate, and loved peace more.
Garos Suppress these thoughts for the time being.
He then asked, "So, after Saint King reappeared, has he appeared in public again in the past three years? Or has he disappeared again?"
Iron Dragon Gordon nodded and responded affirmatively, "Yes, he showed up."
"In the past three years, he has appeared intermittently several times, mainly in the Royal Academy or the palace, instructing his own heirs and descendants in their cultivation and handling of government affairs. However, the time he appeared each time was very short, and he seemed unwilling to interfere too much in Royal Court."
"Moreover, there are some unconfirmed rumors within Royal Court, saying that Saint King can reappear in the world this time because his "Immortality Technique" research has achieved key results, but it has not yet been completely successful."
"So most of his energy is still focused on perfecting Immortality Technique, and he has no time to worry about it."
This is a rather reasonable-sounding explanation, which can explain why he came back from the dead, and why he is so secretive and doesn't show up often.
However, being reasonable does not mean that all doubts and speculations can be eliminated.
However, Garos did not continue to ask further.
He knows very well that time will eventually give all answers.
The true situation of Saint King, no matter what it is, will gradually be revealed to the world sooner or later as time goes by.
By then, it is still unknown whether Southern Kingdoms will be able to maintain the current fragile peace or whether strife and war will break out again.
"By the way, I made an important discovery."
Gordon's spirit suddenly became serious and solemn, breaking the short silence.
He said, "Recently, through observation and thinking, I realized a truth."
Garos nodded slightly, indicating for him to continue explaining.
So, Gordon solemnly proposed his [Destiny Doctrine] with some pride and mystery.
"Strength, talent, sweat... even wisdom and opportunities, in my opinion, these are all secondary!"
"The most critical, core, and important thing is--Destiny Rank!"
"You see, in this world, some people try their best and spend their whole life, but they can't make a splash in the long river of destiny; while for some people, maybe just a random thought or an unintentional move can change the situation and affect the pattern of the entire world."
"What is the root cause of all these differences? It is all related to the "Destiny Rank" they carry!"
"As long as you have the powerful Destiny Rank, then, no matter how humble your birth is, no matter how mediocre your talent is, in the end, under the influence and promotion of a series of seemingly accidental, but in fact inevitable events, you will surely achieve remarkable achievements."
"Destiny Rank, is the most important. Compared with it, nothing else is important."
Iron Dragon Gordon said slowly, his mind full of confidence.
Not to mention whether it is correct.
His statement, upon first hearing, does seem to make some sense and can explain many incomprehensible disparities in fortunes in the world.
Garos glanced slightly sideways, somewhat impressed by this usually indifferent Dragon Brother, feeling that he seemed to have grown a lot after experiencing the incident in the royal city, and was able to comprehend such a profound-sounding theory.
He asked, "How did you come to this realization?"
Then, Gordon puffed up his chest and announced word for word.
"Because, after repeated verification and thinking, I am convinced that - I, Gordon, am the dragon that Destiny Rank belongs to!"
In Mind Network, there seemed to be an invisible cold wind blowing, and it fell into silence for an instant.
Garos was speechless for a moment and silently retracted his previous evaluation of Brother Long's growth.
The next moment, the red dragon Samantha laughed loudly.
"Hahahaha! Gordon! Are you talking about some lame dragon joke? Haha, if you are trying to make everyone laugh, you are very successful. I am so amused by your ridiculous confidence that I am laughing my ass off my scales!"
Facing Samantha's ridicule, Iron Dragon Gordon did not get angry, not even the slightest bit embarrassed.
Instead, he became more serious and began to explain and demonstrate his Destiny Rank in a clear and logical manner.
"If you think about it carefully, does my past experience just confirm this?"
"Am I able to turn danger into safety, turn danger into safety, or even be a blessing in disguise in any situation I encounter?"
"For example, I was unfortunately homeless when I was young, but was adopted by Lothern Royal Court. I stayed with the princess and enjoyed luxury and wealth for nearly a hundred years. Isn't this the favor of Destiny Rank?"
"Another example is when Lothern Royal City is about to fall and is in danger."
"I had already made up my mind to escape alone to protect myself, but at the last moment, I hesitated and finally chose to stay. It was precisely at this critical juncture that Saint King reappeared, turning the tide and Lothern Kingdom was saved."
Having said this, Gordon paused for a moment, and then made another outrageous comment.
"I even have a strong feeling that if I had been determined and really succeeded in escaping, then... Saint King might not have appeared, and Lothern Royal City might have really fallen."
He was very serious and said, "In other words, the existence of Saint King, and whether he appeared at that point in time, may have some fateful relationship with whether I decide to escape the royal city."
"Before I make a final decision, he may or may not be alive."
"He's in a superimposed state that's determined by me!"
"If I leave, he will not exist. If I stay, he will exist."
Mind Network once again fell into deathly silence.
This time, not only was Sorog silent and didn't say anything, but even the red dragon Samantha, who was always sharp-tongued and good at sarcastic remarks about Gordon, was speechless because of Gordon's unbelievable thoughts and didn't know how to refute.
In other words, I don't know where to start complaining.
"This guy, around his Destiny Doctrine, formed his own self-consistent logic."
Garos felt speechless inside.
"Why are all these dragons surrounding me so talented?"
This thought flashed through me involuntarily.
"Could it be that, um... I am actually the dragon that Destiny Rank belongs to?"
As soon as this ridiculous idea came up, Garos laughed at it. He shook his head gently to dispel this nonsense.