Holden, Cloudpiercer City.
Today's gloomy light shines in through the stained glass windows, and the reliefs of the heroes of the past have lost their former glory, leaving only blurry and heavy outlines.
Fafweil is still sitting at the head of the long table.
His appearance and sitting posture have not changed much from before.
He placed his hands flat, crossed his fingers, and slowly scanned every face present with his bright eyes.
But if you look closely, you can see that the mark between his eyebrows is deeper than a few years ago, and there are also thin lines at the corners of his eyes.
The pressure of these years showed no mercy on his face.
"Sacred Aura issued an asylum declaration to the Wave-Subduing Dragon Realm. Everyone already knows about this."
"Copper Dragon King and Brass Dragon King are still there. Dragon Realm has not lost all its guardians, but Red Emperor still chooses to stand up at this time and use his empire as Dragon Realm's shield."
Fafweil paused for a moment, his eyes flickering slightly.
"I want to hear your judgment."
"With this move, Sacred Aura really regards himself as the leader of Dragon Race and takes it as his duty to protect his fellow humans? Or is it that this Dragon Empire has set his sights on the Metal Dragon Realm and wants to swallow them all?"
After a short silence, Destiny Rank, a man with deep-set eyes, spoke first.
"Your Majesty, I think it's the latter."
He raised his gaze and glanced around the colleagues present, "Please think back to what this giant dragon has done over the years."
"What did he do first? In the name of the emperor, he gathered the same kind of people called Evil Dragon on Atlant and united these ferocious beasts under his command."
"Whether it is a strong enemy or an ally, they eventually become the nourishment for his expansion."
As soon as he finished speaking, someone immediately echoed his voice.
The person who spoke was Destiny Rank sitting in the middle of the long table, "I agree."
"Although we took some measures during the days when Red Emperor was sleeping, to be honest, we didn't completely add insult to injury. That was the best opportunity for us to get rid of him, but unfortunately, we missed it."
There was a trace of remorse in his tone, and he continued, "Now that he is awake and his strength has greatly increased, he will naturally not take anyone seriously anymore."
"It is only a matter of time before Dragon Realm is annexed. After the Dragon Realm, his eyes will turn elsewhere."
"Where else?"
Someone asked in a low voice.
Fafweil did not interrupt the discussion.
He listened quietly, his hands still folded on the table. It wasn't until the last person's voice had completely fallen that he slightly raised his chin and took over the initiative of the conversation again.
"Sooner or later----"
"The eyes of this giant beast Sacred Aura will turn from the earth to the sky. The pattern of Cloud City and Land Kingdom will be broken sooner or later."
"A dragon that is already equal to the Immortal Realm will not allow anyone to hang above his head."
His eyes slowly swept across everyone present and said, "And now, the reason why we can still sit here safely is because the danger of Abyss is still there."
"We are blocking Demon for Red Emperor."
"In his eyes, Holden is a free line of defense, a shield, nothing more."
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the conference room became even more dull.
In the shadow of the long table, a Destiny Rank spoke in a low voice, "Holden sacrificed his life to resist Demon for the sake of the entire Atlant."
"But what about Aura? But he is sitting back and enjoying the success, taking advantage of the opportunity that we have no time to care about to continue to grow, step by step, leisurely."
"That's not fair."
"Of course it's not fair!"
Another voice suddenly took over.
The speaker is the War Knight, the legion master of the Holden Empire, who is in charge of all war-related affairs in the empire.
"How many of our soldiers died on the front lines?"
"For what? For what?"
"Is it to allow Sacred Aura to develop comfortably on the ground? To allow Red Emperor to gather Dragon Race leisurely and contentedly,
Annex Dragon Realm, grow stronger step by step, and wait until he feels the time is ripe to turn around and deal with us?"
"Is the blood we shed and the price we paid just to pave the way for him?"
He turned around and looked directly at Fafweil, his eyes as blazing as fire.
"Your Majesty, I have something to say."
"We simply withdraw our troops from the front line! Pull the front line back to Atlant, and expose the exit of Abyssal Rift directly to Material Plane! Let Demon come out, and let the entire Atlant see what kind of Hell Abyss is!"
His voice became louder and louder, and his chest rose and fell violently.
"We have Platinum Star, and we have no fear of Demon in Material Plane!"
"We can completely defend Holden's homeland, but at the same time, Sacred Aura will also be forced to taste Demon. When the time comes, they will have to fight against Abyss with us."
He paused, and a more dangerous light flashed in his eyes.
"If they don't want to----"
"The big deal is that we will all die together in the end. Anyway, if the current trend continues, when Sacred Aura is strong enough, we will not be able to escape the fate of being devoured. Instead of sitting back and waiting for death, it is better to give it a try."
His tone was like the collision of metal, causing huge waves in the conference room.
The faces of the Destiny Ranks on both sides of the long table changed slightly.
However, no one immediately spoke up to refute.
The eyes of several of them flickered slightly, and there was actually a look of thinking about the feasibility deep in their hands and eyes.
Fafweil frowned slightly.
"Demon Calamity, caused by Holden."
"It is true that this is an inevitable price to pay for development, and it is not our fault. But one thing I must make clear is that Demon Calamity, after all, started with us."
His eyes finally fell on the War Knight.
"This is our Holden responsibility."
"Demon Calamity started because of us, and it should end in our hands. No matter how much it costs, this is something we must bear."
"Don't raise this issue again."
The war knight's lips moved, but finally he said nothing.
In fact, Fafweil's attitude on this issue has not always been this way.
Previously, in order to trip up Aura, he had issued an order without any psychological burden.
At the cost of a Floating City, Demon was attracted to attack the territory of Aura.
There seems to be some kind of contradiction between that incident and what he said at this time.
But Fafweil knows the difference in his heart.
He doesn't mind taking risks, and he doesn't even mind taking measures that others may consider almost crazy.
But there are prerequisites for taking risks.
He can afford the price of a Floating City.
If the situation gets out of control, he is sure to drive Demon back into the rift, and he only needs to pay a certain number of casualties.
But what if we abandon the front line completely?
Remove all lines of defense and pull the front line to Material Plane?
It's another story entirely.
This means complete loss of control, and the risk is too great. Fafweil has never thought of this idea. The proposal of the War Knight sounds very relieved, but when implemented, there is only one result, an irreversible disaster.
But in addition to this strategic consideration, there is also a more thorny issue.
Platinum Star.
Holden's national machine god, the steel behemoth that carries the hope and trust of countless people of the empire, the ultimate weapon of the empire--
Something went wrong.
Not a small problem.
Platinum Star, like other Floating City whose engines were eroded by Abyssal Energy, has a certain degree of mutation in its core structure.
Expose it to an environment with a high concentration of Abyssal Energy, and it is very likely that it will directly lose control.
This judgment only exists in a sealed report, and only three people have seen this report.
Fafweil himself, and the two Immortal One from the empire.
Even these Destiny Rank here know nothing about it.
There was a long silence in the conference room.
After a long time, someone asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, are we going to let Sacred Aura continue to develop like this? Just watch him grow stronger step by step, until one day, he is so powerful that even Platinum Star can't check and balance him?"
Fafweil is silent.
He couldn't answer.
The situation is far from as optimistic as the people of the empire thought. Abyssal Front is like a beast that can never be fed, swallowing up all the mobility of Holden.
They cannot spare enough manpower and resources to check and balance Aura.
This feeling of powerlessness is even more unbearable than failure on the battlefield.
At this moment, the War Knight suddenly seemed to have received some news.
His expression suddenly condensed, his eyes changed subtly, and his expression changed several times in just a few seconds.
Fafweil noticed something strange about him and asked, "Has the situation on the frontline changed?"
The war knight came back to his senses and took a deep breath.
"Your Majesty, our regiment on the front line has discovered Bronze Dragon King."
"He's not dead."
The war knight continued, "And - there is no doubt that he broke through and returned as Immortal Body, and has returned from the front line as Bernardo."
People present showed surprised expressions.
How long has it been since Immortal Dragon appeared on this planet?
They can't remember clearly.
They have always felt that looking at the Dragon Race, Aura's Red Emperor in the world, he is the most Immortal Realm. He is so dazzling, like a blazing volcano, and everyone can see that his power is growing.
Under a normal growth trajectory, he will inevitably break through the Immortal Realm.
But no one expected that Bronze Dragon King would be one step ahead.
Abyss did not devour him.
Not only did he crawl out of Abyss alive, he also broke through the threshold that countless lives could not reach in his lifetime, and reappeared in the world as the dragon of the Immortal Realm.
Theoretically speaking, there is one more Immortal Dragon, which is not good news for Holden.
But if this Immortal Dragon is Bronze Dragon King Sheffield, the situation is completely different.
This isn't bad news.
This is a good thing.
Fafweil's eyes gradually brightened up, and the haze deep in his eyes was swept away.
He leaned forward slightly, his voice excited.
"Bronze Dragon King struggled to survive Abyss, but broke through Destiny Rank Limit----there is another Immortal Realm in this world."
"In his eyes, Red Emperor is always an out-and-out evil dragon."
"A good show is about to begin."
Bronze Dragon King's character is well known to everyone present.
Now, he comes back as Immortal Realm, what will be the first thing he does?
Fafweil The answer is almost certain.
In addition, regarding Red Emperor, imperial scholars have spent a lot of time studying the mechanism and consequences of Ascension to Godhood. Although the conclusion is not 100% sure, it is already very credible.
Red Emperor can Ascension to Godhood.
For a True God walking in Material Plane, Holden will try to avoid facing its edge.
Fafweil knows very well what kind of price it will cost to collide head-on with a True God, and he is not willing to pay that price.
But Ascension to Godhood doesn't mean you can do whatever you want.
On the contrary, Ascension to Godhood is a constraint.
According to the deduction research conducted by Imperial scholars, if Red Emperor Ascension to Godhood again, at most twice, it will be completely swallowed up by the torrent of faith.
True God cannot continue to be Material Plane.
Like Deity in the heavens, he will be pushed to a higher plane, hold Divine Kingdom high in the outer layer, and be isolated from Material World from now on.
By then, Sacred Aura will no longer be a threat to Holden.
There is another possibility.
If the battle cannot be ended immediately after Ascension to Godhood----then the time left for this emperor in Material Plane will be even shorter. One fierce battle and one Ascension to Godhood is enough to make him Bernardo history.
Bronze Dragon King, may make the emperor have to choose Ascension to Godhood.
No matter which direction, there are opportunities for Holden.
So, should the empire get involved in this matter?
Should we take advantage of this opportunity to push him in the dark?
The matter was so important that Fafweil could not make a decision alone. He needed to discuss it with the other two Immortal One in the empire.
He quickly ended the meeting. Then he informed the empire's Immortal One of what happened and his thoughts.
Boiling Sea, Raging Tide Dragon Realm.
Under the radiance of Sacred Aura, the sea breeze between the island chains has become a bit more comfortable.
Gold Dragon Fenoris landed on a rocky beach on an outer island.
The tide has just receded, and there are still strings of water drops hanging on the rocks, shining with crystal luster in the dim light.
In front of him stood a Blue Dragon.
The color of the scales is like the deep sea before a storm, deep and thick, and the size is only slightly smaller than Fenoris.
Crown-Rank Blue Dragon, Alvia.
Once, as Helmode Dragons, she had many battles with Gold Dragon Fenoris on the battlefield.
The record of confrontation between the two can be traced back hundreds of years, and each time has left enough scars to form a deep hatred.
But now, everything has changed.
Blue Dragon stands here, as Dragons of Aura, talking calmly to his former powerful enemy.
Her posture was relaxed, her wings were half folded at her sides, and she showed no sign of defense or alertness.
This was completely unimaginable before.
"To be honest, I never imagined that this day would happen."
Fenoris said in a low voice.
He looked up and scanned the surrounding sea and islands.
Far away from the reef beach, several adult giant dragons are diving Hunt together. Several dragons are soaring in mid-air. You can clearly see Chromatic Dragon and Metal Dragon mixed together in a natural formation.
On the island, a red dragon and a Silver Dragon were talking about something.
The two are very close to each other, their postures are relaxed, and their tails are wagging from time to time.
"Under the brilliance of Sacred Aura, the minds of Raging Tide Dragon are gradually changing."
Fenoris's gaze retracted from a distance and fell on Alvia.
"At the beginning, because of the emperor's influence, the dragons were willing to accept Aura's guidance, but in fact they still couldn't change their minds, but now——"
He pointed at the red dragon and Silver Dragon who were talking.
"I can say with certainty that most of my kindred spirits have bid farewell to the extreme ideas of the past."
"Including myself."
"You should know very well what I was like before."
Hearing this, Blue Dragon Alvia turned his head slightly.
"Because the great Lord of Sacred Aura, our emperor, has a power and the ability to make Dragon Heart follow him willingly."
"You and I know this better than most dragons."
"After all, like you, I was once an enemy of the emperor."
She raised her head slightly, her eyes becoming a little distant.
"I will always remember the scene when I first saw the emperor. He fell from the sky and destroyed Evil God Temple with one blow. He stretched his body to the fullest in the storm, and the light reflected from his scales was like another sun."
She stood there, shaking all over.
Like a mortal standing in front of a tsunami, all thoughts of resistance were washed away by the overwhelming momentum.
Alvia withdrew his gaze and looked towards the sky.
"Under the leadership of the emperor, we Bernardo Dragonkin are rebuilding our glory."
"No matter what we fought for before, now, we are fighting for the glory and future of Dragon Race."
Gold Dragon also nodded, "You are right."
"When I first started - I actually felt guilty."
"That was when I first chose to accept Sacred Aura. During the day, I flew and patrolled normally, everything was normal, but every night late at night, those thoughts would come to me."
He lowered his head slightly, his eyes half closed.
"I will think of Dragon King, Sheffield Your Majesty."
"I think of the years I spent under his command, and of his figure standing in the storm issuing orders, and then I feel that I am sorry for Dragon King's trust."
He raised his head slightly and looked at the horizon in the distance.
"But whenever this happens, the emperor's figure will appear in my heart. As soon as it appears, my uneasiness and anxiety are dispelled like morning mist."
He turned his head and looked directly at Alvia, his eyes calm.
"Now, I think I made the right choice."
"I no longer need to convince myself."
"His Majesty Sheffield is already a thing of the past. I respect him. It's true. I still respect him. But what he represents is an era that divides Dragon Race into different camps."
Fenoris shook his head.
"That era has come to an end."
"Now is the era of Sacred Aura, and I am loyal to the great Lord of Sacred Aura."
Almost none of Crown Dragon is afraid of death.
Gold Dragon did not surrender out of fear or coercion.
He spent a lot of time thinking about whether his choice was correct. In the end, he made his own judgment and firmly believed that the path Sacred Aura chose was the real future of Dragon Race.
"So, for me now, anyone who obstructs Sacred Aura and disobeys the emperor's will are enemies who must be eradicated."
When he said the last sentence, Fenoris's voice was low and calm, but also contained a kind of sharpness like a blade.
Alvia glanced at Gold Dragon.
Among the Purification Faction dragons of the Raging Tide Dragon Realm, those Metal Dragon who vowed to eradicate all evil, the spiritual nature of many individuals among them has not actually changed much.
They have done extreme things in the name of justice.
Now, the object of allegiance has just been changed to Aura, and the object of eradication has been changed from Evil Dragon to anything that stands in the way of Aura.
Essentially, they went from one extreme to the other.
This Gold Dragon is an example.
A strong wind blew across the sea, raising fine water droplets on the rocky beach, making a soft rustling sound when hitting the scales of the two giant dragons.
Alvia was about to say something else, but suddenly he noticed that Fenoris's body suddenly tensed up.
Gold Dragon's complexion changed drastically in an instant.
First he was stunned, with a confused and unbelievable expression, then his pupils suddenly contracted, the vertical pupils shrunk into a thin line, the muscles under the scales bulged, and the whole body suddenly stretched and became completely tense.
"What's wrong?"
Blue Dragon wrinkled his forehead scales and looked up along Gold Dragon's line of sight.
She saw nothing.
The clouds are low, the dark sky is pressing on the sea, and the waves are rolling in the wind. Everything is the same as before.
But her scales reacted first.
That feeling is difficult to describe accurately in words.
A breath came in like a tsunami.
It is not Dragon Might, nor is it a sound or smell.
If we have to describe it accurately, it is closer to a pure and irresistible sense of existence, sweeping in from beyond the horizon, rolling over waves, islands, and passing over the scales and bones of every dragon.
Beside him, Fenoris's expression changed violently.
He was all too familiar with this feeling.
Gold Dragon's muscles tensed up and he slowly raised his head.
The sky is gray and low.
At some point, a storm quietly swept through Sea of Raging Waves. Lightning split the clouds, and a flash of light illuminated the entire sea surface, and also illuminated a figure flying from a distance.
Cyan color.
This color is particularly eye-catching in the sky, like the cross-section exposed after the hardest reef in the deep sea has been split open, or like a blade made of seawater, piercing the curtain of a storm.
He moved from far to near, his speed was neither urgent nor slow.
However, the dark clouds and wind and rain in the sky fluctuated and gave way, as if the entire sky was matching its rhythm and making way for him.
Bronze Dragon King, Sheffield.
He's back.
Abyss's danger did not leave any visible traces on him, but instead tempered him to become colder and sharper, like a sword pulled out of the darkness.
In the sky of Sea of Raging Waves, Sheffield took a deep breath.
The saltiness of sea salt, the coldness of the storm, and the fishy smell of seaweed and fish.
The taste of home.
This is the unique smell of the sea that he has guarded for thousands of years.
At this moment, all the hardships became worth it.
He's back.
Sheffield opened the dragon's kiss, and a roar sounded like thunder in the sky.
"Raging Tide dragons, your king is back!"
When Abyss, he had imagined this moment countless times.
When he returns, his people will soar from the islands, their scales gleaming, and the sound of their wings flapping the air will be one Ocean.
They would let out a deafening roar that would be louder than his own roar.
Because they have been waiting for this day for too long.
They would gather around him from all directions and greet their king with the greatest enthusiasm. A place would be left for him in the center of the dragons, and he would land there, surrounded by his people.
Bronze Dragon King Closed his eyes slightly, stretched his wings in the storm, and let the sea breeze blow through every scale.
He is waiting.
Waiting for his loyal people to crowd up and tell him about their years of waiting and perseverance.
However, the response to him was silence.
Sheffield wrinkled the scales between his forehead.
Then, he smelled waves of breath.
The smell of evil.
He lowered his head and looked down more carefully.
Then, the bronze dragon's expression froze.
In his Raging Tide Dragon Realm, there are numerous Evil Dragon wandering in the sea area that he has guarded for thousands of years, and in the holy place where he vowed to clean up all evil!
He saw red, Blue Dragon, green, black, and even white Evil Dragon, entrenched in his Dragon Realm territory.
Evil Dragon people have a calm posture and a calm demeanor.
It seems that this is their Evil Dragon territory.
The Metal Dragon around them turned a blind eye to their existence.
Not only that, Sheffield also saw an even more unacceptable picture.
At the edge of his field of vision, several Metal Dragon were standing side by side with Evil Dragon. Their postures showed a very close relationship, and the dragon's claws tightened unconsciously.
A searing anger surged up from Bronze Dragon King's chest, spreading throughout his body like lava along his blood vessels.
He originally thought that when he returned, he would see a Raging Tide Dragon Realm who stood firm in his faith.
He will embrace his people, tell them everything will be fine, and lead them to eradicate evil.
But now, what does he see?
Evil, in his own Dragon Realm, mixes with his people, crawling over every island like a parasite.
These damn minions of Evil Dragon and Red Calamity actually occupied his Dragon Realm while he was away and bewitched his people.
They must have used some despicable means!
These Evil Dragon used lies and deceit to corrupt the will of their own people, causing them to abandon their oaths.
Unforgivable!
Unforgivable!
Unforgivable!
Bronze Dragon King's eyes swept across the figures of Evil Dragon below, and murderous intent spread in the air like substance.
Then it took him a few seconds to calm down.
He needs to figure out what's going on.
How did these Evil Dragon come in, why did his people not resist, and what role did Red Emperor play in this matter.
But there was one thing he was sure of without any thought.
Evil must be eradicated. No matter what happens, no matter what the reason is, these Evil Dragon must die, and no one can be left behind.