frightfiction Chapter 563: Shining Garoth, Super Saiyan Dragon 25
Chapter 563: Shining Garoth, Super Saiyan Dragon 25
"Unfortunately, the Eternal War Eternal Progress trait wasn't enhanced."
The red iron dragon shook his head slightly, thinking with an unsurprised yet somewhat disappointed feeling.
Among his numerous traits, the most important were undoubtedly Undying Life and Eternal War Eternal Progress.
The former underwent a qualitative transformation when he stepped into the crown-level, making him like a game's BOSS—as long as his 'health bar' wasn't empty, he wouldn't truly die. No matter how severe the injuries he suffered, as long as a sliver of energy remained, he could recover rapidly.
The latter, that trait which allowed him to grow stronger the longer he fought, showed no change at all.
This left him feeling a bit disappointed.
However, disappointment was one thing; it wasn't enough to make him discouraged.
He was long accustomed to this rhythm.
The path of evolution was never smooth sailing. Sometimes certain traits would leap forward, sometimes they would stagnate. This was all normal.
"Most likely, my evolution traits will only be enhanced when I reach the Mandate of Heaven.""As for the qualitative transformation of the talent itself, perhaps I'll have to wait until I step into Immortality."
"By that time, the so-called talent will truly sublimate into a Potency belonging to me, becoming clearer, more concrete, and more powerful."
Garoth thought silently, his massive dragon head lowering slightly.
He hadn't truly seen the power of an Immortal, but the inheritance contained some related descriptions that left a deep impression on him. It was indeed something to look forward to.
Immediately, he stopped focusing on the changes in his traits and turned his gaze once more toward the Dragon Pearl deep within his chest.
In that instant, his thoughts returned to before his slumber.
"Before slumber, no matter how I tried, I couldn't truly complete Explosive Qi in the real sense. The fundamental reason was that my own energy was too vast, impossible to erupt entirely in a short time. It was like a massive reservoir; it's basically impossible to release all the water in an instant."
"Now, the nature of the Dragon Pearl has changed. It can no longer be used to heal myself."
He carefully sensed the state of the Dragon Pearl.
It had turned golden, still extraordinary, but the gentle feeling of healing energy had completely vanished. Now, there was only a blazing, almost frenzied sense of excitement.
"In its place, I can achieve Explosive Qi through the intensely excited energy of the Dragon Pearl."
Garoth recalled the battle after he was startled awake.
Saying he was startled awake wasn't quite accurate.
Before the Celestial Sword fell, he had actually already completed his slumber, he just hadn't woken up directly.
At that time, he was in the afterglow of slumber, repeatedly deducing the Explosive Qi technique within his dreams. Those attempts that couldn't be completed in reality could be simulated countless times in the dreamscape.
The joint surprise attack from the southeast and southwest domains didn't cause any negative impact on Garoth.
In the eyes of some intelligent beings, this event was quite coincidental.
The legendary beings just happened to choose the time when the Red Emperor had awakened early to attack, resulting in a miserable outcome; whereas when the Red Emperor was in normal slumber before, he never suffered any attacks.
It seemed like luck.
But in reality, it wasn't coincidence or luck.
Under normal circumstances, a slumber time of around a hundred years was too long.
If not for Cerora, who could shorten his slumber time, then the uneasy Garoth would only have two choices: either choose to slumber in the safer Serene Spirit Wilderness, or clear away all potential threats before slumbering.
Since he obediently slumbered in the Material Plane, he was already prepared to welcome any and all attacks.
This was his choice.
"Explosive Qi, it was just a crude attempt before. Now, let's seriously verify it."
Garoth gathered his focus, his spirit highly concentrated.
Hum!
Dragon Qi erupted.
It seeped out from the gaps between his scales, like countless tiny serpents, spreading and winding through the air, growing denser and denser. In the blink of an eye, that Dragon Qi transformed into substantial-looking fiery aura, swirling and surging around the red iron dragon's body, emitting a low roar, forming visible circles of energy vortices.
Simultaneously, a golden light shone from the giant dragon's chest.
It was the light of the Dragon Pearl.
Solid, dazzling, like a sun shrunk countless times, sealed beneath the scales. Every flicker released scorching light that ignited the surrounding Dragon Qi, like a spark falling into kindling.
Boom!
The fiery aura surged violently.
Like adding oil to fire, all the Dragon Qi was instantly ignited.
The aura that originally just swirled around his body now transformed into towering golden flames that shot skyward, completely enveloping the red iron dragon.
The aura surged wildly, emitting low rumbles, even the surrounding air was scorched and distorted.
At this moment, the red iron dragon was like a sun.
An infinitely radiant, fiercely burning sun.
The red iron dragon's wings trembled, his massive body shot straight into the sky, then hovered at high altitude, letting the golden fiery aura engulf him.
He could feel the Dragon Pearl inside him coming alive, pulsating like a heart. Every beat released a sea of energy.
This energy flooded into his body, igniting the Dragon Qi, making the fiery aura increasingly ferocious and blazing.
The feeling was like countless rivers of fire surging through his blood vessels.
And this was Explosive Qi, the real Explosive Qi.
No longer that half-finished attempt from before that would backlash after just a few seconds.
Now, it was a stable skill that could operate continuously, developed and perfected step by step by Garoth himself, adjusted by his Adaptive Evolution trait, perfectly compatible with him, as if it was meant to be this way from birth.
The golden light illuminated the entire sky.
For a hundred miles around, all clouds were evaporated completely, revealing the clear blue sky. On the ground, the deep pits and ravines Garoth had created appeared exceptionally clear under this illumination, every crack, every collapse visible in minute detail.
The entire scene looked both magnificent and somewhat savage.
Garoth closed his eyes, feeling the surging power within.
Saturation.
He began to feel a sense of saturation, like swelling filled to the extreme.
Like a container injected with too much water, on the verge of overflowing at any moment. Every muscle, every scale, every bone was filled to the brim with energy.
This feeling was wondrous.
Both dangerous and fascinating to him, as if taking just one more step forward would allow him to touch a higher realm. Power was boiling, roaring, cheering.
As time passed, the scales on his body surface began to crack inch by inch.
Cracks started from the edges of the scales, spreading toward the center, dense and numerous like a spiderweb. Beneath the cracks, golden light shone through his body, making his entire form appear translucent, like a sculpture forged from light.
He just stood quietly in the sky, but centered on him, waves of air continuously erupted and spread.
Impacted the air, emitting low rumbles, like the heartbeat of a giant beast.
"This intense, ferocious feeling..."
The red iron dragon raised his dragon arm, spreading his claws open.
Because of the extreme activity of the energy, almost in the blink of an eye, dragonqi bombs condensed and formed from his claws, the speed unbelievably fast.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
One after another, dragonqi bombs shot from his sharp claws, pouring toward the surrounding sky.
They trailed golden tail flames, drawing countless dazzling trajectories across the blue sky, then exploded high in the air. The light layered upon itself, like fireworks during a festival, yet a thousand times more spectacular than any fireworks.
One.
Ten.
A hundred.
...Countless dragonqi bombs exploded in the sky, dyeing the heavens a dazzling gold. Explosive shockwaves intersected and spread in the air, forming one visible ripple after another, spreading in all directions until the horizon's edge.
This spectacle was even more spectacular than during his awakening battle.
Back then, he had just woken from slumber and was still somewhat weak; now, he was at his peak, freely venting his vast, immense energy.
After a long time, the golden light finally gradually dimmed.
The aftershocks of the explosions slowly dissipated in the air, the blue sky reappearing, though occasionally a few strands of golden light could still be seen drifting in the wind, like lingering scars in the sky.
Garoth lowered his head, looking at his own claw-arm.
The cracks on the scales were still there, but healing at a visible rate. The gaps between dragon scales stretched open by the energy were also gradually closing and sealing as the energy was vented.
His body was recovering quickly.
"That's about enough. This saturated energy venting is just a side effect."
He said softly.
This was just the beginning.
The real change was still to come.
Then, the red iron dragon closed his eyes again.
Dragon Qi surged out once more, golden fiery aura wildly surging.
Not long after, that familiar sense of saturation appeared again. His dragon scales began to crack, energy filling him to the point of almost bursting out from beneath every scale.
But this time, Garoth wasn't in a hurry to release it.
He took a deep breath, his entire body's muscles suddenly tensing.
His head rose high, chest thrust out, spine arched. Every muscle inside his body contracted violently, bones creaking, as if his entire form was bearing immense pressure while undergoing some incredible transformation.
Then, change occurred.
The golden fiery aura rushing outward was compressed back, contracting inward.
It no longer burned fiercely, instead clinging tightly to the surface of the scales, like a layer of golden light film coating them. And this light film was growing increasingly solid, even extending onto his head, covering the roots of his dragon horns, enveloping him entirely.
Thus, his dragon horns began to proliferate.
The original pair of main horns became more rugged and thick, their surfaces growing intricate patterns like flowing gold. The several pairs of auxiliary horns beside them also began to rapidly grow and extend, becoming longer and thicker, finally becoming indistinguishable from the initial main horns.
They wound and coiled, some thrusting toward the sky, some sweeping backward, gleaming with a cold, metallic luster.
Like a crown woven from pure power, placed upon his head.
As this dragon crown took form, the light film on his body also completely solidified, condensing into substance, tightly adhering to and covering every inch of his dragon scales, every corner, seamless, without any flaw.
Garoth, at this moment, transformed into a golden dragon.
And not just an ordinary gold.
The golden radiance on him shone dazzlingly, the scale color more brilliant and eye-catching than any gold dragon's.
Under the influence of this radiance and the dragon crown, Garoth's originally strong and ferocious physique gained an additional aura of sacred majesty.
That majesty didn't seem like a creature of the mortal world, more like an existence stepping out from mythology.
Garoth opened his eyes; even his pupils had turned into solidified gold at this moment, like two burning suns.
He raised one dragon claw, gently waving it.
Claw tips sliced through the air, leaving several dark crack trajectories. Space was directly torn, the cracks lingering in the air for a moment before gradually healing.
"Power. It feels like endless power is surging within me."
The red iron dragon revealed a pleased expression.
This feeling was even more intense than the previous saturated venting.
He even had an illusion, as if he could tear apart everything before him if he so wished.
The red iron dragon suppressed the excitement within, looked at his own body shining with golden radiance, and thought, "In this form of mine, if encountered by intelligent beings unfamiliar with dragonkind, would I be mistaken for a Gold Dragon King?"
"Hmm, that's quite possible."
Immediately, Garoth began familiarizing himself with this body.
Sometimes flying at full speed, stirring up world-ending gales in the sky, the wind pressure falling to the ground could tear open deep trenches; sometimes shooting high into the sky then crashing down to earth, impacting shocking deep craters and collapses on the surface, the entire small world trembling.
If this small world had living creatures, they would surely think the apocalypse had arrived.
But here, there was only desolate wilderness and silent hills, silently enduring the giant dragon's rampage.
After some time.
The golden dragon landed on a hill, pausing, the radiance all over his body gradually beginning to slowly dissipate.
"The new form created through Explosive Qi is about igniting the energy I previously used for revival, converting it all into explosive amplification of myself."
He carefully contemplated the changes in his body.
"Considering my current Undying Life trait, this is equivalent to burning life."
"The downside is, when this energy fills the entire body, it cannot be interrupted. Once entering the second stage, it must burn to the end, until all the Dragon Pearl energy is exhausted."
Garoth felt the rapidly burning energy, thoughtful.
Explosive Qi was divided into two stages.
The first stage, when he just felt his body saturating, he could still stop the Explosive Qi by releasing dragonqi bombs or shaping other Dragon Qi attacks.
This was a reversible process, like a reservoir releasing floodwaters; just open the gates to control the water level.
If he let the Dragon Qi continue burning, what followed was the second stage.
Dragon Qi burned to the extreme began compressing and solidifying, forming the golden light film covering his entire body.
By this point, it couldn't be stopped anymore.
He could only exhaust the Dragon Pearl energy in one go, and his own energy would also be consumed to an almost dried-up state, infinitely close to death, like a candle burned down to just a small stub of wick.
And it was at this moment that the golden radiance on Garoth's body almost completely dissipated.
This also meant he had almost burned through his energy.
But he didn't become weak because of it.
Hum!
Another layer of white light shone. That was the light of Born from Death.
Born from Death triggered directly in the extreme state. Centered on the giant dragon, shockwave circles spread out, sweeping over the ground, stirring up clouds of dust, sweeping over hills, shearing off protruding rocks.
The entire world trembled under his might.
At this moment, he was at his strongest.
Garoth flexed his dragon claws, feeling the power surging within.
Simultaneously, he looked around, thinking to himself.
"The second stage of Explosive Qi will be my most powerful skill at this stage, bar none. But it's also dangerous, a double-edged sword."
"It will burn me almost to exhaustion, pushing me to a state close to death."
"It can't be used recklessly unless absolutely necessary."
"During training, extreme caution is also needed. If I don't grasp the proper limits well and truly burn myself to death, that would be a joke."
"Hmm... Explosive Qi is the technique. The combat form created through Explosive Qi, let's call it the Shining Form for now."
As he thought, the power within was about to fade.
If during intense combat, after this, going through another round of Master Life and Death and Rage Without Fear of Death, Garoth would face true weakness, weakness where energy was almost completely exhausted, infinitely close to death.
"Too dangerous, too dangerous."
Garoth thought, his massive head shaking.
He always valued his life, but simultaneously, he understood this danger was worth it. The more powerful the skill, the greater the risk often accompanying it.
The key was grasping the timing and proper limits of its use.
Simultaneously, he concentrated his spirit, Dragon Qi condensing and shaping inch by inch, transforming into a three-headed, six-armed form.
Sharp claws reached out, tearing open a spatial channel directly connecting to his own Treasure Vault.
He used one pair of dragon claws to support the channel's edges, the other two pairs reaching in, grabbing out large amounts of gems, magical medicine, energy crystals...
Immediately, the three-headed dragon lifted his heads, taking a deep breath.
Whoosh!
Airflow condensed into substance, like a hurricane sweeping up all surrounding matter.
Countless broken stones, various elemental energies dispersed in the air, even the dust just blasted away... all were sucked into the dragon's mouths. Visible airflow trajectories even formed in the air, like countless twisting giants.
This was another trait Garoth had evolved this time.
The effect was similar to the Furnace Stomach, but more concentrated in the respiratory system.
It could efficiently absorb all energy in the air through deep breathing. Whether it was free-floating elements or tiny material particles, all would be absorbed and converted.
Garoth named it "Abyssal Breath Lungs".
He didn't chew either, devouring everything like a whirlwind sweeping away clouds.
Those gems, magical medicine, and energy crystals entered his stomach, immediately decomposed by the Furnace Stomach at an unbelievable speed, transforming into rolling streams of heat flowing toward his limbs and entire body.
Soon, the Shining Form completely ended.
A sense of weakness washed over him like a tide.
But, in that short time, Garoth's energy had recovered a small portion, already leaving the brink of death state. Though still very weak, at least some random legendary being couldn't just take his life.
"The Dragon Pearl's revival was degraded, but simultaneously evolving the Furnace Stomach and Abyssal Breath Lungs, combined with the new Undying Life trait, is somewhat more useful than revival."
"And, I also obtained the Shining Form."
Garoth patted his own belly.
Recalling the past, the Adaptive Evolution talent, though occasionally bringing him unexpected results, degrading some traits he felt were quite good, but no matter the specifics, the evolved traits always adapted to him. Even if the process was tortuous, the result always moved in the right direction.
Like this time.
Crown-level traits and the traits he himself evolved could cooperate with each other, forming a brand new combat system.
Undying Life ensured he wouldn't be slain. Furnace Stomach and Abyssal Breath Lungs allowed him to quickly recover energy, continuously restoring his 'health bar'. The Shining Form gave him his strongest burst method.
"It's quite good like this too. Evolution after evolution, continuous change, until becoming the most perfect ultimate being."
Garoth thought thus.
He didn't have the idea of stubbornly sticking to one path, nor did he harbor much nostalgia for the revival trait.
The path of evolution was inherently a process of continuous abandonment and acquisition.
Those clinging to the old would be eliminated. Only by constantly adapting, constantly changing, could one go further.
Immediately after, Garoth fed for another period, until his stomach felt like it was burning, even emitting engine-like rumbles, as if a true furnace was rumbling and operating inside his body, before barely stopping.
Then, he coiled up on the spot, preparing to use sleep to recover from the negative effects caused by the Shining Form.
The loss of energy was secondary.
The current Garoth could recover it quickly. With the Furnace Stomach and Abyssal Breath Lungs, given enough food, he could recover most of his energy in a short time.
The key was, his body, after the extreme activity of the Shining Form, became 'listless'.
Ten points of strength could only exert five or six. That feeling was like a spring stretched too long, losing its elasticity, needing to rest a while to slowly recover.
Garoth closed his eyes in the real world, his consciousness beginning to sink.
Passing through darkness and void, through layered veils of obscurity, then, he opened his eyes within the dream.
Before him was a vast expanse of heaven and earth.
Still that familiar grassland, warm sunlight, gentle breeze, wildflowers covering the entire hillside, swaying lightly in the wind. In the distance, a small stream flowed murmuring, water sounds tinkling.
But compared to before, this place was somewhat different.
The grassland had become more expansive, stretching beyond sight.
The originally blurred distant mountains became clear, peaks covered in snow, shimmering with silver light under the sun. Even those wildflowers became more vibrant and lush, vivid, with a faint floral fragrance perceptible.
"You're here."
Right then, a familiar voice sounded.
A figure flew up from below.
Cerora.
She maintained her human form, wearing a light green long dress, long hair cascading over her shoulders. Her figure was light, like a butterfly, like a feather, drifting and floating down before him.
Then, she directly nestled up, very naturally leaning against him.
Cerora leaned sideways against the giant dragon's foreleg, her back against his scales, one hand resting on his claw, her whole body curling up at his side, like a cat finding a warm stove.
Garoth didn't avoid her.
He would have before.
In the initial dream world, whenever Cerora approached, he would maintain distance, keeping the reserve and boundaries proper between dragons.
But now it was different.
Long companionship could change many things.
They had watched countless sunrises and sunsets together in dreams, discussed countless topics, spent countless long stretches of time. Gradually, that boundary became blurred.
The relationship between the two had become very intimate, no longer needing to deliberately maintain distance.
So now, when Cerora nestled up, Garoth just slightly shifted his dragon claw, making more comfortable space for her.
"The dream world you constructed is bigger."
Garoth said, his gaze sweeping the surroundings. He could feel the changes in this world; the texture was completely different from before.
Cerora lifted her head, eyes curving into two crescent moons.
She asked, "What else did you notice?"
The red iron dragon looked around, carefully sensing everything.
"Not just bigger, but also more resilient." He paused. "Before, this place gave me an illusory feeling, like a curtain that could be torn at any time, easily punctured. Now..."
"Now it's like a real world."
"The air has texture, the ground has weight, even the fragrance of those flowers has become clearer."
Cerora smiled even more happily.
"Of course." She said, "Did you think only you were getting stronger?"
She left the dragon's embrace, spinning a circle before him. The light green hem of her dress floated up with her movement, drawing an elegant arc under the sky's light, like butterfly wings.
"I also went through slumber, and my slumber effect was much better than yours."
She stopped, standing before him with hands behind her back, looking up at him.
"My talent can help you, but used on myself, it can maximize its effect. After all, my talent is originally about sleep and dreams."
She said cheerfully.
Garoth looked at her, asking, "What's your level now?"
Cerora blinked, deliberately playing coy.
"You guess?"
Garoth thought: "Thirty-one?"
"Too low."
"Thirty-two?"
"Still too low."
Garoth's gaze slightly narrowed: "Thirty-three?"
"Correct!"
Cerora's tone carried a hint of pride. She hopped once, her dress hem floating again.
"My life level has reached thirty-three now. How about that, impressive, right?"
Garoth's eyes narrowed slightly.
Thirty-three.
Higher than him.
He had just stepped into crown-level; according to level division, he should be around level thirty. And Cerora was already thirty-three.
That was a difference of nearly three levels.
At the crown-level tier, for normal dragons, each level required long time to accumulate.
"You'll probably become Mandate of Heaven earlier than me."
Garoth said.
Cerora nodded, saying matter-of-factly: "Of course. I can not only shorten my own slumber time, but also make slumber more efficient. This is my advantage. My growth speed was originally faster than yours, a combat type."
She paused, then added:
"You're so good at fighting. If your growth speed was also faster than mine, then how would other dragons live? Good things can't all be taken by you, right?"
The red iron dragon nodded, slowly saying: "All exchanged through sweat, not worth mentioning."
Cerora was momentarily speechless, rolling her eyes exaggeratedly at him.
"Sweat? As if I haven't worked hard."
She shook her head, then nestled up again, changing to a more comfortable posture. This time she directly leaned against his foreleg, head resting on his claw, gaze looking toward the distant mountain range.
"But seriously," she suddenly spoke, "you truly live up to being the dragon I set my sights on."
Garoth lowered his head to look at her, asking: "How so?"
"You just broke through to crown-level, right?"
"Right."
"That's level thirty." Cerora said, "But, this level placed on you should already be comparable to a Mandate of Heaven dragon."
She continued: "I know, when you were a high legendary, you could rival crown-level. No, it could even be said you swept through crown-level. So many legendary beings from the southeast and southwest domains besieged you, resulting in total annihilation."
Cerora lifted her head, looking into his eyes.
"From high legendary to crown-level, there's a significant gap. It's a gap in life level."
"From crown-level to Mandate of Heaven requires even more accumulation. The difficulty of fighting across levels is greater. But you? High legendary fighting crown-level, crown-level comparable to Mandate of Heaven, always maintaining this combat power that leaps a major level... Sounds like no change, but actually it's even more outrageous than before."
She reached out, poking his scales.
"Who knows, when you reach Mandate of Heaven, you might directly contend with those Immortals."
She put her hand down, leaning against the dragon scales.
"Freak, a real freak, an absolute freak. That's the only way I can describe you."
Garoth wasn't angered either, smiling: "Then I'll take your freak description as praise."
"Of course it's praise."
Cerora buried her face between the dragon scales, taking a deep breath, saying muffledly: "The dragon I chose is naturally the most amazing. Otherwise, why would I be so smitten with you?"
Finished, she lifted her head again.
As if remembering something, Cerora's smile faded, her expression turning serious.
"Right, Garoth, there's something I need to tell you."
"What?"
Cerora said: "You've been targeted. Someone will make a move against you."
Garoth looked at her, waiting for her to continue.
Cerora carefully chose her words, slowly saying: "You know, I like to travel between different dreams. When those intelligent beings sleep, their dreams are like small worlds. I can enter and see what they're thinking."
"This is interesting, and also useful."
Garoth nodded.
He knew Cerora had this ability, had heard her tell many stories seen in dreams—some interesting, some sad, some filled with absurd imagination.
The key was, she could obtain real-world information from dreams.
"During the time you were in deep slumber."
Cerora said: "I often travel through different dreams, especially those related to you."
Garoth asked: "Dreams related to me? What were they like?"
"All kinds."
Cerora said: "Some dreamed you were a savior, helping Atlan repel demons, saving the entire continent, the embodiment of justice; some dreamed you were a tyrant, destroying their homes, burning their cities, the symbol of evil; some dreamed you were a mythological existence, high above and untouchable, like the deities in legends."
"Everyone's dreams were different, but all reflected their inner views of you."
"Your image in their hearts, sometimes even you couldn't imagine."
Garoth listened quietly.
"Among these dreamers, one person was very special."
Cerora's voice paused slightly, then continued: "He is a human crown-level, level thirty-four."
Thirty-four?
Garoth's gaze flickered slightly.
Quite a high level, just one step from Mandate of Heaven. One could even say he had already touched the threshold of Mandate of Heaven. Varta, Crown of Three Aspects, was at this level.
"Do you know who this person is?"
"Of course." Cerora said, "I can obtain much information from dreams. His name is Reinhardt."
Reinhardt...
Hearing this, the red iron dragon's gaze narrowed.
This person, he knew.
That was many years ago.
The former Reinhardt was hailed as the Light of Theo, young and vigorous, spirited and proud, stepping into legendary in his youth. Later, under the iron dragon Sorog's open scheme, he lost to his own claws and fangs, severely wounded near death, falling from the divine altar into the mud.
Since then, Reinhardt vanished without a trace.
The King of Theo reported he wasn't dead yet, but basically there was no news of him.
Never expected to hear this name again today from Cerora's mouth.
"What did he dream?"
Garoth asked.
Cerora said: "This person, I've observed him for a while."
"In dreams, he repeatedly dreamed of you. Initially, the you in his dreams were terrifying forms. You were a giant beast representing destruction in his dreams, body burning with blood-colored flames, eyes like two suns, each appearance bringing destruction."
"He kept far away from you, not daring to approach. Every time he saw you, he'd turn and flee until exhausted, then wake from the dream startled."
"His dreams were filled with fear and unease, that fear almost condensing into substance."
"But recently, his dreams changed."
Cerora's voice became more serious.
"He began facing you directly, no longer fleeing or hiding, but standing there, watching you."
"Though his body still trembled, and the dream still retained a fear of you, he didn't run. The most recent time, in the dream I saw, he even drew his sword against you."
Garoth chuckled lowly, voice like thunder.
"It seems I left a very deep shadow on him. Though, if I hadn't heard this name again, I'd almost forgotten this person existed."
Cerora said: "Those who can face their fears in dreams are not simple."
"Most people's first reaction when encountering something fearful in dreams is to flee, driven by fear."
"This is instinct, but he overcame this instinct."
"This Reinhardt, I heard his name back on the Arotala Continent. He appeared in various places, and dangerous ones at that, as if deliberately approaching danger himself, and surviving every time. Not some obscure minor character."
"He can face you in dreams for a reason. Can't treat him as an ordinary human crown-level."
Garoth nodded, thoughtful.
"Anything else?"
He asked.
"Yes." Cerora said, "I suspect he's close to breaking through to Mandate of Heaven."
Garoth's gaze deepened further.
"Changes in dreams often synchronize with reality."
Cerora explained, "This is a conclusion I drew from observing countless dreams. When someone can overcome fear in dreams, they often also have breakthroughs in reality."
"He can face you in dreams, draw his sword against you, meaning he's overcoming his fear of you."
"And through observing him, I found that what stands between him and the Mandate of Heaven level is only his fear."
"That fear is you."
She looked at Garoth, saying: "This person, his life level could be said to be 34.9999... truly infinitely close to Mandate of Heaven. As long as he can overcome his fear of you, he'll probably cross that threshold, step into Mandate of Heaven."
Garoth was silent for a moment.
Then, he slowly spoke: "I understand."
"Thinking carefully, perhaps back then I still harbored some arrogance and conceit deep down, so didn't deeply investigate whether this person lived or died, giving him a chance to grow."
Back then, he had just become the Red Emperor, stepping onto the continent's stage, also at a time of high spirits.
A human genius? To him, just a minor interlude, passed and forgotten. But this was essentially leaving a hidden danger for himself, one that should have been resolved earlier.
"Garoth, from now on, such mistakes must never happen again."
He murmured inwardly, speaking to himself.
Even if it were a true Mandate of Heaven existence, the current Garoth couldn't be said to have much apprehension.
He had just stepped into crown-level, and while still weak, could sweep through multiple crown-levels including one quasi-Mandate of Heaven. Plus, with trump cards like the Shining Form, even encountering a true Mandate of Heaven, he wouldn't fear.
But, this matter was also a reminder for him.
What if an Immortal came?
What if an even more powerful existence came?
This unsettling thought, once surfacing, was difficult to completely suppress.
Cerora looked at him, saying: "Be careful. This person, while fearing you, harbors deep obsession. From dreams, one can see that obsession is almost carved deep into his soul."
"And obsession, sometimes can transform into incredible power."
"The more obsessive the person or dragon, sometimes the more they can reach extremes."
Garoth lowered his head, looking at her.
Her eyes were close at hand, pupils reflecting the dragon's faceplate. Then, he raised his dragon claw, gently stroking Cerora's hair, touching her strands.
"It's fine."
The red iron dragon said calmly.
"I also need to hone my claws and fangs, verify my current power. Having an opponent to test the waters is good. If he can become Mandate of Heaven, even better, can serve as my opponent."
"I also want to see, compared to a true Mandate of Heaven, who is stronger, who is weaker, between the current me and them."
He withdrew his dragon claw, gaze looking into the distance.
"I hope he can let me enjoy myself to the fullest."
Cerora nodded, not speaking. Within the dream, time slowly flowed.