Defeat the entire world with the power of one dragon!

Chapter 554 Holden: Destroy the Floating City
As the sun rises, the light of dawn spills across the land, gilding the territory of the Kingdom of Aura with a shimmering golden edge.

The light spread from the eastern horizon, first reddening the clouds, then illuminating the towering peaks, and finally pouring down on the vast plains. The outline of the Lane Plateau gradually became clear in the dawn, all enveloped in a warm golden hue.

However, Galus had no time to appreciate the scene.

He raised his enormous head and looked up at the sky.

The wind howled past the top of the Dragon Court, sweeping over his scales, but it couldn't shake his solemn gaze.

His gaze swept over the silhouettes of one distant floating city after another, suspended high in the sky, gleaming with a faint metallic sheen in the morning light, like nails driven into the heavens.

A few minutes later, he slowly withdrew his gaze.

Red Iron Dragon narrowed his eyes slightly, establishing a spiritual connection between blood relatives.

"Sorog, Samantha."

His will was transmitted and reached the hearts of his two blood relatives.

Did you see that?

He called out.

Almost instantly, both wills responded simultaneously.

Iron Dragon Sorog's voice rang out first, deep and steady: "I saw it."

"Huh? What did you see? I didn't see anything."

Samantha, the Red Dragon, followed with a clear hint of doubt.

The third Holden floating city did not actually fall and ultimately did not crash to the ground, so there was not much of a commotion.

There was no deafening roar, no earth-shaking tremors, no billowing dust. It's normal not to notice it immediately if you weren't paying attention to the sky.

Galos explained, "Another floating city has fallen."

"This is the third one, isn't it!"

Samantha's voice immediately filled with excitement, the kind of excitement that belongs to a red dragon, a thirst for battle.

"Where did it crash? I didn't feel a similar tremor as before, but I'm ready to fight at any time. I didn't kill enough of those demons last time, so this is a good opportunity to practice again."

Galos didn't say much, but directly transmitted everything he had just seen through the mental link.

After processing this information, Red Dragon's voice was filled with surprise.

"It fell by half, but it can rise back up? This is the first time."

"That's what I saw."

Galos nodded slightly, paused for a moment, and asked, "What are your thoughts on this unusual event?"

Two seconds later.

"interesting."

Sorog said thoughtfully, "It's like this floating city went out of control and was pulled back. First it fell, then it was supported by some force, and then it rose again. The whole process was very smooth."

Samantha interjected, "Could it be that Holden has started to fight back?"

"When the two floating cities fell before, they didn't say a word. I thought they were all dead. Now that they're suddenly making noise, maybe they've recovered and have some resistance again. After all, such a large empire can't just collapse like that, can it?"

Sorog nodded. "Possibly."

As he said this, he changed the subject again: "However, it may just be a last gasp before death, like the last struggle of a drowning person. It looks like they are floating, but it is just their last breath. Once it runs out, they will sink again."

These two situations imply two completely different outcomes.

The former signifies Holden's commencement of his counterattack.

They have found a way to combat the abyss, or at least a way to slow the collapse. The upward trend in chaos will be curbed, or even reduced.

Atlanta will have a buffer period.

The latter indicates that Holden is on the verge of collapse, and the rise of the third floating city is only a temporary success, with the overall situation still deteriorating.

An even bigger crash was yet to come.

When the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken.

Galos knew very well that if Holden, that tall guy, were to disappear from the continent of Atlanta, all the surface kingdoms would be affected, and he would be no exception.

"I think Holden has started to stir things up again."

Samantha analyzed the situation seriously, her tone unusually earnest.

"I have always looked down on the human race, feeling that they are insignificant and cunning, with short lifespans and narrow vision. But I have to admit that Holden's human empire is indeed extraordinary."

She paused, organized her thoughts, and then continued:

"Developing the Abyss is something no normal person could do."

"That's the abyss, the most dangerous of all the planes. It's the lair of countless demons, and it also harbors wild gods and evil creatures. It's a place that even gods wouldn't easily set foot in."

"They dared to touch, dig, and use it; their audacity was outrageous."

"Although they have paid the price now, I think that since they dared to carry out this plan in the first place, they must have thought it through carefully and had some confidence, so that they wouldn't collapse completely."

Red Dragon admires the brave and fearless.

Some might call Holden's exploration of the Abyss foolish, and it was indeed foolish, given the consequences already evident.

But it cannot be denied that this was indeed daring.

They were so bold as to be almost insane, so insane that even dragons had to take notice.

"What you said makes some sense."

Sorog agreed with the red dragon's statement, and then added, "However, we have too little information to make a specific judgment."

"It's possible that Holden was gathering strength beforehand and is now launching a counterattack."

"But it's also possible that this is just a struggle before death, making it seem like the person has come back to life, but it's actually just a final burst of energy before death."

Then, the red iron dragon spoke.

"If Holden can stem the decline, we will have more time to develop, the investment in the northern Middle-earth will not be in vain, and Aura can continue to grow stronger in a short period of time."

"If this is just a last gasp before death, we need to start the retreat."

"The retreat route to the Immortal Wilderness has been paved. Although we will still suffer heavy losses, as long as we are still here, everything is not a problem. What we have lost can be regained, and what has died can be reproduced. As long as the foundation is not destroyed, Aura will not perish."

Samantha asked, "And now? What do we do now?"

Galos thought for a moment.

"Be patient and wait."

He said, "Wait for more information. Now that the floating city has been pulled back, Holden will most likely take other actions. They can't just watch their cities fall one after another; they have to do something."

"That's true, they can't just keep pretending to be deaf and dumb forever."

Samantha said.

Sorog then said, "I'm keeping an eye on everything. Besides Holden, the other nations on the surface of Atlantis should also know what just happened."

Galos nodded.

"Go."

Both wills faded away simultaneously, and the spiritual link returned to calm.

The wind howled.

The red iron dragon stood alone high in the sky.

He looked down at the kingdom below, the sunlight shining on him and casting his long shadow on the clouds.

"To this day, I have stepped onto the world stage."

"But they still drift with the tide, unable to control their own destiny."

From a wanderer in the wilderness of Ser, to a ruler of Romania, and then to the King of the North, he has climbed to where he is today, each step fraught with peril.

But he discovered that no matter how high he climbed, he still couldn't truly control his own destiny.

All he can do now is try to make the best choice after all this has happened, in the face of even greater clashes of forces.

"I am still not strong enough, otherwise I wouldn't have so many concerns."

He raised his head and looked up at the sky.

The outlines of those floating cities hovered silently, like stars shining in the daytime, but he knew they would fall, one after another.

"What level must one reach to truly do as one pleases and be free from all taboos?"

He asked himself in a low voice.

The wind howled, but there was no answer.

three days later.

Galos's aura surged, his dragon energy condensed and unyielding. He had just completed a set of adaptive training in a burst-energy state and was adjusting his breathing to prepare for the next round.

Suddenly, a whisper from Tie Long's mind came through.

“A messenger has come to visit.”

"Who?"

Galos stopped moving.

Sorog knew that his training schedule was very regular, and he generally wouldn't disturb him at such times unless the matter was important.

The fact that Sorog would send a message at this time suggests that the messenger's identity is probably not simple.

Sure enough, Tie Long's tone became serious as he said, "It is Holden's envoy, who came from a certain floating city. I have verified his identity; it is genuine."

Hong Tielong's gaze sharpened.

Holden.

Since abandoning the surface, this behemoth has almost completely severed all ties with other kingdoms.

Their floating city hangs high in the sky, separated from the earth by thick clouds. Their messengers no longer set foot on the ground, and their voices no longer reach any palace.

Holden became a legend, an existence that only exists in the distance.

Now, the messenger has arrived.

Three days ago, Garros had speculated that Holden might take some action after the anomaly in the third floating city.

But he did not expect that Holden's envoy would come to the Kingdom of Aura.

"……interesting."

His voice was deep as he said, "I'd like to see what Holden is up to."

The Crimson Emperor's Royal City, Council Hall.

When the red-coated iron dragon arrived at the spacious hall, a figure was already waiting there.

That was a human being, a young human being.

He stood in the center of the hall, his posture upright, surveying the surrounding furnishings.

Feeling the dragon's might, he raised his head.

A young face with regular features and clear eyes.

His eyes were light brown, gleaming faintly in the sunlight streaming through the window. He wore a Holden-style envoy's robe, a white robe with gold trim, and the emblem of the Holden Empire, a city floating in the clouds, embroidered on his chest.

His gaze fell on the red iron dragon, revealing a look of awe.

Then, the envoy bowed slightly and performed a Holden-style salute, placing his right hand on his chest, bending his right knee slightly forward, placing his left hand behind his back, and leaning his body forward at a 15-degree angle, his movements impeccable.

"Your Majesty Ignas."

"The Holden Empire sends its envoy, Daniels, to greet you."

The red iron dragon perched on the high platform, looking down at him.

"Your messengers have not set foot on earth for a very long time."

Daniels nodded.

“Yes, Your Majesty, it was our rudeness.” He paused, then continued, “But I have come here precisely to make amends for this rudeness.”

Galos did not speak, but continued to look down at him, waiting for what he would say next.

Daniels bowed again, this time deeper, to express his respect and reverence, then straightened up and smiled slightly.

"Your Majesty, before we begin our formal conversation, please allow me to say a few words of personal consideration."

"explain."

Daniels' eyes flickered slightly, as if he were recalling something.

“My father, Glenn, was Holden’s observer in charge of monitoring the unrest on the Romanian plains.”

“When Your Majesty first established your kingdom, my father took notice of you. At that time, you were just beginning to show your talent and had just gained a foothold in Romania, but you were surrounded by powerful enemies and could be annexed at any moment.” “Later, as you grew, he became more and more aware of your potential and strength.”

“He witnessed your unification of Romania and your rise to become the ruler of the North. He updated his reports on you every year, recording your changes.”

Observation makes...

Is there someone who is silently observing and recording me?

Galos wasn't too surprised by this.

He nodded slightly, signaling Daniels to continue.

"He wrote many reports to the imperial central government, detailing your rise to power."

"He predicted you would unify Romania, and that prediction was correct. He predicted you would become the ruler of the North, and that prediction was also correct. He also advised the Empire to take the initiative to contact you and establish friendly relations, or..."

Daniels hesitated for a moment.

Then he continued:
"To kill you before you even realize it."

The moment the words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall froze.

The red iron dragon's mask was thick and heavy, obscuring its expression, and its deep dragon eyes remained unchanged.

But under his gaze, Daniels suddenly felt a chill run through his body.

It was an indescribable feeling, like having countless sharp knives pressed tightly against your body, each knife aimed at your most vulnerable spot. The slightest movement would result in being torn to pieces.

His back straightened instantly, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me."

He explained, "This is my father's duty."

"He is an observer. His job is to assess threats, predict risks, and make recommendations. It is his duty to nip threats in the bud. It is based on risk considerations, not personal grudges, and it is not directed at you."

"I'm telling you this now because I don't want to hide anything from you."

The dragon's expression remained unchanged.

However, the oppressive feeling that had almost suffocated Daniels gradually faded away.

“I didn’t feel Holden’s friendliness.”

Hong Tielong said unhurriedly, "We didn't encounter any attacks from Holden either."

Daniels breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes, the empire at that time was busy developing the abyss and had little interest in matters of the material world."

"Our eyes are on the abyss, rejoicing over the extracted energy and taking pride in the construction of the floating city. The kingdoms on the ground, whether human, dragon, or other empires, are no longer our focus."

"Therefore, the report was suppressed and the recommendations were shelved."

"My father's analyses, predictions, and warnings are all just sitting in the archives gathering dust."

Until recently.

His gaze turned serious: "After you twice cleared the abyss rifts and turned the tide, you caught the attention of the imperial central government. They dug up those reports that had been piling up for years, and found my father's analysis. They then discovered that many of the things he said back then had come true."

"And I, in his place, received the order to visit the Kingdom of Aura."

The red iron dragon changed to a more comfortable lying position.

"Alright, let's get down to business now."

"You've come representing Holden, but what brings you here?"

Upon hearing this, Daniels' expression turned serious.

He stood up straight, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, and looked up at the red iron dragon with respect in his eyes, but even more so with seriousness and solemnity.

"Your Majesty, Atlantis is in imminent danger."

"You have already witnessed the collapse of three floating cities. You should have guessed by now that this is the result of the abyss's erosion. It is not a coincidence or accident, but the abyss actively attacking us."

He sighed, his tone becoming complicated.

"With Bernardo's three kingdoms in a state of equilibrium, there isn't much room for upward mobility."

"In order to seek new development, we chose to venture into the Abyss. At first, we were very cautious, taking each step as if walking on thin ice. The Abyss was too dangerous. We knew it, we always knew it."

"But as time went by and we gained more and more, we relaxed."

As he spoke, a hint of bitterness crept into his voice.

"No one expected that the resources we brought back contained the power of the abyss."

“Those ores, those crystals, that energy. We thought they were just pure resources, but they contain something, hidden in the deepest and most subtle places, waiting to be released, undetectable.”

"Especially the floating city engine used to extract energy from the abyss."

"The abyss has infiltrated our engines. It seeps in, corrodes, and transforms them silently. By the time we discover it, it's too late. Those engines, our proud creations, have become the abyss's claws."

"Even more so, the abyss is silently corrupting our powerful warriors."

Galos's pupils contracted slightly, revealing a thoughtful expression.

Engine, corruption, infiltration.
Although there was no specific explanation, he vaguely understood the general outline of the matter.

During the development of the Abyss, Holden created an engine that could extract energy from the Abyss.

Prior to this, Holden had been proud of several floating cities.

However, the price of suspending cities high in the sky was too heavy, and at that time only the most important cities were located above the clouds.

So, after those engines were manufactured, they were installed beneath other cities, drawing power from the abyss day and night to obtain a near-limitless energy source.

With these energy sources, they transformed all their cities into floating cities, lifting the entire nation into the clouds and completely detaching it from the earth.

But they didn't expect that.

The abyss is not only a source of energy, but also a living entity.

It has its own will and purpose. While those engines are drawing energy, they are also being permeated, eroded, and corrupted by the abyss, taking a very, very long time to gradually turn them into its own.

Until all of Holden's cities were equipped with hover engines, making it impossible for them to leave these engines.

The abyss revealed its fangs.

"In that case, you should immediately abandon the engine and return to the surface."

"Garos said."

This is the most direct solution.

Since the engines are corrupted, let's abandon them, go back to the surface, and start over. Although the losses will be heavy, it's better than the entire empire being swallowed by the abyss.

Upon hearing this, Daniels gave an even deeper wry smile.

"It's not that we don't want to, it's that we can't."

He shook his head and said helplessly, "Your Majesty, do you know how rifts are formed? They can't be opened just anywhere. Rifts need the earth as a medium. The power of the abyss can only stably seep into the material world through the earth."

“In the sky, we can still offer some resistance.”

"Above the clouds, the power of the abyss is weakened, and the closer one gets to the surface, the more severe the corruption becomes."

“Once we return to the surface, all the floating cities will collapse, all the engines will go out of control, and all the cities will turn into massive rifts.”

"That's why we completely abandoned the surface, abandoned Middle-earth, and abandoned all surface industries."

"That's why...we can't land."

Upon hearing these words, Galos seemed to be deep in thought.

He knew that the formation of the abyssal rift did indeed require a medium.

Creating a fissure in the sky is completely different from creating a fissure by relying on the earth to crack.

Cracks in the sky require a continuous influx of energy to maintain, while cracks on the earth, once formed, will expand, stabilize, and multiply on their own.

No wonder Holden preferred to hang in the air rather than land.

The former can hold out for a while longer, while the latter will cease to exist altogether.

"Even in the sky, the corruption of the abyss continues."

Daniels said, "Those floating cities that crashed to the ground were because their engines were corrupted to the point of being uncontrollable, and then they turned into dimensional rifts."

"Moreover, within the empire, people have also been corrupted and thrown into the abyss."

“Our most trusted colleagues, our closest comrades, our most respected mentors. Among them, some have been corrupted and become the claws of the abyss.”

"We had to kill them with our own hands."

"However, we did not give up."

He continued, "For years, in places unseen by the nations on the surface, we have been fighting against the abyss."

"We are purging our corrupt colleagues, repairing the damaged engine, and trying to find a way to solve the corruption... but progress is slow, while the rate of corruption is accelerating, with new bad news and new losses every day."

Daniels paused slightly, then looked up at the red iron dragon.

"Until you make your move."

He said in awe.

"I?"

Red Iron Dragon remained calm and asked, "What does this have to do with me?"

Daniels said, "Demons are the minions of the abyss. The two complement each other. The more demons there are, the stronger the abyss becomes. The stronger the demons are, the deeper the abyss penetrates. They nourish and support each other."

"You have twice cleared the abyss rifts and twice killed a large number of demons, including even a great demon."

“Those demons would have surged into the material world, spreading corruption and expanding the rifts, but they didn’t, because you blocked them. Those rifts would have grown larger and deeper, but they didn’t, because you directly smoothed them out.”

His eyes held a hint of admiration.

"The demons concentrated a great deal of power to corrupt the first two floating cities, planning to bypass our defenses and open up the situation. They succeeded, but what they didn't expect was that you were there in Atlantis."

"You have greatly depleted the power of the Abyss and disrupted the demon's plans."

He said respectfully, “You may not know this, but every victory you have has eased Holden’s pressure in the heavens. Those corrupted engines will temporarily calm down after the demons are thwarted, and those colleagues on the verge of losing control will regain some of their composure after the abyss’s aura weakens.”

Is that true?
I, a dragon in the eyes of the world, unintentionally became the savior of Atlantis.
Galos was slightly surprised.

However, his mind was as clear as a mirror.

Holden's destiny and immortality may be entangled by the abyss. Those powerful figures standing at the top of the world may very well be confronting something in the deepest part of the abyss.

They don't have the time or energy.

However, if they were willing to pay a heavy price, they wouldn't be completely unable to take action; they just wouldn't be able to exert their full strength.

Admittedly, his smoothing out of the cracks may have relieved Holden's pressure to some extent, much to their delight, like a person struggling in a tsunami grabbing a piece of driftwood. Daniels' words certainly contained a lot of flattery.

"Your Majesty, you have shielded the entire Atlantis from the erosion of the abyss."

The messenger bowed again, this time more deeply, bending completely at the waist.

"On behalf of Holden and on behalf of Atlantis, I extend my highest respect to you. If it weren't for you, this continent might have already fallen."

If Samantha heard these words, she'd be strutting around like crazy.

But Galus is not Samantha.

He stared at Daniels, unmoved.

"No need for further praise, just tell me your purpose."

Daniels straightened up and said seriously, "We hope to cooperate with you to defend Atlantis and resist the Abyss."

"Next, there will be more floating cities going out of control."

“Those corrupted engines cannot be repaired every time; when they completely lose control, they will crash again.”

"We will notify you in advance when this situation is about to occur."

"I'll tell you which city is about to fall, and roughly when, and then... please take action and destroy it directly. Don't give it a chance to crash to the ground."

"You want me to destroy your floating city?"

Galos's eyes flickered slightly.

Daniels nodded.

"Yes, rather than letting it fall intact and create large abyssal fissures on the ground, constantly increasing the chaos, it's better to destroy it in mid-air."

"Currently, it is difficult for both our destiny and the immortals to extricate themselves."

"Besides them, you are the only one in the entire Atlantis who can completely destroy the out-of-control floating city in one fell swoop and prevent the rift from being born."

The envoy looked earnest and said, "This is the only way we can think of to temporarily stop the spread of the abyss."

"Although it's only a temporary delay, as long as we can buy more time, we may be able to find a real solution."

(End of this chapter)