Chapter 238: The Tiptoe of War

A majestic mountain shrouded in clouds towered over the vast expanse of the Madilan World.

Halfway up the mountain, the Ancient Gold Dragon, the White Dragon Lord, and the Gold Dragon reinforcements hired by the White Dragon Lord gathered atop a massive boulder. As they waited for the dragon army to assemble, they discussed their next move.

Around the three enormous leaders, dozens of dragons of various colors either lay lazily on the ground or craned their necks to listen as the trio formulated their battle plan.

The Ancient Gold Dragon, Adelaide Leslie, was the most familiar with the Titans, and explained the situation regarding the Titan Race to the other two.

"Back then, after the Titan Race was betrayed by humans, they had no choice but to retreat to the Underworld. The entrance to this Underworld is located in the Xiagu Province of the Luonan Empire."

The Ancient Gold Dragon tapped a yellowed parchment map with a talon. Right where the claw rested, an eye-catching fortress was marked.

"The humans built a fortress at the entrance to the Underworld and stationed a massive army there to guard against the revenge of their former masters."

Hearing this, the White Dragon Lord asked,

"Are there no other entrances to the Underworld?"

The Ancient Gold Dragon, Adelaide Leslie, replied,

"As far as I know, there are none. The Underworld of the Madilan World has only a single exit, and it is a massive sinkhole."

The White Dragon Lord nodded. The Dark Lands of every world differed. Some, like Nordhill, possessed numerous exits, while others only had a few.

But the White Dragon Lord had never before heard of a place like the Madilan World, which possessed only a single exit.

Although rare, it wasn't entirely surprising. The Ancient Gold Dragon continued his explanation.

"At the bottom of the sinkhole stands a Gate of Steel forged by the Titans in ancient times. This gate is easy to hold and difficult to assault, making it extremely troublesome."

After a long while, seeing that the Ancient Gold Dragon wasn't continuing, the Gold Dragon, Leopold Chodmartin, asked in surprise,

"That's it?"

"That's it!"

The Ancient Gold Dragon's affirmative answer caused the White Dragon Lord to frown. This intelligence seemed a bit lacking.

Sensing the strange looks from the two otherworldly guests, the Ancient Gold Dragon, Adelaide Leslie, explained.

"Long before the final battle between the dragons and the Titans, this Underworld was a crucial stronghold for the Titans, so the Dragon Race never truly understood this place."

"After the elements vanished and we dragons drove the Orcs to dominate the continent, our attacks against the Titan Race—who had lost the power of the Spear of the Titans—only ever reached the front of that gate."

"After all, our Dragon Race cannot fly in the Underworld. And since that gate allows one man holding the pass against ten thousand, we truly had no way to deal with the Titans."

The Ancient Gold Dragon sighed in frustration.

"And it was exactly because of this that the Titan Race gained a chance to catch their breath. They utilized underground resources to develop the Dragon-Slaying Ballistas specifically designed against dragons, and they ultimately succeeded in turning the tables."

The Gold Dragon, Leopold Chodmartin, frowned.

"If that's the case, even if we hold the advantage in overall strength, as long as the Titans keep their doors shut, we still won't be able to do anything to them."

"No! No! No!"

The Ancient Gold Dragon, Adelaide Leslie, shook his head.

"A dragon already came up with a solution to this problem thousands of years ago."

The Ancient Gold Dragon pressed a talon against the fortress mark in Xiagu Province, then slid it upward, tracing a line all the way to the ocean at the edge of the map. His tone was as biting as the harsh winter wind.

"Dig a canal, connect it to the ocean, and drown them!"

The White Dragon Lord couldn't help but inwardly praise the wisdom of the ancient dragons. There was a vital reason why the Dragon Race could rampage across the entire multiverse and leave their traces in countless planes: the dragons' ability to adapt to their environment was nothing short of heaven-defying.

The Dragon Race possessed wings to fly into the sky and sharp claws to burrow into the earth. They could soak in magma or wade through freezing water, and in the absence of food, they could even eat dirt to guarantee a basic supply of nutrition.

But the Titan Race was different. Aside from a small number of water-attribute Titans, very few Titans could survive in water. This tactic of flooding the Underworld could be considered the textbook definition of an extinction plot.

"Unfortunately, the canal was only half dug before the Titans forged the Dragon-Slaying Ballistas and launched a counterattack."

The Ancient Gold Dragon continued.

"Now, we only need to occupy and lock down the entrance to the Underworld, and then we can simply resume digging the canal."

The White Dragon Lord and the Gold Dragon both nodded.

With this plan in place, the difficulty of dealing with the Titans dropped drastically.

The White Dragon Lord spoke.

"However, the Titans already know about this canal method. They definitely won't sit by and watch us occupy the entrance to the Underworld. When the time comes, a fierce battle will be unavoidable."

The White Dragon Lord glanced around at the malnourished dragons. As time dragged on, more and more dragons arrived at their location.

But honestly speaking, the combat power of this malnourished dragon army, whose innate Dragon Breath had been completely neutered, was extremely limited. If the White Dragon Lord disregarded his mana consumption, he alone could effortlessly wipe them out without taking a single scratch.

"Hmm... looking at their condition, I estimate that the situation with the Titan Race is much the same as our Dragon Race. Ordinary Titans are nothing to worry about. It's the Life Titan, Delisve, who worries me a little."

The Gold Dragon, Leopold Chodmartin, nodded in agreement. A Life Titan was not an ordinary Titan. The difference between a Life Titan and a standard Titan was equivalent to the gap between a legendary dragon species and ordinary dragons.

In other words, just like the White Dragon Lord who was an Ancestral Dragon, a Life Titan could rely on its bloodline advantage to challenge existences above its own Tier.

The Ancient Gold Dragon, Adelaide Leslie, motioned for the two not to worry.

"The abilities of the Life Titan race lean heavily toward support, so their frontal combat power is only average. Four thousand years ago, Delisve had only just broken through to High-Tier Legend. Even if she cultivated using Elemental Crystals every single day since then, her strength couldn't possibly surpass mine."

The Ancient Gold Dragon's confidence was not without reason. His Creature Level was a staggering Level 29, only one step away from breaking through to the Ancient Giant Dragon Stage.

He was the dragon with the highest Creature Level the White Dragon Lord had encountered so far. Even Grand Duke Silver Dragon was only Level 28.

Of course, as to whose combat power was superior, the White Dragon Lord couldn't properly judge. The Gold Dragon hadn't taken up any supplementary combat professions, whereas Grand Duke Silver Dragon was a legendary lord mage.

"In that case, I feel much more relieved."

Knowing that the Life Titan's Creature Level wasn't exceedingly high, estimated to be roughly around Level 26, the White Dragon Lord and the Gold Dragon breathed a sigh of relief.

The White Dragon Lord looked around and noted that over a hundred dragons had gathered. He spoke again.

"Then, let's divide up our combat duties."

As the strongest combatant present, the Ancient Gold Dragon, Adelaide Leslie, actively claimed the task of dealing with the Life Titan, while the White Dragon Lord would provide magical artillery support, and the Gold Dragon, Leopold Chodmartin, would hold the line from the flank.

With such an arrangement, even if the Life Titan, Delisve, possessed heaven-defying methods, she would be utterly powerless to reverse her fate.

With their respective responsibilities settled, the White Dragon Lord spoke.

"Then without further ado, we must seize the entrance to the Underworld before the Titan Race can react. Otherwise, if they mount a defense, we are bound to suffer unnecessary casualties."

The Ancient Gold Dragon, Adelaide Leslie, glanced at the surrounding dragons. The Dragon-Slaying Ballistas were merely a joke to the three dragons at the High-Tier Legend rank, but to these ordinary dragons whose strength only hovered at the Master rank, the bolts would be fatal.

"Children!"

The Ancient Gold Dragon, Adelaide Leslie, who had lived for tens of thousands of years, stood tall and threw his head back in a deafening roar.

"Vengeance! Today is the day!"

Amidst furious draconic roars that shattered the clouds, the three massive dragons took to the sky. Behind them, a large swarm of dragons bared their fangs and brandished their claws, roaring wildly as they flapped their wings to keep pace with their leaders.

...

The Underworld.

The human messenger, Samis, had departed.

The Life Titan, Delisve, sat rigidly on her throne—a rare sight—as she convened with the twenty-four Titans who had answered her summons to discuss strategies for dealing with the dragons.

A red-skinned giant—a Flame Titan—was the most agitated. If the Underworld was flooded, the Flame Titans would face certain doom.

"Your Majesty, we absolutely cannot sit back and wait for death. Otherwise, the vicious canal plot the Dragon Race hatched thousands of years ago will completely submerge our home. We must take the initiative and strike!"

A giant with a blue base and white markings crisscrossing his body—a Firmament Titan—spoke up.

"But what are we supposed to fight the dragons with? Although our high-end combat power is on par with theirs, the dragons have the backing of countless Orcs. Those greenskins might be dim-witted, but they are utterly fearless. Their human-wave tactics alone will be enough to drown us."

The hall instantly fell silent. Every Titan frowned, sinking into bitter contemplation.

Although the Life Titan, Delisve, had used special methods to draw trace amounts of magic elements into the Underworld, these sparse reserves were nowhere near enough to sustain the natural growth of all the Titans.

Yet, through three thousand years of pooling their resources, two Titans had still managed to cross the threshold into the Legendary Rank Tier.

Due to a severe lack of intelligence, the Titan Race erroneously believed that the Dragon Race was just like them, having only managed to cultivate two dragons at the Legendary Rank Tier.

Therefore, they calculated that their two legends, joined by their Queen, would be sufficient to hold the line against those three dragons.

But that only accounted for high-end combat power. In terms of mid-to-low tier forces, the Titans were entirely incapable of contending with the dragons. The remaining population of the entire Titan Race, including the Life Titan herself, numbered a mere twenty-five individuals.

The betrayal of humanity was an eternal wound in the hearts of the Titan Race.

At that moment, one Titan carefully offered a suggestion.

"We could form an alliance with the humans."

Several Titans instantly erupted in fury.

"I completely refuse!" they roared in unison.

The cyan-skinned giant—a Rock Titan and the gatekeeper, Occam Scott—was among the loudest dissenters. He pointed at his fellow kin, his emotions violently inflamed.

"Have you forgotten everything those traitors did to us?! Poisoning us! Selling our movements to the dragons! And what about our kin whose throats were skewered by ballista bolts while they slept?! You..."

"Enough. Say no more."

The Life Titan, Delisve, cut off the gatekeeper's words. The voice of this mighty woman, who had lived for thousands of years, betrayed a rare hint of exhaustion and grief.

She bore a massive share of the responsibility for humanity's betrayal.

Back then, she had firmly believed that the physically frail humans could never mount a rebellion against the Titan Race. Blinded by overconfidence, she hadn't bothered to use her innate abilities to mind-control the human emperor.

Worse, she had been the one to grant supreme management rights over the humans to that vastly powerful, yet arrogant and unspeakably cruel sinner—the Thunder Titan, Coverdale Keith.

It was his tyranny that directly instigated the eventual human rebellion.

This was an unhealable scar festering in the heart of the Life Titan, Delisve.

Merely thinking of the Thunder Titan, Coverdale Keith, made Delisve gnash her teeth. This Legendary Rank Titan, whom she had painstakingly poured so much effort into cultivating, had actually abandoned his people and fled like a coward in fear of punishment after the catastrophe erupted.

Rumor had it that he had fled to the far side of the Great Orc Prairie—deep into the Endless Desert.

Though the Life Titan, Delisve, desperately wished to drag that sinner back to face judgment, she simply could not leave the Underworld for any extended period.

Thus, this great sinner of the Titan Race was still at large.

The Life Titan, Delisve, let out a heavy sigh.

"I have made my decision. We will temporarily join hands with the humans to stand against the Dragon Race."

"Your Majesty!"

The dissenting Titans below tried to protest further, but the Titan Queen raised her hand, silencing them immediately.

"If we do not ally with the humans, we hold absolutely no chance of victory. For the continuation of our race, we must endure this."

Hearing her decree, the Titans silently bowed their heads.

The Life Titan, Delisve, sat upright on her throne and began issuing commands.

"Forger—Saroyan Hall!"

"Here!"

One of the two legendary Titans, the Forger, Saroyan Hall, stepped forward.

"Go and bring out every single Dragon-Slaying Ballista from the armory."

"Understood!"

The Forger strode out, and the Titan Queen continued dispensing orders.

"Flame Guard—Wells Fergus!"

"Here!"

The other legendary Titan, a Flame Titan standing twenty meters tall named Wells Fergus, stepped forward.

"Go and rally all the giants. Prepare for war!"

"Understood!"

Receiving his orders, the Flame Guard, Wells Fergus, turned and left.

The Giant Race were the very creatures Samis had seen on his journey here—the giants who stood roughly ten meters tall and held a status lower than even the gatekeeper.

Just as the Dragon Race birthed degraded dragon beasts, the descendants of the Titans also suffered from bloodline degradation. These regressed Titans were known as the Giant Race.

However, compared to how dragons treated dragon beasts, the Titans' attitude toward the giants was remarkably better.

This was because the inheritance of the Giant Race was merely incomplete, not entirely nonexistent.

When a Titan looked at the Giant Race, it was much like an able-bodied person looking at a disabled one. At their core, they were still of the same kind, so the Titans acknowledged the giants as part of their fold.

Dragon beasts, on the other hand, possessed absolutely zero draconic inheritance. To a dragon, it was as fundamentally unacceptable as ordinary human parents giving birth to a monkey.

Moreover, due to their degraded bloodlines, the reproductive capabilities of the Giant Race were far superior to those of the true Titans.

In the forests of the Underworld today, nearly a hundred giants still thrived.

These one hundred giants, armed with Dragon-Slaying Ballistas, combined with the true Titan Race and the human armies—this was the foundation of the Life Titan's courage to confront the dragons in a head-on war.

Just as the Titan Race finished assembling at the bottom of the sinkhole, they suddenly heard a deafening chorus of dragon roars echoing from the sky above.

"Delisve! I've come to 'see' you!"

Hearing the voice of the Ancient Gold Dragon, Adelaide Leslie, the Life Titan Delisve's expression twisted in alarm!

They had arrived too fast!