Chapter 244: Strategies and Countermeasures

With her grip on the Evil Entity's seal, Delisve was like a small nation from Amos's previous life brandishing a nuclear deterrent. Although the dragon faction possessed the strength to crush her, they didn't dare push the Life Titan too far. Otherwise, both sides would suffer heavy losses, or even perish together.

But letting Delisve off so easily was hardly the Dragon Race's style.

The Ancient Gold Dragon spoke coldly.

"Our two races have fought across the Madilan World for tens of thousands of years. The hands of the Titan Race are stained with dragon blood. Did you think you could just sweep all that away by relying on a sealed Evil Entity? Absolutely impossible!"

Delisve shot back.

"If the hands of the Titans are stained with dragon blood, are there no Titan souls lingering on yours?!"

The White Dragon Lord raised an eyebrow.

"You're right about that. But right now, you are weak! I am strong! Therefore, I am in the right!"

Delisve let out a bark of furious laughter.

"Then what do you want?! To kill me and avenge your dead?! Do you even dare?!"

Facing Delisve's mockery, the White Dragon Lord didn't show a hint of anger. He looked at the Ancient Gold Dragon, his meaning clear: the ancient grudge between the dragons and Titans of the Madilan World was for the Ancient Gold Dragon to settle.

The Ancient Gold Dragon nodded at him and took over the conversation.

"Kill you? Naturally, I wouldn't dare!"

The Ancient Gold Dragon turned his gaze toward the Titans and giants guarding the door. His tone dropped as he spoke viciously.

"But them! I'm going to kill a few of them to vent the hatred that's been festering in my heart all these years!"

"You!"

Delisve's expression shifted.

"If you dare, then we perish together!"

The Ancient Gold Dragon sneered.

"Don't worry, I'll only kill one or two to vent. If you're willing to forsake the lives of dozens of your kin over a couple of deaths, then go ahead—undo the seal."

With that said, the Ancient Gold Dragon ignored the livid Delisve. He turned to study the Titans and giants outside the doorway, seemingly picking out a target as he muttered to himself.

"Who should I kill? That one is incredibly ugly. Let's go with him."

The Gold Dragon chimed in from the side.

"To be honest, Adelaide, I don't know who you're talking about. To my eyes, they all look equally disgusting."

Hearing the two Gold Dragons converse as if no one else were present—in the tone of someone picking out livestock for slaughter—Delisve gritted her teeth in fury. Her entire body trembled, and she clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white.

The throne room was soundproofed. The Titans outside had no idea they had become bargaining chips in the dragons' negotiation. But seeing their queen trembling with rage, they knew the dragons had made an outrageous demand. The crowd was instantly riled up, yet they didn't dare charge inside.

These three dragons were simply too powerful. Even if the entire Titan Race swarmed them at once, they still wouldn't be able to win.

Forced by circumstances, Delisve compromised.

"What exactly do you want?!"

The Ancient Gold Dragon didn't dare push Delisve too far either, deciding to quit while he was ahead.

"It's very simple. War reparations!"

Delisve sneered.

"Then you've miscalculated. Our Titan Race has always lived in the Underworld, leaving us no opportunity to gather wealth. Even the magical equipment passed down from ancient times has become useless due to the draining of elemental energy. Even if you turn the entire Titan Race upside down, you won't find much of value."

The Ancient Gold Dragon's expression soured. He knew Delisve was likely telling the truth, because the Dragon Race was in the exact same situation.

No matter how strong a piece of magical equipment was, it would inevitably degrade after sitting in a magicless environment for several millennia. Even the few pieces of Legendary equipment in his own prized collection had suffered the same fate.

The Gold Dragon offered a comforting word.

"It's better than nothing. Bring it all out."

The White Dragon Lord nodded.

"Bring those ruined pieces of Legendary equipment as well. I'll see if I can salvage some magical metals from them."

Left with no choice, Delisve waved to the Titans outside. Seeing this, the Forger—Saroyan Hall—walked into the room.

"Saroyan, go bring over all the Elemental Crystals. And bring that pile of garbage from the warehouse, too."

Even though the Life Titan was mocking them for scavenging trash, the three dragons weren't the least bit angry. Even if they ended up throwing this ruined magical equipment away, they still wouldn't leave it for the Titans.

While the Titans went to fetch the reparations, the White Dragon Lord studied Delisve's Flower Throne.

More accurately, he was sensing the Evil Entity sealed beneath it.

Evil Entities were incredibly bizarre and exceedingly rare. With such a precious opportunity to observe one up close, the White Dragon Lord was determined to take full advantage of it.

The White Dragon Lord lifted the Flower Throne with a single heave, revealing the intricate magical array beneath it.

Delisve watched the throne roll to her feet, her brow twitching. Yet she could only endure it, as the two Gold Dragons were staring her down from the left and right.

Because of the Evil Entity, they couldn't wipe out the Titan Race. This left all three dragons feeling deeply stifled. Watching their enemy get angry managed to lighten their moods a bit.

The White Dragon Lord carefully probed the seal holding the Evil Entity. The seal was composed of two parts. One was the magical array Delisve used to plug the breach in the seal, which served as the surface layer.

Although this surface array was profound, the White Dragon Lord could still understand it. Clearly, Delisve's proficiency in magic was roughly on par with his own.

The underlying magical array, however, exceeded his comprehension. Its design was ingenious. Not only did it imprison the powerful Evil Entity, but it also continuously siphoned the creature's energy to power the protective barrier.

By doing this, as long as the Evil Entity lived, the barrier would never fall.

Watching the magical energy welling up from the core of the surface array, realization dawned on the White Dragon Lord. If Delisve hadn't opened a breach in the seal, this imprisoned Evil Entity would likely have slumbered until its death.

Indeed. Even though Evil Entities were said to be unkillable, they weren't truly immortal. The most common method powerhouses used to deal with them was to set up a magical array exactly like this one to endlessly drain their energy. Once the ocean of energy within the Evil Entity was completely exhausted, the creature would finally meet its end.

However, this method had one major flaw: it took far too long. If any accidents happened during the process, the Evil Entity could potentially break free.

Just like now, with Delisve using its release to threaten the dragons.

The thought left the White Dragon Lord feeling a bit frustrated. He had his Gold Finger run a Scan to record the magical array's pathways, then went back to observing the Evil Entity.

The energy radiating from the creature was incredibly eerie. The moment his mental strength brushed against it, a chaotic noise—like the ravings of an ancient god—echoed in his mind. It was maddening, stirring up every negative emotion in his heart.

The White Dragon Lord hurriedly pulled his mental strength back and purged the lingering whispers from his mind. Then, a wave of confusion hit him.

Even though the contact had lasted only a fraction of a second, he had still managed to glean some information about the Evil Entity.

The energy within this creature seemed a little too weak.

An Evil Entity always possessed a boundless sea of energy. Otherwise, there would be no need to use a magical array and spend hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of years draining it.

The fact that this sealed Evil Entity didn't have much energy left meant its life was finally coming to an end.

The White Dragon Lord didn't bat an eye, quietly committing this detail to memory.

It didn't take long for the Titans to return with the war reparations the dragons had demanded.

Looking at the two and a half chests of Elemental Crystals and the pile of scrap metal laid out before him, the Ancient Gold Dragon's face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.

"Is your Titan Race really so poor that this is all you have left?!"

"This is all of it."

Delisve spread her hands, acting like someone with nothing left to lose.

"If you don't believe me, you can search the place yourself."

Left without a choice, the three dragons split the loot. The two Gold Dragons each took a full chest of Elemental Crystals. The White Dragon Lord took the remaining half-chest, along with all the junk.

Once everything was divided up, the White Dragon Lord naturally suggested they leave.

The three dragons nodded in agreement. They had their war reparations in hand; what were they going to do if they stayed? Wait for the Titans to invite them to dinner?!

As the three dragons turned to go, Delisve grew anxious and immediately blocked their path.

"Wait! You think you can just grab the stuff and leave?! Sign a contract promising you won't attack my race again, or you're not going anywhere."

"Step aside. Don't block the way."

The White Dragon Lord calmly brushed Delisve aside. The three dragons strode away, leaving her staring at the backs of their heads.

Delisve's face was livid, but she comforted herself with the thought that she still held the Evil Entity as her trump card. Besides, the Titan Race had nothing left worth the dragons' attention. She figured the dragons wouldn't bother harassing them any further.

Once she was certain the three dragons were gone, a smile finally broke across Delisve's face. She picked up the Flower Throne and walked back toward the magical array, muttering softly to herself.

"Thank goodness they didn't notice. The most precious treasure of the Titan Race is actually right here in plain sight."

Delisve set the Flower Throne upright, covering the array sealing the Evil Entity, and sat back down.

In the deep, winding tunnel leading to the Gate of Steel, the three dragons instinctively maintained their formation. As they walked through the pitch-black passage, the Gold Dragon at the front—Leopold—spoke up.

"Amos, since a fight with the Titans isn't going to happen, it's about time I headed back."

Hearing this, the White Dragon Lord—safely protected in the middle of the formation—chuckled.

"You've worked hard this time, but you'll have to wait a little longer before you leave. I still need you to hold the line here."

"Hold the line?"

The Gold Dragon was a bit confused.

"Are you still planning to do something to the Titans? We can't fight them, and there's no more profit to squeeze out of them anyway. What's the point of provoking them again?"

Bringing up the rear, the Ancient Gold Dragon also chimed in.

"Amos, if you're only doing this to vent on my behalf, forget it. Seeing how much the Titans wanted to kill me but didn't dare, and how humiliated they looked handing over their treasures, gave me more than enough pleasure, hahaha!"

Even though they hadn't managed to wipe out their mortal enemies, inflicting such a massive loss on the Titans left the Ancient Gold Dragon absolutely thrilled. He couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The Gold Dragon and the White Dragon recalled the stifled, furious looks on the Titans' faces and joined in the laughter.

The laughter of dragons was no different from rolling thunder. It echoed far down the tunnel, reaching the ears of the Titans and giants lingering behind them.

The triumphant laughter infuriated the defeated, but there was nothing they could do about it. They could only vent their anger by punching the nearby massive trees.

The three dragons laughed all the way out of the tunnel.

The White Dragon Lord casually pulled the Gate of Steel shut. As he stared at the cold, imposing gate, his eyes held a mixture of amusement and bone-chilling hostility.

"I'm going to imprison the Titans in the Underworld forever."

At the White Dragon Lord's words, the two Gold Dragons instantly turned serious, waiting for his explanation.

The White Dragon Lord pointed at the Gate of Steel and continued.

"Since this gate is the Titans' only exit, we might as well seal it shut forever. Let it become the door to their prison."

The two Gold Dragons' eyes lit up.

"How?"

"Look, this gate opens inward. If we stay on the outside and seal the seams with molten iron, the Titans will never be able to open it from the inside!"

Stunned, the two Gold Dragons processed this textbook example of an underhanded scheme.

After a long pause, the Gold Dragon praised him.

"Ruthless!!!"

Letting his imagination run wild, the Gold Dragon added to the plan.

"Once we weld the gate shut with molten iron, we'll fill in the sinkhole too! Those damned Titans will never see the light of day again!"

The Ancient Gold Dragon nodded.

"We'll do exactly that! The Underworld is surrounded by a barrier, so even if the Titans try to dig their way out, they'll fail. They would never have guessed that the barrier protecting them would one day become the cage that traps them!"

A moment later, the Gold Dragon frowned, feeling a stab of worry.

"What if Delisve snaps and releases the Evil Entity?"

The White Dragon Lord analyzed the situation.

"Impossible. The Underworld is completely self-sufficient. Even trapped, the Titans can survive down there. Since she hasn't been forced into a dead end, Delisve won't do anything crazy. After all, the first victims of a released Evil Entity would be the Titan Race itself. I bet she'll choose to wait for the right opportunity."

"Besides, I noticed that the Evil Entity doesn't have much energy left. It will definitely die within ten thousand years. When that happens, the barrier will vanish, and the Titan Race will finally have a chance to escape. Because of that, there's absolutely no way Delisve will unleash the Evil Entity."

To dispel the other dragons' doubts, the White Dragon Lord shared the intel he had discovered.

Ultimately, if the Titan Race were allowed to roam freely across the Madilan World, there was no telling what kind of trouble they might stir up for him. So, to eliminate future threats once and for all...

The White Dragon Lord's voice was glacial.

"Thousands of years from now, when Delisve finally digs her way to the surface, she'll discover a flight of dragons waiting for her right outside."

The Gold Dragon pictured the beautiful scene: a Titan covered in mud, holding a massive iron shovel, standing on the surface and looking around in utter despair at a circle of grinning dragons.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. How tragic!"

The Ancient Gold Dragon couldn't help but glance at the White Dragon Lord. He rejoiced internally: Thank the gods this malicious—no, brilliant—bastard was on their side.

With the three dragons in agreement, the Ancient Gold Dragon stayed behind to guard the Gate of Steel while the Gold Dragon and the White Dragon Lord flew up out of the sinkhole.

The Gold Dragon flew straight to the fortress to gather iron goods for melting, while the White Dragon Lord set up a Portal on the edge of the sinkhole. Just in case Delisve had a brain short-circuit and released the Evil Entity, having a Portal handy would make for a quick escape.

The White Dragon Lord took out some Elemental Crystals and slotted them into the Portal's energy grooves. Once finished, the Portal was primed and ready to activate at a moment's notice.

Afterward, the White Dragon Lord and the Gold Dragon commanded the other dragons to carry the collected iron goods down into the depths.

It didn't take long to gather enough iron.

Working together, the two Gold Dragons used their breath weapons to melt the iron. They poured layer after layer of molten metal over the closed Gate of Steel, while the White Dragon Lord stood off to the side, maintaining a silencing barrier.

Half an hour later.

The three dragons stared at the Gate of Steel—which was now almost twice as thick. No, calling it a solid steel slab would be more accurate now. They exchanged a smile, everything left unsaid.

Led by their three leaders, the flock of dragons gleefully flew out of the sinkhole to search for suitable filler material.

The White Dragon Lord looked around and spotted a small hill about a thousand meters away from the fortress. The stone used to build the stronghold had been quarried right from that very hill. He offered a suggestion.

"Why don't we just hollow out that hill and use it to fill the sinkhole?"

The White Dragon Lord's idea coincided perfectly with the thoughts of the two Gold Dragons, and the flock of dragons sprang into action immediately.

The Ancient Gold Dragon looked at the towering human City Wall perched near the edge of the sinkhole.

"This City Wall is useless now anyway. We might as well tear it down and throw it in."

"Good idea."

Under the combined might of the three dragons, the continent-renowned Wall of the Guardians crumbled in an instant. Huge chunks of mortared stone cascaded down into the bottom of the sinkhole with a deafening crash.

The massive roar of falling stone startled the gatekeeper, Occam Scott.

The Rock Titan's face fell. After ordering a giant to go notify the Titan queen, Delisve, he hurried toward the Gate of Steel, only to find that the inward-opening door was completely wedged shut.

Listening to the grinding and crashing of boulders piling up on the other side of the gate, Occam was suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of despair.

These damned dragons actually wanted to trap them in the Underworld forever!