[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-defeating-the-world-with-the-power-of-one-dragon":3,"chapter-defeating-the-world-with-the-power-of-one-dragon-defeating-the-world-with-the-power-of-one-dragon-chapter-351":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Defeating the World with the Power of One Dragon!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1057727,1369,"Chapter 351: When Fish and Clams Fight, the King Descends from Heaven","defeating-the-world-with-the-power-of-one-dragon-chapter-351",351,"\u003Cp>\"The Deer King's territory and the Beholder's territory are neither too close nor too far apart.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not long ago, scouts discovered small-scale skirmishes erupting between them. Now the Deer King has personally led a contingent to launch a full-scale assault on the No-Light Forest. The two sides are locked in fierce combat, fighting without respite.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red iron dragon listened quietly to the information Sorog relayed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He fell silent, weighed the situation for a few seconds, then his massive head tilted slightly as he made a decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Summon the legion and prepare for battle.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"However, this operation values quality over quantity. We need speed. No large-scale mobilization or extravagance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His will passed through the mental link: \"Select a truly elite force, personally led by the dragon cluster, target the No-Light Forest, advance at full speed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Strive for a swift victory. When the two sides are badly wounded, avoid immediately deciding the outcome!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused briefly, then added, \"At the same time, send word to Ennus.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The map of the Ser Wilderness was vast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Garoth's original strategy, the approach was steady and methodical: consolidate positions, expand the tribe's territory step by step, then push other Map Kings aside. That plan was reliable but would consume vast time and resources.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now luck favored him. A rare opportunity had appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two strong Map Kings had begun fighting to the death, and intelligence suggested neither could quickly prevail over the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was exactly a clam-and-fish struggle—perfect for a fisherman's gain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Garoth's nature tended toward steady, cautious development, when a chance to gain tremendous results at minimal cost presented itself, he would never hesitate. He would seize it with thunderous methods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he could use this opportunity to eliminate both Map Kings at once and absorb their domains and remnants, the Molten Iron Tribe's expansion would get a qualitative leap. For a time they could forego other wars and focus on harvesting the wilderness' resources.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Understood, Bai!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Iron dragon Sorog's voice rang with undisguised excitement and battle fervor as he responded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, Garoth halted his daily training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stretched his vast body; with a light flap of his wings he generated a powerful gust and rose into the sky, ascending beneath the storm clouds to prepare for the upcoming raid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thick, heavy clouds like solid lead pressed low over the endless wilderness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time passed, neither hurried nor slow, carried by the roaring wind and rain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some time later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No-Light Forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky here was gloomier than in other parts of the wilderness, as if light itself were being devoured by this greedy land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thick rain lashes flogged every charred, twisted leaf in the forest, and every inch of the churned, blood-soaked earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the crisp sound of rain striking leaves was completely drowned by an even crueller symphony of death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The agonized cries of dying beasts tore through the heavy curtain of rain; collisions of elemental energies caused explosions that made towering trees shiver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dull thuds of claws tearing flesh and smashing bone made one’s teeth ache with dread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A brutal battle played out in this forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Deer King's natural legion roared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Griffin-bears rose to their hind legs, bundled with crushing power; their talons could easily shred several gnoll warriors—enslaved by the Beholder's mind—into scraps. Herds of savage war-oxen, like uncontrolled battering rams, struck the ground with iron hooves, sending mud and splattered entrails flying. Packs of vicious wolves whirled like silver-gray death tornadoes along the battlefield edges, each lightning-fast pounce able to sever a lone prey's throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet their enemy was equally formidable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side of the battleground, a repulsive spherical creature hovered low above the forest like a rotten fruit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its massive, globular body was covered in deep folds, seeping a slippery, viscous ooze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Centered on its bulk was a huge main eye taking up nearly half its form; around it sprouted a dozen thick eye-stems each ending in an eyeball, writhing and sweeping in the storm like vile tentacles with independent malice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its great central eye was like a whirlpool. Merely locking gaze with it could instantly shatter the will of any creature lacking firm mental resolve, leaving it mentally scattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its legion was bizarre and varied, not composed solely of wilderness beasts or magical creatures. Many were intelligent warriors enslaved by the Beholder's powerful spiritual energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the lust for killing remained in mercenary humans; dwarf warriors with bloodshot eyes swung axes in madness; ogres charged roaring, devoid of reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had once been free beings; now they were the Beholder's most loyal and pitiful cannon fodder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Further out were more twisted fiends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Summoned from lower planes by the Beholder's dark lore, these minions were chaotic by nature, worshippers of destruction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fiends from another dimension! How dare you corrupt and enslave the children of nature, desecrating the will to live!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A righteous death awaits you today!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A clear, authoritative voice cut through the clamor from the heart of the battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice belonged to the Deer King. It lifted its long, graceful neck and raised its head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although female, atop her crown sprouted a pair of magnificent antlers like branches of an ancient tree, twisting skyward in exquisite form. The antlers gleamed with a warm, sacred white light, more radiant than the soft glow flowing from her body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around her, that sacred light spread as if solid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beasts and fiends bathed in her radiance saw their battle wounds heal visibly and rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a holy spirit deer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A naturally divine creature with intelligence surpassing humans, she could naturally wield and command pure holy energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By nature, the lifespans and growth ceilings of spirit deer did not match true dragons; they would not naturally become legendary simply by aging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, they were not weak. Any spirit deer that matured properly could easily reach life level 16, and some steadily crossed into level 20.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Exceptional individuals might even become legendary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such creatures ranked just beneath dragons among the realm's top-tier monsters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Deer King understood that most of the Beholder's forces were enslaved by spiritual energy and not true followers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they could decapitate the Beholder—the control core—the war would end quickly, and those miserable creatures would be freed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crunch!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A surge of intense holy energy rapidly converged and flashed between the Deer King's great antlers, finally coalescing into a pure white streak that tore through the gloom. In the blink of an eye it cleaved the downpour, sweeping toward the Beholder with a purifying, unyielding force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Foolish material-plane beings! Yield to my spiritual will; it is your only fate!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Beholder's massive body warped strangely and abruptly became illusory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant it teleported dozens of meters away, evading the holy streak. Its voice, like an icy needle, pierced directly into the Deer King's mind, scrambling her thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Deer King's movement stiffened, her gaze going blank and unfocused for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seizing the chance, the Beholder's huge central eye flared with eerie light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A gray-white disintegration beam shot out, aimed at the Deer King slowed by mental interference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before being hit, the Deer King fought off the mental intrusion with powerful will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flames of pure white erupted from her hooves; she leaped with astonishing agility and elegance, seeming to defy gravity as she darted through the air, narrowly skirting the disintegration beam's edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The attack missed; the Beholder's main eye blinked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The disintegration ray vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Beholder's gaze shifted, locking on a large griffon in the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The griffon's body froze, a struggle flashing in its eyes, then madness seized it completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a shriek, it abandoned its current foes and, flapping mighty wings, launched a suicidal charge from the side at the Deer King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Deer King leapt lightly upward, her right forehoof stamping on the griffon's skull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a rock smashed by a catapult, the griffon wailed; its huge body hurtled to the ground like a cannonball, sending a wave of mud spraying outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time the Deer King turned her head, antlers flashing light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless concentrated light blades sprang into existence at speeds too fast for human eyes to follow, raining down like a sudden storm toward the Beholder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Beholder used its trick again—spirit flicker—to evade, but because the Deer King's assault this time was faster and more ferocious, it was half a beat too slow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several light blades grazed the edge of the sphere, leaving charred black streaks smoking faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thick body fluid oozed out slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Beholder did not fly into a rage over this flesh wound. Instead it opened its main eye wide and, in its deep pupil, countless fine, uncanny runes surfaced as it stared dead at the Deer King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Weakness Curse!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As it cast this spell, its idle eye-stems rotated, tracking likely dodge trajectories of the Deer King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ice rays, searing rays, petrification rays... a variety of magical beams with different natures fired like a lethal laser net toward the Deer King's airspace, carving deep furrows in the ground. A few grazed the fast-moving Deer King, leaving scorch marks, frost, and petrified patches across her snowy pelt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite the fierce spectacle and the flashing clashes of energy, neither could gain the upper hand for the moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Usually, close-quarters combat decides matters faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But both the spirit deer and the Beholder excelled at mid-to-long-range attack and control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One wielded holy energy: agile, but not specialized in brawling. The other relied on spiritual power and dark spells; close combat was an absolute weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Deer King wanted to end the Beholder with a decapitating strike, but she lacked an instant explosive move to seal it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Beholder sought to seize or kill the Deer King's mind quickly, but her strong will and divine resistance foiled it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their powers were evenly matched; the fight could not be resolved quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would come down to whose foundation ran deeper and who could endure longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their armies had likewise descended into a brutal war of attrition. Blood stained the mud, pooling into shocking red basins that the rain immediately washed into countless tiny crimson streams that seeped underground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As time mercilessly flowed, the vicious tug-of-war continued; both sides clenched teeth and persisted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After more time passed, the Beholder's condition worsened significantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its spherical body was covered with dense charred marks and corrosive pits. Several eye-stems had been broken, hanging uselessly. Even the great central eye continually oozed murky blood, injuries accumulating as battle wore on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, the spirit deer appeared far better on the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her snow-white pelt remained pristine; only a few minor wounds marred her body, and holy light still cloaked her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Screech!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another searing ray narrowly grazed the Deer King's right side, leaving a blackened streak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in an instant the wound knit and vanished at a visually perceptible speed under the Deer King's circulating holy energy, as if it had never existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth she had sustained many hits and damage, but she possessed an extraordinarily powerful healing talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is why parts like the horns, blood, and heart of spirit deer were indispensable ingredients in the continent's top-tier restorative potions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though she appeared in good shape, she knew all too well that continuous high-intensity fighting—especially resisting the Beholder's mental invasions—was steadily draining her spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Against the Beholder's relentless mind skills, the worse her mental state became, the harder resistance would be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She might, by relying on her mighty healing, outlast and wear down the already-battered Beholder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or, her spirit could first fall into a critical weakness, and the Beholder would slip in to complete mental domination, turning her into a tragic slave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Withdraw while ahead and retreat decisively?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or gamble everything and keep fighting until one side fell completely?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faced with the same balance of pros and cons, both the Deer King and the Beholder wavered at nearly the same moment, each pondering the identical dilemma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before either could reach a final decision,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>an anomaly suddenly occurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sharp, urgent wingbeats and shrill cries of eagles, hawks, and birds rose from the distant sky, quickly approaching and growing deafening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dark, dense flock swept across from the left, like a breached flood, so massive it resembled a darker, livelier cloud that momentarily obscured storm and rain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the mass of raptors, the most eye-catching was a gigantic firebird with a wingspan of many tens of meters, composed entirely of pure, blazing elemental flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its form was majestic, its long tail feathers ornate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each feather seemed fashioned from dancing flames, producing a vision both overwhelmingly powerful and dazzlingly beautiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A phoenix?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both the Deer King and the Beholder halted in astonishment, hearts violently shaken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were not ordinary monsters or fiends; both were learned, powerful beings who recognized the legendary species almost instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An extremely rare, near-mythical creature in the Material Plane: the phoenix!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Spirit deer... your looks are acceptable, not bad at all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The phoenix lowered its blazing head and looked down at the Deer King from on high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I could make an exception and allow you to follow me, to sing my beauty and power day and night.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This would be your supreme honor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its voice was bright, crisp, and pleasant, tinged with an innate and undisguised pride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a species comparable to dragons in renown and scarcity, the phoenix indeed had grounds for arrogance bordering on haughtiness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The phoenix's burning gaze then turned to the Beholder below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a single glance of contempt, it immediately averted its elegant head, as if beholding something utterly filthy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ugh... as for you, Beholder, you look like a rotting fruit someone stepped on and left to ferment in the mud.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its voice dripped with undisguised disgust and disdain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Something so hideous does not deserve to live and pollutes my sight. End yourself; I do not wish to dirty my feathers and talons with your foul blood.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Beholder's round body stiffened noticeably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ugly?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How was it ugly?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its main eye was large and bright, full of spirit; its folds were deep and numerous, bearing the marks of age and wisdom; the slick mucus it secreted was thick—a sign of health; its eye-stems were numerous, sturdy, and strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These traits in Beholder kin were prized and attractive, symbols of handsome vigor!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You arrogant, ignorant phoenix! What do you know of aesthetics?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Beholder shot back: \"In my brood I am popular; suitors line up from the main eye to the eye-stems.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A bird like you, all flame and lacking true feathers or a proper body, is the definition of unparalleled ugliness.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Repulsive!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, its intact eye-stems covertly scanned the surroundings. Spiritual energy rippled as it calculated the best escape routes and methods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing an overbearing phoenix and a troublesome spirit deer as well, the situation had become extremely disadvantageous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two might combine forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the sky, provoked by the Beholder's blatant and vicious mental insult, the phoenix had been thoroughly enraged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flames around its body leapt several meters higher, and with a piercing cry it prepared to dive, using pure flame to burn the hideous Beholder to ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at that moment,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>whoosh—boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From another part of the sky, a violent gust of wind suddenly tore the rain aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost simultaneously, the ground began to rumble with heavy, rhythmic thuds—the vibrations of many heavy units and clustered beasts charging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From far to near, it sounded as if a massive war machine were rapidly approaching at full speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Map Kings who had been engaged or scheming now felt the tremor and turned their eyes toward the source of the vibrations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the other patches of gloomy sky, silhouettes of huge dragons grew clearer and more imposing, led by a red iron giant whose bulk cut the heavens like a moving mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the ground, dust and rain-mist exploded upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A powerful force was rapidly encircling the No-Light Forest battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the Ignas Dragon Cluster, and its sharpest claws had arrived at this crucial moment.\u003C\u002Fp>",2659,"2026-06-03T10:02:46.839Z","2026-06-03T10:02:53.298Z",1,"novelbin.me","c8ea7b338865fba6ff972784dbbd5a52f59f65bd26d04d35d388ac5da0c3151d","defeating-the-world-with-the-power-of-one-dragon-chapter-352","defeating-the-world-with-the-power-of-one-dragon-chapter-300",561,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdefeating-the-world-with-the-power-of-one-dragon-cover.jpg"]