Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 213 - 212: Annihilation

Chapter 213: Chapter 212: Annihilation

Old tales retold, this is a world based on DND.

The rulebooks Leon had read before could only be used as a reference.

Speaking of rulebooks, there are many versions, among which the most famous are the third and fifth editions.

In the third edition rulebook, the Elder Brain’s challenge rating is as high as 25, equivalent to that of an Ancient Red Dragon, and only slightly lower than the Githyanki’s Lich Queen Vilakis... What’s puzzling is that despite being so strong, the Elder Brain chooses to cautiously hide in the Dark Territory, fearing enemies will seek it out.

Meanwhile, in the fifth edition rulebook, the Elder Brain’s power has been drastically nerfed, with a challenge rating of only 14... Well, "only" might be unfair; after all, even mature Red Dragons are at that level.

With that, concerns about the hunting parties of the Githzerai and Githyanki, the terrifying predators of the Dark Territory, attacks from Drow squads, rampaging Demons, and adventurers become more understandable.

In any case, based on Tassera’s collection of texts and observations over the years, the fifth edition rulebook serves as a more useful reference. With an Elder Brain challenge rating of just 14, Leon couldn’t care less.

Accompanied by a low growl, Leon immediately activated his "Ferocious Beast" ability.

Though his ferocity didn’t intimidate the Elder Brain, it did scare the Mind Flayers, giving his Red Dragon avatar the chance to strike. Biting, claw attacks, tail strikes, and wing swings combined to suppress the Mind Flayers, keeping them from emerging and interfering with Leon.

The Elder Brain reacted swiftly, almost instantly releasing a Mind Thrust and then whipping its tentacles to lash at Leon.

In his Vajra Body state, Leon took no damage, but he was indeed stunned—while the Vajra Body prevents damage, it doesn’t prevent control—until the Samadhi True Fire ignited within his chest.

The Mind Thrust failed to control the Red Dragon, and its tentacle attacks were ineffective as well. Meanwhile, the ambushed Mind Flayers, heavily relied upon by the Elder Brain, found themselves suppressed by the summoned illusions of the Red Dragon... but wait, those weren’t ordinary illusions. They couldn’t harm the Mind Flayers at all, meaning they weren’t illusions! In the end, the Red Dragon even pounced, but the Elder Brain still appeared calm and composed.

As his refining of essence, energy, and spirit culminated into forming a single inner core, Leon moved like a nimble big cat, almost instantly lunging at the unmoving Elder Brain—until a transparent wall blocked his path.

Leon stood in the brine pool, puzzled as he tapped the transparent wall. He quickly realized it was an invisible Force Field Wall. Turning his head, he saw a Mind Flayer retracting its spellcasting hand.

Well done! This Mind Flayer wasn’t an ordinary one—it was a Mind Flayer Arcanist. If it continued pursuing arcane magic, it might even become a renegade Mind Flayer or possibly achieve the rare status of a powerful Mind Flayer Lich.

Regardless of whether that Mind Flayer Arcanist would eventually become a renegade or a lich, it was currently a distraction.

Leon bared his teeth, wanting to pounce and kill the Mind Flayer Arcanist—but he wasn’t sure if a single Hand Palm Bomb would be enough. If he pursued the Arcanist, the Force Field Wall would naturally disappear, but by then the Elder Brain would undoubtedly have fled far away.

The Force Field Wall prevented anything from passing through physically; it could even extend into the Ethereal Plane to block ethereal entities. It was immune to all forms of damage and couldn’t be dispelled by Dispel Magic—not invincible, but with one Dissociation Technique, the wall could be destroyed instantly.

Thinking of this, Leon exhaled softly, and his Samadhi True Fire burned through the Force Field Wall in one go. It was like Rupert’s Tears—tougher than ordinary glass—but once you found its slender weak point and applied a bit of pressure, the entire glass-teardrop burst apart instantly.

The Force Field Wall vanished just like that, genuinely shocking the Elder Brain, which decisively launched Dominate Monster, attempting to control the Red Dragon. It was too naïve.

Under the Heavenly Eye Technique, no illusion could deceive Leon. With no Force Field Wall blocking him, Leon immediately pounced on the Elder Brain, ignoring countless arcane missiles hammering against him from behind. He dragged the merely "large abnormality"-sized Elder Brain into the brine pool.

The Elder Brain was arrogant, cunning, and power-hungry, but when facing a powerful enemy, it would quickly flee or beg for mercy.

"Sorry."

"I was wrong."

"Great Red Dragon Lord, spare me."

"All the treasures we’ve hidden are now yours."

For an ordinary Red Dragon, hearing that last statement from the Elder Brain would likely lead to hesitation nine times out of ten.

Leon didn’t care about treasure. He was well aware of how cunning the Elder Brain could be—not quick to flee, but capable of Otherworldly Transmission. Without any countermeasures, Leon wasted no time; his mouth instantly spewed Samadhi True Fire. No need to charge it—flames ready at will—he prioritized a swift victory.

Angmog, as a Red Dragon, had flame resistance, significantly reducing the harm from Samadhi True Fire. Unfortunately for the Elder Brain, it had no damage resistance whatsoever. A close-range blast of Samadhi True Fire was simply unbearable.

And just like that, it was simple. The Elder Brain that controlled an entire colony of Mind Flayers—scaring even Gray Dwarves away from the Ghost Road—couldn’t last even a full minute under Leon’s Samadhi True Fire. Its demise was almost pitifully embarrassing.

As expected, Leon was now confident enough to confront a Balor or Pit Fiend. If fighting against a challenge rating 14 Elder Brain proved overly difficult, let alone a fair 50/50 battle, what would that say? A different matter would be an Elder Brain of a formidable Mind Flayer colony.

Leon easily dispatched the Elder Brain. Not entirely reassured, he dismembered the body before looking back—his Red Dragon avatar had been slain by the Mind Flayers, though it had taken two of them down with it.

Leon locked eyes with the Mind Flayer Arcanist, who, upon realizing the Elder Brain had perished, decisively used Mysterious Steps to flee far away. A Gathering Form and Scattering Energy technique let Leon catch up, grabbing hold and ignoring any Shield Skills. With one bite, he tore the Arcanist in two, spitting out half the corpse.

"Bleh—"

The taste was vile.

With the Elder Brain dead, the Mind Flayers completely lost their will to fight.

Leon wasn’t one to leave trouble behind, thinking, "If you don’t cut the grass at its roots, spring breezes will bring it back." He refused to let a single Mind Flayer survive. With the area unsuitable for swords, the Catastrophe Blade stayed sheathed. Instead, his Tear Claw finally had a chance to shine—a single swipe claiming the life of yet another Mind Flayer.

One true form, one avatar—two Red Dragons working in tandem easily wiped out the remaining Mind Flayers. These flayers had originally been hiding near the Main Brain Pool but now found their morale shattered after the Elder Brain’s death.

Although the Mind Flayer colony wasn’t large, there were still over a dozen—closer to twenty Mind Flayers in total.

The central plaza had Mind Flayers, the laboratory too. These ropey-necked adversaries proved unexpectedly resilient—not just relying on Mind Thrust, those annoying tentacles made them a real headache. Clearing out the entire colony cost Leon substantial time.

Once the battle was over, Leon finally had a chance to catch his breath, reflecting on the fight with lingering apprehension. It was fortunate he wasn’t an ordinary young Red Dragon; otherwise, this confrontation would have spelled his doom.

Ifs don’t exist in reality—if he were just a regular Red Dragon, he wouldn’t have been so reckless. Leon wasn’t overly concerned about being outmaneuvered by the Elder Brain.

He speculated some Mind Flayers might have escaped, but without their Elder Brain, they could achieve nothing. Lacking the motivation for pursuit, Leon headed excitedly back to the Main Brain Pool, intending to begin his looting spree.

The Elder Brain had no equipment—perhaps good nutrition as food—but Leon had no guts to eat it, not even a taste.

Maybe he could give the Elder Brain’s corpse to Cecilia to consume, aiding her psychic awakening... Leon, with a mischievous smirk, wanted to see the Green Dragon’s grim expression as she ate the Elder Brain’s corpse. Without hesitation, he activated the Object Capture Skill, sweeping the Elder Brain’s body into his Sleeve of the Universe storage space.

Turning his attention to the brine pool filled with Mind Flayer tadpoles, he figured they still held some value.

Leon transformed into human form and ventured outside to fetch several brain vats—containers used to hold dead Mind Flayers’ brains, preserving them from decay before presenting them to the Elder Brain. These vats could also store Mind Flayer tadpoles without issue.

Leon stuffed dozens of tadpoles into three brain vats, feeling content with his haul. Scratching the back of his head as he stared at the remaining tadpoles, he hesitated.

Leaving these tadpoles unattended—no longer serving as the Elder Brain’s food, nor having caretakers to feed them—might drive the tadpoles into mutual carnage from starvation, ultimately evolving the survivor into a Mindworm.

Mindworms possessed no intellect, acting solely on primal predation instincts. They roamed the underground tunnels, seeking and consuming brains using primitive psychic energy to satisfy their endless hunger—even hunting Mind Flayers.

Considering this, Leon initially planned to fire off a Hand Palm Bomb into the brine pool, eradicating all tadpoles—but he gradually lowered his hand, abandoning the idea.

After cleaning out the Elder Brain’s nest, Leon began scavenging other areas, starting with the Brain Chamber, then the Brain Vault, and not forgetting the cleaning rooms or public lounges...

Every Mind Flayer’s quarters required inspection for potential unexpected treasures.

Mind Flayers weren’t frequently born—otherwise, there wouldn’t be enough brains to consume—so finding empty birth pods was unsurprising.

Leon discovered another tadpole room hidden away with more Mind Flayer tadpoles, grabbing additional brain vats to transport them.

Unlike many other abnormalities, Mind Flayers’ humanoid appearance allowed them to wear the same magical items as human characters, spurring them to collect such artifacts.

Some Mind Flayers even crafted practical magical items, including gear that protected them against physical damage.

Leon acquired numerous Magic Items. Even if they weren’t useful to him, they could be sold for a good price.

An abundant stash of Resonance Stones became Leon’s spoils, their exact functions to be identified later during leisure time.

Regardless of whether an item was useful or not, if it could be carried, Leon claimed it all. Ever since mastering Sleeve of the Universe, he no longer had to agonize over how to transport his loot.

Ah, yet another day of bountiful rewards.