Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 262 - 260: One Fierce Move

Chapter 262: Chapter 260: One Fierce Move

The tomb of the Ancient Fallen Empire is no benign place.

Other giant dragons might be arrogant and overconfident, but Leon was not—he had been prepared for this moment long ago.

Seeing the golden coffin automatically open, a figure wearing a golden mask sat up. Leon took a deep breath, his chest glowed instantly, and he opened his mouth, unleashing a torrent of Samadhi True Fire. The blazing flames immediately engulfed the entire golden coffin.

Compared to the undead-specialized Hand Palm Bomb, he preferred the Samadhi True Fire for its broader applicability—the burning magic characteristic was something the Hand Palm Bomb lacked.

Five seconds.

Ten seconds.

Thirty seconds.

When Leon first mastered the Samadhi True Fire, he was still a baby dragon with weak Mana—a single burst of Samadhi True Fire would deplete his Mana entirely.

Now, he was a formidable teenage dragon, his Mana improved by a factor of over a hundred times, allowing him to sustain and spew the Samadhi True Fire for a much longer duration.

The power of the Samadhi True Fire was immense. Anything burnt by it would cease to exist as loot, but now was not the time to fret over such things. Leon would not stop until that golden coffin was melted down, and the figure wearing the golden mask reduced to ashes.

After nearly a minute, Leon finally ceased his Samadhi True Fire.

"Dead?" Salovis eyed the melted golden coffin. "That’s it?"

"Not sure... probably?" Leon shrugged. He didn’t believe the enemy could be dispatched so easily but couldn’t imagine how they could survive with the golden coffin melted down.

The main burial chamber was vast—even without a ceiling, a single dragon could comfortably jump in, though four dragons at once would make it feel a bit cramped. Yet nobody was willing to be the last to enter.

Tassera took the lead by transforming into her human form and jumping into the main chamber. Leon followed by transforming into his human form, and Cecilia and Salovis reluctantly did the same. The four cautiously approached the melted golden coffin, circling it and gesturing at points of interest.

"That golden coffin alone must have been worth a fortune, and don’t even get me started on the burial artifacts—it’s all worth at least a million Gold Coins... Great, now it’s all gone because my brother incinerated it. He has to take responsibility for this colossal mistake, and during loot distribution, deduct one million Gold Coins!" Salovis declared.

Leon stared at his foolish sister, wondering how someone with such an adorably chubby face could have such an unbearable personality. If her personality were better, he might even act like an overprotective brother. Coldly, he asked, "Say that again."

"I won’t," Salovis backed down immediately, showing her trademark cowardice toward the strong—a classic trait among Red Dragons. Indeed, it’s true that families resemble each other.

Tassera raised her head to glance at the sky and said, "The sandstorm isn’t over. That means the monster buried in the pyramid isn’t dead yet."

"If it’s not dead, then where is it?" Cecilia asked.

Leon looked around but couldn’t see anything. He couldn’t deny that the True Vision granted by his Heavenly Eye Technique had a limited range—the closer the distance, the clearer the view.

"Do you hear something?" Salovis suddenly mimicked a sound, "Creak, creak, creak."

Following the source of the noise, Salovis looked down and discovered she had broken a brick with her foot. "I think I broke a brick," she said.

"It might not be a brick—it could be a trap," Tassera warned.

Everyone immediately became alert upon hearing Tassera’s words. Leon was already prepared to activate his Vajra Body, yet after waiting a while, nothing happened.

"Maybe, just maybe," Salovis speculated, "I didn’t activate a trap—I just stepped on a brick."

"Tassera, stop being so jumpy," Cecilia chastised.

No sooner than Cecilia finished speaking, the statues surrounding the main burial chamber suddenly opened their mouths, but after a few seconds, no toxic gas spewed out, nor did any acid flow in. Eventually, a few tiny Holy Scarabs crawled out instead.

Seeing a Holy Scarab scuttle toward him, Leon instinctively stepped on it, suddenly recalling their earlier pyramid-dismantling process—from the outside, layer by layer, until they reached the innermost central burial chamber. Along the way, they found several booby-trapped rooms.

One of those rooms had been filled with countless Holy Scarabs, triggering Leon’s fear of clustered objects. Thankfully, Tassera had unleashed a single Lightning Breath to render them motionless. Yet it seemed now that a few had escaped.

The group exchanged glances just as telepathic communication echoed through the air again.

"The toxic gas and Holy Scarabs were merely appetizers."

"You are worthy of meeting my pet."

"Show yourself, my Scroll Box Magic Statue."

No more toxic gas emerged, the Holy Scarabs only numbered a few, and no Scroll Box Magic Statue was present.

Salovis tugged at Leon’s sleeve and asked, "Brother, do you think this Scroll Box Magic Statue he’s talking about is the same one we battled before?"

"I’m not sure—probably," Leon replied, recalling that the Scroll Box Magic Statue had indeed been quite formidable. Apart from him, no one could defeat it alone. If three showed up at once, it would undoubtedly turn into a fierce battle.

"Your pet is long dead!" Salovis shouted.

The telepathic voice went silent until, after a minute, it resumed.

"I acknowledge your strength."

"You are worthy to meet me."

Suddenly, a sandstorm surged, coalescing into a skeletal, gaunt-faced Pharaoh, whose dried flesh clung tightly to his bones. Weathered by wind and sun, he wore armor reminiscent of ancient Egyptian designs, holding a Magic Wand flat across his lap as he sat imperiously upon the throne at the end of the main burial chamber.

"Su Ausis," Tassera spoke. "You’re Su Ausis?"

"I didn’t expect anyone to recognize me," Su Ausis murmured, his closed eyes briefly expressing emotion. "The Immortal Emperor, King of Kings, Commander of the Golden Army, Time Holder, Sect Leader of two realms, the Indisputable One, Player of the Great Game, Liberator of Life, Master of the Great Sand Sea, Protector of the Obelisk..."

Su Ausis did not use telepathy; his voice was hoarse.

The unfamiliar language did not hinder communication because he utilized the Artful Tongue Technique, allowing targets to understand any spoken language. Moreover, when the targets spoke, all beings who heard them and understood at least one language could understand their words as well.

Leon listened as Su Ausis recited titles—dozens already, with no end in sight. It seemed he was aiming to reach a hundred. Leon felt a headache coming on; though he was tempted to interrupt, he also wanted to see how many titles Su Ausis could possibly utter.

Glancing at Salovis, Leon noticed her eyes sparkling. He suspected this unlucky kid found the multitude of titles impressive. After all, the teenage dragon phase was rife with overactive imaginations—especially for Red Dragons, renowned for their vanity.

Finally finished, Su Ausis opened his eyes, which were surprisingly lively. Though he resembled a mummy or a dried corpse, he might still be alive—or perhaps not entirely dead—existing in a peculiar liminal state.

"To offer your Life Energy to the great Su Ausis is an honor," Su Ausis declared, his gaze fixed on the four.

"You want us to hand over our Life Energy? Dream on, you bony skeleton!" Salovis retorted, her fiery personality unmistakable.

"Insolent fools who defy their superiors!" Su Ausis’ eyes gleamed brightly. Gripping his Magic Wand, he struck the ground forcefully. "Rise, my Guard Army!"

With creaking sounds, the doors on both sides of the main burial chamber suddenly opened, revealing two corridors. However, the corridors had been dismantled along with the pyramid’s outer layers, leaving no activity behind the doors.

Had things been normal, these corridors would have led to barracks, and from them would have emerged a Mummy Commander and his Mummy Guards—assuming they hadn’t been crushed beforehand. Leon’s mind wandered, unsure of the specifics.

No one appeared, causing Su Ausis’ brow to furrow in puzzlement.

"Where’s your Guard Army?" Salovis burst into laughter.

Su Ausis remained silent, his expression betrayed a trace of embarrassment visible despite his undead features.

Extending his hand, Salovis asked, "What are you doing now?"

Su Ausis offered no explanation; he was attempting to summon his Undead Black Scripture. Hidden within a secret room in the pyramid, it had served as an energy core to maintain the pyramid’s operations while he slumbered. Yet his efforts yielded nothing.

Stretching his arms out, he aimed to control his Mage Tower... But the Guard Army was unresponsive, the Undead Black Scripture wouldn’t come, and his pyramid—his Mage Tower—remained entirely unreachable. Could it be that after all these years, something had indeed malfunctioned?

The sound of howling winds filled his ears, prompting Su Ausis to slowly lift his gaze. He saw the whipping sandstorm, unable to entirely conceal the moon above. Sandstorm, sky, moon?

Su Ausis blinked.

What happened to his ceiling? A missing ceiling? Could that even happen?

No wonder he couldn’t sense his Guard Army or pyramid—it had been dismantled.

"You... you..." Overwhelmed, Su Ausis dropped his pretense, pointing shakily at the sky and asking, "Was it like this when you arrived?"

"No," Salovis shook her head and replied, "It was intact when we got here."

"Then why is it like this now?" Su Ausis asked.

"We dismantled it," Leon answered plainly. "It took three days."

"Don’t joke around," Su Ausis said. "You’re not capable of that."

"Don’t you have True Vision? If not, use a True Knowledge Technique instead," Leon said. "Open your eyes and see who we are."

Leon didn’t wait for Su Ausis to activate the True Knowledge Technique. He reverted to Dragon Form, prompting the others to follow suit.

"Dragons..." Su Ausis remarked.

"Are you ready to die?" Salovis shouted, flames spewing from her mouth as her chest glowed red.

"Four dragons—no big deal," Su Ausis said calmly, eyeing the four dragons staring him down. Without hesitation, he conjured a sand whirlwind and swiftly escaped the pyramid.