Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 293 - 288: Petty Cunning and Slyness

Chapter 293: Chapter 288: Petty Cunning and Slyness

Leon considered whether to call for help, but thought about the fact that if he brought others along, he’d need to share at least half the spoils. Besides, Slankus was truly powerful, with many under his command. Aside from his Vajra Body that made him fearless and indomitable, anyone rushing in recklessly might end up dead. Ultimately, Leon abandoned that idea.

Slankus was indeed a cunning Green Dragon, but dragons have weaknesses. Leon refused to believe that if he uprooted the towering tree where his foe was perched, Slankus would still remain calm.

Concerned about mana depletion, Leon temporarily deactivated his Three Heads and Six Arms Dharma Body. Just as he prepared to destroy the tree trunks, he turned around and saw those flying dragons approaching again.

Leon suddenly realized that those flying dragons had grown craftier.

As he turned, the flying dragons scattered faster than ever, employing tactics that mirrored human strategy—advance when the enemy retreats, harass when the enemy halts, strike when fatigued, and pursue when they withdraw.

Though more cunning than ordinary creatures, these flying dragons still lacked the intelligence of their giant dragon relatives. With their level of intellect, they shouldn’t be capable of such tactics. It was likely Slankus was behind this, deciding to shift to guerrilla warfare after his earlier attempt at encirclement failed.

Chasing them wasn’t an option.

This was a forest, not a desert; it was full of towering trees that even Leon couldn’t ignore. He would have to expend energy to topple them, giving his enemies an opportunity to flee. Moreover, Slankus had bred a large group of flying dragons over centuries, alongside a regiment of Half-green Dragon guards and a cohort of Druids... there was no way to kill them all quickly.

With his Vajra Body active, Leon allowed the enemies to harass him without concern... for the moment, they posed no real threat. But once his mana was drained and he could no longer maintain the Vajra Body, who could predict what might happen?

If possible, Leon would prefer not to think too deeply, enjoying the simplicity of an empty mind. Yet, when faced with a problem, he could strategize. Like when he encountered that formidable Magma Land Shark in the Dark Territory, he used kite tactics to ultimately defeat it without injury.

What to do?

Truly, what could he do?

He had to find a way to lure Slankus out; otherwise, he’d be forced to withdraw for now.

Suddenly, inspiration struck like lightning in his mind, and Leon had an idea to draw Slankus out—a simple one at that: feigning weakness.

With that thought, Leon beat his wings and ascended into the air, rushing toward the flying dragons. Effortlessly tearing through several of them, he allowed his Red Dragon avatar to fall amidst Slankus’s poisonous mist and the onslaught of corrupted Elf Druids and Half-green Dragon guards. Then, he dove into the midst of the guard regiment, reactivating his Three Heads and Six Arms Dharma Body.

Leon started silently, slaughtering indiscriminately, hacking his way through the regiment until they were shattered to pieces. Deactivating Three Heads and Six Arms, he bellowed loudly, "You’re far too weak."

Leon pursued the Druids, who proved exceptionally slippery, transforming into animals and darting chaos into the forest. He momentarily found no effective solution and abruptly halted, deactivating Vajra Body.

Even without the Vajra Body’s immunity to all damage, Leon still retained immunity to non-refined gold weapons as well as non-magical blunt strikes, punctures, and slashing damage. For the time being, his enemies couldn’t harm him significantly, until one Druid cast Summon Thunder, calling down lightning that struck him directly.

Leon typically activated Vajra Body during combat. When mana ran out, he would retreat. It was rare for him to endure direct damage, and now the searing pain elicited an anguished roar that twisted his movements.

Poisonous mist flooded the battlefield, and Leon, who had been darting to and fro, inevitably inhaled it. He instantly felt short of breath and quickly avoided the misty area... though he had the physique of a mature Red Dragon, enduring the poison of an oversized elderly Green Dragon was still exhausting.

Leon’s Three Heads and Six Arms faded away, and moments later, he was struck by more lightning from Summon Thunder, roaring in fury. Constricted by the poison he inhaled, his body ached immensely, his breathing labored, and tears streamed from his eyes—all of which Slankus observed keenly... yet Slankus remained unperturbed, refusing to act rashly.

Leon wasn’t pretending. He had truly endured a significant wave of damage, especially from the suffocating poison. Continuous attacks drained his Life Points by at least a third, yet he still hadn’t lured the cunning Green Dragon out. Leon genuinely felt bewildered and despairing.

Something wasn’t right.

Where was the disconnect?

From the corner of his eye, Leon spotted a towering tree and suddenly understood. He flapped his wings urgently and flew toward it.

Green Dragons have a fondness for rare gemstones, especially those whose colors harmonize with their forest habitat. Such gems often gleam with a radiant green hue, resembling blooming flowers.

Unlike other dragons, Green Dragons utilize natural transformations to convert these treasures into truly unique artifacts. They might wrap or connect their treasures with rare vegetation, meticulously employing Gardener Skills to merge nature with crafted goods into unprecedented masterpieces.

This means Green Dragons don’t store all their treasures in their treasure vault.

Leon descended onto the bowl-shaped canopy of the towering tree. A single glance revealed a jade gemstone nestled amid green leaves, which he snatched with one swipe of his claw.

"Mine! That’s mine! How dare you steal my gemstone!"

"Damn vermin!"

"Savage Red Dragon!"

"Thief!"

Slankus finally lost his composure. Though he was considered shrewd and patient even among Green Dragons, he was still a dragon. At this moment, he completely ignored the possibility that the Red Dragon might be employing trickery by feigning injury to lure him out.

Slankus emerged from his hiding place, soaring into the sky with a fierce flap of his wings. He dove toward Leon, knocking him to the ground, before unleashing a torrent of Poison Breath directly into Leon’s face.

"Little wretch, I’ve already figured out your combat style. You’re formidable when you have magic, but once it’s depleted, you’re powerless."

"I’ve gathered plenty of intelligence on you. Your fights always end quickly," Slankus continued. "Because you can’t fight prolonged battles; you can’t sustain wars of attrition."

As Slankus spoke, he noticed that the Red Dragon beneath him made no attempts to struggle. Despite taking his Poison Breath head-on, Leon appeared strangely unaffected.

Slankus hesitated, preparing to retreat into the tree canopy, when the Red Dragon suddenly grew two extra heads and four additional arms. With six arms, Leon grabbed Slankus in a firm hold, immobilizing him.

"Yes, I can’t endure prolonged battles; I’m useless without magic... but who told you I’m out of magic now?" Leon sneered, one of his arms pulling out a heap of Human Elixirs from thin air before tossing them into his mouth. "I can always take potions."

"You’re finished!"

Leon took a deep breath, his chest glowing red-hot like iron, before exhaling fiercely burning Samadhi True Fire. Then came claw attacks and savage bites.

Though Leon was physically smaller than Slankus, thanks to the Heavenly Immortal Pills, his strength was evenly matched. Especially since Leon had two extra heads and four additional arms, outmuscling Slankus.

"I am Priest to Her Majesty Tiamat! If you kill me, She will never let you go!" Slankus, sensing death approaching, struggled while shouting, hoping to intimidate the Red Dragon.

"You’ve won! You can take all my treasures and my territory!" Slankus pleaded, though he knew full well the Red Dragon wouldn’t be so easily persuaded.

"What’s the point of saying that now?" Leon replied. "As for your treasures, killing you means they’re mine anyway."