Oases began to appear in the desert, though no one knew when.
The yellow poplars and Russian olives gradually turned into red golden thistles, then green weeping willows. Looking out, the endless golden desert was surrounded by a vast, boundless green forest.
The incredible grasslands were also lush, growing luxuriantly in the desert in defiance of all norms.
The dry, restless wind and sand seemed to be blocked by an invisible force, forever unable to invade the green forest's domain. This also caused many small desert animals to gather from all directions, taking refuge in this oasis.
The large figures, clad in full warrior heavy armor, who patrolled the oasis daily, did not instill fear in these small animals.
Because these large figures were not like the Freman, who treated them as food; instead, they acted as if the animals didn't exist, allowing some desert mice and fennec foxes to even dare to leap onto their shoulders when these large figures paused to rest.
Only the central area of this oasis was a forbidden zone that all animals instinctively dared not approach. A natural aura existed there, preventing even the most foolish animal from mustering the courage to get close.
Some bolder animals would only occasionally glimpse, from a distance, the partial scales and horns of enormous, active creatures through the occasional gaps in the green forest.
These animals didn't know what kind of creatures they were, but these beings possessed concepts and symbols never before seen in this universe. Even their unintelligent minds began to understand that this was the Green Field of the Dragons.
Time flowed, the desert remained eternal, and it seemed as if these peaceful days would continue forever.
But today, the tranquility of this green paradise was shattered by intense cannon fire and the tremor of the sky.
Legion warriors of Burning Hoof eagerly emerged from the shade. For warriors with battle-thirsty blood flowing through their veins, these peaceful days were a more arduous test of their mental fortitude.
Physical pain couldn't compare to the deadening tranquility of this training.
"Let's go see who it is that dares disturb my Lord's rest," Legion Commander Lenis said calmly, yet his excitement was barely concealed.
Led by Commander Lenis, the warriors on patrol duty opened two side vents on the back of their battle armor, from which extended pairs of demon and devil wings, over ten meters long, as they flew towards the distant Dune tops on the plain.
Whoosh, bang!
Dozens of ornithopters in the sky, controlled by warriors, swept streams of fire across the barren hills and rock walls on the ground, mowing down the Freman and riddling them with holes.
The intense energy flames directly melted holes through the Freman's bodies, and a twenty-meter-long, oval, egg-shell-like spaceship flew horizontally through the sky.
It fired massive ion lasers from its cannon, directly piercing through the brittle rock walls, instantly penetrating and then pulverizing the Freman hiding behind them, who were exchanging laser fire and ion cannon blasts with the spaceship.
Ornithopters were shot down by the Freman, and Freman were also instantly wiped out in large numbers by the fierce aerial bombardment.
On the ground, large numbers of Harkonnen Family legion warriors landed on the sand, advancing in formation, coordinating with the aerial firepower to kill all these rats who were disrupting spice production.
Paul and the Freman's actions enraged the Harkonnen Family, and as a result, this wealthy family began to send more troops to eliminate these Freman.
However, even with aerial fire support, the Harkonnen Family warriors seemed to be no match for these fierce Freman warriors.
The Freman bravely threw themselves into battle, shouting the name of Paul, their warrior leader and prophet. The women even threw their children at the Harkonnen Family legion warriors, then themselves plunged onto the warriors' blades to tear open the defensive line, allowing their men to attack.
Paul led his companions, who had lived in the desert for a long time and whose combat power was exceptionally strong due to their contact with spice, dodging artillery fire while charging the Harkonnen Family legion.
His formidable precognitive abilities and combat skills made the blade in his hand like the scythe of death harvesting lives; no Harkonnen warrior could withstand a single round against him.
"Follow me, I will always be at the forefront!"
Paul swung his long blade horizontally, deflecting an enemy's weapon, and then seamlessly cut a Harkonnen warrior's neck. He raised his arm and shouted, and countless Freman shouted back with fanaticism, marching alongside him, fearless of death.
The flames of war spread throughout the entire Dune, because this was not just the Fremansuicide squad, but all the Freman from the Tabr Cave were here.
Initially, Paul led the Freman to victory in every battle, relying on his powerful precognitive abilities.
But a few days ago, the Harkonnen Family legion, with greatly increased forces, suddenly discovered the location of Tabr Cave and launched an attack on it, causing many Fremancasualties.
And none of this had been predicted by Paul.
Because of this, Paul, like his mother Jessica, consumed the life water, unlocking the memories and wisdom of all his male and female ancestors in his bloodline.
The memories and experiences of these ancestors were like a vast information database, allowing Paul's precognitive abilities to observe future branching paths, enlightened by various known information.
But no matter which direction he looked, he could only see his own corpse, with blood gushing from countless horrible knife wounds.
Only by heading south, as a religious leader, uniting the entire Freman, and establishing a theocratic rule, could he lead himself to the path of success.
He could only bravely step towards his destiny, leading the remaining Freman south to the main camp.
But the Harkonnen pursuers were hot on their heels; they had to shake off the pursuers, which is why this battle broke out.
Paul forged his anxiety and anger into an unstoppable blade, throwing himself into the crowd, sweeping all before him.
His and the Freman's performance caught the attention of the Burning Hoof legion warriors standing atop the Dune, observing the battle.
One warrior couldn't help but say, "Commander, these are excellent warrior candidates. If used by the Golden Empire, they could be of great use. Should we intervene and deal with those ugly Harkonnen?"
Lenis stood leaning on his sword, the long and heavy cross-guard greatsword gleaming with cold light, making this four-meter-tall warrior, clad in heavy armor, appear exceptionally fierce.
As the battle group leader of the second Burning Hoof legion, this fellow was now the leader of all the legion warriors, and also the highest-ranking centurion.
"Go," Lenis nodded, "Display the might and glory of my Lord. These Freman are our best reserves and rulers in this place."
Then an invisible psychic wave swept across the entire field, like a mighty roar, instantly silencing the battlefield where cannon fire and blood splattered.
"Stop, you audacious mortals! How dare you disturb the place where my Lord resides!"
"What the hell are these guys, wearing such old stuff in the desert? Hilarious!" a simple-minded Harkonnen Family warrior mocked while piloting an ornithopter and firing at these warriors.
"You seek death! How dare you disturb my Lord's peace!"
A resonant voice rolled out from beneath the warrior's faceplate, echoing across the entire field. Suddenly, pairs of huge wings unfurled from the backs of the warriors.
Whoosh!
Twenty elite warriors of the Burning Hoof legion spread their wings and soared into the sky, their longswords burning with the wicked fire of demons and devils, and scorching Dragon Flame.
The aerial fire was cut through by these powerful warriors with their longswords, and in an instant, they reached the ornithopters piloted by the Harkonnen warriors.
Streaks of fierce sword light flashed, and the steel dragonflies in the sky were directly cut in half by the cross-guard greatswords.
Machines made of steel were no harder than wood under the swords of these Empire elite warriors. The wicked fire and Dragon Flame could even adhere to the steel, gradually melting these solid materials.
The pilots inside were also ignited by the wicked fire and Dragon Flame attached to the sword blades, screaming as they plummeted from the broken fuselages high in the sky into the desert. In a matter of seconds, their entire skeletons and battle suits were incinerated by the wicked fire and Dragon Flame, turning to ash.
The Harkonnen warrior piloting the spaceship hadn't even figured out what was happening when the ornithopters in the sky had already been destroyed by these terrifying warriors, falling like rain.
The spaceship quickly tried to gain altitude, attempting to escape this terrifying area.
But Lenis pulled his greatsword from the sand. Unparalleled power gathered in his hands, and the searing white psionic energy transformed into burning flames attached to this cross-guard greatsword, which he then threw.
The heavy greatsword actually produced a sharp sword hum in the air. The speed at which these warriors usually swung their greatswords was already close to the speed of sound, let alone when this terrifying dragon blood creature exerted its full power.
His loyalty to the Ancestral Red Dragon made the psionic power within his body surge to an unparalleled degree, pure and possessing immense destructive force.
The sound barrier break and the greatsword arrived almost simultaneously. The hardened alloy used to construct the spaceship did not exhibit its strong defensive capabilities; it was directly pierced and melted by the greatsword.
The spaceship pilot was also instantly killed by this strike. Losing the pilot's control, the spaceship immediately swayed erratically and plummeted from the sky, crashing into the sand.
Silence fell over the entire field. The Harkonnen warriors and Freman who were still fighting simultaneously stopped, stunned by the sudden, massive change.
If the opponent had shot down the ornithopters and spaceship with laser cannons, it wouldn't have given them any particular thoughts. But the opponent had destroyed these creations of civilization in such an almost ancient manner.
The enormous wings on the backs of those warriors also astonished many Fremen, as if a legend from myth had suddenly descended before their eyes. This was even more shocking than Paul Atreides, the true prophet.
Many Fremen even forgot they were on a battlefield, kneeling one after another, worshiping the heavily armored warriors who hovered in the sky with outstretched wings.
"The angels of the True God, the warriors of the Creator, the great spirits, are protecting the Fremen!"
"Praise the eternal True God and spirits!"
"This is truly a sound from beyond the heavens, this is a messenger of God!"
Even Chani, who had always doubted Paul as a prophet, widened her eyes and began to pray silently.
Paul's powerful mental strength kept him clear-headed. He knew very well that there were no so-called gods in this world; it was merely the transmission of memories from countless generations of human ancestors within the bloodline.
But these Fremen, who had previously seen him as a prophet, now knelt one after another. When a true miracle descended, his leadership flickered like a candle in the wind.
Perhaps those powerful winged warriors only needed to speak and acknowledge, and they could easily rule these Fremen.
But to Paul's surprise, these powerful warriors' pride was as immense as their strength.
"I am not the angel you speak of, and the master I serve is not the True God or Creator you mention," Lenis said as he descended the Dune and approached the kneeling Fremen.
These warriors, like the entire Golden Empire, possessed a dragon-like pride. They disdained to steal such faith, even if the Fremen were useful to them.
"I am a warrior of God, but the God I serve is the Emperor of Dragons, the master of humans and all races. You must remember," Lenis's tall figure stepped onto the sand, his deep, resonant words echoing powerfully, "Do not confuse my Lord with other deities!"
All the Fremen showed stunned and disbelieving expressions. Even Paul, usually composed, whose blue eyes were now from excessive spice consumption, revealed a look of shock.
But these warriors, powerful as angels, ignored the clamoring Fremen, regrouping like giants of legend, imposing a strong sense of oppression on the Fremen.
However, these warriors did not communicate much; instead, they crossed the Dune and disappeared from everyone's sight.
After the warriors left, Paul regained control of the tribe. He led the still-discussing Fremen to kill the remaining Harkonnen Family warriors, then prepared to set off again.
But as they crossed the Dune, an oasis in the desert, like a paradise descended into this mortal world, suddenly appeared before their eyes.
Spreading to the endless horizon of the desert, the boundless greenery and plants made everyone tremble and kneel. They looked at the shimmering lakes, raised their hands, praying and praising the Creator's great power and favor.
And Paul, from his throat, uttered a single sentence, "That is not the True God, that is, Dragon!"
But apart from Chani, his beloved by his side, no one cared for the words of this prophet anymore. These Fremen, after their excited prayers, rushed towards the oasis and lakes like madmen.
But a thunderous roar came, and one after another, giant sand worms, hundreds of meters long, burst out from the edge of the oasis, revealing their ferocious mouthparts and making strange gurgling sounds, blocking the path of these frenzied Fremen.
"Oh my God, these are even larger than grandmother-level sand worms, the sacred Shai-Hulud, how can so many sand worms gather here?"
"The largest sand worm I've seen was only over two hundred meters; that sand worm is far over four hundred meters!"
Fear surged in the hearts of the Fremen who worshipped sand worms. In front of sand worms of this caliber, the Fremen, now only a few thousand strong, might only be enough for these sand worms to eat half a meal.
But these sand worms did not attack the Fremen; instead, they lowered their heads, closed their mouthparts, and lay between the oasis and the Fremen, submitting to and worshipping the oasis.
At this moment, those powerful warriors in front, like giants, also knelt on one knee towards the center of the oasis, welcoming the owner of that silent and solemn aura.
A whoosh,
Spreading wings, like shadows covering the earth, forty-eight-meter-long Dragon wings rose from the center of the oasis. A being, seemingly shimmering in the sunlight, ascended from the oasis center, making everyone believe a dazzling sun had risen at that moment.
A distance that would take the Fremen a full day to run could be covered by this majestic being with just a single flap of its wings.
The Ancestral Red Dragon landed before the submissive giant sand worms. An invisible psychic wave swept over everyone, causing the Fremen, who had no word for "dragon," to instantly cry out.
"Dragon, a Dragon! This is the Dragon that those God-warriors serve!"
In the past six months, the Ancestral Red Dragon had accelerated its development by consuming the growth characteristics of sand worms, growing from twenty-one meters to twenty-three meters.
Its originally shimmering elemental red scales became even more dazzling, its immensely thick limbs appeared wider than rock pillars, and its metallic-lustered scales seemed harder than the alloys used to build spaceships.
Ancient and mysterious patterns intertwined and grew on its enormous wings, looking like streams of various colored light flowing within the patterns.
Kalon's enormous, majestic, and magnificent head was held high, six massive horns like scepters, carrying an imposing nobility.
But the Thorn Horn growing on the Ancestral Red Dragon's spine and its mouth full of long, sharp fangs, superior to crafted divine weapons, made this Ancestral Red Dragon appear exceptionally fierce and powerful, captivating the soul.
Its long, thick Dragon tail and the bulging, knotty muscles under its scales further showcased its unparalleled sense of power—noble, majestic, fierce, mysterious, and powerful.
This was the first impression that came to everyone's mind.
Those immensely giant sand worms, in front of the Ancestral Red Dragon, became ugly and clumsy counter-examples.
So, the moment the Ancestral Red Dragon spoke, the Fremen had already knelt on the ground, worshiping this perfect deity, one that had never existed in the world before.
"Do you understand?"
Kalon spoke, the Dragon's cadence like an ancient echo, reverberating deeply, making Paul, who was so close for the first time, instinctively clasp his hands and begin to praise this perfect creature.
Hearing the Ancestral Red Dragon's words, Paul instinctively used his ability to calculate and observe the future. With his ability grown to this extent, he could already observe fragments of future trajectories many years ahead.
He saw the future: he successfully took revenge, but the Fremen of Dune became the new nobles of the world, waging wars and slaughter in the name of their faith in him, instigating various religious wars in Paul's name, ravaging other planets in the universe.
Dune was saved, but other planets were ruined.
Under the general trend, even if Paul became emperor, it was useless; even becoming a spiritual leader was useless. His becoming a messianic figure in a religious sense was merely an excuse and reason for humanity to continue fighting other wars.
The high-ranking Fremen merely used Paul's name to launch wars, gaining the legitimacy of freedom and revenge, rather than being encircled and suppressed by the entire empire as rebels.
Although he possessed the ability to predict the future, he was ultimately a mortal, unable to control this fervent religion.
What worried him even more was that even if he observed countless branches of the future, Chani's death would eventually come.
This outcome was also why Paul did not believe in theocratic rule.
But in the past, the Ancestral Red Dragon's figure, which intersected with Paul but could not be observed, became a variable that Paul, with his innate connection, incorporated. He received the Red Dragon's permission, and thus could observe other trajectories.
Those infinitely despairing trajectory branches instantly extended a path of hope in Paul's eyes.
With the support of a truly divine power, Paul would become a truly powerful leader and religious leader, and those scenes of Chani's demise were one by one reversed, pale faces turning into smiles.
Even though the consciousness in Paul's mind still believed that messianic theocracy could not bring humanity the future it deserved, he still bowed his head, expressing his respect to the Ancestral Red Dragon.
In Paul's calculations and predictions, even without him, the other party's power would still easily be enough to rule these Fremen.
But setting himself aside, his revenge plan would never succeed, and the future would not move towards the scene he desired.
"So, God once loved me, in Chani's name!"
Kalon smiled faintly, revealing his fangs. Although he could not predict the exact future Paul truly intended to achieve, only countless branches, he could join in as a variable.
But while this method was the optimal solution, it didn't mean there were no other ways. Kalon's choice was merely out of appreciation for this warrior and coveting the immense population potential in this universe. So, Paul's words were not wrong.
Thus, the Red Dragon placed his Dragon claw over Paul's head, and a deep, powerful Dragon Language voice resonated with an invisible psychic wave, "Go, you are not the True God's savior, but the Dragon's messianic warrior."
"I give you a future; you give me the whole world!"
Paul lowered his head, then turned, facing all the Fremen, raising his arms and roaring, "God bless the warriors!"