Translator: AnubisTL
"By fire and steel, I swear!" Garos declared in a deep voice. "I, Garos, the Red Iron Dragon, will lead you to glory! I will grant you rebirth!"
The monsters knelt in unison.
"By fire and steel, the Ironforged People pledge eternal loyalty to you!"
They felt as though they were witnessing a momentous historical event, their hearts swelling with an indescribable emotion.
"Remember your oaths this day!" The dragon's roar shook the heavens. "When my wings eclipse the sun, your names shall be etched forever in the annals of the Ironforged People!"
Garos then proceeded to appoint leaders among his chosen.
He abolished the clan system, but recognizing the distinct customs and social habits of different familiar types, which could lead to conflict if mixed indiscriminately, he reorganized them into battle groups.
The battle groups retained their former clan names for the time being:
Bonechewer Warband Redeye Warband Clawsplitter Warband Moonhowler Warband
The Gluttonous Demon Karu was provisionally appointed Legion Lord.
Former clan leaders like Bloodtooth Hodge, Russell, and the Battle Lizard Nora became Warband Leaders, second in command. The appointment of subordinate officers within each warband was entrusted to the respective Warband Leaders.
Each battle group was also assigned an Ironforged Priest, chosen by Garos from among the sorcerers and shamans.
The Ironforged Priest held veto power over the Warband Leader's proposals. In case of disagreement, they could appeal to Garos for a final ruling, placing them above the Warband Leader in authority. However, they could not command the battle group directly, instead pledging their loyalty solely to Garos, serving as his eyes and ears.
"Given the current size of these battle groups, calling them 'battle groups' is rather presumptuous," Garos remarked.
"Still, the future holds promise."
After completing the appointments, Garos rewarded the Gluttony Demon who had displayed the greatest courage, boldness, and meticulousness during the battle by formally granting it the dragon blood transformation.
He bestowed upon Karu supreme command over all battle groups, second only to himself.
Of course, ensuring Karu's absolute loyalty was paramount.
The dragon blood transformation was essential.
More importantly, the battle against the diamond giant had left Garos severely wounded and bleeding profusely. This dragon blood could not be wasted; it would be used to create a dragon blood retainer.
Immediately afterward, several Warband Leaders and Ironforged Priests followed Garos to the deep crater where the diamond giant had fallen and died.
There, a pool of dragon blood, gathered from Garos' wounds, had formed.
The reason Garos had brought the other chosen leaders along was to let them witness firsthand the Dragon Blood Gluttonous Demon's transformation into an even more formidable being, hoping to inspire their own ambition.
Garos led the Gluttony Demon down into the deep pit, while the other familiars remained at the edge, observing.
Under the envious gazes of the other familiars, Garos began the dragon blood transformation of the Gluttony Demon, following the procedures recorded in the inheritance.
He chanted ancient draconic words, his voice resonating with arcane power.
Magical energy gathered in his claw, which he dipped into the dragon blood. With this blood-soaked claw, he inscribed special runes across the crimson pool. As the runes glowed and the ancient draconic incantation continued, an invisible vortex seemed to form within the blood, swirling with increasing intensity.
In an instant, all the blood coalesced into a single, condensed sphere, suspended in mid-air.
As Garos uttered the final syllable of the incantation, the blood sphere suddenly burst into flames. The intense heat distorted the air around it, making it shimmer like molten lava.
"Karu, devour it," Garos commanded.
Without hesitation, the Gluttony Demon approached the lava-like blood sphere, its aura radiating danger. It opened its massive maw and swallowed the sphere whole.
"Doesn't feel like much," Karu rumbled, smacking his lips.
As if in response, an extreme heat surged from his abdomen.
Karu's skin flushed an unnatural crimson, as if molten lava surged beneath its surface.
Its pupils contracted to pinpricks, and a pained growl rumbled in its throat. Half-kneeling on the ground, it opened its mouth and spewed forth a searing stream of flames—the first sign that dragon blood was beginning to rewrite its very essence.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
As if tormented by unbearable agony, it frantically pounded the ground.
As time passed, tremors shook the pit floor again and again.
Karu's gray skin began to crack and peel away, revealing crimson dragon scales pushing outward from within.
Some of its teeth grew exceptionally thick and sharp, jutting from its mouth and pressing tightly against its upper and lower jaws.
Its horns swept back, becoming more formidable and menacing.
The vertebrae along its spine pierced through flesh and bone, sprouting three rows of jagged spines. The tailbone burst through its flesh, lengthening steadily until it formed a newly grown tail.
Its limbs and torso grew more massive, muscles bulging in layered ridges like forged steel.
Finally, Karu bore the unmistakable traits of dragonkind, specifically those of a red dragon. In addition to the stench of a Gluttony Demon, a sulfurous odor now clung to it. Its body now carried a pure red dragon bloodline, unlike the dual-blooded Garos.
The dragon blood transformation had been successfully completed.
Karu gasped for breath, rising to his feet. His body radiated an even more potent aura and dragon might than before.
After regaining his composure, he threw his head back and let out a primal roar, a sound that blended the dragon's roar with the ogre's bellow, declaring the birth of a new being.
Suddenly, Karu dropped to one knee, the impact shaking the ground and sending pebbles scattering. His newly formed dragon tail carved a deep furrow into the earth.
"By the molten iron and dragon blood as witness—"
He renewed his oath of fealty to Garos, his voice deep and solemn. "May my flesh become the cornerstone beneath your throne, and my soul the raging wind between your wings!"
Garos gazed at the Dragon Blood Glutton, clearly sensing its thoughts.
Its reverence, respect, and loyalty had reached their peak. It would unhesitatingly give its life for him.
And so, Garos had gained a formidable lieutenant, a dragon blood retainer.
From now on, he wouldn't need to personally handle minor troubles, allowing him to focus on strengthening himself, on his own training and evolution.
It was a bit of a pity, though.
Karu inherited the bloodline of the red dragon, not the iron dragon. Had he inherited the latter, his intelligence might have been further enhanced, especially in matters of territorial management.
Most iron dragons aspire to establish dragonkind empires and possess a knack for governing their territories. The iron dragon maiden's domain, for instance, was meticulously organized and well-planned, with clear divisions of labor and orderly systems for pastures, outposts, armies, and logistics.
Garos's knowledge of Monarch Theory and Lordship Theory stemmed entirely from the Iron Dragon Legacy.
In contrast, the red dragon inheritance offered a far simpler approach to territorial management: kill!
Disobedient subjects? Kill them.
Incompetent workers? Kill them.
Anyone who displeased him? Kill them!
Red dragons favored maintaining their rule through brutal methods, a strategy prone to backfiring. Garos, however, preferred the management style inherited from the Iron Dragon Legacy.
Next, the familiars gathered the remains of the diamond giant and returned to the giant camp to clean up the aftermath.
Ultimately, a Bonechewer Warband of ogres was left behind to guard the Earth Vein Symbiosis Pool, personally led by Karu's blood brother, the ogre Ugo.
This nameless highland, which had witnessed the birth of the Ironforged Clan, was subsequently named the Quenching Highlands by Garos.
(End of the Chapter)
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