Translator: AnubisTL
The conflict between the red dragon and the white dragon had come to an end.
Garos, whose training had been interrupted, still felt unsatisfied. Seeing that the white dragon was in good condition, he invited it to continue assisting him.
The red dragon Samantha's injuries weren't severe either.
She insisted on joining.
The more the merrier, Garos naturally didn't refuse.
Red and white, two dragons with opposing elemental affinities, simultaneously attacked Garos, subjecting him to a sensation akin to being caught between ice and fire.
Occasionally, when struck by particularly fierce attacks, Garos would grunt softly. The red dragon and the white dragon, who couldn't stand each other, secretly competed to see who could leave the deeper mark on Garos, eliciting a stronger reaction from him.
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!
Under the swirling white steam of clashing ice and fire, the three dragons' figures flickered in and out of view. The sounds of scales grinding against scales, claws striking tails, and red-hot sparks flying filled the air.
Time gradually slipped away.
Twilight deepened, and the fading sunlight cast its golden rays across Dragon Valley, painting the lake's surface with shimmering ripples.
Garos's physical training session had come to an end for the time being.
Samantha, panting heavily from exhaustion, wanted to collapse to the ground, but seeing the white dragon on the other side, she forced herself to stay upright. Adult dragons possessed far greater physical and magical energy reserves, allowing them to maintain their stamina longer.
Garos stretched his body, his joints cracking audibly.
The explosive scales covering his body were now riddled with cracks from the two dragons' attacks, resembling fragile porcelain at first glance. Yet, unlike before, they hadn't shattered during the intense battle.
This was due to Garos's self-restraint and control, as well as the cooling effect of the white dragon's icy breath.
However, while the white dragon's icy breath proved effective, it also presented a new problem.
If I continue to be exposed to this cold, what form will my explosive scales evolve into next? Garos pondered, realizing that the next stage of evolution might not align with his desires—namely, the ability to store and release energy in bursts or to unleash a single, devastating explosion.
The path of evolution branches endlessly.
I can't precisely control the direction of evolution at this stage; I can only exert a general influence.
Garos shook his head almost imperceptibly, thinking to himself, It doesn't matter. Every evolution I undergo is beneficial. Even if it doesn't perfectly match my expectations, as long as I evolve, it's a good thing for me.
With this thought, he stopped dwelling on the matter.
Perhaps the outcome of his adaptation would be even better than he had imagined?
The sound of flapping wings echoed from the horizon. Garos looked up and saw the wyverns, bathed in the golden light of the setting sun, returning to Dragon Valley.
But unlike when they had departed, the wyverns now bore battle scars, their bodies marked with fresh wounds.
Folding their wings, Tasha and several adult wyverns landed gracefully in Dragon Valley, settling before Garos and the other dragons.
Under Garos's watchful gaze, the wyvern chief lowered her head and reported, "We were discovered as soon as we entered the Bloodhoof Clan's territory."
She recounted the events in detail.
The wyvern flock had concealed themselves within the clouds, minimizing their flight noise as they glided toward the Bloodhoof Clan's territory.
However, to their surprise, the Bloodhoof Clan's airspace was guarded by floating orbs resembling eyes. The moment the wyverns approached, they were immediately detected.
Immediately afterward, the shaman summoned the great eagle spirit, granting wings to the elite warriors and bosses, enabling them to fly.
Empowered by the sorcerer's magic, the mighty minotaurs broke free from the ground and soared into the sky, launching a fierce assault on the wyverns.
Wyverns excelled at aerial combat, agile and fearless against minotaurs.
Remembering Garos's warning, they abandoned the fight as soon as their presence was revealed and began to retreat. The minotaurs pursued briefly, but lacking natural flight and with their spells waning, they eventually descended back to the ground.
"Baal Bloodhoof," Garos said. "Have any of you seen this chieftain of their clan?"
Tasha, the wyvern, nodded with lingering fear. "I met his gaze from afar," she whispered. "Though he was clearly a minotaur, he radiated an aura akin to dragon might. Even standing on the ground, he made me feel oppressed and uneasy."
Garos pondered this, then asked, "Can you describe his appearance and build in detail?"
Tasha recalled every detail, describing him meticulously. Her description matched what the centaurs had previously reported.
Samantha blinked, startled by Tasha's account. "Could this minotaur have experienced atavism, reverting to demonic bloodline traits?"
Garos nodded slowly. "That's the only plausible explanation."
Creatures with powerful ancestors carry the potential for bloodline atavism. Even dragonkind is not immune.
Beneath the Dragon God, the dragon race was led by a group of immensely powerful primordial dragons. These ancient beings served as the Dragon God's right-hand guardians, the pillars of the dragon race, and objects of reverence and awe for all dragonkind.
The primordial dragons were the first dragons created after the Dragon God's birth.
Born with innate immortality and bloodlines akin to gods and demons, they possessed power rivaling that of ordinary divine spirits, despite lacking divine status.
These were the exceptionally gifted individuals among the dragon race.
Those who earned the Dragon God's favor and support, or who possessed the innate talent to refine their bloodlines, had the opportunity to undergo atavism, acquiring the blood of primordial dragons and becoming even more formidable.
In the history of Bernardo Planet, before the rise of the twenty-four-winged golden dragon, there had been a Reverted Black Dragon—the most powerful of all evil dragons. Ferocious and malevolent, he was a living embodiment of evil and death. Yet, for reasons unknown, the Reverted Black Dragon suddenly vanished, disappearing without a trace from Bernardo Planet.
Leaving aside the dragons for now...
The origin of the minotaur bloodline lay with a lord of the abyssal plane—not just any lord, but the Beast Prince, an archdemon who also held divine status. This was a being of immense power and terror.
"Demonic atavism, and the concentration of demonic blood must be exceptionally high—certainly surpassing the pegasus blood in Elvie."
"Chieftain Bloodhoof might be growing even faster than I am," Garos thought, a sense of urgency rising in his heart.
The dragonkind's long lifespans and naturally powerful bodies granted them many advantages, but the slow growth rate of long-lived races was a critical weakness. Even with his exceptional innate talent, Garos's growth rate paled in comparison to that of shorter-lived races.
For example, the most gifted humans could achieve legendary status by their early twenties.
In contrast, the most talented dragons typically reached legendary status only after a century of growth.
Dragons like white dragons might never achieve legendary status, even after living for a thousand years.
The dragonkind's greatest strength lay in their virtually limitless potential. At equal levels, they were nearly invincible, capable of continuous growth. They were the ultimate late-game powerhouses, but the challenge lay in reaching that late-game stage.
A sense of crisis surged through the juvenile dragon's mind.
His killing intent soared.
In an instant, Dragon Valley fell silent under the twilight sky. Even the insects chirping in the rocky crevices and tall grasses ceased their calls.
The red dragon, the white dragon, and the surrounding wyverns all felt a tightening in their hearts, instinctively taking a half-step back. The red-iron dragon before them seemed to have shed his disguise, transforming into a terrifying, bloodthirsty beast, every scale radiating an aura of extreme danger.
Garos took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
He wouldn't let his murderous intent cloud his judgment.
"The Bloodhoof Clan is expanding rapidly. They've already discovered Dragon Valley, and our wyvern scouts have been detected. A minotaur with demonic blood would feel no reverence for dragonkind."
"My dragon sleep is imminent—within the next year or two. I must eliminate this potential threat before then!"
"But I can't rush things. I can't recklessly charge into enemy territory alone."
"The Bloodhoof Clan has a considerable number of sorcerers and shamans, and their levels are likely high. There's more than one powerful boss beneath the chieftain."
"In that case... prepare for war. It's time for my legion of servants to prove their worth."
Garos's gaze turned icy. Even without fairy scale powder, his spirit was intensely focused, his thoughts racing.
As always, whenever he sensed danger or felt his murderous intent rising, the red-iron dragon's spirit became unusually active and invigorated. Only after resolving the threat and feeling secure would it gradually return to normal.
(End of the Chapter)
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