After dealing with matters in the wilderness, the Red Iron Dragon set off back to the Borderlands.
Gold Dragon Orvis had already healed most of his shocking and severe injuries, but some damage still required slow recuperation.
Therefore, Galos intended to rest for a few days with a clear conscience, enjoying the rare leisure time.
Dragon Valley was always shrouded in an endless, biting wind and snow.
As he approached the upper airspace, Galos folded his enormous dragon wings and, with a body still bearing unhealed scars and the dust of battle, flew towards his majestic fortress.
His sharp gaze quickly noticed three figures conversing on the large, flat platform.
One was a middle-aged man in a silver robe, with snow-white hair and a serious, stern face—this was Silver Dragon Edri in his human form; another was a lively woman in a colorful long dress, with honey-colored hair tied into a dynamic braid—she was Copper Dragon Serena.
And in the middle, surrounded by the two of them, was their beloved daughter, Crimson-Silver Dragon Deborah, who inherited the bloodline of both parents.
Like her parents, Deborah was also in human form at this moment.
She had long, waterfall-like hair, its color extraordinarily magnificent, as if the cold gleam of mithril and the warm glow of scarlet gold had perfectly merged. Her figure was graceful and slender, delicate yet agile, and on her slightly baby-faced, oval-shaped face, a pair of clear, clean almond eyes were set, with thick eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings.
A small, exquisite Fairy Dragon was perched on her slender shoulder.
Deborah seemed a little distracted.
While listening to her parents' concerned chatter, she subconsciously bit her smooth nails, her gaze occasionally drifting towards the distant horizon.
Just then, as the Red Iron Dragon's unique and powerful aura approached from afar, the young girl immediately looked up as if sensing something.
When she clearly saw the familiar figure, a bright and joyful smile instantly bloomed on her face, almost dispelling the surrounding chill.
The Red Iron Dragon grinned at her.
"My fortress, it seems it's time for an expansion," he thought, his gaze sweeping over the platform of his fortress.
Measured against the Red Iron Dragon's ever-growing massive size, what once felt like a spacious and comfortable area now seemed somewhat cramped and confined.
When he first built Burning Steel Fortress, he had already considered his growth rate, which far exceeded that of his kin, and specifically reserved ample space, but clearly, he had still underestimated the rapid burst of his potential, resulting in his current dwelling being unable to perfectly accommodate his mighty and majestic dragon body.
Looking at the Metallic Dragons on the platform, all active in human form, Galos cast a shapeshifting spell during his descent.
Buzz—!
With a flash of white light enveloping his entire body, the Red Iron Dragon's massive figure began to rapidly transform and shrink.
Finally, with a dull thud, he landed forcefully in a powerful, superhero-like pose, knees slightly bent, standing steadily on the platform, before slowly straightening his body.
Galos's human form was completely bare-chested.
His powerful, bulging muscles, clearly defined and knotted, were exposed, with only a simple, ancient-style skirt armor tied around his waist.
His physique was extremely tall and robust, much more muscular than the others; although also in human form, at first glance, the style, full of primal, wild strength, seemed to belong to a different dimension than theirs.
As for why he wore no top, the reason was simple and direct.
He didn't use his shapeshifting spell frequently, especially rarely in human form, and precisely controlling the transformation to the extent of conjuring fitting clothes was a high-difficulty technique in shapeshifting that he had not yet fully mastered.
Moreover, this was the first time Adri and Serena had seen Galos in this form.
"What solid muscles, let me pinch them and see."
Serena directly reached out with a smiling face and pinched Galos's arm muscle, which he obligingly flexed.
"Harder than steel!" she exclaimed, then turned her head, her gaze playfully directed at her companion, teasing, "My dear Adri, it seems you also need to exercise more. Look at Galos, how mighty and majestic he looks, how impressive, how pleasing to the eye."
Upon hearing this, Adri couldn't help but scrutinize Galos a few more times.
His stern face showed no expression, but a hint of imperceptible appreciation flickered in his eyes.
In the Silver Dragon's usual aesthetic, overly exaggerated muscles often appeared coarse and clumsy, lacking beauty.
But Galos was an exception; every inch of his muscles seemed to have been meticulously sculpted, presenting a nearly perfect golden ratio, full of explosive power and a unique, wild beauty, with immense visual impact.
Just then.
Deborah, observing Galos's appearance and recalling certain past events, suddenly couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Serena looked at her daughter in confusion and asked, "My dear daughter, what are you laughing about so happily?"
Deborah quickly waved her hand, trying to hide her smile, and said, "N-nothing, I just suddenly thought of something interesting and couldn't help but laugh."
Upon hearing this, the Fairy Dragon on her shoulder rolled its eyes, a cunning smile appearing on its face.
The Fairy Dragon eagerly blurted out, "I know, I know! She must be remembering the embarrassing incident from Galos's first successful shapeshifting spell. He completely forgot to conjure clothes back then, so he was stark naked."
"Hahaha... uh..."
As soon as the words left her mouth, the Fairy Dragon realized she might have said something she shouldn't have.
She turned her head somewhat stiffly, and indeed met Galos's eyes, which had become somewhat dangerous.
"Um... I-I suddenly remembered that my magic mushrooms seem to be nearing harvest. You all chat, have fun."
The Fairy Dragon gave an awkward smile.
Accompanied by a shower of sparkling magic dust, her body quickly became blurry and transparent, and the next second she vanished directly from the air, escaping faster than the wind.
Deborah changed the subject and asked, "Galos, why did you suddenly run off to the wilderness before?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she keenly noticed that Galos's aura seemed to fluctuate unusually, not as calm and profound as usual, but rather showing a restlessness as if he had just experienced an extremely intense battle.
Looking closer, one could see many new, crisscrossing scars on his bare upper body and limbs, not yet fully healed.
Adri and Serena also noticed these.
The Copper Dragon put away her playful expression and asked, "Which clueless fellow did you fight with to get all those injuries?"
"Judging by these marks, the battle must have been very fierce. Were you badly hurt?"
The usually serious and cautious Adri frowned slightly, scrutinizing Galos.
On Galos, he sensed a faint yet very powerful residual aura, incredibly sharp, which could not have been left by an ordinary enemy; it must have been an extremely powerful being.
Galos, facing the gazes of the three Metallic Dragons, walked steadily closer.
He casually raised a hand, brushing away non-existent dust from his shoulders and arms, his movements calm and unhurried.
"It's nothing major, just a few insignificant minor injuries, they'll heal quickly."
He finished in a flat tone, paused slightly, as if just remembering, and added casually, in a tone like discussing the weather:
"Oh, by the way, I just killed a Legendary in the Silent Plain out in the wilderness."
"The sword energy that guy unleashed before he died was a bit troublesome; I haven't had time to fully dispel it yet."
Galos's expression was calm and unruffled, his tone devoid of any fluctuation, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.
However, the content revealed in his words was like a clap of thunder.
Upon hearing him, Serena's eyes instantly widened, and her mouth also slightly agape in shock, as if a dragon egg could fit inside.
Adri's pupils, on the other hand, contracted sharply, and for the first time, a clear look of astonishment appeared on his stern face.
He even wondered if he had misheard, and slowly asked, "You just said... you killed a what?"
Galos maintained his composed posture and said, "A human Legendary, specifically, a Legendary Sword Saint." After confirming this, he paused, and with a hint of emotion, said, "As expected of a Legendary life revered by the world, he was indeed formidable."
"It took me quite some time to kill him."
Deborah, standing nearby, knew how to chime in at the right moment and let out a cooperative gasp.
"Wow! Galos, you're truly amazing!"
In reality, she wasn't as surprised as she appeared.
Because in Deborah's heart, she considered it perfectly natural for Galos to do anything extraordinary.
Her gasp at this moment was more about tacitly cooperating with Galos to satisfy his small bit of vanity.
Serena: "..."
Adri: "..."
The two adult Metallic Dragons fell silent instantly.
With their vast experience, how could they not realize that the young Red Iron Dragon before them was clearly using a low-key method to show off his achievements?
If there was one thing Galos had in common with ordinary dragons, it was probably that he possessed a certain vanity, occasionally liking to flaunt his powerful strength or impressive accomplishments like a peacock displaying its feathers.
And, most importantly,
He wasn't boasting; he genuinely possessed the solid capital to boast about.
"To kill a true Legendary… it's incredible. Even across the five Dragon Domains, no dragon at this age has achieved such a feat," Edli thought to himself.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
Perhaps he wanted to inquire about the more detailed battle process, or perhaps he wanted to express complex words in the Silver Dragon style, containing both congratulations and warnings, but in the end, all the words he had prepared were stuck in his throat, only turning into a slight nod of acknowledgment.
The Silver Dragon knew well that Galos was not a dragon who would speak carelessly or exaggerate in such matters.
He also understood perfectly how difficult it was to defeat a true Legendary as a non-Legendary being.
But he never imagined that the Red Iron Dragon's growth rate could be so terrifying.
Recalling it carefully, when the Red Iron Dragon was only around level 14, he himself was already level 19.
Now, he had advanced to level 20, but he never expected Galos to surge all the way to level 20 as well, already catching up to him in level! Even more terrifying was that the opponent could kill a Legendary.
This growth rate was truly frightening.
"Why didn't I adopt Galos back then?"
A strong sense of regret once again surged in the Silver Dragon Edli's heart.
However, when the corner of his eye caught sight of his daughter Deborah, who was looking at Galos beside him, that regret was gradually replaced by a magnanimous mindset.
This is good too; perhaps this is the best arrangement.
Serena moved closer, a smile of undisguised admiration on her face, and said, "Galos, oh Galos, your growth rate truly astonishes me every time, constantly refreshing the upper limit of my understanding."
"However, a tall tree catches the wind; you might be targeted."
"Do you need me to help you spread some 'rumors'? Say that you are actually a Metallic Dragon genius with special mixed-blood talent, secretly cultivated by our Raging Waves Dragon Domain for many years, with the entire Dragon Domain backing you, to scare off those who dare to scheme against you."
Her words contained a hint of jest, but also revealed her high regard for Galos.
"Of course, I don't mind," Galos replied, then turned his gaze to the Silver Dragon.
"Speaking of which, Lord Edli, the nine dragon elixir you previously gifted me has all been consumed in that battle just now. Do you have any more?"
Edli nodded lightly upon hearing this.
He very generously took out another complete set of nine dragon elixir, and in addition, he also took out some other magic potions.
"I know you have always been keen on extreme, high-intensity training to hone yourself."
"Not long ago, based on your situation, I researched and created some new magic potions that can significantly improve efficiency in this area."
"You can take them back and try out their effects."
Galos unceremoniously accepted these magic potions and said, "Lord Edli, you are as generous as ever."
On the other side, Serena saw this and straightened her face.
She said with feigned displeasure, "Lord? Galos, that address is too distant. You should use a more intimate one, like 'Uncle Edli,' or simply 'Uncle Edli' is fine."
Metallic Dragons value these things more.
Moreover, she could tell that Deborah and the Red Iron Dragon's relationship had progressed further.
Galos readily complied, nodded, and smiled, "Alright, as long as Uncle Edli doesn't mind, I naturally have no objection."
A gentle smile also appeared on Edli's stern face.
Of course, he had no objections whatsoever.
Guiding an Evil Dragon towards the friendly camp of Metallic Dragons was one of the goals he had always pursued.
Although this process was not completed by him personally, Deborah was his biological daughter, and his daughter's success naturally included his father's share of credit and satisfaction.
Amidst his satisfaction, Edli did not forget the main business.
His expression became serious again, and he reminded, "The death of a Legendary powerhouse is no small matter. It often involves complex backgrounds and may even trigger a series of chain reactions."
"Galos, you must be careful of any retaliatory actions that the opposing forces might take later."
He paused, then asked, "Which country or force did the Legendary you killed come from, specifically? And why did you stand on opposing sides?"
Galos thought for a moment and felt there was no need to conceal this matter.
Under the focused gazes of the several Metallic Dragons, he succinctly narrated the general cause and course of the conflict.
"The Kingdom of Theos… if we don't count those duchies, it's the human kingdom closest to the wilderness."
"Now that they've lost a valuable Legendary, out of consideration for the current situation, they might tolerate it for a while, but it's highly likely they won't let it go and may take some action."
Edli pondered for a moment, a solemn expression on his face.
He solemnly said, "If a Legendary powerhouse from the Kingdom of Theos comes to provoke and attack again, and you feel unable to resist independently, remember, never try to be brave."
"First, you can try to use the name of the Raging Waves Dragon Domain to deter them."
"At the same time, immediately call for my help. I will contact the powerhouses within the Dragon Domain as soon as possible to come to your aid."
Edli himself was not a Legendary-level dragon.
However, the identity of a Metallic Dragon itself was a powerful deterrent.
The Dragon Domain was famous for protecting its own; unless one could ensure a clean and traceless kill, it was best not to attempt to kill a Metallic Dragon.
Moreover, Edli also had Legendary Dragon backers and elders within the Raging Waves Dragon Domain.
Across from him, Galos listened to Edli's advice, nodding gently to indicate understanding.
He then grinned, revealing two rows of stark white, neat teeth, and said, "Don't worry, I value my life very much and will never risk it."
"When it truly comes to such a critical moment, I will definitely seek external help immediately."
The reason he put effort into cultivating his relationship with the Metallic Dragons was precisely to have such reliable backing and assistance at crucial moments, wasn't it?
Fubo Dragon Domain, Raging Waves Dragon Domain.
These two great Dragon Domains were now his insurance.
Imagine this.
What if one day he truly encountered a powerful enemy that was impossible to defeat, far exceeding his own strength?
When the opponent thought that he, this Red Iron Evil Dragon, could be kneaded at will and easily killed…
Suddenly, strong winds swept through the clouds, and the Legendary Metallic Dragons of the two great Dragon Domains descended simultaneously, escorting him, an Evil Dragon… That scene would surely bring an unforgettable surprise to those overconfident enemies.
Choosing to develop towards the order alignment and actively interacting with Metallic Dragons was one of the greatest benefits.
This allowed him to have a background he could rely on in times of crisis.
Conversely, if he chose to fully walk the path of chaotic evil, like the Red Dragon Father, acting alone and plundering recklessly, then all risks and challenges would have to be faced by himself alone, and the path of development would undoubtedly be filled with more unknowns and dangers.
At this moment, Edli looked at the Red Iron Dragon's human form, and a thought suddenly emerged in his mind.
"How about letting Galos use his current human form, and my dragon true form, to spar one more time?"
Evil Dragons' precise control and power exertion in human form were often not as proficient as in their dragon form. This way, he might have a chance to turn the tables and regain some face?
However, this thought only lingered in Edli's mind for a few seconds before he dismissed it.
It was meaningless; they were already his own dragons now. What would winning a spar represent?
Of course, the main reason he gave up this idea was that he didn't think he could necessarily win.
Galos was a fellow who couldn't be judged by normal standards; if he lost a third time, wouldn't he lose even more face?
After chatting for a while about the Legendary Sword Saint incident, precautions for using magic potions, and the recent situation of the Molten Iron Tribe, Edli and Serena resumed their majestic dragon true forms and, amidst the howling wind and snow, flew away one after another.
Deborah watched her parents' figures disappear into the sky, then retracted her gaze and turned to Galos.
She said softly, "Galos, you've been through a tough battle and are still injured. Go get some good rest and recover from your injuries as soon as possible."
"No rush, let's do something else first," Galos chuckled.
Before Deborah could react, amidst a short gasp from the girl, he extended his arm, picked up her light and soft body by the waist, and with a flash, disappeared from the spot.