Crimson Flame Royal City, High Mountain Dragon Court.
The Red Iron Dragon folded his wings and landed steadily on the open platform.
Just as he finished folding his wings, a gust of wind swept in from the side. The Copper-Silver Dragon Deborah streaked through the air, flapped her wings, and landed before him.
"You sent the children to the Dragon Academy in the Borderlands?"
The Copper-Silver Dragon looked at Galos, her dragon mouth opening and closing. "I heard the training methods there are very harsh."
Galos turned his neck and met her eyes.
"What, worried they won't be able to handle the hardship?"
The Copper-Silver Dragon shook her head, a bright smile suddenly blooming on her face.
"No," she said briskly, "that is exactly what I want to see."
She ground her sharp molars, making a faint scritch-scratch sound, then continued with a smile: "Those little brats should taste more hardship."
"When they were in the Dragon Domain, they caused me no end of trouble. Yet, my parents always protected them and wouldn't let me be too strict."
"Now it's fine. Once they're over there, let's see how they manage to stir up trouble all day long."
Thinking of the tempering the dragon whelps were about to receive at the Dragon Academy, Deborah couldn't help but feel delighted.
Perhaps because she had spent so much time with a group of Evil Dragons, her views on offspring were indeed somewhat different from those of ordinary Metallic Dragons.
She valued Bloodline bonds and saw them as the most important tie, but that didn't mean she would spoil them without principle. When discipline was needed, her claws and tail would show no mercy.
"Your parents protected them?"
Galos showed a look of surprise, reminiscing slightly.
"I remember Edli and Serena mentioned long ago that they hoped to have descendants with Evil Dragon Bloodlines, and then, through careful guidance and education, let the violence in their nature gradually turn toward the right path."
This had been the long-held wish of that Metallic Dragon couple.
Because of this, Galos had always thought their attitude toward Evil Dragon descendants would lean more toward strict discipline than indulgence.
After all, the deeper one's understanding of an Evil Dragon's nature, the clearer it becomes: without the prerequisite of deterrence, excessive preferential treatment often does not earn gratitude. Instead, it easily fosters the arrogant thought that 'This dragon is born noble and deserves this.'"
Deborah shook her head helplessly.
"I was surprised too, but that's the reality."
Her tone carried a hint of accusation. "They talk a good game about 'teaching them well' and 'correcting their nature,' but when it comes to actually doing it, it's a completely different story."
"They want nothing more than to hold those little guys in their arms all day. They even get heartbroken if a single scale falls off."
"If I hadn't been keeping a constant eye on them, those little brats' tails would have been pointing to the sky long ago."
After hearing Deborah's complaints, Galos was silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "The heart is hard to predict. Until the situation is right in front of you, who can say for sure what they will actually do?"
Perhaps before the dragon whelps were born, Edli and Serena did indeed hold the intention of strict discipline.
But when they truly saw those little guys flowing with their own descendants' blood yet carrying heterogeneous traits, their hearts softened. And once they softened, they often could never harden them again.
Deborah flicked her tail, the tip making a slight wind-breaking sound in the air as she muttered in a low voice.
"I really didn't expect them to hold me back on something like this."
Galos shook his head slightly and said, "Perhaps there is another possibility."
"They might feel that the dragon whelps already have you as a strict mother, and that I, as the father, will certainly not be soft-hearted. Therefore, they decided to play the role of kind elders."
He paused, his voice steady.
"That way, when the little guys are under too much pressure, they at least have a place where they can seek comfort and sanctuary."
Deborah nodded thoughtfully.
This explanation sounded much more reasonable.
She looked back at the Red Iron Dragon, her tone softening: "If that's the case... then it's acceptable."
At this time, it was mid-afternoon. Bright sunlight poured down, spilling over Galos's majestic body.
The light illuminated the patterns of dark red and deep black interwoven on his scales, tracing the outline of every cluster of solid muscle and reflecting his formidable horns and fangs, making him look increasingly majestic and full of power.
Deborah watched this scene quietly, her gaze unconsciously becoming a bit more heated.
"Um..." She turned her head slightly, her voice lowering.
"Do you want to play a game for a while? I mean... a riddle game."
Galos lowered his gaze to look at her.
In the bright sunlight, the Copper-Silver Dragon's scales reflected a honey-like warm amber and a clear silver-white. The two colors intertwined, making her entire body look beautiful and shining.
He nodded and responded briefly:
"Fine, to my bedchamber."
Deborah was already an adult, but in some aspects, she still maintained a subtle shyness.
Therefore, the "riddle game" she spoke of often referred to something else, and Galos was well aware of this.
The Red Iron Dragon suddenly spread his right wing.
Amidst the Copper-Silver Dragon's short exclamation, the strong and broad wing-membrane curled inward, gently and firmly wrapping her completely inside.
Immediately following, Galos flapped his left wing and his strong hind limbs pushed off the ground.
He took flight with Deborah wrapped in his wing, flying swiftly toward the bedchamber, leaving a gust of rolling wind behind him.
The interior of the bedchamber was spacious, with high vaulted ceilings cast from metal.
The various gems and metal decorations embedded within reflected a warm but not dazzling light under the illumination of magical light sources.
Deep within the palace, a platform carved from a single huge piece of warm jade occupied a prominent position. Its surface was smooth and warm, its edges rising and falling naturally; this was the Red Emperor's bed.
The Red Iron Dragon released his wing.
Deborah landed gracefully on that warm jade platform.
She flicked her neck slightly, her silver-honey scales rippling with a delicate luster.
"Then, the game begins."
"Rules as usual: a prize for a correct guess, a punishment for a wrong one."
The Red Iron Dragon moved a bit closer, his cast shadow enveloping Deborah.
"It was born in ancient times, gazes in the darkness, and hides in the light. It is scalding to the touch, and icy when far away. What is it?"
Deborah tilted her head, falling into thought.
"Is it... forged iron?"
She answered tentatively.
"Incorrect."
The Red Iron Dragon took another step forward. The distance between them was even closer now; his breath could almost brush against Deborah's faceplate.
He said, "Think again."
The Copper-Silver Dragon blinked and guessed several more results in succession, but all were rejected by Galos one by one.
She looked at the Red Iron Dragon close at hand, her thoughts drifting and distracted. She muttered in a low voice, "I give up. What is the punishment?"
"The punishment is... answering one of my questions."
Galos lowered his head, his nose almost touching the scales on Deborah's forehead. "Now, when you look at me, what are you thinking in your heart?"
Deborah's breathing hitched for a moment.
She subconsciously looked away, but beneath her scales, her skin was faintly burning.
"...I'm thinking about your wings. That curve... is very suitable for riding the wind."
"Liar," Galos said. "Your eyes tell me you're thinking of something else."
The Copper-Silver Dragon's body flinched slightly, then she raised her eyes again, her gaze looking straight into Galos's deep vertical pupils, where she could clearly see her own reflection.
"Then..." she asked back, "you guess... what I'm thinking?"
"You're thinking," the Red Iron Dragon's voice dropped even lower, carrying a burning heat, "what temperature my scales are in the sun, whether my claws would be too heavy if they pressed down on your shoulder blades, and..."
He paused, his sharp claws lightly brushing over the fine gaps between the scales on the side of the Copper-Silver Dragon's neck.
"When I will get closer to you."
The Copper-Silver Dragon trembled slightly, a soft moan escaping her throat.
She didn't deny it; instead, she tilted her neck back, exposing more vulnerable lines.
"...You always know everything."
The Copper-Silver Dragon whispered.
"Only about you."
The Red Iron Dragon's wings closed again, completely wrapping them both in this private space.
His prairie fire fell on her forehead scales, following the patterns of the scales downward, lightly nibbling at her jawbone and throat. Then, low pants and the fine sound of dragon scales rubbing together intertwined.
Time passed quietly.
When this long game came to a temporary halt, it was already two weeks later.
On the huge warm jade platform, the Copper-Silver Dragon lay there almost completely limp. Even the strength to lift a single front claw had been drained. Her chest rose and fell, her breathing shallow and hurried, exuding a lazily extreme exhaustion.
Opposite her, however, the Red Iron Dragon still stood with his head held high, his spirit vigorous, showing no sign of fatigue.
"I've already... reached my limit." Deborah's voice was weak, with a hint of raspiness. "You... don't seem to have fully enjoyed yourself yet."
The physical gap between the two was too large.
Unless Galos completely cast aside his reservations and risked hurting his partner to continue, it was indeed difficult for him to fully vent his energy in a single interaction.
"No matter."
"For me, this is a form of training in itself."
Galos said slowly.
If Zoraya were in the Dragon Court right now, he might have continued. That Blue Dragon was much wilder in this regard, even pleading for more intense treatment at the edge of her limits, viewing pain as part of the pleasure.
But Zoraya was not in the Dragon Court at the moment.
Galos wasn't so urgent as to specifically order her to come, or to fly to her location himself.
He closed his eyes slightly and took a deep breath, his chest expanding like a bellows, then slowly calming down.
Galos could feel that the burning restlessness within him had not completely subsided, but his powerful will was firmly suppressing it.
After a brief rest, Deborah remained in the bedchamber and fell into a deep sleep, while Galos flapped his wings and left the main castle of the Dragon Court, heading to his training ground located among the mountains.
After landing, Galos looked up slightly.
In an instant, with him as the center, countless pieces of steel were generated out of thin air, in all shapes and sizes, swirling around him.
Condense!
With a shout from the Red Iron Dragon, all the flying steel simultaneously suspended in the air, as if time had been frozen for a moment. Then, like swallows returning to their nest or iron filings being attracted by a magnet, they all converged and adhered to Galos's body.
Clang! Clang-clang-clang!
Dense and crisp sounds of metal impacting and fitting together rang out one after another.
In an instant, a layer of heavy steel armor wrapped Galos's entire body without a single gap.
From the formidable horns on his head, to his long neck and robust torso, to his strong limbs and flexible long tail—even most of his jaw and face were shrouded by a heavy faceplate with observation slits.
His already incredibly majestic body exuded an even more suffocating sense of oppression after donning this layer of armor.
"Steel Domain... focused on defense."
"Like a human Legendary, highly compressing and condensing the power of the Domain onto the body's surface to form an additional layer of armor."
Galos's self-muttering came through his faceplate, sounding somewhat muffled yet adding to his majesty.
The Red Iron Dragon lashed his iron-clad dragon tail, whipping deep furrows into the ground.
The Flame Domain for anti-magic, and the Steel Domain for defense.
These were the two primary development directions he had settled on after some consideration.
As for the self-buffing aspect of the Domain, it mainly relied on the environmental influence formed after the Domain's expansion; its specific buffing effects were far inferior to any of Galos's individual states.
"However, the defensive effect of this layer of steel armor is actually not as good as my own dragon scales."
"My dragon scales have grown with me since birth and have been tempered through a thousand trials. In comparison, the Domain has undergone too little destruction."
Galos thought to himself, remembering his former double-layered scale armor.
"My dragon jade, while able to restore my status, often cannot immediately heal damaged scales."
"In the heat of a fierce battle, when my own scales are severely damaged and the enemy thinks my defense has dropped significantly and tries to deliver a fatal blow, I can then condense the steel armor to restore my defense in a short time."
"It is equivalent to an extra layer of armor that I can control the timing to create."
This would surely give his enemies a surprise.
Moreover, his training of the Domain over the years had been fruitful; his Adaptive Evolution talent could also be applied to the Domain. Although the current effect seemed inferior to his own body, it meant that his Domain had the potential to evolve in the future.
Using the Flame Domain to ban magic, forcing the enemy to compete with him in raw stats.
Using the Steel Domain for defense, making the enemy feel despair just as they find hope.
Galos was quite satisfied with this combination.
Next, while the Red Iron Dragon was focused on testing other attributes of the steel armor, a brilliant and dazzling golden light streaked across the distant sky.
The golden light circled elegantly, slowing down,
Finally, it landed lightly on the open ground not far from Galos. As its wings folded, the resulting wind pressure sent gravel on the ground rolling in all directions.
The newcomer was a Golden Dragon.
She stretched her long and graceful neck. Every scale seemed cast from the purest gold, flowing with a warm and noble luster under the sunlight.
It was one of Galos's Metallic Dragon companions, Golden Dragon Nasha.
She looked at Galos's new outfit with great interest.
"Look at this, look at this. Our Red Emperor, what kind of new toy are you playing with? This hunk of iron... it looks quite intimidating."
Hearing this, Galos turned around, his armor making a dull clanking sound as it collided.
"You've come at the right time, Nasha. I'm testing this layer of steel armor and need an opponent. Why don't you try your hand?"
"Oh? Of course."
The Golden Dragon's eyes lit up.
She crouched low, assuming a pouncing stance, her muscles tensing under her golden scales. "But don't be heartbroken if I break your new toy."
Before her voice had even faded, Nasha's hind legs suddenly kicked off the ground, and her wings flapped to accelerate. The entire dragon turned into a streak of golden lightning, pouncing towards Galos.
Her dragon claws, wrapped in sharp light, slammed hard against the steel armor.
Clang!!!
An incredibly piercing metallic crash exploded, the sound waves echoing repeatedly among the mountains.
However, far from being dented or shattered, not even a scratch was left on the surface of the armor.
Nasha's strike failed, so she used the momentum to take to the air and swung her tail down like a warhammer, but the result was the same as before.
In the time that followed, the Golden Dragon unleashed all sorts of attacks.
Claws, fangs, wing strikes... all attacks, even those enhanced with different elemental combinations, were like hitting an indestructible Domain.
"What on earth is this thing?!"
Nasha finally stopped her futile offensive, shaking her still-numb tail in annoyance, her vertical pupils fixed on the unmoved armor. "Why can't I break it at all?!"
Galos's voice came through the faceplate, saying: "It is the manifestation of my Domain power."
"Domain?" Nasha was stunned for a moment, then a sense of being teased quickly replaced her confusion.
"Hey! You naturally evil Red Iron Dragon! You did that on purpose, didn't you?!"
She raised her voice, saying indignantly: "You clearly know I'm not yet at the Legendary Realm. How could I possibly break a true Domain defense?! You're making fun of me!"
Galos then realized.
He was used to competing with opponents at the Legendary level and had momentarily forgotten the fact that Nasha had not yet crossed that threshold.
"My apologies," he said truthfully, trying to ease the atmosphere. "It was my oversight; I forgot you haven't reached Legendary yet."
This explanation was better left unsaid, as it only made Nasha more furious.
"Curse you! You really are making fun of me!" The Golden Dragon ground her sharp fangs, making a creaking sound.
"Galos! Take off that annoying iron shell! I don't believe I can't leave a single mark on your actual body scales!" She proposed a new challenge, shifting her target to Galos's own defense.
The Red Iron Dragon gave a low chuckle: "Very well."
Layers of iron armor peeled off like a receding tide and then dissipated in the air, revealing his original dark red, deep scales.
The Golden Dragon did not hesitate and pounced again!
This time, her attacks were finally able to land solidly on Galos's dragon scales.
Claws swiped across his shoulder blades; teeth bit into the side of his neck; his dragon tail lashed across his back.
However, the strength of Galos's dragon scales was actually superior to the Domain.
As these attacks landed on Galos's scales, they felt strangely gentle.
Rather than attacks, they felt more like a slightly forceful contact, as gentle as the stroking of a feather.
He didn't take any damage; instead, with these physical contacts, the heat he had just suppressed, which hadn't completely disappeared, surged up again.
"Nasha," the Red Iron Dragon's voice was a fraction deeper than before, "stop it."
The Golden Dragon, who was in the middle of a fierce attack, also seemed to catch the subtle change in the atmosphere.
However, she did not stop; instead, the rhythm and manner of her attacks began to undergo a subtle transformation.
Claw strikes traced the muscle lines along Galos's spine; the biting of her fangs turned into faint nibbles, with warm breath blowing into the gaps between his scales; her long dragon tail began to wrap around him intentionally or unintentionally.
Her long, lithe golden body was almost pressed against the Red Iron Dragon.
The Red Iron Dragon's heat intensified.
He repeated: "I said, you should stop."
"What? Scared?"
Instead of stopping, the Golden Dragon redoubled her efforts.
She chuckled, the tip of her tail brushing against the scales of the Red Iron Dragon's jaw. "Weren't you quite majestic just now? Come, let me see what the Red Emperor is capable of."
Galos's breathing gradually became heavy, and his vertical pupils constricted.
He warned: "Golden Dragon, be careful not to play with fire."
Nasha turned a deaf ear, her movements becoming more and more bold, her entire body almost climbing onto him.
In fact, the desires of an adult dragon were as fierce as lava. Especially for Metallic Dragons who were naturally inclined towards order and usually constrained themselves with various rules and precepts; once a crack was pried open in the shackles of their hearts, their suppressed desires were sometimes even harder to control than those of many Evil Dragons, burning even more fiercely.
What's more, few dragons possessed a will as iron-like as Galos's.
And even he could not completely eliminate the influence of desire.
When the Golden Dragon tried to wrap her tail around the Red Iron Dragon's hind legs, he let out a low growl.
"Enough!"
Galos suddenly turned around, countering with speed and strength far exceeding that of the Golden Dragon. His claws gripped the Golden Dragon's shoulders, pinning her entire body to the ground, causing the solid earth to crack.
His wings spread out like a curtain, completely enveloping the Golden Dragon in shadow.
Nasha let out a cry of surprise, but there was no fear; instead, a light of excitement sparkled in her eyes.
Buzz—!
A soft magical glow lit up between Galos's tightly clenched claws.
It was the light of Transformation.
The Golden Dragon's body, pinned to the ground, suddenly shrank.
Galos felt the space beneath his claws become empty.
A lithe and agile figure slipped through the gaps in his claws like a swimming fish, leaped lightly, and landed steadily on the back of one of his thick forelegs.
It was a tall humanoid woman.
A dazzling golden ponytail was tied behind her head, her hair still flowing with a faint radiance even under the dragon's shadow.
Her skin was a healthy wheat color, smooth and tight, wrapped in a set of simple yet finely crafted golden skirt armor.
The skirt armor only covered her vital parts.
Her long, straight, powerful legs were almost completely exposed, shimmering with a dizzying, fine luster and smooth lines under the faint light leaking through the gaps in the Red Iron Dragon's wings.
Her face was both heroic and noble, and at this moment, she was tilting her chin slightly, looking directly up at Galos's massive dragon head.
This was Nasha's human form, like a valiant female knight.
"Indecent Evil Dragon!"
"Whatever you want to do to me, bring it on!"
She straightened her back and said in a clear voice, "I, a noble and righteous Golden Dragon, will never yield to you!"
Galos did not answer.
What responded to Nasha was another burst of light.
The intense light was blinding, almost impossible to look at directly.
When the light faded, the Red Iron Dragon, originally as large as a mountain, had disappeared, replaced by a figure as imposing as an iron tower.
His muscles were knotted and bulging, as if cast from steel and iron.
His features were deep, with a high bridge of the nose and a resolute jawline. His physique was wild yet full of beauty. Long black and red hair draped over his shoulders, and from within his hair, a pair of dragon horns towered toward the sky, looking like a Devil King incarnate.
This was Galos's human form, retaining a few dragon-like characteristics.
Without any redundant words or prelude, he took a step forward, stretched out an arm as strong as a steel hoop, grabbed Nasha's waist, and easily slung her entire body over his broad shoulder.
Nasha only had time to let out a low cry.
Boom!!!
Carrying her, Galos crashed directly into a steep mountain peak not far away.
The mountain rock shattered and collapsed before his powerful physique, and the figures of the two were instantly swallowed by countless falling rocks and pervasive dust.
But this was only the beginning.
The mountain began to shake violently, cracks appearing on the surface and extending like fissures, as if two giant beasts were entangling and biting each other inside, creating a massive commotion.