Gradually, three dragon silhouettes of different colors cut through the brightening sky, finally hovering in the air a hundred zhang away from Alberto, spreading out in a triangular formation.
Iron Dragon Sorog occupied the center, his iron-dark scales refracting the cold morning light; Red Dragon Samantha coiled on the right flank, every crimson scale seemingly flowing with molten lava; the entirely pale White Dragon Tereshi was on the left flank, her ice-crystal-like scales flickering with a dangerous, icy glint.
"Iron Dragon, Red Dragon, and... White Scale."
Alberto's brilliant golden pupils contracted slightly, his dragon whiskers trembling.
Despite being mentally prepared, witnessing with his own eyes the scene of three superior Evil Dragons with vastly different habits forming an alliance still made the Dragon Heart in his chest jump slightly.
Except for Blue Dragons, Evil Dragons have always been solitary.
To be able to make these arrogant Evil Dragons set aside the suspicion and desire for competition inherent in their nature, there must be a very powerful leader among them.
The figure of Iron Dragon Sorog was reflected in Alberto's golden vertical pupils.
The Young Adult Dragon's mind raced, making precise judgments.
The Iron Dragon before him had a resolute and cold expression, with eyes as deep as an abyss, remaining calm and composed at the center of the three dragons.
The Aura he radiated and his natural posture were clearly distinct from the other two dragons, faintly revealing the majesty and sense of control that a leader should possess.
Iron Dragon Sorog spoke first, confirming Alberto's observations.
"Good day, Golden Dragon Your Excellency who has traveled from afar."
His voice was exceptionally deep, like two heavy, weathered pieces of iron Ore grinding and rubbing against each other deep in a mine, coarse and heavy.
However, beneath this primitive roughness lay a subtle power, indescribable and capable of directly stirring the ripples of emotion deep within the Soul.
He maintained basic etiquette in his greeting, and immediately followed up with an unquestionable, straightforward tone, cutting to the core question: "What is your intent in stepping foot into this The Borderlands?"
Mind Dragon?
That is rare in this material world.
Alberto's thoughts flashed like lightning.
When facing intelligent creatures, the habitual strategy of a Golden Dragon is often to intimidate or engage in "civilized" communication through keen observation before actually taking action, thereby gaining the upper hand in Aura and reason.
At this moment, he clearly sensed a condensed and active psionic fluctuation from Iron Dragon Sorog, keenly realizing that the other party had considerable attainments in the realm of the mind.
"Because..."
Young Adult Dragon Alberto's dragon snout curled into a subtly aggressive arc.
"I smell—!" He took a deep breath, his voice low. At the same time, those golden vertical pupils suddenly erupted with blinding light that seemed capable of piercing the Soul, his expression instantly becoming incomparably majestic and inviolable, like a judge descending with divine punishment.
"—A scent of ultimate evil!!!"
The final words almost transformed into a thunderous roar that tore through the clouds: "You dare to enslave those innocent creatures, turning this land, which should have been rich and fertile, into an Evil Dragon hunting ground for you to prey upon at will!"
More oppressive than words was the surging, pure Dragon Aura that crushed down like a tangible tide.
One of the Golden Dragon's habitual strategies: intimidation to seize the initiative!
If there were other ordinary creatures here, they would surely have been stunned into a blank mind and shattered courage by this terrifying Dragon Aura. Even for other Dragonkin, if their age and Life Level were far inferior to Alberto's, they should instinctively feel terror and have their spirits seized at this moment.
However.
The scene that followed, however, caused the first faint ripples in Alberto's heart.
The three dragons before him—two Red Dragon and Iron Dragon in the Young Dragon stage, and that White Dragon that seemed to have reached adulthood—none of them showed signs of scales bristling, bodies trembling uncontrollably, or reacting with bared teeth and threatening low growls.
They were calm... unusually so.
It was as if they had endured such intensity of Dragon Aura baptism more than once; that composure, born from experience, was as stable as a rock.
"Evil?"
Iron Dragon Sorog lifted his head covered in thick scales, his gaze meeting the Golden Dragon's overflowing, oppressive stare without yielding an inch.
"We make the cunning Goblins give up their thieving ways, tell the arrogant Centaur to abandon the bad habit of blocking roads to plunder, and force the dull Ogre to learn to trade with Ore instead of using brute force to smash the heads of passing merchants."
He said: "In the eyes of you 'noble' Golden Dragon, can such order also be considered... evil?"
Alberto scoffed at this, his dragon head swinging disdainfully.
"Iron Dragon, put away your hypocritical sophistry; playing with words in front of me is meaningless. You are merely using a thin veil of so-called 'order' to clumsily cover the cold truth of your evil rule."
Although his trip this time was also to rule The Borderlands.
But in the Young Adult Dragon's perception, there was an essential, heaven-and-earth difference between his "rule" and the "rule" of the Iron Dragon before him.
The rule of a Golden Dragon represents a blueprint of light, justice, and prosperity.
And in his eyes, the rule of the Iron Dragon was nothing more than naked—enslavement, an evil act that must be eradicated!
"Stop putting on an act here!"
Red Dragon Samantha's nostrils suddenly puffed out two streams of sulfurous smoke mixed with sparks, her eyes burning with naked impatience and violent Battle Intent.
In the perception of most Mortals and even other creatures, Red Dragons are often regarded as evil entities opposed to Silver Dragons.
However, the pride deep within the Red Dragon Clan drives them to firmly believe that they are far more powerful than those "superficial" Golden Dragons!
In front of a Golden Dragon, a Red Dragon will never show the slightest weakness; their only thought is to trample the other party fiercely underfoot with burning claws.
On the other side.
White Dragon Tereshi had an extremely clear understanding of her position in the Dragonkin ecological niche.
Facing the powerful Young Adult Dragon whose Life Level far exceeded her own, she only cautiously opened her dragon snout, exhaling breaths of frost to show support, wisely refraining from initiating a provocation.
"Heh, can you no longer suppress the vicious and bloodthirsty nature of you Evil Dragons?"
The brilliant golden Dragon scales covering Alberto's body shone brighter and more dazzling with his words, like flowing liquid gold, and the Aura of holiness and majesty climbed step by step.
"Then, prepare to welcome the ultimate judgment from justice!"
There were more Evil Dragons, but he had no fear.
He was a Young Dragon, 55 years old, and also an outstanding individual among Golden Dragons, possessing the confidence of a maverick, with a Life Level of 15, exceeding the average.
The three Evil Dragons before him.
The Red Dragon and Iron Dragon were both Young Dragons. He used an identification Spell and could tell at a glance that both were Level 12; although they also exceeded the average, there was still a considerable gap between them and him.
As for the adult White Dragon, her Life Level was 13, but the danger level was not as high as the Red Dragon and Iron Dragon.
In short.
One against many, the advantage is with me.
"Before you pass your so-called 'judgment', why not take a look at this first."
Iron Dragon Sorog's voice remained steady. He opened his mouth and spat out a seemingly inconspicuous, rune-carved, obsidian-like magic item.
The item was activated, and a clear magic projection immediately unfolded in the cold morning air.
In the projected image, it was none other than Golden Dragon Alberto inventing excuses to extort money at various riverside strongholds of the Molten Iron Tribe.
His greedy demands, a posture completely different from his rumored noble image, were faithfully recorded.
"Golden Dragon Your Excellency," Solrog said, "Surely, you would not want these 'deeds' of yours, which are no different from the extortion acts of the chromatic Evil Dragons, to be completely exposed to the eyes of the world, would you?"
The Golden Dragon's front claws tightened involuntarily, then slowly relaxed.
"In order to expose your true faces, I had to temporarily play the role of a companion to Evil Dragons."
"The short-sighted prejudices of worldly fools are meaningless; only true wise men can discern the good intentions and noble sacrifices behind my actions."
"Now, in the holy name of the Guardian of Order, the Platinum Dragon God Bahamut, I give you one last chance!"
"Immediately and unconditionally release all the suffering races you have enslaved, and unconditionally hand over all the ill-gotten wealth you have plundered through evil means!"
Accompanied by this solemn declaration.
Beneath the Dragon scales covering Alberto's strong right arm, a blinding, brilliant light suddenly shone, as if emanating from within.
That light was not a simple glow, but rather, like a living tattoo brand, it clearly appeared on his golden arm.
Looking closely, one could vaguely see three lines of rune vows inscribed in the extremely ancient dragon language.
Extinguish Hope! Iron-Fisted Rule! Might Makes Right!
The vow was simple, but when one gazed upon it, one could naturally understand the profound meaning contained behind it.
Extinguish Hope: Merely defeating the enemy in battle is not enough; your victory must be significant enough to completely shatter the enemy's will to fight. Swords can only end lives, but fear can end nations.
Iron-Fisted Rule: Once you have achieved conquest, do not tolerate any dissent. What you say is law; those who follow will be favored, and those who do not comply will be punished as a warning to others.
Might Makes Right: You will continue to rule until a stronger force rises. At that time, you must become stronger and face the challenge, or else meet your own destruction.
"These are—the Oath of Conquest. This guy has taken the class, and he is following the Holy Dragon path."
Iron Dragon Sorog felt a shiver in his heart.
In the Dragon Clan Legacy, the path improved based on the Paladin class is called the Holy Dragon.
Whether it is a normal Paladin or a Holy Dragon, anyone who takes the Oath of Conquest will inevitably choose to seek glory and conquest in battle. For them, simply establishing order is not enough; chaotic forces must be crushed. Only the most extreme and radical existence in the Lawful alignment can take the Oath of Conquest.
"I came, I saw, I conquered!"
"Count your sins, and welcome the righteous judgment and great conquest of me, Alberto!"
Sacred Oath Spell: Conquering Presence!
Golden Dragon Alberto let out a low roar, and an even more powerful Aura erupted from him. The moment it swept over the surroundings, it simultaneously made Iron Dragon Sorog, Red Dragon Samantha, and White Dragon Tereshi feel an uncontrollable panic and trembling, giving rise to the thought of not wanting to be enemies with Golden Dragon Alberto.
Resilient Spirit! Mechanical Mind! Cold Heart!
They used their own path or racial related skills and Spell-like abilities to increase their mental attributes, banishing the emotions of panic and trembling.
But it was just a fleeting moment.
Alberto had already arrived, close at hand.
The Iron Dragon felt danger. The Young Adult Dragon was very powerful and not something they could deal with alone. Therefore, he used his ultimate skill—King of Molten Iron Summoning!
"The Golden Dragon is powerful, come quickly!"
Solrog knew the Red-Iron Dragon was nearby, and immediately called for help via Bloodline Connection.
At the same time, Alberto's sturdy body blocked the daylight, and his right claw, etched with the shining tattoo-like vow, was raised to attack White Dragon Tereshi first.
The key to fighting one against many is to defeat them one by one; one must avoid spreading one's attention too thinly.
In the blink of an eye, Alberto had already thought of a battle strategy: first defeat the adult White Dragon, then the Iron Dragon, and finally the Red Dragon with the strongest physique.
"As expected, attacking me first!"
The White Dragon understood in her heart.
If a fight broke out, as the dragon with the lowest ecological niche present, she had guessed based on her own theory that the Golden Dragon would most likely attack her first, so she was prepared.
Ice Mist Spell!
Dense, cold ice mist spread and diffused with the White Dragon's outstretched wings, intending to swallow the Young Adult Dragon.
Just then, Alberto's pupils suddenly contracted, his eyes showing apprehension. His dragon wings flapped violently, and he retreated at high speed, avoiding the sweeping ice mist, the lava fireball spat out by the Red Dragon, and the claws swept over by the Iron Dragon.
"Hmm? Scared off by me?"
White Dragon Tereshi thought this at first, but then shook her head, realizing in her heart: "Impossible, unless a presence with a higher ecological niche has appeared. Oh, it must be Gallos who has arrived."
She turned her head to look.
Sure enough, a crimson meteor streaked across the sky, tearing through the morning glow, arriving at the battlefield with incredible speed.
In the blink of an eye, the Red-Iron Dragon cut off the Golden Dragon's retreat.
That ridiculously strong body crashed into Alberto's field of vision, causing his golden pupils to contract into thin lines, showing a look of caution for the first time.
"Judgment error."
"This Red-Iron Hybrid Dragon is their leader."
He thought to himself.
Now, there was an additional Level 14 Hybrid Dragon, and looking at that powerful, ferocious body that made him feel a deep sense of oppression, its true power probably could not be measured by Life Level, and there were also three Evil Dragon accomplices.
The situation reversed, and Alberto felt his advantage was gone.
"Golden Dragon, since you want to fight, rather than civilized communication, then come."
Gallos said.
"It seems you are the lord of this land."
Alberto's gaze swept over the few dragons, finally settling on the Red-Iron Dragon, showing a look of provocation: "Want to win by numbers? Truly a despicable Evil Dragon."
He was using a provocation tactic.
As long as he could provoke the Red-Iron Dragon into a one-on-one duel like a knight with him, and defeat him, he would still have a chance to defeat all the Evil Dragons here.
"You think I need to rely on numbers to win?"
The Red-Iron Dragon was furious, saying in a deep voice: "Then as you wish, I will defeat you alone and leave you with nothing to say!"
After finishing speaking.
Before Alberto could rejoice that his provocation tactic had worked, he saw the Red-Iron Dragon's expression instantly calm down, the previous anger completely restrained, as if it had never existed.
Red-Iron Dragon: "You wanted to hear those words just now, right."
Alberto was slightly taken aback, and the smile on his dragon face disappeared.
"But, just as you said, we Evil Dragons are treacherous, and we don't care about morality."
Gallos raised his dragon claw and waved it neatly and decisively in the direction of the Golden Dragon.
"Attack!"
The next second, led by the Red-Iron Dragon, the Ignas Family dragons attacked, swarming the Golden Dragon.