Translator: AnubisTL
Time flowed silently as the two dragons conversed and pondered.
Garos did not wait for the legion of servants marching below. Instead, he flew ahead to the natural barrier between the Frontierlands and the Sierre Wilderness—the Estonian Great River, a vast and turbulent torrent.
The murky, frigid water, choked with floating ice, roared deafeningly through the steep canyon as it surged toward an unknown distance.
"Deborah."
Garos's massive form hovered above the raging river. He spoke to the red-silver dragon beside him. "You can go back now. You've accompanied me far enough."
The red-silver dragon came to a halt, her tail swaying gently in reluctance.
"But Garos, I want to see the wilderness too."
Garos turned his head, his gaze fixed on her.
"Almost the entire dragon pack has left the Frontierlands."
"The only dragons remaining here are Treacy, whose strength is still lacking, and a clutch of little dragon hatchlings who need protection. Such a force is simply not enough to put my mind at ease."
He paused, his voice turning grave and earnest. "Deborah."
"Only with you personally commanding the Frontierlands, using your strength and wisdom to secure our rear—"
The red-iron dragon's voice carried a heavy weight of trust. "—can I venture into the wilderness without worry, to carve out new territories for the tribe."
"Besides, I am not abandoning the Frontierlands entirely."
"I will return here often, to Dragon Valley. This is one of our most vital nests."
Hearing Garos's words, especially the profound trust and responsibility they contained, Deborah felt a momentous mission settle upon her shoulders.
And so, she hesitated no longer.
She hesitated no longer, her massive head bowing low in a solemn pledge.
"I understand," Deborah declared, her voice resolute. "I will watch over the Frontierlands for you and protect our homeland!"
Garos gave a slight nod.
He still remembered Serena the red copper dragon's request. The wilderness was far more dangerous than the Frontierlands, and the Frontierlands itself truly needed a more reliable dragon than Treacy to hold the line. Deborah was an excellent choice.
"Me too! Me too!"
A clear, spirited voice suddenly rang out.
Fairy Dragon Vera darted out from beneath the red-silver dragon's vast wing membrane. Struggling against the strong winds, she waved her claws and announced loudly, "I can protect the Frontierlands too! I'm very powerful!"
Garos looked down, his gaze falling upon the fairy dragon's tiny, almost wobbling frame in the howling wind.
A hint of doubt flickered in his eyes.
"Are you underestimating me?"
The fairy dragon caught that sliver of doubt instantly. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, she let out a displeased huff.
Then, as if to demonstrate her power, she performed a graceful somersault in the air and declared with full confidence, "Watch closely! Lady Vera's skills have improved considerably."
Before her words had even finished echoing, her gossamer wings snapped open. Her petite body nimbly rode the fierce, howling gale, drifting backward nearly a hundred meters with effortless grace.
Vwoom—!
The next instant, a blindingly intense flash of illusion magic erupted, dazzling the eyes.
Immediately after, a magnificent, fierce, and imposing dragon—radiating unparalleled power and pressure—materialized in the sky.
It possessed deep, heavy black scales, silent and brooding vertical pupils, and a colossal wingspan that seemed capable of tearing the heavens asunder.
The sight was so striking that Garos himself couldn't help but let out a genuine exclamation of admiration.
"What a majestic and domineering presence!"
This dragon was his own likeness.
Its form, its intricate details, and the suffocating, terrifying aura it naturally exuded were, at first glance, identical to the real Garos.
"I am the great Lord of the Crimson Wings! King of the Ironforged Tribe—Garos Ignis!"
The red-iron dragon let out a low, majestic roar that shook the very souls of all living things, its voice nearly indistinguishable from Garos himself.
"Foolish crawlers! You dare stand before a True Dragon and not kneel?!"
With this roar, the red-iron dragon abruptly unfurled its wings, blotting out the sky. A blindingly brilliant golden lightning and crimson-black dragon qi erupted from its body, making its form seem to swell in size once more. Its dragon might surged outward like a physical tsunami, crashing into its surroundings!
"Oh? You dare remain where you are and stare me down instead of fleeing?" The red-iron dragon's gaze swept over Garos and the red-silver dragon, adding its own dramatic flair to the performance. "Crawler, then listen closely to the death knell I toll for you!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A heartbeat, heavy as ancient war drums and roaring like a colossal engine, thundered from within the illusion's body with terrifyingly vivid clarity.
Immediately after, the scales all over its body turned a searing, branding-iron red. Distinct, interwoven lines of golden-red fire erupted across its surface, as if countless gorgeously fierce Blazing Red Lotuses were blooming and swaying upon it simultaneously! The entire dragon became even more terrifying and monstrous than before, looking as if it would destroy everything in the next instant.
"She even mimicked my Red Lotus State so lifelike?"
Garos glanced sideways, never expecting the fairy dragon's illusion magic to have become so authentic.
If it were a dragon with slightly weaker perception—even an adult dragon, or perhaps some of the less keen prime dragons—their first reaction upon suddenly seeing this lifelike and awe-inspiring illusion from a distance would likely be to flee in terror, tucking their tails and running without daring to approach and verify its truth.
At the same time, after the display was complete, the formidable illusion of the massive red-iron dragon quietly collapsed and dissipated like a bubble, reverting back into the petite and exquisite fairy dragon.
"Hmph~ This is my most powerful and proudest illusion magic—the Garos Simulation Technique!"
Vera lifted her little chin triumphantly and announced proudly, "I've been secretly observing you for a long, long time, Garos. I've firmly memorized every detail of your body's form and every change in your aura. The illusion I've created is absolutely lifelike! Combined with the phantom sound technique to perfectly mimic your voice, it's enough to be mistaken for the real thing."
As a Dreamweaver specializing in illusion magic, her skill tree was naturally biased toward the arcane, the ephemeral, and the elusive, excelling at creating mind-bending illusions.
Among all the illusion spells she had mastered, this simulation technique—which demanded extraordinary skill and observation—could be considered her most practically valuable core skill.
By observing a creature with a powerful physical presence from a close distance for an extended period, she could gain a profound understanding of its form, movements, and even its energetic traits, eventually simulating it perfectly.
This was not merely about instilling fear or deceiving enemies.
When the spellcaster's level was high enough and their observations of the target sufficiently meticulous, the illusion's realism would reach a certain critical point.
At that moment, the illusion magic could even turn void into substance, granting the simulated illusion a brief manifestation of the original's true power! It could even launch attacks that dealt real, physical damage!
And the target Vera had chosen to simulate from the very beginning was none other than the most formidable being in her eyes: Garos.
Through years of close-range observation and the deep understanding gained from living together, she had memorized every single detail of the red-iron dragon. The fidelity of her illusion had already reached an astonishing level.
This meant her illusion of Garos could do more than just scare people—it could even launch a few genuinely threatening attacks.
"Exquisite illusion magic," Garos praised without reservation. "Vera, with you and Deborah guarding the Frontierlands, I feel much more at ease now."
"Remember to pay me in shiny gold coins or gems."
"Otherwise, I'll transform into your image, fly all over the place shouting that I'm an idiot, and ruin your reputation."
With that, the fairy dragon burrowed back under Deborah's wing.
"If you encounter any trouble you can't solve, notify me immediately," Garos instructed. "With my speed, I can arrive to reinforce you in no time."
After a brief farewell, the red-iron dragon wasted no more time. He beat his wings, his massive form gradually vanishing into the distant horizon of the Frontierlands' sky.
He decided not to wait for his legion of servants, who were still on the march, but to head straight for the Heavenly Pit Territory in the Sierre Wilderness. He was eager to see the iron dragon maiden he hadn't met in decades.
(End of the Chapter)
---------------------------
📖 You are reading [378] Chapters behind with [88] Free Chapters available on site.
🔥 Read up to Chapter [756] now, only on ᴄɪɴᴅᴇʀᴛʟ.ᴄᴏᴍ.
📊 [17] Novels, [14.4K+] Chapters with [11.2K+] Free Chapters!, [23M] Words on ℂ𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕋𝕃.𝕔𝕠𝕞
---------------------------