Translator: AnubisTL
"I can't just attack you for free like that."
The expression on Alberto's face quickly shifted from the exhilaration and satisfaction he had just shown to one of absolute solemnity.
His golden, slitted pupils locked onto Garos as he continued, his tone grave. "Garos, there were too many distractions in our previous fight."
"Between the siege of your dragons and my own need to divide my attention, I've never truly experienced your full power—especially when you're wreathed in that terrifying lightning."
"Right here, right now, please let me feel it directly."
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Garos asked, a flicker of surprise crossing his dragon eyes.
"Absolutely sure!" the gold dragon replied, his voice like a hammer strike.
Since his opponent was so insistent, the red-iron dragon would not dare dampen his spirits.
Sizzle! Sizzle!!
The scalp-crawling crackle of electricity suddenly tore through the silence above Dragon Valley.
Crimson-black dragon qi and furious golden lightning erupted from Garos's body in an instant, causing his aura to surge violently and radiate a terrifying, oppressive pressure.
Alberto dared not be careless. He simultaneously activated the Sacred Oath of the Crown and the Sacred Oath of Conquest.
The Divine Armor, solid as stone, materialized first, coating his body. Then, the shimmering golden crown further amplified its defensive effects, plating him in a layer of dense, golden light.
The very next second, after the double Sacred Oath defense was complete, a massive dragon claw—wreathed in dragon qi and frenzy-state lightning—clenched into a hammer-like fist and struck straight forward.
Crack—CRASH!
The armor shattered.
The red-iron dragon's brutal blow slammed into Alberto's chest. The immense impact sent a violent shudder through his massive gold dragon body.
"Ugh—!"
A suppressed groan escaped his throat.
The once-sturdy and magnificent dragon scales on his chest visibly caved in and collapsed under Garos's heavy strike. The colossal force even transmitted to his back, causing the tough scales there to emit faint cracking sounds.
Alberto's body involuntarily arched forward.
"As expected... he's... so strong..."
The gold dragon endured the churning pain and shock within his body, slowly—inch by inch—straightening his arched frame. His voice was laced with a heavily suppressed gasp.
"...Still... it was... within my limits to endure."
The words had barely left his lips before he took flight without a moment's delay. His massive golden dragon wings beat powerfully, churning the air into a violent gale as he shot forward like an arrow from a bow. He flew straight toward the Sierre Wilderness, his form rapidly shrinking as he vanished into the deepening twilight.
Garos remained suspended in the air, his colossal red-iron dragon wings fluttering gently in the evening breeze. His expression was a mask of absolute calm.
However.
The moment Alberto's golden silhouette dwindled into a speck and finally vanished beyond the horizon... the serene facade on Garos's face crumbled.
His features twisted into a fierce grimace, and he brought a clawed hand to the mark left by the Divine Smite on his chest.
Perhaps it was due to his bloodline, or perhaps because his nature fell within the realm of evil.
Every one of the Divine Smite's innate effects against evil creatures had been inflicted upon Garos.
"This kind of unbearable pain... it's been a very, very long time since I've felt it."
Garos drew several deep breaths of the frigid night air.
It seems... I should probably seek out a powerful paladin in the future.
Or at least a creature possessing a similar divine power.
I can use their attacks to repeatedly train and adapt my resistance to this divine retribution.
Only then, when I truly face an attack like Divine Smite in the future, can I remain as calm and fearless as I appeared to be before.
As for his familiar, the half-centaur Elvie...
Although her attacks also carry the divine attribute, she is ultimately no paladin. Her power is far too weak to be used for resistance training.
Meanwhile, in the distant reaches...
Alberto struggled to keep flying, glancing back warily until he was absolutely certain no eyes were watching him.
Swoosh!
Unable to hold on any longer, his massive gold dragon body plummeted like a meteor, crashing onto a remote, rocky slope.
Pfft—!!!
The moment he landed, before he could even fold his dragon wings, his throat churned violently. A massive mouthful of scorching dragon blood erupted, splattering across the rocks.
"Roar!"
Alberto let out a pained shriek. His massive dragon body could no longer maintain its majestic posture; he collapsed clumsily to the ground, rolling and thrashing uncontrollably across the rubble-strewn earth.
The pain was excruciating.
It felt as if his very heart and lungs were being torn apart.
He focused on the sensation. Oh, so it wasn't just a feeling, he realized. My heart and lungs are actually damaged.
If it had been an ordinary young white dragon, this blow would have likely pierced straight through, sending its soul to hell.
Alberto endured the suffocating agony, trembling as he raised a dragon claw and cast several powerful Lay on Hands spells upon himself.
Only after a long moment did the churning waves of pain begin to subside. His chest, which had been heaving violently, finally steadied into a more regular rhythm, though every breath still brought a dull, needle-like ache from deep within.
The thought that Garos, still in his adolescence, already possessed such terrifying, overwhelming power—power enough to crush him—plunged the proud Alberto into a brief, heavy silence.
After a few seconds, his gaze hardened. He decided to bind himself with a ruthless Sacred Oath to motivate himself to surpass the Red Iron Dragon.
"I, Alberto Aurelius, swear this Sacred Oath upon my bloodline, my honor, and the Golden Law I have pursued all my life!"
"Until I have completely surpassed—the Red Iron Dragon Garos Ignis!"
"I will refuse all entertainment and leisure! I will no longer allow myself any meaningless rest or indolence! I will sharpen my claws and fangs, temper my scales, and forge my will and strength, day and night, without cease!"
"Until I become stronger than him! Undeniably stronger!"
"If I break this oath, let me, Alberto Aurelius, be reborn in the cycle of reincarnation as a mere white dragon!"
Voom—
As the final syllable of his oath fell, an invisible, immensely heavy force descended.
Alberto immediately felt as if an invisible, weightless, yet bone-chillingly sharp sword was suspended above his head, its tip pointed directly at his soul, slowly descending.
This was the binding power of the Sacred Oath.
It served as a stark reminder to Alberto: though his condition was dire, his body ravaged by injuries and his spirit utterly exhausted... his transcendent, peerless gold dragon physique meant he was still far from the point where he must immediately collapse and surrender to complete rest.
Any hint of slackness or indolence would be a desecration of this solemn oath.
Alberto's heart tightened; he dared not falter.
Gritting his dragon fangs, he forced himself to endure the churning agony and profound weariness still wracking his body, then took flight into the deep night sky.
With the constraint of this oath, my gold dragon bloodline's innate talent will eventually allow me to surpass Garos.
I'll take a proper rest then.
Alberto thought optimistically, his figure bathed in the fading glow of the sunset as he flew ever further away.
As Alberto departed and night fully descended, a darkness as deep as ink, like a vast velvet curtain, slowly draped itself over another ancient and weary land—the Alva River Valley.
This valley, winding through the mountains, lay precisely on the border between the Duchy of Abel and the Duchy of Haltai, marking one of the most sensitive and complex regions along the two nations' long frontier.
The Duchy of Haltai had always been the Kingdom of Lothurn's most loyal and submissive ally. Its status was virtually that of a vassal territory, its every move heavily influenced by the will of its suzerain.
On the other hand, the Duchy of Abel maintained close and friendly ties with the Federation's other titan—the Kingdom of Ribos.
The Kingdom of Ribos, a nation of immense standing within the Federation States, wielded power and influence second only to the mighty Kingdom of Lothurn, serving as the Federation's undisputed second pole.
But back to the matter at hand.
Due to a web of extremely complex reasons, some of which stretched back to the very founding of the two duchies or even earlier, the long border between Haltai and Abel had never been jointly surveyed on the ground. Nor had the two nations ever signed a formal boundary treaty that was fully recognized by both governments and held supreme legal authority.
Their interpretations of historical evidence, their understandings of ancient agreements, and their perceptions of traditional jurisdictions... were worlds apart.
This led to extensive areas of overlapping sovereignty claims along much of the border, with both nations asserting undisputed control over the same land.
Furthermore, the geography of the Alva River Valley was exceptionally complex and volatile. Towering mountains, deep and treacherous canyons, and the Alva River's own turbulent, winding course created a landscape naturally prone to disputes.
(End of the Chapter)
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