Translator: AnubisTL
High in the sky.
The thick, cotton-like clouds were being torn and shattered into massive holes, as fragile as silk.
Because this was not their first encounter, both sides were well aware of each other's multi-stage abilities. Any further restraint or probing would be utterly meaningless and a waste of time.
Therefore, the battle had escalated to a fever pitch the very instant they made contact.
Both combatants had abandoned all flashy techniques and circuitous tactics. They met head-on, clashing without evasion, trading blow for blow, and using raw power to shatter power.
The Red-Iron Dragon, wreathed in destructive golden lightning and black-red dragon qi, unleashed a relentless storm of strikes. His additional arm, forged from pure dragon qi, and his main arms, as solid as fine steel, swung in a frenzied dance.
Four arms moved in unison, each strike delivering unparalleled force and breathtaking might.
They left a dazzling, lethal afterimage streaking across the sky.
Opposite him...
Every single gold dragon scale on Alberto's body shimmered with a divine and pure golden light. The crown atop his head, flowing with materialized Sacred Oath energy, shone even more brilliantly, illuminating the sky like a second miniature sun.
The Sacred Oath of the Crown and the Sacred Oath of Conquest were both activated to their absolute limits.
The Halberd of the Sacred Oath of Conquest, gripped tightly in his claw, was wielded with astonishing strength and speed. It pierced the sky with ferocious might, time and time again. From a distance, it resembled a torrential golden rain, pouring down upon the powerful figure.
Clang!
A deafening crash erupted.
The Halberd of the Sacred Oath of Conquest's incomparably sharp, glowing blade struck violently against the red-iron dragon's right arm—a massive limb formed from dragon qi, as thick as a siege pillar.
Blinding red sparks of energy erupted like fireworks, scattering in all directions.
At the same time, Garos's other arm, also condensed from dragon qi, swung viciously toward Alberto's head, which was covered in sacred armor.
At the critical moment...
Alberto raised his free left claw. The gold-scaled limb was instantly reinforced to impenetrable hardness by condensed Sacred Oath energy as he blocked the attack.
However.
In the fleeting moment when Alberto's old strength had faded and his new power had yet to rise, another Dragon Qi Arm struck his chest dead center with lightning speed.
The sacred armor, forged from Sacred Oath energy, shattered upon impact.
And in that same instant, as the armor broke and his defenses were left fatally exposed, Garos's physical left claw—wreathed in flame lightning and Dragon Qi—followed through.
It pierced the breach in the shattered armor with unerring precision, delivering a brutal, unadorned blow to Alberto's unprotected chest.
The sickening sound of scales disintegrating echoed through the air.
Alberto's once-brilliant, dazzlingly golden scales caved in, cracked, and shattered in a wide area centered on the point of impact.
The flesh beneath was crushed like mud under a sledgehammer, collapsing and pulping.
"Ugh—"
Alberto let out a pained grunt.
His massive, heavy dragon body shuddered, recoiling violently backward and plowing a destructive wake of air through the sky.
Garos beat his wings powerfully, seizing the advantage to press his attack.
His fully extended wings, their edges as sharp as blades, churned with a qi that billowed like tangible flames at their tips.
The massive wings began to spin at high speed around his body as the axis, unleashing a piercing shriek that tore through the air as they slashed ruthlessly toward the still-retreating Alberto.
Sensing the devastating power of the strike, Alberto's pupils constricted.
As he fell back, he violently twisted his waist, forcing his massive body to sidestep in mid-air.
Screech!
The wing blade grazed his soft underbelly scales, slicing through the sacred armor, tearing away a few golden scales, and spraying a fine mist of blood.
Before he could even steady himself or organize an effective counterattack, a ferocious dragon tail, as fast as lightning and edged like a blade, tore through the air in his peripheral vision. With an eardrum-shattering shriek, it whipped toward his head with almost no interval.
Too fast.
CRACK—!
A sickening, heavy thud echoed.
The sacred armor covering Alberto's face shattered instantly, as fragile as an eggshell.
Though the dragon's tail had lost some of its power, it still slammed squarely into his faceplate.
In an instant, a massive, bloody gash—where scales had been shattered and flesh torn—was ripped open across his face.
At this moment, the red-iron dragon had transformed into a living war machine.
Claws, four arms, tail, and wings—every part of his body had become a lethal weapon.
He was executing the combat techniques of the Martial Dragon path to their absolute, flawless perfection.
One strike followed another.
One link locked into the next.
Like a ceaseless tide, his ferocious attacks rained down upon Gold Dragon Alberto's body, again and again, as relentless as a sudden storm.
Yet Alberto was far from defenseless.
The hellish special training he had endured over the past five years had not been in vain.
Under the extreme pressure of his oath, his strength had indeed grown by leaps and bounds. Moreover, by constantly walking the Path of the Sacred Oath, the Sacred Oath energy flowing through his veins had become purer and more majestic.
He could occasionally seize the gaps in Garos's onslaught to launch counterattacks.
Each one landed with devastating force.
He could even shatter the layers of Cold Exploding Scales covering Garos's body—scales with astonishing defensive power—and leave clearly visible, spiderweb-like cracks on the red-iron dragon's second line of defense: its even tougher, black-red dragon scales.
But...
With every single blow he landed on Garos, he inevitably suffered from the erosion of the cold air and the damage from those sharp thorn spikes.
Moreover, just as he seized an opportunity to leave a minor scratch on Garos, the very next second, he would have to endure three, four, or even more of the other's fierce counterattacks, which fell upon him like a raging storm.
His proud Sacred Oath Armor was torn apart again and again as if it were made of paper.
His indestructible gold dragon scales were shattered over and over like porcelain.
Scalding dragon blood continuously splattered.
This head-on, unyielding clash of raw power had reached a fever pitch.
Before long, Alberto's once majestic and gold-shining dragon body was completely soaked in his own scalding blood, leaving him drenched from head to toe.
Even with both the Sacred Oath of the Crown and the Sacred Oath of Conquest active, granting him the Holy Dragon path's formidable healing and buff effects, he could no longer keep up with the rate at which his body was being injured and his strength drained.
Yet, even with such severe injuries, even when his chances of victory were slim, the young gold dragon fought on without retreat, refusing to surrender, as if this were not a mere challenge or sparring match, but a fight to the death.
Thirty seconds later.
The Cold Exploding Scales covering Garos's torso, ravaged by the fierce battle and the Frenzy State lightning, finally shattered and peeled away, revealing the dense battle-scarred patterns beneath.
Just then, seizing a momentary freeze caused by Alberto's intense pain, Garos's thick, powerful talons slammed heavily into Alberto's scarred chest.
Alberto was struck like a bolt of lightning.
His massive, heavy dragon body was sent hurtling backward like a severed golden kite, kicked away by the sheer force of the blow.
Immediately after, Garos's wings flared again, heat waves rolling off his body and distorting the air as he charged after the still-reeling Alberto, who refused to surrender.
At that moment, the young gold dragon, sent flying through the air, took a deep breath, his gaze becoming exceptionally focused.
Whether I can defeat Garos depends on this single move—on the skill I mastered just a few days ago.
Sacred Oath of the Crown: Turn the Tide!
Sacred Oath of Conquest: Desperate Counterattack!
Alberto roared silently in his mind.
Vroom—!
The remaining Sacred Oath energy within his body erupted once more, blazing with an unprecedented, brilliant golden light.
This liquid-gold energy surged like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, converging wildly into his limbs and bones.
Finally, it was all poured, without reserve, into the depths of his throat, ready to unleash a dragon breath.
Sacred Oath Enhancement—Sacred Flame Breath.
The next moment.
A dragon breath, condensed and boiling like liquid gold, erupted from Alberto's wide-flung maw. It surged forth as a raging river of molten gold, hurtling straight toward the red-iron dragon charging head-on.
Coincidentally.
The red-iron dragon, in its relentless pursuit, also flung wide its massive jaws.
The immense heat that had been steadily building within its colossal frame during the fierce battle now collapsed, compressed, and converged inward, as if obeying a king's command. All of it surged toward the throat, poised to erupt.
His crimson dragon scales instantly turned a blinding, searing red, glowing like brand-new iron pulled from a furnace, radiating a thousand-degree heat.
Especially around his neck, the battle-scarred patterns flared to life, shining with the crimson light of annihilation.
Thermal Energy Amplification—Destruction Dragon Breath!
BOOM!
A destructive dragon breath, as viscous as solid magma and seemingly containing the terrifying power to incinerate mountains and boil seas, erupted from Garos's maw like a volcanic torrent.
Under Alberto's incredulous gaze.
This destructive torrent of crimson dragon breath advanced inch by inch with a crushing, unstoppable dominance. It relentlessly ground forward, completely overwhelming, suppressing, and driving back Alberto's sacred golden dragon breath.
"No—!"
Alberto squeezed out every last drop of his Sacred Oath energy, desperate to turn the tide.
But it was all in vain.
Until the torrent of dragon breath was upon him.
The roiling, destructive dragon breath completely engulfed Alberto's struggling golden form.
Even with the gold dragon's immense fire resistance, the sheer, unmitigated heat was too much to withstand.
His dragon scales carbonized in a mournful shriek.
His flesh scorched and withered in the inferno.
And the flames were only the beginning. Far worse was the terrifying impact, capable of tearing through steel, that slammed the gold dragon's body downward.
With a deafening roar and a colossal cloud of dust, the charred and steaming Gold Dragon Alberto was driven deep into the hard earth of the vast plains outside Dragon Valley, like a blackened meteorite.
A massive, radial crater was gouged into the scorched ground.
And he lay half-dead at its very center, barely a single intact scale left on his body, wisps of smoke curling from his carbonized wounds.
Seconds later.
The red-iron dragon, a towering and majestic figure, folded his sky-blotting wings and descended with a faint whoosh of wind, landing steadily on the crater's steep, cracked rim.
Looking down at the broken Alberto, he flicked his tail and said:
"My apologies. I got a bit carried away in the excitement of the fight. I didn't mean to hit you that hard."
However, the scene that unfolded before Garos's eyes was completely unexpected, even for the Ironforged King.
Based on his knowledge of Alberto's proud and stubborn nature, the gold dragon should have either fallen into a powerless rage over his crushing defeat, roaring in frustration; or he should have been exhilarated by the loss, his eyes rekindling an indomitable fighting spirit. At the very least, he might have been disheartened, showing a sense of defeat.
But.
Garos never imagined this.
In the crater, Alberto, his breath weak, felt his cracked golden maw twitch and curve upward. Finally, it stretched into a peaceful and content smile.
Then.
As if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
Alberto's eyes rolled back, and he completely passed out. His body went limp, causing him to almost kneel before the red-iron dragon.
And almost the instant he lost consciousness.
A low, steady, and thunderously loud snore began to emanate clearly from his slightly open maw, echoing across the vast land.
Garos tilted his head, a look of confusion crossing his face.
What is going on?
Even the Ironforged King, known for his vast experience and mountain-like composure, found himself plunged into a brief, bewildered silence.
(End of the Chapter)
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