A hulking black dragon, its body rippling with muscles, plummeted from the sky, clutching an enormous beast in its claws. As the two massive creatures, weighing hundreds of tons combined, crashed into the ground, the earth erupted like a turbulent sea. Waves of soil surged outward, rocks and debris shot into the air, and a rain of dirt fell back down into the newly-formed crater.
Despite the force of the impact, the black dragon rose almost unscathed, shaking off the dust and debris clinging to its body as though it were an annoying inconvenience. With a deep, guttural growl, it opened its jaws wide, and a blue-white glow ignited within its maw.
A torrent of destructive lightning surged forth from the black dragon's mouth, slamming into the beast it had pinned beneath its claws in the center of the crater.
"Aaaaargh!"
A horrifying wail of agony echoed across the battlefield as the enormous beast writhed and thrashed, its desperate struggles shattering the surrounding ground. But its immense strength was no match for the sheer power of the dragon pinning it down, leaving it no choice but to endure the full force of the dragon's relentless lightning breath.
For nearly half a minute, the black dragon sustained its ferocious attack, the flood of lightning carving deeper wounds into the beast. Only when the muscles in its jaws began to ache did the dragon finally relent, snapping its maw shut with a satisfied growl.
"Rawwwr!"
Roaring in triumph, the black dragon basked in the thrill of the battle. But as it lowered its head to inspect the aftermath, its expression turned into one of mild dissatisfaction.
"This lightning breath still isn't strong enough," it muttered, staring at the charred, partially mangled corpse beneath its claws. While the upper half of the beast had been obliterated, its lower half still twitched slightly, as though clinging to the last vestiges of life.
"It needs more refinement. I've been dormant for centuries; the Empire's bioengineering tech should have improved by now. I'll look into upgrading my modifications once I return."
"Are you out of your mind?" A mocking voice interrupted the black dragon's musings. "You're here serving under His Highness Muria, and you're still thinking about relying on biological augmentation to boost your strength?"
Turning toward the voice, the black dragon spotted a white dragon standing upright on its powerful hind legs, gripping a bloodied beast's severed head in one claw. The white dragon's scales were marred with wounds, patches of raw flesh and exposed bone visible across its battered body. Despite its injuries, an aura of fierce cold emanated from the dragon, freezing the very air around it.
The black dragon squinted at the white dragon, but there was no contempt in its gaze—only a hint of wariness. Despite being one of the "lowliest" of the five chromatic dragons, white dragons like this one were not to be underestimated. After all, any dragon that had undergone the rigorous training of the Synapsis Dragon Academy could hardly be judged by traditional standards.
It was a well-established fact across the multiverse: dragons that emerged from the Synapsis Academy were on an entirely different level compared to their wild kin. Even a wild red dragon—a species renowned for its natural might—might find itself humiliated by an academy-trained white dragon.
"Do you have a problem with me, white dragon?" The black dragon rumbled, its tone neither hostile nor submissive. It had encountered plenty of dragons like this one before, and while it wasn't about to back down, it had long grown used to such confrontations.
"Not with you, but with what's in that thick skull of yours," the white dragon replied with a smirk. "You muscle-brained lugs probably swapped your brains for biceps, didn't you?"
The black dragon tilted its head slightly, unimpressed by the jibe. In the academy, being called a "muscle-brain" had practically become a badge of honor for certain dragons. He'd heard it countless times before, and it didn't bother him in the slightest. Instead, he asked calmly, "You looking to spar?"
"Nope. I'd rather spend my time earning more merit points," the white dragon replied nonchalantly. "That way, I can get His Highness to grant me a Star of Martial Strength."
Without waiting for a response, the white dragon flared its icy wings and launched itself into the sky, leaving a trail of frost in its wake as it sought its next battle.
"Star of Martial Strength?" The black dragon blinked, the term sparking a faint memory. He'd overheard other dragons mentioning it recently, though he hadn't paid much attention at the time.
From what little he recalled, the Star of Martial Strength was a special crystalline object created by His Highness Muria. Dragons who earned this item experienced a dramatic surge in strength for a limited time, granting them an edge in battle.
The black dragon scratched his neck with a claw, sparks flickering between his scales. He wasn't entirely sure what it would take to obtain one of these Stars, but from the white dragon's behavior, it didn't seem unattainable.
"So, how much merit does it take to earn one?" The black dragon muttered, his golden eyes gleaming with newfound determination. Then, shaking his head, he spread his wings and shot into the sky. "Whatever. I'll just keep killing. That should do the trick."
With that goal in mind, the black dragon's ferocity on the battlefield reached new heights. He ignored any attack that didn't target a vital area, recklessly trading blows with his enemies in his relentless pursuit of victory. His bold, almost suicidal tactics quickly earned him a fearsome reputation.
Meanwhile, his rampage carried him closer and closer to the core of the battlefield, where ancient dragons clashed with legendary creatures of the Void. Here, the combat reached an intensity far beyond anything the black dragon had ever witnessed.
The sight of these colossal titans battling in the heart of the conflict sent a thrill of both fear and excitement coursing through him. Although the ancient dragons seemed to be at a disadvantage, the black dragon felt no despair.
He knew one immutable truth: as long as His Highness Muria watched over the battlefield, victory was assured.
"Roarrr!"
A pained dragon roar shattered the air. The black dragon's golden eyes widened as he watched one of the ancient dragons—a black-scaled elder—have its forelimb torn clean off by a Void beast. Blood gushed from the wound, and the dragon's chest was ripped open, exposing its ribcage and the glowing core of its dragonheart.
The black dragon instinctively moved forward, his muscles tensing as he prepared to join the fray. But before he could act, a strange sensation gripped his heart. He glanced upward, toward the heavens, and his breath caught.
A golden star streaked across the sky, trailing a dazzling comet-like tail. It descended with unerring precision, parting the swirling elemental chaos of the battlefield. Then, with an earth-shaking impact, the star slammed into the wounded ancient dragon.
"Boom!"
Golden shockwaves erupted outward, scattering the surrounding Void creatures like ragdolls. And as the light of the star enveloped the ancient dragon, an incredible transformation began.
The dragon's severed limb regrew in mere moments, its shattered flesh knitting itself back together. Its already massive body swelled, its size nearly doubling in the blink of an eye. Yet the rapid growth came at a cost—its once-majestic form became grotesque and skeletal, its flesh withering away as its newfound power consumed its reserves of vitality.
The black dragon stared, slack-jawed, at the dramatic transformation.
"So that's the power of a Star of Martial Strength…"
As the skeletal ancient dragon unleashed an earth-shattering roar, its overwhelming hunger became palpable. Recognizing the danger, the black dragon quickly retreated from the core of the battlefield. He didn't need anyone to warn him—the star-enhanced elder was now a force of pure destruction, and it wouldn't hesitate to devour anything in its path to fuel its newfound strength.
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