Translator: AnubisTL
"Betrayal! You lowly creatures! How dare you betray me!"
The cliff serpent dragon roared in fury, spitting venomous mist at the old shaman. The giant wolf phantom enveloping the shaman leaped nimbly, narrowly evading the toxic spray.
"O mighty giant dragon, please slay this vile serpent for us!"
"In return, you shall gain the friendship of the Howling Moon Clan, and their reverence and worship!" the old shaman shouted skyward.
Hearing this, Garos couldn't yet discern the strange relationship between the clan and the serpent dragon, but he was certain they weren't united.
That made things easier.
The cliff serpent dragon was heavily wounded and weakened, posing no real threat beyond the death curse.
Garos folded his wings, abandoning his aerial patrol. Under the tense, fearful gazes of the werewolves, he plummeted downward in a thunderous dive, landing with a ground-shaking impact.
Whoosh!
He opened his maw and exhaled a thick, smoke-like white gas at the cliff serpent dragon.
Hypnotic dragon breath!
The cliff serpent dragon attempted to dodge, but its sluggish movements prevented it from escaping.
However, the hypnotic dragon breath failed to take effect on the cliff serpent dragon, leaving it unaffected and resisting any hypnotic state.
The cliff serpent dragon possessed exceptionally high resistance to curses, paralysis, and sleep, even surpassing its fire resistance. As a result, the iron dragon's hypnotic dragon breath had little effect on it.
"Serpent dragon, submit to me, and I'll grant you a chance to live," Garos said, his gaze fixed on the cliff serpent dragon as he spoke in a deep voice. Since the hypnotic dragon breath had failed, he refrained from immediately striking.
Creatures like the cliff serpent dragon, brimming with poison, bearing a death curse, and possessing a savage and violent nature, were troublesome enemies. Yet, if tamed into a fighter, they could prove quite useful.
Moreover, Garos remained uncertain about the death curse's specific reaction to himself. He had no desire to bear its full brunt. While his fire resistance could eventually be restored, doing so would waste his time and hinder his growth.
"Submit? On your account?" the cliff serpent dragon roared, its voice low and guttural.
Garos wasn't strong enough to force its submission. The creature, filled with rage and hatred for him, would rather die than allow him to triumph.
"If you refuse to submit, then die."
Garos's gaze turned icy.
He was not one for indecision.
To eliminate this threat, any cost was worth it.
The cliff serpent dragon dug its claws into the ground, propping up its upper body. Its blood-red eyes swept over the detested hybrid dragon before him and the surrounding werewolves, who stood as if facing an imminent enemy. The hatred in its heart almost solidified into a tangible force.
"Serpent dragons do not fear death!"
Black mist suddenly erupted from its green body as it let out a hysterical roar at Garos: "With my life, with my soul, I curse you! For all eternity, you will fear the flames! Fear the burn!"
Before Garos could strike the killing blow, the cliff serpent dragon's roar abruptly cut short. It died, collapsing to the ground.
The black mist around it thickened and solidified, transforming in an instant into a grotesque serpent dragon sigil that shot toward Garos.
Whoosh!
The strong wind sent the surrounding werewolves stumbling.
Garos shot into the air, ascending rapidly as he tried to outpace the cliff serpent dragon's fire curse.
The curse's mark didn't strike quickly. The first attempt missed Garos entirely, dissipating into the air. Yet, even without direct contact, Garos suddenly felt a wave of heat wash over him, followed by an icy chill.
"It really wasn't that easy to dodge," he muttered, shaking his head.
For now, he didn't feel any abnormal reactions from the fire curse.
"This curse lowers resistance. Let's test it."
He lowered his head and breathed a burst of flames onto his claw.
A faint burning sensation immediately pricked his skin, causing Garos to frown. With his combined red dragon and iron dragon bloodline, his fire resistance should have made ordinary flames feel like a gentle breeze, causing no harm at all. Yet now he felt pain.
As expected, just as the inheritance had warned, the cliff serpent dragon's fire curse did indeed lower its target's fire resistance.
After a moment's thought, Garos continued to breathe flames onto his claw. The burning pain persisted, but it faded rapidly, returning to normal.
"Hmm? Resistance recovered so quickly?"
Garos was somewhat surprised.
But upon closer reflection, it seemed normal.
His resistance had been forged through training and evolution. Though weakened by the curse, his underlying foundation remained strong, allowing him to adapt and evolve with remarkable efficiency. It wasn't like the initial, agonizing struggle.
"The serpent dragon's death curse is useless—too weak."
Suddenly.
His claws began to ache again.
The curse was lowering his fire resistance once more.
"Excellent! It's not a one-time, difficult-to-recover resistance reduction, but a persistent curse!"
Instead of fear, Garos felt exhilaration as the pain and the curse's effect surged through him.
Persistent damage was the most effective stimulus for Garos's adaptation and evolution.
Knowing his own talent, he could foresee that his fire resistance would steadily rise through the constant back-and-forth of reduction and recovery.
Fire curse?
No!
For Garos, this was equivalent to a fire blessing.
If the cliff serpent dragon had known this, it probably wouldn't have killed itself so decisively, nor would it have passed the curse on to Garos.
"Serpent Dragon, Serpent Dragon."
"Are there any other serpent dragons in the Sierre Wilderness?"
"If I kill all the major serpent dragon species, my resistance in all aspects will increase by one tier."
Garos licked his jaw, thinking to himself.
The serpent dragons' venomous nature had made many dragonkind wary, including Garos himself. But since that moment, the situation had completely changed.
He quickly suppressed his emotions and circled down to Crescent Moon Valley.
The old shaman immediately came forward and addressed Garos with reverence:
"Noble and mighty dragon, we thank you for slaying the evil serpent for the Howling Moon Clan."
"Whatever you desire, as long as the Howling Moon Clan possesses it, we will gladly offer it to you as a token of our gratitude."
Garos studied the old shaman for a moment, then swept his gaze over the surrounding graymane werewolves. Slowly, he said, "I demand that the Howling Moon Clan submit to me and pledge their loyalty."
At these words, the old shaman's expression shifted.
They had already tasted the bitter consequences of nurturing the cliff serpent dragon.
Now a more powerful dragon had arrived, demanding their allegiance. Unsure of its nature, the werewolves feared they might be walking into a tiger's den, even more dangerous than the serpent dragon.
Seeming to perceive their doubts, Garos continued, "I am no cruel dragon. Otherwise, this place would already be reduced to ashes."
"Become my familiars, and you will be my wealth. I would never needlessly damage my own assets. Instead, you will serve me and enjoy my protection, securing a brighter future."
"I will give you ten days to consider."
"If you refuse to submit, I will not force you. I respect your choice and regret any losses you may suffer."
With that, he lifted the corpse of the cliff serpent dragon in his claws and soared into the sky.
As Garos had said, if the Werewolf Clan refused, he would not force them.
But he would destroy them.
A sentient clan operating in the Thousand Serpents' Trace could potentially spread information about him, even if they didn't know his exact location, causing unnecessary trouble.
For this reason, if they proved troublesome, Garos would choose to cut out the roots to ensure his own safety.
His amiable demeanor was merely a tactic to keep them complacent, ensuring they remained in Crescent Moon Valley so he could eliminate them all at once. Ten days should be enough time for his injuries to fully heal.
Only when his figure completely vanished into the night sky did the werewolves finally relax.
"Elder, this dragon seemed quite reasonable," the young Chieftain said to the old shaman, leaning in to ask in a low voice. "Do you think it's an evil dragon?"
The old shaman gazed in the direction Garos had departed and murmured softly, "Its appearance suggests a ferocious dragon, but time has taught me a lesson—never judge by appearances. This applies to dragonkind as well."
"Its speech, words, and actions differ from my understanding of evil dragons. Perhaps it's a dragon worth pledging allegiance to."
In the Sierre Wilderness, being able to serve a giant dragon would be a blessing for many creature races.
"Gather the clan's most respected members immediately to discuss and decide whether to pledge loyalty or refuse."
Because the matter concerned the future development of the clan, the Howling Moon Clan, led by the old shaman and the Chieftain, immediately convened a meeting to decide their future course.
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗚𝗢𝗡) on the Site till Ch140. (70 Chapters Ahead)
💲Read upto Ch82 for ABSOLUTELY 𝙁𝙍𝙀𝙀! ℕ𝕠 𝕃𝕠𝕘𝕚𝕟
⚡15 Novels | 9.1k+ Chapters | 15.2M+ Words [𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦]