Translator: AnubisTL
The white tiger's muscles rippled smoothly, its tail taut as a steel whip.
It crouched slightly, its posture eerily similar to that of a dragon preparing to strike.
Ignoring the white tiger's warning roar, the red-iron dragon instead wheeled around and dove toward it.
Its razor-sharp dragon wings tore through the air with a deafening roar as it hurtled closer.
The white tiger flung aside its prey and, with lightning-fast reflexes, leaped sideways as the red-iron dragon approached at full speed.
Though a dragon wing grazed its flank, leaving a long, bloody gash, the wound was superficial, barely reaching the bone.
Mud-caked tiger claws carved deep furrows into the ground, and the decaying leaves were whipped up by the shockwave.
As it landed, the white tiger spun around with terrifying agility and explosive power, launching itself toward the red-iron dragon's back. Leaping repeatedly through the air, it seemed to tread on empty space, its body enveloped in dense wind elemental energy that coalesced into ethereal wings. Its gaze locked onto the dragon's cervical vertebrae.
The wild monster lords left behind by the Ironforged Tribe were formidable, and nearly all of them could fly.
Otherwise, they could have simply used cheap Hyena-Men and kobolds to exhaust the lords' stamina, followed by a coordinated ambush by powerful bosses to finish them off.
Garos flicked his thick, muscular dragon tail, the edges instantly bristling with blade-like scales that sharpened to a spear-like point.
The tail rose, its tip striking with lightning speed toward the white tiger's head.
The white tiger instinctively ducked, the spear-like tail grazing its scalp and leaving a bloody gash. As it raised its head, the red-iron dragon had already turned, its razor-sharp claws sweeping toward it.
Letting out a low growl, the white tiger refused to yield. Riding the raging winds, it engaged the red-iron dragon in close combat mid-air.
Its reaction speed was astonishing, an innate talent akin to the reflexive evasion skills of martial dragons. It consistently dodged the red-iron dragon's attacks with minimal cost, yet even so, fighting a creature armed with lethal weapons across its entire body left it battered and bruised in moments, though none of the wounds were critical.
As for its own attacks...
The claw strikes that could shatter steel and tear through metal slammed into the Cold Exploding Scales, causing them to dent, crack, and emit a bone-chilling frost.
With each contact, the white tiger felt its body grow colder due to the scales' heat-absorbing properties and the frigid qi they radiated.
Its movements grew sluggish. Even its lightning-fast reflexes gradually failed to keep up with Garos's relentless attacks.
Boom!
Garos's dragon claw struck the white tiger squarely on the head, sending it crashing to the ground like a cannonball.
The ferocious species possessed extraordinary resilience. Despite the gash on its head, the dented skull, and the blood streaming down its face, the white tiger managed to flip mid-air, landing squarely on all four paws atop a fallen giant sequoia.
Its claws sank into the tree trunk as it threw back its head and roared skyward.
Amidst the flying splinters, the white tiger's roar materialized into a sonic cannon, pulverizing the obstructing canopy and branches.
Whoosh!ย Dark red flames surged from behind Garos's dragon wings as he abruptly accelerated and veered, narrowly dodging the sonic blast.
Thanks to the Cold Exploding Scales, Garos could withstand minor attacks without needing to dodge, simply enduring them. But he never forgot his exceptional mobility.
The white tiger's roars echoed incessantly, its terrifying sonic waves relentlessly pursuing the red-iron dragon, pulverizing everything in their path with overwhelming force.
Yet Garos, with his wings beating powerfully, moved with the agility of a swimming dragon. He darted left and right, weaving through the sonic waves, gradually closing the distance to the ferocious tiger.
In a swift, sweeping motion, his wings slashed through the trunks of towering trees as his dragon claws precisely clamped down on the white tiger's head.
Garos pinned the tiger with a single claw, channeling level 3 dragon qi through his dragon arm. The overwhelming force left the beast no chance to resist, crushing it deep into the earth.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With each thunderous impact, the ground was gouged into a deep, winding trench. Giant trees were uprooted or snapped like twigs, their shattered remains scattering across the landscape.
Finally, the dragon claw slammed the white tiger against a cliff face, bringing the relentless assault to a halt.
The white tiger now lacked its earlier ferocity. Its breath came in ragged gasps, its fur torn and bloodied, its flesh mangled beyond recognition. It exposed its belly, a flicker of pleading in its eyes.
Though less intelligent than the Earthstorm Bear, the ferocious species still possessed higher intelligence than ordinary beasts. Unlike the Chimera's twisted, chaotic nature, the tiger instinctively begged the red-iron dragon for mercy in the face of death.
Seeing this, Garos withdrew his killing intent.
Using his mind sense ability, derived from his iron dragon bloodline, Garos communicated with the bewildered white tiger, giving it the choice between submission and death. The creature made the right decision.
"Vent your anger on a mindless beast? Hmph, red-iron dragon, you truly are born evil."
The red-silver dragon's ethereal voice echoed from the sky as she dispelled her invisibility spell, revealing herself in mid-air.
Garos wasn't surprised by her appearance. Ever since leaving Dragon Valley, his heightened senses had given him the vague feeling that someone was tracking him.
"Deborah, you've finally returned."
Garos remained calm despite the red-silver dragon's provocative words. "The incident last time was a misunderstanding," he said. "I had just awakened from a decade-long slumber and was briefly influenced by the evil dragon's desires."
As she gazed at Garos's magnificent, imposing form, the red-silver dragon recalled his bold and direct declaration of love. The tip of her tail still trembled slightly.
Forcing herself to appear composed, she said, "Answer my riddle, and I will forgive your impudence."
"Very well."
Garos nodded.
The red-silver dragon blinked and said:
"I am gentler than time, more enduring than stone, capable of turning an angry volcano into a docile stream."
"The rich often discard me like worn-out shoes, while the poor cherish me as a treasure."
"The wise wield me as a shield, but fools cast me aside without a thought."
"Grip me tightly, and I will slip away unnoticed."
"Call upon me in times of waiting, and I will remain by your side forever."
She paused, then gazed at the red-iron dragon and said, "Tell me, hybrid dragonโwho am I?"
The red-silver dragon's tone remained unchanged, yet a faint tremor ran through it, as if concealing hidden thoughts and emotions.
Garos focused intently on the riddle, but no suitable answer came to mind. Besides, posing riddles was one of the red-silver dragon's greatest pleasures, and occasionally failing to solve her puzzles only deepened her affection.
"I can't figure it out, Deborah. Tell me the answer."
The red-iron dragon shook his head.
The red-silver dragon blinked again, then whispered softly, "Patience. The answer is patience."
(End of the Chapter)
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