Translator: AnubisTL
Gradually, three dragon shadows of different colors tore through the brightening sky, finally coming to a halt in the air, forming a triangular formation a hundred feet away from Alberto.
The Iron Dragon Solgorn held the center, his iron-dark scales reflecting the cold morning light. Red Dragon Samantha occupied the right wing, each crimson scale seeming to flow with lava. The completely pale White Dragon Treacy took the left wing, her ice-crystal scales shimmering with a dangerous, frigid glint.
"An Iron Dragon, a Red Dragon, and... a White Scale."
Alberto's golden-yellow pupils constricted slightly, his dragon whiskers twitching.
Though he had mentally prepared himself, witnessing the sight of three high-tier evil dragons with such vastly different temperaments forming an alliance still made his dragon heart skip a beat.
Evil dragons, other than Blue Dragons, were known to be solitary.
For these arrogant and fierce creatures to set aside their innate suspicion and competitive drive, they must have a powerful leader among them.
The Iron Dragon Solgorn's figure was reflected in Alberto's golden vertical pupils.
The young gold dragon's mind raced, making a precise assessment.
The Iron Dragon before him possessed a stern and cold countenance, his gaze as deep as an abyss. He held the central position among the three dragons with absolute composure.
The aura he radiated and his naturally composed posture were markedly different from the other two dragons, hinting at the majesty and control befitting a leader.
Iron Dragon Solgorn spoke first, confirming Alberto's observation.
"Greetings, Your Excellency Gold Dragon, traveler from afar."
His voice was exceptionally deep, like two weather-beaten, heavy iron ores grinding against each other in the depths of a mine—gritty and profound.
Yet, beneath this primal roughness lay a subtle power that could stir the deepest ripples of one's soul.
Maintaining basic courtesy, he greeted Alberto, then immediately cut to the core of his questioning with an unquestionable bluntness:
"What is your purpose in setting foot upon this borderland?"
A psionic dragon?
Rare enough in the Material Plane.
Alberto's thoughts flashed like lightning.
When facing sentient beings, a gold dragon's usual strategy was to first use keen observation to intimidate or engage in "civilized" communication before resorting to force, thereby gaining the upper hand in both momentum and reason.
At this moment, he clearly sensed a condensed and active psionic fluctuation emanating from Iron Dragon Solgorn, keenly realizing that his opponent possessed considerable skill in the psionic domain.
"Because..."
A faint, predatory curve touched the dragon's maw of the young gold dragon, Alberto.
"I smell—" He drew a deep breath, his voice dropping to a low rumble. Simultaneously, his golden vertical pupils erupted with a blinding light that seemed capable of searing the very soul. His expression instantly transformed, becoming utterly majestic and inviolable, like a judge descending to deliver divine punishment.
"—the stench of absolute evil!!!"
His final words tore through the sky like a thunderbolt: "How dare you enslave those innocent creatures and turn this once-bountiful land into a hunting ground for your vile dragonkind!"
More oppressive than his words was the surging, torrential wave of pure Dragon Might that crashed down upon them.
This was one of the gold dragon's signature tactics: a preemptive strike of intimidation!
If any ordinary creatures had been present, their minds would have gone blank from terror, their hearts shattered by this horrific pressure. Even for other dragons, if their age and life grade were far inferior to Alberto's, they should have felt an instinctive dread, their spirits utterly overwhelmed.
Yet.
The scene that followed sent the first faint ripple of disturbance through Alberto's heart.
The three dragons before him—the adolescent red and iron dragons, and the white dragon who appeared to have reached adulthood—showed no signs of their scales bristling, their bodies trembling uncontrollably, or any reflexive baring of fangs and low, threatening growls.
They were... unnervingly calm.
It was as if they had already endured this level of dragon might more than once. Their composure, forged from experience, was as immovable as a rock.
"Evil?"
Iron Dragon Solgorn raised his heavily armored head, meeting the gold dragon's awe-inspiring gaze without flinching.
"We made the cunning goblins abandon their thieving ways, the arrogant centaurs give up their habit of robbing travelers, and the dull-witted ogres learn to trade with ore instead of crushing the skulls of passing merchants with brute force."
He continued, "In the eyes of a 'noble' gold dragon like you, such order is considered... evil?"
Alberto scoffed, his dragon head tossing in contempt.
"Iron Dragon, stow your hypocritical sophistry. Wordplay is meaningless before me. You are merely draping a thin veil of so-called 'Order' over the cold truth of your evil rule."
Though his own mission was to rule the Frontierlands, the young gold dragon believed his "rule" was fundamentally different from that of the Iron Dragon.
His rule represented a blueprint of light, justice, and prosperity.
In his eyes, the Iron Dragon's rule was nothing short of naked—slavery, an evil act that must be purged!
"Enough with the posturing!"
Two plumes of sulfurous smoke, laced with sparks, erupted from Red Dragon Samantha's nostrils. Her eyes burned with raw impatience and violent battle lust.
In the eyes of most mortals and other creatures, red dragons were often seen as evil beings, the antithesis of silver dragons.
Yet, the deep-seated pride of the red dragon clan drove them to believe they were far more powerful than those "superficial" gold dragons!
The red dragon would never show a hint of weakness before a gold dragon. Its only desire was to crush the other beneath its burning claws.
Meanwhile, Treacy, the white dragon, had a very clear understanding of her place in the draconic hierarchy.
Faced with the powerful young gold dragon whose life grade far exceeded her own, she merely opened her maw cautiously, breathing out frost-laden mists as a show of support, wisely refraining from being the first to provoke him.
"Hmph, so you evil dragons can no longer contain your savage and bloodthirsty natures?"
The brilliant gold scales covering Alberto's body glowed more intensely with each of his words, flowing like liquid gold. His aura of divinity and majesty surged steadily.
"Then prepare yourselves for the ultimate judgment of justice!"
The evil dragons outnumbered him, but he felt no fear.
He was a young dragon of fifty-five years, and an exceptional specimen even among gold dragons. This gave him the confidence to defy convention; his life grade had already reached 15, far exceeding the average.
Before him stood the three evil dragons.
The red and iron dragons were both juvenile. With a single use of his Appraisal Technique, Alberto saw that they were only Level 12. While that was above average, it still left a significant gap between them and himself.
As for the adult white dragon, its life grade was 13, yet it was less dangerous than the red and iron dragons.
In short,
I am outnumbered, but the advantage is mine.
"Before you pass your so-called 'judgment,' perhaps you'd care to see this."
Iron Dragon Solgorn's voice remained steady as he spat out a seemingly unremarkable, rune-carved obsidian-like magic item.
The item activated, and a clear magical projection instantly unfurled in the cold morning air.
(End of the Chapter)
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