novelraw Chapter 161: White Dragon's Wrath
Chapter 161: White Dragon's Wrath
Garoth raised his dragon wings and brought them crashing down like a collapsing sky. The half-breed centaur's nerves tensed as her hooves struck the air before even touching the ground, creating sonic booms that allowed her to dodge with phantom-like speed, evading the wing strike.
Tiny cyan wings of condensed air formed around her ankles. Flapping these ethereal wings, she ran across the sky, each step exploding with compressed air as she unleashed her full speed. Her massive silver greatsword slashed repeatedly at the red iron dragon, only to be intercepted every time by his clawed hands.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The wind-enchanted weapon clashed against dragon claws, sending sparks flying in all directions.
Elvy's swordplay became a blur of afterimages, displaying a fluid combat rhythm. Yet what astonished her was how this massive, rugged red iron dragon possessed nearly absurd reaction speed - his claw strikes also left countless afterimages, each collision sending violent tremors through the half-breed's arms, making resistance impossible.
After another clash, Elvy suddenly spread her wings wide. With a powerful flap that stirred a gale, she shot skyward.
Hovering at the apex, she raised her greatsword overhead as intense white light erupted from her body, transforming her into a miniature white sun that illuminated the night sky. A sacred, pure aura radiated from her being.
The blazing white light compressed along her blade, forming a ten-meter-long solidified sword beam of brilliant radiance. Her left hand formed seals, conjuring cyan hurricanes that attached to her wings. Gripping the hilt with both hands, she beat her wings and dove like a meteor, trailing a blue-white tail as she crashed toward Garoth.
"Interesting."
Garoth blinked, then stood upright on his powerful hind legs. At the precise moment the unstoppable sword beam descended, his right claw shot out and grasped it firmly.The red iron dragon's terrifying physical strength allowed him to physically catch the magical blade. The collision of magic and raw power exploded in a circular shockwave that cratered the ground beneath them.
Crack—Snap!
The sword beam shattered into countless white fragments like falling snow.
Elvy was sent flying by the point-blank explosion, crashing hard to the ground. When she struggled back up, her glow had dimmed considerably, her face noticeably paler.
"Great Redwing Lord, your might leaves me in awe. I wish to follow beneath your wings."
The half-breed centaur knelt, speaking with reverence. She had exhausted all her skills. Throughout the entire battle, Garoth had mostly defended without launching fierce attacks, yet she'd still been utterly defeated.
"You show promise," Garoth remarked.
This Elvy was young, her life level lower than previous centaur leaders, yet in actual combat she surpassed them all. Her pegasus blood granted resilience, explosive power and speed, while elven heritage made her adept at magic. In this hybrid, Garoth saw the makings of a legend.
Among his subordinates, only the dragon-blooded Gluttonous Ogre Karu had previously shown potential to reach legendary status and serve long-term. Now this half-breed centaur joined those ranks.
Meanwhile, Silvermane's eyes flickered with complex emotions. He'd never seen Elvy fight seriously before, always assuming she was merely the strongest of the younger generation, still inferior to himself in experience and power. Never had he imagined this outcast hybrid had been concealing her true strength all along.
Simultaneously, Sorog felt renewed urgency to advance his class. Had all three centaur leaders attacked together with this hybrid among them, he might have died here. Though having a powerful brother as backup was reassuring, Sorog was still a dragon with his own pride - he couldn't keep relying on Garoth to solve every problem.
"I can't slack off anymore. All spare time must go to meditation!" he resolved.
As night gradually faded, the distant horizon turned gradient shades of gray-blue. Mist flowed across the grasslands like melting ice, dampening the centaur guards' leg fur.
Dawn hadn't yet broken, but the White Mane Clan's camp already bustled with activity - campfires lit, cooking smoke rising. Most centaurs had awakened and begun their daily tasks: tanning hides, forging weapons, preparing food.
Thus when the red iron dragon circled overhead, his jagged wings blotting out the sky over the centaur camp, the reaction was immediate and intense.
Guards assumed battle positions, drawing powerful bows and raising war spears, eyes locked on the intruder with arrows nocked and ready to fire.
"Stand down! Lower your weapons!" Elvy and Silvermane's voices rang out.
Only then did the centaurs notice their two leaders.
Garoth's appearance was simply too terrifying - his densely packed spikes, steel-like scales, and impossibly muscular frame created an oppressive presence that made the centaurs tense, unable to look away. Even the white dragons they'd encountered before seemed gentle and friendly by comparison.
"Skywing Leader, Silvermane Leader," the centaur warriors whispered as their leaders landed, "what's happening?"
At that moment, the elderly centaur Shaman emerged from a tent, his raven-feather cloak swaying as his gaze swept between dragon and centaurs.
"On behalf of the White Mane Clan, we have sworn fealty to the great Redwing Lord," Elvy and Silvermane declared solemnly in unison.
Centaurs who hadn't witnessed Garoth's power reacted with shock, and the camp erupted into chaos.
"Silence!" Elvy barked sharply.
Her authority among the guards quickly restored order.
"Where is Luka?" the elder suddenly asked.
Luka - Ironhoof's true name.
"He died by his own stupidity and stubbornness," Silvermane replied.
Both leaders had made their choice, and that choice now determined the White Mane Clan's future. There was no other path left.
Recalling his earlier premonitions, the elder remained silent for a long moment before rasping, "All warriors, lay down your arms."
The centaurs exchanged uncertain looks, but under their leaders' and shaman's authority, they slowly lowered their weapons.
"Great Redwing Lord," the elder was first to kneel, "the White Mane Clan pledges to crush all obstacles in your path and offer our unwavering loyalty."
The two leaders followed suit, and soon every centaur of the White Mane Clan bent their knees.
"From this day forth, you belong to me," Garoth's thunderous voice declared. "You serve me, and I shall lead you to glory."
Thus the sizable centaur clan became part of the Molten Iron Clan. Garoth's influence in the borderlands grew stronger - and this was only the beginning.
Meanwhile, north of the borderlands...
A towering mountain stood adjacent to the icy plains, its frozen soil and rocks hard as steel, nearly devoid of vegetation save for jagged boulders. Within an ice-crystal adorned cave serving as a dragon's nest, the white dragon Trixie slowly opened her eyes after nearly twenty years of dragon sleep.
Measuring sixteen meters long with a slender build that couldn't be called robust, her hornless head and snow-white scales emitted waves of chill air. Though freshly awakened, her gaze remained piercingly cold.
Trixie had entered her slumber filled with rage. That fury remained unabated, her icy physiology unable to extinguish it.
"Centaurs! I'll find you, chew your bones, and make you die screaming in agony!" The white dragon bared her fangs as she uncoiled from her resting position.
Having awakened, her life level had increased by a full rank - now level 13, more than sufficient to exterminate the centaurs.
She crawled from the cave and immediately took to the skies. Twenty years later, the damned White Mane Clan had likely relocated, but so long as they remained in the borderlands, Trixie swore on her noble draconic bloodline - no matter how long it took, she would find them, take vengeance, and make them pay for daring to offend dragonkind.