novelraw Chapter 273: Golden Dragon Concept
Chapter 273: Golden Dragon Concept
I... lost?
An almost absurd sense of unreality, like an icy tide, once again surged through the proud heart of the young Gold Dragon.
Alberto Aurelius, this Metal Dragon who aspired to cover all nations with his wings of conquest and establish eternal order, had actually been defeated in these convergence lands considered barren wilderness... by a group... no, a horde of hybrid dragons led by a vicious dragon?
Defeated by an opponent younger than him, smaller in stature, and whose life level should logically be lower than his?
Even worse, forcibly knocked down from the glorious skies and thrown wretchedly into the dust.
Yet reality was as cold and unyielding as iron, brooking no argument.
The light of the newly risen dawn, with an almost mocking clarity, quietly spilled across the war-torn, messy ground, clearly illuminating his current humiliation.
Shattered scales, congealed bloodstains, his massive body deeply embedded in the earth.
It also mercilessly illuminated the figure of that red iron dragon.
He stood like a mountain, his dragon foot heavily planted on Alberto's chest, his vertical pupils looking down from above like a monarch surveying another overambitious challenger."This battle! Is not over yet!"
Deep within Alberto's brilliant golden dragon pupils, fury and unwillingness burned like inextinguishable flames.
He let out a heaven-shaking roar, the Conquest Oath coalescing into a new blazing golden war halberd in his claw, while the phantom of the recently shattered Crown Oath attempted to reform.
It must be admitted, the Gold Dragon's racial talent, standing at the pinnacle of dragonkind, granted him unparalleled vitality and resilience.
Although his exterior was now covered in wounds, with many scales torn and flesh visible to the bone, these seemingly terrifying injuries still hadn't reached the point of serious debilitation. Power still surged ceaselessly within his dragon-blood-filled body.
Divine Smite!
Alberto's dragon claw tightly gripped the Conquest Halberd, thrusting it fiercely upward.
Aimed directly at the massive red iron dragon foot trampling his dignity.
However.
Buzz—!
The halberd wreathed in golden light abruptly halted in mid-air, just a foot away from its target, as if seized by a pair of invisible, powerful giant hands, unable to advance another inch.
Alberto's pupils constricted sharply.
Through the supernatural vision of energy perception, he clearly saw that behind the majestic form of the red iron dragon, two violent, savage, and tangible black-red streams of Dragon Qi shot skyward.
They twisted and condensed, constructing a pair of thick, muscular, and ferocious energy arms that were firmly clamping down on his shining Conquest Halberd.
The tyrannical brutality of the Dragon Qi and the pure sharpness of the Saint Oath energy clashed and ground violently against each other at the halberd's shaft.
Countless tiny sparks of extinguished starlight and light fragments splattered, locked in stalemate, neither yielding.
Zizi zhi!
Dense golden lightning crackled across the red iron dragon's body. His already robust frame expanded once more. Some cracked Frostburst Scales were pushed apart by bulging muscles, revealing more crisscrossing Battle-Hardened Patterns. At a glance, the red iron dragon's entire body seemed filled with an overwhelming, unstoppable oppressive momentum.
"Will you continue? Gold Dragon."
The red iron dragon gradually increased the pressure of his stomp, causing Alberto's chest to slowly cave in, bones creaking.
"Cough—"
Spitting out broken teeth and blood, the Gold Dragon's gaze grew somewhat unfocused. His fighting spirit had completely dissipated. The Conquest Oath and Crown Oath gradually receded, their sharp edges gone.
He still had some strength left.
But was the red iron dragon before him any different?
He could hardly imagine what kind of intense and perilous battles the other had experienced, to possess so many Battle-Hardened Patterns before even reaching the youth phase. Remembering how he had initially been smug about the few patterns on his own body, his mood became exceedingly complex.
But.
The reality of being pinned underfoot still filled Alberto with extreme rage and shame. He let out a low growl, and an inconspicuous scale on his neck glowed faintly, immediately emitting an unusual pressure.
Its intensity was somewhat similar to the dragon might Frostmark had emitted when he first saw the red iron dragon 'bullying' his offspring.
Without a doubt, it was at least some kind of life-preserving spell left by an adult dragon.
Garoth's eyes flashed as he instantly withdrew, stepping back.
His draconic maw opened slightly, thermal energy surging within him. Destruction Breath was already primed. Iron dragon Sorog, red dragon Samantha, and White Dragon Trixie simultaneously began gathering their strongest attacks, standing ready in case the Gold Dragon chose a final, desperate struggle.
"Twin-Oath Saint Dragon, youth phase."
Right then, a whisper tinged with a hint of slyness, a touch of amusement, and a metallic quality drifted over, breaking the tense, sword-drawn atmosphere.
"Eh? Wait, you're Alberto Aurelius, right?"
The brass-silver dragon Deborah hovered mid-air, gently stroking her jaw with a claw as if confirming something.
Finally, she clicked her tongue softly. The sound wasn't loud, but it clearly reached every dragon's ears. "I remember quite well. You seem to have once declared something emphatically at the gathering of the younger generation in the Endless Sea Dragon Domains."
"'True power requires no reliance on the favor or charity of elders. The world and order belonging to the self should, and can only, be created and forged by one's own hands.'"
"You said that, didn't you?"
The young Gold Dragon's expression stiffened. The scale on his neck slowly dimmed.
Freed from the red iron dragon's suppression, he climbed to his feet, his chest heaving violently, breathing heavily. Simultaneously, he turned his head to look at the Metal Dragon kinswoman who had backstabbed him earlier.
"Consorting with evil dragons... Who are you? How do you know about me?"
He demanded.
The brass-silver dragon Deborah blinked her eyes, speaking in a flat tone that stated established facts. "Alberto Aurelius. Among the young generation of Gold Dragons in the Endless Sea Dragon Domains, the most controversial, the most rebellious, the most stubborn and inflexible in temperament. Exceptionally gifted, peerless potential, but alas, his character... tsk, eccentric and extreme, insufferably arrogant to the utmost."
"My parents..."
She tilted her massive dragon head slightly, as if recalling.
"...have mentioned you more than once, using your case as a negative example, earnestly instructing me to take it as a warning and avoid following in your footsteps."
She paused briefly, appreciating Alberto's increasingly ugly expression caused by her words, then leisurely continued her explanation.
"Actually, from what I know."
"Many other elder Metal Dragon compatriots habitually use you as a vivid cautionary tale to warn their descendants about the meaning of taking the wrong path."
"Could it be you've never realized you're already quite famous?"
"It's just a pity that this fame probably isn't the kind of glory you were pursuing."
Alberto was a Gold Dragon of the Lawful Good alignment.
But as evidenced by his Conquest Oath, he wasn't a traditional Gold Dragon. There were quite a few Gold Dragons walking the Saint-Dragon path, but those choosing the Conquest Oath were exceedingly rare.
Alberto's personality was relatively extreme, just a step away from Lawful Evil.
The only remaining watershed between him and pure Lawful Evil currently lay in this: deep in his heart, Alberto still considered the value of life and the humble feelings of those weaker than himself.
His original desire to establish that eternal golden order was rooted in a grand goal.
—To utterly eradicate all sources of evil and suffering in the world, allowing all living beings to stand under the perfect order he personally crafted, attaining a better life.
As for pure Lawful Evil.
They similarly value the supreme authority of discipline and rules, but would absolutely not care about the value of the ant-like lives crushed beneath those rules, nor would they care about the lamentations and thoughts of the weak.
Their true purpose in establishing rules and order.
Is to implement rule more efficiently and stably, to more smoothly seize everything they desire.
"I, Alberto Aurelius—"
Facing the brass-silver dragon's merciless exposure and implicit mockery, the Gold Dragon slowly raised his head, extending a dragon claw to wipe away the residual dragon blood on it.
"—have never cared about the mediocre masses incapable of understanding my path."
His condition was poor, but his voice remained deep and powerful, like rolling thunder brewing in his chest. "Other dragons find me difficult to get along with, freely condemn my dreams, accuse me of being too extreme."
"But."
Alberto's gaze pierced through the brass-silver dragon before him, looking towards the vast, boundless sky.
"From the long-term perspective of this vast universe and infinite time, unless one is a truly immortal, eternal deity, the thoughts of any intelligent being, any seemingly great action, are essentially meaningless."
"Since that is the case, why should I avoid the most genuine desires of my own heart?"
The Gold Dragon race universally possessed profound foresight far surpassing that of other dragon species, capable of perceiving the awe-inspiring vastness and remoteness of the river of time.
Alberto also possessed this trait.
However, his foresight had led him down a path different from others.
He believed:
Life is, ultimately, an inward journey, a great quest seeking one's own essence.
Rather than living a so-called correct but mediocre life with excessive caution, concealing one's nature, and following conventions, it is better to face the beating heart directly, face the most primal, fervent cry deep within the soul, do what the heart truly desires, chase one's own dreams, and realize the ultimate value of one's own existence.
Only in this way.
When the final, inevitable curtain of death falls, can he step into eternal silence with his head held high, without regret in his heart, worthy of this life that belongs to Alberto Aurelius.