novelraw Chapter 383: My Foolish Brother Was Captured by the King of Evil Dragons!
Chapter 383: My Foolish Brother Was Captured by the King of Evil Dragons!
Cold wind carried ice crystals like countless tiny blades, scraping across the vast land.
The world was a sheet of white, with only howling wind and snow ruling everything.
This place was completely different from the thunder-and-charge-filled chaos the blue dragons were used to; here, the convergence lands were shrouded and swept by endless blizzards.
A fairly large dragon group was flying low over this unfamiliar snowy plain.
Snowlight reflected off the leader’s large blue scales, as beautiful as fragments of clear sky — she was the Blue Dragon Zoraya.
Each beat of her powerful wings tore through the biting cold. Behind her followed more than twenty young dragons and wyrmlings, all much smaller than she was.
Among them the blue dragons were the most numerous, with a few hatchlings of other dragon types mixed in.
They were the new generation of the former Dominik Dragon Cluster, dragons who now needed to be reshaped and branded anew.
These still-juvenile dragons flapped their tender wings desperately, trying to keep up with the leader’s pace.
The hatchlings flapped their immature wings, eyes full of confusion and unease, mingled with fear and determination.The Lord of Molten Iron, the patricidal dragon, the Convergence Lands King... all those titles hung like a shadow over the young dragons’ hearts lately.
They all knew that the Heart of Thunder leader was dead.
And now they were about to be delivered to where the Lord of Molten Iron dwelled, to receive his “new” education.
Yes, education — Zoraya used that comparatively gentle term, but the hatchlings’ inner unease did not diminish in the least.
They almost unanimously believed the life ahead would be far crueller and more miserable than what they endured in the Dominik Cluster.
“I... I heard that the Lord of Molten Iron is vicious and merciless, he kills dragons without batting an eye.”
A blue hatchling lowered his voice, trembling as he whispered to a companion, his body involuntarily shivering. “If we accidentally anger him, we might be killed on the spot.”
Almost at the same time, another red hatchling let out an excited low roar, ambition burning in his eyes far beyond his years.
“The Lord of Molten Iron? Hmph! Mark my words, one day I will replace him!”
His words were ignored.
A timid female blue hatchling trembled as well.
“Not... not only ferocious and cruel.”
She said, “I heard he even eats dragons! He’s a dragon that feeds on dragons!”
“If we’re sent over there, we’ll surely be treated as reserve rations!”
Panic crept through the dragon group like a plague.
The young dragons began to fidget, their gazes wandering, readying to scatter and flee.
A clever little green dragon had even sneaked to the far edge of the formation, preparing to make a break for it.
Snap!
A streak of emerald light, like a living thing, suddenly shot out and struck all the dragons who were whispering or showing signs of escape.
A powerful numbness made their bodies convulse violently, nearly throwing them off balance and risking a fall from the sky.
“Silence! No whispering, no spreading rumors!”
Zoraya’s deep, authoritative voice rang out, and all the hatchlings froze like frightened insects, not daring to make another sound.
Having successfully cowed the restless youngsters, Zoraya’s expression softened slightly.
She slowed their flight so her voice would reach every dragon clearly.
“Listen up. There are no Thunderclap Cliff storms here; the environment may be harsh for you.”
“But cold tempers the will, and silence lets you hear your own heart more clearly, instead of always being drowned out by outside noise and the old order.”
“Bringing you to the convergence lands is not to make you food, nor is it for cruel torture.”
Zoraya continued in a low voice, “The Lord of Molten Iron gives you the opportunity to survive and grow strong, not to destroy you.”
“You are fortunate.”
Hearing words that were not threats but tinged with expectation, the youngsters’ agitation steadied considerably.
They still feared the unknown Lord of Molten Iron, but a quiet curiosity began to take root — curiosity about how powerful he really was and how imposing his presence might be.
Hate? That was still far from forming.
In evil dragon society, survival of the fittest and the rule of the strong were natural law.
Besides, life in the Dominik Cluster had never been pleasant for them; they suffered long-term bullying and top-down oppression from older dragons.
What kept them in the cluster before was fear of greater external danger, and the hope that if they grew stronger, they could in turn oppress others.
At that moment,
Through the veil of wind and snow ahead, the vague silhouette of a huge mountain slowly came into view.
Dragon Vale — their destination, and the beginning of an unknown fate.
“We’ve arrived.”
Zoraya said coldly, “Put away your fear and unease! Remember, you will not be respected or valued in any dragon cluster just because you tremble!”
She did not want these youngsters’ poor, nervous behavior to tarnish the reliable image she had built in Garoth’s mind.
As they drew closer, the hatchlings and wyrmlings approached the valley mouth.
They saw dense sentry posts and defensive structures around the mountain and felt the scrutinizing light of fully armored guards, plus disciplined flying dragon units circling and patrolling overhead.
Most eye-catching was a dark-red fortress that seemed to burn quietly amid the blizzard.
It stood proudly, exuding a grand and imposing aura.
This place... looks more imposing and stern than Thunderclap Cliff... many of the young dragons thought the same without being told.
The Dominik Cluster’s follower base and Thunderclap Cliff’s guards were primarily led by elder dragons; they didn’t seem as formidable and austere as this place.
Beyond initial unease and curiosity, the young dragons felt a wordless stirring of expectation.
Soon, Zoraya led the group formally into the interior of Dragon Vale.
Rumble! Bang!
Dull impacts echoed nearby, unceasing.
The hatchlings widened their eyes and looked toward the sound.
In a deliberately cleared wide area, a magnificent and powerful giant dragon was training without regard to the prey’s cries and pleas, brutally forcing a hybrid metal dragon to exercise in an oppressive manner.
“It... it’s the Lord of Molten Iron himself!”
“My god! He’s torturing a metal dragon captive?! He must be the worst of evil dragons, a model for us!”
“I want to be like him!”
“I’ll replace him one day!”
...
Chaos erupted among the hatchlings and dragons; they craned their necks to get a clearer view of the scene of power and majesty.
Then,
The ground suddenly gave off a distinct tremor!
Their view was instantly blocked by a massive, white-scaled wall.
More precisely, it was a very robust white dragon.
Her muscles were taut and solid. Although overall she might not match a red dragon of similar size in raw bulk, she far exceeded ordinary white dragons; her body was covered in thick snow-white scales, and she exuded a fierce, dangerous aura.
She was the White Dragon Trixie.
She had been eagerly waiting for a long time after learning Dragon Vale would receive a large batch of youngsters.
If she hadn’t wanted to craft an appropriately imposing entrance, she might have rushed out halfway to greet them.
“They’re yours to handle.”
Zoraya said to the white dragon, knowing she was the Valley’s nurturer.
Eager, Zoraya beat her wings and flew past Trixie toward the area where the Lord of Molten Iron was.
Trixie’s gaze swept cold and sharp like a blade over every young dragon present, and the corners of her mouth slowly curled into a smile that sent chills down the hatchlings’ backs.
“Crawling things.”
She said slowly, “From today on, I, Trixie, will be your instructor in Dragon Vale! Every one of you must obey my orders unconditionally!”
Just mere white scales.
A blue hatchling nearly twelve years old, relatively older among the brood, couldn’t help muttering under his breath, his face filled with defiance and contempt.
In the Dominik Cluster’s hierarchy, white dragons were always at the bottom of the oppression chain — despised.
Even though this white dragon was larger and older, it couldn’t instantly overturn their ingrained prejudice.
Trixie’s head snapped toward the muttering blue hatchling; her gaze locked on him.
Unexpectedly, she did not flare with anger. Instead her smile grew more pleased.
Whoosh!
A fierce gust of icy wind swept out and sent the insolent blue hatchling tumbling away from the formation.
The next moment, Trixie’s huge claw snatched him from midair, then mercilessly ground him underfoot, pressing down with cold talons.
“Very good.”
“Apparently some of you still don’t understand the situation.”
Trixie smiled brightly, “Now, I will teach you the most important and most basic lesson in a dragon’s life in the most direct way.”
“—Recognize your ecological niche!”
Her favorite pastime was disciplining these arrogant yet pitifully weak dragons, forcing them to internalize niche theory and learn proper reverence and respect for higher ecological positions.
Meanwhile,
Zoraya stood quietly on the edge of the training ground, watching the Lord of Molten Iron’s brutal drills with interest like the most patient spectator.
Under Zoraya’s gaze, the once-exhausted brass-silver dragon grunted and, as if roused by a sense of competition, gritted her teeth and pushed onward with more persistence than usual until she finally collapsed in total exhaustion, chest heaving as she drew ragged breaths.
Seeing this, Garoth paused his whip-like training for the time being.
Zoraya seized the moment and approached in a measured way, speaking softly, “My noble and mighty Dragon Lord, thanks to your renown, our expansion in the central region has gone very smoothly, with almost no decent resistance.”
She briefly reported recent conditions in the central region.
“Hmm, well done.”
Garoth nodded in approval.
His gaze fell on Zoraya’s beautiful, uniquely bifurcated horns, and he suddenly said, “Use your strongest skill, attack me.”
Hearing this, Zoraya raised her head.
Facing the red-iron dragon’s calm but unquestionable stare, she immediately recognized his seriousness and replied solemnly, “As you command, Dragon Lord. But please be careful, my attack is not mere lightning damage.”
She inhaled the frigid air and lifted her slender neck high.
Sizzle—sizzle—!
Arcs of emerald-green electricity, different from ordinary blue dragon strikes, danced between her scales and quickly converged at the tips of her horns.
Finally, between her horns an unstable, pulsing thunder orb formed, emitting a dangerous emerald glow.
Whoosh!
The orb seemed to blink out and in like a teleport, then struck solidly against the broad, sturdy chest of the red-iron dragon.
At first impact, Garoth felt no strong physical shock as expected.
His body didn’t even tremble.
But the orb burst the instant it touched him, shattering into countless fine, web-like emerald arcs that leaped and spread crazily over his body, weaving into a highly corrosive net of lightning.
Those arcs carried a strong corrosive effect.
They pierced through Garoth’s dense scale defenses and seeped into his inner tissues.
Beyond slight numbness and a prickling pain, Garoth clearly felt a sudden dizziness, an uncontrollable itch deep in his throat, and waves of cramps in his abdomen... multiple negative states struck simultaneously.
The scales hit by the orb even began showing pus-like lesions.
He felt as though he had been dosed with a powerful compound toxin, discomfort rising throughout his body.
No wonder it affected the partly elemental Heart of Thunder — it was indeed formidable.
He thought this while noting that for Garoth, such body-wide discomfort brought a strange, twisted pleasure.
“Feels not bad.”
The red-iron dragon gave Zoraya an approving look.
His poison resistance mainly came from absorbing Cliff Serpent Dragon venom long ago.
But that was a long time ago.
As his life level rose and his body strengthened, his poison resistance had passively increased too, but compared to resistances like fire, lightning, and frost, its improvement lagged somewhat, failing to keep pace with his overall defenses.
Zoraya’s toxin could help him patch that shortfall, providing targeted resistance training.
Zoraya blinked slightly, and her aura shone keenly as she caught the genuine interest in Garoth’s eyes.
“As you wish, my Dragon Lord, my king.”
She held nothing back, pouring all her energy into attack; one emerald thunder orb after another slammed into Garoth’s massive form.
Time passed at an unhurried pace.
By the time Zoraya’s energy was nearly depleted, Garoth was wrapped in dense, unmelting emerald arcs, the crackling and popping relentless.
His body showed obvious signs of poisoning; his scales bore severe corrosion marks.
Yet he still stood unbowed, as if these afflictions — which might topple other great dragons — were for him merely another kind of baptism.
At that moment, Zoraya panted and said softly, “Your physique is outstanding for a great dragon, and your strength is incredible.”
“May I humbly request that you guide my training? I wish to learn your methods, to become as mighty as you are.”
She had often seen Garoth relentlessly training, so she appealed to his preferences.
“Hmph, scheming dragon!”
The exhausted brass-silver dragon snorted coldly from the ground, forcing herself up and giving Zoraya a slightly stiff smile.
“You want to learn? I can teach you the basics on behalf of Garoth.”
She didn’t want the blue dragon monopolizing access to Garoth.
Zoraya felt the brass-silver dragon’s hostility clearly.
She paid it no mind and returned a gentle, harmless smile, saying, “Great, it would be my honor.” She then looked concerned and glanced at Deborah, “But you look very tired. Don’t you need to rest first? I can wait.”
Without hesitation, the brass-silver dragon took out a bottle of magical medicine that rapidly restored stamina and swallowed it.
“No need, I’m fine. We can start now.”
She struggled to stand fully and signaled Zoraya to follow. “This place is too cramped to demonstrate. Come with me; we’ll go to another area and I’ll teach you properly.”
She emphasized “teach” and led Zoraya away from Garoth to the other side of the training ground.
Under Garoth’s hands-on influence, Dragon Vale felt like a massive training ground filled with sweat and fire.
After Zoraya and the brass-silver dragon left, Garoth continued his training without distraction.
Then he took a moment to beat his wings and fly into the high air, practicing agility in the screaming wind and snow.
Below in the valley, Alberto paused from fussing with his horns when he saw the scene.
“Garoth, take this!”
Adhering to his stubborn creed of “lose and fight again,” he let out a spirited roar and shot into the sky once more.
As usual, he was treated like a golden top, repeatedly struck down.
Alberto seemed to relish it nonetheless, gritting his teeth as he endured each hit trying to find a chance to retaliate or improve.
Meanwhile,
A slender great dragon clad in gleaming golden scales quietly traced through the high sky.
She had flown across the turbulent Estonian Great River into the convergence lands’ snow-dense airspace, following a perceptual pull toward the area.
Throughout the flight, the Gold Dragon Nasha felt a mix of shock and unease.
Since entering the convergence lands, she had noticed uniformly styled monster sentries and patrols distributed across the region.
All signs indicated a single lord ruled this territory.
Furthermore, it was very likely an evil-aligned great dragon.
Most importantly, her worrying younger brother Alberto’s locating signal pointed here.
As she drew nearer, Nasha could clearly smell the thick aura of evil dragons in the air.
Far more numerous than she had expected.
Fortunately, most of them seemed young and not very old.
“My foolish, arrogant brother... could he have been captured by the lord of some evil dragon clan?”
Although she had often disciplined Alberto herself and even enjoyed the process because he was so aggravating, she would never allow other evil dragons to ridicule or harm her kin.
That was a line the Gold Dragon race would not tolerate being crossed!
Using the heavy blizzard as natural cover, Nasha wore a stern expression and sharp gaze as she stealthily approached Alberto’s location.
She wanted to see exactly what kind of evil dragon king dared detain her brother.