Defeating the World with the Power of One Dragon!

Chapter 400: I, Garoth, Am the One Destined by Fate — Danger Approaches

Several days later.

The broad dragon wings marked with crimson veins slowly unfolded, revealing two massive dragon bodies still entwined beneath them.

Their tails coiled like interlaced serpents, bodies covered in scales of differing hues and textures pressed tightly together, scales rubbing against scales with tiny movements, producing a dry, metallic rustle.

"Huff... huff..."

Brass-silver dragon Deborah's chest heaved violently, her breathing heavy and rapid.

Because the earlier battle had been so fierce, the shimmering, neatly patterned silver-and-brass scales along her body now bore many fine cracks in their sheen; some of the places that had borne the greatest force even oozed faint traces of blood. By contrast, red iron dragon Garoth only showed a few shallow scratches on his thick black-red plating and a little melting of frost and ice crystals.

Deborah was utterly exhausted.

Garoth, however, looked calm and untroubled, composed.

After a brief rest, the red iron dragon's strong muscles swelled again.

He lowered his head and, with his sharp teeth, gently bit the slender, graceful nape of the brass-silver dragon."Wa... wait, Garoth."

"I... I really can't go on."

Deborah's voice was hoarse and tired as she begged for mercy.

Garoth was simply too powerful; she felt as if her bones might be splintering.

Whether in his formidable dragon form, his powerful humanoid shape, or any other possible form, she was far outmatched. His body had been tempered through relentless trials, hardened like steel refined a hundred times.

The red iron dragon released his bite without forcing things further.

After taking a few more breaths to calm his still-rapid heartbeat,

Deborah rested her head lightly against Garoth's solid neck and said softly, "Garoth, I know that with your excellence and strength, in the future you will surely have more than just me as a partner."

She paused briefly, then continued, "I won't use the metal dragon mindset to bind you, but you must promise me one thing."

"No matter what the future holds, I must always occupy the most important place in your heart."

"That is my only demand, or rather, my hope."

Her voice was quiet but sincere.

Dragon society has always bluntly revered strength.

Unless two dragons remain equally matched in power forever, the stronger one will naturally attract a surrounding circle of admirers and desirous mates.

This is not only the norm among the Chromatic Evil Dragons.

Even within the metal dragons, similar situations happen often.

Deborah understood this clearly.

She knew Garoth was like the brightest torch in the darkness — wherever he went, countless admiring or enamored gazes would inevitably follow.

Rather than set rules to constrain him and risk creating distance between them,

it was far better to grant him freedom of choice from the start.

At the same time, given that premise, she wanted to ensure that the mark she left on him would be the deepest, her place in his heart the most unshakable.

That was why she decided not to wait the remaining two years.

She did not want any accidents to occur that would give certain dragons she considered "seductive and cheap," like that horned, alluring Blue Dragon Zoraya with her hooked eyes, a chance to steal ahead.

That would be something she would deeply regret.

Beside her, the red iron dragon was silent for a few seconds, Garoth's dragon pupils reflecting Deborah's faintly uneasy face.

He didn't immediately give a sweet, easy promise. Instead he spoke slowly, in a deep, magnetic voice, asking Deborah the riddle she loved most.

"In this vast world, there is a singular, unique existence."

"It was born in a wind-swept, bitterly cold land, yet it burns hotter than lava."

"It once took up arms against me and treated me as an enemy, yet ultimately chose to cling closely beneath the shadow of my wings."

"It witnessed my rise from insignificance to power, and it is destined to accompany me until the end of the world; it shared with me the sight of wild storms dancing across the sky and helped lay the first foundation stones of Scorchsteel Fortress."

"Tell me, Deborah, what is it?"

The answer was obvious.

Deborah first blinked slightly, then a radiant smile spread across her handsome dragon face, and the earlier awkwardness and anxiety vanished at that moment.

She flicked her long tail and entwined it again around Garoth's powerful body.

Time passed without hurry.

Soon, several more days went by.

For the first time, the red iron dragon emerged from the depths of the fortress and stood on a high platform. He inhaled the cold, clear air deeply, feeling his lungs expand as he stretched his muscles and wing limbs.

After such prolonged restraint had been fully released and satisfied, he felt his Dragon Qi flow more smoothly than before; even his thought processes became clearer and keener.

He was in a state of calm focus and mental refreshment.

As for Deborah, she remained in deep sleep and had not yet awakened.

The physical gap between them had been too large; this period had taxed Deborah no less than an intense, prolonged battle. Once it was over, exhaustion overwhelmed her and she fell into deep rest to recover body and spirit.

Garoth still felt a lingering hunger for more.

But considering Deborah's recent condition and the fact that he had neglected much training time for this, he decided he could no longer indulge in sloth. It was time to resume his rigorous daily training.

Indulging desire could only be an occasional respite in life.

Adhering to his true nature was Garoth's usual state.

Decision made, the red iron dragon flicked his wings and nimbly rose. After circling over Dragon Valley a few times to flex every muscle, he landed steadily on the training grounds at the valley floor.

Meanwhile, Gold Dragon Alberto was in the middle of his morning exercise.

Steam rose off his body; he had clearly been training for some time.

Seeing the red iron dragon, who had not been around for a while, finally appear, Alberto paused his claw swings.

He approached with curiosity and asked, puzzled, "Garoth? You've been holed up in the fortress this whole time. What were you doing? It’s strange enough that you actually stopped your usual training."

Garoth shot him a warning glance and casually replied, "Sleeping."

Hearing that, Alberto shook his head slightly, wearing an expression that said, You're fallen.

"No severe injuries to rest from, and not overworked to the point of exhaustion — you just chose to sleep, and for so many days... Garoth, you've slacked off!"

As he spoke, Alberto suddenly seemed to remember something. He angrily swished his golden-scaled tail.

Wait! Why am I pointing this out? Isn't this my perfect chance to leap ahead of him? I should be encouraging him to sleep and rest more!

He thought this for a moment, but the idea passed quickly.

He changed his approach and comforted himself.

"No, that won't do either."

"A Garoth who willingly embraces mediocrity and slackness won't bring me any real satisfaction or glory even if I surpass him."

With that in mind, Alberto decided to use reverse psychology.

He puffed out his chest and continued, "What? Do you think reaching level twenty has made you so powerful you can stop the daily, tedious but necessary training?"

"If you truly think that, then prepare to be thoroughly surpassed by me!"

"Garoth, when you were training, I, Alberto, was also sweating and never stopped; while you were asleep, I, Alberto, was still grinding myself!"

"I'm not a dragon who accepts falling behind or mediocrity."

He said in a low voice, "Just wait. When the day comes that you lose to me, I'll make sure you experience what it feels like to bear crushing debt."

Although his intention was to spur Garoth back into action, at this point Alberto couldn't help but indulge in a delightful fantasy, picturing a marvelous scenario.

For example: Garoth, to repay a colossal defeat debt, must accept Alberto's commissions. Garoth disguises himself as a terrifying ancient evil dragon and appears at a human or elven gathering, baring his fangs and causing panic.

Then, just as the monster is about to strike and the people fall into despair, the glorious Golden Order — Alberto Aurelius — descends like a god. After a dramatic struggle of righteousness, he defeats the fearsome dragon before the eyes of all and saves the world!

He would gain mountains of praise, worship, and glory.

His title, Golden Order, would be sung across the land and remembered by countless beings.

Snapped out of his reverie, Alberto turned to continue discussing effort and sloth with Garoth, but found the red iron dragon was already gone.

He looked around in confusion.

Garoth had moved to the far side of the training ground and had begun his intense daily regimen with no intention of wasting another second in idle talk.

Seeing this, Alberto put aside all distractions.

He fell silent and resumed his own grueling practice, resolved not to fall too far behind.

Some time later, White Dragon Trixie, pure white and radiating bitter cold, slowly beat her wings and flew over.

She waited patiently until Garoth finished a round of high-intensity explosive training and paused briefly, then came before him.

Under Garoth's watchful gaze, Trixie got straight to the point. "Garoth, there's something I need your approval on."

Garoth spoke tersely: "Speak."

Trixie collected her thoughts and said, "As the tribe has developed, the dragon hatchlings and young dragons that were sent to the convergence lands have mostly grown into adolescent dragons. Their bodies and required activity spaces have greatly expanded."

"And based on current trends, more newborn little dragons will be sent to the convergence lands for training and protection."

"Dragon Valley is vast, but at this rate, it will soon be unable to accommodate such large numbers of dragons."

She paused and proposed her idea: "Therefore, I hope to open an independent territory somewhere outside, at a suitable location, dedicated to centralized education and nurturing of hatchlings and juvenile dragons."

Hearing this, Garoth thought briefly and then nodded.

He had noticed the problems caused by the growing number of dragons.

For the tribe to develop healthily, dragon numbers must grow. Preparing in advance by opening a dedicated breeding and training base is indeed wise.

"Approved."

"If that's your plan, you have full authority to choose the site and oversee construction."

He gave his permission.

"Sounds a bit like the hatchling academies in our dragon domains."

Gold Dragon Alberto, who had been listening during his training break, interjected.

"In the dragon domains, newborn dragons are gathered at a certain age for unified education."

"But most of what they teach there is the old, boring stuff about peaceful coexistence and following rules. I've never liked it."

Hearing that, Trixie grinned.

"An academy? Alberto, you just gave me the name."

"Then this place will be called the White Dragon Academy."

"However, I won't teach the false peace and rigid rules of the metal dragons."

"In my White Dragon Academy, the most important course will be making every little dragon understand clearly its ecological niche in the flock and in the world!"

Trixie, as the future principal, would have a much more enjoyable time.

Alberto considered and then said, "When your White Dragon Academy is up and running, remember to notify me."

"I can serve as a guest Gold Dragon lecturer in my spare time and teach those little dragons some... important knowledge."

Such as his firmly held theory of charm.

Although the idea originally came from Garoth, he believed that as the first practitioner outside Garoth, he had the right and duty to promote it.

Hearing Trixie and Alberto's conversation, Garoth felt a trace of interest.

He said, "When your academy is officially operational, I will also drop by occasionally to instruct standout little dragons."

For example, he could teach the Doctrine of Destiny.

Although it began as a wild theory from Gordon, he felt that as Gordon's elder and the Lord of Molten Iron, he had the right to refine and elevate it.

He could tell the young dragons that loyalty to the Ignas Dragon Cluster and fighting for the great Lord of Molten Iron were their inborn fate, and that he, Garoth, was the dragon destined to lead them to fulfill that fate!

This would strengthen the flock's cohesion and make them more loyal to him.

Trixie had not expected her proposal to not only be approved but also receive active support from Garoth and Alberto.

She nodded heavily and solemnly promised.

"I will establish the White Dragon Academy and make it the cradle of future power for the tribe!"

Having said that, Trixie eagerly unfurled her wings and flew off with enthusiasm to begin selecting a site and planning construction.

Garoth reclaimed his focus and resumed training with no distractions.

However, his concentration did not last long.

His movements paused slightly, his dragon pupils narrowing abruptly as he lifted his head toward the southern sky. His gaze seemed to cut through layers of wind and snow, seeing scenes far off in the distance.

Urgent and grave transmissions from iron dragon Sorog thundered through his mind.

"Garoth! Scouts dispersed across the fungus king's territory report simultaneously!"

"In the southwest and southeast regions, fierce battle clamor has erupted across lands under the fungus king's control; the scale is massive, sword light stabbing the sky! Moreover, well-equipped, imposing human legions are advancing through the fungal monster territory!"

"Details are unclear, but the momentum is overwhelming."