novelraw Chapter 409: Will the Metal Dragon Protect the Evil Dragon?
Chapter 409: Will the Metal Dragon Protect the Evil Dragon?
After finishing matters in the wilderness, the Red Iron Dragon set off back toward the convergence lands.
Gold Dragon Ovis had already healed most of his ghastly, severe wounds, but some damage still required slow recuperation.
Therefore, Garoth planned to take a few days of well-deserved rest and enjoy some rare leisure.
Dragon Valley was perpetually shrouded in biting snow and wind.
As he neared the upper airspace, Garoth folded away those massive dragon wings, bearing the scars of wounds not yet fully healed and the dust of recent battles, and flew toward his towering fortress.
His self-light was sharp, and he quickly noticed three figures conversing on a large, flat high platform.
One of them wore a silver robe, had hair like snow, and a stern, austere face — this was Silver Dragon Edri in his human form; another was a lively woman in a colorful long dress, honey-colored hair braided playfully — she was Brass Dragon Serena.
Between them stood their beloved daughter, inheriting both parents’ bloodline, the brass-silver dragon Deborah.
Like her parents, Deborah was maintaining a human form at the moment.
She had a waterfall of long hair, an extraordinary luster, as if the cold sheen of mithril and the warm glow of brass had fused perfectly. Her figure was graceful and lithe, slender yet agile. On that slightly baby-faced, oval visage rested a pair of clear, almond-shaped eyes, fringed with eyelashes that fluttered like butterfly wings.A small, delicate Faerie Dragon was perched on her slender shoulder.
Deborah seemed a little absent-minded.
She listened to her parents’ concerned chatter while unconsciously nibbling a glossy nail, her gaze drifting from time to time toward the distant horizon.
At that moment, with the Red Iron Dragon’s unique and powerful aura approaching from afar, the girl immediately felt it and lifted her head.
When she made out that familiar figure, her face instantly blossomed with a bright, joyful smile that almost drove away the surrounding chill.
The Red Iron Dragon grinned at her.
“My fortress—seems like it’s time for an expansion.”
His self-light swept across the fortress’s platform as he thought.
Judged by the Red Iron Dragon’s ever-growing huge frame, a space once considered roomy now felt somewhat cramped and narrow.
When Scorchsteel Fortress was first built, he had anticipated his growth outpacing most of his kin and had deliberately left ample room, yet even so, he had apparently underestimated how quickly his potential would surge. The current residence no longer fit his majestic, robust dragon body perfectly.
Seeing all the metallic dragons on the high platform in human form, Garoth cast Transformation as he descended.
Crunch—!
A white light flashed and enveloped him as his enormous figure began to change and shrink rapidly.
At the end, with a muffled thud, he landed on the platform in a posture full of power, a superhero-like stance, knees slightly bent, standing steady, then slowly straightened up.
Garoth’s human form was bare-chested.
Layered, well-defined muscles stood exposed, and at his waist he wore only a simple, rustic skirt-armor.
His physique was towering and burly, noticeably more robust than the others. Though in human form, at first glance his raw, primal power made him seem from a different dimension.
As for why he lacked lower garments, the reason was both complicated and straightforward.
I do not use Transformation that often, especially when acting in human form. Precisely controlling the change to produce fitted clothing is a relatively low-level nuance of Transformation I haven’t fully mastered.
Also, this particular human look of Garoth’s was the first time both the Red Iron Dragon and Serena had seen him present like this.
“Such solid muscles, let me squeeze them a bit.”
Serena went straight for it, smiling as she reached out and pinched Garoth’s arm muscle. He cooperatively flexed it.
“Harder than steel!”
She exclaimed in amazement, then turned and glanced mischievously at her partner, teasing, “Dear Edri, looks like you should work out more. Just look at Garoth’s mighty, majestic presence—what an imposing figure, so pleasing to the eye.”
Edri couldn’t help but take another look at Garoth.
His stern face revealed little expression, but a subtle appreciation flickered in his eyes.
Within the Silver Dragon aesthetic, overly exaggerated muscle could appear coarse and clumsy, lacking beauty.
Garoth was an exception; every inch of his musculature seemed painstakingly sculpted into near-perfect golden ratios, radiating explosive strength and a unique, wild beauty that struck the eye.
At this moment, Deborah, who had been regarding Garoth’s appearance and recalling past events, suddenly burst into laughter.
Serena looked at her puzzled and asked, “My dear daughter, what’s making you so happy?”
Deborah hastily waved her hand, trying to hide her amusement. “N-nothing. I just suddenly remembered something funny and couldn’t help laughing.”
Her Faerie Dragon on her shoulder rolled its eyes and wore a sly expression.
The Faerie Dragon blurted out, “I know! I know! She must be thinking of the first time Garoth successfully used Transformation. He completely forgot to change his clothes—he was totally naked.”
“Ha ha ha…”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the Faerie Dragon realized she might have said too much.
She stiffened and turned, only to meet Garoth’s gaze, which had become somewhat dangerous.
“Uh… I, I suddenly remembered my magic mushrooms are almost ready to harvest. You two keep chatting and have fun,” the Faerie Dragon said hastily with a sheepish smile.
A scattering of sparkling magical dust swirled as her body blurred and became transparent; in the next moment she vanished into thin air, slipping away faster than the wind.
Deborah shifted the topic and asked, “Garoth, you suddenly rushed off to the wilderness earlier—what were you doing?”
No sooner had she spoken than she keenly perceived something unusual in Garoth’s aura. It lacked the usual calm, heavy stability and instead carried a restless agitation, as if he had just endured an extremely fierce battle.
Looking more closely, she noticed many new scars crisscrossing his bare chest and limbs, not yet fully healed.
Edri and Serena noticed them as well.
Serena put away her joking expression and asked, “Who was the blind idiot you tangled with to end up like this? Judging by those marks, it looks like an intense fight. How badly hurt were you?”
Ever-serious Edri slightly arched an eyebrow as he scrutinized Garoth.
From Garoth he sensed a faint yet very powerful residual aura — sharp and unmatched. Such a trace could not have been left by an ordinary enemy; it must have come from an extremely mighty existence.
Calmly, Garoth approached under the three metallic dragons’ attentive gazes.
He casually raised a hand and brushed off nonexistent dust from his shoulders and arms, moving with composure.
“No big deal, just some trivial wounds. I’ll recover quickly.”
He spoke in a flat tone, paused as if remembering more, and then added casually like commenting on the weather,
“Oh, right. I just killed a legendary over on the Silent Plains in the wilderness.”
“That guy’s final sword qi was a bit troublesome; I haven’t fully dispelled it yet.”
Garoth’s face remained calm and his voice unruffled, as though discussing something insignificant.
Yet the content of his words struck like thunder.
Hearing that, Serena’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open in shocked astonishment, as if she could fit an egg inside.
Edri’s pupils contracted sharply; for the first time the stern face showed clear astonishment.
He almost doubted his hearing and slowly asked, “You said… you killed what?”
Garoth still maintained a composed demeanor. “A human legendary, specifically, a Legendary Sword Saint.” After speaking that confirmation, he paused and, with a hint of feeling, said, “Not surprising—truly a life worthy of the world’s reverence, certainly formidable.”
“It took me a fair amount of time to kill him as well.”
Deborah, who knew how to offer timely praise, chimed in with an exclamation.
“Wow! Garoth, you’re incredible!”
In truth, she wasn’t genuinely that shocked. For Deborah, anything Garoth achieved that defied the heavens seemed only natural.
Her exclamation was more a tacit cooperation, indulging a small vein of vanity in him.
Serena: “…”
Edri: “…”
Both adult metallic dragons fell silent.
With their experience, they recognized that the young Red Iron Dragon was boasting his feats in a low-key way.
If Garoth had any similarity with ordinary great dragons, it would be that he had a streak of vanity—occasionally like a peacock spreading its tail, he enjoyed showcasing his power or proud achievements.
And crucially, he wasn’t bragging without basis; he genuinely possessed the hard credentials to flaunt.
“Killing a true legendary… incredible. Even across the five great dragon domains, no dragon at his age has achieved that,” Edri thought.
He opened his mouth to speak—perhaps to ask for details of the battle or to offer the Silver Dragon style of congratulations mixed with warning—but all the words lodged in his throat and instead he gave a slight nod of acknowledgment.
Silver Dragons knew Garoth would not speak lightly or exaggerate such things.
He also understood how difficult it is for a non-legend to defeat a true legendary.
But he could not have imagined Garoth’s growth could be so terrifying.
When he recalled that when Garoth was around level 14, Edri himself was already level 19—now Edri had reached level 20, and Garoth had also marched to level 20, matching him in rank. More frightening still, Garoth could kill a legendary.
That growth rate was alarming.
“Why didn’t I adopt Garoth back then?” A strong regret surged in Edri’s heart.
However, when he noticed his daughter Deborah gazing at Garoth, that regret slowly eased into a sense of acceptance.
Perhaps this was the best arrangement.
Serena moved closer with an unabashed admiring smile. “Garoth, your growth always astonishes me—time and again you push my limits of comprehension.”
“But watch out, big trees draw wind—you might attract attention.”
“Want me to spread some rumors? Say you were secretly raised by our Raging Tides Dragon Domain for years and are a special mixed-blood metallic dragon prodigy backed by the entire domain—scare off any fools who might set their sights on you.”
Her words were playful but revealed how much she valued Garoth.
“I wouldn’t mind at all.”
Garoth replied, then turned his gaze to Edri.
“By the way, Lord Edri, the Nine Dragon Magical Medicine you gave me was all used up in that fight—do you have more?”
Edri nodded slightly at that, and very generously produced another full set of Nine Dragon Magical Medicine, along with several other potions.
“I know you like high-intensity, extreme training to temper yourself.”
“Not long ago, I researched and made some new medicines that significantly improve efficiency in that area.”
“You can take them and try them out.”
Garoth accepted the potions without hesitation. “Lord Edri, you’re as generous as ever.”
Serena, seeing this, adopted a mock-stern look.
She pretended to be displeased and said, “Lord? Garoth, that’s a bit formal. You should use a more intimate address, like ‘Uncle Edri’ or just ‘Edri-uncle’.”
Metallic dragons valued such forms of address.
Besides, she could see Deborah and Garoth’s relationship had advanced further.
Garoth complied and nodded. “All right. If Uncle Edri doesn’t mind, I have no objection.”
A faint warm smile touched Edri’s stern face.
Of course he had no objection.
Guiding evil dragons toward the friendly camp of the metallic dragons had always been one of his goals.
Although he hadn’t achieved it personally this time, Deborah was his biological daughter—her success naturally brought him his share of pride and comfort.
After this moment of satisfaction, Edri returned to more serious matters.
He reminded them, “The death of a legendary is no small matter; it often involves complex backgrounds and may trigger a chain of consequences.”
“Garoth, you must be careful of possible reprisals from that side.”
He paused and asked, “Which country or faction did that legendary belong to? Why did they end up on the opposing side?”
Garoth considered briefly and felt there was no need to hide the truth.
Under the focused attention of the metallic dragons, he concisely recounted the cause and process of the conflict.
“The Divine Kingdom of Theo… excluding those duchies, it’s the closest human kingdom to the wilderness.”
“They’ve just lost a valuable legendary. They might tolerate the loss for now, but it’s unlikely they’ll let it go. They’ll probably take action.”
Edri pondered for a moment, his expression grave.
He solemnly said, “If more Legendary adversaries from the Divine Kingdom of Theo come to strike and you feel you can’t handle it alone, remember: don’t be stubborn.”
“First, you can try using the name of the Raging Tides Dragon Domain for deterrence.”
“Also, immediately call on me. I will contact strong dragons within the domain to come aid you quickly.”
Edri himself wasn’t a legendary dragon.
However, the metallic dragons’ status carried significant weight.
The Dragon Domains were famous for protecting their own. Unless one could ensure a clean, trace-free kill, it was ill-advised to attempt to slay a metallic dragon.
Moreover, Edri had legendary dragons and elders backing him inside the Raging Tides Dragon Domain.
Listening to Edri’s admonitions, Garoth nodded slightly to indicate he understood.
He then flashed a grin, showing two rows of gleaming white teeth, and said, “Don’t worry. I value my life highly and won’t risk it recklessly.”
“If it ever comes to that kind of crisis, I’ll seek outside help first.”
Why cultivate relations with metallic dragons if not to have reliable backing and help when it matters most?
Vophal Dragon Domain, Raging Tides Dragon Domain—these two domains were now his insurance.
Imagine that someday he truly met an enemy far beyond his strength, and the enemy thought this Red Iron Evil Dragon could be casually crushed and killed.
Suddenly, winds would sweep through the clouds, and legendary metallic dragons from both domains would descend together to escort him—such a scene would give those overconfident foes a shock they’d never forget.
One of the best benefits of leaning toward order and cultivating metallic dragon ties was this: a background you could rely on in crisis.
Conversely, if he chose to go fully chaotic and evil like Red Dragon Father—lone, wanton plunder—then every risk and challenge would be his to face alone, and the path forward would be full of unknowns and dangers.
As Edri looked at Garoth’s human-shaped body, a thought flickered in his mind.
“Why not have Garoth use this human form to spar with my dragon true form one more time?”
Evil dragons often had less fine control and power expression in human form than in giant dragon form; maybe Garoth could be turned back a notch and Edri could regain some face?
But the idea only circled for a few seconds before Edri discarded it.
It was meaningless—what would winning one more match prove?
Mainly he gave up because he wasn’t sure he could win. Garoth was unpredictable; losing a third time would be even more embarrassing.
After some more chat about the Legendary Sword Saint incident, potion usage, and recent Molten Iron Tribe matters, Edri and Serena resumed their majestic dragon true forms and flew off into the howling snow.
Deborah watched her parents vanish on the horizon, then reverted her self-light and turned to Garoth.
She said softly, “Garoth, you went through a fierce battle and are still wounded. Go rest properly and recover your injuries.”
“No rush—first, a little something else.”
Garoth laughed.
Before Deborah could react, with a short startled exclamation from the girl, he reached out, wrapped his arms around her lithe, delicate body at the waist, and in a blink they disappeared from the spot.