novelraw Chapter 426: Glory Saint-Dragon 10
Chapter 426: Glory Saint-Dragon 10
The red iron dragon’s body swayed in midair, as if it could plummet into the sea at any moment.
His blood-red dragon eyes hung low, fixed on the bronze dragon’s shattered corpse bobbing on the sea, and instinctively he stretched out his scarred claws.
Eternal Death skill: Life Extraction!
Crunch!
The legendary dragon’s remaining life essence was forcibly torn away and condensed.
It turned into thin, brilliant crimson threads of blood, like iron filings drawn to a magnet, scrambling toward the red iron dragon’s riddled body.
This life energy was like rain on parched soil, nourishing his dried-out shell.
The red iron dragon’s flickering, wind-blown candle of life was temporarily steadied.
Then, bolstered by that small infusion of strength, the red iron dragon slowly lifted his battered head.
Rage burned in his chest to an unprecedented extreme. He did not flee nor regain full consciousness.Burning with madness and destruction, he fixed his gaze on the legendary Gold Dragon Ovis, who was cautiously approaching.
“Tar!”
A single syllable full of brutal killing intent squeezed from his throat, and the red iron dragon once more, heedless of everything, dragged his shattered body and launched a desperate charge at the legendary Gold Dragon.
“He’s targeting me? He really has lost his mind, his mental state is far from normal.”
“Mm, he’s entered a deep Wild State. I didn’t expect he trained the Wild path as well, and judging by its depth, this is no ordinary case.”
Ovis watched the dragon whose behavior had fully bestialized with a sharp, contemplative look.
Because he could clearly tell that the red iron dragon was now completely consumed by madness and beyond communication, the old Gold Dragon wasted no breath trying to calm him. He simply raised a claw covered in golden scales.
At his movement, the ancient runes engraved on his forearm armor lit up one by one.
They cast brilliant, sacred light, like stars in the night sky.
Deeds over words, fear no challenge.
Temper the body, strengthen the soul.
Oath of Glory!
Beyond his genuine legendary life level, the old Gold Dragon Ovis was a level-20 Glory Saint-Dragon, only one step away from Legendary in path rank.
That was his key qualification for serving as an elder in the Vophal Dragon Domain, where the strong were plentiful.
It’s worth mentioning the reason Ovis had long chosen and steadfastly cultivated the Oath of Glory path to reach level 20 was very straightforward.
A level-20 Glory Saint-Dragon possessed a coveted powerful skill — Manifested Legend.
One effect of this skill was the ability to, to some extent, turn the combat style conceived within the user’s heart into reality, whether that conception derived from a concrete technique or an almost extravagant, wildly imaginative idea.
At that moment, the enraged red iron dragon had already slammed into him.
His talons, carrying the momentum to tear everything apart, descended brutally!
“Manifested Legend! Radiant Sky-Splitting Slumber Strike!”
The Glory Saint-Dragon roared the somewhat extravagant name with solemn authority, simultaneously transforming the bold, hastily conceived notion into a powerful combat move.
His golden talon struck ahead first.
The Saint-Dragon Claw was wreathed in a golden aura like the warm light of dusk, and it hit the side of the red iron dragon’s head with solid force.
Thud!
A slightly muffled impact sounded.
Under that blow, the red iron dragon’s scales did not appear to sustain any real physical damage; not a single mark seemed left, yet his forward momentum was abruptly halted and his eyes instantly turned vacant and hollow.
His massive head tipped uncontrollably, and he fell asleep on the spot.
The series of battles that exceeded his limits, the forced breakthrough of his life level, and the final exhaustion from slaying the legendary bronze dragon... even with his extraordinarily tough physique, the red iron dragon had reached his limit and could no longer sustain it.
Being struck by Ovis’s peculiar Radiant Sky-Splitting Slumber Strike became the final straw that broke the camel’s back.
Without a sound, he collapsed into a deep unconsciousness.
The red iron dragon fell like a gigantic kite cut loose, plummeting straight toward the undulating sea.
“Heh, the effect is unexpectedly good. I’ll keep that concept—might come in handy later.”
Gold Dragon Ovis looked at his effective claw with some satisfaction and lightly shook it.
Plop!
Only when the huge splash from the red iron dragon hitting the sea sounded below did he snap out of his self-admiration and realize this was not the time.
The old Gold Dragon’s expression turned solemn, golden light flashing around him as he shot like an arrow into the still-churning water beneath. Carefully, he hauled the unconscious, battered red iron dragon from the waves and slung him across his broad back.
After doing so, his gaze gravely swept over the chaotic sea.
Amid the restless dark-blue waves, the several glaring bronze dragon remnants reflected clearly in his deep dragon pupils.
For the bronze dragon who had thoroughly perished in such a miserable fashion, Ovis—an old Gold Dragon who treasured glory and ancient pride—felt little pity or remorse.
“A Legendary dragon, yet he ambushed a junior. So shameless. To be cut down in return—pathetic incompetence.”
Ovis’s mood eased slightly and he sighed softly, a complex undercurrent in his tone.
“But the troubling thing is, that shameless and incompetent fellow happens to be a notorious hardliner within the Purification Faction, and a direct descendant highly regarded by the Bronze Dragon King’s line.... Moreover, judging by Siano’s usual conduct—though extreme, he is not an irrational fool—how could he suddenly do such an unwise thing?”
The more he pondered, the stranger it felt, and a headache welled up inside him.
In the end, he shook his head helplessly and suppressed the chaotic thoughts for now.
On the other side, Gold Dragon Alberto had already roused the other companions who had been knocked unconscious.
“Ugh... what happened? I seem to remember... a sudden lightning...”
Nasha shook her still-dizzy head hard, golden pupils full of haze and confusion.
The faerie dragon Vira also staggered awake, rubbing her eyes with her small claws, and asked puzzledly, “What happened? Why did we suddenly black out?”
As they cleared their heads, their keen senses immediately detected the lingering, potent metallic scent of blood hanging in the air, which made their dragon hearts tremble.
The brass-silver dragon Deborah who woke at the same time shot her head up. “We were attacked!”
She looked around warily, and her dragon pupils first noticed Ovis not far off, carrying the unconscious red iron dragon.
Deborah flapped her wings and soared up, spotting the red iron dragon being carried, and could not help but see the scattered, gruesome bronze dragon fragments floating on the sea. She asked, “Elder Ovis, what happened here? Garoth... and those...”
Seeing that these Metal Dragons and the faerie dragon were all safe—only badly frightened—Ovis inwardly breathed a small sigh of relief.
Although Siano deeply hated evil dragons, he still upheld the basic bounds of kinship and the plane dragons; he hadn’t taken their lives. Otherwise, today’s incident would be impossibly messy and irretrievable.
After a moment’s thought, the old Gold Dragon spoke in as steady a tone as he could manage: “Garoth is fine.”
“He appears severely wounded, but his life essence is tenacious. Right now he’s mainly overexerted and, having been struck by my Radiant Sky-Splitting Slumber Strike, needs to sleep to recover.”
He first soothed the question Deborah was most concerned about.
Then Ovis’s gaze swept the wrecked sea again, and his voice turned low and grave.
“You were attacked earlier by the Bronze Dragon Siano Sheffield.”
“His objective was clear: Garoth alone. He only used enough force to knock you out temporarily, not to kill.”
“I received Alberto’s plea for help and rushed here as fast as I could. By the time I arrived, the battle had reached its climax and lost control. The result, as you see, is that Bronze Dragon Siano is dead—he died in a mortal struggle with Garoth.”
That explanation sounded incredible to the dragons who had just woken; they could hardly believe it at once.
“What?!” Nasha cried out, eyes wide with shock. “Siano? Father, you mean Siano Sheffield, the one called ‘Wrath of Justice’? He was killed by Garoth? That can’t be.”
She knew Garoth’s power, but a Legendary dragon was no small thing.
Besides, Siano was no unknown; his title “Wrath of Justice” had been spread across the Five Great Dragon Domains.
“It’s him, no mistake.”
Deborah replied firmly, looking at the wreckage in the sea. “When I was in the Raging Tides Dragon Domain, I met him. I remember his distinctive aura and appearance.”
From the remains, she could barely identify the tragic dragon corpse as that famed bronze dragon.
Yet she felt no sorrow; instead she snorted, flicked her silver tail angrily, and said with indignation, “Hmph! A Legendary dragon resorting to a cowardly ambush—he deserved to die! If not for Garoth’s own strength, the one floating on this sea would be Garoth’s corpse.”
Ovis’s eyes narrowed slightly, gleaming with wisdom and thought.
“In my view, this was probably not a decision Siano made on a whim.”
He said slowly, “Siano may have been manipulated by some other presence, or secretly pushed by more influential dragons within the Purification Faction. In short, this attack likely isn’t so simple—there may be deeper motives behind it, not just a spur-of-the-moment ambush.”
Nearby, Nasha blinked and leaned close to the old Gold Dragon, whispering: “Father, be honest—did you come and hit him too hard and accidentally kill him?”
“To avoid being blamed later, you’re going to say Garoth did it...”
She paused, giving him a look that said “I know you,” then continued: “If that’s true, I won’t cover for you. Garoth is too innocent to take the fall.”
Ovis’s face blackened at once.
He glowered at his daughter and snapped in anger, “Nonsense! Do you think I would stoop to such a despicable act? And even if I had wanted to, I wouldn’t have torn him into so many pieces—I’d at most have twisted his neck for satisfaction.”
At that moment, Gold Dragon Alberto, somewhat reserved, shook his head.
“Nasha, you’re wrong about the old man this time.”
He confirmed, “I was the first to wake and personally witnessed the final moments of the battle between Garoth and that Legendary bronze dragon... the scene—there are no words.” He seemed to search for fitting language and finally emphasized, “In short, Garoth, single-handedly, in a desperate situation, counter-killed Siano.”
His tone carried not only confirmation but also a trace of pride.
Hearing the hint of boasting, the faerie dragon immediately grinned and teased, “Heehee, looks like taking all those lessons from Garoth didn’t go to waste. Alberto, you’re pretty tough now, impressive.”
Ignoring the jibe, Alberto chose not to respond.
Deborah remained calm; she knew this was no time for ridicule or internal sniping.
She steered the topic back on course and said in a clear, grave voice, “Siano’s conduct completely breached dragon tradition and honor.”
“He deserved to die.”
“But his identity is special. Once this spreads, it will be hard to smooth things over. It will invite countless trouble and controversy. We must plan ahead how to handle the storm that may come.”
Ovis nodded appreciatively at Deborah and then shot a look at his two unworthy children.
“Deborah is right; this is my greatest worry.”
“Siano was not only a highly valued direct descendant of the Bronze Dragon King’s line, but also held high standing and a firm following within the Purification Faction. And he had just become a newly promoted Legendary dragon with a bright future. His death—especially at the claws of a red iron dragon—will surely cause an uproar among the dragon domains.”
Indeed, Garoth had won recognition for his deeds in the Everbright Dragon Domain, earning some Metal Dragon approbation.
But regardless, his red iron dragon identity and the evil-dragon source running in his blood always formed a potential barrier with mainstream Metal Dragons. Siano, though extreme against evil dragons, had been gentle and friendly to his kin, accumulating goodwill and supporters among Metal Dragons.
It was foreseeable that some dragons who sympathized with Siano’s stance, or who simply valued his status, might not scrutinize the facts and could rise up, demanding severe punishment or even execution of Garoth as a warning.
Worse, the Bronze Dragon King who presided over the Raging Tides Dragon Domain was the most hostile and uncompromising among the five Dragon Kings toward evil dragons.
In truth, Siano’s past forceful purges of evil dragons from the Raging Tides domain might well have had the tacit approval or indulgence of the Bronze Dragon King.
“There are bad dragons in the Dragon Domain!”
Vira flailed her small claws angrily and shouted, “If they won’t be reasonable, let’s take Garoth and run! Escape back to the wilderness and never return to this rotten Dragon Domain!”
Ovis slowly but firmly shook his head at that.
“Running is the worst choice. That will only validate the slander some ill-intentioned people will pin on Garoth—labels like ‘ferocious killer’ or ‘fleeing in guilt.’”
“And the wilderness isn’t safe either.”
“If this isn’t resolved properly here, Garoth will likely be directly wanted across the Dragon Domain later, forced to dodge and hide for the rest of his days.”
His expression grew sterner.
He looked at every dragon present and said in a deep voice, “Most importantly, Garoth, in his previous Wild State, completely lost his reason and relied purely on instinct to force through the Legendary barrier.”
“That was indeed a feat, but it was also an enormous overexertion.”
“He now needs professional treatment and recovery, a safe and energy-rich environment to stabilize his level and shape his Domain and traits.”
“I can provide those conditions; the wild cannot.”
An in-battle breakthrough had never been the dragonfolk’s advocated path to advancement.
The risks were enormous, and even if it worked, it often incurred heavy long-term costs and created future hazards.
Garoth had once mocked the Hill Giant King when the giant tried a last-moment breakthrough; fate, however, is fickle, and now the boomerang had firmly struck him back.
But at that time Garoth had been forced to the brink with no other option.
He had to stake everything on a desperate gamble to win a sliver of survival.
“Garoth was my personal guest invited to the Vophal Dragon Domain, yet he suffered such a vicious assault.”
“It was my miscalculation. I should have escorted him directly into Vophal, instead of letting you go on your own.”
“This matter is my inescapable responsibility. I swear on my Glory that I will spare no effort to give him a fair resolution.”
Ovis’s words landed with heavy weight, resolute and unquestionable.
However, the most urgent task now was to take Garoth back to the Vophal Dragon Domain quickly so he could receive the best treatment, and a safe, suitable environment to recover, stabilize his level, and shape his Domain and traits.
Ovis looked at Deborah, Alberto, and Nasha with decisive tone.
“Deborah, take the faerie dragon and immediately return to the Raging Tides Dragon Domain; Alberto, Nasha, you two come back to Vophal with me.”
“I need you to coordinate your statements and truthfully report today’s events to the elders of your respective domains.”
“Report this: Bronze Dragon Siano Sheffield set an ambush and attacked your party, intending to murder the current Dragon Domain champion Garoth Ignas. He was insane and relentless; Garoth, forced into a life-or-death situation, had to break the Legendary barrier to survive and fought back, ultimately killing Siano in the fierce battle.”
Deborah, Alberto, and Nasha exchanged glances and solemnly nodded, indicating full understanding.
Then the brass-silver dragon Deborah and the faerie dragon Vira beat their wings and flew toward the Raging Tides Dragon Domain.
Ovis signaled his two offspring to collect the fragments on the sea that belonged to Siano.
Those would be important pieces of evidence.
Having completed these tasks, they wasted no further time, bearing the unconscious Garoth as they sped toward the Vophal Dragon Domain.
It was foreseeable that the Dragon Domain, which had been relatively calm since the unsealing, would soon become lively again because of what had happened to the red iron dragon.