Defeating the World with the Power of One Dragon!

Chapter 478: Dragon Vein Forces, Sleeping Premonition 21

Ser Wilderness, Dragonback Mountains.

The red iron dragon's majestic form stood among the mountain peaks, his wings folded against his sides, his thick, long tail hanging casually.

The tip of his tail lightly tapped the ground, causing the earth to tremble slightly. With each breath, scorching air currents erupted from his nostrils, forming two streams of visible vapor like rolling heat waves, twisting and rising in the air.

At this moment, the red iron dragon lowered his head slightly, gazing downward.

Several dozen meters in front of him stood a slender yet upright figure.

Elvy, the Ranger-General of the Aola Kingdom.

She maintained the half-kneeling posture unique to centaurs, her upper body elegantly straight like an elf's, her hands clasped and pressed against her chest; her powerful horse-body knelt with knees touching the ground, her four hooves planted firmly on the hard earth.

Elvy had now removed her armor and weapons, wearing only a simple white linen battle robe.

Her long hair whipped wildly in the fierce wind, revealing a face that was both elegant and beautiful, yet also valiant and heroic from leading armies in war.

Most striking were the pair of pure white wings on her back.At this moment, the wings were not fully spread, but were slightly folded like a cloak, covering the sides of her horse-body. The white feathers shimmered with a soft halo under the sunlight.

"Elvy."

The red iron dragon lowered his gaze to look at the centaur, his voice deep like distant mountain thunder, echoing through the peaks.

"Present, Your Majesty," Elvy replied softly.

"Stand up, raise your head."

Elvy complied and rose.

She lifted her head until she could clearly gaze up at the giant dragon's face covered in hard scales and spikes, seeing the unfathomable majesty contained within those vertical pupils.

However, in her eyes, there was no fear, only deep reverence, even piety.

In fact, in the hearts of Aola's people, the great Emperor Ignas was not just an emperor, but a deity walking among mortals.

It was he who united the scattered tribes into a kingdom, he who led them from poverty to prosperity, from weakness to strength.

"At the Ashen Plain, during the initial assault on Ironwall Fortress, you seized the opportunity of heavy rain and enemy laxity, breached the city walls on a rainy night, laying the first cornerstone for victory in the war."

"On the eve of the final assault on the Unyielding Wall, you led the Crimson Iron Riders in crisscrossing maneuvers, simultaneously harassing multiple key positions, forcing Theo to split its forces and run themselves ragged, greatly alleviating pressure on all fronts."

"In the battle of the Emerald Ridge Mountains, among my followers, your performance was second only to Karu's."

...

The red iron dragon's voice was steady, recounting each fact.

Regarding Elvy before him, he did not hide the favor in his eyes.

This centaur general carried the triple bloodline of elf, pegasus, and centaur, inherently possessing extremely high potential.

Now, after years of being tempered in war, her life force had reached the limit of mundane beings, not far from the legendary tier.

Before the red iron dragon broke through to the legendary tier, he would gain another great general.

She started as a spellblade, later also taking up the ranger profession, skilled in magic and swordsmanship while also being a marksman.

Although in pure frontal combat power, she might be weaker than a pure war beast like Gluttonous Ogre Karu, there was no doubt her skill set was more varied, more comprehensive, allowing for greater versatility.

Especially since Elvy possessed a holy attribute, a gift from her pegasus bloodline.

When dealing with evil creatures, her greatsword and arrows could inflict massive damage.

Fighting human kingdoms actually limited the full expression of her true strength. If the opponents were other evil dragons, or demons from the Abyss, devils from hell, Elvy, after reaching the legendary tier, would become a huge threat to them.

The red iron dragon slowly leaned forward, his massive head approaching Elvy, the cast shadow completely enveloping the centaur.

"Elvy, my Ranger-General."

"In the war that decided the kingdom's fate, you demonstrated your value, your bravery, your wisdom, your loyalty... I have seen all of this."

Hearing this, Elvy's heart gave a sudden leap.

She took a deep breath and said, "To fight for Your Majesty, to gallop for Aola's glory, is the greatest honor of Elvy's life!"

The red iron dragon looked at her quietly, her figure reflected in his vertical pupils.

After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke, "Good."

"Then, Elvy, are you willing to offer your will and soul, and then, become connected by bloodline with me, henceforth being both ruler and subject, and also bound by blood?"

Elvy's pupils contracted slightly.

She understood the red iron dragon's meaning.

Dragon vein transformation, that was the highest honor a dragon could bestow upon a follower, and also the deepest bond.

If it were many years ago, when she was forced to submit for the survival of her tribe, facing this choice she would surely have hesitated, even resisted.

Dragon vein transformation could indeed bring power, but what was lost was one's complete self-will.

The transformed one's soul and bloodline would forever bear the dragon's mark, never able to be truly independent again. The price was severe.

But now...

Elvy had followed the red iron dragon, witnessed with her own eyes this dragon's entire journey from the convergence lands to becoming Emperor of Aola. She witnessed the establishment of the first city on the wilderness, the promulgation of laws, witnessed how the Aola Kingdom grew into the powerful force that now dominated the region.

And she herself had grown from an unknown ordinary centaur warrior into the Ranger-General commanding the Crimson Iron Riders, gaining honor, status, and the respect of the people.

All of this was achieved under the banner of the red iron dragon.

Hesitation? Resistance?

No, that was already a thing of the past.

Thus, Elvy did not hesitate at all.

Her tone was firm and resonant as she said solemnly, "My sharp sword points only in the direction Your Majesty indicates for the enemy; my iron hooves trample only the enemies who defy Your Majesty; my wings fly only to carry Your Majesty's will!"

"This body, this heart, this soul, this blood, have long belonged to Your Majesty, to Aola!"

"Where Your Majesty's claws point, my blade shall strike!"

"I beg Your Majesty to bestow upon me this honor!"

Garoth gazed at the determination in her eyes and slowly nodded.

"As you wish."

The red iron dragon raised his foreclaw, the sharp claw tip lightly slicing his wrist.

Dark red dragon blood immediately gushed out, but it did not drip to the ground. The moment it left the dragon's body, it began to burn.

It was true dragon flame, appearing as a deep blood-red color, churning and twisting in the air, radiating astonishing heat.

The dragon vein transformation ritual required dragon blood as a medium.

And for a being like Elvy who had already reached the limit of the mundane, the quality of dragon blood needed for transformation was extraordinary. Garoth directly used his own legendary blood.

By now, he no longer cared about the loss of this blood.

Aside from his own vast vitality, after establishing the kingdom, the resources of the entire realm were tilted toward him. He had ample supplies to recover the loss. More importantly, Elvy was worth such an investment.

As time passed, more and more blood flowed from the wrist wound, the burning blood flames growing increasingly fierce, finally coalescing before the red iron dragon into a massive fireball over five meters in diameter.

Inside the fireball, the dark red blood churned like molten lava.

"The process will be somewhat painful, but I believe you can endure it."

Garoth said.

Elvy straightened her chest and spread her wings. "I am ready, Your Majesty."

The next moment, the blood flame fireball slowly drifted toward Elvy, completely enveloping her.

The moment the flames touched her body, they did not ignite her clothing, but directly penetrated her skin, muscles, bones, deep into the depths of her soul.

"Ugh..."

Elvy let out an involuntary groan.

It was a dual burning sensation from both soul and physical levels, a hundred times more intense than mere physical pain.

Her body instantly stiffened, her wings fully spread, every feather trembling, her powerful horse-body's four limbs shaking violently, her hooves carving deep grooves into the ground.

The blood flames burned within her, beginning to transform her body from the inside out.

Whoosh!

Clusters of flames surged from her pores, enveloping her entire body, burning fiercely.

Bones were being reshaped, muscles reorganized, blood boiling, the soul receiving its imprint... This was a process of rebirth, the metamorphosis from a mundane being to a dragon-blooded one.

Elvy clenched her teeth, veins bulging on her forehead.

She could feel her body cycling between death and rebirth, feel unfamiliar power burgeoning within her, feel something being established deep within her soul.

And apart from the initial groan, Elvy made no further sound.

The tenacious will forged in war supported her, allowing her to endure this unimaginable pain. Though her body trembled violently, her spine remained straight.

The red iron dragon shifted his gaze and began his daily training.

Dragon vein transformation required time. The more powerful the creature, the longer the time needed.

For an existence like Elvy, a considerable amount of time was needed to complete the entire process.

Days passed.

In the deep pit where Elvy was, the blood flames continued to burn fiercely. At first, the centaur's figure could be seen flickering within the flames, but by the third day, she was completely swallowed by the flames, only a vague outline remaining. By the fifth day, even the outline disappeared, leaving only a continuously burning crimson fireball.

The ground melted under the high temperature, forming a massive deep pit.

The pit's bottom surface took on a texture resembling a mix of molten lava and some kind of crystal, dark red light flowing within the crystals like magma surging through veins.

On the morning of the eighth day, the blood flames began to weaken.

Garoth stopped his magic practice and turned his gaze toward the deep pit.

The blood flames that had burned for eight days finally completely extinguished. At the bottom of the pit remained only a spherical, charred-black object, its surface covered in cracks, looking like some kind of giant beast fossil or a burnt giant eggshell.

At first glance, it seemed the transformation process had gone awry.

But Garoth could clearly sense that within the charred shell, a powerful life energy was pulsating. That energy was more vigorous than Elvy's before the transformation, and mixed within it was a distinct draconic aura, sharing his origin.

Just as he watched, the charred shell emitted faint cracking sounds.

Crack, crack.

Cracks spread from the top, spreading like a spiderweb.

As the cracks multiplied, the charred shell began to flake off, piece by piece falling to the ground, turning into black ash.

Whoosh!

A pair of massive wings first broke through the shell, proudly stretching out, exposed to the morning sunlight.

The wings overall maintained their pure white base color, but their texture was completely different. The edges of every feather now displayed a hard, sharp metallic quality, shimmering with an iron-black luster under the sun.

Her wingspan approached ten meters, the shadow cast when fully spread almost covering half the deep pit.

Immediately after, the shell completely shattered, dispersing into black dust in the air.

At the bottom of the deep pit, the new life form stretched its body and slowly stood up.

Elvy still maintained her centaur form, but overall, she had undergone obvious changes.

Her upper body, the elegant elven lines remained, but were now covered with a layer of tight, powerful muscles, like steel tempered a thousand times, containing explosive strength. Her skin took on a healthy wheat color.

At the sides of her forehead, a pair of horns broke through the skin, winding upward as they grew.

The horns were steel-gray, their surface having a metallic sheen, elegant yet imposing in form, adorning her head like a crown.

On key parts of her forearms, shoulders, and four legs, grew neat, dense patches of iron-black dragon scales.

These scales did not cover her entire body, but were dotted like exquisitely crafted armor plates on vital areas—shoulder guards, arm guards, shin guards, chest plates—providing extra protection without hindering flexibility.

Among all the changes, the most striking were still her wings.

The edges of the pure white feathers gleamed with a metallic cold light, looking as though they could be used both for flight and as weapons. Those feather edges were sharp enough to cut steel.

Elven elegance, centaur tenacity, pegasus sanctity, iron dragon's sternness... many traits achieved harmonious unity within her.

She looked like a work of art born for war, combining power and beauty, majesty and elegance.

In contrast, the Dragon-blooded Gluttonous Ogre Karu was more like a savage, primitive war beast, full of pure destruction and oppressive presence.

Elvy raised her head, looking toward the red iron dragon.

This time, in her gaze, reverence and piety remained, but there was also an added sense of closeness from the bloodline connection, an absolute loyalty based on soul and bloodline.

Then, she lowered her head, bending her forelegs.

"Dragon-blooded Elvy pays homage to Your Majesty."

Her voice had become deeper than before, more magnetic.

"I vow to be Your Majesty's sharpest claw, swiftest wing, until eternity."

Garoth gave a slight nod, satisfaction showing in his eyes.

He could clearly perceive Elvy's current state. Her life energy had reached a new peak, but her aura was somewhat unstable, like a volcano about to erupt, containing tremendous power yet restless.

This meant that she, already close to the legendary tier, stimulated by the dragon vein transformation, had entered a critical state in both body and soul.

Perhaps a few days, perhaps a few months, perhaps a year or two.

But regardless, it wouldn't be too long before she would inevitably achieve her breakthrough.

This was good news for Garoth.

"Break through to the legendary tier as soon as possible," the red iron dragon said. "It is already right before you, just the final small step."

Elvy responded respectfully, "I will surely live up to Your Majesty's expectations."

Garoth raised his head, looking toward the distant horizon.

The morning sun had completely risen, golden sunlight spilling over the peaks of the Dragonback Mountains, coating the iron-gray mountain rocks with a warm hue.

He had a premonition that he would begin his next sleep in ten to fifteen years.

Normal adult dragons usually began sleeping around one hundred and seventy years old, waking up essentially as mature dragons.

But Garoth's situation was different.

His sleep always arrived earlier than his kin, and his sleep periods were longer than other dragons.

This allowed his level advancement speed to far exceed that of normal dragons, but it also meant he needed to arrange affairs during his sleep periods more carefully.

After reaching the legendary tier, level advancement became more difficult, and dragons' growth speed would correspondingly slow.

One sleep, within one age category, often could only raise one level.

However, Garoth himself was extremely disciplined, and with the support of the entire kingdom's resources, his growth speed could rival that of short-lived legendary beings.

"I should be able to reach level 25."

Garoth estimated in his heart.

For a legendary dragon like him, based on understanding his own situation, such estimations were usually not wrong.

Level 25, the high legendary tier.

This was a threshold. Although not as difficult as the life essence transformation when mundane beings broke through to legendary, it was still not easily crossed.

But with Garoth's training intensity, plus almost daily consumption of large amounts of black oil, gems, and other resources, the probability of directly crossing this threshold after sleep was high. He wouldn't get stuck.

This was the greatest benefit of establishing a kingdom.

As the Emperor of Aola, with the tilt of a nation's resources, he possessed growth conditions ordinary dragons couldn't imagine.

And during his sleep period, the Aola Kingdom needed more legendary beings to hold the fort, to deter external enemies and maintain stability.

Although he would only be sleeping, not dead, and could awaken to act if absolutely necessary—even during sleep, a dragon's subconscious could still think, maintaining some perception of the outside world—but interrupting sleep meant interrupting a rare growth opportunity.

The sleep period was crucial for dragons. It was the process where body and soul underwent deep transformation.

Even the most steady-tempered Metal Dragon would become furious and seek revenge if forced to awaken from sleep by external interference.

Garoth had to consider all possible situations, the troubles the kingdom might encounter during his sleep.

Regardless, the more legendary beings in the Aola Kingdom, the better. Their existence could provide a layer of protection for Garoth during his sleep, a layer of protection for the kingdom.

"After Elvy becomes legendary, I wonder if she can obtain the 'Beneath the Dragon Throne' trait."

"If possible, even while sleeping, I could perceive and observe the kingdom's changes and circumstances through her and Karu."

The red iron dragon thought to himself.

It wouldn't be too long before he would know the answer.