Obsidian gazed at his top Proto-Dragon believer, and a familiar panel naturally generated from his divinity.
He glanced at it, skipping over a large amount of useless information, summarizing as follows:
Shadow Wing
Race: Proto-Dragon (Original Species - Blue)
Level: Total Level 8 (Proto-Dragon 5 / Paladin 3)
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Faith: Obsidian Nexus Lin
Divine Path: Oath of Conquest
"Hmm… as expected, he chose the Paladin path, and even the Oath of Conquest."
Obsidian's lips curled slightly, and with a thought, the panel faded into the void.
Shadow Wing's recent composure and conscientiousness had already made him anticipate this.
He was a good… no, a perfect "Claw of Judgment."
In DnD, Paladins are not ordinary professions.
They are the kind of profession that is incredibly strong, at least in the 5E rules.
They are warriors who bear sacred vows; once sworn, they can draw extraordinary power from the source of their faith—willpower ignites weapons, belief strengthens their bodies, expelling evil, and even tearing souls.
And the "Oath of Conquest" that Shadow Wing chose, its core is only two words: domination.
Simply put, this is a tyrannical path specifically designed to trample dignity, crush resistance, and make all who refuse to submit sing of conquest on their knees.
While other Paladins shout, "Justice will prevail," the madmen of the Oath of Conquest will only sneer:
"Kneel, or die."
This oath allows Shadow Wing to turn fear into a sharp blade and dread into domination.
With Shadow Wing's dragon might superimposed with the "Conquest Aura," any timid creature in front of him cannot even hold a sword steady;
His claw attacks can carry divine power, making enemies kneel in agony;
Even with just a glance, weak minions will directly collapse to the ground, unable to move like frogs caught by a snake.
Those who defy will ultimately be crushed to dust.
Obsidian narrowed his eyes in satisfaction.
Very good, this dragon is destined to become a sharp greatsword in his claw.
"...A good choice."
He admitted that this guy made the right choice.
Then, naturally, it was time to verify one thing:
"Can you truly win your oath?"
Obsidian slowly raised his head, his dragon eyes burning with divine fire sweeping over the dragon crowd gathered around the peak, observing everything in detail.
Among these Proto-Dragons, most of the ancient dragons had cold expressions, even with a hint of imperceptible arrogance and indifference.
One elderly one, in particular, showed disdain, snorting a puff of breath mixed with ice shards, turning to leave, completely uninterested in what was happening before him.
However, the younger Proto-Dragons further away showed a completely different attitude.
Their eyes were filled with curiosity and excitement, eager for the future Obsidian had promised.
Obsidian realized this was an opportunity.
He could both display the power he bestowed and temper Shadow Wing.
Obsidian's lips curved, and he let out a low draconic hum, issuing a challenge to the young Proto-Dragons watching.
"Who among you does not submit to him?"
"You can try now."
He didn't explicitly state the rules of the challenge, as if all dragons could challenge Shadow Wing.
But his dragon might quietly spread, like invisible shackles, precisely suppressing those ancient dragons who were clearly stronger than Shadow Wing.
This was a battle for his believer to establish his authority; he couldn't let them bully the weaker ones.
An adult Proto-Dragon slowly rose from the ranks and flew to the center of the arena, surrounded by other dragons.
Ice scales glinted coldly on his back, and his blade-like eyes were fixed on Shadow Wing.
Having only recently gained sapience, he was still unnamed, and he waved his short forelimbs, issuing a challenge to Shadow Wing.
Shadow Wing nodded slightly, taking a step to confront him, the aura on his front claws still flickering.
Obsidian scanned the entire scene, then whispered:
"Begin."
The battle erupted instantly!
The challenger intended to seize the initiative; before Obsidian's words finished, he charged towards Shadow Wing like a collapsing glacier!
His body was enveloped in freezing wind, attacking in an extremely primal manner—biting, scratching, crushing, his movements full of wildness.
Shadow Wing remained motionless, seemingly imitating Obsidian's previous posture.
It wasn't until the sharp claws cut through the wind that he spoke in a low voice:
"Kneel." His voice was muffled, carrying a deliberate imitation, yet it contained an undeniable power of will.
Obsidian clearly saw that he was using the intimidation ability of the Oath of Conquest.
The invisible aura of fear, like a physical heavy hammer, slammed hard into the challenger's mind!
The challenger's charging figure suddenly froze, as if he had run into an invisible wall.
The instant stiffness caused by the failed save made his claw strike lose its sharpness, and an uncontrollable panic appeared in his eyes.
Shadow Wing seized this fatal opening, his hind leg muscles bulging, his body springing out like a taut bowstring!
His hind claw arced through the air, directly striking the Proto-Dragon's shoulder blade with the power of a "Smite."
Accompanied by a dull "thud!", the challenger was knocked sliding several meters, leaving several long grooves in the ice and snow.
Among the dragons, a low growl sounded.
The challenger struggled to flip over and leap up, the intense pain and humiliation igniting a furious rage; he let out a deafening roar to the sky, his wings powerfully flapping, his massive body soaring into the air!
Reaching the highest point, he abruptly folded his wings, plummeting towards the unmoving Shadow Wing below like a meteorite carrying destructive will!
The air was extremely compressed, emitting a piercing shriek!
Shadow Wing's wings spread wide, not retreating but advancing, a cold light suddenly bursting from his body.
He accurately predicted his opponent's dive trajectory, and a breath of frost dragon breath erupted!
The challenger was accelerating his descent, with nowhere to avoid, and was hit squarely by the breath!
Although Shadow Wing's decision was correct, he still made a mistake.
Proto-Dragons have very high ice resistance, so this blow only caused a minor critical injury.
But his dive tactic still failed; the frost drastically reduced the challenger's speed, and Shadow Wing merely sidestepped, rendering this "high-altitude throw" futile.
The battle immediately turned into a brutal close-quarters melee.
After a few rounds that Obsidian found very untechnical, the challenger was panting heavily, wounded, while Shadow Wing seemed to grow colder with each exchange, his composure almost cruel.
Finally, the challenger forced a leap, attempting to end it with a breath of ice—
But Shadow Wing raised his claw, stepped, and flipped, without even using flight, directly launching a swift dragon-charge assault, dispersing the unformed dragon breath in the challenger's throat.
The challenger crashed to the ground, struggled once, and was no longer able to get up.
Above the wind and snow, the dust settled into silence.
Shadow Wing stood before his opponent, not delivering a fatal blow, only looking down and gazing for a few breaths, then slowly retreated behind Obsidian.
Obsidian mentally applauded his top subordinate, patted his head in encouragement, then calmly said, "Well done."
Then, he once again cast his gaze upon the Proto-Dragon group.
"Today, you have witnessed Shadow Wing's sharp claws—" His voice was like thunder rolling over an ice field, every word branded deep into the souls of the dragons, "But what you should see more clearly is the future he holds in his claws."
"The future I bestow upon you."