A month's time passed quietly.
On this day, a majestic black dragon shadow resolutely tore through the snow curtain dancing across the sky, soaring willfully high above.
The blood-red wing membranes stretched to their limit, forming a terrifying wingspan that reached a full hundred meters, resembling a burning cloud of blood.
He danced wildly in the biting high altitude, his posture domineering and fluid.
As successive rings of visible sonic booms exploded behind him, the massive dragon body vanished from the spot instantly, leaving only echoing roars behind; in the next moment, he had already appeared on the other side of the distant horizon.
The speed was so fast that it had already exceeded the limit of what ordinary creatures' eyes could capture, leaving only a glimpse of a scorching, red tail flame that seemed to tear the sky apart, lingering for a long time.
Such high-speed soaring continued for about half an hour.
Afterward, the Red-Iron Dragon slowly reduced his speed as if he hadn't had enough, folded his wings, and dove toward the bottom of Dragon Valley.
That pair of wing membranes, shining with red light, gradually folded and pressed against the sides of his strong body, returning to a seemingly normal dragon wing form.
In addition, he wore a suit of heavy, pitch-black armor with cold, hard lines.
This suit of armor didn't appear cumbersome; instead, it complemented his heroic and extraordinary bearing, with a fierce aura hitting one's face.
However, his current life breath was not as strong as it was in his normal state, only maintaining a level of around Level 18.
That was precisely the [Restraint Armor] Red Dragon Samantha had forged for him.
It was cast from several kinds of incredibly heavy and exceptionally sturdy magical metal materials.
The alchemy matrices inscribed inside and outside the armor could effectively suppress Dragon Qi. Its structure referenced the Golden Dragon's Armor of the Sole Supreme Dragon Emperor, using a split-type design that was more convenient to put on and take off. Numerous alchemy formations and super-gravity formations were inscribed within and without, and it could change to a certain extent according to body size.
It provided extra defense for Garros.
Besides that, its suppression and restraint allowed Garros's training effects to improve somewhat.
However, he didn't plan to wear this thing all the time except when he needed to train.
It was too heavy, and although it had some defensive effects, overall it was actually inferior to Garros's previous Frostburn Scales; its primary effect was to suppress his own power.
As for relying on it to playing the pig to eat the tiger...
Garros had a fleeting thought like that before, but it was more of a self-deprecating joke.
Deep down, he had no actual interest in doing so.
A real tiger, even if disguised as a pig, might not be able to be eaten; and for those fake tigers, there was even less need for such an unnecessary move.
"My top speed has more than doubled compared to before my slumber."
"Now, even wearing this Restraint Armor, my speed is faster than when I went all out before."
The Red-Iron Dragon exhaled a breath of scorching air that condensed into a white mist in the sky, thinking calmly: "Now, if I were to face the Blue Dragon leader Dominic in his prime again, even if he decisively elementalized the moment we met and started fleeing without looking back, he could forget about escaping my pursuit."
At this moment.
Seeing that he had finished his aerial training, the Crimson-Silver Dragon Deborah, who had been waiting silently nearby, gently stretched her long and graceful wings like a light feather and landed opposite him.
She looked as if she had undergone a period of meticulous grooming.
Her originally beautiful scales seemed to have been carefully polished; they were smooth and clear, flashing with a charming luster that blended honey and silver. Not even a speck of dust could be found between the gaps of her scales. She looked flawless and beautiful enough to make one's heart skip a beat.
Even if one wasn't of the Dragon Race, they could appreciate her beauty.
Even more rare was that she wore some gorgeous but not overly flamboyant jewelry.
A golden necklace with exquisite patterns traced around her slender neck, a silver forehead band was tied at the base of her towering dragon horns, and delicate honey-colored anklets were fastened around her wrists.
These accessories sparkled on her, making her appear even more radiant.
Standing opposite the Red-Iron Dragon, Deborah lowered her head slightly, looking as if she wanted to speak but stopped.
She seemed to be gathering the courage to say something, but when the words reached her lips, they were hard to voice, turning into a faint trace of hesitation.
The Red-Iron Dragon withdrew his gaze from the meticulously groomed details on her body.
He grinned and teased, "Dressed up so beautifully?"
"Deborah, you're not trying to seduce me into doing something bad, are you? I should remind you, by the Dragon Race's age calculation, I still have two years before I officially enter adulthood."
Opposite him, Deborah's faceplate, covered in fine scales, instantly turned scorching hot, as if steam were about to rise from it.
"Rude! You presumptuous fellow! What... what nonsense are you talking about!"
As if her tail had been stepped on, she gave the Red-Iron Dragon a shameful and annoyed glare. No longer caring about what she originally wanted to say, she suddenly spread her wings and rushed back into the depths of Burning Steel Fortress as if escaping, hiding herself and disappearing from sight.
At the bottom of the valley, Garros couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the Crimson Silver Dragon's panicked retreating figure.
"It seems I hit the mark. I'm not the only one feeling restless and suppressed because of growth."
He understood in his heart.
Afterward, the Red-Iron Dragon did not choose to go into the fortress to chase after Deborah.
Focusing on his own improvement was more important.
He quickly discarded the distracting thoughts churning in his mind, becoming single-minded again, and then performed various exercises at the bottom of the valley while wearing that heavy Restraint Armor.
As time passed quietly, the sky in The Borderlands also slowly darkened.
The deep night curtain enveloped the world.
Whoosh—!
Just then, a golden meteor streaked across the dark night sky, rapidly approaching the direction of Dragon Valley.
As it drew closer, one could see that it was a giant dragon with a strong and majestic body, covered entirely in golden dragon scales.
It was indeed the Golden Dragon Alberto.
His size had grown quite a bit since the last time Garros saw him. His strength even exceeded that of a Red Dragon of the same length, and his entire body emitted a powerful and valiant aura, making him stand out from the crowd.
Seeing the Red-Iron Dragon exercising below, the Golden Dragon's eyes suddenly lit up.
He immediately adjusted his direction and landed quickly near Garros.
"Hey! Garros, long time no see!"
The Golden Dragon raised his head. Atop his head were dragon horns distributed in layers like a magnificent crown; at a rough glance, there were actually four pairs, making them exceptionally eye-catching.
The Red-Iron Dragon glanced at him, his gaze lingering for a moment on those overly prosperous dragon horns.
He asked flatly, "Your sister Nasha didn't pull those extra horns off for you?"
Hearing this, Golden Dragon Alberto just gave a careless chuckle: "Her? Not worth mentioning."
If they're pulled off, can't I just put them back on?
What's the big deal?
He added in his heart.
Since he 'grew' these pairs of majestic dragon horns, Alberto had found that no matter where he went, he could garner more attention and amazement than before, even looks of awe. This undoubtedly strengthened his resolve to maintain this image.
Anyway, except for a few giant dragons, other creatures couldn't tell the difference between real and fake at all.
"After your slumber this time, besides your body being larger and some changes to your scales and wings, it seems... your life breath hasn't increased much?"
Alberto looked the Red-Iron Dragon up and down carefully, his eyes gleaming.
He had heard that the Red-Iron Dragon had awakened and specifically came to The Borderlands. One of his primary purposes was to see with his own eyes how much this opponent, who had defeated him repeatedly, had grown after this long slumber, so he could compare it with his own improvement after his slumber.
But from his initial perception now, the other party's breath intensity didn't seem strong.
Although Garros indeed looked more valiant, and the pitch-black armor he wore also looked quite impressive, the intensity of the life breath he emitted felt not much different from before his slumber.
"Yeah, it's about the same as what you've perceived."
The Red-Iron Dragon nodded, not denying it.
At the same time, some hard-to-suppress thoughts involuntarily emerged from the Golden Dragon's mind.
Everyone is Level 18, and after I woke up this time, I've truly mastered several powerful skills; things are different now.
Maybe... now is the chance to clash with Garros and wipe away my previous shame?
The more Alberto thought about it, the more high-spirited he felt.
He didn't like wasting words. He took a sudden step forward, staring at the Red-Iron Dragon with burning eyes, and solemnly announced.
"Garros! I, Alberto, formally challenge you!"
After speaking, he quickly and cautiously added: "On the condition that you are not allowed to use that special state where your whole body is covered in red lotus markings!"
For such a request, the Red-Iron Dragon had no reason to refuse.
He nodded once more, signaling his acceptance.
Two minutes later, the two of them quickly finalized the specific details and stakes of the challenge.
Similar to the previous arrangement, if Alberto lost, he would have to take back the debt he had finally managed to pay off, and the amount would be even heavier than before; as for the price Garros would pay for losing... he actually didn't really remember what he had offhandedly agreed to, as in his eyes, such a possibility was negligible, almost non-existent.
"Let's take the fight to the sky, so we don't destroy your Dragon Valley."
The Golden Dragon Alberto showed a look of excitement and anticipation. He couldn't wait to flap his wings and take to the air first, assuming a combat stance in the night sky.
On the ground, the Red-Iron Dragon looked up at him, his mouth slowly curling into a smile.
"Fine, then let me take off this bothersome armor first."
Clang! Clang! Clang!
With a slight sway of his body and the contraction of his muscles, pieces of incredibly heavy steel armor fell off him one after another, crashing heavily onto the solid floor of the valley with dull, thunderous thuds, even smashing huge craters and radial cracks into the surface.
Soon, the final piece of the shoulder plate hit the ground.
Garros revealed his dragon body covered in black-red scales and Battle-Scarred Markings. Simultaneously, like a prehistoric beast breaking free from its shackles, a Life Level aura and Dragon Might far more powerful and terrifying than before erupted and spread out like a physical force.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze at this moment.
A Life Level of 20 was something Alberto could not accurately detect with his sensory abilities.
However, at this moment, he realized with absolute clarity that Garros's true Level must far exceed his own!
Under Garros's powerful Dragon Might, he felt waves of palpitations.
His keen senses were warning him that if the opponent were an enemy, it would be best to start running immediately or call for help from his Legendary dragon elders.
He had only felt a similar sense of oppression in the Dragon Domain from those dragons who had truly stepped into the Legendary Domain.
Below the Legendary Level, no dragon had ever given him such a feeling.
"I'll let you make the first move. Come."
The Red-Iron Dragon shook his thick neck, producing a slight sound of bones grinding together, and spoke in a calm tone.
In mid-air, Alberto took a deep breath of the cold air, as if he had made a certain decision.
Then, under Garros's gaze, he... decisively retracted all combat stances and quickly descended back to the ground.
He stood firm, his gaze solemn and his expression majestic as he spoke in a deep voice.
"I, Alberto Aurelius, concede!"
If one only saw his current posture—head held high, chest out, and gaze firm—without hearing his voice, one might think he was making some heroic declaration of a final battle.
Garros: "You're not even going to give it a real try? You might have a chance."
Alberto said categorically: "No attempts. I concede."
Garros: "I've just finished a high-intensity workout and I'm currently exhausted. You actually have a chance."
Alberto remained expressionless: "No chance. I concede."
Garros teased slightly: "Where did your confidence and arrogance as a Golden Dragon go?"
Alberto remained blunt: "It's gone. I concede."
He had made up his mind; no matter what, he was absolutely unwilling to let the Red-Iron Dragon actually take action.
Otherwise, he would likely be bedridden for a very long time.
Garros shook his head regretfully: "I should have taken off the armor during the battle to give you a surprise."
That probably wouldn't be a surprise, but rather a horror sufficient to leave psychological trauma... Alberto grumbled silently in his heart.
"Alas, when will I ever be able to fulfill the oath I made in my youthful ignorance..."
Thinking that he had suddenly shouldered an even heavier debt, the Golden Dragon Alberto couldn't help but look up at the night sky, his eyes filled with melancholy about his uncertain future.
However, with the reminder of the oath, the competitive spirit in his bones soon took the upper hand again.
He didn't think of any opportunistic possibilities but instead cheered up again, silently walked to the side, and threw himself back into high-intensity training.
Even if this still wouldn't allow him to surpass a monster like Garros, at the very least, it could make him stronger.
Strong enough to surpass most other dragons!
Suddenly, the Golden Dragon felt that the Dynamic Niche Theory mentioned by the White Dragon Therese made a lot of sense.
Since he couldn't settle the score with Garros, then using the motivation gained from the bullying he received here to bully other Evil Dragons who were inferior to him seemed like a very good choice.
Thinking this way, the bit of depression in Alberto's heart instantly vanished, replaced by even more excited and surging enthusiasm as he shed sweat and golden light under the night sky.
A period of time later.
The Red Iron finished all the training projects he had planned for today, while the Golden Dragon Alberto continued with obsessive persistence, as if he knew no fatigue.
Garros had no interest in competing with him.
After completing his daily plan, he stopped cleanly and flew back to the Burning Steel Fortress.
Inside the grand and warm palace chamber.
The Red-Iron Dragon lay prone on a bed piled with a massive amount of gold coins, various gemstones, and various magical precious metals. With a casual curl and flick of his flexible tail, he tossed several high-quality Magic Gem to his mouth, then chewed and swallowed them nonchalantly like jelly beans, as a bit of energy replenishment after his daily high-intensity workout.
Such luxury would be completely unsustainable if his territory were not rich in resources.
A short while later.
The Red-Iron Dragon adjusted to a more comfortable position, curling his tail to rest his head on it, preparing to sleep and have a good rest.
But just then, the scales covering his eyelids twitched slightly, as if he had keenly sensed something.
The Red-Iron Dragon raised his head and looked toward the huge, heavy metal door of the palace chamber.
Creak...
With a slight but clear sound of friction, the door was slowly pushed open from the outside, leaving a crack. Immediately after, an elegant and beautiful figure slipped in soundlessly.
It was the Crimson-Silver Dragon Deborah.
She walked in with light steps that made almost no sound.
However, just as she fully entered the room, her slender dragon tail swept out as swiftly as if it had eyes.
"Aiya!"
A faint exclamation rang out.
The Faerie Dragon, who was originally in an invisible state, was directly swept out by this tail, tumbling a few times in the air before being wrapped by the Crimson Silver Dragon's tail and tossed out the door.
Then, the Crimson Silver Dragon's tail followed through with the motion.
The metal door was closed tightly without a gap, and she immediately cast many Sealing Spells, completely isolating the inside from the outside.
Having done all this, the Crimson-Silver Dragon Deborah acted as if nothing had happened.
She walked over gracefully and stopped before the bed piled with treasures.
The Crimson Silver Dragon's slender neck lowered slightly, her eyes meeting Garros's, filled with an indescribable tenderness and a hint of a bold invitation.
She didn't speak, only exhaled softly.
Her breath carried the scent of a Metallic Dragon, brushing past the Red-Iron Dragon's nostrils and faceplate.
Then, the Red-Iron Dragon let out a low breath from his throat.
"Have you decided?"
"Yes."
The Crimson Silver Dragon responded softly.
After that, the Red-Iron Dragon didn't say more, only responding with action.
His tail, which he had been resting on, loosened and wrapped around the Crimson Silver Dragon's ankle.
The dragon scales touched, making a faint rustling sound.
The Crimson Silver Dragon did not resist; instead, she took a step forward, bringing the two giant dragon bodies close together. Scale touched scale, so that she could clearly feel the heartbeat coming from beneath the Red-Iron Dragon's chest.
Restless and burning hot.
The Red-Iron Dragon's massive head lowered, his snout nuzzling the scales on the side of the Crimson Silver Dragon's neck.
Simultaneously, the Crimson Silver Dragon raised her front claw, gently resting it on the Red-Iron Dragon's broad and solid shoulder. Her sharp claws were retracted as she carefully felt the bulging strength beneath his scales.
Gold coins and gemstones rustled and slid, making a crisp and pleasant accompanying sound.
Crimson dragon wings slowly unfurled and expanded, not for soaring, but closing like a curtain with an unquestionable posture of protection and possession, shrouding both their figures within and isolating them from outside prying eyes.