The confrontation between Destiny Dragon caused quite a shock in the Atlant area.
However, this conflict did not lead to the death of any Dragon King.
Because of this, its impact is ultimately limited to this extent.
The mortal creatures on the ground went about their daily lives as usual, and this confrontation only became a story that people occasionally mentioned after dinner. It was retold several times with added details by the fire in the tavern and in the caravan camp, and then was replaced by new gossip.
Time passes by leisurely as always.
At first, Bronze Dragon King's return from the deep sea did put a considerable psychological burden on Garos.
Although in the previous encounter, he briefly joined forces with Ten-Thousand-Laws White Dragon and Storm Dragon to repel Bronze Dragon King, what Bronze Dragon King said before leaving was not wrong. The union between them was fragile, so fragile that it could hardly be called a union.
It can even be said that it is not an alliance at all.
Bronze Dragon King witnessed the three heads of Destiny Dragon appearing in front of them at the same time, and naturally thought that they had already formed an offensive and defensive alliance.
But the reality is that they just happened to get together.
Before that conflict broke out, the three of them had not discussed any cooperation matters at all. They had neither exchanged defense information nor agreed on how to meet next time.
After that, no covenant of any kind was established.
After each returned to their territory, the so-called alliance was broken.
This fact makes Garos uneasy.
He has repeatedly deduced the possibility of Bronze Dragon King attacking again.
If the other party sees through the truth, or comes to test again out of caution, and targets himself, he knows exactly what kind of situation he will face.
In case Bronze Dragon King makes a comeback, Garos spends almost all his time tempering himself.
He wants to become stronger in the shortest possible time.
Break through your own boundaries bit by bit through repeated extreme training.
And his body recorded it all.
Each piece of scale armor has been repeatedly broken and regrown during high-intensity training. After several transformations, the texture has become harder and harder, and the muscles have become stronger and stronger as they are torn and healed again and again.
And as time goes by.
Two years later, the evil-hating Metal Dragon did appear again.
Bronze Dragon King came to Atlant, his aura was undisguised, as if he was announcing his arrival to the entire continent.
The breath is like the ocean tide, rolling and rolling, endlessly.
The coverage area is so large that its position and intensity can be clearly perceived even from a long distance.
"Coming?"
Aura Kingdom, Red Iron Dragon soar into the sky.
The huge dragon wings were fully unfolded in the air, and he climbed above the clouds at an alarming speed. Aura The mountains, rivers and cities quickly shrank into blurry blocks of color beneath him.
At the same time, True Eye lit up, and layers of light emerged from the depths of his pupils, penetrating the barrier of atmosphere and distance, and looking away in the direction of the aura of Bronze Dragon King.
To his surprise.
The flight trajectory of Bronze Dragon King was completely beyond prediction.
He neither turned his wings to the west and flew toward the area where Storm Dragon was entrenched, nor did he come straight in the direction of Aura. His flight path was diagonally upward, and his altitude continued to increase.
Garos adjusted the focus of True Eye.
The line of sight extended forward along an invisible trajectory, and finally landed on a city suspended in the sky.
Floating City from Holden, but not the ordinary Floating City.
It is located on the vertical axis at the center of the entire Atlant Continent, hanging high above all kingdoms, all Mountain Range, and all the ground, as if being held up in the center of the sky by an invisible giant pillar.
That's the hub of the Holden Empire, Sky City, also known as Cloudpiercer City.
"Bronze Dragon King and Holden? Are they together?"
Garos The scales on the forehead are slightly wrinkled.
Thoughts quickly ran through his mind, and finally, his thoughts settled on what he thought was the most reasonable speculation.
"In the war between Holden and Abyssal Roots, there is a high probability that it will be at a disadvantage. The best case scenario is probably just a stalemate."
"They are in desperate need of combat power now."
"The previous entrustment to me at any cost also proves this point."
Now, Holden obviously noticed the confrontation between Destiny Dragon.
They must have seen the power Bronze Dragon King showed in the battle and assessed the value of this giant dragon. It is completely reasonable to extend an olive branch to such a strong man.
Bronze Dragon King is different from other Dragon King.
Almost everyone knows that he takes it as his mission to punish rape and eliminate evil.
After returning from the deep sea, his scope of activities was not limited to the Dragon Realm. The Purification Faction dragon under his command also adhered to his will and basically did not stay in the Dragon Realm for a long time.
This behavior pattern determines the possibility of Bronze Dragon King being co-opted.
If Holden can provide suitable conditions, the possibility of Bronze Dragon King agreeing to the commission is extremely high. He will definitely be very happy to fight Demon. Those creatures from Abyss happen to be the type of enemies that he is good at and most willing to deal with.
Just under Garos's ultra-long distance gaze.
Bronze Dragon King, who was in flight, seemed to sense something.
He suddenly turned his head while flying at high speed and glanced in the direction of Garos.
Separated by a long distance, the eyes of the two giant dragons briefly met in the void.
With just one glance, Bronze Dragon King calmly withdrew his gaze without making any unnecessary gestures. Even his flight speed did not change at all, and then continued to fly towards Cloudpiercer City.
Eventually, the huge body sank into the outline of Cloudpiercer City and was no longer visible.
Garos also withdrew his gaze.
"In the eyes of Holden, Bronze Dragon King may be my superior replacement. After Holden and Bronze Dragon King reach a cooperation, they may not necessarily fall out with me, but they will definitely gradually become alienated from me."
He continued to think in his mind.
Garos is not surprised by this.
His cooperation with Holden was based on the existence of a common enemy, Abyss, rather than any common goal or deep friendship.
It is rational and utilitarian for both parties to come together, and therefore they can be replaced.
The emergence of Bronze Dragon King only caused this relationship, which was already based on a fragile foundation, to begin the process of alienation at a faster speed.
The high-altitude wind blew through the dragon's scales, and time continued to pass.
Bronze Dragon King and Holden have reached a formal cooperation.
Soon afterwards, Bronze Dragon King led a group of Raging Tide Dragon directly to the frontline theater where Demon was fighting, and entered Abyssal Roots.
Since then, Bronze Dragon King basically no longer appears in Atlant.
Without the external pressure of Bronze Dragon King, the already fragile relationship between Aura and Brackton has once again become subtle and tense.
However, because both parties know that Bronze Dragon King's departure is only temporary.
Therefore, they all maintained a certain degree of restraint and did not let the situation slip out of control.
In this way, time came to New Calendar 589.
Small World.
Rumble!
With a loud noise like a landslide, a dark silver figure plummeted from high altitude, smashing all the obstacles along the way. Gravel and dust flew in all directions, and a huge crater appeared.
Immediately afterwards, rolling Dragon Breath fell from the sky.
Like a lava waterfall pouring into a deep pit.
In the deep pit, Chromium Dragon raised his head.
He didn't panic or dodge, he opened his upper and lower jaws to the limit, his jaw bones made a clicking sound, and he used World-Devouring Roar to maximize his performance.
A twisted vortex visible to the naked eye formed in front of the mouth, facing the infusion of Dragon Breath.
Chromium Dragon's abdomen bulged at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the dark silver scales were stretched slightly, revealing the tight skin underneath.
The feeling of fullness and satisfaction spreads throughout the body like an electric shock.
All the muscles in his body were shaking uncontrollably.
Shortly after, Dragon Breath stopped.
Red Iron Dragon circled slightly in the sky twice, then folded its wings and landed next to Chromium Dragon. The wide wing membranes gathered on both sides of the back, bringing with it a dull wind pressure.
Claude is lying in the latest dent.
The scales were covered with dense dents and cracks, and gravel rolled down his back, hitting the scorched earth at the bottom of the pit.
However, Chromium Dragon did not show any pain on his face.
Instead, he narrowed his eyes slightly and let out a very light hum of satisfaction from deep in his throat, short and low.
At the same time, Chromium Dragon opened his eyes and looked at Red Iron Dragon standing by the pit.
Compared with more than 20 years ago, his eyes have become very clear.
The look of madness and greed that made all creatures who had seen him feel uneasy was almost invisible at this moment, and he looked not much different from other giant dragons.
And this is the therapeutic effect of Garos over the years.
Whenever Chromium Dragon's condition is almost restored, he will take him to Small World, beat him like a sandbag, and then use Dragon Breath to force him to feel full whether he is willing or not.
Giving both kindness and power, again and again.
Changes occurred slowly but surely in Claude.
The time he spent awake was getting longer and longer, from being able to stay awake for only a few minutes at first to being able to stay awake for several hours, and then to being able to stay sane and clear for days on end.
At the same time, his attitude towards Garos is also quietly changing.
The pure hostility and crazy desire to attack gradually subsided, and awe and respect were unknowingly mixed into the way he looked at Garos.
However, Claude still maintains a tough stance on the surface.
He never lowered his head or said a word to express his surrender.
Just like now.
Chromium Dragon propped up his upper body with his forelimbs, stared at Red Iron Dragon in front of him, opened his mouth, and put on a fierce expression.
"Garos, how long do you want to torture me?"
"I said, I will never bow to you."
"No matter how much time you spend or how much effort you put in, you will never get what you want."
Red Iron Dragon lowered his eyes and looked at him, but did not respond immediately.
The surging golden flames on his body gradually dissipated after landing, and finally disappeared completely under the scales, revealing the outline of a strong and majestic body.
The appearance of Red Iron Dragon has changed a lot.
The color of the scales is still mainly dark, but the once hugely expanded chest has returned to normal proportions, the lines of the entire body have returned to balance, and the texture of the scales has become hard and thick, with each piece like a metal plate that has been tempered thousands of times.
In short.
Based on Ashen Annihilation Form, he completed a comprehensive return to normalcy, and all attributes returned to a balanced golden ratio.
Facing Chromium Dragon's questioning, Garos remained silent.
Chromium Dragon was irritated by his silence. He stretched his neck, raised his scarred head higher, stared at the other person fiercely, and opened his mouth to say something stronger.
At this moment, Garos spoke.
"I know that your self-esteem does not allow you to bow your head."
Hearing this, Claude was stunned, and all the harsh words he had prepared were stuck in his throat.
"----What did you say?"
"I said, I know you won't be loyal to me, so I don't want to waste any more time."
Red Iron Dragon said calmly.
Chromium Dragon's jaw closed.
His brain was working rapidly, trying to understand the meaning behind this sentence.
Over the years, he has become completely accustomed to a fixed rhythm.
He was brought to this Small World, beaten, force-fed, and then sealed again to wait for the next repetition.
Garos Never give up and never waver.
No matter how Claude roared, struggled, cursed, or refused to bow his head every time, Red Iron Dragon just continued to perform the next course of treatment with an expressionless face.
Neither sullen nor angry, neither angry nor vexed.
And now, he said he didn't want to waste any more time.
Chromium Dragon's eyes flashed violently.
He wanted to find a flaw in Red Iron Dragon's face covered with dark scales, to confirm that this sentence was just a test, or the beginning of a new method of torture.
But there was nothing on that face.
"----Then kill me."
Claude raised his head and his voice became strong again, "I have had enough of this kind of imprisonment and torture. Let me die. I can't wait any longer."
Garos shook his head.
Seeing this action, Chromium Dragon instinctively growled, "You don't want to waste time on me, and you don't want to kill me?
Damn it, what on earth do you want to do? I'm Claude..
"I originally wanted to kill you."
Garos interrupted him, "If you were my enemy and attacked me, according to my habits, you would have died a long time ago. But now Dragon Race's situation is very delicate. There are only so many Destiny Dragons, and every one of them is precious."
"So you refuse to kill me because of the overall interests of Dragon Race?"
Claude sneered, "How noble. I never thought you have Ferrous Dragon's blood flowing in your body."
"That's not the only reason."
Garos took a step forward, lowered his head, and lowered his sight to the same height as Chromium Dragon.
"I know, you are not actually crazy."
"You're just too hungry. You can't tell whether you're hungry or crazy, and you can't control yourself."
"If you had a chance, such as being able to eat enough and get rid of the control of hunger, you could have become something else."
The voice paused slightly, Garos sighed softly, and continued, "I just feel pity for you."
"Claude, you could have enjoyed the praise and awe of the world like me, instead of being treated like a ferocious beast like you are now."
Chromium Dragon's body froze.
He opened his mouth and his throat muscles contracted violently. He wanted to roar loudly and use the most violent anger to refute these words, telling Garos that he did not need any mercy at all.
But he found that he couldn't say a word.
No dragon has ever said these words to Claude.
In the eyes of all the creatures he met on his long road of growth, he had only one identity from beginning to end.
A monster, a gluttonous Beast.
And not only other intelligent races look at him this way, but also the Dragonkin race is afraid of him, avoids him, or wants to kill him.
Today, there is only Garos.
This Red Emperor Pale Star, who had fought fiercely with him, caused him pain and at the same time gave him a feeling of satisfaction, used such a calm tone to cast pity on him.
The breeze blew by, swirling silently in the open space between the two.
Claude's expression froze for dozens of seconds, with too many complex expressions flashing alternately on his face.
Anger, shame, confusion, shaken----
Finally, he spoke slowly, his voice much lower than before.
"----What do you want to do? If you can't do it hard, why don't you do it softly?"
"I'm telling you, I don't do this."
"No."
Red Iron Dragon stood up and raised one front paw.
The sharp claw tip lightly scratched the air beside him, and a huge space crack was torn open. He said, "I have decided to give you freedom. Go into this crack by yourself. You can get rid of my imprisonment and torture."
Claude stared at the crack, then suddenly turned back to stare at Garos.
"I don't believe it."
"Do you think I'll be fooled by you? You've tortured me for so long and now you tell me you're going to let me go?"
Chromium Dragon bared his fangs and growled continuously.
"You must be up to some trick, say, what's on the other side of the gap? Another cage? Or are you planning to wait until I think I'm free, and then suddenly show up and laugh at my stupidity?"
"It's your business whether you believe it or not, and it's your business whether you leave or not."
"I only give you three minutes to think about it."
Garos crouched down, relaxed his posture, and spoke unhurriedly.
Claude bared his teeth for a while, then fell silent.
He looked around.
He is extremely familiar with every inch of this Small World.
The pits made by his body, the ravines torn apart by his claws, the mountains smashed by him... He was beaten countless times here, and it was also here that he tasted the only feeling of fullness in his life.
And now, he is leaving here.
Chromium Dragon stood up slowly.
Then, he stepped forward and passed by Red Iron Dragon.
When the distance between the two was close, Chromium Dragon's whole body muscles were very tense, vigilantly guarding every tiny movement of Garos.
However, Garos did nothing. He just turned his head and looked at him without any movement.
Claude walked to the crack and stopped for a step. After hesitating for a few seconds, he looked at Red Iron Dragon again, then gritted his teeth and jumped in.
Then, everything turned upside down.
The salty wind filled the nose, and the sun fell on the scales, bringing a long-lost warmth.
There were sparkling waves beneath me, extending to the end of the field of vision. The sea was so calm that it was unreal, as if it had never been disturbed by any storm.
Several seabirds circled in the distance and made long calls.
Chromium Dragon was hovering in mid-air, his eyes uncertain. He looked left and right, his perception turned to the limit, but he didn't find anything abnormal.
The crack behind him had closed, and he could no longer feel the aura that made him both fearful and expectant.
He is truly free.
The vast and empty freedom falls on the shoulders of Chromium Dragon.
He thought he would be pleasantly surprised, but he felt empty inside, as if he had lost something important.
This feeling of emptiness is similar to hunger, but completely different.
"What am I feeling melancholy about?"
Chromium Dragon shook his head, dispelling the figure of Red Iron Dragon inside, trying to cheer up his spirits.
Then, he opened his mouth and the voice rolled out of his chest. "I, Claude, the great Deep Frost Tyrant is free! Everything will become my food!"
Plop!
The giant dragon's body fell to the sea, sending water spray all over the sky, and disappeared under the vast ocean in the blink of an eye.
At the same time.
Wave-Subduing Dragon Realm, Cold Sacred Spring.
"Why are you the only one back? Where is Claude? Don't you need to seal him anymore?"
Looking at Red Iron Dragon returning from the space rift alone, Nereus asked doubtfully.
Her tail was originally swaying gently while soaked in Sacred Spring, but now it stopped, with the tip of her tail hanging above the water, bringing up a few tiny drops of water.
"I set him free."
Garos said.
Nereus was slightly startled, then silent for a moment, and then slowly spoke.
"Let him go free?"
"Claude is a gluttonous Destiny Chromium Dragon."
"You have spent so much effort over the years to control him, and now you let him go. When he makes the same mistake again, the next time you want to capture him alive, the price will not be comparable to the last time.
Silver Dragon King rarely said seriously.
Garos walked to the lake and crouched down.
"He is physically free, but not mentally yet." He said, "He will come back, Your Majesty Nereus, it is only a matter of time."
Silver Dragon King thought for a moment, and then a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.
"Advancing by retreating? Do you want him to realize that freedom is not what he really wants?"
she asked.
"Yes, retreat in order to advance, and play hard to get."
Garos said, "In the past twenty years, he has been facing me every time he wakes up."
"The madness when hungry, the satisfaction when full, the humiliation when defeated, and - I never regarded him as a monster."
"These have been engraved into his cognition."
"He has gained physical freedom now, but the mental shackles will only become heavier."
Nereus blinked and looked at Red Iron Dragon.
"Are you so confident?" she asked, "What if all this is just a disguise? What if he is just waiting for such an opportunity?"
The corners of Garos's mouth raised slightly, revealing a bit of sharp tooth tips.
"No, I have seen through his true nature."
"The essence?" Nereus tilted his head and said, "Claude If he is really as hopeless as you say, he can pretend that he is still crazy, act out a show of awakening, and betray you without hesitation after getting enough from you."
"What if he is not relying on you mentally now, but is just misleading and deceiving you?"
"That's another story."
Garos's tail slowly curled up behind him and he said, "During these years of treatment, I have watched every reaction, every time he lost control, and every time he recovered after losing control."
"If he can really hide it from me in this state, then he is really powerful."
"I Garos·Ignas can swallow the bitter consequences of my own lack of judgment and will never regret it."
Nereus stared at him, was silent for a while, and then said, "Garos, you seem to have a pair of eyes that can see through Dragonkin's soul. So, can you also take a look at yourself? You should know that you need to relax too."
Garos is unmoved.
He said calmly, "It is difficult for a doctor to heal himself. I have heard this saying, and it makes sense."
Facing Garos's answer, Nereus laughed softly.
She did not continue the topic and changed the subject.
"Sheffield no longer protects Dragon Realm, and at the same time lets Raging Tide's dragons scatter to fight against evil. This incident caused quite a turmoil in other Dragon Realm.
"The young dragons began to question the existence mode of the Dragon Realm, thinking that guarding the barrier without attacking is a kind of cowardice."
"What they want is to fly out of the Dragon Realm themselves like Raging Tide Dragon to find their own just war.
1
Her voice paused slightly, and then she sighed softly.
"This trend of thought is still spreading."
"From the Raging Tide Dragon Realm to my Wave-Subduing Dragon Realm, more than one young dragon has petitioned the elders, wanting to imitate Raging Tide and go outside to fight for justice."
"The other three major Dragon Realm are now facing the same problem."
Garos's eyes were clear and he said in a calm voice, "That's because you are still carrying the burden forward.
"The reason why the young dragons can open their hearts to the outside world and the distance is because Dragon King is in front of them to protect them from the wind and rain, and bear all dangers and boredom."
"If the Heavenly Dragon domain really ceases to exist and Metal Dragon loses its safe haven, their situation will not be much better than Evil Dragon's.
He paused, his eyelids slightly drooping.
"However, there is indeed a problem with the existence mode of the Dragon Realm."
"There is no real Immortal-tier in charge of Dragon Race. This is the most fundamental problem."
"For this reason, Dragon King can only put all the responsibilities on themselves. The younger generation is over-protected and often lacks sufficient experience when they really need to take charge of their own affairs."
Nereus did not refute.
"You're right."
She nodded and said, "Actually, I don't realize this."
"But the current rules are already the best option left after thousands of years of repeated exploration."
"Change, how can we change it? Give the younger generation complete freedom, let them face evil when they are not strong enough to protect themselves, and then tell them after they die that this is the price of growth"?
"I can't say it."
Today's times are turbulent, and young Metal Dragons can't restrain themselves. She is worried about Dragon Race's future.
"Life will find a way."
Garos said, "The dragon was not a race born in a greenhouse. It has just entered a troubled time. We can overcome this hurdle."
Silver Dragon lowered his head and did not speak for a long time.
At this moment, as if he noticed something, Red Iron Dragon suddenly raised his head, his eyes flickering slightly.
Nereus noticed this instant change and looked up at him.
Garos was silent for a few seconds, then grinned.
"My blood relatives have awakened from their slumber."
he said.
Garos has not seen Sorog and Samantha for many years.
He lived a very fulfilling life and had no time to think wildly. He could not even think of missing these two blood relatives, but at this time, knowing that the two had awakened from their deep sleep, his spirits were inevitably a little uplifted.