Chapter Summaries

Garos brought the rescued young dragons to Dragon Valley and explained the terms of their fifty-year allegiance to the Molten Iron Tribe. He appointed Tressie to oversee their growth, and she introduced herself as the Pale Wings, relishing her authority over them.

• Kaxier angrily confronted Heriam for staying behind to cover their escape, but admitted his actions had helped save them.
• Garos assessed the young dragons and had Kaxier explain that they would serve the Molten Iron Tribe for fifty years under its rules and receive support for their growth.
• The young dragons accepted the terms, and Garos arranged food, healing potions, and a nurturer to supervise their training.
• Tressie descended before the young dragons, named herself the Pale Wings, and demanded that they address her by that honorific.

White dragon Tressie established authority over the young dragons by beating and lecturing Kaxier about recognizing differences in strength. Her speech stunned the gathered dragons, but Samantha challenged her for insulting red dragons.

• Kaxier called Tressie a lowly White Scale, while the Green Hatchling Dragon and Black Hatchling Dragon moved behind her.
• Tressie lowered her posture before Garos, who tacitly approved her handling the young dragons.
• Tressie struck Kaxier, then pinned her down when the injured red dragon charged back at her.
• Tressie released Kaxier and lectured the dragons that survival meant adapting to stronger and weaker opponents.
• Samantha confronted Tressie for calling red dragons foolish.

Tressie forced the young dragons to acknowledge her as Pale Wings, then received permission from Garos to teach them ecological hierarchy. The little dragons settled into caves in Dragon Valley, and Tressie began planning lessons intended to keep them alive and loyal.

• Tressie made Kaxier call her Pale Wings, and the other little dragons followed suit.
• Tressie tried to make Kaxier lick her claws, but the Red Iron Dragon stopped her from taking the humiliation further.
• Garos assigned the western cliff caves to the little dragons, who chose nests at different heights according to their standing and caution.
• Garos praised Tressie, allowed her to discipline the little dragons within limits, and warned he would punish her if her mistakes caused problems.
• Garos approved Tressie's theory of ecological hierarchy and told her to teach the little dragons how to survive and remain loyal to Dragon Valley.

Deborah praised Garos’s unusual followers and the influence of his leadership, while Vera joined them and invited Deborah to play riddles. Garos withdrew into Burning Steel Fortress, where the chapter described its hierarchy and the Golden Throne that marked his authority.

• Deborah reflected on Tressie’s Niche Theory and how patience could help young Evil Dragons and Metal Dragons survive.
• Garos said his followers’ qualities came from serving under him, and Deborah praised his discipline, caution, and foresight.
• Vera emerged from a hidden attic and asked Deborah how she differed from other Fairy Dragons; Deborah called her the smartest Fairy Dragon she had seen.
• Vera proposed a riddle game, Deborah agreed, and Garos declined so he could rest after training and battle.
• Garos entered Burning Steel Fortress, whose upper levels held his private domain, treasury, council hall, and Golden Throne, while the lower levels housed reception areas, guards, and attendants.

Garos enjoyed his accumulated wealth in Burning Steel Fortress, using magical gemstones and precious metals to strengthen himself before relaxing under his servants’ care. Two weeks later, Tressie trained four Hatchling Dragons by making them fight her for the right to eat first, then left Kaxier and Heriam to take the best portions.

• Garos swallowed five magical gemstones before his instincts stopped him from eating a sixth, then ate precious-metal ores to strengthen his body.
• Garos summoned twelve Snake-man maidservants, who massaged him while he reflected on becoming King of the Borderlands.
• Tressie brought a powerful beast’s corpse to the Hatchling Dragons and made them thank her before eating.
• Tressie challenged Kaxier, Seraphina, Ludwig, and Heriam to attack her together, then defeated them while testing their abilities.
• Tressie let Heriam and Kaxier eat first, and Kaxier eagerly tore into the beast’s loin meat.

Tressie put the four young dragons through brutal physical and flight training before Sorog assigned each a profession path suited to their talents and Dragon Valley’s needs. Garos revealed that the Southern Kingdoms were drawing Legendary Realm fighters away from the Ser Wilderness, creating an opportunity for the Molten Iron Tribe to advance when war broke out.

• Tressie forced Kaxier, Heriam, Ludwig, and Seraphina to ram heavy blocks and fly with loads as part of their training.
• Sorog summoned the young dragons to Burning Steel Fortress, where they saw Garos and learned they must serve Dragon Valley’s future.
• Sorog assigned Seraphina the Necromancer path, Ludwig the Druid path, Heriam the Storm Sorcerer path, and Kaxier the Wild Dragon path.
• Sorog tasked Tressie with helping Kaxier cultivate the rage required for her path, then said the four young dragons should reach the Young Adult stage before war spread.
• Samantha urged the tribe to return to the Ser Wilderness, but Garos said the timing was not yet right.
• Garos reported that Lothern had recalled its Legendary Realm fighter from the wilderness border, and Sorog concluded that a war among the Southern Kingdoms could leave the region vulnerable to the tribe.

Garos demonstrated his punishing training routine to the young dragons, inspiring them to endure Tressie’s harsh drills. Meanwhile, adventurer Alberto arrived by ship at the Borderlands, eager to learn what was changing the region and who was reshaping its order.

• Seraphina complained that Tressie’s training was too harsh, so Tressie pointed to Garos training in the Hypergravity Field as proof that they had not reached their limits.
• Garos balanced on his wings, curled his body into a tight loop, launched himself into the sky, and immediately continued training.
• Tressie ordered the young dragons to endure resistance training and lashed them, while Garos noticed but returned his attention to his workout.
• The young dragons silently endured their injuries, newly determined to grow stronger, and Garos judged that persistent training could help them survive despite their lazy instincts.
• Alberto boarded a merchant ship bound for the Borderlands without enough money to pay, and the captain made an exception after meeting his sincere gaze.
• As the ship neared the Borderlands, Alberto asked the captain about the region’s changes and the force reshaping its order.

Alberto, a Gold Dragon disguised as an adventurer, learned that the Borderlands were ruled by a mysterious Gold Dragon and revealed his own ambition to impose order through conquest. As his ship approached the Borderlands, he resolved to meet the other dragon and discover how it had claimed the region first.

• The captain told Alberto that the Borderlands had become orderly and that merchants traded safely with its inhabitants under a mysterious king.
• The captain shared the widespread belief that the king was a powerful, benevolent Gold Dragon, and Alberto laughed at the claim.
• Alberto concealed his identity as a Gold Dragon and privately doubted that the king was truly benevolent.
• Alberto reflected on his plan to unite the continent under a centralized Golden Order and his choice of the Borderlands as his first target.
• Alberto decided to meet the rival Gold Dragon as the ship neared the Borderlands.

Alberto Aurelius revealed himself as a Gold Dragon and extorted the Molten Iron Tribe at its riverside outposts under the guise of accepting their respect. Garos suspected Alberto was testing or provoking the tribe and sent Sorog, Red Dragon Samantha, Tressie, and Deborah to meet him while he followed in secret.

• Alberto entertained the sailors with music and dance before leaving the ship and disappearing into the forest.
• Silver Mane Zachary and the Molten Iron Tribe ambushed river beasts with a metal net and enchanted arrows, but one beast transformed into Alberto Aurelius, a Gold Dragon.
• Silver Mane Zachary offered Alberto treasure to appease him, and Alberto claimed it as a gift of respect before flying away with the valuables.
• Alberto repeated his extortion at another Molten Iron Tribe outpost along the Estonia River.
• Garos suspected Alberto was deliberately provoking or testing the tribe and ordered Sorog, Red Dragon Samantha, Tressie, and Deborah to meet him while he followed covertly.

Garos and Deborah deduced that the young Gold Dragon Alberto was using his sense of evil to provoke the Molten Iron Tribe and seize its wealth, so they prepared to confront him with Vera. Alberto sensed the approaching dragons and waited for them at dawn.

• Garos told Deborah that a young adult Gold Dragon had appeared in the Borderlands, and Deborah concluded he might be trying to draw out and defeat the territory’s hidden Evil Dragon before claiming its treasure.
• Garos decided to meet the Gold Dragon and brought Deborah, whose Silver Dragon concealment magic could help hide his Red-Iron Hybrid bloodline.
• Deborah eagerly accepted the plan, and Vera insisted on joining the confrontation against the Gold Dragon.
• Garos agreed to bring Vera and instructed her to stay close to Deborah as the Molten Iron Tribe prepared to move out together.
• Alberto sensed the scents of steel, sulfur, ice, and snow drawing closer and waited calmly for the approaching dragons.

Alberto confronted Sorog, Samantha, and Tressie in the Borderlands, accusing them of evil while concealing his own extortion. After revealing his Conquest Oath and attacking, he discovered that Garos was the true leader and that the dragons had no intention of fighting fairly.

• Sorog questioned Alberto about entering the Borderlands, and Alberto accused the three dragons of enslaving creatures and ruling through evil.
• Sorog showed a recording of Alberto extorting the Molten Iron Tribe, but Alberto defended his actions and demanded the release of the enslaved races and the return of seized wealth.
• Alberto revealed his Conquest Oath, used Conquering Dread, and attacked Tressie while Sorog called for Garos.
• Alberto retreated from the dragons' attacks, but Garos arrived and cut off his escape.
• Alberto tried to provoke Garos into a one-on-one duel, but Garos ordered the Ignas Family Chat Group to attack him together.

Gold Dragon Alberto Aurelius fought Garos and the other evil dragons, but their coordinated attacks overwhelmed him. After Vera tricked him with an illusion and froze him, Garos pinned him down and declared the battle over.

• Alberto charged Garos with Holy Strike, but Sorog, Samantha, and Tressie attacked him from several angles.
• Alberto summoned his Crown Oath to heal his wounds and force Garos to face him, but Garos and the others continued battering him.
• Garos’s attacks exposed the Battleworn Marks beneath his outer scales, and Alberto realized he might not defeat him even in a one-on-one fight.
• Alberto formed the Conquest Halberd, drove the dragons back, and escaped through an opening.
• Vera disguised herself as a Red-Silver Dragon, revealed her trick, and struck Alberto with Frost Breath, sending him crashing into a crater.
• Garos pinned Alberto to the ground, and Alberto’s Crown Oath shattered as Garos declared the battle over.

Alberto Aurelius continued fighting after the Red Iron Dragon defeated him, but the Red-Silver Dragon Deborah stopped the standoff by reminding him of his rejection of elder protection and exposing his reputation among Metal Dragons. Alberto defended his extreme pursuit of the Eternal Golden Order and his right to follow his deepest convictions, leaving his future path unresolved.

• Alberto summoned his Conquest Battle Halberd and tried to strike the Red Iron Dragon, but Dragon Qi arms held the weapon back while the Red Iron Dragon crushed his chest beneath one foot.
• Alberto’s hidden life-saving spell began to activate, prompting Garos and the other dragons to prepare for a desperate final attack.
• Deborah reminded Alberto that he had declared a true powerhouse should not rely on elders, and revealed that Metal Dragon elders used him as a cautionary example for their descendants.
• Alberto dismissed the dragons who criticized him and explained that he would rather pursue his deepest convictions than live cautiously and die with regrets.

Garos defeated Alberto and considered recruiting the unconventional Gold Dragon, but first demanded compensation for the damage and offenses Alberto had caused. Garos offered to overlook the matter, yet Alberto insisted that he be punished.

• Alberto questioned Deborah about why she had joined the Evil Dragons, and Deborah accused him of invading the Borderlands to seize its wealth and territory.
• Alberto admitted that Deborah was right about his motives but maintained that his ambition was not wrong, while Garos praised his sincerity and ideals.
• Garos recognized that Alberto's desire for acknowledgment might make him recruitable and considered making him a powerful ally of the Molten Iron Tribe.
• Garos demanded that Alberto repay the stolen wealth and compensate the Molten Iron Tribe for property damage, threats, and violations of Borderlands law.
• Alberto threatened to escape using his Spell Scale as the dragons closed in, but Garos signaled them to stop and offered to treat him as a companion instead of punishing him.
• Alberto rejected Garos's offer to overlook the incident and firmly demanded that Garos punish him.

Alberto struggled to meet Garos’s tenfold repayment demand and rejected working for him because he would not abandon his ideals. He accepted Garos’s invitation to Dragon Valley, where the fortress and gathered Dragonkin deepened his respect for the Red Iron Dragon, while young dragons mistook Alberto for a captive.

• Garos demanded that Alberto repay ten times the wealth he had plundered, and Alberto admitted he could not pay the sum at once.
• Alberto asked to repay in installments, but Garos proposed employment or commissioned tasks, which Alberto rejected because they would distract him from his ideals.
• Garos invited Alberto to Dragon Valley for a conversation, and Alberto accepted despite the other dragons’ hostile stares.
• Alberto saw Dragon Valley’s fortress and its many Dragonkin, and he recognized Garos’s strength as the force holding them together.
• Kaxier and the other young dragons called Alberto Garos’s captive, and Alberto heard them but pretended not to notice.

At a banquet in Burning Steel Fortress, Alberto explained his ambition to establish a Golden Law and agreed with Garos to become temporary allies in the Ser Wilderness. After the agreement, Alberto shifted into his human form and delighted the gathered dragons by singing and dancing.

• Garos asked Alberto why he had come to the Borderlands, and Alberto described his plan to establish a Golden Law and Eternal Golden Order there.
• Alberto swore to repay his debt within ten years, then said he would pursue his plans in the Ser Wilderness because Garos already ruled the Borderlands.
• Garos proposed that they cooperate against stronger threats before their ambitions made them rivals, and Alberto accepted the temporary alliance.
• Alberto relaxed and changed into his human form, whose cheerful, carefree manner contrasted sharply with his dragon form.
• Alberto played his harp, danced, and invited the dragons to join him while Garos and the others watched in confusion.

Deborah told Garos how her parents baited greedy criminals while traveling in human roles, and proposed that she and Garos try the trick themselves. Alberto departed for the Ser Wilderness after promising to aid Garos, then struck him with his Most Holy Slash and concluded that Garos was not evil.

• Deborah recounted how Aldri and Selina posed as a flamboyant bard and a wealthy noblewoman to lure in criminals and take their riches.
• Deborah suggested that she and Garos disguise themselves as naive adventurers to bait greedy scoundrels, and Garos admitted the scheme sounded entertaining.
• Alberto thanked Garos for hosting him, promised to help if Garos faced a powerful enemy, and exchanged urgent-message methods with him.
• As Alberto prepared to leave for the Ser Wilderness, Garos asked him to use the full force of his Most Holy Slash, and Alberto agreed.
• Alberto struck Garos across the chest, but Garos barely reacted, leading Alberto to believe that Garos was not truly evil.

Alberto challenged Garos to test his strength, was badly injured, and swore a Holy Oath to surpass him. Meanwhile, a staged border clash in the Alva Valley turned into a deadly war after Barton murdered Todd and the Alchemy Golems activated.

• Alberto asked Garos to strike him, endured a devastating blow, then secretly collapsed and healed himself with Holy Healing spells.
• Alberto swore to reject leisure and train until he surpassed Garos, with the Holy Oath binding him to his vow.
• Haltai and Aber patrols met in the disputed Alva Valley and fought an unarmed brawl, which the Haltai soldiers won.
• After Todd signaled their defeat, Barton apologized and stabbed him in the throat with an Alchemy Dagger on orders to intensify the conflict.
• The Alchemy Golems activated, the soldiers reclaimed their weapons, and the border brawl escalated into a bloody war.

Chromium Dragon Eric courted Iron Dragon Laetitia, but Red Dragon Gorsas returned to her territory, killed Eric, and defeated Laetitia. Gorsas left after claiming Laetitia as his possession and declaring his ambition to rule the Ser Wilderness, while Laetitia began considering an alliance against him.

• Eric brought Laetitia a frozen Ironflower Tree and tried to persuade her to accept him as a mate and ally, but she rejected him and drove him from her territory.
• Gorsas ambushed Eric in the sky and killed him, then landed in Sinkhole Territory as Laetitia rushed out to confront him.
• Laetitia attacked Gorsas, but he defeated her and slaughtered the Kin Leaders who came to her aid.
• Gorsas threatened Laetitia over her contact with other male dragons, then declared that he would rule the Ser Wilderness and make her his empire's queen before flying away.
• Laetitia recovered and considered joining forces with other dragons to oppose Gorsas.

More than five years after the Alva Valley Incident, the Haltai and Aber Duchies formally declared war, drawing the Federation’s duchies into opposing camps while the kingdoms watched. Meanwhile, the Molten Iron Tribe grew into a powerful, battle-ready force under Garos Ignas, who had just completed his daily training.

• Haltai and Aber traded accusations over territorial sovereignty, rejected the kingdoms’ mediation, and fought over their claims for more than five years.
• In late summer of New Calendar 256, Haltai and Aber tore up the Federation’s peace treaty and declared war, while other duchies increasingly chose sides.
• The Molten Iron Tribe expanded its population, developed elite warriors, and grew its industrial system and combat Golem forces over five years.
• Ludwig and Seraphina advanced along their dragon paths, while Heriam and Kaxier became Storm Dragon and Wild Dragon, but the Dragonforged Warrior Transformation Plan remained stalled.
• The Molten Iron Tribe’s forces reached an unprecedented peak and awaited orders from Garos Ignas, who had just finished his daily training.