Second Place

Outside the abandoned mine.

Hidorivi approached slowly with a cold expression, glancing at the Chrome Dragon before him.

He was somewhat surprised. He had watched Ferrum's combat techniques clearly from the sidelines.

From slipping past and extending his claws to darting and maneuvering, Ferrum had subdued Leijieduolei twice in an extremely short time. Each time had been clean and decisive, and he had shown no pride after winning. That meant he had been confident from the start.

How could a Chrome Dragon have been so confident when fighting an Iron Dragon?

"Your claws are excellent. They can tear through an Iron Dragon's scales."

Hidorivi said, "Sharp claws and fangs, agile movements, an understanding of combat and adaptability—whether Heavy-Metal Dragons or Lesser Dragons, all are qualified to challenge us. Leijieduolei's loss to you this time is no disgrace."

"I came looking for you today," Ferrum said.

"Do you need to rest? Or are you ready already?"

Hidorivi said proudly, his eyes fixed on Ferrum's claws.

"Come!"

As Ferrum finished speaking, the two Heavy-Metal Dragons moved at once.

Steel-gray and black-iron glints intertwined beneath the blazing sun, producing sharp sounds like clashing metal.

Hidorivi was not particularly fast. He had already seen through Ferrum's tactics: nothing more than seizing the gaps in an enemy's attacks, borrowing force to force out mistakes, then winning by locking down the opponent's vital points.

As long as one controlled their body precisely enough and could freely regulate their strength, they would not easily step into a Chrome Dragon's trap.

Ferrum was struck by the fierce force and forced to retreat again and again. Hidorivi was no weak opponent. He was the second-strongest among the Dragon Hatchlings. Even after prolonged training, Ferrum still could not surpass this Iron Dragon in raw strength alone.

Hidorivi narrowed his eyes. The instant the Chrome Dragon was knocked back, he immediately seized an opening and rapidly pursued, swiping down with unstoppable momentum as the wind wailed around his claws.

The Chrome Dragon did not dare meet his tremendous strength head-on and swept backward again.

Seeing this, the Iron Dragons let out low chuckles. This was Hidorivi's tried-and-true strike. It looked overbearing and irresistible, but in truth, he had not used his full strength at all.

He withdrew the move in midair. His claw strike did not land. Instead, his bright red eyes remained locked on the direction in which the Chrome Dragon had dodged. Then he suddenly lunged forward, reaching directly for where the Chrome Dragon would land.

Using that claw strike, Hidorivi completely changed the rhythm of the battle and firmly seized the initiative.

Many Iron Dragons had lost to this move. As long as they dodged, he would attack their landing point in advance, leaving them no time even to counterattack.

In the Iron Dragons' eyes, the only way to break it was to do as Jelierion did: neither dodge nor evade, but meet Hidorivi head-on.

But Jelierion dared do that because he was powerful enough to be confident he could overwhelm Hidorivi with strength.

Which other Heavy-Metal Dragon or Lesser Dragon dared stand tall instead of retreating before an Iron Dragon's claws? Even the Cobalt Dragons, known as heavy shields, could not manage it, could they?

In a flash, Hidorivi had already pounced toward the Chrome Dragon's landing point. The two were separated by no more than milliseconds. There was absolutely no time to dodge again.

Seeing this, all the Iron Dragons believed Hidorivi had already won.

But only Ferrum's foreclaws touched the ground.

He seemed to have predicted Hidorivi's pursuit. Riding the remaining momentum of his dodge, his two claws clamped into the ground like iron pincers. Using his foreclaws as the center point and relying on the powerful force in his waist and abdomen, he pulled his entire body into the air.

The Chrome Dragon's body spun through the air with a howl, tracing a huge circle like a savage flail sweeping across the battlefield.

That heavy tail covered in steel-gray scales struck the pursuing Hidorivi in the face with tremendous force.

With a heavy boom, the two-meter-long Iron Dragon, as weighty as rock itself, was actually sent tumbling over and slammed down sideways.

"Roar!"

Moqi roared in support, so excited he nearly jumped up, drawing sidelong looks from many Dragon Hatchlings.

At some point, many Heavy-Metal Dragons had gathered around the field. There were Cobalt Dragons, Tungsten Dragons, and Nickel Dragons, along with some Lesser Dragons hiding in the distance to watch.

Hidorivi shook his head and stood up, spitting out a mouthful of filthy blood. He had no idea how many teeth had shattered, and his struck jawbone was visibly cracked as searing pain surged through him.

He was somewhat stunned.

That blow was no less powerful than one of Jelierion's fierce strikes, yet his opponent was clearly only a Chrome Dragon. He had no idea how Ferrum had swung with such enormous force.

Ferrum slowly drew back his tail.

Never underestimate a dragon's tail. As a dragon's fifth limb, when used properly, it could gather the strength of the entire body and unleash force far greater than claws or fangs. Even a Dragon Hatchling could shatter rock and smash steel.

Hidorivi's eyes flickered, and his expression turned savage.

In his eyes, Ferrum was no longer merely a challenger, but an opponent who demanded his full strength. This opponent's style was completely different from that of the Iron Dragons—flexible, ever-changing, sharp, and dangerous.

This was the first time he had personally experienced the sharpness of a Chrome Dragon, rather than merely reading hollow descriptions in the Dragon Legacy.

Hidorivi felt his heartbeat quicken, his blood grow scorching hot. Blazing battle intent tugged at his nerves, and he could not help wanting to roar to the skies.

"Roar!"

Hidorivi roared thunderously, his voice like a heavy hammer striking an iron anvil.

Ferrum steadied himself. His scales reflected a cold sheen beneath the blazing sun. He did not blindly press the attack. Although that blow had badly injured Hidorivi, his tail had also become stiff and painful, as if he had struck solid steel.

I need to start preparing. Once the ability's active period ends, I'll undergo Consume Gold, Absorb Iron a second time.

He thought silently.

A fierce wind howled as a massive body drew a black afterimage.

It was a savage charge forged from power and body weight, without any flashy technique. Hidorivi turned his entire weight into a roaring war chariot and rammed straight at Ferrum.

Since he could not match the Chrome Dragon's agility, he would return to the essence of an Iron Dragon and use absolute strength to crush his opponent together with all those refined techniques!

The watching Tungsten Dragons and Nickel Dragons all shrank their necks, seemingly intimidated by Hidorivi's overwhelming advance, and instinctively backed away.

Yet Ferrum charged to meet him.

The two darted and pounced across the vast field, displaying a level far beyond the fights of Dragon Hatchlings.

With astonishing strength, Hidorivi forcibly resisted tremendous momentum and inertia. Each time, he started at extreme speed and stopped just as abruptly, charging wildly around outside the abandoned mine.

His scales and bones creaked and groaned painfully, but Hidorivi paid no attention, roaring as he pursued the Chrome Dragon at a mad sprint.

Faced with high-speed biting and grappling, Ferrum used another method.

He lunged toward Hidorivi at full speed, but at the instant before they collided, he drew his right wing tight while his left wing burst open like an enraged battle flag.

The air wailed as immense resistance forcibly dragged at his left side, sending the Chrome Dragon's body into an exaggerated arcing drift.

Ferrum slid with the motion, sweeping low along the ground past Hidorivi's fangs while delivering a powerful bite of his own.

Across twelve exchanges, Hidorivi only truly struck his opponent once. That time, he broke the Chrome Dragon's right wing.

But his opponent left him with more injuries, and worse ones.

Each time, the Chrome Dragon attacked like a blade, repeatedly slicing across his shoulder blades. The strikes were so precise and sharp that even layers of iron scales could not protect him. Savage muscles and tendons rolled into view, the wounds deep enough to expose bone, blood pouring freely.

Hidorivi took a deep breath, his eyes burning fiercely like fire. At the moment Ferrum's fangs came down, a complete opening for attack appeared as well.

He decided to end this battle.

The Iron Dragon's hind legs sank heavily into the gravelly ground, firmly pressing down his entire weight.

This was a killing move from the Dragon Legacy. Hidorivi had never used it on any other Dragon Hatchling before. Only Jelierion had trained with him, helping him correct the shape of the technique and the methods of exerting force.

After practicing over and over, Hidorivi believed he could finally use it in battle. He had that confidence.

Ferrum's bite came down, his fangs piercing the skin as shattered scales and blood sprayed out.

But when he looked over, what he saw was Hidorivi's face, so solemn it was almost devout.

His battle instincts sounded the alarm, and the Chrome Dragon immediately sensed danger.

The next second, Hidorivi moved. His broad chest suddenly contracted, and the muscles of his chest, abdomen, shoulders, back, and wing roots all collapsed inward in an instant.

He raised a forelimb at Ferrum and drove that claw straight out.

"Shhk—"

A piercing metallic explosion suddenly rang out beyond the abandoned mine.

That dark, heavy claw was too ruthless, too fast. It exploded in a straight line over an extremely short distance, like a solid cannonball violently fired from point-blank range.

Ferrum had no time to react. Relying solely on battle instinct, he tensed his entire body, released his fangs, and violently threw his head backward.

Hidorivi's claw tips passed in front of Ferrum's face without hitting him.

Yet that straight thrust had extended with full force, and its speed was so great that it produced a violent vacuum shockwave. It was clearly no spell, but the turbulent airflow pressed down on Ferrum like magic, forcing him toward Hidorivi's claws!

Ferrum felt a weight settle behind him as the sudden air pressure pressed tightly against his back. The force was not especially powerful, but in a white-hot battle, even the slightest variable could be fatal.

At the same time, Hidorivi's outstretched massive claw followed through with its forward momentum and twisted sharply back in midair.

His five spread claws curled inward savagely. His thick finger bones locked one segment at a time from excessive force, like five sharp wedges cast from raw iron. Combined with the pressure of the shockwave, they sought to pin Ferrum in place and pierce through him!

The danger was unpredictable and deadly.

Ferrum's body had long been tensed. In that critical instant, he neither bent over and threw himself down nor crouched to leap. He simply locked all his already-tensed clawed toes and drove them into the hard rock beneath his feet with cold, brutal force.

"Crack crack crack crack crack..."

Within milliseconds, crisp metallic friction exploded continuously from his toe bones. Ferrum pressed the terrifying mass of nearly a ton across all ten finger bones gripping the rock.

It was as if he stood on a vertical cliff with a bottomless abyss beneath him.

His clawed toes, from extreme congestion, pressure, and friction, had actually changed from steel-gray to a faintly glowing dark red.

There was no time to notice more details, because Hidorivi's massive claw had arrived. At the instant the air pressure closed in, the finger bones Ferrum had locked into the ground erupted with rebounding force!

"Bang—"

The rock beneath the Chrome Dragon shattered, and large chunks of stone sprayed in every direction like buckshot. Ferrum made no dodging movement, yet he suddenly shifted sideways without warning, leaving Hidorivi's attack range.

This movement was not produced by pushing off the ground at all. Instead, it used the explosive thrust of rebounding joints to achieve a short-range, unpredictable displacement.

There was no visible rise or fall in his body, leaving Hidorivi completely without warning.

The Iron Dragon's certain grasp missed entirely. Having lost its target, his five claws slammed viciously together, ringing with a piercing metallic clang. Sparks actually flew.

Ferrum burst backward, several scorching sparks flashing before his eyes.

He panted heavily, realizing the terror of that strike.

Hidorivi panted heavily as well.

Even as an Iron Dragon, he was still only a Dragon Hatchling. He could not bear the tremendous strain that the killing move placed on his body.

Combined with his constant blood loss and exhausted stamina, Hidorivi could no longer hold on. His limbs trembled, and he collapsed to his knees from weakness.

One stood, while one fell.

"You won."

Even under the gaze of the gathered dragons, Hidorivi did not argue or persist. He straightforwardly admitted his defeat.

The surroundings fell silent. Whether Heavy-Metal Dragons or Lesser Dragons, all had been intimidated by their savage clash and could not say a word.

Compared to such a brutal battle, the Dragon Hatchlings' earlier fights had seemed like play.

"Roar! The Chrome Dragon won! Did you all see that? Ferrum won! He defeated Leijieduolei and Hidorivi! He's second among the dragon clan now! He's stronger than every one of you dragons! Ha ha, ha ha!"

Only Moqi bounced around in place, his tail whipping wildly as he cheered loudly with excitement, announcing the battle's outcome to every Heavy-Metal Dragon.

Ferrum walked a few steps closer and looked at Hidorivi. "That move of yours was good. What is it called?"

"Wedge Form."

Hidorivi was expressionless. "My physique is too weak, and my strength is insufficient. If it had been Jelierion, you would not have had a chance to dodge."

"It truly is a dangerous technique."

Ferrum nodded seriously, showing that he believed him. "Can you teach me?"