Kेलaili

Sunken Hollow, gathering place of the Cobalt Dragons.

It was a depression several meters below the valley floor. Seepage from an underground river left it waterlogged year-round, while dark purple-black silt settled beneath the water, dyeing the entire hollow a dull, murky hue.

Most dragons did not care for such an environment. It looked gloomy, damp, and unclean, the kind of place they would rather keep far away from.

But for Cobalt Dragons, it was simply perfect.

Cobalt Dragons were born to huddle in low places, tucking their claws beneath themselves, soaking their scales in water, pressing their bellies against wet earth, narrowing their eyes and wrinkling the scales on their brows as a cold, sinister gleam seeped from their black pupils.

Mortals who did not understand them would naturally assume that such enormous, evil creatures were contemplating something vicious and brutal, or brewing some earth-shattering conspiracy.

But only their fellow Heavy-Metal Dragons knew that, most of the time, Cobalt Dragons were thinking of absolutely nothing.

When they lay there, they simply lay there, doing nothing but staring blankly into space.

At that moment, seven or eight Cobalt Dragons gradually returned from all corners of the valley. Silently, they walked to their usual spots and waded into the water. The entire hollow was so quiet that only the sound of splashing remained.

Until one Cobalt Dragon slowly edged closer.

"Kेलaili."

The voice was low and carried the thick nasal tone unique to Cobalt Dragons.

The largest Cobalt Dragon in the center did not move.

"Kेलaili."

"Kेलaili."

"Kेलaili."

The Cobalt Dragons all spoke at once, repeating that name again and again.

"Mm... what is it?"

The Cobalt Dragon curled up in the center finally opened his eyes. His enormous body shifted, and his foreclaws stretched out from beneath him, as though a fossil had come alive from the silt.

His scales were deep and dark, blue tinged with purple, nearly gleaming black. Only upon closer inspection did one realize that this dragon hatchling was almost three meters long.

As an ultra-large species, Cobalt Dragons possessed the largest bodies among the Heavy-Metal Dragons, even heavier than Iron Dragons. Yet their necks were thick and short, making their heads appear rather inflexible.

But because of that, they had also lost one of a dragon's crucial weak points.

On the other hand, though Cobalt Dragons had huge bodies, their membranous wings were smaller than those of other dragons. The contrast was so stark that their wings looked like two tiny decorations stuck to either side of their backs.

All of this was the result of the specialized Heavy-Metal Body structure of Heavy-Metal Dragons.

Cobalt Dragons relied entirely on magic to fly and had nearly abandoned aerial combat. They poured all their potential into other parts of their bodies, developing terrifyingly durable organs that earned them the name walking war fortresses.

To a Dragon Family, Cobalt Dragons were extremely important weapons of war and were therefore highly valued. Only by forging an alliance with Marsh Abyss on the Southern Continent had the Ashmark Lineage obtained this batch of Cobalt Dragon eggs and hatched them in Ochre Valley.

These hatchlings were regarded as the links in the chain of the alliance between both sides. Once the eight Cobalt Dragons grew up, their loyalty would be shared by the Marsh Abyss Clan and the Ashmark Lineage.

"There's some new intelligence."

The Cobalt Dragons surrounded the one in the center and spoke slowly. "Ferrum went to the Nickel Dragons' Shattered Stone Grounds yesterday. He fought five alone and won."

Kेलaili shook his head. Perhaps he had been spacing out for too long, because he still seemed a little dazed. "Which Ferrum?"

"The Chrome Dragon, Ferrum Solax. The one who beat Hidorivi before. Turns out the Nickel Dragons had been using his name to cause trouble all along. We thought it was all real before."

Sentence by sentence, the Cobalt Dragons recounted how Ferrum had taught the Nickel Dragons a lesson. The valley was not large, and there were many hatchlings. Any fresh bit of news spread quickly.

"Five Nickel Dragons might be somewhat troublesome for a Chrome Dragon, but was that really worth coming to report?"

Kेलaili muttered.

"The Nickel Dragons really are nothing, but Kेलaili, didn't you say that sooner or later, you would defeat Hidorivi and Ferrum?"

The smallest Cobalt Dragon edged closer as she asked. Though smaller in size, she was livelier than the rest.

"When did I say that?"

Kेलaili, surrounded on all sides, felt rather uncomfortable. Seeing all the Cobalt Dragons crowd closer, he helplessly wriggled his body. "I said it when you were ganging up on me. I nearly forgot it myself. You actually believed that?"

"Of course I believe you." The smallest Cobalt Dragon took it for granted.

"I believe too."

"Believe."

"Believe."

The other Cobalt Dragons all chimed in.

"Because you're our Cobalt-Blue Overlord." The Little Cobalt Dragon said.

"Cobalt-Blue Overlord."

"Overlord."

"Grr."

Cobalt Dragons were born to live in groups. They would choose the strongest member of their clan as the "Cobalt-Blue Overlord."

The so-called Cobalt-Blue Overlord was roughly equivalent to the leader of a dragon pack, holding authority over the clan's territory, distribution of property, and possession of mates.

But unlike other dragon pack leaders, the Cobalt-Blue Overlord could not directly command troops. Once the clan came into conflict or war with outsiders, the Cobalt-Blue Overlord could not use excuses such as governing the territory or remaining behind to direct the battle. He had to lead from the front and enter combat at the very first moment.

It was a responsibility he could not cast aside.

Whenever Cobalt Dragons gathered together, a Cobalt-Blue Overlord would naturally emerge. However, there were no Great Cobalt Dragons in the Ashmark Lineage, so Kेलaili Belivy could only take the position. After all, he was the strongest among the dragon hatchlings.

"Kेलaili."

The Cobalt Dragons crowded even closer. "You're the strongest among us. Your scales are a layer thicker than ours, your claws are much harder than ours. If you tighten your muscles, you can snap our teeth. Even if we all bit you together, we couldn't bite you to death."

"That's because you're too weak."

Kेलaili rolled around, refusing to let them come any closer. "Compared to Iron Dragons and Chrome Dragons, I'm nothing."

"Have you tried?"

"You haven't tried."

"Try it."

The Cobalt Dragons began talking over one another again. Kेलaili found the disorderly noise irritating enough to vex him.

He truly had never measured himself against other dragon species. In truth, Kेलaili's mind was fairly quick, and it was not as though he absolutely had to reject his companions' wishes.

It was only that one night half a year ago, while he was sleeping, he had vaguely seemed to hear someone singing.

Ever since then, Kेलaili had always felt terribly heavy and exhausted, without the strength to move around. Other than eating at the gathering grounds, he only lay in Sunken Hollow and slept, never interacting with other dragon species at all.

He had told his companions about it, but not one believed him. Either they said he was lazy, or they teased him, claiming a devil was clinging to him and specifically sucking a dragon's vital blood and energy—something none of the others could see.

Yet as the drowsiness persisted, Kेलaili's body continued to grow. Recently, in terms of sheer size, he had even surpassed Ladon, once the largest and strongest dragon in the pack.

Of course, Kेलaili himself knew that he was still far behind Ladon.

"Why can Ferrum challenge Hidorivi? Why can a Chrome Dragon challenge an Iron Dragon, but you can't? You clearly said the same thing."

The smallest Cobalt Dragon refused to let up.

"Chrome Dragons have something wrong with their heads. I don't."

Kेलaili muttered.

That remark struck a chord with every Cobalt Dragon present. They all nodded, deeply convinced.

In the minds of Cobalt Dragons, Chrome Dragons definitely had something wrong with their brains.

Because even when they had nothing to do, Chrome Dragons always wanted to test whether they were sharp. Whenever they saw something, they wanted to poke it, stab it, and cause damage and trouble. They were truly dreadful companions.

And in the Dragon Legacy of Chrome Dragons, Cobalt Dragons had an entirely different image.

Those fellows were stupid, lazy, and old-fashioned. They always wanted to retreat to ancient times when even dragons had yet to become civilized. Though they belonged to the evil faction, they could never manage proper evil deeds. As long as there was somewhere beneath their bellies to lie down, they could lower their intelligence to the level of a hippopotamus with a clear conscience.

With their antiquated scales and bloated organs, they had not made the slightest progress in millions of years.

"A bunch of turtles."

That was how Chrome Dragons always described Cobalt Dragons.

"Whatever the case, since a Chrome Dragon can challenge an Iron Dragon, then a Cobalt Dragon can naturally do the same. Kेलaili, you have to defeat Hidorivi. He isn't second anymore, but third. You need to make him fourth. Believe in yourself. We all believe in you too. You're the strongest. You can do it."

The Cobalt Dragons patiently tried to persuade him.

"Stop trying to fool me."

Kेलaili grabbed the nearest Cobalt Dragon and flung her away. "You just want to watch me get beaten to death, so no dragon will compete with you for the spot in the center of Sunken Hollow."

"How can you say that?"

The Cobalt Dragons looked a little embarrassed. "If you're really afraid of fighting Hidorivi, you could challenge Ferrum instead."

"Challenge Ferrum?"

Kेलaili was utterly shocked. "I was joking before, but now I'm certain. You really do want to watch me get beaten to death."

"We Cobalt Dragons are harder to kill than any other dragon species. And you're our Overlord—how could you die so easily? Chrome Dragons and Cobalt Dragons are known as the sword and shield beneath the Iron Throne. Chrome Dragons may seem to be good at killing us, but in truth, we counter them too."

"Nonsense."

"It's not nonsense."

The Cobalt Dragons spoke in their muffled, slow voices as they analyzed, "Chrome Dragon claws are sharp, especially that Ferrum's. Every claw toe is like a blade. Leaving aside how he amputated the Nickel Dragons, even Hidorivi was slashed until he was covered in wounds."

The Cobalt Dragon who had been thrown away crawled back over. "I watched that fight. Every time Hidorivi attacked, Ferrum dodged. Hidorivi couldn't catch him even when he took the initiative. He was furious to death and charged around outside the mine like a mad bull. In the end, he exhausted himself so badly that he couldn't stand, and that was why he lost."

"But we're different from Iron Dragons. We don't need to attack first. We do not even need to strike back. If a Chrome Dragon charges at us and touches our scales and blood, he'll be caught and injured, corroded and contaminated."

"Chrome Dragons cannot endure corrosion, and their physiques are weak. They must cherish their scales, claws, and teeth. When attacking us, they will definitely have to be cautious and cannot unleash their full strength. That will only drag the battle out longer, and the longer the tug-of-war lasts, the more advantageous it is for us."

"We Cobalt Dragons fear nothing. The only thing we fear is Chrome Dragons older than us. Those are the ones we can neither block nor escape. The dragons in Ochre Valley are all our age. There's nothing to fear."

The Cobalt Dragons all offered plans and brought out information from their Dragon Legacy.

"Overlord, we truly don't want to watch you get beaten to death. We only want you to show what you can do. We're Higher Species, after all."

The smallest Cobalt Dragon spoke with a solemn expression. "We heard that story too. When Ferrum first fought Hidorivi half a year ago, he got beaten up as well. He hated it to the marrow, went back and trained bitterly for half a year, and only then defeated Hidorivi. Chrome Dragons aren't afraid of losing, and neither are we. Cobalt Dragons live longer than any other dragon. As long as we aren't killed, there's nothing to fear."

"Half a year ago."

Kेलaili finally opened his eyes. His black pupils flickered faintly. This time, he was truly beginning to think.

He pondered for a while, then tucked his foreclaws beneath himself again. "But I lie in Sunken Hollow every day. Those dragons haven't come to provoke me. How am I supposed to ask them to fight?"

"Overlord..."

The Cobalt Dragons began to coax and pester him.

"I know you want to show off too. After all, we came from Marsh Abyss. We can't keep letting the Ashmark Lineage look down on us. Enough. Wait until after Dragonbirth Day. I can feel the burden on my body fading. The devil should be about to leave. After that, I'll go all out and fight a battle."

Kेलaili answered gloomily.

Then his expression abruptly changed, and he snarled fiercely, "But for now, get out of my way. The Cobalt-Blue Overlord needs to take an efficient nap."