Ladon

Autumn in Ochre Valley had a distinctive palette: the sky stretched vast and high, wheat ears gleamed gold, tobacco leaves rustled, and the sun passed overhead, pouring down light as poetic as an oil painting.

"That's outrageous."

It was afternoon by Bay Lake. Moqi's face was fierce. "I really want to punch Ladon in the face."

Beside him, Xilong and In Tas both nodded, wholeheartedly agreeing.

Not long ago, at lunchtime, Nurturer had announced new rules: food would no longer be distributed equally.

Upon hearing the news, the Dragon Hatchlings reacted differently. The Iron Dragons holding advantageous positions immediately turned, shielding the bloody food within their ranks.

As the Royal Strain among the Heavy-Metal Dragons, they naturally regarded the food as their property. They seized control of it at once and watched the Dragon Hatchlings on the outskirts warily, guarding against a riotous scramble.

Then Ladon stepped forward and planted his feet atop all the bloody food, looking coldly down upon the dragons as he claimed every scrap for himself.

Because the Iron Dragons had their backs to Ladon, at that instant nearly every Dragon Hatchling believed the Iron Dragons had reached an unspoken understanding and jointly completed their absolute control over the food.

Since the dragons had been born, Ochre Valley had never seen such a confrontation. The Iron Dragons bore down upon every other kind of dragon.

After some time, Kelaili turned and left.

Under his lead, the Cobalt Dragons withdrew from the gathering ground one after another. The Iron Dragon group contained not only Ladon, but also formidable figures such as Jelierion and Hidorivi. The Cobalt Dragons could easily suppress the Tungsten Dragons, yet they had no confidence in challenging the Iron Dragons.

Then the Nickel Dragons and Lesser Dragons also lowered their heads in submission. They were the weakest in Ochre Valley. Even the powerful and united Cobalt Dragons had given up the challenge; they had no choice but to obey the Iron Dragons' arrangements.

The Tungsten Dragons were the most numerous in the valley, but none among them was strong enough to step forward. They could only watch and wait for the moment.

Under such circumstances, Ladon was like the alpha wolf of a pack. He ate alone, while the other Dragon Hatchlings could only wait in silence amid the sound of his chewing.

Nurturer had abolished the original equal distribution, but dragons had an order of their own. Once the old rules vanished, the law of the jungle would naturally arise.

They tacitly accepted that the strongest, Ladon, would eat first, followed by the other powerful dragons. The Dragon Hatchlings who came afterward would pick through the leftovers they left behind.

Though this rule was cruel, it was one the dragons could accept.

But Ladon said it was not so.

He had already finished eating, yet he did not leave. He still guarded that heap of fresh meat like a savage beast guarding treasure, using his body to draw a clear boundary that forbade any other dragon from crossing.

"I think I finally see it clearly."

Moqi gritted his teeth. "That bastard Ladon is always trying to put on some huge act."

"Even the Iron Dragons backed down. They must know perfectly well that in a one-on-one fight, none of them can defeat Ladon."

In Tas said softly, "It looks like if we want to change this situation, we can only abandon a dragon's pride and choose to swarm him together."

"What do you think Nurturer is trying to do?"

Moqi asked, "Does she really want to starve us all to death?"

"We can't starve to death."

Xilong shook his head. "In a dormant state, Cobalt Dragons can go two or three months without eating and suffer no problems at all. That's why they gave up so easily back then, without trying to start a war with the Iron Dragons."

"Cobalt Dragons are that hard to kill?" In Tas asked curiously.

"Every Cobalt Dragon is a turtle."

Moqi said, "Those guys move at a snail's pace. Toss them into the wilderness and jungle, and they couldn't hunt on their own at all. If they weren't so hard to kill, they'd have gone extinct long ago."

"One month."

After thinking for a moment, In Tas said, "If Lesser Dragons switched to eating plants and hunted some prey in the valley as well, we should be able to survive."

"That is Nurturer's goal. She will not truly drive the Dragon Hatchlings into a dead end, making us devour the flesh of our own kind or slaughter Gray Dwarves."

Xilong said, "But if we do not want to starve, then we must challenge those stronger than us."

"What does Xilong think?"

In Tas looked into Xilong's eyes and asked, "If you want to attack Ladon, we'll all follow you. If you need help, I can gather some Lesser Dragons too."

"I can invite the other Chrome Dragons," Moqi offered as well.

"What use is gathering Lesser Dragons?"

A low scoff came from behind them. Leijieduolei strode closer and said, "There is no need to rack your brains over getting food. The Iron Dragons have already made a decision. We will not let Ladon continue acting so tyrannically. At dusk, the Iron Dragons will join forces to crush him and establish new rules."

"Good!"

Moqi cheered, then abruptly reacted and looked at Leijieduolei with suspicion.

"Since you're joining forces and swarming him, why didn't you invite Xilong? Do you not value Xilong? Do you not take the second strongest of the dragon group seriously?"

Leijieduolei was startled by such flippant bluntness. He looked down on In Tas and Moqi, but he ultimately still respected Xilong.

After hesitating for a while, Leijieduolei explained, "We believe this is an internal matter for the Iron Dragons. If we invited other dragons to interfere, it would become something else entirely."

"Food for every Dragon Hatchling has become an internal matter for the Iron Dragons?"

Moqi was somewhat angered. There was a portion of the bloody food meant for him too. "Aren't you people being a little too arrogant?"

Leijieduolei fell silent. In his eyes, all the bloody food had clearly been bestowed by the Lineage, while the Iron Dragons were the Lineage's future masters. It had always been an internal matter for the Iron Dragons. Did the other dragon breeds also want to control the Lineage's distribution?

"Fine."

Xilong stopped Moqi from continuing the argument and nodded at Leijieduolei. "Since the Iron Dragons have already made their decision, then I wish you success."

At dusk, food piled up like a mountain once again.

Several Nickel Dragons were eager to try, wanting to seize the food directly from the Kobolds before the gathering began. But Jiazhuosa gave them a single glance, and they immediately shrank back in fear, forced to give up.

"Ladon, you cannot eat all that meat."

Jili stepped out from the crowd and stared at Ladon, who had once again occupied the bloody food. "We respect your strength and are willing to help you maintain order at the gathering ground. But in exchange, we should also receive our own share of the food."

"Whether I can finish all the meat and whether you are qualified to eat meat are two different matters."

Ladon answered calmly.

"Even we are not qualified?"

Jili's face twitched as several Iron Dragons gathered behind him.

"You think you are qualified."

Ladon looked down at him. "Prove it to me."

Roar!

With Jelierion's enraged roar, the Iron Dragons attacked Ladon at once, spewing detonating lightning and fire.

Ladon alone collided head-on with the breath attacks of five Iron Dragons. Faced with the powerful ones surging toward him, he did not retreat. His eyes merely gleamed with savage light as he let out a deep, forceful growl.

Blood Frenzy.

Violent currents of air burst from between Ladon's scales, reinforcing his body again and again beneath its crushing burden. One against five, he roared and bellowed, unstoppable as a landslide.

Amid the chaos, Xilong entered the battle several times, but he favored neither side and merely took his own food. Yet the battle between the Iron Dragons raged like fire. Even with his extreme speed, he could not avoid receiving two wounds.

One came from Jelierion Ember Scar. In his howling frenzy, he had long stopped distinguishing friend from foe. Xilong intentionally tested his strength and passed by Jelierion, only to have a bloody gash torn across his chest.

Xilong watched the wound and nodded faintly.

The other wound was on his shoulder blade, dealt by Ladon. Though Xilong had deliberately tried to evade it, Ladon's sweeping tail still struck him. Flesh split open over his shoulder blade, and the bone nearly shattered.

By then, the battle had already been decided. Ladon panted heavily, his body covered in dripping wounds. He had paid no small price.

But his opponents had been utterly crushed. They lay sprawled every which way across the ground, and not one could stand.

The scene was a complete wreck.

Before this, Ladon had never participated in the Dragon Hatchlings' battles, nor had he ever boasted of his talent or strength. He had merely stood atop the mountain, proud and cold, looking down equally upon every Dragon Hatchling.

Only at this moment did the dragons realize just how peerlessly powerful Ladon was, feeling that terrifying pressure born from bloodline.

"Near-Ancient Species."

Xilong murmured under his breath.

"Looks like I can only go catch fish and crabs."

Moqi looked at the Iron Dragons' miserable state and muttered, "That punch can wait until later."