Translator: AnubisTL
I... lost?
A near-absurd sense of unreality, like a frigid tide, surged once more over the young gold dragon's proud heart.
Alberto Aurelius—the metallic dragon who had vowed to shroud all nations beneath his wings of conquest and establish an Eternal Golden Order—had actually been defeated here, in these Frontierlands once considered a barren wasteland. And by whom? A pack of evil dragons led by a single... hybrid dragon?
Defeated by opponents younger than him, smaller than him, and whose life grades should have been far below his own?
He had been brutally struck from the glorious skies, smashed into the dust in utter disgrace.
Yet reality was as cold as iron, leaving no room for argument.
The first light of dawn, with a clarity that bordered on irony, fell silently upon the war-torn earth, illuminating his humiliation with cruel precision.
Broken scales, congealed blood, and his massive body half-buried in the mud.
The light also ruthlessly revealed the figure of the red-iron dragon.
It stood like a mountain, its heavy talons crushing Alberto's chest. Its vertical pupils looked down from on high, like a king surveying another overconfident challenger.
"This battle... is not over!"
Deep within Alberto's brilliant gold dragon eyes, fury and defiance burned like an inextinguishable flame.
He unleashed a heaven-shaking roar. In his claws, the Sacred Oath of Conquest condensed into a new Blazing Gold Halberd, while the phantom of the shattered Sacred Oath of the Crown attempted to reform.
It had to be admitted: the innate talent of the gold dragon—the pinnacle of dragonkind—had granted him unparalleled vitality and resilience.
Though his body was now covered in wounds, with scales torn away in multiple places to reveal the bone beneath, these horrifying injuries had yet to leave him critically wounded. Power still surged ceaselessly through his veins, flowing with his dragon blood.
Divine Smite!
Alberto's dragon claws tightened around the halberd of conquest as he thrust it violently upward.
His target was the massive red-iron dragon foot that trampled upon his dignity.
However—
Vroom—!
The halberd, wreathed in golden light, came to an abrupt halt in mid-air just inches from its target. It was as if an invisible, immensely strong giant hand had seized it, preventing it from advancing a single inch further.
Alberto's pupils constricted.
Through his transcendent vision, which perceived energy, he saw clearly: behind the red-iron dragon's majestic frame, two streams of violent, ferocious, and nearly tangible black-red dragon qi soared into the sky.
They twisted and coalesced, forming a pair of monstrous energy arms, thick and corded with muscle, which were now held his shining halberd of conquest in a death grip.
The tyrannical brutality of the dragon qi clashed violently with the pure, sharp Sacred Oath energy at the halberd's shaft, crushing and grinding against each other.
Countless sparks and shards of light sprayed outward as the two forces locked in a stalemate, neither yielding an inch.
Sizzle—!
Dense golden lightning arced across the red-iron dragon's body. Its already massive frame swelled further, the bulging muscles forcing apart its cracked Cold Exploding Scales to reveal a crisscross of battle-scarred patterns. The sight alone radiated an insurmountable aura of oppression.
"Will you continue, Gold Dragon?"
The red-iron dragon slowly increased the pressure of its foot, crushing Alberto's chest. Bones creaked and cracked.
"Cough—"
Alberto spat out broken teeth and blood, his gaze turning unfocused. His fighting spirit had completely vanished. The Sacred Oaths of Conquest and the Crown gradually receded, their sharp edges dulled.
He still had some strength left.
But so did the red-iron dragon.
He couldn't imagine the kind of brutal, perilous battles the other had endured to earn so many battle-scarred patterns before even reaching the young stage. The thought made his own pride—once so smug over a few scars of his own—turn into a bitter, complex knot in his chest.
But...
The humiliation of being pinned underfoot ignited a primal fury. Alberto let out a low growl. An inconspicuous scale on his neck flared with light, unleashing an extraordinary pressure.
It was a dragon might comparable to the one Frostmark had unleashed when he first saw the red-iron dragon "humiliating" his own offspring.
Without a doubt, it was some kind of life-saving spell left by at least a mature dragon.
Garos's eyes flashed, and he immediately retreated.
His dragon's maw parted slightly as thermal energy surged within his body. His destruction dragon breath was already poised to unleash. Iron Dragon Solgorn, Red Dragon Samantha, and White Dragon Treacy were also simultaneously preparing their strongest attacks, standing ready in case the gold dragon chose to fight to the death.
"Dual-Oath Holy Dragon, young stage."
Just then, a low whisper, tinged with a hint of cunning, a touch of amusement, and a metallic resonance, drifted through the air, breaking the sword-drawn tension.
"Eh? Wait, you're Alberto Aurelius, aren't you?"
Red-Silver Dragon Deborah hovered in mid-air, her dragon claw gently stroking her jaw as if confirming something.
Finally, she smacked her lips. The sound was faint, yet it echoed clearly in the ears of every dragon present. "I remember you quite well. You once made a resounding declaration at a gathering of the younger generation in the Endless Sea Dragon Domain."
"A true powerhouse needs no reliance on the protection and charity of their elders. A world and order of one's own should, and must, be created and forged by one's own hands."
"That's what you said, didn't you?"
The young gold dragon's expression froze, and the scales on his neck gradually dimmed.
With the red-iron dragon's suppression gone, he scrambled to his feet, his chest heaving violently as he gasped for breath. He turned to glare at the metallic dragon who had just stabbed him in the back.
"A traitor who keeps company with evil dragons... Who are you? How do you know about me?" he demanded.
Deborah, the Red-Silver Dragon, blinked. Her voice was flat, as if she were merely stating an established fact. "Alberto Aurelius. The most controversial, rebellious, and stubborn gold dragon of the Endless Sea Dragon Domain's younger generation. Possessing extraordinary innate talent and immense potential, yet his personality... tsk, tsk... is utterly erratic, extreme, and insufferably arrogant."
"My parents..."
She tilted her massive dragon head slightly, as if recalling a memory.
"...mentioned you more than once. They used your story as a cautionary tale, lecturing me earnestly to learn from your mistakes and never follow in your footsteps."
She paused, savoring the way Alberto's expression twisted further at her words, before leisurely continuing.
"In fact, as far as I know..."
"Many of your older metallic dragon kin have taken to using you as a living cautionary tale to warn their descendants against straying from the path."
"Have you truly never noticed that your reputation has already spread far and wide?"
"Unfortunately, I'm afraid this fame is not the kind of glory you were seeking."
Alberto was a gold dragon of Lawful Good alignment.
However, his choice of the Oath of Conquest revealed that he was no traditional gold dragon. While many gold dragons walked the Holy Dragon path, those who chose the Oath of Conquest were few and far between.
Alberto's personality was extreme; a slight shift would have pushed him into Lawful Evil.
The only remaining divide between him and pure Lawful Evil was this: deep within his heart, Alberto still considered the value of the lives and the humble feelings of the weak.
His desire to establish the Eternal Golden Order was rooted in a grand ambition—to completely eradicate all sources of evil and suffering in the world, allowing all living beings to thrive under the perfect order he would create with his own hands.
As for pure Lawful Evil...
They held the supreme authority of discipline and rules in the highest regard, yet they cared nothing for the ant-like lives crushed beneath those very rules, nor for the wails and opinions of the weak.
The true purpose of their rules and order was to implement their rule more efficiently and securely, and to seize everything they desired more smoothly.
"I, Alberto Aurelius—"
Faced with the Red-Silver Dragon's merciless exposure and subtle mockery, the Gold Dragon slowly raised his head and extended his tongue to lick the remaining dragon blood from his claws.
"—have never cared for the mediocre masses who cannot comprehend my path."
Though he was in poor condition, his voice remained deep and powerful, like rolling thunder brewing in his chest. "The other dragons find me difficult to get along with, freely denouncing my dreams and accusing me of being too extreme."
"But."
Alberto's gaze pierced through the Red-Silver Dragon before him, looking toward the vast, boundless sky.
"From the long-term scale of this vast universe and infinite time, unless it is a truly immortal and eternally indestructible divine spirit, the thoughts of any intelligent life, any seemingly great action, are essentially meaningless."
"In that case, why should I deny my own truest desires?"
The Gold Dragon Clan possessed a profound foresight far surpassing that of other dragonkind, granting them the ability to perceive the awe-inspiring vastness and eternal flow of time.
Alberto shared this gift.
Yet, his foresight led him down a path unlike any other.
He believed that life, ultimately, was a great inward journey—a quest to discover one's true essence.
Rather than living a "correct" yet mediocre life—one spent treading carefully, concealing his nature, and conforming to expectations—he chose to face the beating heart within, to heed the raw, burning cry from the depths of his soul, to do what he truly desired, to pursue his dreams, and to realize the ultimate value of his existence.
Only then, when the final, inevitable curtain of death fell, could he step into eternal silence with his head held high, without regret, and without shame for the life he had lived as Alberto Aurelius.
(End of the Chapter)
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