Alberto’s bloodshot vertical pupils locked tightly onto Galos, his massive Dragon Wings slightly raised.
Accompanied by a flicker of subtle Alchemy Tool light.
One massive chest after another crafted from heavy solid wood, reinforced with tal edging, appeared as if from thin air, dropping heavily between the stone-c cliffs he stood upon, emitting dull thuds and raising a cloud of dust.
"This is thirty percent of the original debt and interest."
Alberto said with pain.
The Red Iron Dragon’s gaze calmly swept over those chests, nodding slightly.
Almost as he nodded, a group of well-trained dragons of varying sizes soared out from the shadows of Burning Steel Castle, deftly picking up the heavy wooden chests one by one, quickly carrying them away from the valley cliffs.
"These are things that originally belonged to ."
"Whether you challenge or not, they will be returned sooner or later and cannot be considered part of the stakes in this challenge."
The Red Iron Dragon said.
"I know."
Alberto said, "It’s just paying back a part in advance."
He exhaled a breath, then said in a deep voice:
"If I lose, I will owe you an additional amount equivalent to double the original total debt."
"But if I win, then it will be enough to prove that I am already stronger than you. Unquestionably strong. Completely surpassing you."
The thick neck of the Red Iron Dragon, covered in heavy Scale Armor, also gently swayed, emitting a faint tallic scraping sound.
Indeed.
It had been so ti since he last had a proper workout and enjoyed an intense battle.
But seeing the eager expression on Alberto, Galos didn’t mind exchanging a few more words with him.
"Alberto, you seem keen to win this battle."
He shook his head and said, "The odds of victory, in my eyes, do not seem high."
"If you lose, it will be even harder to pay off your debts completely."
"Are you sure you still want to challenge ?"
The massive head of Golden Dragon Alberto, covered in golden scales, nodded heavily.
No hesitation whatsoever.
No doubt at all.
It seed he had already put the so-called consequences out of his mind.
In reality, he was shouldering the risk of increasing debt to challenge this King of Molten Iron, famous across the Border Area, not out of a common sense of competitiveness.
The root of it lay in that nearly self-destructive ironclad vow he made five years ago in a mont of youthful recklessness and impulsivity
—Before genuinely defeating and thoroughly surpassing Red Iron Dragon Galos, he, Alberto, would forgo all forms of entertainnt and leisure activities. He would devote himself entirely, without reservation, to the training and honing of his limits.
In the initial two years, under the constraints and motivation brought by this vow,
Alberto, day after day, night after night, squeezed his potential. He was imrsed in the fulfillnt brought by this extre practice, enjoying it with a heart full of high spirits and the belief of inevitable victory. It seed as if surpassing Galos was just around the corner.
However.
As ti rcilessly flowed into the third year, enthusiasm began to wane.
A deep-seated fatigue, like vines, quietly wrapped around his body and mind.
He began to yearn for a little relaxation of his tense nerves, even if just a short gaze at the starry sky or a lazy sunbath.
But.
Because he had initially set the vow so resolutely and harshly to enforce his resolve,
forget about entertainnt and relaxation.
Even the most basic, adequate rest turned into a luxurious desire.
The Holy Dragon’s pride in its recuperative abilities.
At this mont, however, it turned into a curse.
Whenever he trained himself to the point of exhaustion, collapsing like mud, the vow would soon transform into an invisible fla, compelling him like his back was on fire, to climb up imdiately and plunge back into the rigors.
Even more agonizing was the fact that.
His grand aspirations, his dream of shaping a perfect Golden Law, all these grand visions of the future could only, under the push of the vow, be squeezed out during pitifully short breaks, squeezed between cracks to think and construct.
The entire dragon was like a spinning top lashed by an invisible whip, never finding any leisure.
For five years, a full five years!
He was so busy that he almost doubted the aning of a dragon’s life.
Even his inherently obsessive nature had been worn down and diluted quite a bit in this endless grinding.
Finally—
He endured until today, five years later.
Alberto could no longer bear it, and a voice was roaring deep within him:
After these five years of what could be called purgatorial extre tempering.
The noble Dragon Blood, the potential within him, had almost been squeezed to the limit, pushed to the limit.
He had grown considerably compared to five years ago.
With his potential, with his talent, with his uninterrupted effort over these five years... he might not be weaker than the Red Iron Dragon now.
"I’ve made up my mind!"
Alberto’s voice was firm and decisive: "Galos, accept my challenge."
As his words fell.
Alberto’s sharp foreclaw, covered in thick golden scales, slashed through the hard stone cliff, creating several deep, unfathomable gouges.
His strong limbs suddenly crouched, muscles tensing and bulging like golden cables in an instant.
The entire massive and heavy dragon body slightly lowered, like a giant golden bow drawn to its limit.
The whole dragon was already ready to go, an arrow set on the string, poised like thunder.
"Then co, challenger."
Galos’ voice remained calm, announcing the start of the challenge.
Whoosh—!
The Red Iron Dragon’s pair of majestic Dragon Wings, covering the sky, unfurled completely.
With what seed like a casual swing, a fierce gale was born out of nowhere.
Then, he transford into a scarlet teor tearing through the heavens, soaring straight up without flourish, piercing into the vast sky.
"I must win."
Golden Dragon Alberto roared inwardly.
Buzz—!
Buzz—!
Two beams of sacred and majestic light suddenly lit up.
A crown symbolizing authority, emanating brilliant golden light, appeared at once on his high head, and the Holy Oath Battle Halberd, symbolizing the will to conquer and engraved with ancient vows, also shone with glaring brilliance, materializing from pure energy, firmly grasped in his imnse dragon claw.
The fully ard young Golden Dragon, bathed in the sacred glow all over.
His massive golden Dragon Wings also fully flapped at this mont, the entire dragon transforming into a golden lightning bolt tearing through the sky, fiercely following, surging towards the turbulent, boundless sky.
anwhile.
Apart from the Red Silver Dragon Deborah, who still stood elegantly at the edge of the fourth-level watchtower of Burning Steel Castle, resting her Dragon Claw above her brow like she was watching a drama, gazing upwards.
In the training ground below.
White Dragon Trish had long paused the "education" of the two young dragons.
Now, she was watching with great interest, together with the Black Dragon Seraphina, who had just climbed up from the ground, and the thoughtful Green Dragon Ludwig, focusing on the two figures about to collide in the sky.
"The ecological position of Golden Dragons in the mainstream Dragon Race system is indeed very high."
White Dragon Trish coolly analyzed in her mind.
"In the eyes of other species, and even to most of the Five-Colored Dragons and tal Dragons, they naturally appear majestic, sacred, and noble."
"But—"
Her heart gave a silent scoff.
"—he insists on challenging Galos, a Red Iron Dragon whose ecological position is essentially higher than his."
"A lower-ranked challenges a higher-ranked, fearing the end will only bring another ti of being crushed and humiliated."
She didn’t need to see the process; she had already foreseen the result.
"Hm, that ignorant Golden Dragon."
The slender, long, and bright green tail of Green Dragon Ludwig swayed, letting out a disdainful chuckle.
"The mighty King of Molten Iron will soon have him kneeling in surrender," he said sotto voce.
Beside him, the Black Dragon Seraphina, who had just struggled to get up from the ground, also silently nodded in agreent.
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