At the break of dawn and dusk,
The mountains were blanketed with Green Dragons and Gold Dragons, all eerily still, nestled along the shadowy midsection of a massive, smoke-belching volcano. The air was thick with tension. Not far off, a separate group of Gold Dragons stood apart—watching them.
Clack, clack, clack, clack...
Among the gathered dragons, three figures stood out like giants among ants.
Literally.
They were massive—easily several tis, even dozens of tis larger than the others. The largest of them, a Gold Dragon, towered at tens of thousands of feet tall. He was a living myth, a beast so colossal he could blot out the sky.
His na was Thaldran.
An elite Gold Dragon, one of the Ace Units.
And for now, he was acting as the temporary chieftain of the Gold Dragons gathered behind him.
The other two titans were Green Dragons—also Ace Units, both ranked Tier 13. They weren’t Gold Dragons themselves, but belonged to a powerful allied lineage. One was nad Syl’nakar. The other, Saebryn.
"Chieftain, are we really just gonna keep waiting here?" Saebryn growled, his tail lashing the ground in irritation. "You really think this so-called Erald Castle is worth our allegiance? I don’t know... they don’t exactly scream ’powerhouse’ to ."
It was obvious—he didn’t want to be here.
Sure, the Erald Castle supposedly had a Gold Dragon on par with Thaldran, another Ace Unit. But Saebryn wasn’t impressed.
In his eyes, their real target should’ve been the Forest Faction—or at the very least, one of the dominant empires under its banner.
Not this Erald Castle.
A place none of them had even heard of until recently.
Thaldran’s tail flicked once, slow and deliberate. His golden eyes swept over Saebryn with a heavy, commanding gaze. He paused, then turned to Syl’nakar.
"And you?" Thaldran asked calmly. "Is that how you feel too?"
Syl’nakar shook his head with a cool, almost amused smile. "I think we should wait a little longer," he said, voice smooth and composed. "Sure, on paper, the Forest Faction might be our best bet. But let’s not forget—we were cast out by them. Our ancestors were abandoned. And I, for one, have no interest in crawling back."
He glanced toward the distant castle, a glint of curiosity in his eyes.
"This place... heh. Thaldran, don’t you think it’s kind of interesting?"
"But Syl’nakar, don’t you think they’re too weak?" Saebryn cut in, clearly frustrated.
"Weak?"
Syl’nakar tilted his head, amused. "I don’t think so."
"Why not?" Saebryn blinked, genuinely confused. "Look at them—barely eighty Gold Dragons out there. That’s nothing. We’ve got more than that ourselves. How is that not weak?"
"You really think that’s all they’ve got?" Syl’nakar said, exasperated.
"...Isn’t it?" Saebryn asked, even more baffled.
Syl’nakar didn’t answer right away. Instead, he fixed Saebryn with a knowing look.
"Tell —what did you think of that Gold Dragon we saw earlier?" he asked. Then, without waiting for a reply, he continued, "His na’s Auremax. And I’m telling you—he might be even stronger than Thaldran."
Saebryn froze.
"What?" he muttered, stunned.
He turned slowly, eyes wide, staring at Thaldran in disbelief.
Thaldran paused for a mont, then slowly shook his head. His eyes glead with a strange light.
"It’s not just ..." he said quietly. "His power... it might even surpass that of the old chieftain. Auremax isn’t just strong—he’s incredibly strong. A Gold Dragon like no other."
"That’s why I chose to stay."
"Because I think the path he chooses... might give us sothing to think about. And like Syl’nakar, I don’t want to go back to the Forest Faction unless we absolutely have to."
"We were cast out once. I haven’t forgotten that. Not for a second."
"W-What?!"
Saebryn fell silent, stunned.
He’d known Auremax was powerful, sure—but stronger than the old chieftain? That was sothing else entirely.
He didn’t know what to say.
Because soone at that level... yeah, that kind of power was worth sticking around for. Worth watching. Worth considering.
"Thaldran!"
Suddenly, Syl’nakar’s expression shifted. Her eyes widened, and her voice dropped into a sharp, urgent tone.
She’d just felt it—an overwhelming force, barreling toward them at terrifying speed.
And it wasn’t just any power.
It was familiar.
"Such terrifying energy... and... and it feels like..."
"It feels like the power of a Crimson Ultimate Hero from our Green Dragon bloodline!"
Her entire body tensed, every scale on edge. Her instincts scread at her, alarms blaring in her mind.
But at the sa ti...
Sothing inside her stirred.
Her blood.
The ancient Green Dragon blood that ran through her veins—it was reacting. Thrumming with excitent.
Because this wasn’t just any threat.
This was a Hero Unit.
One of theirs.
"They’re here!" Thaldran growled, eyes narrowing into slits as he locked onto the sky—right where that monstrous energy was coming from.
He could feel it too.
And it was getting closer. Fast.
In the very next mont, three figures descended from the sky—Seraphina, Auremax, and Ethan.
Their arrival was like a thunderclap.
"That’s... a Crimson Ultimate Green Dragon Hero at god-tier strength," Thaldran muttered, his voice low with awe. "And her power... it’s already brushing up against King-tier levels. That’s insane. She’s not just strong—she’s terrifyingly strong."
His jaw slackened slightly, and a flicker of shock flashed deep in his eyes.
A King-tier level combatant?
That was the stuff of legends. The kind of power that could shift the balance of entire factions.
And Erald Castle... actually had soone like that?
Damn...
They were way stronger than he’d thought.
With that realization sinking in, Thaldran slowly lifted off the ground, his massive wings stirring the air as he flew toward Ethan and the others. As he approached, he dipped his head respectfully.
"It’s an honor to et you, mighty Lord," he said, his deep voice rumbling with sincerity.
At the sa ti, Ethan’s system interface lit up, displaying detailed stat panels for the three dragons before him.
[Thaldran]
Tier: 14
Race: Gold Dragon
HP: 50,000
Attack: 380.16
Defense: 320
Damage: 435–611
Potential Rating: B
Overall Evaluation: 14-Tier Mythic Ace Unit (51% Evolution Progress)
[Saebryn]
Tier: 13
Race: Green Dragon
Potential Rating: C
Overall Evaluation: 13-Tier Legendary Ace Unit (39% Evolution Progress)
[Syl’nakar]
Tier: 13
Race: Green Dragon
Potential Rating: A
Overall Evaluation: 13-Tier Legendary Ace Unit (63% Evolution Progress)
Ethan glanced over the data, and imdiately got a clear picture.
Thaldran, despite his imposing presence, was probably only on par with Vaelric when he first arrived. Maybe even a bit weaker. Vaelric had already hit 59% evolution progress back then—Thaldran was sitting at 51%.
That gap mattered.
And compared to Auremax? Not even close. They weren’t in the sa league.
As for the two Green Dragons...
Saebryn, with only 39% progress, was basically just a beefed-up version of a standard Green Dragon unit. Nothing too special.
But Syl’nakar?
Now that was interesting.
Not only had she reached 63% evolution progress, but her potential rating was a solid A.
And Ethan trusted the system’s evaluations. An A-tier potential wasn’t sothing to scoff at—it ant she had real value. Maybe even the potential to break through to the next tier with the right resources and guidance.
Yeah... she was worth keeping an eye on.
...
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