Under the Red Dragon.

Chapter 420 The Weak

"Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous! How can a naturally noble dragon surrender without a fight?"

As the numerous sub-dragons and lesser dragons were immersed in the awe and silence of Behemoth's depiction of the golden empire, Morton, the iron dragon who could no longer contain himself, finally roared out.

"You young dragons and wyverns, along with some oddities of magical beasts, think you can intimidate us with words and force us to surrender without a fight? You think you can crush our courage to fight with your boastful words?"

The resounding dragon roar suppressed the unease in the hearts of the lesser dragons and the iron dragons. Only these dragons could know just how terrifying the scene Behemoth described was.

If what Behemoth said is true, then the Golden Empire does indeed possess the power to crush the Midar Plane and the Steel Kingdom with the force of a mountain crushing pebbles.

Not only could Morton the Iron Dragon not imagine that such a kingdom created by five-colored dragons could exist in the world, but the other sub-iron dragons and secondary dragons present could not understand such a situation either.

However, these sub-dragons and secondary dragons were intimidated by the unprecedented confidence and aura displayed by Behemoth and Nero the Red Dragon, which almost convinced the other dragons present that it was true.

It wasn't until Morton the Iron Dragon roared that the intimidated minds of these dragons and lesser dragons were awakened.

Morton the Iron Dragon roared with furious power, which also awakened the fighting spirit of the lesser dragons and the sub-iron dragons. One after another, dragons of different appearances and postures began to display their fighting stances on the high ground of the city.

These dragons and lesser dragons, ashamed of their brief moment of cowardice and silence, fixed their malicious and cruel eyes on Behemoth and the red dragon Nero, and a powerful dragon aura began to rise above the city.

"Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown."

Iron Dragon Morton finally displayed the pride and arrogance of the Steel King, raising his magnificent dragon head high and looking down at the enemy before him.

The cold dragon language emanated from Morton's fangs, carrying an unwavering resolve. Even if Morton, the Iron Dragon, believed Behemoth's words to be true, he would never yield so easily; it was the pride inherited from the bloodline of the Iron Dragons for thousands of years and the hatred for the five-colored dragons.

“My goal is simply to become Garugsingo, the supreme dragon of all the sub-dragons, but since Kalon Goggmora possesses a grander ambition than mine, let him achieve it himself, rather than trying to achieve his goal through simple deception and intimidation.”

Morton roared, "Kalon Gogmora, that five-colored dragon, wants to become the emperor of all dragons? Then let me see if he truly has the strength to bear that title, and let me see if his strength matches his arrogance and hubris, which are a thousand times greater than mine!"

"I have made up my mind. You despicable outsiders will be completely left on this land this time, becoming the bones that form the foundation for my path to becoming the true supreme dragon!"

"The army will launch an attack, and all the warriors will fight with all their might to kill these outsiders. The one who achieves the greatest merit will become the ruler of a major city in the Middle Plane!"

Morton, the Iron Dragon, slammed his claws against his metal fortress. The Iron Throne, serving as the magical defense hub of the entire city, instantly unleashed all its accumulated energy, and a torrent of magic and elemental power surged between heaven and earth.

A spell-like phenomenon—Metal Frenzy—began to emerge from the operation of the entire magic circle. With the immeasurable supply from the Iron Dragon Morton, every legionary warrior who stepped out of the city began to be enveloped in a thin layer of metal.

This thin metal ring initially remained only around the bodies of these warriors, but once it encountered a physical attack, the metal frenzy would spontaneously activate, carrying the power to repel all mortal metal creations.

Although the magical effect of this group buff may not be particularly powerful when distributed among individual warriors, it is an extremely excellent legion-level magic on the battlefield.

These legionary warriors and serpent monsters began to venture out of the main city, spreading out around the city to join the defenders on the city walls in guarding against the Golden Empire's attack and the restless, earth-digging monsters.

The mages on the city walls, loyal to Morton the Iron Dragon, began raising their staffs and chanting incantations to create anti-magic fields, ready to use the properties of this magic to instantly deflect the arcane attacks locked onto by the six powerful Titan golems.

Although this temporary countermeasure depends on the mental reaction speed of these mages, it is already an effective way for them to think of a long-distance interference with those Titan golems that are difficult to harm with swords and spears and difficult to affect with magic in a short period of time.

Meanwhile, Morton the Iron Dragon led twelve teenage iron dragons and thirty-six young secondary dragons, flapping their enormous wings and creating powerful gusts of wind as they swooped down from the sky.

These sub-iron dragons and secondary dragons were so powerful that the winds they stirred up swept up dust across the land as they swooped down with undeniable killing intent.

Countless metal arrows converged into a silver torrent, hurtling towards the flock of dragons in the sky under the claws of the iron dragon Morton.

The reason why dragons are feared by civilized nations in the mortal world is not only because of their innate perfect qualities and formidable strength, but also because of their mobility.

Once a dragon is no longer influenced by its own bloodline and displays perfect rationality and wisdom, even a young dragon is enough to contend with a powerful kingdom on its own.

When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy retreats, we attack. This is the guerrilla tactic best suited for dragons.

Nero, the Red Dragon, once perfected this tactic in the Middle Plane, to the point that even though these sub-iron dragons possessed the power and means to overwhelm Nero, they couldn't even touch this Red Dragon.

But today, this young red dragon arrogantly stands in the center of the battlefield. Even with thousands of dragon legions and the Titan golems led by Behemoth, these iron dragons are determined to pay a price to completely slay this red dragon on the spot.

"Hehehe,"

A wild laugh burst from between Nero's fangs. Faced with this terrifying attack, Nero remained unmoved, simply perched proudly on the ground and letting out a deep, resonant laugh.

This young red dragon has now grown into the purest form of a red dragon, its muscles bulging beneath its vibrant red scales, and its blade-like claws and battering ram-like tail are weapons created for battle.

"Morton, you keep saying that your future goal is to become the Dragon King who rules over all the Iron Dragons and to become Garugsingo, then I suppose you will not be afraid of my challenge!"

Nero's massive body stood upright, head held high, and he said in a deep voice, "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. If you wish to become a true Dragon King, you will naturally be challenged by other dragons."

"I am here today to challenge you to the title of Ancient Dragon Lord—the Battle of Skchit. In this way, the Steel Kingdom and the Golden Empire's vassals can avoid unnecessary losses, and the feud between you and the Empire can be perfectly resolved."

"If I cannot defeat you in this challenge, even if I lose, the Golden Empire will never bother you again. Do you dare?"

Among the strategies the Golden Empire currently employs to conquer various planes, forcibly seizing the entire plane that has been designated as the target of occupation through legion wars is the worst possible decision.

Even though the Golden Empire has achieved tremendous growth over the years through alliances with the kings of the Northern Lands and through strategic alliances with numerous hegemonic empires in the Central Continent.

However, no matter how powerful an empire is, dispersing its powerful legions into various planes will have a significant impact, and in more serious cases, it may even shake the hegemony of the main plane's headquarters.

Although the Steel Kingdom created by Morton the Iron Dragon cannot compare to the Golden Empire, its last main city is the lair of all the sub-iron dragons, which is comparable to the status and importance of the Dragon Nest Mountains in the Golden Empire.

Nero was well aware that he and Achilles' men alone had no chance of conquering this fortified city by force.

A direct assault would only cause the empire to lose a great deal of power out of thin air. Even the hundreds of thousands of dragons that the empire currently possesses are an invaluable asset that the empire cannot afford to lose.

Although the red dragon Nero was arrogant, like the blue dragon Caesar and the others, he possessed not only pride in the Golden Empire but also a deep sense of belonging. However, the new generation of dragons in the Golden Empire not only possessed power surpassing that of their kin, but they were also adept at using various means to achieve their goals.

The best option for Nero the Red Dragon this time is to use the power of the Empire and verbal intimidation to force Morton the Iron Dragon to submit and return to the Empire with him.

The next option is to challenge the ancient dragon lord—the Battle of Skechers—and, if Nero is confident, personally defeat the Iron Dragon Morton, thus separating Morton's vassals from him.

Achilles' arrival served as a footnote and a backup plan for these two strategies.

Even if the other sub-iron dragons develop other intentions, Achilles and his men are strong enough to hold them off outside the city for a while.

The raging tide of metal came to an abrupt halt under the control of the iron dragon Morton. The iron dragon's pride prevented him from refusing the challenge from the red dragon, who was weaker than himself.

Moreover, if he were to refuse a challenge from an ancient dragon lord in front of his own subjects and people, he would be ridiculed by the other dragons from the bottom of their hearts, no matter what reason he had for refusing the challenge.

Morton took a deep breath, coldly uttering a few words between his fangs, "Can you make that decision? You laughable young dragon!"

Iron Dragon Morton knew that the golden empire Behemoth described was very likely true, otherwise these two 'little guys' wouldn't be so confident.

Just as Morton the Iron Dragon knew that an ancient dragon from the Iron Dragon race stood behind him, he was not particularly afraid of the distant Golden Empire.

But whether you're afraid or not is one thing, whether it's troublesome or not, whether you find it disgusting or not is another.

As the foundation he had built over many years, Iron Dragon Morton did not want the Middle Plane to fall into ruin.

"certainly,"

Nero spread his long, thick forepaws, baring his fangs and grinning maliciously, "Achilles, as Emperor Goggmora's adopted son, rarely has his certainty easily dismissed."

"Come on, Morton, I'll show you what a true Dragon King is. I'm not one yet, but I will be one in the future!"

A terrifying dragon's might erupted from Morton's body; at this moment, the iron dragon's rage was uncontrollable.

Nero's massive limbs shattered the earth, and as the ferocious young red dragon ran, the temperature in the air rose rapidly. The misty air was also distorted and crackled by the pale flames rising from between the dragon's scales.

Morton the Iron Dragon swooped down from the sky, its massive steel wings sweeping across the ground. The metals and minerals on the surface and beneath the earth were manipulated by the Iron Dragon's talent, rising from the earth and transforming into huge steel pillars and iron blocks that swept across the land with immense force, rolling like a mountain collapsing.

These steel pillars and iron blocks hurtled toward Nero at speeds exceeding 300 kilometers per hour; their kinetic energy alone was enough to knock back the flesh of any adult dragon.

"Roar!"

Nero let out a fierce dragon roar, and instead of dodging, he charged forward into the face of countless steel pillars and iron blocks.

But the expected deafening roar did not occur; instead, endless flames burst forth around Nero's body, melting away all matter like a vast domain.

Both the amorphous dragons in the sky and the legions on the ground heard the sound of lava dripping onto the earth, rapid and loud, accompanying the footsteps of the red dragon Nero, each step corroding pools of molten lava into the ground.

At that moment, the red dragon Nero soared into the sky and collided with the descending iron dragon Morton.

The war between the ancient dragon lords was a battle decided by the pure power of the dragons themselves, discarding all treasures and fighting to the death.

The two dragons' forelimbs collided and clamped each other, their horns piercing each other's strong scales and tough skin in the struggle.

Even though Morton's scales were tougher than Nero's, Nero's blood seemed to possess the fiery properties of melting everything, and the scalding red dragon's blood corroded Morton's scales, making them much more fragile.

Morton's strength was ultimately superior to Nero's, and the young red dragon's body began to be rapidly pushed backward in the struggle and close combat.

Several long ravines were revealed on the earth, where steel-gray dragon blood intertwined with boiling hot dragon blood, and flames slowly burned in these blood pools, like wildfires everywhere.

"Roar!" A beast-like dragon roar rang out as the iron dragon Morton finally snapped the red dragon Nero's forepaw, making a cracking sound, and then sent the pained Nero flying sideways.

"With power like that, you dare to provoke me? I could easily kill you in a head-on confrontation."

Morton roared and slammed his fist on the earth, and the Iron Dragon's magic began to unleash its destructive power.

At this moment, Morton unleashed his full power, seizing the fleeting opportunity to kill the red dragon.

Countless enormous steel spikes, imbued with the sharpness to pierce mountain steel and magical power, burst forth from the earth like a sprawling forest of thorns, instantly piercing through the body of the red dragon Nero.

But Morton's pupils suddenly contracted, accompanied by the roars of the young red dragons watching the battle behind Nero, and then he sensed a deadly danger approaching from behind.

It was a wildly expanding spiritual will that drove a pair of scorching claws to pierce through his back and into his internal organs, tightly gripping his spine.

The intense pain caused Morton to roar out in agony, but he dared not move rashly.

Because those sharp claws were forcibly and slowly tightening, despite the pain of being broken.

Tick-tock, tick-tock

Drops of hot blood dripped from Nero's head onto Morton's body, and Nero chuckled softly between his fangs.

"This was one of the methods Emperor Gogmora frequently used in his youth to defeat many enemies,"

"Morton, you can't even withstand one of Emperor Gogmora's spells, how are you going to face him?"

"You can't even see through my tactic of feigning weakness, how dare you speak so arrogantly!"

(End of this chapter)