Chapter 30

Roar!

Roar!

"Enough."

Lai Ang spoke softly, and the low roars of the dragons ceased abruptly.

Seeing this, the approaching Black Dragon Hol couldn't help but remark,

"They really are obedient."

"\"Following the strong's words is hardly wrong. \" Lai Ang smiled, and the black dragons that had gathered around him moved aside in unison, leaving the space for the two leaders."

"\"You seem quite confident. \" Hol narrowed his dragon eyes, his gaze wary as he sized up the black hatchling not far away, trying to find a weakness."

Lai Ang, however, detected something different in his tone; he examined Hol and found only that the other's dragon body had grown somewhat stronger through normal development over this period, with no other significant changes.

"\"I feel you're pretty confident too; let me guess—you wouldn't have made a breakthrough in battle qi, would you? \" Lai Ang speculated."

Increasing strength amounts to only a few aspects; among them, the dragon species' biological rank is the hardest to surpass and conceal. Aside from that, Lai Ang only thought of battle qi.

Hol knows battle qi.

Indeed, Black Dragon Hol showed little outward change, but his eyes flickered with a hint of concentration.

"\"Cut the talk, Lai Ang, let's fight—I want to see your current strength! \"

"\"Defeat me, and you'll be the sole leader of the Black Dragon Fortress!! \""

The young dragon let out a low roar, the battle qi at First Rank peak within his body surging at full throttle, empowering his dragon form as he launched a fierce charge, his momentum like a rainbow.

Lai Ang, already fully prepared, surged forward under the enhancement of the max-level trick 'Minor Power Amplification Art' and Second Rank 7th level battle qi, his dragon form leaving a faint afterimage as he charged at Hol.

Although a nimble footwork might have more easily defeated Black Dragon Hol, Lai Ang this time had no intention of doing so.

He intended to meet force with force, to make that arrogant black young dragon bow his head completely and submit beneath his feet!

The training grounds of the Black Dragon Fortress were vast; the two black dragons roared, horn to horn, claw to claw, like beasts, giving their all just to leave a mark on each other.

Dragon scales shattered, blood spraying.

From time to time, a dull collision sound rang out.

Bang! The smaller black hatchling was knocked back five or six meters before stopping, panting heavily; almost instantly, two magic water balls condensed and shot rapidly toward the wound on the opposing young dragon.

As they burst into a beautiful bloom of blood, they were accompanied by Black Dragon Hol's painful roar.

Soon after, the hatchling launched another fierce assault on the young dragon without missing a beat.

The young dragon's strength was clearly still a notch above, but now Lai Ang's dragon species rank had entered Second Rank, and with Second Rank 7th level black-water battle qi bolstering him, the power gap between them had narrowed considerably compared to a year ago.

Even if Hol's battle qi hadn't broken through, from initial First Rank to First Rank peak, this strength gap would likely have shrunk even further.

Another moment of fierce combat passed—aside from the frenzied dragon claws and the dragon tail blurring into an afterimage, from time to time came the sound of exploding magic water balls.

At one point, the battle halted.

The smaller hatchling placed his dragon claw on the young dragon's head, watching him dazed and confused from the blows, and growled his verdict: "You've lost, Hol!"

The hatchling's body bore many broken dragon scales, his dragon form smeared with both sides' blood; his pale yellow dragon eyes scanned the surroundings, and the black dragons watching the fight instantly lowered their heads in submission.

Afterward, the hatchling withdrew his gaze and looked down at the subdued Black Dragon Hol beneath his claw.

Feeling the oppressive gaze from above, Black Dragon Hol's dragon eyes eventually closed.

His dragon body, which had still been struggling, now fully relaxed and ceased its resistance.

"I lost."

A reply tinged with a hint of reluctance, but more so with a feeling of release.

Black Dragon Hol recalled the battle qi he had painstakingly trained over the past year; thinking about it now, there truly was a vast talent gap between them. "You've become strong, Hol." Seeing Hol's submission, Lai Ang lifted his claw from the other's head and praised him sincerely: "You're even stronger than that red dragon hatchling named Mandi."

"". Thanks for the praise, Leader." Hol struggled to his feet from the ground, his injuries far worse than Lai Ang's.

After all, in this battle alone, the number of exploding magic water balls it endured exceeded thirty.

Moreover, many of them detonated right on its wounds, which is far more painful than rubbing salt into the wound.

Lai Ang looked at Hol, a flicker of satisfaction passing through his dragon eyes.

Although this fight was tougher than expected, it only made him feel more delighted.

His team needed exactly this kind of dragon that strives on its own.

"Alright, go rest and heal for now; the Dragon Fortress ranking battle is in a few days."

Lai Ang's thoughts drifted as he turned and left the place.

He also needed to tend to his wounds.

This hard-fought melee battle inflicted moderate injuries on his dragon body.

Several days later.

On the central plain of the Dragon Fortress, the dragons watched as the Black Dragon Fortress group led by Lai Ang approached, their dragon eyes filled with varied emotions.

There was awe, there was a sense of it being natural, and there was provocation.

Those daring to provoke were naturally the stronger young dragons.

Lai Ang couldn't be bothered with them, silently leading a dozen-odd black dragons from the Black Dragon Fortress along with a somewhat conspicuous white dragon to the side.

Green Dragon Rad arrived shortly, stepping out from a flashy, handsome teleportation spell.

"Kids, have you missed me?" Rad smiled, eyes crinkling as he looked at the group of little dragons.

The dragons looked at him, rather speechless.

If not for their lack of strength, the vast majority would surely have stepped forward to give that green dragon a sound thrashing.

Green Dragon Rad's nasty sense of humor has often caused trouble for many little dragons.

Seeing the little dragons' great hostility toward him, Rad didn't mind, gave a slight smile, and casually said,

"Let's begin; as per custom, the ranking battle proceeds as usual."

The twelve Dragon Fortress leaders ascended the arena.

The difference from last time is that only Lai Ang climbed Black Dragon Fortress.

The little dragons had long known this, but La De, smiling, glanced at Lai Ang and praised, "It's been a long time since we've seen such a talented black dragon, little guy, keep it up."

La De's praise was not hidden at all; many little dragons heard it clearly.

The Zilin Giant Dragon Ke Lei Mo, situated on the first platform, slowly opened its dragon eyes and glanced at the black hatchling dragon standing on the platform.

Upon seeing the other's size, it casually withdrew its gaze.

"Too weak." The mixed-blood young dragon boredly closed its eyes again.

No little dragon dared approach this platform either.

(End of chapter)