Chapter 12: Red-Scaled Python (Requesting Monthly Votes, Requesting Follows)

"The power of my Wing Slash at full speed is immense; even my own defense likely couldn't withstand it."

Garos thought silently in his heart.

The armor on the Earth-Raging Bear's body, though its texture resembled rock, was harder than ordinary metal steel, and the armor on its arms was the thickest; its own fur, flesh, blood, and bones were not fragile either.

Yet even so, it was severed in one strike by Garos's dragon wings.

Throughout the entire brief process, he felt almost no obstruction or stagnation.

His body traced an arc through the low sky; Garos's sharp claws left long cracks in the ground as he stabilized on the other side, then, in the next second, bent his four limbs slightly, the muscle fibers beneath his dragon scales coiling like steel wires one by one, erupting with formidable power.

The dragon wings flapped, accelerating.

Garos raced across the ground, shattering the surface with each step, his dragon-wing blades slicing through trees along the way, the momentum so vast it seemed unlike a young dragon, charging once more to attack the Earth-Raging Bear.

This battle was mainly to test the current strength of the dragon wings.

As for the Great Desolate Dragon Fall, such a self-sacrificial collision skill, Garos was already well-versed in it.

Severe pain surged from the severed arm; facing the overwhelming dragon might of a dragon that seemed unstoppable, the Earth-Raging Bear's inherent ferocity vanished into thin air. Instead of roaring or bellowing, it whimpered.

Then.

Garos, who was racing at full speed, attempting to cleave the Earth-Raging Bear in two directly with his dragon wings, was stunned to see that after the Earth-Raging Bear whimpered, it immediately prostrated itself completely, cowering and showing no resistance, lifting its hindquarters, lowering its head, and burying almost its entire body into the dirt.

Whoosh!

Just as the young dragon was about to collide with the Earth-Raging Bear, almost within arm's reach, it suddenly soared upward.

Garos ascended in a straight line, changed direction mid-air, and landed steadily, choosing not to kill the Earth-Raging Bear.

Sensing the cessation of the strong wind and the dispersal of the dragon might.

The Earth-Raging Bear quietly raised its head, looking forward at the young dragon walking step by step toward it.

"Woo-ah-woo-la!"

It emitted a whimpering sound from its mouth, its eyes revealing a human-like expression of appeasement and fear.

Demons possess high intelligence; creatures like the Earth-Raging Bear have intelligence no less than humans, belonging to the category of sentient beings, and naturally speak some Giant language.

Giants are the enemies of dragons.

As the saying goes, your enemy is always the one who knows you best.

The Dragon Legacy contains the Giant language; Garos could understand it.

"Noble Great Dragon, please spare me"—this was roughly the meaning of the Earth-Raging Bear's words just now.

"The Legacy states that Earth-Raging Bears are fearless in the face of death and dare to attack dragons ferociously. I don't know about other things, but this Earth-Raging Bear does not match the description; the Dragon Legacy cannot be trusted entirely."

Garos looked at the Earth-Raging Bear, lost in thought.

"But the battle process was too brief; I have not yet fully confirmed the strength of my dragon wings."

His gaze narrowed slightly, and a dangerous look appeared in Garos's dragon eyes.

The Earth-Raging Bear keenly detected this and immediately buried its head back into the dirt, looking like an ostrich, its body trembling uncontrollably; essentially, "Kill me if you wish, I won't look and won't resist."

Seeing such a state, Garos lost his killing intent.

He did not yet have a minion to serve him; perhaps this Earth-Raging Bear could be tamed.

He stepped forward.

Garos extended his claw and lightly patted the Earth-Raging Bear's head.

The other party trembled in fright first, then raised its head again, seeing Garos's calm and untroubled gaze.

"Choose to submit, and I can give you a chance to live."

Garos spoke in somewhat awkward Giant language.

"It is my honor."

The Earth-Raging Bear nodded like a chick pecking at rice, agreeing very decisively.

Garos's formidable power had shocked it.

An Earth-Raging Bear capable of living alone in the wilderness was not ignorant; although it could not determine what kind of dragon the opponent was, it could judge from Garos's size that Garos was merely a young dragon. Therefore, the Earth-Raging Bear acted very bravely at the beginning, showing no fear at all, but the moment contact was made, one Xiong Zhao was severed. After a few more strikes, it felt certain it would die.

After a brief exchange, Garos learned the Earth-Raging Bear's name—Mobei, a male Earth-Raging Bear.

The Earth-Raging Bear, having saved its life, picked up its severed arm and pressed it against the wound.

Earth-yellow energy swirled around it, temporarily bonding and reconnecting the limb.

The Earth-Raging Bear's regeneration and recovery were not weak; after resting for a while, this Xiong Zhao could be used again.

"Are there any demons around with a level similar to yours or slightly higher? I am not yet satisfied."

Garos asked the Earth-Raging Bear.

The Earth-Raging Bear nodded, extending its Xiong Zhao and pointing south.

"In this direction, a Red-Scaled Python is lurking. I have fought it many times; we are evenly matched."

As it spoke, a glint of cunning squeezed out of the Earth-Raging Bear's eyes, its expression one of schadenfreude.

The Red-Scaled Python and it were mortal enemies; the two had fought many times over territory and resources, and the Earth-Raging Bear bore numerous old scars left by the Red-Scaled Python.

"Lead the way."

Garos shot straight into the air.

The Earth-Raging Bear strode forward on the ground, running briskly toward the south, and under its guidance, Garos soon discovered the Red-Scaled Python's lair.

It was coiled upon a giant fir tree, its body almost as thick as the tree, its snake scales fiery red.

Its biological level was also 8, the same as the Earth-Raging Bear.

The difference was that the Red-Scaled Python was a ferocious beast with little intelligence.

Locking onto the target, the young dragon at a hundred meters altitude tensed every muscle in its body, simultaneously spreading its blade-like wings wide, and swooped down with a roar to attack the Red-Scaled Python.

Less than a minute later.

As the dragon wings swept past, the massive head of the Red-Scaled Python shot skyward, blood rain splashing down, landing on Garos and adding a few points of ferocity to him.

"Even an 8th-rank ferocious beast monster won't last long before me."

Garos flicked his dragon wings, shaking the fresh blood from them.

Although he could fight across levels so easily, he felt no arrogance or complacency; dragons were inherently top-tier monsters, so achieving such a feat was only natural.

Life level was merely a reference, unable to truly measure combat power.

Garos kept in mind that arrogance and overconfidence were the primary sins that killed dragons; he could not lose himself due to temporary strength.

Moreover, he was not considered powerful; in this wilderness, he at best possessed certain means of self-preservation. To act with absolute freedom and no taboos, he still had a very, very long way to go.

Setting aside other things, the Iron Dragon Mother could kill him with just a few swats.

And an adult giant dragon like the Iron Dragon Mother was hardly a hegemon in the Caelum Wilderness.

Shortly after, Garos left the Earth-Bear there in that area, did not take it with him, and returned alone to the Sky-Pit Territory.

As for the reason, it was very simple.

Given the Iron Dragon Mother's personality, she would not allow an uncontrolled Earth-Bear within her territory; she would forcibly enslave it, after all, Garos had not used Dragon Vein Transmutation on it.

Dragon Vein Transmutation—dragons bestow their own vital blood upon other creatures, transforming them into Dragon Vein creatures loyal to them from the heart.

Compared to dependents, Garos prioritized himself; he was still a young dragon, in a period of rapid growth. Diverting vital blood would slow his own growth speed; he would not drag himself down for the sake of a dependent.

An Earth-Bear that had not undergone Dragon Vein Transmutation.

Its verbal submission was unreliable; it could ignore Garos's words and flee directly.

However.

Survival in the wilderness was difficult, fraught with dangers; even he needed to be cautious. Monsters like the Earth-Bear, unless absolutely forced, would not leave the area they were familiar with.

If it truly fled, it would not matter.

Garos subduing a dependent was merely a side matter; deep down, he did not take it seriously. At most, if they met again, he would kill it; if they did not meet, he would not give it a thought.

Moreover.

On one side lay the dangerous wilderness and a life of wandering and fleeing; on the other, a powerful dragon patron with extraordinary potential.

With the Earth-Bear's intelligence, it knew how to choose.

When returning to the Sky-Pit Territory, the sky was still bright, and the sun radiated high heat as always.

"Garos, Mother wants us to go to her dragon nest together."

Just as he returned and landed at the cliff edge, two hatchling dragons came over to speak to Garos; more accurately, they were two young dragons.

With a year passing, the Red Dragon Sister and Iron Dragon Brother had grown a size larger, and their age stage had reached the young dragon phase.

"Summoning all three of us at once; it has been a long time since such a thing happened. I wonder what news Mother has to convey."

The Red Dragon Sister blinked her eyes, somewhat curious.

"Hehe, perhaps Mother has prepared delicious blood food for us to enjoy together."

The Iron Dragon Brother tilted his head, guessing cheerfully.

Two fools; have they already forgotten what happened to me a year ago?

Garos shook his head slightly.

He remained silent and flew toward the Iron Dragon Mother's dragon nest; the two young dragons followed closely behind, eagerly going along.

(End of this chapter)