Chapter 46: Dragon and Steel: Burst-Scale Combat (Today

The sunset’s afterglow stained the sky over Iron Cedar Hills, and Garos’s scales glowed with dangerous light in the twilight.

At the center of it all, three Land-Quaking Centipede Alchemical Golems burst from the ground in different directions, their steel bodies casting jagged shadows across the earth, screeching with metallic friction as their jointed limbs scraped sparks from the rocks.

The first golem curled into a massive metallic wheel, its high-frequency vibrating blade-legs converging to slice toward Garos.

The second golem opened its fearsome mouthparts and spat a liquid resembling refined black oil, which ignited instantly into roaring flames in the air.

The third golem’s shell cracked open, launching a dense hail of armor-piercing steel spikes.

Garos drew a deep breath and abruptly spread his Dragon Wings.

His blade-like Dragon Wings slashed at the “metal wheel.”

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Countless sparks flew as Garos’s wings clashed violently with the blade-like jointed limbs of the Land-Quaking Centipede, producing a metallic ring that echoed through the night.

One by one, the blade-legs twisted and shattered.

Minor notches also appeared on the metallic outer bones of his wings.

Then, as Garos lifted his wings again.

The golem was flung backward, spinning and severing thick iron cedar trees as it flew.

Meanwhile.

As he knocked the first Land-Quaking Centipede away.

Flames and a storm of steel spikes surged toward him.

Garos did not dodge or retreat—he stepped forward and squared his chest.

The flames struck him first, engulfing Garos entirely, yet beneath the inferno, he grinned, his Burst Scales instantly glowing red-hot from the fire’s heat.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The armor-piercing spikes clattered against Garos’s body, easily shattering his Burst Scales into fragments.

Then.

As Garos shook his body, countless fragments, still engulfed in flames and glowing crimson like forged iron, ricocheted back toward the two remaining golems.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosive shockwaves and flames instantly swallowed the two golems, hurling them back, their bodies now covered in cracks and dents.

The flames spewed from the golems’ mouths ceased.

Yet.

The flames burning on Garos himself did not immediately die out.

These flames were formed from refined black oil, highly combustible.

The young Red Iron Dragon, bathed in fire, stretched and flapped his wings, strode forward with his head high, his scales glowing with intense heat, the surrounding air warping and steaming.

Though extraordinary, these were not magical flames.

They could not harm Garos—in fact, they amplified his dragon power.

As if sensing the flames were useless against Garos and ranged attacks ineffective,

the three damaged golems stabilized their forms, all transforming into metallic wheels, their blade-legs vibrating at high frequency as they spun and sliced toward Garos.

Whoosh!

Garos, wrapped in flames, swung his wings and shot forward like a fire meteor, charging at the metal wheels.

Glowing molten light seeped through the gaps in his chest scales.

His pupils reflected the approaching golems from multiple directions.

Garos unleashed a torrent of scorching Dragon Breath.

The Dragon Breath, thick and powerful, first swept past two golems, hurling them away, then pinned the last one firmly to the ground.

Its black metal armor visibly turned red-hot and began to melt.

All were flames, but Garos’s Dragon Breath was vastly more potent than the black-oil fire spewed by the Land-Quaking Centipedes.

Garos advanced step by step, his Dragon Breath suppressing the golem, melting it into a twisted mass of scrap metal. The other two golems, after this battle, realized they could not defeat Garos and swiftly changed tactics—abandoning combat, they retreated.

His burning wings tore through the night.

The young Red Dragon sped after the right-side golem, and as it dove underground, he twisted sharply and lashed his tail.

Zzzzz!

The tail ring glowed, lightning arcs dancing along his tail, enhancing electrical damage and stimulating muscle power.

The howling wind mixed with crackling arcs—Garos’s tail struck like lightning, slamming into the golem and crushing its shell with deep dents and cracks; lightning arcs, like silver snakes, infiltrated every crevice, leaping inside and out of its body.

Zzzap! Zzzap!

The golem, largely intact, twitched and collapsed, black smoke billowing from its joints.

Boom! The young Red Dragon crashed from the sky, striking the ground and denting it into a deep crater.

Samantha staggered to her feet, dizzy and disoriented.

She had mimicked Garos’s aerial strike against the third golem, but lacked speed—she failed to intercept it as it vanished underground, and the recoil left her body aching.

Without Garos’s daily training, without his formidable physique,

this direct high-speed body-impact technique was unsuitable for normal young dragons.

The third Land-Quaking Centipede, once underground, immediately fled.

Garos, lacking any subterranean movement or pseudo-magical skill, did not pursue—chasing them further was pointless. Their presence here meant the location was likely exposed; even if he eliminated them, the Black Rock Dwarves could still pinpoint Iron Cedar Hills via underground tunnels—merely delaying the inevitable.

“Dragon Lord’s Divine Might! Your power fills me with awe and reverence!”

“These steel beasts are powerless before you! To serve as your follower is my greatest honor!”

With the battle over, the Earth Bear Moberl approached Garos and offered flattery.

Garos ignored it, silently analyzing and organizing his battle data.

“These three alchemical golems have no discernible life rank—I cannot probe them—but each is stronger than an ordinary Level 8 beast. They coordinate, adapt strategies to circumstances.”

“Compared to these, the goblin tribe’s alchemical golems are crude, worthless toys.”

“Had they not used fire attacks, this battle would have taken much longer to end.”

These combat-oriented alchemical golems were indeed formidable.

Garos did not know the exact model of the Land-Quaking Centipedes, but judging by size and precision, they were inferior to the alchemical golems guarding the surface.

“Ah, my alchemical workshop!”

Samantha screamed, stomping in rage.

During the battle, her alchemical workshop had been damaged again—this time utterly destroyed. Not the crude rock-plank shed it once was, but the workshop rebuilt over five months of repairs.

“Where did these damned things come from? I’m going after them—I’ll kill them all!”

She raged.

Garos did not stop her—he encouraged her: “They came from a garrison unit stationed at a Black Rock Kingdom oil field. I’ll give you the location—you can have your revenge.”

Me?

Hearing this, Samantha’s fury instantly faded. She remembered how, just glancing from above once before, she’d nearly been shot down—barely escaped death.

Though not the same place—she’d been attacked at a mine outpost.

But any location with a regular military garrison was not to be trifled with.

“A dragon must not be reckless. I’ll think again—let them live a little longer.”

Samantha chuckled awkwardly, then changed the subject: “I’ll go rebuild my alchemical workshop.”

“No.”

Garos shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the grasses and soil of Iron Cedar Hills, then declared firmly: “We can’t stay here. We’re moving to a new territory.”

Iron Cedar Hills had always been mediocre in resources; recently, its water sources had dried up, surrounding wildlife had dwindled, and Garos now had to fly far just to drink or hunt—he’d already considered relocating.

Now, with the threat from the Black Rock Dwarves confirmed, he finally made up his mind to abandon this place.

And this meant the past few months of peace were over.

(End of Chapter)