Chapter 496 Desire, Natasha the Golden Dragon Who Sets Herself on Fire
Crimson Flame Royal City, High Mountain Dragon Court.
The red-iron dragon folded its wings and landed steadily on the open platform.
Just as he folded his wings, a gust of wind swept in from the side, and the crimson-silver dragon Deborah swept through the air, flapped her wings, and landed in front of him.
"You sent the children to the Dragon Academy in the border region?"
The Crimson Silver Dragon looked at Garos, its mouth opening and closing, "I've heard that the training methods over there are very rigorous."
Galos turned his neck and met her eyes.
"What, are you worried they won't be able to endure the hardship?"
The Crimson Silver Dragon shook its head, and a bright smile suddenly bloomed on its face.
“No,” she said lightly, “that’s exactly what I want to see.”
She ground her sharp molars, making a soft grinding sound, and then continued with a smile, "These little brats deserve to suffer more."
"When I was in the Dragon Realm, they caused me a lot of trouble, but my parents always protected me and wouldn't let me be too strict with them."
"Now that we're over there, let's see how they manage to cause trouble all day long."
Deborah couldn't help but feel overjoyed at the thought of the training her dragon cubs would receive at the Dragon Academy.
Perhaps because she had spent a long time with a group of evil dragons, her views on offspring were indeed somewhat different from those of ordinary metal dragons.
She values blood ties, regarding them as the most important bond, but that doesn't mean she'll spoil them without principles. When discipline is needed, her claws and tail won't hold back.
"Your parents are protecting them?"
Galos looked surprised and recalled for a moment.
“I remember that Edley and Serena mentioned a long time ago that they hoped to have offspring with the blood of dragons, and then through careful guidance and education, gradually turn the violence in their nature toward the right path.”
This was the long-held wish of the pair of metal dragons.
For this reason, Garus always believed that their attitude towards the descendants of dragons would lean more towards strict discipline than indulgence.
After all, the deeper one's understanding of a dragon's nature, the clearer it becomes that without deterrence, excessive favoritism often does not elicit gratitude but rather fosters an arrogant notion that "this dragon is born noble and deserves this."
Deborah shook her head helplessly.
"I was surprised too, but that's just how it is."
Her tone carried a hint of accusation: "They talk a good game, saying things like 'we should teach them properly' and 'correct their nature,' but in reality, they do a completely different thing."
"They wish they could hold the little ones in their arms every day, and they would be heartbroken if even a single scale of theirs fell out."
"If I hadn't been keeping a close eye on them, those little brats would have been wagging their tails in the air by now."
After listening to Deborah's complaints, Garus remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "It's really hard to predict. Until things happen, who can say for sure what they will actually do?"
Perhaps before the dragon cubs were born, Edley and Serena did indeed intend to discipline them strictly.
But when they actually see those little guys who have the blood of their offspring but also have different characteristics, they soften their hearts, and once they soften, they often can no longer be tough.
Deborah flicked her tail, the tip making a slight whooshing sound as it cut through the air, and muttered to herself.
"I really didn't expect them to hold me back in this kind of thing."
Galos shook his head slightly and said, "Perhaps there is another possibility."
"They probably think that the dragon cubs already have you as their strict mother, and that I, as their father, will never be lenient, so they decided to play the role of a kind elder."
He paused, his voice steady.
"That way, when the little ones are under too much stress, at least they have a place to seek comfort and shelter."
Deborah nodded thoughtfully.
This explanation sounds much more reasonable.
She looked at the red iron dragon again, her tone softening: "If that's the case... then it's acceptable."
It was midday, and bright sunlight poured down, bathing Galus's majestic body.
The light illuminated the dark red and deep black patterns on his scales, outlining the contours of each clump of solid muscles, and highlighting his majestic dragon horns and claws, making him appear even more majestic and powerful.
Deborah watched this scene quietly, her gaze unconsciously becoming slightly more intense.
"Hmm..." She turned her head slightly and lowered her voice.
"Want to play a game for a bit? I mean... a guessing game."
Galos lowered his gaze and looked at her.
Under the bright sunlight, the scales of the Crimson Silver Dragon reflected a warm, honey-like color and a clear, silvery-white hue, the two colors intertwining to make her entire body look beautiful and radiant.
He nodded and gave a brief response:
"Alright, let's go to my palace."
Deborah is already an adult, but she still retains a reserved shyness in some ways.
Therefore, the "guessing game" she mentioned often had a different meaning, which Galos was well aware of.
The red iron dragon suddenly spread its right wing.
With a short cry of surprise from the Crimson Silver Dragon, its strong and broad wings curled inward, gently and steadily enveloping her entirely.
Immediately afterwards, Galus swung his left wing and pushed off the ground with his powerful hind legs.
He took off with Deborah, who was wrapped in his wings, and flew swiftly towards the palace, leaving a trail of swirling wind behind him.
The interior of the palace is spacious, with a tall vaulted ceiling made of cast metal.
The various gemstones and metal decorations inlaid within refract a warm, non-glaring light under the illumination of the magical light source.
Deep within the palace, a platform carved from a single massive piece of warm jade occupies a prominent position. Its surface is smooth and warm, with naturally undulating edges; this is the Red Emperor's bed.
The red iron dragon released its wings.
Deborah landed lightly on the warm jade platform.
She shook her neck slightly, and the silver and honey-colored scales shimmered with a delicate luster.
"Then, let the game begin."
"The rules remain the same: a prize for guessing correctly, and a penalty for guessing incorrectly."
The red iron dragon moved a little closer, casting a shadow that enveloped Deborah.
"Born in ancient times, it gazes into the darkness and hides in the light. It is scalding hot to the touch and icy cold when you look away. What is it?"
Deborah turned her head away, lost in thought.
"Is it... wrought iron?"
She answered tentatively.
"wrong."
Red Iron Dragon took another step forward, bringing them even closer together; their breaths could almost touch Deborah's visor.
He said, "Let me think about it again."
The Crimson Silver Dragon blinked and guessed a few more results, but Garos rejected them one by one.
She gazed at the red iron dragon so close to her, her thoughts drifting, absentminded, and muttered to herself, "I admit defeat. What's the punishment?"
"The punishment is... to answer one question for me."
Galos lowered his head, his nose almost touching the scales on Deborah's forehead. "Now, when you look at me, what are you thinking?"
Deborah's breathing paused for a moment.
She instinctively looked away, but beneath the scales, her skin felt faintly hot.
"...I was thinking about your wings, that curve...perfect for riding the wind."
“You’re lying,” Galos said. “Your eyes tell me you’re thinking about something else.”
The Crimson Silver Dragon flinched, then raised its eyes again, its gaze fixed on Garos's deep vertical pupils, where it could clearly see its own reflection.
"Then..." she countered, "Guess... what I'm thinking?"
“You’re thinking,” Red Iron Dragon’s voice lowered, tinged with heat, “what temperature my scales feel like in the sunlight, whether my claws would be too heavy to press against your shoulder, and…”
He paused, his sharp claws lightly grazing the fine scales on the side of the crimson-silver dragon's neck.
"When will I get close to you?"
The crimson-silver dragon trembled slightly, letting out a soft moan.
She didn't deny it; instead, she tilted her head back, revealing even more vulnerable lines.
"...You always know everything."
"The Crimson Silver Dragon whispered."
"It's only about you."
The red iron dragon's wings closed again, completely enveloping each other in this private space.
His wildfire landed on her forehead scales, following the patterns of the scales downwards, gently nibbling at her jaw and throat. Then, his deep breaths intertwined with the soft sound of dragon scales rubbing together.
Time slips away quietly.
Two weeks later, this long game came to a temporary end.
On the massive warm jade platform, the Crimson Silver Dragon lay almost completely limp, its strength drained away even from lifting one of its front paws. Its chest heaved, its breathing was shallow and rapid, revealing an extreme languor and weariness.
On the opposite side, the red iron dragon still stood tall, full of energy, showing no signs of fatigue.
“I’ve… reached my limit.” Deborah’s voice was weak and slightly hoarse. “You… don’t seem to have had enough yet.”
The physical differences between the two are too great.
Unless Galus completely abandons his inhibitions and continues at the risk of hurting his partner, he will find it very difficult to fully release his energy in a single interaction.
"It's alright."
"This is also a kind of training for me."
"Garos said slowly."
If Zoraya were in the royal court right now, he might have continued. The blue dragon was even wilder in this regard, and would even beg for more intense treatment on the edge of its limits, regarding pain as part of its pleasure.
But Zoraya was not at the royal court at the moment.
Galos wouldn't be in such a hurry as to specifically order her to come here, or fly to her location himself.
He closed his eyes slightly, took a deep breath, his chest expanding like a bellows, and then slowly calmed down.
Galos could feel the burning agitation within his body had not completely subsided, but his powerful will was firmly suppressing it.
After a short rest, Deborah remained in her palace and fell into a deep sleep, while Garros spread his wings and left the royal castle for his training grounds nestled among the mountains.
After landing, Galos raised his head slightly.
In an instant, countless steel pieces sprang up out of thin air around him, all sorts of shapes, swirling around him.
Freeze!
With a shout from the Red Iron Dragon, all the flying steel pieces simultaneously hovered in the air, as if time had been frozen for a moment. Then, like swallows returning to their nests or iron filings being attracted by a magnet, they all converged and adhered to Garros's body.
Clang! Clang clang clang!
A series of dense and crisp metallic clanging and fitting sounds rang out.
In the blink of an eye, a thick layer of steel armor tightly enveloped Galos's entire body.
From the majestic dragon horns on its head to its long neck and robust torso, to its strong limbs and flexible long tail, even its jaw and most of its face are covered by thick visor plates with slits for observation.
His already imposing physique, after being draped in this armor, exuded an even more suffocating sense of oppression.
"Steel Domain...Main Defense."
"Like human legends, they highly compress and condense the power of their domain onto their body surface, forming an additional layer of armor."
Galos's soliloquy came through the mask, sounding somewhat somber, yet adding to his majesty.
The red iron dragon swung its tail, which was covered in iron armor, and lashed the ground, creating deep furrows.
The Flame Domain bans magic, the Steel Domain provides defense.
These are the two main development directions he has come up with after careful consideration.
As for the amplification of its own domain, it mainly relies on the environmental influence formed after the domain expands, and its specific amplification effect is far less than any of Galos's states.
"However, the defensive effect of this steel armor is actually not as good as my own dragon scales."
"My dragon scales have grown with me since birth and have been tempered countless times. In comparison, the damage to my domain is still too little."
Galos thought to himself, recalling his own double-layered scales.
"My Dragon Jade can restore the body to its original state, but it often cannot immediately heal damaged scales."
"In the heat of battle, when my dragon scales are severely damaged and the enemy thinks my defense has been greatly reduced and they can deliver a fatal blow, I can reassemble my steel armor and restore my defense in a short time."
"It's like an extra layer of armor that I can create at my own pace."
This will surely surprise the enemy.
Moreover, his training in the field over the years has yielded results, and his adaptive evolutionary talent can also be applied to the field. Although the effect may not seem as good as his own at present, it means that his field may also evolve in the future.
He uses his fiery domain to suppress magic, forcing his enemies to compete with him in terms of stats.
With steel defenses, the enemy is left feeling hopeful yet also hopeless.
This combination satisfied Galos to a certain extent.
Next, just as Red Iron Dragon was focused on testing the other attributes of the steel armor, a dazzling golden light streaked across the distant horizon.
The golden light gracefully circled and slowed down.
Finally, it landed lightly on an open ground not far from Garus, its folded wings creating wind pressure that scattered and rolled the pebbles on the ground.
The one who came was a golden dragon.
She stretched out her long and graceful neck, each scale seemingly cast from the purest gold, shimmering with a warm and noble luster in the sunlight.
It was one of Garus's metal dragon companions, the golden dragon Nasha.
She looked at Galus's new outfit with great interest.
"Look, look, what new toy is our Red Emperor playing with? This iron lump... it looks quite intimidating."
Upon hearing this, Galos turned around, and the impact of the armor clashing together produced a dull thud.
"Perfect timing, Natasha. I'm testing this steel armor and need an opponent. Why don't you give me some practice?"
"Oh? Of course."
Jinlong's eyes lit up.
She lowered her body slightly, assuming a pouncing stance, her muscles taut beneath the golden scales. "But don't be upset if I break your new toy."
Before she finished speaking, Natasha suddenly pushed off the ground with her hind legs, flapped her wings to accelerate, and the entire dragon transformed into a streak of golden lightning, rushing towards Garus.
The dragon claw, wreathed in sharp light, slammed down on the steel armor.
clang!!!
A deafeningly loud metallic clang erupted, the sound echoing repeatedly through the mountains.
However, instead of dents or cracks, the armor surface was completely unscathed.
Natasha's attack failed, so she took off and slammed her tail down like a warhammer, but the result was the same as before.
In the time that followed, Jinlong unleashed a variety of attacks.
Claws, fangs, wing strikes... all attacks, even those enhanced with different elemental combinations, seemed to strike an indestructible field.
"What on earth is this thing?!"
Natasha finally stopped her futile attack, angrily flicking her still numb tail, her vertical pupils fixed on the unyielding armor. "Why can't I break it at all?!"
Galos's voice came through the mask, saying, "It is the manifestation of my domain power."
"Domain?" Natasha was taken aback at first, but then a feeling of being teased and annoyed quickly replaced her doubt.
"Hey! You inherently evil red iron dragon! Are you doing this on purpose?!"
She raised her voice, indignantly saying, "You know perfectly well that I'm not yet at the Legendary Realm, how could I possibly break through a true domain defense?! You're just making fun of me!"
Galos then realized what was happening.
He was used to competing against legendary opponents and momentarily overlooked the fact that Natasha had not yet crossed that threshold.
“I’m sorry,” he said truthfully, trying to ease the tension, “it was my oversight, I forgot you’re not a legend yet.”
This explanation only made Natasha angrier.
"Damn it! You really were just toying with me!" The golden dragon sharpened its fangs, making a crunching sound.
"Garos! Get rid of that cumbersome iron shell of yours! I refuse to believe that I can't leave a single mark on the scales of your true form!" She issued a new challenge, turning her attention to Garros's own defenses.
Red Iron Dragon chuckled softly, "Okay."
Layers of armor peeled away like the receding tide, then dissipated into the air, revealing his original dark red, deep-colored scales.
Without any hesitation, Jinlong pounced again!
This time, her attack finally landed squarely on Garos's dragon scales.
Claws slashed across the shoulder blades; teeth gnawed at the side of the neck; the dragon's tail lashed across the spine.
However, the strength of the Garus Dragon Scales is actually beyond the realm.
The attacks landed on Garus's scales, feeling strangely gentle.
It was less of an attack and more like a slightly stronger contact, as gentle as a feather tickling.
He was not harmed at all; on the contrary, with the contact of these limbs, the heat that he had just suppressed and had not completely disappeared surged up again.
“Nasha,” Red Iron Dragon’s voice was a little lower than before, “Stop.”
The golden dragon, which was launching a fierce attack, seemed to have also noticed the subtle change in the atmosphere.
However, she did not stop; however, the rhythm and method of her attacks began to subtly change.
Claw strikes traced the muscle lines of Garus's back; the fangs' bites turned into barely perceptible nibbles, their warm breath spraying between the scales; the long dragon tail began to coil around intentionally or unintentionally.
Its long, lithe, golden body was almost touching the red iron dragon.
The heat from the red iron dragon is even more intense.
He repeated, "I said, you should stop."
"What? Scared?"
Jinlong not only did not stop, but intensified his attack.
She chuckled, the tip of her tail brushing against the scales on the Red Iron Dragon's jaw. "Weren't you quite imposing just now? Let me see what the Red Emperor is capable of."
Galos's breathing gradually became heavy, and his vertical pupils contracted.
He warned, "Golden Dragon, be careful not to get burned."
Natasha ignored him and became increasingly audacious, almost clinging to him with her entire body.
In fact, the desires of adult dragons are as fiery as molten lava, especially those metal dragons that are naturally inclined towards order and have restrained themselves with various rules and precepts for many years. Once the shackles in their hearts are pried open even a little, their suppressed desires are sometimes more difficult to control than those of many evil dragons, and they burn even more fiercely.
Moreover, few dragons possess an iron will like Garus.
Moreover, even he could not completely eliminate the influence of desire.
He growled as the golden dragon tried to wrap its tail around the red iron dragon's hind legs.
"Enough!"
Galos suddenly turned around and retaliated with speed and strength far exceeding that of the golden dragon. His claws gripped the golden dragon's shoulders, slamming her to the ground, causing the solid ground to crack.
His wings spread out like a curtain, completely enveloping the golden dragon in shadow.
Natasha gasped, but there was no fear in her eyes; instead, her eyes gleamed with excitement.
Buzz—!
A soft magical glow shone between Garros's tightly clenched claws.
That was the light of Transfiguration.
The golden dragon, which was pinned to the ground, suddenly shrank in size.
Galos felt his claws sink.
A nimble and agile figure slipped through the gaps in his claws like a fish, leaped lightly, and landed steadily on the back of one of his thick forelimb claws.
It was a tall, human-shaped woman.
She wore a dazzling golden ponytail, the strands of hair still shimmering faintly in the dragon's shadow.
Her skin was a healthy wheat color, smooth and firm, encased in a simple yet exquisitely crafted gold dress.
The skirt armor only covered the vital areas.
Long, straight, and powerful legs were almost completely exposed, shimmering with a dazzling, delicate luster and smooth lines under the faint light filtering through the gaps in the red iron dragon's wings.
Her face was heroic and noble, and at this moment she was slightly raising her chin, looking directly up at Garus's huge dragon head.
This is Natasha in her human form, resembling a valiant female knight.
"A vile dragon!"
"What do you want to do to me? Go ahead and do it!"
She straightened her back and said in a clear voice, "I, the noble and righteous Golden Dragon, will never submit to you!"
Galos did not answer.
Natasha was met with another burst of light.
The intense light was so dazzling that it was almost impossible to look directly at it.
When the light faded, the massive red-iron dragon that had once resembled a mountain range had vanished, replaced by a figure as imposing as an iron tower.
His muscles were bulging and taut, as if cast from steel.
He had deep-set features, a high nose bridge, a strong jawline, and a wild yet beautiful physique. His long black and red hair cascaded over his shoulders, and a pair of dragon horns pointed skyward from his hair, making him look like a demon king incarnate.
This is Garus's human form, retaining some dragon-like features.
Without any unnecessary words or preamble, he stepped forward, his strong, steel-like arms reaching out to grab Natasha's waist, easily hoisting her onto his broad shoulders.
Natasha only had time to let out a soft cry.
Boom!!!
Galos carried her and crashed directly into a steep mountain peak not far away.
The mountain rocks shattered and collapsed before his powerful physique, and the two figures were instantly swallowed up by the countless rubble and billowing dust.
But this is just the beginning.
The mountain began to shake violently, and cracks appeared on its surface, extending as if two giant beasts were writhing and tearing at it from within, creating a tremendous commotion.
P.S.: There will be another chapter in a bit.
(End of this chapter)
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