"Great Green Dragon, this is where our master resides. Are you sure you want to challenge our master?" Under the oppressive aura of the green dragon, the green-skinned orc chieftain finally gave in and reluctantly agreed to lead the way.
Showing loyalty to his master in front of an evil dragon was pointless. His master wouldn't remember his loyalty, nor would this green dragon think any more highly of him. So, for the sake of his life and the safety of his tribe, he chose to be a compliant guide. After all, his master's lair wasn't difficult to find—it was located on an active volcano, spewing black smoke.
"A young red dragon... How much wealth could it have accumulated?" Ignoring the orc chieftain beside him, the green dragon Bill's eyes gleamed as he gazed at the volcano.
He had already gathered that the red dragon, like himself, was in its youth, with a body size similar to his own. Typically, a green dragon wouldn't dare provoke a red dragon of equal size, as red dragons are among the most powerful of the chromatic dragons, created with the greatest care by Tiamat.
But this situation was different. Bill wasn't just any green dragon; he had received a full Synapse dragon education. His body was larger than most dragons of his age, and his mastery of spells was at its peak for his age. He was an elite among dragons.
If this red dragon were from Synapse, Bill might have hesitated. But since this red dragon had grown up wild, he felt no fear. It was the perfect target for plundering.
"Red Dragon Rachel Fineshumek, come out!" Eager at the thought of a windfall, the green dragon Bill tossed aside the orc he had been holding and unleashed his dragon's might toward the volcano, then roared skyward.
Hearing the challenge, the red dragon Rachel emerged from her cave atop the volcano. Her eyes immediately fixed on the green dragon, whose body radiated a blinding glow.
It was a large, muscular green dragon. If it weren't for the dragon's green scales, Rachel might have mistaken it for a red dragon due to its size.
"Roar!" Confirming that the challenger was indeed a green dragon, a wave of intense anger surged through Rachel. She felt her dignity was being insulted. As a red dragon, being challenged by a green dragon was an affront.
"Lowly green dragon, you should have stayed in your forest! How dare you challenge the great Rachel? You're courting death!"
Red dragons are notoriously arrogant, even among dragons, and they despise all other dragon species. Rachel was especially furious, as this green dragon had interrupted a critical moment in her life.
"An ignorant red dragon. Enough talk! Rachel, hand over all your treasure to me. If it satisfies me, I might graciously leave you a few copper coins. Otherwise, I'll strip you of your scales to make up the difference."
Rachel's arrogance was met with even greater arrogance from Bill. As a dragon born in Synapse, he had the right to look down on all wild dragons. His confidence came from his knowledge and power.
"Vile bastard! Who gave you the courage to challenge the great Rachel?" Rachel's anger boiled over, and she could no longer hold back. She spread her wings, took to the sky, and lunged at Bill. She decided to strip the green dragon of his scales and pin him to a bronze pillar to teach him the consequences of challenging a great red dragon.
"Just a wild dragon." As Rachel lunged at him, Bill remained calm. He raised his claw, launching hundreds of enhanced arcane missiles—each over a meter in diameter—directly at Rachel, optimized to target a dragon's large body.
Guided by Bill's immense mental power, the arcane missiles bombarded the furious red dragon, halting her momentum. But thanks to her tough scales, the missiles didn't cause any serious damage.
But that was enough. Unless specifically targeted by anti-dragon spells, ordinary magic couldn't easily harm a dragon. In dragon battles, spells were usually used for support, while the real fight was up close.
Even in close combat, Bill wasn't worried. As a Synapse dragon, he regularly consumed legendary flesh, which made his physical development far surpass that of wild dragons. He had no fear of close combat.
After disorienting Rachel with his spell barrage, Bill swooped in, his tail whipping around like a whip, smashing into Rachel and shattering her scales—a blow that did more damage than all his previous spell attacks combined.
The green-scaled dragon and the red-scaled dragon clashed violently in the sky, shattered scales, corrosive blood, and fiery dragon blood raining down. But most of the blood was red, indicating that Rachel was losing the battle.
"You spell-casting coward! If you have the guts, fight me with your body!" Frustrated by being repeatedly hindered by spells, Rachel shouted angrily. If this continued, she would eventually lose, and losing to a green dragon would be a lifelong disgrace.
Realizing the humiliation, Rachel fought even more desperately, especially since another dragon was watching the battle.
"You muscle-brained wild dragon, what do you know about the subtleties of magic?" Bill taunted arrogantly. By now, Rachel had barely managed to hurt him, while he was close to defeating her. He hadn't even used his best spells yet.
A massive block of ice formed under Bill's claws, which he then used as a brick to smash into Rachel's snout, shutting her mouth as she tried to unleash her breath weapon and even knocking out one of her dragon teeth.
"Are all dragons this powerful now? Mastering so much magic?" Suddenly, a curious voice came from the volcano's crater where Rachel had emerged. Along with the voice, an even stronger dragon's might spread out.
"Another red dragon?" Bill, who had been dominating Rachel, turned to see a female red dragon standing at the crater, watching the battle with interest. Her massive size startled him, giving Rachel the chance to claw through his protective shield.
"An adult red dragon." Bill glanced at Rachel, then at the new dragon. "And a female one. Kid, looks like I interrupted something important for you. But hey, if you can hook up with a stronger female dragon, you've got some skill. Wild dragon, interested in joining me?"
"Stupid green dragon! Don't underestimate me!" Rachel roared, driven to madness by the thought of losing face in front of the female dragon he had worked so hard to impress.
"It's not that I'm underestimating you; it's that you're just not good enough." Seeing another adult dragon, Bill felt a bit nervous. While he estimated he could go toe-to-toe with an adult red dragon, the addition of a young dragon tipped the scales against him. But he remained outwardly confident, knowing he could easily escape if needed.
"So far, I've just been playing with you." Bill sneered at Rachel, preparing to make his exit. With an adult dragon present, he realized he likely wouldn't be able to steal the young dragon's hoard. But before he fled, he intended to show off one last time.
"Red dragon, you rely too much on your brute strength. Such a crude approach brings shame to all dragons." Bill arrogantly looked at Rachel, sneaking a glance at the adult dragon to see if she was planning to intervene. Seeing no such intention, he continued to boast, "Today, I'll show you what real dragon combat looks like!"
Bill took a deep breath, his body swelling slightly. Even with his scales covering him, his muscle contours were visible. He extended his claws, and before Rachel could react, his right front claw swelled threefold, matching the thickness of his rear claws, then he swung it powerfully at her.
Under the impact, Rachel's massive body twisted and spun in the air, completing a 720-degree rotation before crashing to the ground. Blood poured from the wounds on her shattered abdomen, making her look pitiful.
"See that? That's the real strength hidden in a dragon's body." Bill laughed triumphantly at the damage he had inflicted with a single blow. This was a combat technique specifically developed by Muria for dragons, considering most dragons used primitive fighting methods that he found crude and unworthy of dragons.
"I'll be back!" Seeing the adult red dragon preparing to intervene, Bill quickly opened a space portal and jumped through, disappearing from the two red dragons' sight.
"That was intense." Having shown off and fled, Bill reappeared on a small hill, his posture slightly awkward. He supported himself with three claws, while the one he had used to strike Rachel trembled uncontrollably, unable to touch the ground.
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