The blood-colored barrier peeled away like melting ice, and the figure of the Red-Iron Dragon stumbled out from the Void Realm.
His scales were shattered, and his body was covered in a dense network of scars. A piercing wound ran straight through from his back to his abdomen, and a massive gash on his neck gurgled with flowing dragon blood.
By now, the battle had ended.
Pain and exhaustion surged like a tide; Garros should have collapsed from weakness.
But a strange sensation was brewing within his body. Those near-depleted Demonic Energy and overdrawn vitality were now like two entangled giant pythons, biting and fusing deep within his internal organs, erupting with a Soul-burning pain and heat that supported Garros's body to remain standing.
This feeling was a sign of Dragon Qi Awakening.
Garros was in pain all over, but his eyes shone brightly.
The Demonic Energy and life force, squeezed to their absolute limits, were sublimating, transforming, and evolving into Dragon Qi.
This battle with the Dragon Hunting Group had been extremely perilous.
The opponent had many people, and besides Viscount Ironthorn, the lowest life Rank was 10, the same as Garros. There were also Advanced beings like a Rank 14 Conjurer, a Rank 13 Paladin, and a War Priest.
As the one being ambushed and besieged, Garros was at an absolute disadvantage.
Most crucially, because of the gladiator array disk...
...there was no retreat; only a fight to the death.
Without subordinates or other Dragons to provide distractions, if he had used Excited Blood Burst from the start, the elite Dragon Hunters, with their coordinated teamwork, could have easily kite-pulled him and avoided a direct confrontation.
Furthermore, it was best to enter the Frenzied State only after fighting for a while and warming up the body to achieve the strongest amplification effect.
Garros knew this.
Therefore, he first used Explosive Scales to tank the damage and wear down the Dragon Hunters' condition, then feigned weakness. He suddenly erupted into an Frenzied State and executed one of the Berserkers, reducing their numbers and creating an opening. Since the Paladin and War Priest alone couldn't completely stall him, he took the momentum to kill the Vicious Beast Hunter and Shadow Assassin.
Only then did a turning point arrive, tilting the scales of victory in his favor.
Finally, relying on the third stage of Blood Burst, he slaughtered the remaining Dragon Hunters who were at their wits' end and had exhausted their ultimate moves.
Even so, Garros himself had sustained extremely severe injuries from the Dragon Hunters' coordinated strikes.
Under these circumstances, pushed to his limit after a life-and-death struggle, he finally encountered the opportunity for Dragon Qi Awakening. Demonic Energy and life energy began to fuse and sublimate.
"With Dragon Qi, the duration of my Frenzied State should be extended."
"Most importantly, this means I can begin learning Martial Dragon skills and improve attributes like perception and instinctive premonition of danger."
Garros looked back on this battle.
He believed that...
...the most important reason he fell into danger was that his perception was too dull.
As a hybrid Red-Iron Dragon, Garros was a positive hybrid in other aspects, combining the strengths of both sides. However, in terms of perception, he was a negative hybrid; his initial perception was even worse than that of an ordinary Red Dragon or Iron Dragon.
After some training and the enhancement of his spirit attribute...
...his perception was now slightly stronger than a normal Red or Iron Young Dragon, but it was still limited and not even as high as a Faerie Dragon's.
For instance, this time, he failed to detect the stealthed Dragon Hunting Group and allowed them to get close enough to use items on him. In the gladiator Domain, he was misled by the Conjurer's phantom image, missing the critical moment to interrupt their casting and being hard-controlled for a period.
If he hadn't been deceived and had interrupted the Conjurer's Spell in advance...
...he might not have suffered such severe injuries.
"My perception has always been a weakness, and it improves very slowly."
"However, after the Dragon Qi Awakening, the situation will be completely different."
Garros let out a long breath.
The Martial Dragon class is derived from the Monk class, and its fundamental positioning is similar.
Perception skills like Reflexive Dodge and Focused Keenness could be learned and acquired now that he had Dragon Qi. Moreover, if such skills were used frequently, with his Adaptive Evolution talent, they would eventually become fixed, permanent passives.
Demonic Energy and life energy were still intertwining and fusing.
The transformation and sublimation would take some time.
It wouldn't be completed immediately.
At this time, the surrounding monster subordinates gathered around, guarding Garros like an iron wall to prevent any follow-up attacks. Several Dragons also landed beside Garros.
"Garros, how do you feel?"
Seeing the horrific injuries on the Red-Iron Dragon, Samantha asked anxiously.
Although she didn't know exactly what Garros had gone through, just seeing those shocking scars made it easy to imagine how perilous the battle had been.
If it had been her or Sorog...
...they would likely have been doomed.
"It's fine. The process was a bit thrilling, but in the end, I won."
"As for these wounds, as long as they didn't kill me outright, they're nothing. I'll be fine after a sleep."
Garros said.
With a flick of his tail, he tossed the red stone-slab-like gladiator array disk to the Iron Dragon. "Keep this for now. This Alchemical Item trapped me in an alternate dimension; it can still be used."
The gladiator array disk was now covered in cracks, looking like a piece of porcelain on the verge of shattering.
But it hadn't actually broken yet.
The moment he won the duel, Garros became its new owner and naturally understood how to use it.
This was a powerful decapitation tool. Unfortunately, it could only be used one more time, but if used well, it could work wonders at a critical moment.
The Iron Dragon Sorog took the gladiator array disk and nodded heavily. "Heal your wounds and rest as soon as possible."
"During this time, Samantha and I will guard you without leaving your side."
Fairy Dragon Vera shouted, "And me! This time, I definitely won't let anyone sneak close again!"
She felt guilty for her slightly slow warning earlier, though she couldn't really be blamed. While a Faerie Dragon's perception was excellent, it wasn't strong enough to instantly detect a Shadow Sneak.
Garros slowly stretched his body, his shattered scales making a harsh sound like metal scraping.
He looked down to examine his wounds.
The Dragon Hunters' attacks weren't just on a physical level. Most of the wounds they caused had residual energy that prevented regeneration and kept him bleeding continuously.
The Paladin's Smite Evil had left deep gashes on his neck, with light-flames wandering and corroding inside. The Conjurer's shadow energy was embedded in the wounds on his body, gnawing at the new tissue like countless dark-purple parasites. Most troublesome was the residual holy energy in the piercing wound from the Blade of Judgment, which burned him like a blazing fire.
"Before I fall asleep, these wounds need to be treated so they heal faster."
Garros said.
His own Demonic Energy was almost exhausted, and the remainder was transforming into Dragon Qi.
"Frostfang, come and heal my wounds."
Garros summoned the sorcerers and shamans from various tribes.
The sorcerers gathered around the Red-Iron Dragon, carefully removing the stubborn residual energy. At the same time, they cut away the dead flesh that had completely lost its vitality, applied Healing Potions made by the wilderness monsters, and those obtained from the trade caravan earlier.
"Karu, don't just stand there. Bring an iron bucket; this dragon blood mustn't go to waste."
Garros instructed the Ogre to bring an iron bucket to collect the dragon blood.
He had lost a lot of blood this time. If collected, it could be used to transform more than one Dragon-blooded Subordinate.
It was all about recycling and never wasting.
A full six hours later, it was late at night. The Estonia Great River was shrouded in mist, and the surging waves crashed, shattering the moonlight.
Garros's wounds were finally mostly treated.
Due to the heavy exhaustion from the battle, drowsiness and fatigue began to set in, making Garros's head feel very heavy.
But he didn't go to sleep immediately. Instead, he forced himself to stay awake and directed his subordinates to cross the river using the already constructed rafts and set up camp on the north bank first.
Garros himself found a secluded spot nearby to sleep.
The Iron Dragon, Red Dragon, Faerie Dragon, as well as the sorcerers and other elite units among the subordinates, centered themselves around Garros's sleeping spot, remaining fully alert to patrol and guard without rest.