I... lost?

A feeling of absurdity, like a cold tide, surged over the proud heart of the young Golden Dragon once again.

Alberto Aurelius, this Metal Dragon who was determined to conquer nations with the wings of conquest and establish an eternal order, was actually defeated in this place deemed a barren land, by a group of... Mixed-blood Dragons led by an Evil Dragon?

Defeated by opponents who were younger, smaller, and supposedly at a lower life level than him?

Even knocked from the sky of glory and embarrassingly crashed into the dust.

However, reality is as cold as iron and irrefutable.

The brilliance of the rising dawn, with a clarity that bordered on mockery, quietly spilled over the war-torn land, clearly reflecting his humiliation at this moment.

Shattered scale armor, congealed bloodstains, and a massive body sunk into the dirt.

And mercilessly illuminated the figure of that Red Iron Dragon.

He stood there like a mountain, his dragon foot heavily pressed on Alberto’s chest, vertically-pupiled eyes looking down loftily, like a monarch overlooking yet another reckless challenger.

"This battle! Is not over!"

In the depths of Alberto’s blazing golden Dragon Eyes, anger and unwillingness burned like an inextinguishable fiery flame.

He let out a thunderous roar, the Conquering Holy Oath condensed in his dragon claw into a new Blazing Golden Battle Halberd, while the newly shattered Crown Holy Oath shadow tried to reconsolidate.

It must be admitted that the racial talents of the Golden Dragon, which stands at the pinnacle of the Dragon Race, endowed him with unparalleled life resilience.

Although he was scarred and several scales were curled, revealing the bone, these seemingly horrifying wounds were still far from seriously injuring him, and power continued to surge unstoppably through his body filled with Dragon Blood.

Supreme Slash!

Alberto tightly gripped the Conquering Battle Halberd in his dragon claw and thrust it upwards fiercely.

His target was the massive red iron dragon foot that trampled on his dignity.

However.

Buzz——!

The Battle Halberd, carrying a golden glow, abruptly halted mid-air just inches from its target, as if grasped by enormous invisible hands, unable to advance any further.

Alberto’s pupils suddenly contracted.

Through his extraordinary vision of energy perception, he clearly saw, behind the towering body of that Red Iron Dragon, two furious, red and black Dragon Qi surged skyward, condensing into a pair of massive, sinewy, menacing energy arms, firmly grasping his gleaming Conquering Battle Halberd.

The domineering and ferocious Dragon Qi clashed violently with the pure and sharp Holy Oath energy at the halberd’s shaft.

Sparks and light fragments splattered, the two forces stalemating, neither willing to yield.

Sizzle sizzle sizzle!

Dense golden lightning flew around the Red Iron Dragon, its already strong body expanded again, some cracked Cold Burst Scales were stretched open by bulging muscles, revealing more crisscrossed Battle Scar Patterns, the Red Iron Dragon’s entire body seemed to exude an unmatched oppressive aura.

"Do you want to continue, Golden Dragon?"

The Red Iron Dragon gradually increased its pressure, making Alberto’s chest slowly cave in, his bones creaking.

"Cough——"

Spitting out broken teeth and fresh blood, the Golden Dragon’s gaze was somewhat blurred, his fighting spirit completely dissipated, the sharpness of the Conquering Holy Oath and Crown Holy Oath gradually retracting.

He still had some remaining strength.

And the Red Iron Dragon before him was no different?

He could scarcely imagine what fierce and perilous battles this opponent had experienced, to bear so many Battle Scar Patterns at such a young age, and comparing this to himself, who had just begun to take pride in a few Battle Scar Patterns, his feelings became very complicated.

However.

The present situation of being trampled underfoot still filled Alberto with extreme anger and shame, he let out a low growl, and an inconspicuous scale on his neck glowed faintly, immediately emanating an extraordinary aura.

The intensity was somewhat akin to the Dragon Wei when Frostscar first saw the Red Iron Dragon ’abuse’ its offspring and became angry.

No doubt, it was at least some kind of life-saving spell left behind by an adult dragon.

Galos’ gaze flickered, and he retreated at once.

His Dragon’s Kiss slightly opened, heat surged within, the Destructive Dragon Breath was ready to be unleashed, Iron Dragon Solrog, Red Dragon Samantha, White Dragon Trish, all were also preparing their strongest attack, fully ready, in case the Golden Dragon chose to fight to the death.

"Double Oath Saint Dragon, young."

At this moment, a low voice with a somewhat cunning tone, a touch of playfulness, and a metallic feel whispered, breaking the tense atmosphere.

"Eh? Wait, are you Alberto Aurelius?"

Red Silver Dragon Deborah hovered in mid-air, gently stroking her chin with her dragon claw, as if verifying something.

Finally, she smacked her lips, and though the sound was not loud, it clearly reached the ears of every dragon: "I remember very clearly, you once made a resounding declaration at the younger generation’s gathering in the Endless Sea Dragon Domain."

"A true strongman does not need to rely on the shelter and charity of their elders. The world and order that belong to oneself should and must only be created and expanded by one’s own hands."

"These are your words, right?"

The young Golden Dragon’s expression froze, and the scales around his neck gradually dimmed.

Without the suppression of the Red Iron Dragon, he climbed up, his chest heaving violently as he breathed heavily, while turning his head to look at the Metal Dragon kindred who had just stabbed him in the back.

"A fellow who consorts with Evil Dragons...who are you? Why do you know about me!"

He questioned.

Red Silver Dragon Deborah blinked, speaking in a plain tone as if stating a fact: "Alberto Aurelius. Among the young generation of Golden Dragons in the Endless Sea Dragon Domain, you are the most controversial, the most rebellious, with the most obstinate and unyielding character. Your talent is extraordinary, your potential is remarkable, but your personality...tsk tsk, eccentric and extreme, self-righteous to the extreme."

"My parents..."

She tilted her massive dragon head slightly, as if recalling.

"They have mentioned you more than once, using your example as a cautionary tale to earnestly warn me not to repeat your mistakes."

She paused briefly to savor the increasingly unpleasant look on Alberto’s face before leisurely continuing.

"In fact, as far as I know."

"Many older Metal Dragon peers habitually use you as a vivid warning case to admonish their descendants on what constitutes a wrong path."

"Have you really never noticed that your reputation has long been widespread?"

"Unfortunately, this reputation probably isn’t the kind of honor you were seeking."

Alberto is a Golden Dragon of the Lawful Good alignment.

However, by taking the Oath of Conquest, it’s clear he is not a traditional Golden Dragon. Many pursue the path of the Holy Dragon, but those who choose the Oath of Conquest are few and far between. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Alberto’s character is relatively extreme, slightly deviating towards Lawful Evil.

The only remaining line between him and pure Lawful Evil is that deep down, Alberto still considers the value of life and the humble feelings of the weak.

His desire to establish the eternal Golden Order is rooted in a grand goal.

——To completely eradicate all evil and sources of suffering in the world, so that all living creatures can exist under the perfect order he has built with his own hands, and have a better life.

As for pure Lawful Evil.

They also value the supreme authority of discipline and rules, but never care about the value of the ant-like lives crushed under those rules, nor do they care about the cries and thoughts of the weak.

The true purpose of their rules and order.

Is to more efficiently and securely implement control, and more smoothly seize everything they desire.

"I, Alberto Aurelius——"

Facing Red Silver Dragon’s relentless exposure and veiled sarcasm, the Golden Dragon slowly raised his head, extended his dragon tongue, and licked the remaining Dragon Blood off his claws.

"——I never care about those mediocre beings who cannot understand my path."

Despite his poor condition, his voice remained low and strong, like rolling thunder brewing in his chest: "Other dragons find me difficult to get along with, blame my dreams recklessly, accuse me of being too extreme."

"However."

Alberto’s gaze penetrated the Red Silver Dragon before him, looking toward the vast, boundless sky.

"From the perspective of this vast universe and the long scale of infinite time, unless truly immortal and eternal Divine Spirits exist, any thoughts of intelligent life, any actions that seem great in essence are meaningless."

"Since this is the case, why should I avoid my innermost true thoughts?"

The Golden Dragon Race generally possesses a far-reaching vision surpassing that of other Dragon Races, able to perceive the awe-inspiring vastness and expansiveness of the river of time.

Alberto possesses this trait as well.

However, his foresight led him to set out on a unique path.

He believes:

Life, after all, is a profound journey of seeking one’s true self internally.

Rather than cautiously concealing one’s nature and living a so-called correct but mundane life according to the rules, it’s better to confront the thumping heart, face the most primal and ardent call from the depths of the soul, do what the heart truly desires, pursue his dreams, and realize the ultimate value of his existence.

Only then.

When the final and inevitable curtain of death falls, he could walk into eternal silence with his head held high, without regret, and without being ashamed of the life belonging to him, Alberto Aurelius.