The closer they got to that mother dragon's lair, the more ear-piercing the howling became.
It continued until Izo and his party reached the front of the cave. The cave exterior was covered in a thick layer of icicles, smooth as a mirror, where one could even see their reflection upon closer inspection.
Only a few tiny holes were left around the edges, seemingly meant for air circulation.
“Izo, how about we don't go in after all...”
Listening to the spine-chilling howling, Vivian felt like retreating once again.
“How can we do that? We've already made it all the way here.”
“In case something really happened to Mother, we can't just watch her die inside!”
Leodero possessed the reckless courage of a newborn calf unafraid of tigers.
Vivian looked at the overly naive Leodero beside her and couldn't help rolling her eyes once again.
Was that sound coming from inside the cave something a dragon could even make?
Whether she's even still our mother right now is hard to say, and you still want to go inside?
This time I won't go in even if you beat me to death, absolutely not!!
Of course, these were just Vivian's internal thoughts; she couldn't possibly say them out loud in front of Leodero and Izo.
“Stand back a bit. I'll smash open this ice wall and head in to check.”
“Izo, are you really going inside?”
Vivian looked at Izo incredulously, not expecting him to be so stubborn.
Izo naturally had his own considerations:
If something had truly gone wrong with that big mother dragon, he believed he could get her to owe him a favor.
That way, Izo could rapidly grow and develop in this "bountiful" rift without having to worry his heart out over hunting every day.
If that big mother dragon had already gone mad to the point of losing her sanity, then she must have suffered some kind of injury, as she wouldn't have fallen into such a state for no reason.
Thus, with her weakened state weighing against his strength, he might not necessarily lose.
By the same logic, as long as he won, this bountiful land would belong to him as well.
Of course, there was a certain level of risk involved: the creature inside the dragon nest might no longer be that big mother dragon, having already been killed by some kind of monster.
Thinking up to this point, Izo still decided to go inside and test the waters.
Although he was cautious, he wasn't so overly self-preserving as Vivian; after all, the potential gains in front of him far outweighed the risks.
“If you hear my howling after I go in, run immediately.”
“Don't hesitate. If a fight really breaks out, the two of you will only be dead weight.”
Hearing Izo's words, Vivian asked indignantly:
“Then why did you insist I come along?”
“To negotiate with that mother dragon, of course. After all, you two are her biological children.”
“Huh? You're not planning to kidnap us to threaten Mother, are you?”
Looking at Vivian's melodramatic performance, Izo deliberately pretended to consider it seriously.
“That's not impossible, though I don't know if that mother dragon would fall for it.”
“Forget it, forget it!”
“I was just speaking off the cuff—did you actually take it seriously?”
“Alright, stop fooling around. You two quickly back away.”
Vivian and Leodero backed away. As Leodero retreated, he said:
“Izo, I won't abandon you and leave you to go die alone!”
“If Mother really wants to kill you, I will definitely plead for mercy for you!!”
Sigh, this silly kid...
“Alright. Either way, when I tell you to run, just run. She won't kill me, and even less can she manage to kill me.”
Saying that, Izo crouched and gathered his energy, his muscles tensing completely. The moment his focus reached its peak, he discovered the weakness in the thick ice wall.
Boom—!
He leaped forward abruptly, savagely swinging out a claw.
The ice wall collapsed at the impact, revealing the originally deep and dark cave entrance. The eerie howling inside the cave abruptly ceased as well.
Outside the cave, the hearts of the three dragons tightened. All held their breath, not a single dragon making another sound.
Keeping his footsteps low, Izo began slowly inching into the cave.
The entrance to the dragon nest was very long. After inching forward cautiously for several minutes, Izo had still not reached the interior of the lair.
The further inside he went, the more suppressed his mood became.
In the pitch-black environment, even with the eyes of a dragon, he could barely discern his surroundings a few meters ahead.
Rounding a bend, his vision finally brightened as Izo stepped into the interior of the dragon nest.
Within the cavernous space, light from above filtered through the ice layer, illuminating the entire dragon nest in rippling waves, as if submerged in a shallow sea.
Scanning the area at a glance, the dragon nest was completely empty except for piles of skeletal remains.
This caused his heart to tighten. Without even hesitating, he pounced forward at high speed, tucking his body midair and reversing his direction the instant all four claws hit the ground.
Thump!
A massive impact detonated where Izo had been, sending dust and debris scattering everywhere.
Izo's combat instincts were not mistaken. In this empty dragon nest, if the "enemy" was not in front of him, they must be on the rock wall behind him.
A deep blue light glowed in his chest, surging upward along his slender neck until it accumulated inside his maw.
The next second, a frigid breath blasted straight into the dust cloud!!
Izo went all out right from the start. After all, under his perception, there was no presence coming from the dust cloud, and he couldn't confirm whether that was the big mother dragon or something else entirely.
The dust billowed as the breath struck the rock wall, causing massive swathes of icicles to condense out of thin air.
It hadn't hit—news that boded poorly for him.
Izo chose not to continue unleashing breath attacks all around. Instead, he retreated cautiously, guarding against an attack that could strike from the dust at any moment.
He prepared to wait for the dust to clear and see clearly what the opponent was before deciding his next move.
Right at that moment, a white dragon emerged from the dust, savagely lunging forward!!
Amidst the howling wind and flying gravel, Izo, who had been prepared all along, immediately leaped sideways, nimbly dodging the creature's pounce and the tail sweep that followed.
Such incredible speed!
Izo was inwardly alarmed. In midair, he clearly saw the creature attacking him.
It was a female white dragon about eleven meters long, with obvious wounds on her front claws, wings, and head that had not yet fully scabbed over.
Her pupils shimmered with an eerie crystalline purple, and even beneath the surrounding dragon scales, a dim purple light pulsed.
Furthermore, slaver dripped from her mouth; clearly, the big mother dragon's mind was unhinged. However, Izo at least confirmed that the entity attacking him wasn't some other bizarre monster.
Upon landing, Izo hastily called out:
“It's me! Izo!”
“Do you still recognize me?”
Although judging by her appearance, there was a high probability her consciousness was clouded, Izo still tried to communicate just to be safe.
“Izo... Izo?”
The white figure visibly faltered, her head swaying.
But in the next instant, she roared at the top of her lungs!
“Ah! Ahhh!!”
“Why did you come back?! Get out of here, now!!”
Then, without a moment's hesitation, she launched another attack.
Facing the frenzied charge of an adult white dragon around eleven meters long—nearly twice his size—Izo didn't dare to be careless in the slightest.
Utilizing his superior agility, he hastily dodged once more, seeking an opportunity to strike back.
Rate on N.U.
