The Dragon-Armored Lizard stood atop the low ridge, its dark gray, rigid scales gleaming with a cold metallic luster under the sunlight.
It slowly turned its thick, short neck. Its vertical pupils were far cloudier than those of a purebred dragon, the edges of its irises covered by a grayish-white film as its gaze swept over the trampled, ruined forest below.
This area was its territory—or more accurately, a new domain it had just seized.
It could no longer remember how long it had slumbered within the pitch-black underground rock layers.
For its entire life, it had fought against that six-armed monkey, competing for territory, vying for underground veins rich in Magic Cores, and scrambling for any resource that could make it stronger.
Now, it had long since reached the bottleneck of its power. The energy surging beneath its scales told it clearly that it was only one final catalyst away from advancing.
Yet that seemingly insignificant step held it back, keeping it stubbornly stuck in place.
The Six-Armed Giant Ape was also trapped at the peak of Level 12. Between these two top-tier beasts of equal strength, whoever managed to break through first would force the other to flee in disgrace, completely forfeiting all their resources for survival.
That was until that unknown existence suddenly awakened from deep underground.
The Dragon-Armored Lizard did not want to recall that moment at all. It hadn't even dared to look up; the terrifying pressure emanating from the depths of the earth alone had completely locked its limbs, rendering it unable to move.
It could only curl up deep within the collapsing, warping rock piles, trembling in fear until that dreadful aura finally dissipated.
And it was after that when it saw the real sky for the very first time.
This was the actual, vast sky, not some artificial daylight simulated by the glowing ores in subterranean caverns.
The gentle breeze and drifting clouds stretched infinitely, and the lush forests on the surface rolled on and on, extending to the very edge of its perception.
It had taken a long time to accept the harsh reality: the underground territory it and the ape had fought to the death for—which they had treasured above all else—was nothing more than a tiny, insignificant speck compared to the vast surface world.
It began to sweep through the surface creatures, flattening several weak settlements one after another.
Those upright-walking monkeys ran fast enough, but the fences and fortifications they built were as fragile as dry twigs before it. With a single stomp, everything crumbled.
Its heart was filled with violence and confusion. Why did such a weak race deserve to occupy such a vast and fertile land?
It wanted this land, and more than that, it wanted to control an even larger territory. It wanted every living creature on this continent to know that from now on, it was the ruler here.
So, it gathered its remaining subordinates and drove various monsters to form a monster tide, sweeping forward and crushing every settlement along the way.
Yet, just as it was about to take complete control of this area, a breath suddenly rained down. Rampant flames instantly engulfed the entire monster tide, leaving none of its subordinates spared.
In that moment, the first thing the Dragon-Armored Lizard felt was fear. It watched as all the monsters under its command, crushed by pure Dragon Fear, succumbed to instinctive terror from the depths of their souls, collapsing and scattering.
Standing at the rear of the beast tide, it watched as its subordinates in front were reduced to ashes in the fire. The oncoming heatwave was thick with the pungent, burning stench of its own kind.
But immediately after, it caught a different, distinct scent.
That scent was hidden within the Dragon Fear, incredibly faint, yet the lizard recognized it instantly as the aura of an immature dragon. The lizard's scales tensed immediately, and an overwhelming rush of excitement and greed surged in its heart.
It had been trapped at the peak of Level 12 for far too long; the endless bottleneck had almost forced it to resign itself to its fate.
But now, the catalyst for its breakthrough was right before its eyes. As long as it devoured this purebred dragon—even if it was just an immature hatchling—it could completely break through its shackles and advance.
When that time came, it could utterly crush its arch-rival, the Six-Armed Giant Ape, and turn this new surface world into its personal hunting ground.
The Dragon-Armored Lizard slowly raised its head, its cloudy amber eyes locking onto the direction of the village. That bright flash of crimson scales was its target.
The opponent's body was a couple of sizes smaller than its own, and the Dragon Fear she released was also quite immature and weak.
While a purebred dragon's bloodline could suppress a mixed-blood subspecies, the absolute difference in level and physical size was more than enough to bridge that genetic advantage.
Opening its massive jaws, a low growl rumbled from the depths of its throat as it stepped forward. Its heavy foot slammed down, instantly caving the earth into a shallow crater, sending pebbles flying in all directions.
It had lost all patience; it was unwilling to wait any longer.
...
When Lola saw that massive figure slowly approaching from behind the monster tide, the scales on her neck instinctively flared and tensed.
She could tell at a single glance that this was a mixed-blood subspecies with extremely diluted dragon blood—an inferior descendant produced by generations of watered-down lineage.
Yet, she had not expected this mixed-blood lizard to be more than twice her size, even though she was a purebred dragon.
Lola subconsciously took a step forward, shielding all the villagers behind her. She raised her head slightly, deliberately steadying her voice to maintain a calm and composed posture.
“Mixed-blood, seeing me here, why have you not retreated?”
The Dragon-Armored Lizard did not stop. Its cloudy eyes remained locked onto Lola, a look swirling in them that made a shiver run down her spine.
It was an unmasked, raw greed. It resembled the desperate look of prey she hunted, except this time, she was the one who had become the prey.
She absolutely could not fight here!
The thought flashed through Lola's mind. Right behind her was the defenseless village, and the villagers who had just been thanking her were now crowded behind the wooden fence.
Even the mere aftershocks of her Dragon Breath would be enough to destroy the entire village. Once a major battle broke out, the villagers wouldn't stand a chance of surviving.
Lola abruptly spread her wings.
Instead of retreating, she charged straight toward the giant lizard.
She pulled up sharply just dozens of meters away from the lizard, her crimson silhouette flashing past right above its head. The powerful wind pressure whipped up by her wingtips forced the lizard to instinctively close its eyes and dodge.
Taking advantage of this fleeting moment of hesitation, Lola immediately flew past it, heading at full speed toward the open, grassy wasteland outside the village.
A low roar rumbled from the lizard's mouth. It immediately spun around, its pupils locking onto Lola's flight path as its heavy limbs began to gallop, giving chase and trampling everything in its way.
Every step crushed the ground, squeezing grass roots and soil from between its toes, leaving a trail of deep craters behind it.
Lola flew to the center of the wasteland, folded her wings as she landed, and quickly assumed a combat stance.
Her heart rate quickened uncontrollably, but she still held her head high and flared the scales on her neck, deliberately projecting a powerful presence. The Ancient Dragons had taught her that when facing a mixed-blood subspecies, one's presence was the first and most solid line of defense.
“One final warning, wretched mixed-blood: retreat at once!”
The lizard ignored her completely, stepping steadily into the wasteland. Its heavy feet snapped the dead tree roots buried deep underground, the crisp cracking sounds echoing clearly across the open plains.
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