Dracarys

"This green dragon is actually a sorcerer. Looks like I have to end this quickly." Frowning slightly, Tinia swiped her talons, their razor tips glowing with an icy-blue light. With a sharp whoosh, three frost-shrouded ice blades tore through the air and pierced the smoke, rocketing toward the green silhouette in the sky. However, Vesuvilla raised her scepter. The space around her blurred and warped, and her form turned ethereal once more, leaving behind only several hazy afterimages. "Come out! You damned coward!" Tinia snarled in irritation, wheeling through the upper air as she searched for the green dragon. *A white beast through and through. No matter how much power she possesses, it cannot change her stupidity,* Vesuvilla thought with venomous spite, veiled midair by her Invisibility spell. Channeling her magic, the green dragon fired rays of acid from her claws, sending them streaking straight toward the white dragon's throat. Yet the acid, potent enough to corrode steel, could not breach the white dragon's scales, leaving only shallow blemishes upon their surface. Tinia growled low and immediately snapped her head toward the origin of the acid rays, unleashing her frost breath. "Roar—!" Freezing winds howled, and snow fluttered down. Tinia released the divine frost power of Matalotok, transforming an area hundreds of meters wide into a world of ice and snow. Vesuvilla shivered in the biting wind, her silhouette gradually outlined by the clinging snow. Roaring, Tinia flapped her wings and surged toward her, exuding an immense dragon fear. Only now did the green dragon truly grasp how formidable this white dragon was, finally understanding why Volcanis had fallen beneath her talons. The white dragon's ice magic was utterly terrifying. A single misstep could leave one frozen into a solid sculpture, completely incapacitated. Moreover, her physical body was extraordinarily durable—ordinary spells failed to penetrate her defenses at all. She was blindingly fast, and her melee prowess could overpower even an adult red dragon. Where was her weakness? "Tiamat above, how could such a monster exist!" Vesuvilla cursed under her breath. Buffeted by the overwhelming dragon fear and chilled to the bone by the encroaching frost, the green dragon panicked. In frantic agitation, she beat her wings and fled outward. At the same time, she waved her scepter, conjuring a blazing wall of fire in midair as crackling lightning sprang up to block Tinia's path. Casting in rapid succession had consumed a significant amount of Vesuvilla's mana, yet the white dragon remained bursting with vitality, as though she hadn't just fought through a dozen duels. Vesuvilla gritted her teeth as she watched the white figure tear through every barrier, riding the freezing gale straight toward her. *No, this area has become her home turf. If this continues, I'll lose without ever having a chance to fight back.* By now, the white dragon had shattered the barrier of lightning and pounced toward her, spewing a rushing torrent of subzero air. "I have to relocate!" Vesuvilla tapped the air before her with her scepter. Space warped around her once more, and her figure dissolved into a blur. In the blink of an eye, the green dragon reappeared in the dense forest far away, causing Tinia's lunge to strike empty air. Tinia glared at her from afar, speaking coldly: "Vesuvilla, you have fled beyond the duel's boundaries. By the traditions of dragonkind—you have lost." "No, it's not over yet!" Vesuvilla's expression turned sinister. Pointing her scepter at Tinia, she swiftly chanted in Draconic. "Dragon Stars!" The magic stone atop the golden scepter flared with dazzling radiance as the magic in the surrounding air surged wildly. High above, lights coalesced into shining stars. Trailing straight beams through the heavens, they wove countless luminous threads before plummeting toward the white dragon. "Very well..." Tinia nodded with a sneer, spreading her massive wings with imperious arrogance. "Since you dare covet my master's bloodline, green dragon—I shall show you the gulf between us and make you accept your defeat!" Before her words faded, a deluge of freezing air surged forth like an opened floodgate, instantly sweeping across the sky and snuffing out the falling stars entirely. Tinia beat her wings, transforming into a white blur as she plunged into the depths of the dense woods, dragging a freezing mist that coated everything in her wake with thick frost. The several green dragons at Lake Tewar exchanged glances. Masking their presences, they slipped into the forest one after another, melting into the lush green canopy. "White dragon, you are strong," Vesuvilla said coldly. "But this is my territory! I will show you why those lowly humans call me the 'Queen of the Woodlands'!" Raising her golden scepter, the green dragon chanted in Draconic. The pine-green gemstone atop it radiated an arcane light that illuminated the surroundings. "Greater Animate Plants!" In an instant, the dense forest seemed to come alive. Vines grew exponentially, writhing like vipers; trees swayed like specters with loud creaks and groans. Everything within the woods hissed hoarsely at the white dragon. Just as Tinia moved to strike, more than a dozen animated giant trees swung their massive boughs to block her path, while thousands of vines lashed out and wrapped around her, cocooning the white dragon in an attempt to bind her fast. Seizing the opportunity, Vesuvilla thrust her scepter forward, loosing a beam heavy with necromantic energy straight at the white dragon. "Ray of Enfeeblement!" Yet bolstered by her atavistic bloodline, Tinia's spell resistance was absurdly high. Even a seventh-tier spell like Ray of Enfeeblement only slowed her movements for a fraction of a second. Relying on sheer draconic muscle, Tinia snapped the vines by brute force, unleashing a deafening, earth-shaking roar. "Roar—!" Alarm flashed across Vesuvilla's face. She raised her claws and hoisted the scepter high. *Boom!* Countless roots and branches erupted from the ground, forming a massive wall that stood before Tinia. The divine frost power of Matalotok poured forth. In an instant, freezing vapors flooded the woods, thick white mist billowed, and everything within a hundred meters of Tinia froze solid. *Crack—!* With a crisp snapping sound, the high wooden barricade fractured and collapsed with a thunderous crash. Tinia charged through, roaring at the green dragon: "Vesuvilla, face reality! Everything you have is worthless before the great Emperor!" This time, however, Vesuvilla did not dodge. Gritting her teeth, she glared fixatedly at the silhouette in the dust and muttered, "Even the mightiest dragon must have a weakness. I refuse to believe you can evade this!" The instant Tinia burst through the dust, the crystal pendant on Vesuvilla's chest gleamed with an eerie light, shooting directly into the white dragon's slit pupils. "Curse of the Dragon Heart!" This was a mental enchantment tailored specifically against dragons, conjuring an illusion of their heart's deepest desire before their eyes. For most dragons, that longing was mountains of gold. Greed was hardwired into every dragon's nature. Rare was the dragon who could withstand such a temptation, usually sinking into the illusion beyond all hope of extricating themselves. "This is..." Tinia froze instantly. Her head lowered in deep deference, and her tail wagged rapidly, all her previous towering fury vanishing into thin air. A look of pure infatuation and fanaticism overtook the white dragon's face. She muttered under her breath, thick saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth: "Master... Master, are you finally going to..." "Hmph, a foolish white beast after all. You can never wash away the wretchedness in your bones!" Vesuvilla looked upon the entranced white dragon with utter disdain. She sneered, and then wild delight broke across her face. Strike while the enemy is down! She could not let such a golden opportunity slip by! Vesuvilla yelled, "Pamelaia, Matilda... now! Make her pay for her arrogance!" "Roar!" Before her voice had settled, several green dragons revealed themselves, emerging from the depths of the forest like phantoms. Gapping their maws dripping with caustic acid, they pounced upon Tinia from different angles, aiming vicious bites at her throat, underbelly, and other vitals. Vesuvilla pulled out a poisoned dagger, coated it in various spells, and drove it unhesitatingly toward the white dragon's skull, declaring coldly, "Since you insist on standing in my way, don't blame me for showing no mercy!" Yet no sound of fangs tearing into flesh followed. Instead, the ambushing green dragons let out piteous wails, their mouths filling with blood as their teeth shattered on impact. "Awoo—!" Realizing something was terribly wrong, Vesuvilla hastily beat her wings and retreated, ushering her green kin in front of her for cover. A shell of crystalline ice had formed over the white dragon's scales, enveloping her body like impenetrable armor. A wave of subzero air swept across the ground. Tinia's eyes snapped open as she awakened abruptly. For a moment, she was lost and confused, but that swiftly gave way to unprecedented fury. "Y-You dare... disturb me at such a crucial moment?!" Oddly, her wrath was not directed at the ambush itself, but rather... at the fact that they had broken her reverie. Vesuvilla looked panicked, though an uncanny sensation crept over her. Was this white dragon insane? She actually wanted to stay lost in the illusion, and was blaming them for ruining her fantasy? "Mad dragon," Vesuvilla hissed. She raised her scepter once more and chanted in Draconic, causing the surrounding trees to surge furiously toward the white dragon. The other green dragons cast aside all pretense, beating their wings and baring their claws as they swarmed her from every direction. "Roar! Damned green dragons, I will make you pay!" Tinia bellowed in aggrieved fury. In her towering rage, freezing air poured out like a ruptured dam, submerging the green dragons in an instant. The green dragons struggled desperately, but to no avail. Their movements grew increasingly sluggish until they could only watch helplessly as ice encased their bodies, sending them tumbling from midair. "Ice magic of this caliber... Madness! This white dragon has gone completely mad!" Terror-stricken, Vesuvilla frantically began chanting a spell to escape via Dimension Door, but the surroundings had turned into an endless expanse of white—even space itself had been frozen by the white dragon. Watching Tinia stride closer step by step, the green dragon shuddered in the icy wind, trembling from head to tail: "D-Don't come any closer! My father is an ancient green dragon who received Lady Tiamat's favor..." Yet Tinia only stared fixedly at the pendant on the green dragon's chest. Licking her lips, her eyes glittered with greed. Noticing this, Vesuvilla frantically unclasped the pendant and cried out, "Let me go! I can sell you this Heart of Greed! It's a genuine treasure from the divine realm..." *Boom!* Blue light flared in Tinia's palm. With a single swat, she sent the green dragon flying tens of meters away, snapping over a hundred trees and leaving half of her body encased in ice. "Sell?" Tinia flipped Vesuvilla over on the ground, yanked the crystal pendant from her neck, and spat disdainfully. "And you call yourself a chromatic dragon? Why buy what I can take?" In no time at all, Tinia stripped the wealthy green dragon clean, pillaging every magical item on her person before nodding in satisfaction. "This is your punishment for violating the sacred traditions of dragonkind," the white dragon declared self-righteously to the completely bare green dragon. Tinia launched herself into the sky from the forest, returning to Lake Tewar a moment later. Letting out a resounding roar, she looked down upon the remaining females. "Vesuvilla has been defeated. For scorning the rules and trampling on sacred tradition, she has received her rightful punishment." "Who among you—still wishes to challenge me?" Dead silence fell over the lake. Gazing at Tinia, whose massive build seemed entirely unlike any white dragon, the remaining females felt their courage falter. Volcanis and Vesuvilla were standout figures among chromatic dragons, yet both had been effortlessly crushed. What hope did the rest of them have? With that realization, the chromatic dragons beat their wings and began flying south, departing one after another under Tinia's watchful eye. Just then, a voice brimming with immense power rolled in from the distance, like a volcano on the verge of eruption. "I do." The scent of sulfur and pumice suffused the sky as the surrounding air grew stiflingly hot, causing the ice sheet over Lake Tewar to thaw at an astonishing rate. "This is..." Tinia's expression darkened. She sensed an aura far more terrifying than that of the other females—a dragon fear potent enough to subtly suppress even her own. The remaining chromatic dragons turned toward the source of the voice, their faces shifting into expressions of shock and malicious delight. "Is that... 'Frenzied Calamity' Dracarys?" "She actually came?" A colossal silhouette emerged on the horizon: an adult red dragon stretching nearly thirty meters in length. Her body was sheathed in crimson scales, wreathed in thick smoke, her form powerfully built and rippling with muscle while retaining an imposing grace. Her head remained held high at all times, her golden slit pupils radiating boundless arrogance and an undisguised contempt for all other living things. Even by the standards of dragons, her pride was extraordinary. This was Dracarys, a noble-born adult red dragon rumored to carry Tiamat's direct lineage. She was also the renowned 'Frenzied Calamity', having once razed an entire dwarven city in a fit of madness, bringing about untold devastation. What truly shocked the chromatic dragons about her arrival was that this red dragon cared nothing for divine favor—she had even turned down a personal overture from Tiamat herself.