"The probability of encountering formidable opponents in the upcoming matches is getting higher and higher."
"Black Iron Wing Lexander. Facing a young dragon considered a favorite to win the championship, I reckon I'll need to reveal some of my true skills to secure victory."
Saga's lips curled into a grin, revealing a smile.
"An unknown, winning by luck, that's me facing the favorite to win the championship. My odds have already broken a hundred."
"Let's show some real skill in this match and make a good profit."
Soon, Saga stepped into the arena.
In the spacious competition field, surrounded by True Dragons and sea tribes watching the match, the atmosphere was as fervent as ever. The little Silver Dragon in the audience cheered vigorously for Saga, but her voice was drowned out by the broader waves of sound.
Saga and Lexander entered the arena at the same time.
With the presence of a favorite to win and Saga, the lucky little Golden Dragon, the legendary Brass Dragon delivered an opening speech specially for this match:
"Ladies and gentlemen, before you is one of the highly anticipated favorites to win, from the Metal Dragon Island, a rare hybrid of Iron and Cobalt Dragons, Black Iron Wing, Lexander!"
"It possesses all the abilities of both Iron and Cobalt Dragons, with an indestructible defense far surpassing dragons of the same age, fierce and sharp attacks, and has defeated many opponents with an unstoppable force. Will it continue to shine, or will it return defeated?"
On the other side, the dragon with a metallic sheen stood silently.
Meanwhile.
Saga looked towards the favorite to win, his opponent.
Reflected in Saga's pupils was a giant dragon, seemingly forged from black metal steel, twelve meters long, slightly larger than Saga, with scales that shone with a cold metallic luster.
Its head was almost shovel-shaped, with a sharp snout, and its scales were metallic black with a faint silver reflection. From its neck to its back lay a huge dorsal plate that resembled a shark's fin, and its wings folded together like layers of blades.
In appearance, it primarily displayed the form of an Iron Dragon.
The Iron Dragon is the leader of the heavy Metal Dragons, comparable to a Red Dragon at the same age.
The legendary Brass Dragon's excited voice rose again, pointing a claw at Saga.
"As for this one, he has come this far in front of you all by never giving up, with a tenacious will, and a bit of luck, overcoming tough battles and defeating strong enemies, our lucky little Golden Dragon."
"Ladies and gentlemen, witness whether he can create another miracle, turn defeat into victory, and overcome Black Iron Wing despite the odds, or will he sadly stop here?"
After a pause, the Brass Dragon raised its neck and declared excitedly:
"The match begins!"
Both dragons were no ordinary characters, unaffected by the Brass Dragon's emotional speech outside the arena, but quietly sizing up their opponents, calmly observing each other's movements, looking for weaknesses.
Matches involving favorites to win indeed attracted much attention.
Saga could feel countless gazes focused on him, filled with expectations, doubts, encouragement, and skepticism.
On the other side, the Iron Dragon paced slowly around the little Golden Dragon, its gaze rational and calm.
"Saga, lucky little Golden Dragon. Heh, I don't believe in luck."
Its eyes flickered as it spoke.
"I respect every opponent, so I've watched all your matches beforehand."
"So what?"
Unmoved, Saga also observed the Iron Dragon opposite him.
"Your opponents always make mistakes at critical moments, and you always manage to turn defeat into victory. On the surface, you have a keen insight and the ability to seize opportunities, but the key to your victories is still due to your opponents' mistakes."
"But is that really all there is to it?"
The Iron Dragon's voice was like metal scraping, unhurriedly saying:
"If it were just once or twice, it could be attributed to coincidence, to the opponents' mistakes, but since you're standing before me in the sixth match, heh, there are too many coincidences."
After a pause, the Iron Dragon's gaze narrowed, its voice cold and hard:
"My intuition tells me you're hiding your true abilities."
"You rely not on so-called luck, but on your own strength."
The Iron Dragon is a type that likes to grasp the psychology of its target before battle, seeking to gain a mental advantage by unveiling Saga's disguise.
Unfortunately, it was facing Saga, who had already been through many hardships.
Saga chuckled, his gaze calm:
"Whether I'm hiding my skills or relying on luck or strength, you'll find out soon enough."
Fighting against this favorite to win, if he were to perform another miraculous comeback, it would be underestimating the other dragons. As soon as the battle started, Saga knew his hidden abilities would be exposed.
But that didn't matter anymore.
Thanks to the impression he had created through his performances in previous matches, as long as a few dragons bet on Saga with his astonishing odds, he would earn a substantial side income. He had already decided to show his true self from this moment on.
Saga, who had been patient for a long time, also wanted to bare his fangs and show his edge.
At the same time.
The giant dragons watching Saga's match reacted differently to his conversation with the Iron Dragon.
"This little Golden Dragon has been hiding his skills? Hiss, it's quite possible."
"Damn it, Lexander better not lose. I've bet all my fortune on its victory."
"Even if he's been hiding his skills, his opponent is no ordinary young dragon. I still believe Lexander can win."
"Facing a favorite to win, this guy is finally going to show his real strength."
Many giant dragons discussed animatedly, closely watching the standoff between Saga and the Iron Dragon.
At that moment, the Iron Dragon's gaze deepened.
"I'll show you the might of a heavy Metal Dragon."
As it spoke, it raised its claw and slammed it down.
Thud!
A muffled sound echoed.
Instantly, the metal platform beneath Saga surged, rising sharply, and a metal spike shot up, unexpectedly piercing towards Saga's abdomen.
The Iron Dragon, seeing no obvious weaknesses on Saga, launched a surprise attack.
Hum. A glow of mental power flickered in Saga's eyes.
His figure blurred suddenly, and then he was viciously impaled by the metal spike from below.
However, the Iron Dragon's expression did not show triumph but sank instead.
Because what was impaled by the metal spike was just a blurry afterimage, slowly dissipating.
"Where is he?"
"Behind me!"
The experienced Iron Dragon's gaze turned fierce, and it spun around, its claw sweeping fiercely behind it.
Vast swathes of seawater were stirred into a fierce torrent.
Yet, this swipe hit nothing.
Saga had anticipated the Iron Dragon's prediction.
As the Iron Dragon turned, the seawater surged violently behind it.
"Damn!"
The Iron Dragon's eyelids twitched.
Crack, crack, with a thought, the metallic sheen on its scales deepened, its dorsal plate rattled, and the next second, a fierce impact came from its back.
Under the force of the massive blow, the Iron Dragon's body uncontrollably lunged forward, nearly crashing face-first into the ground.
Just before falling, it slapped the ground with its claw, nimbly flipping to stabilize its body, then crouched down, turned around, and waited in a defensive stance, its previous calmness gone.
In its field of vision, the little Golden Dragon had just retracted its claw.
A brief silence fell over the arena, then erupted into waves of exclamations.
"Look what we have here! Our lucky little Golden Dragon was actually hiding his skills! He brought the noble Golden Dragon's habit of playing possum to the competition! In the initial clash with Black Iron Wing, he actually gained the upper hand! Could it be that he will defeat the highly anticipated Black Iron Wing and replace it as the new favorite to win!"
The legendary Brass Dragon noticed the shift and shouted in amazement.
Saga's match thus attracted even more attention.
"I said it, a good-looking Outsider little Golden Dragon is definitely not an ordinary character. How many truly ordinary-looking True Dragons are there? Like me."
An ancient dragon, enjoying the spectacle, boasted about itself.
"Damn it, Lexander, you better not lose. Otherwise, I'll be eating dirt."
"Hahaha, I'm going to make a fortune. Betting on the underdog was the right decision. Next meal, I'm eating gold!"
"Saga brother, go for it, beat it up! Make it flip over and cry for its mama!" Little Silver Dragon Elyia had already stood up, shouting loudly, completely lacking the elegance of a Silver Dragon, and was only restrained a bit when her dragon mother tugged on her tail.
At the same time, the Iron Dragon stared intently at Saga.
"Mental Power!"
It squeezed out Dragon Tongue from its throat, growling.
"If that's your hidden trump card, heh, I overestimated you."
On the other side, Saga, who had used mental power to dodge the Iron Dragon's surprise attack and counter successfully, smiled slightly, the glow in his eyes growing brighter.
He hadn't planned to reveal all his abilities; he wanted to keep some trump cards for stronger opponents.
So he started by using mental power against the enemy.
Mind Warlock ability—Limb Manipulation!
The Iron Dragon's tail suddenly lashed uncontrollably towards its own head.
The Iron Dragon reacted quickly, grabbing its rebellious tail with a claw.
Under Saga's control, the tail struggled like a snake, as if it had become a separate Lifeform from the body.
"Get out of my head!"
The Iron Dragon roared, its mental will fortified and resilient, like a copper wall and iron barrier.
The strong mental resistance of the Dragon Kind rendered Saga's Limb Manipulation ineffective, and the Iron Dragon's tail calmed down.
Boom!
In an instant, the Iron Dragon's wings rose, fierce as blades, and it lunged towards the Golden Dragon on the other side.
As a dragon kind with one of the best close-combat abilities among all dragons, the Iron Dragon adopted a close-combat strategy against Saga, as dragons on the path of Mind Warlocks are mostly adept at ranged methods.
Facing the oncoming black Iron Dragon with a menacing aura.
Saga decisively flapped his wings, retreating to keep his distance, seemingly not adept at close combat, thus temporarily avoiding the sharp edge, while extending his claw, aiming at the black Iron Dragon.
Zzz. Barely perceptible electric arcs flashed over Saga's body.
Mind Blast, Amplified Enhancement, Electromagnetic Blast!
Thunder flashed in Saga's golden dragon eyes.
Boom!
As if thunder struck within the Iron Dragon's mind.
A mental thunderbolt struck the Iron Dragon's spirit, and the strong mental resistance of a True Dragon seemed to fail at that moment, not providing much protection.
The oncoming Iron Dragon's head spun, losing consciousness instantly.
Its body, larger than Saga's, crashed to the ground, causing a ruckus as it fell, its hard-as-steel scales scraping against the ground, even sparking under the deep sea, quickly extinguished by the water.
"My goodness, our lucky little Golden Dragon's mental prowess is so strong."
"This performance is no less than that of Amethyst Dragon Tixier, who specializes in mental power. Could it have Gemstone Dragon blood? Hmm, looking at those diamond-like beautiful scales, it's quite possible."
The legendary Brass Dragon shouted excitedly.
It was now very interested in this match with an unexpected turn and began commentating enthusiastically.
"Black Iron Wing Lexander has fallen into unconsciousness. Is it going to be defeated so casually?"
At this moment, Saga had already opened his dragon mouth, aiming at the unconscious Black Iron Wing.
Surging golden flames brewed in Saga's mouth, the surrounding seawater hissing and evaporating, forming dense bubbles that shrouded Saga's face, with only a pair of golden eyes shining brightly through the steamy haze.
"Lucky little Golden Dragon, no, this title no longer fits, the Golden Dragon that controls mental power. Heart of Gold!"
"The Heart of Gold's dragon breath is ready, while Black Iron Wing is still unconscious."
"Wait, Black Iron Wing moved!"
As the legendary Brass Dragon shouted dramatically, Saga's gaze sharpened, his golden breath evaporating the rolling seawater, spewing from his mouth towards Black Iron Wing Lexander.
As if sensing the impending danger.
The black Iron Dragon's eyelids twitched, its head shook violently, and its closed eyes suddenly opened.
Raising its head, opening its mouth, inhaling, exhaling.
A series of actions as smooth as flowing water, done in one go, and using dragon breath at an extremely fast pace, seemingly without the need for prior brewing, far surpassing ordinary young dragons, even faster than Saga's dragon breath.
Zzzap!
A large mass of tangible, sparkling electric sparks spewed from the Iron Dragon's mouth, clashing with Saga's golden breath just ten meters away.
A dragon breath with both lightning and fire attributes, one of the Iron Dragon's breaths.
"Here it comes, the classic dragon breath clash, though late, has arrived!"
"As the leader of the Metal Dragons, the Golden Dragon, and as the leader of the heavy Metal Dragons, the Iron Dragon, whose dragon breath is stronger? Who will win in this clash? Is it the Heart of Gold on the left, or the Black Iron Wing on the right? Cheer for them!"
Boom, boom, boom!
The collision point of the dragon breaths roared, seawater evaporated massively, and violent ripples and currents spilled out.
Visibly, Saga's breath pushed forward inch by inch, while the Iron Dragon's breath was compressed inch by inch, its body unable to stop retreating.
The Iron Dragon's breath was fast, but too hasty, and its power was not as strong as Saga's golden breath at that moment.
Boom!
The golden breath surged with momentum, crushing the opponent's electric fire breath, sweeping towards the Iron Dragon.
At the last moment, the Iron Dragon gave up its breath, its wings of steel flapping, its body soaring instantly to avoid the oncoming breath. However, the distance was too close, and the breath too swift, without prior caution, it was not something that could be avoided just by saying so.
Crash!
The golden breath grazed the Iron Dragon's body and hit the ground, then exploded violently, creating a raging fire that completely enveloped the Iron Dragon's body.
Whoosh!
The Iron Dragon, ablaze with golden flames, continued to rise, its face slightly twisted.
"Ouch."
It growled.
Crack, crack, clusters of steel armor extended on its body, turning red-hot like branding irons, but ultimately extinguished Saga's breath.
Hiss, hiss, hiss. Countless fine steams emerged around the Iron Dragon.
It had turned from a black Iron Dragon into a 'red' Iron Dragon. As the high temperature of the scales dissipated, they cracked crisscross, seeming much more fragile.
Huff, huff, huff.
The Iron Dragon panted heavily, staring at the little Golden Dragon on the other side.
"I won't lose here. My goal is the championship!"
With a deep roar, the Iron Dragon's wings spread wide, flapping fiercely.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
Steel blades shot from its wings, creating a storm of steel feathers that enveloped and swept towards Saga.
Clang, clang, clang. Saga moved through the steel blades, his movements fluid and agile, dodging vital points while deflecting the unavoidable steel blades.
As he calmly dealt with this wave of attacks.
The Iron Dragon's figure, wrapped in rolling currents, charged again.
The little Golden Dragon flapped its wings and retreated, unwilling to engage in close combat, continuing to distance itself from the opponent.
At that moment, the Iron Dragon roared from its mouth:
"Entangling Spell!"
Hiss, hiss, hiss. Tough weeds and vines suddenly grew in abundance, many climbing onto Saga, sprouting among his scales, waving in the sea, covering a tens of meters area centered on Saga.
This was a spell-like ability of the Cobalt Dragon.
And normally, Cobalt Dragons would awaken it during their teenage years, but this Black Iron Wing had mastered it in its youth.
This was the first time it had revealed this spell-like ability; it had not used it in previous battles.
On the other side, the little Golden Dragon hit by the Entangling Spell struggled to break free in a short time, unable to use mental power to step again soon, seemingly in a dangerous situation.
Black Iron Wing's wings cut through, the weeds and vines parted before it and closed behind it.
In an instant, it arrived in front of Saga, close at hand.
"It's over!"
The Iron Dragon stood up, its claws swinging, creating a sky full of afterimages.
Saga raised his claws too, bringing up a flurry of afterimages to clash with the opponent.
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
The seawater exploded, sending ripples spreading out.
Seconds later, Saga's claws were deflected by the opponent's exquisite close-combat skills, leaving him wide open.
Thud!
The Iron Dragon growled without hesitation.
Crack, crack, a large amount of metallic armor covered its claw, doubling its size in its normal state, making the strike even more powerful.
Next, the steel claw came down fiercely, hitting Saga right on the faceplate.
However, as Saga's head tilted, the Iron Dragon seemed to be struck by a heavy hammer, one side of its faceplate shattered, first its head, then its entire body was propelled out, tearing through many weeds and vines along the way.
Saga shook his head and chuckled softly.
"Hey, how does this shared damage feel?"
The Iron Dragon had received the same force as Saga in that exchange. Since Saga was prepared in advance and it was caught off guard, it suffered a great loss and was flung nearly a hundred meters away before stopping.
Saga also took the opportunity to tear through the Entangling Spell's weeds and vines, stepping out.
"Mental Step, Mind Blast, Shared Damage."
"In this short battle, Heart of Gold has used at least three fifth-level mental abilities! He truly is a genius in the path of mental power! Black Iron Wing is now at a disadvantage, seemingly unable to turn the tide!"
Listening to the legendary Brass Dragon's commentary, the Iron Dragon, who had stabilized its body, frowned.
"Your mental prowess is no less than Amethyst Dragon Tixier. I underestimated you."
The Iron Dragon spoke slowly.
Spells are not easy to learn, and mental abilities, considered part of the spell system, are equally difficult to master. An ordinary sixth-tier Gemstone Dragon might only possess a fourth-level mental ability, and just one at that.
Saga's demonstrated mental prowess had far surpassed that of a same-tier Gemstone Dragon, reaching an extraordinary and exceptional level.
Indeed, that was the case.
Saga had made rapid progress on the path of the Mind Warlock, handling mental power with ease and learning mental abilities at an astonishing speed, related to the connection between mental power and Electromagnetic Force, and also to Saga's own nature, a result of many factors combined.
"If you can handle my next attack, then I will willingly lose to you."
"This was my trump card prepared for the Golden Dragon."
Taking a deep breath, the Iron Dragon's half-shattered faceplate darkened.
It extended a claw, aiming at Saga from afar.
Saga's gaze narrowed, his spirit focused, ready to use his other abilities at any moment, with the Force Field already quietly activated.
The Iron Dragon was no weakling; as a favorite to win the championship, it was indeed outstanding and should not be underestimated.
If Saga were to capsize in the gutter due to negligence, wanting to hide more of his trump cards, he figured he'd have trouble sleeping for a long time.
Petrification!
Magic Power surged around the Iron Dragon.
Crack, crack, without any warning, one of Saga's scales turned gray-white, and then the color spread rapidly, turning the little Golden Dragon into a lifelike statue in an instant.
"Advanced Petrification Spell! A spell-like ability usually wielded by older Iron Dragons, now manifested in a young dragon, this is truly unbelievable! Black Iron Wing is about to turn defeat into victory!"
The Iron Dragon roared, taking advantage of the petrification effect not yet worn off, lunging at Saga.
Still in mid-air, it opened its mouth wide, aiming at the petrified Saga and spewing a breath.
Different from the previous electric fire breath, this time the Iron Dragon expelled an invisible, conical pulse of magnetic energy from its mouth, an Electromagnetic Pulse Breath belonging to the Cobalt Dragon, with the power to shatter its target.
In such a situation, the legendary giant dragons were ready to intervene and stop the fight.
However, just as the legendary giant dragons were about to act, they suddenly focused their gaze and stopped.
Crack, crack, the little Golden Dragon shook, the gray-white stone layer on its body cracked, then shattered, revealing the shining scaled body beneath.
Saga had not been fully petrified; he had been maintaining the Force Field.
At the same time, the Electromagnetic Pulse Breath was coming straight at him.
Saga was originally going to dodge, but upon sensing the attributes of the opponent's breath, he couldn't help but show a strange expression.
He opened his wings proactively, and his arms spread in an embracing gesture.
"Has it gone mad? Is it going to take my breath head-on?"
The Iron Dragon hesitated for a moment but did not stop its breath.
The legendary giant dragon, fooled for a moment, thought again about intervening, but seeing Saga's posture as if embracing the world, it inexplicably felt that Saga was confident, so it focused its attention and suppressed the immediate urge to act.
At the same time.
The Electromagnetic Pulse Breath hit Saga's outstretched chest.
Numerous giant dragons watched this scene nervously.
Boom!
The little Golden Dragon staggered under the impact of the breath, retreating a few meters, but the scales on his chest did not tear, instead shining with a dazzling light as the Electromagnetic Pulse Breath merged into his chest.
At the same time, something incredible happened.
Not only was the little Golden Dragon unharmed, but his aura climbed steadily, growing rapidly before everyone's eyes.
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas