The cannon squid was torn apart by Saga, but there was still another psychic guard lurking ominously.
While Saga was affected by the bone-chilling pain, the sword-blade tiger, with its superior close-combat abilities and swift, fierce movements, closed in on him.
Boom!
Dragon claw clashed with tiger claw, casting a myriad of afterimages across the sky.
A flurry of amethyst blades sparked ephemeral sparks, grazing the scales of the little Golden Dragon, leaving behind a trail of marks.
Saga's physique was well-proportioned and agile, not appearing overly defensive or bulky, yet his scales were stronger than steel, unbreakable. Even without deploying a deflection force field, he possessed a formidable defense that belied his elegant appearance.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
Saga's dragon claws struck the sword-blade tiger, snapping some of the amethyst blades, and shards of amethyst exploded in all directions.
The mighty mental resistance of Dragon Kind allowed Saga to recover swiftly, the bone-chilling pain's effects unable to persist.
After the initial few seconds of evenly matched combat, the sword-blade tiger, two sizes larger than Saga, began to falter and retreat.
While the sword-blade tiger was still entangled with Saga.
The gaze of the Amethyst Dragon, Tixier, grew solemn, and then it opened its maw, inhaling deeply.
Hum!
The surrounding seawater twisted, and the Amethyst Dragon's maw seemed to transform into an unfathomable vortex.
At the same time.
A deep, dark speck appeared within the Amethyst Dragon's mouth, growing larger as time passed.
Different Dragon Kinds have different breath types, and the time needed to prepare varies, as does individual dragon variation.
Moreover, the breath of an Amethyst Dragon requires a longer preparation time, its power surpassing that of Gemstone Dragons, Metal Dragons, and even Chromatic Dragons, making it the most potent breath among the three common dragon types.
Without equal.
Not counting those rare and seldom-seen Dragon Kinds, or Outsiders like Saga and Yekaterina with their unique breaths, even including the now-diminished but still formidable Heavy Metal Dragons, the breath of an Amethyst Dragon is unparalleled among its kin, a key ability that allows it to rise to the apex of Gemstone Dragons.
The formidable breath of the Amethyst Dragon is known as—
Singularity Breath.
Entangled with the sword-blade tiger, Saga could clearly sense a massive gravitational force converging towards the Amethyst Dragon's maw, forming a deep and dark gravity sphere. The powerful gravity drew in the surrounding seawater, compressing it within.
"By controlling the surrounding gravity, I can stop her from preparing her breath."
"But… it seems I could learn and use this breath, just like when I absorbed the electromagnetic pulse breath last time."
The entire process of gravitational convergence and the unique pattern of the gravity sphere's formation was clearly perceived by Saga, leading to an epiphany.
After carefully sensing and absorbing the electromagnetic pulse breath used by the Black Iron Wing once, Saga had actually learned to use it.
However, since the electromagnetic pulse breath's effects were akin to a lesser version of the annihilation breath, Saga wasn't particularly interested.
But the Amethyst Dragon's Singularity Breath piqued Saga's interest considerably.
"However, this breath is more complex; facing it once isn't enough to learn it. After the competition, I need to have a deeper exchange with the Amethyst Dragon, Tixier."
Immediately.
The little Golden Dragon seemed unconcerned with the Amethyst Dragon, Tixier, preparing its powerful breath, showing no intention of stopping it. Instead, it continued to attack the sword-blade tiger, nearly dismantling the larger, close-combat psychic guard.
"Could it be that its ability to absorb the Black Iron Wing Lexander's electromagnetic pulse breath isn't specifically targeted?"
"No, impossible, I refuse to believe that even my Singularity Breath could be absorbed!"
The Amethyst Dragon, Tixier, held its head high and with a fierce exhalation.
Hum!
A gravity sphere about half a meter in diameter was suddenly expelled, its tremendous suction twisting and compressing countless seawater, like a vast and profound vortex, sweeping towards the little Golden Dragon.
The Singularity Breath of the Amethyst Dragon created an immense spectacle.
Centered around the gravity sphere, the massive vortex seemed to absorb everything around it, countless seawater compressed within the sphere. The gravity sphere, having absorbed and compressed much matter, did not expand but instead shrank slightly over time, while the suction grew more intense.
"How should the Golden Heart respond to the Singularity Breath of the Amethyst Dragon, which is so spectacular and powerful among many Dragon Kinds?"
"What? It's not responding!"
"Could it be, the unbelievable scene from the confrontation with the Black Iron Wing Lexander is about to be repeated here?"
The legendary Brass Dragon shouted exuberantly.
Countless dragons watched with varied expressions, focusing on the little Golden Dragon in the arena.
Under the gaze of the multitude, Saga had just shattered the sword-blade tiger's head with a swipe of his claw, sending amethyst shards flying, but they didn't affect Saga because the moment the tiger's head exploded, the shards were influenced by an invisible suction, all flying backward into the vast deep-sea vortex formed by the Singularity Breath.
At the same time.
The little Golden Dragon, as if belatedly aware, only now turned to face the approaching, overwhelmingly expansive Singularity Breath.
Huff…
Saga exhaled deeply, gazing towards the core gravity sphere of the Singularity Breath.
He could clearly sense that he was targeted, a tremendous attractive force like an invisible hand, gripping him, wanting to pull him in.
The surrounding space was distorted due to the abnormal gravity.
Ordinary space-moving spells, like psychic stepping, were difficult to cast.
If relying solely on bodily strength to fly, under the Singularity Breath's powerful suction, it would only delay the inevitable by a few seconds before being sucked in and crushed by the gravity sphere.
The best solution to face the Amethyst Dragon's Singularity Breath is to interrupt its preparation and accumulation, as it often requires a long time to prepare. Alternatively, distance oneself as far as possible while the Amethyst Dragon is preparing its Singularity Breath. Once successfully executed and if not far enough away, being sucked in and crushed by the Singularity Breath is almost certain.
However.
In the face of the grandiose Singularity Breath, the little Golden Dragon remained calm.
It faced not the most destructive breath feared by many Dragon Kinds, but rather a common deep-sea vortex.
Even.
Under the focused gaze of countless eyes, the little Golden Dragon flapped its wings and, like a moth to a flame, flew deliberately into the massive deep-sea vortex, tearing through the twisting waters with its golden wings, eagerly flying towards the core gravity sphere.
"This little one really knows how to keep me busy."
The legendary dragon responsible for ending the match if the young dragons' lives were threatened focused its attention.
Had it not been for the previous two instances of being fooled by Saga, it would have prepared to intervene by now.
"Could it truly be immune to breath damage?"
"It shouldn't be, with so many types of breaths, how could it be immune to all? Lexander's electromagnetic pulse breath and my Singularity Breath are completely different, with no similarities."
The Amethyst Dragon, Tixier, watched intently.
Having used many high-level psychic abilities and both psychic guards destroyed by Saga, and after preparing the energy-consuming Singularity Breath, Tixier was now in a weakened state.
If the Singularity Breath couldn't defeat Saga, it would be even harder afterward.
At the same time, under the watchful eyes of countless dragons, the little Golden Dragon, tearing through the deep-sea vortex, was unstoppable, nearing the gravity sphere's core, almost within reach.
"To approach the Amethyst Dragon's Singularity Breath is a mad act."
"This generation of young dragons is exceptionally strong; the future of my Sea Dragon City is bright. Once they grow up, they will become pillars of the Dragon Kind."
"The children of the Divine Golden Dragon, Naghaeus… his daughters are far stronger than it in their youth. If they also possess Naghaeus's special talents… it's unimaginable what heights they could reach."
At that moment, time seemed to freeze.
The dragons had various thoughts.
Then, in the next instant, the little Golden Dragon, with a wingspan of over twenty meters, crashed into the Singularity gravity sphere.
Its jaws opened to the limit, its teeth crisscrossing.
Under the shocked gaze of many, the little Golden Dragon gulped down the Singularity Breath that the Amethyst Dragon had exerted so much effort to unleash.
In an instant, the tremendous gravity vanished.
Centered around the little Golden Dragon's body, the vast deep-sea vortex gradually dissipated, leaving only the dragon standing tall amidst the turbulent waters, scales gleaming, as if the entire world was focused on this golden silhouette.
The little Golden Dragon closed its eyes, its breath becoming unstable and quickly intensifying.
At that moment, the atmosphere at the competition site was dead silent, and then it exploded in the next second.
"Incredible, incredible, incredible!"
The legendary Brass Dragon circled rapidly above the competition site, repeating thrice in an exaggerated tone and voice, shouting.
"In front of the Golden Heart, the True Dragon's breath seems no longer a destructive weapon feared by countless species, but rather like an edible energy supplement!"
"Devouring breaths to grow stronger!"
"Looking at the entire history of Sea Dragon City, among all the outstanding True Dragons with special talents, such a talent is also considered inconceivable!"
"The Golden Heart, Saga Alzhus! I have a premonition that one day its name will resound throughout the entire world, becoming a dazzling new star among countless True Dragons in the infinite multiverse, perhaps even surpassing the Divine Golden Dragon, Naghaeus!"
The legendary Brass Dragon blew his own trumpet.
Having directly withstood the breaths of two hot favorites for the championship and now even swallowing the Amethyst Dragon's Singularity Breath to strengthen itself, including the legendary Brass Dragon, many True Dragons now mistakenly believe that Saga possesses a unique talent to devour dragon breaths.
In reality.
It is only the abilities formed from fundamental forces that Saga can harmlessly absorb, such as psychic abilities derived from electromagnetic forces, which he can counter, but not completely ignore.
Huff…
Saga took a deep breath, his wings and arms spread as if embracing the world.
"This feeling is too wonderful."
"It's just a pity that the Amethyst Dragon's Singularity Breath is released from the body, and once expelled, there's almost no connection with the originator. Otherwise…"
When the deep-sea vortex completely dissipated, Saga opened his eyes.
A faint, almost imperceptible, but real sense of drowsiness emerged from Saga's mind, not due to the Amethyst Dragon's psychic influence.
The intense battles of the young dragon competition, coupled with the two instances of devouring breaths, especially the first that nearly drained the benefits brought by the Iron Dragon, made Saga, who had just ended a prolonged growth slumber, feel like he was about to enter another round of growth slumber.
"If I could eat a few more Singularity Breath-formed gravity spheres…"
Saga looked towards the distant Amethyst Dragon, Tixier, and the eyes of the Golden Dragon sent shivers down the Amethyst Dragon's spine.
"What kind of look is that?"
"What does he want to do?"
Reflected in Saga's eyes, the Amethyst Dragon, Tixier, instinctively stepped back, feeling as if the other's gaze wanted to devour her.
Realizing her subconscious show of weakness, she snapped back to her senses, stepped forward, and stared intently at the little Golden Dragon.
"You swallowed my Singularity Breath."
"How did you do it?"
The Amethyst Dragon's whisper echoed in Saga's mind.
"Instead of getting the answer directly from me."
"Why not try a few more times and understand it yourself?"
Saga said with a smile.
"If possible, I would indeed try to use Singularity Breath on you again."
"But my current state doesn't allow it."
The Amethyst Dragon responded.
"I can see that you're very weak now. Just admit defeat."
Saga spoke calmly.
"Admit defeat? There's no such word in my legacy."
The Amethyst Dragon, Tixier, took a step forward, her roar cold and clear.
Although in a weakened state, the Amethyst Dragon was not as drained as the previous mixed-blood Iron Dragon and had no intention of admitting defeat. Her fighting spirit was not extinguished and her desire to battle remained.
"Good!"
"Then continue to dance on the battlefield until I defeat you."
The moment the words fell, the little Golden Dragon, like a cannonball shot from a barrel, tore through the water and rushed towards the Amethyst Dragon on the other side, moving even more agilely and fiercely than before.
The Amethyst Dragon, Tixier, braced herself to face the little Golden Dragon.
The competition continued.
Psychic Lash!
The purple psychic energy transformed into a crystal-like structure of a mental whip, lashing fiercely on the little Golden Dragon's body.
However.
This had no effect on the now vigorous little Golden Dragon.
The Amethyst Dragon's Psychic Lash struck Saga's mental barrier, unable to shake this solid fortification.
Energy Burst!
The Amethyst Dragon gritted her teeth, gathering the remaining psychic energy to use a relatively powerful mental transformation ability—manipulating or transforming energy through mental power, causing a violent explosion.
Centered around Saga, the surrounding area underwent a violent high-energy reaction, becoming extremely dangerous.
Psychic Step!
The little Golden Dragon took a step forward, vanishing from the spot in an instant.
In the next moment, he had crossed the energy burst zone, arriving in front of the Amethyst Dragon, Tixier, then raised his dragon claw and swung mercilessly at the Amethyst Dragon's delicate and beautiful face.
Snap!
Accompanied by the faint sound of scales shattering.
The Amethyst Dragon was sent flying by Saga's slap.
She shook her head to regain focus, her vision blurring.
Facing Saga, who had fully recovered to his peak and even improved, the Amethyst Dragon, now only able to use some weaker low-level psychic abilities, was at a clear disadvantage, and this disadvantage rapidly widened with time.
From the moment the Amethyst Dragon's Singularity Breath was swallowed, there was no second outcome for this battle.
Two minutes later.
Crash!
A powerful electromagnetic mental explosion shattered the Amethyst Dragon's mental fortress.
Still trying to force herself to keep fighting, the Amethyst Dragon's body went limp, collapsing to the ground, completely losing her ability to battle.
The little Golden Dragon approached the Amethyst Dragon with steady steps.
He lowered his head to gaze at the Amethyst Dragon, extended his dragon claw, and said:
"Tixier, you are strong, and I acknowledge your excellence."
"I think after the competition, we could become friends, get to know each other, learn from each other, and exchange psychic abilities."
The Amethyst Dragon, slightly older but smaller in stature than Saga, lifted her head and after a brief hesitation, calmly said:
"Alright, I have the same thought."
Her dragon claw, covered in fine amethyst crystals, lifted and grasped the little Golden Dragon's diamond-like fine-scaled claw.
Hum… A faint psychic glow flickered.
Saga transferred some psychic energy to the Amethyst Dragon, helping her up, and established a mental link with her.
"The victor, Golden Heart!"
With the legendary Brass Dragon's shout, the match between the hot favorites ended, and Saga fully entered the view of countless dragons.
"Saga brother, you are so amazing."
"Looking amazing, talented, and powerful."
"Starting low and ending high, revealing your edge, defeating two closely watched favorites for the championship, your attention must now be no less than that of the Glorious Golden Dragon, ranking at the forefront among all the favorites."
When Saga left the competition area and went to the preparation hall, the little Silver Dragon, Ilyag, came swimming joyfully, her words a series of heartfelt praises.
"Not bad, all within my expectations."
Saga lifted his chin, putting on a confident front as if everything was under control, and humbly replied.
"Saga brother, everyone outside is talking about your ability to devour the breaths of all dragon types to strengthen yourself, is that true?"
The little Silver Dragon was curious and couldn't help asking.
Saga turned into a riddle dragon and said:
"Whether it's true or false doesn't matter. If you think it's true, then it's true, and my saying it's false is useless, as other dragons will think I'm continuing to hide my skills. Conversely, if you think it's false, then it's false. If I say it's true, other dragons will only think I'm exaggerating my abilities. As for whether it's true or false, dragons who watched the competition will surely have their own judgment."
Hearing Saga's roundabout answer, the little Silver Dragon shook her head in confusion and didn't pursue the question further.
At the same time.
A figure, red as fire with strands of gold, swam over.
It was Yekaterina, who had just finished her match.
"Took you so long?"
"That doesn't seem like your style."
Saga raised an eyebrow, looking at Yekaterina.
The little Silver Dragon, Ilyag, raised a paw and said:
"That's because Yekaterina sister's opponent was also a hot favorite for the championship, a four-winged Bronze Dragon with incredibly fast speed and agility beyond belief."
The four-winged Bronze Dragon, Alaric, even surpassed many adult dragons in speed without using spells and relying solely on the true dragon body.
Yekaterina also looked at Saga and snorted, saying:
"It was good at running, never engaging me directly, always buzzing around me like a fly, until—I broke its legs."
Yekaterina's tone was dismissive.
However, the longer duration of the match indicated that her victory was not very easy.
Now, each round of the competition featured only the best of the best, with no gap large enough to finish within a few minutes.
"After the eighth match, there are only a little over twenty young dragons left, including Saga brother and Yekaterina sister. About half of them are hot favorites, and the subsequent matches will only get more intense."
The little Silver Dragon, Ilyag, said.
Among the many competing young dragons, only a dozen or so were considered hot favorites for the championship, each one nearly one in a thousand, all with unique talents or abilities, none to be regarded as ordinary.
If one could stand out among all the hot favorites and become the sole young dragon champion, it would be truly one in ten thousand.
"That's exactly what I want to see."
"If the opponents are all easily shattered, the young dragon championship title I'm about to receive won't carry the corresponding weight and honor."
Yekaterina lifted her chin, her eyes devoid of any dragon's presence.
"Indeed, if the competition is filled with mediocre dragons, I guess I wouldn't even be interested in completing the whole course. Such a championship wouldn't be worth mentioning."
Saga rarely agreed with Yekaterina, nodding as he spoke.
"This competition is full of strong young dragons, like a brilliant constellation. I want to be the brightest among them."
Yekaterina still held her head high with pride.
"Is that so? Then I want to be the moon that outsh shines the stars."
"If you're the moon, then I'll be the sun."
The two young dragons went back and forth, neither willing to back down.
The little Silver Dragon, Ilyag, interjected:
"Saga brother, Yekaterina sister, don't forget that this competition also has a 'Child of the Sun.'"
"It will be a formidable rival for you both."
After a brief chat.
Saga and the little Silver Dragon, Ilyag, went to the place where the magic memory crystals were stored, planning to review the recorded matches of other hot favorites and check out the situation of their next opponents.
Yekaterina, maintaining her arrogant and confident style, left with disdain. She didn't have the habit of learning about her opponents in advance.
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas