Collecting Scales

The Dragon Lord shrouded himself in darkness with a spell, then went to spectate the ongoing battle ...

When Dragons hatch, they are already in the Third Realm, known to humans as the Knight/Mage Realm.

From the moment they emerge, they begin hunting beasts across the Draconic Domain.

By consuming the Mana and Life Force of their prey, they grow larger and ascend to higher realms.

As they reach maturity, most dragons naturally evolve into the Fourth Realm, recognized by humans as the Elite Realm.

After reaching the Elite Realm, dragons unlock their own version of (Domain), becoming fiercely territorial; they refuse to allow other dragons to encroach upon their land.

However, evolving beyond this stage becomes extremely difficult ...

Dragons are acutely aware that if the dragon controlling the neighboring territory evolves first, he will expand his Domain, consuming theirs in the process. And to a dragon, losing his territory is pretty much a death sentence ...

Losing a territory means becoming what is known as a Stray Dragon.

Only 1% of Stray Dragons manage to survive by fleeing from one territory to another, hoping to find a safe cave or an unclaimed domain somewhere.

The remaining 99% however ... typically meet a grim fate—either being eaten alive or,, if fortunate, getting killed before being eaten.

As a result, when a dragon senses that a neighboring rival is growing stronger, they engage in a desperate battle to the death, determined to prevent the other from evolving first; they know that once the evolution occurs, it will be too late to stop them.

Only the strongest and most powerful dragons manage to survive beyond this point and evolve to the Fifth Realm, becoming Royal Dragons.

Upon reaching this stage, they undergo a significant transformation, gaining not only immense strength but also heightened intelligence.

As Royals, they unlock the ability of Telepathy, allowing them to communicate with each other and even with other species.

This newfound ability marks their entry into the complex world of politics, where they can choose to become key players in the Draconic Domain's intricate power dynamics.

Fights among Royal Dragons are exceedingly rare and highly complex.

These powerful beings are often aligned with various clans, factions, and teams, with some even serving under specific Dragon Kings.

Their alliances and rivalries make their interactions extremely complex; fighting with each other can literally mean starting a huge clan war or might even start a battle between Kings ...

Without the Ancient Dragon Lord, the balance of power in the Draconic Domain would instantly crumble, with the stronger dragons mercilessly devouring the weaker ones.

His presence is the anchor that prevents chaos, maintaining order among the higher dragons.

This is why he rarely leaves his turf; his constant vigilance is essential to keep everything in check.

'Now, however, I got something important to do ...'

The Dragon Lord perceived a fight between two Elite Dragons, a Fire Dragon and an Earth Dragon.

He concealed himself and hovered above them, then started spectating the battle ...

The Fire Dragon began by summoning fireballs and hurling them at the Earth Dragon.

However, his efforts proved ineffective, as the Earth Dragon shielded himself with a dense layer of Earth Mana that blocked the flames.

Undeterred, the Fire Dragon intensified his assault, creating even more, bigger fireballs!

Unfortunately, for him at least, despite the increased barrage, he could not inflict any substantial damage ...

Realizing the futility of his current approach, the Fire Dragon decided to change his strategy ...

Magic attacks weren't working, so he decided to opt for a physical one!

WHOOOM

The Fire Dragon surged forward, using tiny bursts of fire behind him to boost his speed and agility ...

His jaws stretched open, and he set his teeth ablaze, transforming them into scorching blades that were not only razor-sharp but also radiated intense heat.

As the Fire Dragon charged forward, the Earth Dragon quickly fortified his vitals with Earthen Shields, bracing for the impact...

In an instant, the Fire Dragon closed the distance and clamped down on the Earth Dragon, piercing through both his shield and scales. But he didn’t just stop there...

His searing teeth sank deeper, shattering the Earth Dragon's bones and tearing out a significant chunk of his flesh ...

The Earth Dragon let out a piercing scream, his roar echoing through the air ...

Seeing what was happening, the Dragon Lord became annoyed ...

'Don't destroy the scales you idiot'

Suddenly, the Earth Dragon's eyes gleamed dangerously!

He wasn't going to let the attack go unanswered!

While the Fire Dragon was busy obliterating through his shields, scales, flesh, and bones, the Earth Dragon was readying his first attack!

He had a hidden trick up his sleeves!

For the entire time, the Earth Dragon was creating as many spears as he could and concealing them behind his massive wings.

And now, when the right moment finally came and the Fire Dragon lowered his guard, he unleashed a barrage of sharp spears at the Fire Dragon!

At the same time, he stopped flying and drove his full weight onto the Fire Dragon, preventing him from escaping and causing both of them to fall down ...

The Fire Dragon plummeted to the ground with the Earth Dragon on top of him, but this was just the beginning...

Dozens of spears seemed to materialize out of thin air, at least that's how it seemed to the Fire Dragon, and each one of them pierced through the Fire Dragon’s scales.

In an instant, his skull, neck, wings, and tail were riddled with spears.

The Earth Dragon focused especially on the Fire Dragon's skull, distorting it beyond recognition ...

After his attack was completed, the Earth Dragon let out another loud roar, but this time, it was a cry of victory rather than pain.

Despite his own severe wounds and heavy bleeding, he remained alive, while the Fire Dragon lay utterly perforated and defeated ...

The Fire Dragon was dead, and now it was time for the Earth Dragon to have his meal ...

But at this very moment, the Dragon Lord intervened ...

The Dragon Lord unconcealed himself and used Telepathy to send a mental command to the Earth Dragon

"Wait"

The Earth Dragon immediately froze in place

With ease, the Dragon Lord penetrated the Fire Dragon’s chest and took out his still-beating heart. He then handed it to the Earth Dragon ...

The heart contains most of the being's Life Force, and by consuming it, the Earth Dragon would replenish both his Mana and Life Force.

This would allow him to heal his wounds and become even stronger.

"Now Leave" The Dragon Lord transmitted

The Earth Dragon swallowed the heart whole, then immediately got out of the area ...

In a couple of seconds, the Dragon Lord skinned the dead Dragon's corpse, collected all his remaining scales, and then created a dimensional pocket and put them inside it ...

He wiped the blood off his hands

'Now I'm ready'

He concealed himself with Darkness again, and then he flew out of the Draconic Domain, heading toward the southwest

'The Echelon Dynasty'

Quickly, The Dragon soared through the entire Middle Continent and entered the skies of the Echelon Dynasty ...

He kept flying until he reached the Capital, as his destination was located exactly in the middle of the Capital

'The Royal Castle'

The Castle loomed imposingly, its dark, black walls stretching high, protected by guardians stationed at every vantage point ...

Yet, none of these vigilant guards sensed the presence of the Dragon Lord.

He slipped through one of the castle's windows, then he made his way toward the Throne Room ...

Inside, the Throne Room was an immense, somber hall, draped entirely in black.

A dark, imposing throne stood at its center, surrounded by a crowd of figures engaged in important discussions.

The room buzzed with activity, as there were countless people in it; ministers and city rulers, each surrounded by their own escorts of guards and escorts, not to mention the swarm of servants and maids ...

However, amidst this flurry of motion and conversation, the Dragon Lord remained completely unnoticed ...

As soon as he stepped inside, the Dragon Lord locked his eyes on the person sitting on the throne ...

'The Dynasty's King'

Once the Dragon Lord did that, the King perceived his existence ...

Upon recognizing the Dragon Lord, The King ordered calmly

"Everyone, leave for today."

The people were shocked by the sudden order, but none dared to defy it.

And slowly, the room that was bustling with life, emptied until only the King and the Dragon Lord remained ...