Chapter 36: The Arrogant Red Dragon

The red dragon Herbert lay coiled upon a throne of white jade, casting a disdainful gaze at the ants filing past below.

Today was the third day of tribute—the day these ants were allowed to offer up the last remnants of their worth to amuse him.

How pathetic.

He could not fathom how creatures so weak and subservient had the face to remain alive. Were he in their position, having lost the spirit to challenge the strong, he would have died of shame by his own hand long ago.

Herbert narrowed his eyes, his mind drifting back to the days of the Old World.

On the Varlan Continent, the nature of the red dragon race dictated that from the moment they shattered their shells, they possessed superior physiques and greater potential for growth than any other dragon. They grew with astonishing speed and mastered their innate abilities effortlessly, swiftly transcending the fragile stages of hatchling and whelp to become formidable adult dragons. Such rapid progression ensured they never compromised easily, their very bones imbued with a ruthless, unyielding drive.

Arrogance is a commendation for a red dragon. Only those with sufficient strength can support their own arrogance; the weak have no right to be arrogant. To look down upon the weak while defying the strong was the quintessential portrait of the red dragon race on the Varlan Continent.

"I do not submit to those stronger than I, and I trample those weaker than I."

This set them apart from the gold dragons, another powerful draconic race, who disdained to strike at the weak. Yet, this race—a race that bowed to no one—harbored a profound, heartfelt reverence for one leader: the Red Dragon King.

The legends of the Red Dragon King were countless. It was said that when she was young and merely a low-tier dragon, she had snuck upstream to relieve herself in the river where the bronze dragon clan drank. When caught, she managed to escape the pursuit of several mid-tier dragons. As she grew stronger, she became a veritable bully; whenever she heard that a fellow dragon was unconvinced of her authority, she would blockade their lair, trapping them inside to beat them for three days and three nights until they yielded.

Rumors once spread that she didn't let her opponents out to forage, rendering them too weak to fight, which was hardly a display of true skill. From then on, the Red Dragon King would bring three days' worth of food to the lair before the fight, thrash the opponent, let them eat, and once they had recovered their strength, she would beat them again. The rumors ceased. There were even lazy dragons who, unwilling to hunt, would intentionally claim defiance just to be pummeled by her.

...

Once the Red Dragon King had truly beaten every red dragon in the clan into submission, she declared: "If you have talent and fangs, use them on the outside world! Infighting is for cowards—show some unity, you lot!"

Although some red dragons wanted to retort that she was the biggest ringleader of infighting, they wisely chose to keep their mouths shut upon seeing her dragon claws raised high.

*I am right because I am me.*
*I, wrong? Impossible.*

The arrogance of the Red Dragon King was the foundation and pride of all red dragons, binding these fiercely independent and powerful individuals into a single force.

"Come! I’ll take you to finish off the other four-colored dragons!"

Back then, Herbert was just a whelp, deeply captivated by the Red Dragon King’s heroic bearing and audacity. Though he was the weakest in the expeditionary force, he relied on his sheer tenacity and ruthlessness to fearlessly challenge dragons far stronger than himself. When he could no longer exhale dragon breath, he tore at them with his claws; when his claws shattered, he bit with his teeth. As long as he had a breath left and his heart still beat, he would offer his life to the Red Dragon King’s cause of unifying the five clans.

Thanks to this tenacity, he did not perish during the campaigns; instead, he survived.

He saw the Red Dragon King for the last time at the investiture ceremony.

"It wasn't easy for any of you to survive. We are now truly the leaders of the five-colored dragons; those black dragon bastards have to swallow their pride and accept it. Now, I’m bestowing titles upon you all. Everyone gets one, don't worry, one by one."

Herbert received his title: "Front Priest." The Red Dragon King had run out of ideas by that point and had simply started picking names from the six cardinal directions. Yet, he was quite satisfied.

Just as Herbert believed the five-colored dragons would flourish under her leadership and eventually conquer the metal dragons they so loathed, the Red Dragon King vanished. Her disappearance was sudden, without a shred of warning.

Then, the Black Dragon King presented the Red Dragon King’s decree, declaring himself the interim leader to maintain the unity of the five-colored dragons. Although there was much grumbling within the red dragon clan, the aura upon the decree belonged to the Red Dragon King. And no dragon could force the Red Dragon King to do anything she did not wish to do. Everyone felt stifled, but they were powerless. They had fought so hard for so many years to unify the five-colored dragons, only for the Black Dragon to steal the fruit of their labor before the seat was even warm.

However, the arrogance of the red dragons remained. They ignored every decree issued by the Black Dragon King. Only if he appeared in person, holding the Red Dragon King’s decree, would they deign to move. Even with such defiance, the Black Dragon King took no action against the red dragons, likely out of respect for the Red Dragon King’s final wishes.

Beyond that, the two camps—the five-colored dragons and the metal dragons—were unexpectedly harmonious. The frequent skirmishes turned into mere occasional friction, seemingly the result of the two leaders intentionally keeping things under control.

Until that day arrived...

Herbert did not know the cause. When he stepped out of his lair, he saw three suns in the sky. Aside from the original sun, the Gold Dragon King transformed into a Sun of Radiance, and the Black Dragon King transformed into a Black Sun, splitting the entire sky into gold and black.

The two sides fought for seven days and seven nights, until the heavens crumbled, the earth cracked, and the mountains and rivers vanished. The long-dormant war between the metal and five-colored dragon camps was reignited. Countless dragons joined the fray, both sides blinded by bloodlust.

At the end of the seventh day, the black dragons were defeated. The Gold Dragon King commanded all the five-colored dragons: "Submit, or die!"

The moment he heard those words, Herbert charged, joined by countless red dragon wings. Dragons of other clans might submit, but not the red dragons. They would submit only to that one true King.

After the Gold Dragon King snapped the necks of countless red dragons, he realized that a dense swarm of others was still charging at him without fear of death. The green, blue, and white clans below, who had initially intended to surrender, began to stir, and the armies under the Black Dragon King were eager to join the fray. This was not the outcome the Gold Dragon King desired, and it violated his agreement with the Red Dragon King.

Thus, the Gold Dragon King, in the name of the victor, expelled the five-colored dragons who refused to submit, telling them to seek a new home. Only the dragons who followed the order could remain on the Varlan Continent.

To the victor go the spoils.

The Gold Dragon King forcing them to submit was something the red dragons could not accept, but to be banished in the name of the victor—that they could endure. Because in their hearts, the Red Dragon King remained the absolute victor; they would only submit to her.

But for now, they had truly lost.

They had lost the battle, but not their spirit. They would seek a new continent and prepare to rise again. All the red dragons held onto the hope of the Red Dragon King’s return.

When the King returns, all treacherous usurpers shall perish.

At the very least, Herbert held onto the firm resolve to return to the Old World.