Chapter 320: The Power of an Ancient Dragon

Bronia spent her days lounging and sleeping in her lair, occasionally waking to roam the skies and stretch her body before resuming her slumber. She was an incredibly lazy red dragon, hardly doing anything at all.

Yet, even without doing much, her mere presence influenced the surrounding environment. As a powerful ancient red dragon, the tall hill she had chosen for her lair continued to rise under her power, with lava gathering beneath it.

In less than a decade under Bronia's influence, the hill transformed into an active volcano. Then, during one of Bronia's deep slumbers, the volcano erupted in a continuous, unstoppable outburst.

The scorching lava rendered the surrounding area a wasteland, and the dispersing ash blocked out the sun, causing massive plant die-offs and turning the already barren hills even more desolate.

Bronia, however, did not care, for the lair she had chosen became even more suitable for her dwelling.

As time passed, Bronia's power continuously affected the volcano she resided in, causing it to grow slowly but steadily every day, with an increasing amount of lava being erupted.

Moreover, her power was not limited to a single volcano. After the first volcano emerged in the hills, six more formed around Bronia's and subsequently erupted.

This transformation did not stop there. The power of the ancient red dragon continued to affect the land, with more and more volcanoes forming and erupting, turning the hills into a complete wasteland, with its area ever-expanding.

This large-scale geological change continued for nearly two hundred years. Finally, fifty years ago, a deep and powerful dragon roar echoed through the region that had turned from hills into a cluster of volcanoes.

Bronia had ascended from an ancient dragon to a primordial dragon. That roar, emitted as she woke up, was merely a way to release her power. Accompanied by the roar, all the volcanoes formed by her power erupted simultaneously.

It was an unprecedented eruption, with hot lava forming columns of molten rock ranging from hundreds to thousands of meters in height at the volcano's vents, a sight magnificent to behold.

Many people from the surrounding human nations saw the sky turn black and red from the eruption, and a few lucky ones even witnessed the columns of lava formed by the simultaneous eruption of the volcanoes.

Anyone with a brain could tell this was the influence of Bronia's power. Thus, the fame of Bronia, the lazy red dragon, spread far and wide, with countless bards singing of the power of the ancient red dragon Bronia. She earned her first title: The Creator of Volcanoes.

The bards' tales made many monster clans across the Osniro Continent aware of her existence, and many powerful monsters began to migrate towards her, seeking her protection.

After Bronia ascended to a primordial dragon and caused an unprecedented eruption, the volcano cluster seemed to have exhausted its potential, with volcanoes gradually becoming dormant and turning into dead volcanoes.

In less than a decade, nearly all the volcanoes had become dormant, leaving only the one chosen by Bronia as her lair still active, but not erupting as frequently as before.

It is speculated that Bronia deliberately suppressed the activity, as she seemed to dislike the dark and dreary scenery when the volcanoes were active. She was a very unique red dragon.

The mass dormancy of the volcanoes brought new life to the once barren land. Nearly two hundred years of eruptions had deposited thick layers of volcanic ash, making the soil incredibly fertile.

Without Bronia needing to do anything, just through natural evolution, the once desolate hills turned into a rich and lush forest, attracting more monster clans seeking Bronia's protection and a place to thrive.

Bronia did not reject those who wished to follow her; every clan was accepted and settled in the great forest she named Zaychek.

From that day, the power of the red dragons, led by Bronia, began to take shape, expanding rapidly, which unsettled the neighboring human nations. They became particularly wary of this neighbor.

A cat in one's bed may be tolerable, but what if that cat turned into a tame tiger? Even if it were docile, who would dare to sleep soundly with it?

Initially, when Bronia, an ancient red dragon, settled in the hills of Zaychek, she merely made the humans cautious. Now, as she began to expand her influence as a primordial red dragon, they were filled with fear.

Before, Bronia was a lone dragon, a threat on her own. Now, as a powerful lord dragon, her threat level had escalated significantly, incomparable to before.

A lone dragon might destroy cities and slaughter humans, but what more? Cities can be rebuilt, and humans can repopulate. Everything can start anew.

But a lord dragon? They possess the capability to overthrow human rulers and take their place. If Bronia harbored malice and ambition, leading her clans to defeat them and seize their territories, they would never have a chance to recover. A king without a land is no different from a man with mere trinkets for a crown.

So, when a tribe of dwarves sought refuge with Bronia and discovered rich and abundant supernatural metal mines in her territory, war broke out.

Out of fear and greed, the human nations surrounding Zaychek united. Initially, they demanded that Bronia and her monsters leave Zaychek. Unsurprisingly, Bronia refused, and their combined armies launched an attack on Zaychek.

...

"Let's go!" Muria, watching from above the clouds, patted the big cat beneath her. She had grown tired of the bloody battlefield below and disliked such scenes.

"First, we'll find Renata, and then we'll visit the Creator of the Dense Forest, Bronia."

Muria dared to meet an ancient red dragon alone, without summoning an ancient dragon, because according to the definition of the Churches of Dawn and Morning Light:

Bronia, although a chromatic dragon, was not considered evil. This nearly thousand-year-old lazy dragon had never made a move to attack humans proactively, making her a red dragon unworthy of being vanquished by the forces of good.

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