Dragon's Might

One notable duel in this round was between Posa and Hel. The fight ended swiftly. After a few scuffles, Posa closed in for close combat and struck Hel heavily in the face. Before Hel could even blink, Posa clawed viciously at his eyes, forcing him to surrender.

Yongrong shook his head at this sight, not because of Posa's ruthlessness—such injuries were not severe for dragons—but because the stronger young dragons were clashing too early, leaving little suspense for the final rounds. Yongrong pondered introducing new rules to give the recognized powerhouses in the dragon group a few more rounds of respite.

Coincidentally, Yongrong's next opponent was Posa. Understanding the slim chance of victory and hearing that Yongrong intended to fight until the end, Posa quickly chose to forfeit, allowing Yongrong to conserve energy for the upcoming battles.

Next up was the quarterfinals, where Yongrong faced "Emerald" Aisaria. Aisaria gave Yongrong a peculiar, seemingly pleased expression. Yongrong had recently defeated a green dragon, who was her sister. The small group of green dragons had been discussing revenge, and now Aisaria had the chance to confront him in the arena.

"I must tear two pieces of flesh from this guy," was all Aisaria could think of.

As the fight began, the green dragon flapped her wings, attempting to ascend. Yongrong, taking large strides, leapt into the air first, his mouth sparking with electricity. His breath attack, a splitting lightning, lashed out towards the green dragon.

Aisaria, attempting to retreat and dodge the lightning, soon realized her mistake. The blue dragon's charge was a feint; the lightning breath was just a distraction! His true intention was to force her into a defensive move.

His strength and speed were overwhelming. As Aisaria dodged the breath attack, she couldn't avoid the subsequent charge. "Thud." She was hit hard, tumbling backward and crashing to the ground.

Quickly, Aisaria spewed a cloud of poison, hoping to halt Yongrong's advance. But he was relentless, breaking through the toxic haze. Before Aisaria could get up, Yongrong was already upon her, grasping her head and slamming it into the ground.

"Thud." Dust flew as her skull collided with the ground, the pain blinding her. In that moment, she felt a terrifying realization: her opponent seemed intent on killing her.

The rules stated that a fight didn't end until one lost the ability to move or surrendered. So Yongrong continued, lifting the green dragon again and smashing her down. Realizing the dire situation, the green dragon quickly surrendered.

Yongrong's victory was met with silence, not just from Aisaria who felt the chilling murderous intent, but from all dragons. They sensed the cold, evil dragon aura from Yongrong. He may not have been as strong as the adolescent dragons, but he had an air of authority that intimidated them.

After a brief pause, scattered cheers arose. Young dragons always enjoyed the accolades after a victory, but Yongrong was indifferent. He remained quiet, trying to calm the boiling blood of the evil dragon within him.

He now understood why Kazan once wanted to kill his opponent. When he fought with all his might, the negative emotions in his bloodline amplified, and the desire to kill grew stronger.

After resting, Yongrong faced his final battle against Kazan Rego.

Kazan, the undisputed strongest in the dragon group, had been the champion of the arena for a month. Many young dragons secretly acknowledged him as their new leader, believing he would eventually take over the family's leadership. But Yongrong also had his own reputation; he hadn't lost a fight yet.

This much-anticipated fight drew all young dragons, even those from the nests, to watch. Aisaria, though defeated and disheartened, couldn't resist her curiosity and stayed to watch in the front row with other green dragons.

Outside the arena, the dragon feeders unusually left the castle, climbing the stone towers to watch from above.

"Finally facing me, Yongrong," Kazan said confidently. "It was inevitable."

"Let's face the inferno!" Kazan roared as he launched his attack. His speed was astonishing. As he charged, Yongrong felt a strong pressure approaching. But Yongrong wouldn't just stand still like steel.

Kazan's mighty claw strike was imminent, but Yongrong vanished in a slight crouch, swiftly sidestepping and then launching a fierce counterattack. His claw tore through the scales on the red dragon's arm.

It was a perfect counter of skill against strength. Even Posa had to admire it. Every species, dragons included, couldn't escape the laws of physics before reaching legendary status. Kazan's powerful strike left him momentarily vulnerable, and Yongrong exploited that moment perfectly, embodying the principles of Galarkso combat techniques.

Most young dragons couldn't see these details. They only saw Kazan charge at Yongrong, who then dodged and wounded Kazan. The mixed-blood dragon stumbled as if hitting an invisible wall. When he turned around, his expression was gravely serious.

Yongrong's resistance against Kazan's imperial aura seemed to ease the dragons' breath, recognizing a new power emerging among them.

Yongrong looked at his claws, blood-tipped and smoking. Kazan's blood was scorching, like flowing lava. Kazan chuckled, "Now you understand what facing the inferno means."

Yongrong stepped back, shaking his claws, and prepared for the next assault.