The followers all wore tense expressions.
It was because they could sense the presence of two powerful beings approaching my domain.
I had calmed them down multiple times and encouraged them.
All that mattered was that everyone did their best in their respective positions.
That was the key to victory.
"They left traces on purpose to throw us off. It took some effort, but it looks like we’ve finally found them."
A man with a tiger-like face stood at the base of the mountain peak.
"Don’t be reckless, Qiongqi."
A man with blue hair stood beside him.
【Qiongqi lv???】
【Bihee lv???】
Even just staring at them made my entire body tingle.
【Qiongqi】
A Fiend-Beast with the body of a tiger and massive wings.
A descendant of Soho’s lineage, possessing the ability to control Metal.
He has a twisted personality, revering the wicked and punishing the righteous.
【Bihee】
A Divine Beast with the face of a dragon and the body of a turtle.
A spiritual entity so powerful that he could be called a dragon himself.
He enjoys bearing heavy burdens and takes responsibility for everything.
The only reason I could see even this much was because of my Dragon Eyes.
If I were still my former self, I wouldn’t have been able to see anything at all.
"Does it even need to be said? It’s a grand occasion when fellow Dragonborn meet."
Qiongqi sneered with a mocking grin.
I could tell immediately—these two were beyond comparison, both absolute monsters.
"I am a messenger from Kunlun."
Bihee stepped forward, making Qiongqi retreat slightly.
It seemed he at least wanted to try talking first.
From our side, Cho-Do took a step forward.
After all, she was the only one here with any connection to Bihee.
"Oh my, isn’t this Bihee older brother?"
Cho-Do greeted him nonchalantly.
"Cho-Do. And Do-Cheol. It pains me to see two Dragonborn here."
He still held a sense of decorum, but I could tell from his tone—this was his way of saying:
"Don’t expect mercy just because we share blood."
"To think you would stand beside a vile Fiend-Beast who murdered one of our own."
His gaze shifted directly to me.
"Murdered a Dragonborn?"
So they believed that I was the one who killed Gong-Bok.
"Brother, I think there’s been a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding? Then speak."
"You said we touched something we shouldn’t have? But we don’t recall doing anything like that."
Technically, I should have been the one to speak.
But for now, Cho-Do was handling it.
As a fellow Dragonborn, she was better suited to negotiate.
And besides, I had preparations to make.
"Do you not understand what it means that Qiongqi is standing still? We already confirmed that you were involved."
Bihee’s gaze turned to Do-Cheol.
For a brief moment, she flinched.
Then, she ignited her killing intent.
Not a single regret for putting her on the frontlines.
"But I do not believe that a Dragonborn would willingly commit such heinous acts."
Now he’s trying to win us over?
Even Bihee must have known that fighting us would be a wasteful battle.
Or maybe, he simply hesitated to cut down his own kin.
"Someone must have poisoned your minds with sweet words."
It was obvious what he meant.
"That black-scaled lizard—the mastermind behind this incident. Surrender him to us, and I promise to withdraw without retaliation."
He was telling them to hand me over.
"So if we offer you this lizard, you’ll just leave as if nothing happened?"
"I do not take you for fools. This is the final mercy I can offer."
Qiongqi didn’t look pleased.
As a Fiend-Beast, he had been hoping for a fight against all of us.
So it was no surprise that Bihee’s attempt at diplomacy irritated him.
"Final mercy?"
"...I’m overlooking your mistake, Cho-Do."
Was he speaking as a Dragonborn brother, rather than as a servant of True Dragon?
It was certainly a tempting offer.
All they had to do was hand me over, and everyone else would be spared.
"Hah. Since when did you ever play the role of an older brother?"
Vwooom!
The plants around us trembled.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
A clear declaration—there would be no compromise.
And in response, the hidden presences of my followers began to reveal their power.
Crackle—
"Hmph... What are you waiting for? I think we’re done talking."
Bihee stepped back, and Qiongqi’s lips curled into a twisted grin.
The battle was inevitable.
And this was exactly what Qiongqi wanted.
"Well, I think it’s clear who should be fighting who."
Bihee’s gaze settled on Cho-Do.
Qiongqi’s gaze locked onto Do-Cheol.
Dragonborn against Dragonborn.
Fiend against Fiend.
From their perspective, all they had to do was defeat Cho-Do and Do-Cheol, and our entire group would be insignificant.
But that’s where I’d change the script.
All this time, while Bihee and Cho-Do were talking...
I had been gathering my power.
It wasn’t perfected yet, but I had practiced it countless times.
"Storm."
Dragon Words.
"Envelop me."
KWOAGAGAGAGAGAGAK!
The energy of the wind surged into my body.
For the first time, since I was a tiny gecko lizard, I felt that same sensation I did when I first used Dash.
What I had gained—
Was overwhelming speed.
PA-PA-PA-PA-PAK!
And with that speed—
KWA-AAAAAAAAANG!
I hurled myself at Qiongqi.
Kuguguuk...
Sure enough, he didn't budge easily.
But that didn’t matter.
This was my domain.
FWOOSH!
The ground beneath Qiongqi's feet collapsed in an instant.
My goal wasn't simply to attack him—
It was to separate Qiongqi and Bihee.
"Hmph... So you chose me, huh?"
Even as he fell, he didn't make a single move.
"Well, I suppose I was more interested in you than Do-Cheol anyway."
His stance was clear—
He wanted to see everything I had prepared.
"A lizard who dreams of being a dragon... Show me your tricks."
*
SWOOSH!
Cho-Do's vines wrapped tightly around Baekrang, stopping her from rushing forward.
"Get a hold of yourself. Even if you go there now, you’ll be of no help."
Baekrang, baring her fangs, had no choice but to step back.
She knew it, too.
She wasn’t strong enough to intervene in a battle between Qiongqi and Komodo.
"If we want to help Dal Dae-hyeop, then we have to move quickly—"
BOOM!
A massive vine lunged toward Bihee.
"We need to take him down first!"
KRRRRNG!
"GWORROOONG!"
Cho-Ah, Cho-Do's right hand, let out a thunderous roar.
Bihee calmly withstood their attacks.
A faint sizzling sound filled the air.
Cho-Do’s ability to control Wood made her a tricky opponent.
But tricky wasn’t the same as dangerous.
She was formidable, but she wasn’t an opponent he couldn’t defeat.
"That lizard... Why is he so important?"
Bihee couldn't understand.
Cho-Do's actions made no sense unless it was because of that black-scaled lizard.
He was strong, sure—
With that level of power, he could have reached a high rank in Kunlun.
But to think he could oppose True Dragon?
That was impossible.
What had Cho-Do seen that made her betray them?
And why was that lizard willing to go against True Dragon?
"Brother, do you still not understand?"
Komodo...
Qiongqi had mockingly suggested it, and their earlier confirmation had debunked the idea.
That lizard was not the legendary "Tail-bearing Ancient Death."
At most, he was barely two years old.
A young lizard—nothing more.
"If you insist on a label... Let’s call him my beloved, shall we?"
SWOOSH!
Countless vines and roses bloomed.
BOOM!
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freewebnσvel.cøm.
The sweet scent of the roses dulled the mind, and their thorned vines surged toward Bihee, ready to pierce his flesh.
SLASH!
"Your beloved, huh? Well, I don’t know why, but I can definitely sense something like that from him."
Bihee lifted an arm, effortlessly blocking all of Cho-Do's attacks.
"He’s strong for his age, I’ll give him that. And if given unlimited time, he might even grow strong enough to reach me someday."
FWOOSH!
A black flame erupted from the side.
It was a punch—a strike that resembled a human’s.
But the force behind it was anything but human.
KRRRRRNG!
The impact was enough to make Bihee’s body jolt.
"Tch, with a body that sturdy, what’s the point?"
Bihee took a step back, assessing the situation.
Cho-Do.
Do-Cheol.
Both were strong enough to face him.
But defeating him?
That was impossible.
After all—
He hadn’t even revealed his true form yet.
"But that lizard doesn’t have unlimited time."
Fighting Qiongqi was a battle to the death.
The outcome was obvious.
He could also see their strategy.
They planned to overwhelm him with numbers, restrain him long enough, and then join forces against Qiongqi.
"Cho-Do... Do you really think you can stop me with just this?"
KRRRK!
KRRRRK!
Baekrang and the other spiritual beasts fired waves of frost from a distance.
Even though Bihee had just endured Cho-Do’s attacks, he remained unharmed.
Still, they didn’t stop.
They continued relentlessly searching for an opening.
BOOM!
A massive wolf-shaped frost blast shot toward Bihee.
KRRRRRNG!
And then—
A deafening roar erupted from Cheol-Du-Ryong.
"Not bad, but..."
The attacks were insufficient.
They simply weren’t enough to harm a Heavenly Realm master.
"Only you and Do-Cheol are strong enough to face me directly."
If they managed to wound him with Wood, then Baekrang and Cheol-Du-Ryong’s attacks might do some damage.
That was why they continued to harass him from afar.
"A pity. If only that lizard had joined you in this fight, then maybe... just maybe... things would have been different."
They were still one master short.
A three-man rotation strategy—draining Bihee’s stamina while receiving constant support—meant that defeating him wasn’t impossible.
But two people alone weren’t enough.
Bihee was strong enough to take on both simultaneously without issue.
If he truly committed to taking them down, then this battle would be over in an instant.
Bihee’s gaze shifted between Cho-Do and Do-Cheol.
There was no need for further words.
Cho-Do stood on the left.
Do-Cheol stood on the right.
And in the center stood a small lizard.
"That thing...?"
Bihee's gaze fixated on the tiny lizard in the middle.
"Another lizard...? When did—"
A flicker of confusion crossed Bihee’s face.
The enemy’s strategy was obvious.
The black-scaled lizard was keeping Qiongqi occupied while their full force focused on him.
Their vanguard would hold the line long enough for support to pour in.
Cho-Do and Do-Cheol—
Both were worthy opponents.
Do-Cheol’s superhuman body couldn't be underestimated, and Cho-Do’s mastery over Wood made her exceptionally tricky.
It made sense for them to step forward.
But what was that lizard?
Its appearance was strange.
A perfect blend of black and white.
It was shaped differently from the other lizard.
Its hind legs seemed too long...
And—
Did it have a long beard hanging from its chin?
"Kekekek."
The lizard stared back at Bihee.
Its murky, unreadable eyes betrayed nothing.
In that instant—
Bihee’s body tensed.
Even he didn't know why.
It was the first time in this fight that he had taken a step back.
Kuuung!
To wield the power of Earth meant, in simple terms, to control the land itself.
Dragon Step.
Mighty Dragon Tremor—his personal technique—was unleashed.
Or at least—
It should have been.
A giant dragon was supposed to rise from the earth, tearing apart the enemies in its path.
But—
Nothing happened.
Because what he stepped on wasn’t earth.
What he stepped on was black scales.
And white scales.
A perfectly blended pattern—
Identical to the lizard he had seen before.
"What...?"
The lizard was gone.
"An illusion?"
A power so precise that even he hadn’t realized when he had fallen under it.
A force so seamless that he had failed to detect it.
It made perfect sense why the lizard had been placed in the vanguard.
But something didn’t make sense.
To create an illusion of this scale, the caster had to be at least as powerful as himself.
Was that tiny lizard truly such a formidable entity?
Or rather—
Was this really an illusion?
Drip.
A liquid droplet fell onto Bihee’s head.
And above him—
Two colossal eyes gazed down from the heavens.
Hunhui.
The Prime Serpent—
The one who nurtured the Serpent Queen and the former King of Birds.
The one who had raised two of the greatest rulers of the jungle.
Though he had never been called a dragon, the world bestowed the name upon him nonetheless—a testament to his power.
Once, he had been destined for dominance.
Yet he had chosen isolation, betrayed by the one he had raised like a son—Gaechal Goatal.
He had turned his back on the world, choosing instead to watch over the weak.
Then, one day—
A lizard came to find him.
At first, he disliked it.
He had no intention of taking another disciple.
But then—
He saw something strange.
A lizard—one he had never seen before—
Moving with his footwork.
Flawlessly.
And that lizard—
Had already bonded with the Serpent Queen.
He had never considered taking another pupil,
But—
He couldn’t refuse this one.
Not after everything the black-scaled lizard had done.
Not after delivering justice upon the one he couldn’t punish himself.
Not after teaching Pasil the meaning of love.
Not after relieving the burden of guilt he had carried for so long.
This lizard—
Had even shown him the wall paintings left behind by a human he had once known.
And now—
That human’s descendant was walking the same path as Pasil.
Hunhui never wanted a son-in-law.
But the lizard had left him with no choice.
Sure—
The boy was a bit of a philanderer, but who’s perfect?
So—
To compensate for his shortcomings—
Hunhui beat him every time they met.
"Grrr..."
And now—
Hunhui had returned to compensate once more.
It was time to stop hiding.
It was time to show the world what he truly was.
Hunhui
A being of both Yin and Yang—
A force so powerful that all who knew his name revered him.
Tusus Lisu
A name carried by one whose martial prowess was beyond comparison.
Solong
A dragon who had never forsaken his humble beginnings.
The smallest—yet the grandest.
A dragon of both light and shadow...
Had finally revealed his true form.