Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1604 - 554: Steel Dragon (Part 2)

A resounding "Boom" echoed as it crashed forcefully to the earth more than a hundred meters distant, stirring up a massive plume of dirt!

The assailant turned out to be the pointed spiked mace attached to the tip of the Steel Dragon's tail.

This incident left Metheus thoroughly furious, as enduring two brutal strikes from the outset proved deeply shameful.

Yet, the situation wasn't entirely dire following this strike, since Metheus at last seized the chance to soar skyward.

"Hmm? It really took to the skies." Steel Dragon Dorick observed the Black Dragon's ongoing rise with mild astonishment and remarked.

By all reason, the foe ought to have been stripped of nearly all its fighting capability after such an impact.

Metheus abruptly parted its jaws and unleashed a Breath attack downward at the Steel Dragon!

"Shadow Breath!"

A wedge-shaped burst of dark fire swiftly widened, enveloping sections of the Steel Dragon's evasive form.

"Sizzle sizzle!"

An unique eroding force stripped away the shine from a broad patch on the Steel Dragon's rear, resembling corrosion, which formed part of the abilities in Metheus’ Shadow Intense Flame.

Within the Shadow Breath lurked a vast quantity of Negative Energy Particles.

"Damn!"

"Black Dragon, you've enraged me!"

"Atomic Breath!" The Steel Dragon Dorick ejected a radiant silvery ray of brilliance!

"Shadow Breath!"

In a flash, the pair of Breath forces smashed into each other.

What?

Atomic Breath?

A spark ignited in Rein’s thoughts, as he grasped that the subtle glow encircling the Steel Dragon’s frame was in fact radiation, tied to its prolonged slumber amid Dark Steel Ore.

Right away, a strategy to sway the adversary surfaced in Rein’s mind.

Still, at present, he needed to halt the ongoing clash.

"Roar!!!"

Rein swiftly shifted into a gigantic Dark Silver Dragon materializing overhead.

"Particle Breath!"

Rein’s Breath diverted the two colliding power surges aside.

Abruptly, three potent surges of energy struck the terrain, ripples expanding everywhere without pause, so vivid that the Beverly Mountains over a hundred kilometers off could plainly detect them.

From a spot within the peaks, a vibrant sphere of light abruptly launched upward, moving with swiftness akin to a bolt.

Once it climbed high, the orb halted sharply, seemingly assessing the precise origin of the energy surge.

Were anyone able to peer intently then, they’d spot a lady within the vivid sphere, possessing delicate and lovely traits, a voluptuous build, clad in a sparkling feathered gown and a multicolored plume headdress that lent an air of foreign allure.

Still, her profound gaze and imperial dignity rendered her distant and unapproachable.

"It’s over there."

No sooner had the clear tone faded than the atmosphere near her ripped open, a pale surge unfurled, and the vivid radiance dashed toward Rein’s conflict zone.

Moments afterward, a shrill sonic crack resounded throughout, indicating her velocity surpassed the sound barrier.

…

At the same time.

Upon witnessing Rein’s shift, Steel Dragon Dorick’s expression shifted, and it declared:

"Stop!"

"Human Wizard, we harbor no grudge, so the fight concludes now."

"Furthermore, the mighty Dorick will cease chasing your intrusion."

Was this the Steel Dragon? It seemed more like a 'Soft Dragon.' Rein stood briefly stunned.

"That’s it? And the bet?"

"The mighty Dorick refuses to submit to humans as the feeble Five-Colored Dragons do." With those words spoken, Steel Dragon Dorick began burrowing into the soil.

"Hold on, Dorick, I believe I’ve figured out a way for you to boost your strength even more, far surpassing just consuming Dark Steel Ore to draw in its power."

Rein hurriedly stated.

"What! You’re not tricking me?" Rein’s statement caused Steel Dragon Dorick’s burrowing pace to slacken clearly, and soon after, it reversed course, gazing at Rein in shock.

"Of course."

Following a quick reflection, Rein reached out, and with Dark Silver metallic waves rippling outward, a metallic sphere rapidly formed before his hand.

"Form a pact with me; in return, I’ll share that technique, plus three of these daily."

Dorick’s draconic gaze flicked repeatedly to the orb ahead, paused for a second, then exhaled and replied:

"At minimum five orbs per day—no, ten orbs, then I’ll consent."

"Three."

"Eight! No fewer than eight orbs!"

"Three."

…

"Fine! Let’s seal the pact, human Wizard!" Steel Dragon Dorick uttered with a hint of disappointment.

In the end, the agreement linking Rein and Steel Dragon Dorick came into effect, and simultaneously, the system notification rang:

[Ding! Host has contracted Steel Dragon, current number of contract pets (4/4)]

…

Once the system pact took hold, Dorick’s look toward Rein altered in the following moment, mirroring Black Dragon Metheus in its lack of pride or resistance.

"Master!"

Rein gave a nod.

Yet right then, he recalled a challenging issue: within the Dragan Empire, Dragon Knights bind solely one dragon each, with no precedent for dual contracts.

Thus, bringing Dorick along to soar to the Imperial City would draw excessive notice. Leaving Dorick behind, however, complicated the journey to the Alliance...

"Dorick, are you aware of a different continent?"

Rein mulled briefly, then swiftly gestured with his fingers through the sky.

Before long, a basic chart crafted from Witchcraft Light materialized aloft.

"Certainly, master, what task do you assign me?"

"In three days, rendezvous here, alright?" Rein indicated the rough spot of Zetaya on the other landmass and noted.

"Alright, master, it won’t require three days—I’ve visited there previously, two days suffice." Dorick inclined its head and responded.

"Excellent, we’ll link up at Zetaya." Rein grinned, affirming with a nod.

"As you order, master."

…

When Wind Roc Queen Trist reached the scene, the skirmish had concluded, leaving her to glimpse only the enormous silhouette of the Black Dragon vanishing.

As if detecting Trist’s approach from behind, Rein pivoted with a faint grin, then stroked Metheus’s flank and uttered, "Let’s depart, Metheus."

"Master, won’t you acknowledge this bird?" Metheus’s resonant tone emerged.

"Oh? Metheus, you’ve clashed with Wind Roc Queen Trist before?"

"Indeed, we battled once in the past, though that was centuries back. Neither could overpower the other." Metheus replied with a trace of boastfulness.

"I understand."

"We’ll handle it later; the moment isn’t suitable now, but chances will arise." Rein tapped the broad expanse of the Black Dragon’s back smilingly.

The instant Trist beheld Rein’s visage, her frame went rigid. That fresh countenance lingered in her memory—he was the one who bested her skilled follower and seized the Divine Power Crystal of the Nether Sea Goddess, postponing her ascent to Demigod status temporarily.

"How has this fellow’s strength... surged so rapidly!"

"And that Black Dragon earlier—if I’m correct, it’s a Black Dragon at the Extremely Old Dragon tier, scarce even among the Dragan Royal Family; no, it’s Metheus!"

"Exactly, it’s 'Mad Wings' Metheus!"

"Yet how did such a youth manage to bind it?" Trist creased her fine brows, baffled beyond measure.

"An Extremely Old Dragon—even a Dawn Late Stage Advanced Wizard might fail to earn its allegiance, much less 'Mad Wings' Metheus!"

"Simply astounding!"

Still, as Trist glanced earthward, her lovely eyes sharpened abruptly.

"This... a Metallic Dragon?"

She had just caught sight of Steel Dragon Dorick gradually sinking beneath the surface.

"Fortunately, the rival probably sought to conquer this Steel Dragon but apparently fell short." With that notion, Trist’s mood lifted considerably, her attractive features easing into a subtle grin.

"That said, I must hasten my own progress; events are turning increasingly turbulent."

"Besides, I won’t allow this youth to outpace me."

Trist, upheld by the devotion of countless Wind Roc folk, stood ready to begin forging her nascent divine level, though the endeavor held dangers, keeping her from that decisive advance.

…