[Vol. 7] Chapter 188: The Mythical Battle and Dragon Gate
No matter what the answer might be, they would have to defeat the guardian in front of them before they could find out.
"Master, shall we fight?"
"Yes. To be safe, you and Little Fang go together. You can go all out, but don’t kill it."
"Understood!"
"ROAR!!!"
As Lucas and the priestess spoke in low tones, the Ice Dragon had already fully awakened from its slumber. Just like a boss monster entering battle mode, it threw its head back and let out a resounding dragon’s roar. Its massive wings flapped fiercely, stirring up a violent whirlwind as it soared into the sky!
The Ice Dragon had no intention of communicating. While still airborne, it gathered a powerful surge of magic in its mouth. Within seconds, a chilling blue breath attack burst forth, sweeping toward them with unstoppable force!
"Holy Sword Strike!!!"
Lucas wasn’t about to let that attack reach their master. With a shout, he flapped his golden steel wings and charged forward. He swung his heavy sword, creating a sharp whirlwind, and raised it like a massive shield in front of him.
A brilliant golden light exploded from the blade as he pushed forward against the Ice Dragon’s breath attack!
In the sky, blue and gold clashed violently. The dragon’s icy breath never weakened, continuing to pour forth, while the sacred patterns on Lucas’s sword burned ever brighter. For a moment, they seemed evenly matched.
"Uhh… RAAAAAH!!!"
Just then, another immense presence, a mix of holy power and evil energy, erupted into the sky!
With a roar that was neither fully dragon nor beast, a dark golden claw strike suddenly slashed down from above!
Sensing imminent danger, the Ice Dragon immediately abandoned its attack. Driven by instinct, it beat its wings and soared higher, dodging at the last second with astonishing agility, despite its massive size.
However, the claw strike’s lingering force still managed to slash through the scales on its leg, leaving a deep wound that bled dark blue droplets into the air.
Such a powerful strike could not have come from Lucas, it was Little Fang who had attacked.
Seeing the ice dragon withdraw and soar towards the higher sky, and the golden-armored warrior spread his steel wings and follow closely, the two engaged in several intense clashes in mid-air, displaying a fierce battle. Naturally, Lucas, being inherently warlike, was unwilling to show weakness.
A red glow began to spread from Little Fang’s fierce eyes. His claws lengthened, a sharp horn emerged from his forehead, and the tip of his tail transformed into a blade. The once adorable golden beast rapidly grew in size, its body stretching against the wind as it became more vicious and menacing, revealing the true form of the second child of the [Nine Children of the Dragon].
"ROAR!!!"
With his four limbs bent slightly, the newly transformed ferocious beast launched itself into the sky, defying gravity even without wings. It charged straight into the battle, joining the fierce clash between the Ice Dragon and the golden-armored warrior.
In that instant, thunder rumbled across the sky, clouds churned, and the wind and snow were whipped into a howling blizzard by the three mythic beings locked in battle. The entire frozen plains were thrown into chaos. Everywhere one looked, flashes of blue light and dark golden slashes streaked through the storm. Booming explosions rocked the land as if earthquakes were shaking the entire Frozen Tundra.
Yet, one black-haired girl in a white robe remained completely unaffected.
A soft, invisible glow radiated naturally from her snowy white feathered robe, keeping all the raging winds and energy shockwaves at bay, never allowing them closer than three inches from her body.
She simply lifted her gaze and observed the battle in the sky for a moment before losing interest. Instead, she turned and walked directly toward the massive gate, which was guarded by the dragon and towered like a bridge between heaven and earth.
Before coming here, Xiao Guang had told her something important.
Ever since entering the [Morst Underground Labyrinth], Lenka had occasionally mentioned hearing a faint voice, something familiar seemed to be calling her deeper into the maze. And as the team ventured further, that feeling only grew stronger, making the little one deeply unsettled.
It was as if someone was calling for help, but from the beginning, only Lenka could hear it. None of the other team members, including Xiao Guang, or even Violet, who later tried to investigate, could detect any similar energy fluctuations.
If it wasn’t just Lenka’s imagination, then this was a very specific and deliberate message.
When Lenka and the little dragon girl took the entrance exam for Sainz, Lenka’s test report clearly stated that she had an exceptionally high talent in spirit abilities. At the time, Xiao Guang even teased her about it.
Later, after a series of private tests, Violet confirmed that Lenka did have this special talent, but it wasn’t exactly what they had expected.
Lenka’s gift wasn’t about learning normal spirit magic. To be more precise, it should be called "spirit perception" instead.
The Dragonkin are a unique race that was formed through their deep reverence for dragons. Their role is quite clear, if dragons are seen as gods, then the Dragonkin are their natural priests. Because of this, every Dragonkin is born with some level of resonance ability with dragons.
When Lenka claimed she was a once-in-a-century genius, at first, the priestess thought she was talking about her massive magical power. But after some careful questioning, she realized that Lenka’s true strength, the thing that made her so special and valued as a "Dragon Attendant", was actually her extraordinary spirit perception.
That’s why the voice that only Lenka could hear was very likely connected to dragons.
And this gate was one of the strongest pieces of evidence to support that theory.
This gate was called [Dragon Gate]. It was covered in intricate carvings depicting dragons, and from the overall imagery, it seemed to illustrate a time when dragons were at their peak, receiving the worship of their followers.
On Earth, there’s an old saying about a carp fish leaping over the Dragon Gate to transform into a dragon. While that legend has no direct connection to this world, the concept of "passing through the Dragon Gate" was indeed an important ritual once practiced by dragons. In fact, it was this ritual that led to the origin of the Dragonkin.
According to ancient texts about dragons, it is said that the Dragon God, moved by the devotion of its followers, gathered rare metals from across the world and took the scales of the Seven Great Dragon Kings. Using divine power, they forged a sacred artifact, the [Dragon Gate].
Once every hundred years, the dragons would hold trials among their followers, selecting the most devoted believers and leading them through the [Dragon Gate].
Anyone who successfully passed through the [Dragon Gate] was acknowledged and blessed by the dragons, transforming from a mere mortal into a half-dragon. This was considered the greatest honor among all dragon worshippers.
The descendants of those who underwent this transformation eventually became the Dragonkin of today.
Of course, legends are just legends. They may have been distorted over time, and how much of it is actually true remains uncertain.
However, the [Dragon Gate] was clearly recorded in historical texts, with detailed descriptions. While the gate before them might not be the actual legendary [Dragon Gate], it looked remarkably similar.
In other words, even if this wasn’t the true [Dragon Gate] from legend, it was likely related.