Lord of the Rings: Warriors

"Roar!" A thunderous roar echoed outside Riverguard, as a surge of azure wind elements spiraled in a lowland beyond the city. 

The rapidly shifting particles of wind essence tore through the space above, rending it into uneven gaps of varying sizes that hung ominously in the sky.

"Angh!" The subsequent roar carried a sharper, more resonant tone, shedding the previous dull undertone to resonate with a stirring clarity.

Kaldor lay weakly sprawled on the ground, his majestic dragon scales occasionally flaking off in pieces. 

Beneath the exquisite armor of scales, his resilient dragon hide cracked inch by inch, and fresh dragon blood seeped through the fissures, slowly soaking into the earth.

Caslow's face was a mask of panic as he circled wildly about a hundred meters from Kaldor, like a restless ant on a hot pan.

"Calm down! What good does panicking do now? Don't you know how severe the side effects of using a dragon crystal are?" 

Rynar sighed, covering his face in frustration. Caslow had been so desperate to ensure Kaldor got the dragon crystal that he immediately fed it to him without considering the consequences. 

Now, Kaldor was suffering for it.

"Angh!" Kaldor writhed in agony, thrashing his massive neck. 

Again and again, he smashed the bony crest of his head against the stones on the ground. The impact of the crest—like a terrifying battering ram—shattered the rocks with each collision.

"Crack! Crack!" With every hit, fractures began to appear in Kaldor's bony crown. Bone fragments crumbled and scattered, and fine bone dust swirled into the air.

"What's happening to him?" Rynar was stunned by the sight of the dragon's self-destructive behavior.

"Kaldor!" Caslow's tiger-like eyes glistened with tears. 

Through their equal-bonded contract, he could feel Kaldor's searing pain as if it were his own. Seeing the mighty dragon reduced to shuddering spasms broke his heart.

"Snap!" 

With a sharp sound, the battered crown finally shattered into pieces. In the surge of dragon power that followed, a new bony crest formed on Kaldor's head. 

This one was adorned with a dense array of bone spikes encircling his head. Two stubby dragon horns began to emerge quietly from the sides of his skull.

"An atavism!" Rynar's eyes widened in shock as he watched the astonishing transformation. 

When the information about Kaldor flooded into his mind, it revealed that Kaldor had evolved into a "Pseudo-Dragon." Simultaneously, Caslow's status shifted to "Pseudo-Dragon Knight."

"Huh?" Caslow stared curiously at Kaldor. 

Despite Kaldor's blood-soaked and battered appearance, Caslow could sense an odd mix of pain and comfort emanating from the dragon. Kaldor's life force and energy were steadily surging.

"Roar! Boom!" Kaldor let out a ferocious roar, slamming his left claw into the ground. The impact scattered dragon scales like shards of glass. 

With a majestic spread of his newly expanded wings, Kaldor puffed out his chest, raised his head high, and unleashed a triumphant howl at the sky. 

Around him, the wild wind elements surged toward him, drawn like moths to a flame. 

As the storm of energy infused his body, Kaldor's form elongated, his 15-meter frame stretching beyond 20 meters. His broad wings also expanded, becoming even more imposing.

"K-...Caslow," Kaldor muttered, his voice gravelly yet intelligible.

"Kaldor, are you calling me? You can speak now?" Caslow exclaimed, his joy uncontainable. 

The ability to speak was an innate talent of true dragons, allowing them to communicate fluently with all races. Kaldor's newfound speech indicated his bloodline was becoming increasingly pure.

"Yes… Your Majesty… Greetings," Kaldor nodded his massive dragon head and then turned to lower it respectfully toward Rynar. 

As the one who had bestowed the dragon crystal, Rynar was deserving of Kaldor's gratitude, both emotionally and logically.

"Not bad. Now we have another powerful ace up our sleeve!" Rynar declared with satisfaction.

"I can't wait to see our enemies' faces!" Caslow grinned mischievously. 

Though Kaldor still resembled a wyvern, his evolution into a pseudo-dragon meant his very nature had changed. 

Any foe who underestimated him as a mere wyvern would face a devastating surprise. 

At his current state, Kaldor was equivalent to a peak Tier 5 combatant, capable of using most dragon magic except for Dragon Tongue Forbidden Spells.

"Hahaha! My lord, let's head back and celebrate with drinks. My treat!" Caslow pounded his chest with excitement, unaware of the dark scowl that had overtaken Rynar's face.

"Don't even mention drinking..." Rynar muttered as he turned away, memories of past drunken embarrassments flashing through his mind.

"Wait, Caslow leveled up?" Reynard asked sharply. His keen perception immediately detected the subtle increase in Caslow's rank. 

Given how close their power levels had been, it wasn't hard to deduce.

"Just lucky, I guess," Caslow replied with a grin. The bond with Kaldor had transmitted some of the dragon's newfound power back to him through the contract. 

While the amount wasn't enormous, it was enough to push Caslow over the threshold into his next rank.

Seeing that Caslow didn't boast about the dragon crystal, Rynar felt a newfound respect for him. In these chaotic times, only those who knew how to conceal their strength could truly thrive. 

Keeping one's trump cards hidden was essential. Rynar could already imagine the faces of hunters armed with dragon-slaying ballistae, expecting to face a wyvern, only to encounter a pseudo-dragon. 

What a sight that would be!

In the afternoon, Dylan returned from the plantations and chicken farms near the banks of the River Running. The moment he entered the city, he made a beeline for Rynar's tent.

Rip! In his haste, Dylan accidentally tore the curtain hanging over the entrance.

"..." Rynar blinked in bewilderment at the disheveled sight before him.

"Apologies, Your Majesty. I was in a hurry," Dylan said, his words apologetic but his demeanor entirely unapologetic. 

Tossing the curtain aside casually, he waved his hand. A pulse of magical energy spread through the tent, forming a small barrier.

"What the—? What are you doing?" Rynar jumped out of his chair, startled. Was this a coup? 

His hand instinctively reached for the hilt of the Dragon Slayer Sword at his side, and only after gripping it did he feel slightly reassured.

"Bang!" 

Dylan paid no attention to Rynar's defensive posture. Instead, he leaned forward, planting both hands on Rynar's desk and locking eyes with him.

"Your Majesty, I've set up a barrier. Unless someone is Tier 6 or above, they won't be able to eavesdrop.

 Now, I must know—did you give Caslow's dragon a bloodline dragon crystal?" Dylan's intense gaze bore into Rynar.

"What are you getting at?" Rynar replied evenly.

"I sensed the abnormal concentration of wind elements outside the city. It wasn't naturally occurring. 

On top of that, I noticed a qualitative change in Caslow's wind-attribute battle aura. Most importantly, the dragon aura around him is overwhelmingly potent. 

The only explanation is that his dragon consumed a bloodline dragon crystal and is now transforming into a pureblooded dragon," Dylan reasoned.

"Correct. Your analysis is accurate. But tell me—what's so urgent that you left your precious magical plants behind to come here? 

You're not thinking of targeting my Dragon Knight, are you?" Rynar asked cautiously. Alchemists were known for their cunning, and Dylan's sudden appearance was suspicious.

"You misunderstand, Your Majesty," Dylan replied calmly. "I'm merely here for some pure dragon blood. 

Until now, the only dragon I could rely on was Singrey's Star Dragon. But with Caslow's dragon, things just got much easier. 

Although it's a pseudo-dragon, its bloodline is nearly identical in purity."

"So, what exactly do you want?" Rynar asked, still wary.

"Pure dragon blood is the primary ingredient for Dragon Blood Elixirs," Dylan said nonchalantly.

"Dragon Blood Elixirs? Those are supposed to be a lost formula!" Rynar's shock was palpable.

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