Chapter 35 Dragon's Might
Taking a deep breath of the icy tundra air, Brian withdrew his gaze and looked at the thoroughly dead William.
He was still frozen in the Ice Crystal, his expression in death one of unwillingness and fear, lifelike. The black fog veins and tentacles that had appeared during his spellcasting had vanished as if they had never existed.
Yet, the evil aura that had deeply unsettled Brian lingered in his mind.
"How does William come into contact with this Sun God?" Brain whispered.
His brief contemplation was interrupted by an excited shout. Tancred came running, prostrating himself before Brian, and exclaimed excitedly, "Lord True Dragon, you really killed William. The Bonecrusher Tribe will become your strongest arm, clearing all obstacles for you."
Brian glanced at Tancred, who was carrying the Black Spiked Hammer, his dragon face showing no clear expression.
However, he was quite satisfied with this relatively intelligent Ogre. The Black Spiked Hammer Tancred was now carrying was enveloped in a faint, blood-colored magical aura, and Brian could sense the flow of elemental power around it.
This was no ordinary weapon. If William had wielded both the Black Spiked Hammer and his staff against Brian, the battle might not have ended so easily.
William was a Spellcaster, but his formidable physique was also a crucial part of his strength.
Brain rasped, "Come, follow me to the Bonecrusher Tribe."
With a dragon roar, Brian's voice echoed, shaking the air. He then grabbed Tancred and the frozen, dead William, flapping his Dragon Wings and soaring to 3,000 feet high, where the Ice Field below appeared as a beautiful miniature landscape.
In the bowl-shaped basin, the Bonecrusher Tribe's Ogres were, as usual, gathered around a large pot, picking their noses and scratching their feet.
Their main dish was the White-furred Giant Tiger that Tancred had just hunted, which was chopped into pieces and tossed haphazardly into the pot, along with some unidentifiable plants and other meat chunks.
Ogres primarily ate meat but were omnivorous and preferred cooked food over raw Blood Food when possible.
Some Ogres were eagerly debating who was stronger, Tancred or the Chief.
In the entire Bonecrusher Tribe, only Tancred and William stood nine feet tall, a head taller than the other Ogres, who averaged around 8.5 feet.
"Tancred can't beat the Chief. The Chief can use magic."
"Not necessarily. Tancred has just reached adulthood, he might still grow taller."
"The Chief is getting old."
...
The Ogres voiced their opinions, enthusiastically discussing around the pot.
After a while, a sharp-eyed Ogre noticed a small white dot in the night sky, gradually enlarging.
‘That looks like a dragon?’ The Ogre rubbed its eyes, and as the white dot became clearer, his mouth dropped open in horror and widened enough to fit a large fist.
"A dragon, a dragon... there's a dragon in the sky!" The Ogres all looked up at Brian's approaching figure.
Brian’s pristine white ice armor, brilliant platinum Gold Dragon eyes, menacing claws and fangs, and a mysterious black scale ring... Dragon's Might radiated from him, making the Ogres' breaths grow shallow.
Despite their inherent ferocity, the Ogres, realizing Brian wasn't an adult dragon, hurried inside to grab their weapons, mostly large clubs, with a couple wielding giant axes.
They stood ready, eyes fixed on Brian as he descended toward the Bonecrusher Tribe.
In the air, Brian observed the Ogres' reactions, a hint of interest in his eyes.
Moments later, he descended to within dozens of feet above the ground. Before he could land, an Ogre hefted a massive stone, muscles bulging, and hurled it at him.
"Quite bold." Brian snorted coldly.
He unleashed a Frost Breath, freezing the incoming massive stone in an instant, stopping it mid-air before it fell back, encased in ice.
The Frost Breath swept over the first attacking Ogre, freezing it into an ice sculpture.
To establish his authority and intimidate the Ogres, Brian showed no mercy. The frozen Ogre was dead beyond any doubt.
"Wretches, those who dare attack a True Dragon must pay with their lives!" Brian roared, speaking in Giant Language. Simultaneously, he dropped Tancred and William's body.
Tancred got up and shouted at his dim-witted kin, "Do you want to die? How dare you attack the great True Dragon! Chief William is dead. From now on, the Bonecrusher Tribe will serve under the True Dragon."
Seeing Brian instantly kill one of their strongest, the Ogres were already fearful. Hearing Tancred's words, they exchanged uncertain glances, hesitant to move.
Maintaining the mystery and majesty of a True Dragon, Brian landed and calmly watched the Ogres, saying nothing more.
Tancred acted as his mouthpiece, leveraging Dragon's Might, and slammed the Black Spiked Hammer into the ground, yelling, " Any objections? Those unwilling to serve the True Dragon will meet their end! Those who submit, kneel before the great True Dragon! After this, I will lead the Bonecrusher Tribe under the True Dragon's banner, spreading his fame!"
Brian found Tancred to be a somewhat competent subordinate, one who could help manage the Ogre Tribe. He had no interest in dealing directly with the brutish, simple-minded Ogres.
Most Ogres who were intimidated by Brian's power, hesitated briefly before kneeling, declaring their submission.
Brian watched quietly. Once all the Ogres, regardless of age or gender, were bowing under his Dragon Wings, he spoke in a deep voice, "From now on, the Bonecrusher Tribe will be my subordinates, my claws and fangs, to eliminate obstacles and tear apart enemies for me!"
The dragon's voice carried a commanding tone, combining with Dragon's Might, making the Ogres bow even lower.
The Bonecrusher Tribe had never truly fought a dragon, but ancestral tales of dragons' power made them well aware of their strength.
Though they submitted out of necessity, more than half the Ogres felt a subconscious sense of compliance. As a race that revered the strong, Brian's display of power made them less resistant.
As for the brave Ogre who died first, none of the others spared it a glance.
