"I can’t just let that attack go to waste."

Alberto’s expression shifted rapidly from satisfaction and exhilaration to a solemn seriousness.

His golden, slit-like eyes stared directly at Galos, as he continued with gravity in his voice, "Galos, there were too many interferences in our previous battles."

"Whether it was the siege by your dragons or my own distractions, I couldn’t truly appreciate your power, especially when you were surrounded by those astonishing lightning bolts."

"At this moment, please let me feel it more directly."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Galos’s Dragon Eyes flashed with a hint of surprise as he confirmed in a deep voice.

"Absolutely sure!"

The Golden Dragon’s answer was firm and decisive.

Since the other was so insistent, the Red Iron Dragon naturally wouldn’t dampen his excitement.

Crackle! Crackle!!

The airspace above Dragon Valley was suddenly pierced by the skin-tingling crackle of electricity.

Black and red Dragon Qi and surging golden lightning burst forth from Galos, causing his aura to swell tremendously with a terrifying sense of oppression.

Alberto dared not be careless, activating both the Crown Holy Oath and the Conquering Holy Oath.

The solid divine armor first appeared, clinging to his body, while the shining Golden Crown further enhanced his defense, coated in a thick golden glow.

In the very next second after the double Holy Oath’s defense boost was completed.

The large dragon claw, wrapped in Dragon Qi and surging lightning, clenched into a hammer shape and struck directly.

Crack—Boom!

The armor cracked and shattered.

The Red Iron Dragon’s powerful strike landed heavily on Alberto’s chest.

The enormous impact sent a tremor through Alberto’s huge Golden Dragon body.

"Ugh—!"

A suppressed groan was forced from his throat.

One could see that the originally solid and magnificent Dragon Scales on his chest were visibly dented under Galos’s heavy blow, collapsing inward.

The immense force even transmitted to his back, causing the sturdy Dragon Scales there to emit faint cracking sounds.

Alberto’s body involuntarily jerked forward.

"Indeed...very...very strong..."

The Golden Dragon, enduring the tumultuous pain and shock in his body, very slowly, bit by bit, straightened his hunched body, his voice containing a trace of tightly restrained panting.

"...However...it is still...within my tolerance level."

Before he finished speaking, he didn’t hesitate any longer; the massive golden Dragon Wings beat fiercely, stirring up a strong air current, and he flew rapidly like an arrow towards the Sel Wilderness, quickly disappearing into the deepening twilight sky.

Galos hovered quietly in place, the huge Red Iron Dragon Wings gently swaying in the evening breeze, his expression calm and unmoved.

However.

As Alberto’s golden figure gradually shrank and vanished over the horizon, the nonchalant expression on Galos’s face collapsed, unraveling.

He bared his teeth in a grimace, reaching up with his claw to touch the mark left on his chest by the Supreme Slash.

Perhaps it was related to his bloodline, or maybe it was because his nature leaned towards the evil spectrum.

The various effects of the Supreme Slash on evil beings all took hold on Galos.

"It’s been a long, long time since I felt such an almost unbearable pain."

Galos took several deep breaths of the cold night air.

Perhaps... should I specifically seek out a powerful Paladin? Or at least a creature possessing similar Divine Power to a Paladin?

Their attacks, to repeatedly train and adapt my resistance to this Divine Punishment Power?

Only then can I, when truly facing attacks like the Supreme Slash in the future, achieve the composure and fearlessness I showed earlier.

As for his followers, that Mixed-blood Centaur Elvira.

Her attacks may also carry divine attributes, but after all, she is not a Paladin; the effects are still far from sufficient, probably far lacking for resistance training.

Meanwhile.

In a distant place.

Alberto, while forcibly maintaining flight, constantly glanced back warily, until he was completely sure there were no prying eyes.

Whoosh! Unable to hold on any longer, his massive golden Dragon form crashed down like a meteor onto a desolate rocky slope.

Splurt—!!!

As soon as he landed, even before retracting his Dragon Wings, his throat rolled violently, and a large mouthful of scorching Dragon Blood spewed uncontrollably, splattering onto the rocks.

"Aroooo!" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Alberto let out a cry of pain, his huge dragon body no longer able to maintain a dignified posture, collapsed embarrassingly on the ground, then uncontrollably rolled and flailed on the stony ground.

The pain, so intense.

It was as if a heart and lung-rending agony was churning inside Alberto.

He carefully felt it, oh, it turned out it wasn’t as if, but that his heart and lungs were indeed struck and injured.

If it were an ordinary young White Dragon, this blow might have pierced right through him, sending his soul to Hell.

Alberto, enduring the suffocating intense pain, tremblingly lifted his Dragon Claw, casting several powerful Holy Healing Techniques on himself.

After quite a while, he finally felt the churning pain slightly subside, his violently heaving chest at last able to breathe steadily, though with each breath, deep inside him, persistent, needle-like stings continued.

To think that Galos, still just in his adolescence, already possessed such terrifying and unmatched power, enough to completely overwhelm him.