The anger Zara felt at this moment was insurmountable. She felt pissed—pissed at the fact that some dragon kings actually saw this as a means to put off rivalries and show their dominance.
It was very selfish and short-sighted. Left to her alone, she would have preferred for them to temporarily suspend the tournament, work together, and get rid of the Scourge Dragons. After getting rid of that threat, they could practically resume the competition.
This way, not only would they be able to safeguard their lands, but they would also reduce future conflicts.
However, each dragon king had an ego and pride the size of a planet. They all felt like supreme beings, untouchable in their own right. It was second nature to them, something ingrained in the souls of all dragons.
Zara sighed. Sometimes, she felt as if she was the only sane dragon in the entire Dragon Realm. If everyone had her mindset, perhaps they would have finally been able to get rid of the Scourge Alpha Dragon and its lackeys.
Unity... That was something Zara didn't foresee happening, even in the distant future. The only person—the only person who had the power to unify them—was the dark-haired boy sitting across from her.
She clenched her fist. Normally, she was someone who believed in and depended on herself, but after seeing Nox's prowess during the time they had been together, she had begun to believe otherwise.
"With his unique power to tame beasts, he's our best bet at uniting all the kingdoms."
Zara was soon snapped out of her train of thought as she heard Nox speak.
"So this event isn't just about dragons proving themselves? It's a war disguised as a competition?"
"More or less." Zara leaned forward, resting her chin on her knuckles. "Each kingdom sends only their best warriors—dragons under the age of twenty. If you're older, you'll be disqualified."
"And nope, you can't fake your age to compete. There are magical items that can reveal your true age."
Nox raised an eyebrow. "Why the strict age limit? Wouldn't it be better if all the kings just fought in a battle royale or something and determined the winner?" he inquired.
A part of him actually wanted this because it would allow him to gauge the strength of all the dragon kings. His grandpa and his master, Eve, had always repeatedly told him that it was always better to know his enemies.
Knowing your enemies was already half the battle won!
Not only that, but he was also planning on taking this opportunity to copy some powerful skills from the dragon monarchs and bestow them on his pets.
However, this was just wishful thinking.
Zara sighed and explained, "Because young dragons are still growing. Our potential isn't set in stone yet. The tournament serves as a testing ground where the strong prodigies will rise and the weak will fade into obscurity. It also prevents older, more experienced dragons from dominating the competition."
"Fair." Nox nodded, though a part of him felt it was still somewhat flawed.
"Actually, it's anything but fair." Zara shot him a knowing glare. "The stronger kingdoms have better training facilities, thousands of monster cores allowing them to shoot through the ranks, and powerful skill scrolls passed down through their bloodlines. Some kingdoms even cheat."
Okay, now this sounded like a real battlefield.
"Exactly." Zara nodded as she stood up, walking toward the window again. "The last winner was Ignis Dominion, the Kingdom of Fire Dragons. They've held the title for three consecutive tournaments. Thanks to that, they've had access to the best resources, making them nearly untouchable."
"Three consecutive tournaments?" Nox's eyes flashed when he heard this. Did this mean the Fire Dragons were the strongest? It was the only logical conclusion. The first time could be attributed to luck, maybe even the second time, but three times?
Three different decades!
Was he mistaken when he considered the Lightning Dragons to be the strongest?
He suddenly thought of something and asked, "Before the Fire Dragons, which kingdom held the title?"
"The Shadow Dragons," Zara replied in a heartbeat. "And they've won the competition a total of eighteen times—not consecutively—but it still made them one of the most powerful kingdoms in the Dragon Realm."
"I see. If you don't mind me asking, which kingdom has the most wins and the longest reign?"
"The Lightning Dragons," Zara stated. "They have won the tournament a total of twenty-five times and held the title for twenty-three consecutive years before eventually losing to the Light Dragons… The Light Dragons went on to hold the title for twenty consecutive tournaments."
'Hmm, so they're the two strongest,' Nox mused as he continued to listen.
"However, according to history, the Light Dragons weren't defeated. They chose to give up the title and refrain from competing again."
"Huh? Why?" Nox asked, shocked. "Did they get tired of being rich?"
Was there even such a thing?
"It's a flex." Zara smiled. "It's their way of telling everyone that they're the strongest. Since then, the Light Dragons have refrained from participating in the tournament, saying it's beneath them."
Nox tapped his fingers against his knees. "So I assume it's been a long time since Frostpire won?"
Zara's jaw clenched, and after several minutes of silence, she said, "The last person to win the competition was my father. And we have won it six times, with three of those being consecutive."
Nox noticed the slight trace of pride in her voice. It made a lot of sense for him to feel such a powerful aura from Drakos. The king had been powerful from a young age—another reason to keep his guard up around him.
But this also meant that Frostpire hadn't won the tournament in a long time, which meant they were likely lacking significantly compared to the Lightning Dragons, Fire Dragons, Shadow Dragons, and Light Dragons.
Nox's eyes drifted toward the cityscape beyond the window. The streets were filled with Frost Dragons going about their day.
He rubbed his palms together and let out a misty breath due to the cold temperature of Frostpire.
"So when is this next tournament?" Nox asked a moment later. "How many kingdoms are competing?"
"Eight, including us." Zara crossed her arms. "Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Shadow, and… the Light Dragons."
"I thought they refrained from participating?"
"That's what everyone thought until they made an announcement a year ago, before I left."
Nox sat in silence. "Damn, that means this year's tournament will be even more fierce!"
The winner would, without a doubt, be between the Lightning, Light, Fire, or Shadow Dragons. As for Frostpire, Nox didn't really know their standing.
Suddenly, as they were discussing among themselves, a heavy knock resounded on the door.
Nox and Zara stared at each other. They weren't really expecting anyone. Curiously, Zara approached the door and opened it.
However, the moment she did, she froze in place.
Nox, seeing this, stood up on his feet and was about to ask what was wrong when he suddenly saw the person standing over six feet tall pull Zara into a warm embrace.
"Brother," Zara rasped.
"You idiot, why did you run off like that?!" The person's voice echoed in the room.
Behind Nox, his eyes gleamed as a screen flickered before him.
[Prince Drake, Frostpire Emperor Lv9]