The dragon turtle lacked True Sight and couldn’t see through Leon’s true form. In fact, Leon’s current youth bronze dragon form was created using the 72 Transformations. Even someone with True Sight wouldn’t easily see through it—at least not without the strength of a Demon Lord or Great Devil.
"You’re clearly a bronze dragon, why pretend to be a red dragon?" The dragon turtle didn’t believe Leon’s words.
Leon didn’t bother to explain and simply smiled, shaking his body. The youthful bronze dragon immediately transformed into a youthful red dragon. Although it was a youthful red dragon, its body was nearly gigantic in size, so to the untrained eye it appeared to be an aged red dragon. He then asked, "What about now?"
"R-red dragon! How did you suddenly turn from a bronze dragon into a red dragon?" The dragon turtle was completely stunned.
"One simple shape-shifting is enough." Leon wasn’t interested in explaining that his transformation technique came from the 72 Transformations.
Leon ignored the dragon turtle and instead glared at the Sahuagin Baron, brazenly unleashing an aura of ruthless intimidation, and threatened, "So it’s you who attacked the ships under my protection? You’ve got some nerve."
Leon’s aura was unbearable. The Sahuagin Baron managed to keep from fleeing, but his giant shark mount couldn’t. Forced to jump off the giant shark, the Baron said, "Compensation! We can offer compensation, as long as you pardon us!"
"Compensation, and submission—not just verbal submission, but complete submission. Can you do that?" Leon narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the Sahuagin Baron.
"Of course. Complete submission," said the Sahuagin Baron.
"I might allow the Sahuagin to rule over the Sahuagin, but that ruler won’t be you." Leon lifted a claw and pointed at the Sahuagin Baron, speaking unkindly aloud. He thought to himself that if he wanted to exert complete control over the Sahuagin, he’d have to choose someone entirely dependent on him.
Leon glanced around. Under the pressure of his intimidating aura, aside from the Sahuagin Baron, only one female Sahuagin priest holding a serrated shark-tooth staff wasn’t trembling. Male Sahuagin could at least be considered brawny and strong, but female Sahuagin were nothing short of hideous.
"What did you say?" The Sahuagin Baron couldn’t bear parting with power. "Red dragon, I admit you’re strong, but this is the deep sea."
The Sahuagin Baron slowly backed away toward the dragon turtle and said, "Lord Agama."
"Dragon turtle, are you sure you want to help these Sahuagin?" Leon turned to the dragon turtle.
"I, I..." The dragon turtle hesitated.
"Lord Agama, this is the deep sea. We don’t fear a single red dragon," the Sahuagin Baron said, swishing his tail as he hovered near the dragon turtle.
Fiora couldn’t bear to witness bloodshed and couldn’t help but interject, "I advise you to surrender."
Seeing the bronze dragon speaking on behalf of Leon, the Sahuagin Baron flew into a rage and said, "Bronze dragon, you’re a Metal Dragon, yet you’ve become a henchman for a Colorful Dragon. Bahamut absolutely wouldn’t forgive you if he knew."
"Shut up," Fiora shouted. "You dare utter His Majesty’s name?"
Leon chuckled, "I told you—without killing a few, these Sahuagin won’t surrender. Satisfied now?"
"That dragon turtle might be persuadable," Fiora said, unwilling to give up.
"Even if it can be persuaded, if we don’t fight it now, there will be battles later. Without a beating, it won’t stay obedient," Leon said as his gaze swept over the dragon turtle. Truthfully, he had taken a liking to it, considering whether he could recruit it for his own use, perhaps even as a replacement for Fiora as Minister of Navy.
As for the Kraken being far stronger than the dragon turtle—well, when it comes to subordinates, loyalty sometimes trumps ability. The Kraken could temporarily serve as a resource to exploit.
With action on his mind, Leon turned and transformed into an ultra-gigantic Kraken, swinging ten massive tentacles. These tentacles were far beyond what the little Sahuagin Baron could evade; they effortlessly ensnared him.
Without hesitation, Leon controlled seven of his tentacles to grab the Sahuagin Baron’s four arms, two legs, and one tail—given that the Baron was a large humanoid creature, otherwise Leon’s tentacles wouldn’t be able to grip such spindly limbs. With a slight exertion of force, the Baron was torn apart instantly.
"Why did you transform into a Kraken?" The dragon turtle noticed Leon turning his attention toward him and immediately felt his scalp crawl—if he had one, that is. "I surrender, I’m willing to surrender!"
Leon considered saying something, but his 72 Transformations shared certain limitations with the ninth-circle Transformation Magic shape-shifting—such as not being able to use any sensory abilities he previously possessed, like Dark Vision, unless his new form also had those senses. If the transformed creature couldn’t speak, then neither could he—he could only lash out with his tentacles.
Seeing Leon had no intention of stopping, the dragon turtle turned to flee. It couldn’t outrun Leon, though. Forced to turn back, it opened its massive mouth and exhaled steam that caused the surrounding seawater to boil, sending it straight toward Leon.
Leon’s transformed body resembled a moving mountain. On land, it wasn’t very agile, but underwater it was different—his webbed feet barely pushed, and he effortlessly dodged the dragon turtle’s attack. Then, his sturdy tentacles lashed out like lightning, smacking against the thick-scaled shell of the dragon turtle. Although the turtle was flipped over, it suffered little actual damage.
Leon repeatedly whipped his oversized tentacles against the dragon turtle’s shell. The dragon turtle retaliated with bites and claws. Their battle was so intense that neither the Sahuagin nor even Fiora dared approach lightly.
One was an ultra-gigantic Kraken, the other merely a gigantic dragon turtle—the disparity in power was overwhelming. Leon could whip the dragon turtle so hard it spun like a top, while the turtle could at most bite down on one of Leon’s tentacles and thrash its head, completely helpless against Leon’s remaining nine tentacles.
It wasn’t as though an opportunity finally arose; rather, Leon decided he’d had enough fun. He controlled several tentacles simultaneously to wrap around the dragon turtle’s four limbs and head, firmly immobilizing it.
The dragon turtle struggled desperately, but Leon’s Kraken form had tentacles as tough as steel. The bindings grew tighter and tighter, making even the dragon turtle’s shell emit creaking sounds under pressure.
A Kraken could use lightning, and a Kraken’s lightning wasn’t purely magical—the majority of its electric power came from electric organ-like structures similar to those of electric eels.
As long as the power wasn’t magic-based, Leon could harness it. Controlling the electric organ, Leon unleashed strong electric currents through his tentacles, shocking the dragon turtle from violent struggle to helpless surrender.
Leon gazed at the dragon turtle he had trapped and mused suddenly: was this the legendary combo of binding and electric shock? And it even involved a turtle shell.
Fiora noticed Leon suddenly looking toward her. For some reason, an uneasy feeling bubbled up within her. She had to trust that Leon wouldn’t turn his tentacles toward her.