The proud Alberto fell into a brief silence.

Seconds later, his gaze became resolute, deciding to take a ruthless holy oath for himself, to inspire him to surpass the Red Iron Dragon.

"I, Alberto Aurelius, hereby swear by my lineage, my honor, and the Golden Law that I have pursued all my life, to take this holy oath!"

"Until I completely surpass—Red Iron Dragon Galos Ignas!"

"I will refuse all entertainment and leisure! I will no longer allow myself any meaningless rest or idleness! I will tirelessly hone my claws and fangs both day and night! Temper my scale armor! Forge my will and power!"

"Until I become stronger than him! Unquestionably strong!"

"If I break this oath, let me, Alberto Aurelius, be reincarnated and fall to the likes of a White Dragon!"

Buzz—With the drop of the final syllable of his vow, an invisible, immensely heavy power suddenly descended.

Alberto instantly felt as if an invisible, intangible yet ice-cold sharp sword was suspended high above his head, its tip pointing directly at his soul, and it was slowly descending.

This was the binding power of the holy oath.

It clearly reminded Alberto: Although he was currently in a terrible state, gravely injured inside, and mentally exhausted... yet, with the extraordinary physique of a Golden Dragon, he was far from needing to lie down immediately for a complete rest.

Any slight slackness and laziness would be a desecration of this heavy vow.

Alberto’s heart chilled; he dared not delay.

He clenched his dragon teeth, enduring the still-churning severe pain and deep fatigue within, then flew into the deep night sky.

"With the constraint of this vow, and with the talent of my Golden Dragon lineage, I will surpass Galos sooner or later."

"Then take a good rest afterward."

Alberto thought optimistically, his figure bathed in the glow of the sunset, moving farther away.

And as Alberto departed and night fell completely, darkness as deep as ink, like a vast velvet curtain, slowly enveloped another land battered by the vicissitudes of time—the Alva River Valley.

This valley, winding its way through the mountains, is precisely located at the border area between the Abel Duchy and the Haltai Duchy, making it one of the most sensitive and complex regions along the long border of the two nations.

Among them, the Haltai Duchy has always been the most loyal and submissive adherent of the Lotheren Kingdom, its status almost equivalent to that of a vassal territory of the Lotheren Kingdom, with its every move deeply influenced by its suzerain’s will.

On the other side, the Abel Duchy.

Maintains a close and friendly relationship with another giant within the Federation—the Ripos Kingdom.

The Ripos Kingdom, a nation with a pivotal position within the Federation countries, its national power and influence are second only to the mighty Lotheren Kingdom, making it the unquestionable second power within the Federation.

Back to the point.

Due to extremely complex reasons, involving special circumstances reaching back to the very founding of the two nations or even earlier history, the long boundary line between the Haltai Duchy and the Abel Duchy has never truly been accurately surveyed on the ground by both parties, nor has a formally binding border treaty, fully recognized by both governments, been jointly signed.

Their interpretations of historical bases, understandings of ancient agreement terms, and perceptions of traditional jurisdictional boundaries... are vastly different and entirely distinct.

This has resulted in large areas of overlapping sovereign claims along most of the boundary line—each side asserts indisputable sovereignty over the same land.

Moreover, the geographic environment of the Alva River Valley is especially complex and changeable: towering mountains stand erect, valleys are deep and treacherous, rivers flow swiftly in winding paths... this ever-changing terrain itself easily leads to disputes.

More troubling is that this area frequently experiences natural shifts in river courses, sudden landslides, or even small-scale geological subsidence... all these ongoing geographical changes further exacerbate the difficulty of accurately determining specific border control points.

Thus, the final result is:

There are huge, irreconcilable differences in the specific course of the boundary lines claimed by each party.

In the map versions drawn up by each nation, those lines representing sovereign claims often entail vast disputed areas, jagged and overlapping, unrecognized by the other.

In such a context.

When armed forces, such as scouts, sentinels, and patrol teams stationed at the border of the two countries meet unexpectedly in these sensitive disputed areas, it is easy for tense standoffs or even intense conflicts to occur.

However, for a long period in the past, because both parties belonged to the Federation, a loose but effective framework, and above them were the two mighty "gods" of the Lotheren Kingdom and the Ripos Kingdom coordinating and exerting pressure, the Abel Duchy and the Haltai Duchy always maintained considerable restraint.

Both strictly adhered to unwritten rules.

—Try to keep conflict levels to a minimum, limiting them to shoving matches, verbal disputes, or small-scale unarmed scuffles, striving to avoid using lethal weapons, let alone escalating conflicts into true wars.

However... tonight, on this piece of land claimed by both in the Alva River Valley, there seemed to be an unusual atmosphere.

Beneath the calm surface, dark currents were surging.

The night was as thick as murky ink, a sliver of a cold waning moon cast a bleak silver glow, barely illuminating the rushing waters of the Alva River and the steep contours of its banks.