Amid the vast sea of clouds, five indistinct figures faced each other from afar, their immense magic power colliding like opposing pillars of light.
Magical particles churned violently through the atmosphere, disrupting the climate. At some point, dark clouds had swallowed the sky.
"Brightness Dragon Lord?"
Naohara's gaze swept across them, lingering briefly on the Heavenly Dragon Lord before he spoke first.
Two True Dragon Lords?
Momonga and Herohero exchanged silent thoughts at his side.
Outwardly, they remained calm. Inwardly, they were already mobilizing their magic.
They continuously analyzed the data of the two True Dragon Lords, refining their tactics in real time.
Pandora had transformed into one of the Supreme Beings, [Nishikienrai], and was lying in wait nearby.
With the unique abilities of the [Nishikienrai] ninja class, even True Dragon Lords could not detect his presence.
World-Class Items were also prepared. At the slightest sign of trouble, they would unleash a decisive strike without hesitation.
On the other side, the Brightness Dragon Lord and the Heavenly Dragon Lord were just as ready.
The Heavenly Dragon Lord shifted its island-sized body and silently moved in front of the Brightness Dragon Lord, eyes filled with vigilance.
Layer upon layer of thick scales covered its body, faintly glowing. It looked as though even 10th-Tier Magic would barely faze it.
From Naohara's perspective, the Heavenly Dragon Lord's overall stats were passable, roughly around the level of an average level 90 player.
Only its defense and HP bar were outrageous, seemingly stretching endlessly upward, making the trio's lips twitch.
Even World Bosses didn't have that much HP. What was this supposed to be?
Did he dump all his points into vitality and defense just because he was afraid of dying?
Meanwhile, the Brightness Dragon Lord stared fixedly at Naohara, feeling his bloodline roil within him, disbelief surging through his heart.
This is ridiculous. The Brightness Dragon Lord had seen countless things in his lifetime, but nothing like this.
A bloodline concentration higher than his own was one thing. But how could it also contain human blood?
Call him a half-dragon, and yet the purity of his Dragon Blood surpassed that of a True Dragon Lord.
Call him a pure dragon, and yet there was undeniably a trace of human blood within him.
Ninety-nine percent Dragon Blood, one percent human blood.
The Brightness Dragon Lord had never encountered such a case. With Dragon Blood this dense, how had the human blood not been swallowed?
Naohara's answer was simple. That was the power of the game. After all, his race was Dragonoid.
Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, the Brightness Dragon Lord spoke.
"You've finally arrived… my otherworldly kin."
After a brief hesitation, he ultimately acknowledged Naohara's identity. There was no arguing with bloodline concentration.
"I'll say this again. Defeat me, and I will submit."
"This is my old friend, the Heavenly Dragon Lord. His stance is the same as mine."
As he spoke, the Brightness Dragon Lord deliberately introduced the Heavenly Dragon Lord, making it clear this was no trap.
Though things differed somewhat from what he had imagined, there was no denying that this Player was truly a dragon. There was no reason for him to break his word.
From the Six Great Gods to the Eight Greed Kings and now to this moment, he had been dragged into conflict by other True Dragon Lords time and again, forced to stand against players.
To be honest, he was sick of it. In his eyes, fighting players was meaningless.
If he had the chance, he would rather crush those stubborn True Dragon Lords himself. The Dragon Race was already on the brink of extinction, and they still insisted on fighting players to the bitter end.
The Brightness Dragon Lord did not want to die. He did not want to throw his life away in pointless battles with players. He did not want to keep hiding in fear.
Naohara's appearance had shown him another path.
He could not bring himself to submit to players in general.
But submitting to a Dragon Race Player… that, perhaps, he could try.
...
Hearing this, Naohara and the other two turned their gaze toward the Heavenly Dragon Lord.
"Mm. I'll follow Brightness's lead."
Under their scrutiny, the Heavenly Dragon Lord slowly nodded his enormous head.
Unlike the Brightness Dragon Lord, he didn't think that deeply about things. Players, the fate of the Dragon Race, survival or extinction, none of it concerned him much.
All he liked was sleeping. Ideally, he would sleep until the end of time.
The reason he said that was simply because he was standing by the Brightness Dragon Lord. After all, that was his only old friend.
Besides, submitting to a Dragon Race Player was something he could accept.
If anything, it meant he could sleep more peacefully in the future.
[Message]
"So? What do you think?"
Looking at the two dragons before him, who didn't appear to be lying, Naohara asked calmly.
"It shouldn't be a trap. Pandora's Actor hasn't detected any unusual movement in the surroundings either."
After receiving Pandora's Actor's report, Momonga replied.
That seemed to settle it.
"Since they're not playing any tricks, Naohara, we'll leave the rest to you."
Herohero looked at Naohara. According to the Brightness Dragon Lord, a battle between them was unavoidable.
"A fight, huh? I wonder how this Brightness Dragon Lord compares to the Platinum Dragon Lord."
Naohara smiled and ended the Message.
He looked at the Brightness Dragon Lord, who was waiting for his reply, and nodded.
"Then please enlighten me."
Pitch-black light rose around him as Naohara's figure gradually vanished. In its place, a massive dragon silhouette emerged.
[Dragon Lord Transformation]
The Dragon Blood within him was fully unleashed as he transformed into a Catastrophe Dragon.
Naohara locked eyes with the Brightness Dragon Lord. It was nothing more than a gaze, yet both True Dragon Lords felt a chill run down their spines.
"Brightness, be careful. This one is dangerous. He even gives me the same feeling as the [Dragon Emperor]."
The Heavenly Dragon Lord's voice turned heavy as he looked at Naohara's dragon form.
"His bloodline concentration is even higher than before. If only that trace of human blood weren't mixed in."
The Brightness Dragon Lord nodded and observed silently, that thought flashing through his mind.
Momonga threw a scroll into the air. It unfurled mid-flight, transforming into a pitch-black vortex.
[World-Class Item: Depiction of Nature and Society]
"Fight inside. If you dare."
Spreading three pairs of jet-black dragon wings, Naohara shot forward first, vanishing into the vortex with a surge of air.
The Depiction of Nature and Society contained one hundred small worlds within it, making it the perfect battlefield.
This was also their final test. Only if the Brightness Dragon Lord dared to enter would Momonga and the others truly trust him.
"A World-Class Item!"
The Brightness Dragon Lord and the Heavenly Dragon Lord exchanged a glance, instantly recognizing its rank.
"You really came prepared."
With that, under the watchful eyes of Momonga and Herohero, the Brightness Dragon Lord charged into the vortex without hesitation.
Only the Heavenly Dragon Lord remained, hovering in the sky.
It was a perfect chance for an ambush.
With Momonga, Herohero, and Pandora's Actor hidden in the shadows, plus the remaining World-Class Items, they could easily capture the Heavenly Dragon Lord alive.
But neither Momonga nor Herohero made a move.
The Brightness Dragon Lord's actions had already earned a measure of their trust.
Now all they had to do was wait for the outcome of the battle between Naohara and the Brightness Dragon Lord.
"What are your names?"
Perhaps sensing the tension in the air, the Heavenly Dragon Lord spoke up, a faint glint flashing in his eyes.
An Undead… and a Slime?
Three Players had arrived, and they seemed to be on good terms with one another.
"Our names?"
Momonga and Herohero were briefly taken aback, not expecting him to strike up a conversation.
"I'm Momonga. He's Herohero. Can I just call you Heavenly?"
"It would be my honor."
Faced with Players of considerable strength, The Heavenly Dragon Lord did not put on any airs. Or rather, he never cared for that sort of thing in the first place. He was a laid-back dragon through and through.
Besides, they were likely to become allies. That much was clear to him.
To be blunt, with Brightness's strength, there was no way he could defeat that Player named Naohara.
And so, Momonga, Herohero, and the Heavenly Dragon Lord.
One Undead, one Slime, one True Dragon Lord.
The three of them chatted back and forth, and the atmosphere gradually became far more relaxed.