"Platinum has been captured?"
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord froze at the news.
His head shifted slightly as he looked toward the sky, the metal scales covering it grinding together with a harsh scraping sound.
The class [World Connector] activated.
Through the soul resonance shared among the True Dragon Lords, he carefully sensed the condition of the Platinum Dragon Lord.
It only took a moment.
A grave expression appeared on his face.
"Filth of the Dragon Emperor..."
"How could Platinum be captured so easily? With his strength, even if he lost, escaping should still have been possible."
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord voiced his confusion.
Every surviving True Dragon Lord had a clear understanding of the "Filth".
The chaos caused by the Eight Greed Kings still remained vivid in their memories.
There was no denying that Players possessed terrifying combat power, but as True Dragon Lords, they were far from weak themselves.
The defeat of the Platinum Dragon Lord did not surprise him.
But being captured?
That was what puzzled him.
"It was a trap. I went to investigate the place where Platinum fought the Filth."
"Platinum was careless. To prevent the Filth from escaping, and also because of his confidence in himself and his Wild Magic…"
"With time pressing, he didn't contact us. Instead, he went alone, intending to eliminate the Filth."
"He probably believed that even if he lost, he could still obtain some information about the Filth and withdraw safely."
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord said with regret.
The Platinum Dragon Lord's decision wasn't wrong. Under those circumstances, it was undoubtedly the most reasonable choice.
Unfortunately, the Filth that descended this time proved far more troublesome than expected.
It was a trap.
A trap designed specifically for the Platinum Dragon Lord.
The other side had likely prepared for this long ago.
First, they remained patient, secretly gathering a large amount of intelligence about the other world. Then they devised their strategy and began removing every potential threat.
Compared to the other True Dragon Lords who rarely stayed in one place, the Platinum Dragon Lord, who had long been stationed in the Argland Council State, became the primary target.
Through deliberate misdirection, they lured him to the prepared trap, causing him to walk straight into it.
Thus, the Platinum Dragon Lord was captured silently and successfully.
Afterward, they even left behind certain clues on purpose to mislead the world.
The so-called battle between True Dragon Lords was nothing more than a smokescreen.
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord personally investigated the scene.
Although traces of Wild Magic were present, they belonged solely to the Platinum Dragon Lord.
In addition, he faintly sensed a trace of Tier Magic heading in the direction of the Sorcerer Kingdom.
[PS: The Tier Magic aura here came from the Minotaur Sage, not the protagonist's group.]
The conclusion was obvious.
"Platinum… I never expected that fellow to end up like this."
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord sighed.
Although the Platinum Dragon Lord was the son of the Dragon Emperor, no matter how much friction existed between them, they were still fellow True Dragon Lords.
Familiar faces were becoming fewer and fewer. There was nothing to celebrate about that.
"The Filth that descended this time possesses a Guild Base similar to the one used by the Eight Greed Kings, along with a large number of NPCs."
"Judging from their capture of the Platinum Dragon Lord, they have no intention of sparing us True Dragon Lords either."
"And to be honest, I've already fought them once."
"They set a trap to capture me as well, but I narrowly escaped."
At this point, a shadow passed through the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord's eyes.
Hundreds of years of planning had come to nothing, and he himself had nearly fallen into danger.
If he had not been cautious, he might have ended up the same as the Platinum Dragon Lord.
They had deceived the entire world with ease.
Their schemes followed one after another, leaving him constantly on guard.
Were even the True Dragon Lords who stood at the peak of the world merely pieces on their chessboard?
Heh. What arrogance.
As expected of the inherently evil Filth.
Compared to them, even the Eight Greed Kings seemed almost restrained.
"How many True Dragon Lords are involved in this?"
"And if I remember correctly, the Platinum Dragon Lord had the Eight Greed Kings' Guild weapon in his possession. Where is that weapon now?"
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord's eyes shifted slightly.
Instead of answering immediately, he changed the subject.
"As for the True Dragon Lords..."
"Besides you and me, there is also Brightness."
"And considering his relationship with Heavenly, getting Heavenly's agreement should not be difficult."
"On top of that, Brightness contacted me earlier and said he had discovered traces of the Vampiric Dragon Lord and is currently searching for him."
"As for the Eight Greed Kings' Guild weapon, I do not know where it is."
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord shook his head as he spoke.
"I thoroughly searched both the Argland Council State and several of the Platinum Dragon Lord's strongholds, but I did not find any high-tier items."
"However, it likely did not fall into the hands of the Filth."
"Knowing Platinum's personality, before heading to confront the Filth he probably made other arrangements for the Guild weapon, just in case."
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord spoke in a low voice.
This was the conclusion he had reached after gathering intelligence during this period.
Originally, he had even considered a coercive strategy. He thought about threatening to dismantle the strongholds in order to force the NPCs from the Eight Greed Kings' base to assist in battle.
Although the risk would have been enormous, it could also have served as an absolute trump card.
"Is that so?"
"I never expected that fellow Brightness would agree to your plan."
"Given his personality, I thought the two of you would end up fighting each other instead."
A trace of surprise flashed through the Swordmaster Dragon Lord's eyes.
After thinking for a moment, he continued asking.
"So what do you plan to do?"
"Based on the current situation, if we face Filth who possess a Guild Base, even if all the True Dragon Lords unite, we probably still have no chance of winning."
It sounded a bit like praising the enemy while belittling themselves.
But judging from what the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord had said, he truly could not see any path to victory.
"I have my own confidence, but allow me to keep it secret for now."
"When the True Dragon Lords gather, I will reveal everything."
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord left a hint of suspense.
Although the Filth were powerful, he still had absolute confidence.
Otherwise, with his cautious personality, he would have already hidden somewhere long ago.
After all, the world was vast. There would always be a place to hide.
"Alright."
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord stared at the confident Deep Darkness Dragon Lord for a moment before finally nodding.
Given his personality, he was not the type to boast without reason. If he spoke this way, he must truly have some confidence.
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord desired power, but he also had no wish to die.
Only by staying alive could he continue to grow stronger.
Since the Filth now threatened his life, there was no reason left for hesitation.
Besides, battling powerful opponents was the best way to achieve a breakthrough.
Training alone was meaningless. Only real combat satisfied him.
Of course, the premise was that he did not die.
"Then next we will head to the Great Forest of Evasha. I have something there that I need to deal with."
"The Great Forest of Evasha?"
"That's right. I need to fulfill a contract there. It will help us eliminate the Filth in the future."
Seeing that the Swordmaster Dragon Lord did not refuse, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord quietly let out a breath of relief and answered without hesitation.
He did not reveal the existence of Surshana.
It was not that he did not want to.
He simply could not.
In the contract they had signed earlier, the other party had added a small condition. Under no circumstances could he attempt to reveal their existence in any way.
In return, they would secretly intervene and provide assistance during the battle against the Filth.
"That's fine, but..."
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord paused slightly.
"But what?"
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord frowned and asked.
"But before we go, we need to have a fight!"
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord quietly moved closer. Before the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord could react, the corners of his mouth lifted.
In the next moment, the scales across his body spread open. The horns that curved backward from his head snapped forward as a violent aura spread outward.
With a flick of his tail, a terrifying shockwave accompanied the strike as it lashed directly toward the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord.
Splash!
A loud splash echoed as the unsuspecting Deep Darkness Dragon Lord was knocked straight into the water, sending massive waves surging outward.
"You were the one who suggested sparring."
"Don't think I forgot just because we talked so much."
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord burst into laughter and immediately dove into the sea after him.
It was rare for another True Dragon Lord to willingly spar with him. He could not possibly miss such a good opportunity.
"Swordmaster! You damned bastard!"
"Hahaha! If you have the ability, then defeat me."
"The strong remain strong. Only the weak shout and complain."
"Let me see whether your strength has changed after all these centuries."