Finally, they moved!
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord snapped the tongs in his hand together, unable to hide his excitement.
Just moments ago, he had sensed the fluctuations of teleportation magic.
It was like a stone dropping into a still lake, sending ripples across its surface.
Although it had taken longer than expected, everything was proceeding exactly according to plan.
Those three Filth had undoubtedly realized something was wrong. They must be restless as ants on a hot pan, desperate to return to their stronghold.
"Brightness, let's go!"
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord picked up the mountain of raw meat beside him that he had not yet had time to grill and swallowed it in one gulp, bringing the long, agonizing wait to an end.
"There's no need to rush. As the saying goes, haste makes waste."
"Why not eat a little more? This meat is actually quite good."
Compared to the Swordmaster Dragon Lord, the Brightness Dragon Lord remained much calmer.
He picked up a piece of grilled meat, dipped it in sauce, and placed it in his mouth.
Then he lifted the bowl of miso soup beside him and drained it in one gulp.
Mm, not bad.
The Dragon Meat had been cut to just the right size and had a satisfying chewiness.
A few aromatic seasonings and vegetables had been added, while the broth made from dragon bones enriched the flavor and brought out the umami. It had even been finished with a sprinkling of salt-like powder.
The Brightness Dragon Lord chewed slowly as he tried to persuade his companion.
"Brightness, you're being far too careless!"
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord frowned at him.
Admittedly, the Brightness Dragon Lord was right. The grilled meat was delicious.
As the most perfect creatures in existence, dragons naturally possessed flesh whose texture stood at the pinnacle of the world.
After tasting it, even the Swordmaster Dragon Lord had to admit that although these juniors were useless, they tasted quite good.
He had no reservations about eating them.
Nor would he ever think something ridiculous like, "Even if I die today at the hands of the Filth, I will never eat a single bite of their food."
His worldview was governed by the law of the strong preying upon the weak.
Rather than allowing these dragons to be divided among Demihumans, it was better for them to enter his stomach and become nourishment for his progress.
This was one of the few acts of kindness the Swordmaster Dragon Lord ever performed.
However, some matters were more urgent than others. Between stopping the Filth and satisfying his appetite, the more important choice was obvious.
That was why the Brightness Dragon Lord's attitude displeased him so much.
"It can't be helped, Swordmaster, my old friend."
"This may be our final meal together. We might never have another opportunity."
The Brightness Dragon Lord spoke with feigned sorrow.
"...Hmph. We haven't met in centuries, yet you've become as sentimental as the weak."
"I'm going ahead. Do as you please."
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord paused. Some of the displeasure faded from his eyes, but he quickly gave a cold snort of mockery.
Without paying the Brightness Dragon Lord any further attention, he vanished from the spot.
"...The weak, huh?"
"Old friend, in this world where the strong devour the weak, how do we know that we aren't among those so-called weaklings ourselves?~"
The Brightness Dragon Lord raised his bowl of miso soup and gazed at his blurred reflection at the bottom, a grin spreading across his face.
What exactly was a true dream?
The Brightness Dragon Lord did not know.
The only thing he wanted now was to survive, seize every opportunity that came his way, and climb as high as he possibly could.
Even if he was one of the [weak].
He still wanted to stand among the strongest of those [weak]~
With that thought, he glanced at the Guild weapon within his body.
Greed and wishful thinking.
Tsa, even if you had ulterior motives, I still owe you an enormous favor.
This unexpected turn of events had truly caught him off guard.
...
Sunlight blanketed the land.
On a plain located midway between the Sorcerer Kingdom and Nazarick, space distorted, and the Swordmaster Dragon Lord appeared out of thin air.
"Hmm?"
"What's going on? Where are the Filth?"
Prepared for battle, the Swordmaster Dragon Lord scanned his surroundings, confusion flashing in his eyes.
He had already braced himself for combat.
But what was this?
Why was there no one here?
That should have been impossible.
Once the fluctuations of teleportation magic were detected, the Wild Magic placed here should have activated automatically.
While intercepting and disrupting the Filth's teleportation magic, the Heavenly Dragon Lord lying in ambush should also have revealed himself and activated the various sealed trap spells.
Then what was the source of this vague unease?
Just as the Swordmaster Dragon Lord considered contacting either the Brightness Dragon Lord or the Heavenly Dragon Lord, something unexpected happened.
A massive magic array suddenly activated beneath him.
Caught completely off guard, he was dragged downward by several enormous chains.
Boom!
Bound by the chains, his immense body slammed hard into the ground.
"Cough! What's going on?!"
The restrained Swordmaster Dragon Lord twisted his draconic body, utterly bewildered.
This was far too strange.
Why had the situation turned out like this?
Why had the chains intended to restrain the Filth attacked him instead?
Why had no one appeared even now?
Why...
Overwhelmed with questions, the Swordmaster Dragon Lord immediately sent a message to the Brightness Dragon Lord, intending to warn him that something was wrong.
But in the next instant, a faintly translucent barrier gradually enclosed the clearing around him.
Message failed to send.
"What is this?!"
When he realized the message had failed, disbelief filled the Swordmaster Dragon Lord's eyes.
The Wild Magic [World-Isolating Barrier]!
But how was that possible?!
"There's only one explanation for someone being able to cast Wild Magic..."
"No. I have to escape immediately!"
He understood now.
A True Dragon Lord wanted him dead.
Was it the Heavenly Dragon Lord, or that group led by Primordial Mother?
Faced with this crisis, a cold light flashed in the Swordmaster Dragon Lord's eyes as his draconic body entered a full combat state.
The [Blade Scales] covering his body stood on end. The thin, razor-sharp scales scraped against one another, producing a piercing shriek.
The horns that had swept backward from his head rose forward, and a terrifying aura unlike anything before began spreading outward.
Crack!
With a succession of sharp snapping sounds, the chains binding the Swordmaster Dragon Lord shattered one after another.
His broad Dragon Wings spread wide, sending violent air currents sweeping outward.
Like a meteor flying in reverse, he shot from the ground into the sky.
Another crisp shattering sound rang out.
In only one second, he had forcibly torn a massive breach through the barrier formed from Wild Magic.
Suspended in midair, the Swordmaster Dragon Lord was surrounded by golden light as his sharp gaze swept across the surroundings.
"Whoever did this will pay."
[Wild Magic: Dragon Scales Flash]
After sending another message to the Brightness Dragon Lord, the Swordmaster Dragon Lord immediately activated his unique Wild Magic.
Countless Blade Scales wrapped in golden light transformed into beams.
Enhanced by Wild Magic, they scattered like throwing knives and furiously attacked everything nearby.
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord knew that his perception was poor.
Against an enemy who might be hiding, he chose the simplest and most brutal solution.
He would attack indiscriminately and force them into the open.
The earth, trees, boulders, clouds...
The razor-sharp scales became a golden whirlwind, raging wildly through the surroundings.
Everything within sight became a target.
At last, the sound of repeated impacts caught the Swordmaster Dragon Lord's attention.
He looked over and saw the Heavenly Dragon Lord being bombarded by the scales.
His unparalleled defensive power effortlessly repelled every Blade Scale, leaving him completely unharmed.
"Heavenly!"
"So it really was you."
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord glared furiously at his fellow dragon.
He had only suspected him before. He had not expected the culprit to truly be him.
"What a nuisance."
A hint of resignation flashed through the Heavenly Dragon Lord's eyes.
They could have simply attacked directly, yet he had been forced to reveal himself first and draw all the hostility.
Which was stronger, the mightiest spear or the mightiest shield?
Tsk. The king really was bored.
Despite his reluctance, the Heavenly Dragon Lord still prepared himself to defend.
Even he had to remain fully alert against the enraged Swordmaster Dragon Lord. A single mistake could leave him severely injured.
On the other side, the Swordmaster Dragon Lord did not hesitate.
He immediately activated his Wild Magic and combined it with the full strength of his body, unleashing his most powerful attack.
There was no need for excuses.
Since the Heavenly Dragon Lord had attacked him, he was his enemy.
And enemies had to die!
[Wild Magic: Dragon Claw Sky-Shattering Strike]
The dragon claw descended and collided with the Heavenly Dragon Lord.
In that instant, the immense force shattered space itself.
An invisible vortex engulfed both dragons as terrifying shockwaves tore across the ground.
Sand and stones erupted into the air.
With nothing to impede it, a colossal chasm appeared directly below them.
It was roughly eighty meters wide, over one hundred meters deep, and more than one thousand meters long.
After a brief stalemate, the two separated.
"Recoil?"
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord stared at his trembling claw.
He had also been injured by that attack.
But rather than making him retreat, the minor wound caused his blood to boil even hotter.
Keep fighting!
Keep killing!
"I'm bleeding? What terrifying strength."
The Heavenly Dragon Lord looked at his blood-soaked wound.
Compared to his enormous body, the injury was as insignificant as an ant beside a human.
Even so, there was no denying that the Swordmaster Dragon Lord had broken through his full defensive power.
Both he and the Swordmaster Dragon Lord had taken their strengths to extremes.
Their draconic bodies focused on two different branches of the same foundation. This meant neither could defeat the other quickly.
Their battle would only turn into an endless war of attrition.
"So... that should be enough, right?"
The Heavenly Dragon Lord looked upward and spoke.
He wanted to sleep.
He wanted to eat.
He did not want to fight...
"All right. What's wrong with getting a little more exercise?"
A voice came from high above.
"What?"
Before the Swordmaster Dragon Lord could understand what was happening, the sky suddenly darkened.
Space shattered without warning.
A colossal fissure stretched across heaven and earth like a hideous wound.
From within that rift, an enormous dragon claw slowly emerged, radiating endless pressure and a terrifying aura.
The claw was unimaginably vast.
Its scales gleamed with a metallic luster, resembling indestructible blades. It seemed capable of crushing everything into dust with the slightest squeeze.
Beneath that immense claw, the Swordmaster Dragon Lord looked utterly insignificant.
"What is that thing?!"
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord sensed a terrifying aura.
It was fear rooted in his very bloodline.
Terror filled his eyes.
Refusing to wait helplessly for death, he struggled with all his strength, trying to escape the dragon claw's grasp.
But before that claw, he could not move at all.
It slowly closed around him, gripping his body tightly.
"Sorry, but your power is too great."
A voice echoed beside his ears.
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord immediately let out a piercing scream.
As the claw tightened, his body gradually deformed.
The sound of bones breaking rang through the air, and blood poured from his mouth.
Finally, the Swordmaster Dragon Lord's entire body was crushed, bursting into a cloud of blood mist.
From the rift in space, a colossal dragon one thousand meters tall slowly emerged.
He examined the remains in his hand before turning his gaze toward a particular location.
"Brightness, I'll leave this to you. Once he's resurrected, deal with him as you see fit."
A figure immediately emerged from the previously empty ground and bowed respectfully.
"As you command."
A bead of cold sweat slid down the Brightness Dragon Lord's forehead.
He had expected the Swordmaster Dragon Lord to lose, but he had never imagined it would happen this way.
It had been far too easy.
It was no different from casually crushing an ant.
Even the Brightness Dragon Lord, who had believed everything was under his control, found the sight difficult to process.
"Mm."
Naohara nodded, then returned to his Dragonoid form.
A thousand-meter-long dragon body.
That was his current limit.
The fusion with the [Dragon Destruction Sword] was one factor.
The increase in his bonus levels was another.
Absorbing the power of Catastrophe was yet another.
"Let's go. This little interruption is over."
Naohara addressed the Brightness Dragon Lord and the Heavenly Dragon Lord.
With a wave of his hand, he cast the 10th-tier spell [Time Reverse], restoring the surrounding environment while simultaneously resurrecting every living creature that had died because of the battle.
It was hardly any trouble, so why not?
After all, it consumed only a negligible amount of magical power, and that would recover automatically the next second.