Nothing in this world was absolute. Everything held countless possibilities.
Demiurge devised his plans by anticipating each of those possibilities.
The wise made predictions. Fools indulged in fantasies.
They were as different as light and darkness.
Victors enjoyed the sweet fruits of success, while the defeated endured humiliation and bided their time, hoping the winners would grow complacent so they might one day turn the tables.
Unfortunately, anyone defeated by Nazarick would never be given that opportunity.
...
"Coming and going as you please is terribly rude~"
"Why not stay a little longer and allow me to show you some hospitality?"
Under the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord's wary gaze, a demon in a red pinstriped suit strolled toward him. His words were polite, but the contempt beneath them was undisguised.
"An NPC serving the Filth?"
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord did not hesitate. He immediately unleashed a Breath Attack, then took the Platinum Dragon Lord with him and flew off in another direction without looking back.
They did not have much time left.
This was no time to fight these NPCs. Even if they killed them, they could simply be resurrected. It would be a complete waste of time.
"What discourteous guests."
As an NPC with special classes centered on battlefield disruption, Demiurge's direct combat ability was not particularly impressive.
Most of his classes granted gaze attacks, Breath Attacks, monster summoning, curses, poisons, diseases, and other methods of inflicting debuffs.
He also knew very little magic, possessing only two 10th-tier spells.
His only direct combat options were his three-stage transformation ability and skills such as [Demon Manifestations], granted by the class [Source of Evil].
Even those were of rather limited practical value.
Aside from Victim, the Guardian of the Eighth Floor, Demiurge could be considered the weakest Floor Guardian.
(P.S. In the side story, even after Demiurge used [Demon Manifestations: Colossal Demon Arm] to mutate and strengthen his body, his physical power was still inferior to that of the Level 85 Evil Tree.)
Against the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord's Breath Attack, the best response would have been to evade or neutralize it with magic.
Taking it head-on would not inflict a critical injury, but it would certainly be unpleasant.
Despite that, Demiurge made no move at all. He remained completely unguarded.
[Thunderbolt Slash]
A dazzling blade of lightning descended and effortlessly split the Breath Attack in two.
At some point, Sephis had appeared beside him.
"The speed of lightning remains as reliable as ever."
Demiurge calmly brushed a hand over his suit and offered his praise.
No dirt had actually struck him, but the force of the collision had likely scattered dust through the air and carried it in his direction. He could detect a faint earthy smell.
This suit was, after all, a precious gift bestowed upon him by the Supreme One who had created him.
He possessed many other outfits, but that was no reason to treat this one carelessly.
"It seems the plan has changed. Has the Supreme One issued any new instructions?"
Sephis held his weapon against his chest and asked softly.
"No instructions. That is also the best possible instruction."
"In other words, this is now our free time. We may act as we please."
Demiurge adjusted his glasses and smiled confidently.
It was just like when those fools had once invaded the sacred ground created by the Supreme Ones, the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
Their defeat had been decided from the beginning. No amount of struggling could change the outcome.
"Come to think of it, you've grown stronger since we last met, Sephis."
Demiurge and Sephis chatted as they walked, showing no sense of urgency.
As the Guardians of the Seventh and Eighth Floors, they only needed to stand by and observe how events unfolded.
After all, the true master of this place had already gone to deal with the matter personally.
"I've only made a minor breakthrough. What about your work, Demiurge? How is it progressing?"
"There have been some difficulties. Apart from attending the gathering, I returned because I wished to seek guidance from the Supreme One."
Demiurge scratched his head in frustration.
With a successful precedent available, the Dragon Creation Project had become substantially easier. In theory, it should not have been especially difficult.
However, because of the Supreme One's request, the circumstances this time were rather unusual.
Even Demiurge found it troublesome.
At the same time, he thoroughly enjoyed the process.
To him, this was another trial bestowed upon him by the Supreme One.
The Supreme One could never be wrong. Therefore, the fault had to lie with Demiurge himself.
He simply was not working hard enough.
...
In the distance, two figures rapidly caught up to the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord and the Platinum Dragon Lord.
"Dragons! Damned traitors!"
An extraordinarily thick Breath Attack descended from the sky.
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord cursed as he hurriedly swerved through the air in an S-shaped pattern to evade it.
The Platinum Dragon Lord followed close behind.
The two dragons were forced to lower their altitude until they were practically skimming the ground, kicking up rolling clouds of dust like waves sweeping across the wilderness.
[Self Time Acceleration]
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord took out an item belonging to the Filth and activated the Tier Magic sealed within it.
A translucent glow enveloped both him and the Platinum Dragon Lord. Empowered by time, their flight speed increased dramatically.
Even so, their pursuers showed no sign of falling behind.
"What's going on? A buff? Tier Magic?"
Before the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord could make sense of it, the next attack was already upon them.
[Galactic Shot]
Standing atop the Gacha Dragon's head, Aura raised her bow.
A blinding ray of light streaked forward alongside the dragon's Breath Attack.
There was no time to evade.
The magic transformed into a rain of arrows that poured down from the sky. The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord tried to dodge, but unsurprisingly, he failed.
Mare swung his staff.
The ground ahead began rolling like waves, and countless thick vines burst from the earth, swiftly wrapping the two dragons into tightly bound bundles.
A True Dragon Lord could easily break free from restraints of this level.
However, doing so would still delay them by several seconds.
That was already more than enough.
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord was forced to endure both the arrow barrage and the Breath Attack. Magical arrows pierced his flesh one after another, drawing an agonized roar from him.
Even the Platinum Dragon Lord was caught in the assault. He could only activate Wild Magic in a desperate attempt to reduce the damage as much as possible.
"Mare!"
Aura looked at her younger brother and gave him a meaningful glance.
"Yes. I'm ready, Sister."
Mare nodded timidly.
His movements, however, contained no hesitation whatsoever, and not a trace of emotion could be seen in his eyes.
Pitch-black magical power gathered together, forming a torrent of pure energy capable of destroying everything.
[Petit-Catastrophe]
This was the trump card of the special class [Disciple of Disaster].
Activating it required an enormous amount of magical power. In return, its destructive force surpassed even Super-Tier Magic.
A deafening explosion erupted.
A terrifying torrent of destructive energy swept across the area, accompanied by the hatred of the world itself.
Unending screams rang out.
That hatred, cold enough to chill one to the marrow, surged over them, mercilessly swallowing and ravaging their bodies.
"Damn it... Damn it all! Aaaagh!"
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord could feel his muscles being torn apart and destroyed.
His bones cracked one after another.
Every passing second brought fresh agony.
Amid the dazzling light of the energy explosion, tormented by the pain of his battered body and his unwillingness to accept defeat, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord instantly chose the best response available.
Under Aura and Mare's surprised gazes, he activated Wild Magic and destroyed his own head.
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord had committed suicide.
In the very next moment, an emerald light appeared.
The spell [Hymn of the Frozen Barrier] activated automatically.
By taking advantage of the special state during its casting time, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord cleverly avoided the magical damage from [Petit-Catastrophe].
He calculated the timing perfectly and waited until the attack ended before reviving at full health.
The Platinum Dragon Lord, who had also been caught in the spell, felt the corner of his mouth twitch when he witnessed the scene.
It gave him an oddly familiar feeling.
As the destructive energy gradually dissipated, two figures became visible upon the ravaged earth.
One was the weakened Platinum Dragon Lord.
The other was the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord, restored to his peak condition.
"Not bad, not bad. That was very decisive."
Aura clapped with an amused smile, regarding him like an entertaining toy as she offered her praise.
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord showed no joy.
He merely stared expressionlessly at Aura.
What did it matter if he had returned to full strength?
With wave after wave of Filth and NPCs closing in, he was merely prolonging the inevitable.
"Tsaindorcus Vaision, we've never been able to stand each other. I never expected that, at the very end, we would fight side by side."
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord looked toward the Platinum Dragon Lord and smiled bitterly at the irony.
He then took out an item belonging to the Filth and used it to heal the Platinum Dragon Lord's injuries.
Was he in despair?
Somewhat.
But not entirely.
He had not yet reached the end of the road, had he?
Should he use it?
Yes.
He should.
This was the perfect moment.
He would make those arrogant Filth pay the price.
He, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord, was no coward who feared death!
Everything had already been prepared.
He would not die.
He would merely continue living in another form.
With that thought, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord opened his mouth.
An item wrapped in a dark-red aura drifted out from his throat.
A World-Class Item!