Whether in the game or in this other world, dragons were known as the strongest race.
In Yggdrasil, the developers clearly favored dragons, designating eight of them as World Bosses.
Wings of the End, Níðhöggr was one of those eight.
Because dragons' base stats and growth potential far exceeded other races, the official rules prohibited Players from choosing the Dragon Race as their own.
A level 100 dragon Player would be boss-tier, no question.
If that restriction did not exist, anyone chasing power would have flocked to dragons, and the game's balance would have collapsed.
If that had happened, the ones who crossed into the other world would not have been the Six Great Gods or the Eight Greed Kings, but the Six Great Dragons and the Eight Greed Dragons.
And if it really came to that, the Dragon Lords of this world would probably have been beaten into the ground on the spot.
Naohara could undergo dragon transformation, but his race was still Dragonoid. Even if his body was ninety-nine percent Dragon Blood and only one percent human blood, that fact did not change.
His attributes, too, were still calculated under Dragonoid standards.
Through the passive skill [Dragon Blood Sacrifice] and in-game purchases, Naohara had pushed every attribute to the cap.
His numbers even slightly surpassed Touch Me's, despite Touch Me being boosted by the [World Champion] class.
Even so, compared to a true Dragon Race, he was still nowhere close.
That was why, when the Brightness Dragon Lord asked, Naohara had no reason to refuse.
"You're saying this can rewrite my race?"
Naohara looked down at the Dragon Crystal in his hand, speaking seriously.
Momonga and Herohero also turned to the Brightness Dragon Lord, waiting for his answer.
"Yes. Originally, I had no intention of bringing this up."
"After all, Your Majesty, although you are a Dragonoid, your Dragon Blood purity is extraordinarily high. I had no confidence that I could alter your race."
"But the appearance of this Dragon Crystal has given me hope."
"As long as we use Wild Magic, I am ninety percent certain I can help you successfully become a true dragon."
The Brightness Dragon Lord nodded as he spoke.
From the very first time he had met Naohara, he had noticed how unusual he was.
It made him consider purifying Naohara's Dragon Blood and stripping away the human blood.
But Naohara's Dragon Blood purity was simply too high. It was even higher than his own, despite him being a True Dragon Lord, and that left him with no way to proceed.
Purifying Dragon Blood was not impossible, but it was not easy either. Two conditions had to be met.
First, you had to be stronger than the one you were purifying. Second, your bloodline concentration had to be higher than theirs.
The Brightness Dragon Lord did not meet either requirement.
In his understanding, only the Dragon Emperor from a hundred years ago might have qualified.
Just when he had already given up on the idea, a new opening appeared.
By the Dragon God above, it was a Dragon Crystal.
The title Wings of the End, Níðhöggr meant nothing to him, but he did not dwell on it.
It was probably a dragon of the same kind from another world. Not recognizing the name was only natural.
What truly mattered was the aura within that Dragon Crystal.
It was powerful.
So powerful it surpassed even the Dragon Emperor.
It was the strongest dragon he had ever encountered, and the true strength it had possessed in life was almost beyond imagination.
(The sheer value of a level 100 World Boss.)
"Brightness, I have a question."
"Why are you helping me? What are you really after?"
Naohara's gaze flickered, and he did not follow the Brightness Dragon Lord's line of thought.
Instead, he weighed the Dragon Crystal in his hand and voiced the doubt that had been bothering him.
The Brightness Dragon Lord was far too obedient.
Naohara had defeated him, yet something still felt off.
Especially earlier, when they had taken the dragon souls.
The Heavenly Dragon Lord had reacted on instinct and tried to resist, but the Brightness Dragon Lord had shown no hesitation at all, offering up his dragon soul willingly.
Naohara did not believe he had some irresistible charisma that could make a True Dragon Lord who had lived for centuries behave so meekly.
The Brightness Dragon Lord, who had been speaking in a measured tone up to that point, froze for a moment. Something complicated flickered across his expression.
He exchanged a glance with the Heavenly Dragon Lord. After a brief silence, he finally spoke.
"I only... want to give the Dragon Race a good future."
The Brightness Dragon Lord truly did have his own convictions. That was why he behaved so cooperatively, with none of the usual draconic arrogance in either his words or his manner.
Unlike other True Dragon Lords who only wanted to fight Players to the bitter end and cared nothing for the fate of their kind, the Brightness Dragon Lord cared more about the Dragon Race's survival.
His tireless effort was also driven by a hope that, through Naohara and the others, the Dragon Race could once again return to the glory of ancient times.
And for Naohara, a Dragon Lord of the new generation, the Brightness Dragon Lord's intent was simple.
He would do everything he could to support him.
"The future of the Dragon Race?"
"Then for the sake of that future, if you were asked to fight other True Dragon Lords, would you be willing?"
Naohara let out a quiet sigh. He could tell the Brightness Dragon Lord was not lying.
This True Dragon Lord genuinely cared about the Dragon Race.
Even so, Naohara asked a question that put him in a difficult position.
Would he be willing to fight fellow True Dragon Lords of his own kind?
The answer would directly affect Nazarick's future plans.
Momonga and Herohero waited as well.
To their surprise, the usually laid-back Heavenly Dragon Lord stepped forward first.
"It would be troublesome, but I will act."
Gone was his lazy air. His expression turned serious.
Unlike the Brightness Dragon Lord, the Heavenly Dragon Lord did not think that far ahead. He simply enjoyed sleeping and had little interest in fighting.
But seeing his old friend working so hard, he did not mind lending a hand.
So what if it meant a fight?
The Heavenly Dragon Lord had never been afraid of one. Did they think his massive body was just for show? If someone could kill him on the spot, then so be it.
"Heavenly Dragon..."
The Brightness Dragon Lord looked at him in surprise, then slowly shook his head.
"In a new era, remnants of the old one only become obstacles."
"If you require it, we are willing to take the lead."
He declared his loyalty on the spot.
For the future of the Dragon Race, he was willing to battle other True Dragon Lords.
Even kill them.
"I've seen your resolve. Let's return to the previous topic."
Naohara and the others were satisfied with their answers.
Since there was no issue, they resumed discussing the dragon transformation.
"Brightness, what do I need to do next?"
"My King, I will pass a Wild Magic to you. You need only find a quiet place and use it to absorb the Dragon Crystal."
After speaking, the Brightness Dragon Lord pointed at his forehead and pulled out a thin strand of light.
The thread, carrying fragments of memory, flew into Naohara's head. The Wild Magic within it was instantly absorbed and analyzed.
"Interesting. Looks like this will take some time."
After obtaining the information he wanted, Naohara smiled faintly and glanced at the person beside him.
"Blackie, looks like we'll both be busy."
Herohero needed to fuse with a World Boss, and Naohara needed to fully transform into a dragon. Neither could be completed quickly.
"Sigh. Naohara, you're getting more and more outrageous. Looks like I'll never beat you in this lifetime."
Herohero spread his hands and could not help but complain.
"Outrageous? I can't compare to you, you lecherous father."
Naohara shrugged with a teasing grin.
"If I'm a lecherous father, then what are you? A vampire lolicon?"
Herohero shot back immediately.
"You two are the real freaks. I'm clearly the only normal one here."
Momonga stroked his chin, thoroughly pleased with himself.
The moment he said that, the other two instantly united and turned on him with identical looks of disdain.
"Normal my foot. If we're talking about perverts, you're the worst, Momonga. Going after your friend's daughter."
Naohara pointed at Albedo and gave Momonga a look of pure contempt.
"Exactly. You're way more twisted than we are."
Herohero nodded in agreement.
At least Solution was his own creation. Keeping things in-house hardly counted for much.
"I'll kill you both!"
With everyone staring at him, even the Brightness Dragon Lord and the Heavenly Dragon Lord wearing strange expressions, Momonga's composure completely shattered. He stretched out his skeletal hands and lunged at his two troublesome friends.
"The bond between the Three Supreme Beings is truly wonderful."
Watching the chaotic scene, Aureole sighed softly.
Pandora's Actor was flailing his arms excitedly, looking as though he very much wanted to join the scuffle.
"Indeed. For the Three Supreme Beings who never abandoned us, we must devote ourselves fully."
Albedo smiled gently, her gaze tender as she watched Momonga take on two opponents at once.
As expected of Momonga-sama. He even managed to suppress Naohara-sama and Herohero-sama through sheer presence.
Beloved Momonga-sama, easygoing Naohara-sama, and supportive Herohero-sama...
Albedo felt completely satisfied with the current state of Nazarick.