"Deep Darkness!"
The unknown beast roared in fury. With a single leap, its body shot forward like a falling meteor.
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord had not yet recovered from his shock. Caught off guard, he could only take the attack head-on.
Boom!
A sharp cracking sound rang out.
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord felt an overwhelming force tear through his dragon body, his bones shattering instantly.
Scorching dragon blood sprayed through the air as the immense impact drove him straight into the ground.
At the point of impact, the earth sank inward before splitting apart in spiderweb-like fractures.
"Damn it! How is this thing still alive?!"
Breaking free from his momentary mental shock, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord immediately activated Wild Magic, dispersing into a cloud of black mist.
The mist gathered again in the sky, reforming into the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord. This time, however, he looked extremely battered.
But before he could react, a brilliant blade was already right in front of him.
[Kulika Blade]
Cocytus held nothing back.
Wielding the World-Class Item [Billion Blades], he unleashed his strongest technique in an instant.
Although he felt confused about the sudden turn of events, that did not stop him from attacking the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord.
If he had been alone, Cocytus would have chosen to retreat.
Even if he escaped the barrier and used Message to contact the other Guardians, it would still take time for them to arrive.
During that time, if the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord realized something was wrong and focused on escaping, Cocytus alone would not be able to stop him.
That was why Cocytus had chosen to retreat immediately after obtaining the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord's blood.
But the situation had now changed.
The unknown beast was clearly an enemy of the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
At least for now, they stood on the same side.
Moreover, the beast was powerful. Extremely powerful.
Not only had it reached level one hundred, it could even suppress the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord.
This immediately gave Cocytus a new idea.
Hold the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord in place until the other Guardians arrived carrying World-Class Items.
Even if the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord truly possessed a World-Class Item, it would not matter.
They would eliminate him as quickly as possible, without giving him any chance to fight back.
"Damned filth!"
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord's body trembled. From the blade wrapped in black flames, he felt a chilling aura that made his scales crawl.
A World-Class Item.
That filth was actually carrying a World-Class Item!
But how was that possible?
He had already confirmed that the opponent should merely be an NPC, not a Player. How could an NPC possess a World-Class Item?
[Wild Magic: Dark Current Burial]
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord's right hand tore across space, pulling out a thin curtain of black light. It resembled a rushing torrent as it moved to block Cocytus's full-power strike.
His dragon soul burned fiercely. Although it lasted only a brief moment, it managed to knock the attack slightly off its trajectory.
Taking advantage of that instant, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord barely escaped the range of the blade.
Even so, his dragon body still suffered another heavy injury.
"Cough... this won't work. I need to find a chance to retreat."
Floating in midair, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord quickly forced himself to calm down after a brief moment of panic.
This operation had already failed.
The filth carrying a World-Class Item.
That damned beast.
And now that the barrier had been shattered, more filth would surely arrive soon.
There was no need to analyze the situation further. Under these circumstances, escaping was the wisest choice.
However, what troubled him was that in his current condition, if he tried to use teleportation magic, he would immediately be attacked and interrupted.
"Truly worthy of a Dragon Lord. What terrifying health points."
On the ground, Cocytus activated a detection item and could clearly see that the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord still had around seventy percent of its health remaining.
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord undoubtedly possessed exceptionally balanced offense and defense, making it one of the strongest among the True Dragon Lords.
Cocytus estimated that its overall strength likely surpassed even the Brightness Dragon Lord.
"Deep Darkness, this time I will kill you."
The unknown beast stepped out of the smoke, and the moment its appearance became clear, both Cocytus and the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord could not help but tremble.
Crimson steam rose from its body, as though some invisible limiter had been released. In an instant, a terrifying surge of power poured forth.
"Burning all of your life force like that will kill you."
Cocytus drew in a deep breath, his expression complicated.
World Boss!
This beast had clearly used some method to forcibly burn its own life away, allowing itself to briefly step into the realm of a World Boss.
"I should have died three hundred years ago. I have lingered until now for one reason only, to avenge my lord."
"Sir, my name is [Walking Jackpot]. My lord gave me that name."
"I do not know why, but you give me a strange sense of familiarity. Still, I am glad to meet you."
The unknown beast turned to look at Cocytus, its eyes filled with resolve.
Then its body transformed into a streak of light, with crimson steam flickering within it, and shot toward the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord in the sky.
"Troublesome. It seems I can only use that now."
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord let out a sigh. Since it could no longer use teleportation magic to escape, it now had only two choices.
Either find a chance to flee using speed alone, or use its trump card and activate that World-Class Item.
But the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord chose a third option.
Silently crushing an item in its grasp, it stopped moving and watched everything before it with cold eyes.
In the next moment, a flash of light shot past.
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord was struck instantly.
The blow sent it crashing heavily into the ground, and its dragon body immediately began to twist and deform.
Even the monstrous vitality of a True Dragon Lord was struggling to endure it now.
For the first time, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord felt pain on an unprecedented level.
But all of it was worth it.
After this attack, that damned beast would die.
And it would survive.
A miniature sun exploded in midair.
When everything finally settled, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord had already vanished.
From the sky, a charred body like burnt carbon fell to the ground.
Cocytus walked over and placed a hand on the body before him.
"The soul has not completely dissipated yet... Hamsuke-dono's aura..."
At that moment, several streaks of light crossed the sky and arrived at the battlefield.
It was the fully armed Guardians.
"Cocytus, where is the enemy?"
Sephis, clad in light blue armor and holding a spear, swept his gaze across the surroundings.
Beside him, Albedo in black armor and Shalltear in red armor did the same.
"They disappeared, but they are probably not dead."
"Let us return to Nazarick first. We need to notify Hamsuke-dono. I have matters to report to the Three Supreme Beings."
...