Dragon Kingdom, inside the royal palace.
Draudillon, the Dragon Princess, lounged lazily on the throne.
A blanket made from special materials was spread beneath her. The soft texture made it comfortable enough that she could sit there all day without feeling sore.
Her two slender bare legs swung back and forth over the edge of the throne.
"Ahh~"
Draudillon let out a yawn.
Times had changed. The Draudillon who once had to abandon her dignity for the sake of the Dragon Kingdom no longer existed.
With the beastmen gone, she no longer had to play any roles.
Now she could simply be herself. Her true self.
The old her had been confused, forced to pretend, and weak.
But now, hehe, she would control everything!
This was the complete Dark Scale Dragon Lord. The complete Dragon Princess. The complete me!
Where did that confidence come from?
Of course, it was because she had five big backers.
Draudillon was extremely satisfied with her current life.
Knock knock. Knock knock.
Just then, a knock sounded from outside the door, interrupting her thoughts.
The previously relaxed Draudillon immediately straightened up and lightly slapped her cheeks.
Even though she no longer had to worry about many things, she still had to maintain a dignified posture in front of others as the ruler of the kingdom.
"Come in."
As soon as she spoke, the doors slowly opened.
Under Draudillon's gaze, the Dragon Kingdom's Prime Minister entered first, followed by six figures in black robes.
"Who are you?"
Draudillon tilted her head slightly. A trace of confusion and vigilance flashed in her eyes.
As a Half Dragon, her senses were quite sharp.
These people were strong. Among them were even individuals who had stepped into the Hero realm.
She glanced toward the Prime Minister beside them, but he gave no response at all.
Controlled by magic?
Draudillon's heart sank. Without drawing attention, she moved her hand behind her back, where a multicolored dragon scale quietly appeared.
If anything unusual happened, she would activate the scale immediately.
Ultimate move: Grandfather Summoning Technique.
However, the six people did not seem concerned about the Dragon Princess's alertness.
One of them stepped forward and lifted his head, revealing a deeply wrinkled face.
At the same time, the others removed their hoods and revealed their identities.
They were Lakyus, Gagaran, Tina, and Tia from Blue Roses, along with Azuth from Red Drop.
"Your Majesty the Dragon Princess, we mean no harm. My name is Rigrit. Our sudden visit is truly out of necessity."
"The world is about to face an unprecedented crisis. We hope you can contact your grandfather, the ancient True Dragon Lord, His Majesty the Brightness Dragon Lord."
Rigrit spoke respectfully.
If one wished to deal with Players, only the True Dragon Lords could stand against them.
Among the many True Dragon Lords, the Brightness Dragon Lord who had appeared in the Dragon Kingdom naturally became their primary target.
Before Draudillon could react, Rigrit reached into her robe and took out a platinum-colored Dragon Scale.
This was left behind by the Platinum Dragon Lord.
Sealed inside it was Wild Magic. It could block perception and also served as proof of identity.
"Huh?"
Draudillon, who had still been on guard, froze in surprise when she heard this.
...
At the same time, elsewhere.
At the edge of the Azerlisia Mountains.
A transparent barrier connected heaven and earth, completely cutting off the inside from the outside world.
It was Wild Magic [World-Isolating Barrier].
Inside the barrier, a fierce battle had already begun.
Blade light clashed against claws. Thunderous explosions shook the land. Mountains hundreds of meters tall split apart as terrifying shockwaves swept through the surroundings.
"As expected of an innately evil filth. Still as troublesome as ever."
The sky darkened.
A gigantic dragon over a hundred meters long circled high above, its appearance ferocious and terrifying.
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord.
One of the few remaining True Dragon Lords and a target Nazarick had been searching for.
According to the Brightness Dragon Lord's description, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord had not participated in the war against the Eight Greed Kings.
However, it had truly killed a Player before.
It was also suspected of possessing a World-Class Item, making it extremely dangerous.
"But unfortunately, you will not escape today."
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord raised a claw. Light gathered together and formed a vortex of energy. It resembled dark matter devouring itself and radiated a terrifying aura.
Long before the Argland Council State was conquered, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord had already awakened from beneath the earth.
However, he did not reveal himself. Instead, he quietly observed everything from the shadows.
His chosen target this time was approached in the same way.
Only after confirming that nothing could go wrong did he finally make his move.
But his opponent proved even more cautious than he expected.
"A True Dragon Lord resorting to a sneak attack. How despicable."
On the ground, Cocytus exhaled a cold breath.
His four arms gripped different weapons as he entered a fully serious combat stance.
Beside him lay a mangled corpse, its crimson blood soaking into the earth.
It was the Quagoa Beastman King.
Cocytus' heart burned with anger.
The four divine-class weapons in his hands seemed to respond to him, letting out clear ringing sounds as a cold radiance wrapped around their blades.
[Acalanātha Strike]
The air rippled, and Cocytus vanished from where he stood.
In the next instant, he appeared directly above the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord. A dazzling slash descended from above.
"Despicable?"
"As long as I win, what does it matter if it's despicable!"
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord let out a cold laugh. He was not one of those fools who constantly spoke of honor.
About three hundred years ago, a Player had said something very similar.
But what had been the result?
That Player had been brutally slaughtered by him, and even the World-Class Item they possessed had been taken.
[Wild Magic: Dark Void]
Facing Cocytus's attack, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord immediately threw out the vortex of energy in his claw.
The blade light collided head-on with the vortex.
Boom!
Heaven and earth seemed to flip upside down as terrifying shockwaves spread outward, yet the barrier sealed them tightly, preventing even the slightest leak.
Amid the violent explosion, Cocytus burst out with parts of his shell damaged, his figure turning into a streak of blue light as he vanished again.
[Rakshasa]
Four blades tore through the air and struck straight toward the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord.
The tough dragon scales split open, leaving a shallow mark.
Drops of scorching dragon blood fell, but the attack had not struck any vital point.
Taking the opportunity, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord swung his claw and sent Cocytus flying.
"Useless! You are no match for me. The outcome of this battle was decided from the start!"
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord roared. A black storm gathered together and condensed into a dark breath attack that crashed downward.
Cocytus instinctively raised his arms to shield his eyes.
Just as the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord had said, he was not his opponent.
Dragons were undoubtedly creatures that stood at the pinnacle of all races. Dragon Lords were even more so, not to mention their Wild Magic, which rivaled World-Class Items.
Although he was filled with rage, he had not lost his reason.
Looking at the traces of blood on the divine weapon [God-Slaying Emperor Blade], Cocytus's eyes shifted slightly.
His objective had already been achieved.
A strange blade quietly appeared in his hand.
It was the World-Class Item [Billion Blades].
The Supreme Beings had long anticipated a situation like this and had already prepared a response.
"My apologies. I will request the Supreme Beings to resurrect you."
Cocytus looked toward the corpse beside him, guilt flickering across his face.
He was preparing to leave.
With a World-Class Item in his possession, the barrier formed by Wild Magic could not stop him.
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord had calculated everything, but he probably never imagined that Cocytus would be carrying a World-Class Item.
Cocytus disliked fleeing from battle, but he was not foolish.
If the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord did not possess a World-Class Item, then with [Billion Blades], he might have been able to attempt killing him.
Unfortunately, there was no such possibility.
"Final strike!"
Cocytus raised [Billion Blades] and swung it down with full force.
Buzz!
The blade easily tore through the breath attack, splitting it in half.
Cocytus did not even look at the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord in the sky. Instead, he rushed straight toward the edge of the barrier.
Crack. Crack.
Before he could act, the sound of something shattering echoed through the air.
The previously indestructible barrier was now breaking apart.
Before Cocytus could understand what was happening, a massive gap appeared, followed by an enraged roar.
"Deep Darkness, I can smell you! The grudge from three hundred years ago will be settled today. I will kill you!"
Cocytus looked up, surprise appearing in his eyes.
What came into view was a creature more than a kilometer long.
Its species was unknown.
Yet for some reason, it gave him a strange sense of familiarity.
***
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