[Command Mantra]
This was one of Demiurge's most iconic special abilities.
At its core, it belonged to Psychic-type Magic, granting the power to interfere with and manipulate the will and actions of others.
As long as Naraku switched his class to one related to Psychic-type Magic, he could use this type of spell.
Its effect was absolute domination over any being below Level 40.
The instant Naraku finished speaking, everyone present, already tense and constantly prepared for battle, erupted like a powder keg that had been set alight. Under the spell's subconscious influence, they launched a ferocious attack without the slightest hesitation.
A sharp, piercing whistle tore through the air.
"Whoosh~"
In the blink of an eye, a massive barrage of attacks surged forward like a tidal wave.
Countless brilliant colors intertwined, creating an almost breathtaking spectacle.
Multicolored magical lights blossomed wildly through the air.
Blazing flames streaked forward, leaving vivid red trails behind them.
Biting frost raced through the air, carrying an eerie blue chill.
Violent thunder split the sky in flashes of dazzling yellow lightning.
Highly corrosive acid swept forward, trailing strange green streaks.
There were even enchanted arrows and enormous heavy axes hurled with tremendous force.
Attacks of different elements intertwined and collided, erupting into countless dazzling sparks and ripples of energy.
For a moment, the entire area was illuminated by a brilliant display of light, dazzling enough to leave anyone spellbound.
Yet beneath that beautiful spectacle lay nothing but slaughter and destruction...
Ahead of them, Naraku's body shattered apart.
Pitch-black magical power exploded outward, transforming into a torrent of pure energy capable of destroying everything in its path.
[Grand Catastrophe]
In an instant, Naraku switched classes once again and, as [Catastrophe Dominator], forcibly activated Catastrophe Magic to self-destruct.
Given his low level, the effect was naturally limited.
But...
It was enough!
"Cough... What are you standing around for? Attack with everything you've got."
A slightly weakened voice sounded nearby.
Flowers sprouted from the ground and bloomed. From within them, Naraku stepped out.
[Avatar of Nature]
It was the Supreme-tier class of the Plant element. One of its special skills allowed the user to consume a portion of their magic power and health to leave behind an imperceptible seed, effectively creating a substitute that could preserve their life.
It was generally used to prevent the loss of one's inventory after death.
For Naraku, who had no soul, only this kind of special Resurrection magic could take effect.
[Magic Enhancement: Descent of the Catastrophe God]
Thanks to his level advantage, the White Dragon Lord was completely unaffected by the Command Mantra.
However, dragons were naturally blessed with extraordinary perception and reflexes, far surpassing those of most other races.
The moment he saw Naraku reappear, he immediately snapped back to attention.
As Naraku made contact with him, the surrounding cold instantly transformed into thick, viscous black mist that wrapped around his draconic body.
"Hehehe. I knew Naraku-sama would never betray us so easily! There had to be some scheme at work that I simply wasn't aware of!"
The White Dragon Lord's ice-like eyes gleamed with wisdom.
Chuckling, he opened his massive jaws and unleashed a torrent of frosty Breath Attack infused with the power of Catastrophe.
At the same time, he quietly extended one claw and retrieved the camera that had been recording everything nearby.
Every attack flew straight ahead.
None curved away. None missed.
Every single one struck the target.
The White Dragon Lord's Breath Attack was especially powerful.
After having his previous attack nullified, he held absolutely nothing back this time.
With the added power of Catastrophe, combined with the chaotic assortment of elemental attacks triggering elemental reactions, the resulting destructive force was tremendous.
If the target had been a fragile Level 100 Floor Guardian like Aura, she probably would have suffered considerable damage.
A deafening explosion erupted.
A terrifying torrent of destructive energy swept across the battlefield.
Mixed with the world's abhorrence, it seemed ready to swallow and crush everything in its path.
The assault continued for an entire minute.
By then, everyone had already recovered from the effects of the Command Mantra, but instead of stopping, they attacked with even greater intensity.
The Minotaur Sage and the Clear Light Dragon Lord tacitly remained at roughly the level of the Realm of Heroes. Neither intended to reveal their true strength unless absolutely necessary.
If the enemy could be eliminated here without exposing themselves, that would obviously be ideal.
Unfortunately, reality proved to be the exact opposite.
As the barrage finally ended and the magical fluctuations gradually faded, a figure came into view amid the devastated landscape.
Completely unharmed.
No.
That wasn't quite right.
The attacks had done something. The effect was simply difficult to notice.
Naraku spotted a faint aura of Catastrophe eating away at Enhela's palm.
"Low-level attacks appear to be ineffective, and his resistances in every category are extremely high."
Naraku rapidly analyzed the situation.
This man was at least comparable to a Level 100 Floor Guardian.
And considering what he had said about "Kuyō," he might be even stronger.
The information Naraku had risked his life to obtain was far more shocking than he had anticipated.
After all, this was Kuyō.
Even his True Self would tremble upon hearing that name.
"What a pity. You made the wrong choice."
Enhela glanced at his palm and spoke at an unhurried pace.
"The power of Catastrophe lingering within the world... I see. Is your True Self a remnant of Yggdrasil?"
The smile that had constantly adorned Enhela's face was gone.
In its place was an unprecedented calmness.
A remnant of Yggdrasil?
That wording was far from reassuring.
The word "remnant" generally referred to what remained of something harmful or undesirable.
Looking at Enhela's words from that perspective, Naraku could draw two conclusions.
First, "Kuyō" was probably exactly who he thought it was.
Second...
Had something already happened to Yggdrasil?
This was bad.
Worse than anything before.
True Self, you #%&... why the hell aren't you here yet?!
"Are you stalling for time while waiting for reinforcements?"
"Then let me tell you now. It's useless."
"Help will never arrive."
"The flow of time within this country has already been severed, trapping it in an endless cycle."
"You could remain here for a month, a year, even ten years, and all you would ever do is repeat yesterday. You will never reach a true tomorrow."
"And that... is the power of the Divine Right~"
Enhela's words shattered Naraku's final sliver of hope.
A Möbius loop...
So that was why his True Self still hadn't arrived.
Heh.
They really had thought of everything.
Naraku wasn't the only one who heard those words.
Everyone present did.
An atmosphere of despair immediately began to spread.
ROAR!
A sudden roar rang out.
An eerie black aura enveloped several of the humans and Demihumans.
Their once-clear eyes now glowed with a chilling red light.
They seemed to have completely lost both their reason and their ability to speak, leaving them capable only of producing beast-like growls from deep within their throats.
Then they lunged madly at their companions and began attacking them with bloody brutality.
"Contaminated Beasts. This is what you wanted, isn't it? You're trying to drive everyone into despair."
Naraku watched the scene and sneered.
When a person's heart filled with despair, the faint Miasma lingering in the air would seize the opportunity to invade them.
Enhela had explained this himself just moments ago.
Everyone present knew it.
That was why they were doing everything they could to suppress the fear and despair rising within them.
But faced with such a brutal situation, how could anyone possibly remain untouched by despair?
Fortunately, there were not many infected individuals, and they were quickly eliminated.
Things had not yet reached the point of complete hopelessness.
This was utterly absurd!
The White Dragon Lord could only lament inwardly.
For the first time in his long life, he felt the crushing weight of responsibility.
Never had he imagined that one day he would have to play a role as grand and difficult as that of a savior.
But things had already come this far.
There was no point dwelling on it.
Fine.
If there was no other choice, then he would simply charge forward with everything he had!
Judging from Enhela's words, surrender was clearly not an option.
There was no path of retreat left.
If death awaited him either way, then he might as well risk everything.
Perhaps he could still seize a slim chance of survival.
Under the enhancement of [Descent of the Catastrophe God], the White Dragon Lord opened his enormous jaws and swallowed the Demon's Soul Naraku handed him without hesitation, replenishing the energy he had expended through Wild Magic.
Then his body blurred.
Like an arrow released from a bow, he shot straight toward Enhela.
Compared with long-range attacks, a dragon's physique was obviously much better suited to close-range magic and physical combat.
Besides, after everything he had done so far, more than half of his magical reserves had already been consumed.
Although he had desperately restored his magic during the brief lull earlier, there simply had not been enough time.
Fortunately, his entire career path had always revolved around the ice element.
That allowed him to minimize his mana consumption.
Otherwise, his situation would have been even worse.
"What gave you the impression that you could win?"
Enhela raised one hand.
A deep purple Crack appeared.
The White Dragon Lord immediately activated his Tenth-Rank spell and froze it.
But in the next instant, two more Cracks appeared behind him, and countless Chaos Beasts poured out from within.
"Your magic can only freeze one Crack."
"Although this Magic Barrier is interfering with me and imposing certain limitations, I can still open at least three Cracks."
"Now choose."
"Will you attack me, or turn around and protect that human?"
A delighted smile appeared on Enhela's face.
But before the White Dragon Lord could even hesitate, two furious voices rang out first.
"I choose your ass! You've pushed this dragon too far!"
"Fellow dragon, I'll help you!"
Two completely different voices rang out almost simultaneously.
The muscular Minotaur Sage took a huge step forward.
When his heavy hoof slammed into the ground, it felt as though the entire earth trembled beneath him.
"Damn it!"
The Minotaur Sage cursed under his breath.
He had been enduring this whole time.
Again and again, he had told himself to stay calm.
But now that things had reached this point, if he continued hiding his strength, he really would become nothing more than a coward!
There was no peaceful way out of this anymore.
The Frost Dragon alone was nowhere near enough.
And this matter had already grown far too serious.
It involved not only Kuyō, but also key phrases such as "remnants of Yggdrasil."
Faced with a situation this complicated and dangerous, he had no choice.
As a Player, he had to fight with everything he had today.
However, what surprised the Minotaur Sage was that he wasn't the only one who had reached that conclusion...
A dragon appeared in midair.
Its entire body was a flawless white.
Ancient silver patterns adorned the tips of its sharp claws, the points of its horns, and several other parts of its body.
Most striking of all were the brilliant streaks of silver at the corners of its eyes, flowing outward in graceful, streamlined curves.
Its entire body seemed wrapped in a thick mantle of light.
The mantle shimmered with a soft yet dazzling radiance, making the dragon appear both majestic and solemn.
The Clear Light Dragon Lord, now revealing his true form, turned his head and met the Minotaur Sage's gaze.
The two stared at each other.
A trace of disbelief appeared in both their eyes at almost the exact same moment.
Well, damn.
So you weren't bluffing after all.
You really were hiding your strength!