Time passed in the blink of an eye.
In the center of the continent, slightly to the southwest.
The Dolor Desert.
This place had once been the burial ground of Dragon Lords. Now, it served as the gathering place of the True Dragon Lords.
Several majestic dragons had assembled here.
At this moment, they were silently observing one another.
The Heavenly Dragon Lord, as enormous as an island.
Its massive body coiled and rose like a mountain range, and every flap of its wings stirred powerful gusts of wind.
The Brightness Dragon Lord, its entire body shimmering with multicolored light.
Ancient elemental forces bent to its will as if it were a natural disaster capable of destroying everything.
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord, wrapped in golden scales.
The calm air currents surrounding it seemed to transform into countless invisible blades, sending chills through anyone who approached.
The Vampiric Dragon Lord, surrounded by crimson blood mist.
Thick waves of scarlet fog spread outward again and again, as though the entire sky might soon be dyed red.
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord, radiating an ominous aura.
Its oppressive darkness made all living things instinctively tremble and want to flee.
And...
"Brightness, what's the meaning of this?"
"Didn't I tell you not to do anything outside the plan?"
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord spoke with clear displeasure.
Following his gaze, a dragon came into view.
Its body was pale, almost as if it had been covered in frost. Mist formed from condensed ice elements surrounded its body, and its frame was slightly slender, almost serpentine in shape.
Olasird'arc Helirial.
At a glance, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord immediately recalled the information about this dragon.
A rather unusual dragon.
He lived together with his consorts and offspring, twenty dragons in total including himself, all residing within the same territory.
Among dragons, he was a rare example of one who cared deeply about blood relations and formed a family clan.
But that was about it.
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord had once been extremely annoyed by this younger dragon who dared to call himself the White Frost Dragon Lord.
Dragon Lord, after all, symbolized the king of dragonkind.
Among dragons, this title carried special meaning.
Normally, only dragons who had reached the highest age category, ancient dragons, dragons with exceptional power, or those capable of using unique magic were qualified to bear such an honor.
If not for the fact that this frost dragon had already reached the Ancient Dragon stage, and considering how the War of the Eight Greed Kings had drastically reduced the dragon population, leaving only a handful behind, in the era when dragons were at their peak, this fellow would have been lucky not to get beaten to death.
Following the principle of out of sight, out of mind, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord had always ignored him and looked down on him.
But today, he realized the other dragon might not be as worthless as he had thought.
Though still slightly inferior, the dragon's Dragon Aura was already approaching that of a True Dragon Lord.
In this age where Wild Magic had nearly withered away, he never expected a dragon could reach such a level.
White Frost Dragon Lord Level: 83
A trace of surprise flashed through the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord's mind.
But it still failed to suppress the dissatisfaction in his heart.
As a cautious True Dragon Lord, he disliked any unexpected variable.
"If we want to deal with the Players who have descended this time, we must gather all available strength."
"And Deep Darkness, mind your tone and remember your place. I'm not your subordinate."
The Brightness Dragon Lord shot back without the slightest courtesy.
As another True Dragon Lord, he had no fear of the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord's intimidation.
Who did he think he was, the Dragon Emperor?
Not only was the Dragon Emperor already dead, but even if he were still alive, he wouldn't be able to command him.
"Damn you!"
Staring at the Brightness Dragon Lord's irritating face, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord's anger grew stronger.
It was always like this.
In the past, and even now.
Whenever this guy appeared, he always found a way to make things difficult for him.
A trace of killing intent appeared in his eyes.
But the very next moment, a massive shadow suddenly covered the sky, and an enormous dragon head lowered its gaze upon them.
"You… have crossed the line!"
The deep, muffled voice echoed across the surroundings.
The Heavenly Dragon Lord cast off his usual lazy demeanor, and a trace of gravity flashed through his eyes. As his words fell, a commanding aura that carried authority without anger began to rise. His colossal dragon body, vast as an island, trembled slightly as he entered a full battle-ready state.
He could not tolerate the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord releasing killing intent toward his old friend.
Even if he knew the other party would never truly strike, he still would not allow it.
"Oh? So you want to fight?"
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord responded by releasing his own aura.
Golden reverse scales spread across his entire body, and his unique blade-like scales extended outward, forming sharp cutting edges.
This was exactly the kind of situation he loved most.
His gaze locked onto the Heavenly Dragon Lord, and his eyes were filled with eager anticipation.
Setting aside the enhancement from Wild Magic, when it came to sheer physical strength, among all the True Dragon Lords only the Heavenly Dragon Lord could rival him.
If he was the strongest spear, then the Heavenly Dragon Lord was the strongest shield.
The strongest spear against the strongest shield. Which one would prevail?
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord was very curious to find out.
"Calm down. This is not the time for infighting."
The Vampiric Dragon Lord, who had been watching the entire time, finally spoke.
As he looked at the tense standoff before him, the only thing he felt was disdain.
To be swayed by such trivial emotions was simply foolish.
If it were not for the risk of disrupting His Majesty's plan, he would not even bother speaking.
"Heavenly."
Hearing this, the Brightness Dragon Lord glanced at the Heavenly Dragon Lord and signaled for him to lower his guard.
He knew exactly what the Vampiric Dragon Lord was thinking.
Hmph. A self-righteous fool.
Did that long-dead undead brain of his never consider it? There was no way he would truly fight the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord.
The reason he had not stopped things earlier was simply to play along with the moment.
Still, after centuries of friendship, the Heavenly Dragon Lord's reaction just now did move him somewhat.
Meanwhile, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord glanced toward the Swordmaster Dragon Lord.
Although he had been irritated earlier, it had not truly reached the level of killing intent.
At its core, it had only been a test.
He wanted to see what stance the Heavenly Dragon Lord, the Vampiric Dragon Lord, and the Swordmaster Dragon Lord would take if a conflict arose between him and the Brightness Dragon Lord.
But the outcome surprised him.
He had not expected the Heavenly Dragon Lord, who usually did nothing but sleep, to be the first to step forward and even declare his readiness to fight.
Among the self-centered Dragon Race, it was extremely rare for a dragon like the Heavenly Dragon Lord to stand up for someone else.
Perhaps it was only natural. As an oddball among dragons, he had found another oddball who suited him.
"Boring."
Seeing the tension dissipate, the Swordmaster Dragon Lord reluctantly withdrew his aura.
He loved fighting, but he was not a reckless fool.
If he insisted on it now, he would only invite trouble without gaining anything.
"Explain it. Why bring this fellow here?"
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord spoke coldly.
He did not accept the Brightness Dragon Lord's earlier explanation about gathering all available combat power.
Even if the aura was infinitely close to that of a True Dragon Lord, close was still only close.
Frost Dragons were regarded as the weakest dragon species. Their intelligence and strength were inferior to other dragon races, and they could not use Wild Magic.
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord could not understand what use such a creature would have.
In the battle to come, it might not drag them down, but at best it would serve as a durable punching bag.
Faced with the question, the Brightness Dragon Lord ignored him.
Instead, he shifted his gaze toward the White Frost Dragon Lord standing nearby.
Originally, the plan had never included him.
But this fellow was simply too good at flattery.
The Brightness Dragon Lord had personally witnessed the White Frost Dragon Lord's path of relentless sycophancy.
With the help of racial levels, his strength had risen from LV46 to LV78 purely through shameless flattery.
Recently he had taken things even further and pushed himself all the way to LV83.
Among the foreign monsters of Nazarick, aside from the pet named Hamsuke, the one living the most comfortably was the White Frost Dragon Lord.
If the requirements for reaching the realm of a True Dragon Lord were not so harsh, this fellow might already have become a genuine Dragon Lord.
This mission was no exception.
It could be said that the White Frost Dragon Lord had forced his way into it entirely through relentless flattery.
"Ahem…"
When the White Frost Dragon Lord noticed the Brightness Dragon Lord looking at him, he understood that it was his turn to step forward.
To be honest, if his strength had not recently reached a bottleneck, he truly would not have wanted to involve himself in this mission.
However, when he thought about the overwhelming power of the True Dragon Lords, and about how his contribution in this mission would allow him to exchange for an ability seed called "Magic Learning Acceleration," his heart began to itch.
With it, he could grasp the mysteries of Wild Magic and become the first True Dragon Lord in the history of the dragon race of another world to master both Tier Magic and Wild Magic at the same time.
The temptation was simply too great.
That was why he gritted his teeth and fought for the opportunity to assist in this mission.
He could not help it.
He simply wanted to grow stronger too badly.
Under the watchful gaze of the gathered dragons, the White Frost Dragon Lord extended a claw.
The aura of Tier Magic began to spread outward, and a dazzling magic circle appeared.
He had made special preparations for this mission.
"What… is this!"
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