Dragons rarely take the initiative to study magic.
It is not that they lack the desire. They simply see no need for it.
As dragons grow, they naturally pick up techniques for using magic-power-based spells without any deliberate study. Their understanding is usually shallow, and the number of spells they can use is limited.
However, with their extraordinarily long lifespans and their innate talent, they continue to grow stronger over the centuries.
The White Frost Dragon Lord was exactly such a case.
After reaching the ancient stage and attaining a racial level of 46, it could only use around three spells of the third tier.
It could hardly be called a magic caster.
The White Frost Dragon Lord held a deep pride in being part of the strongest race.
At the same time, it clearly understood that strength was essential to survive in this world.
Yet under the influence of long-held habits of thought, its core philosophy took a rather unusual form.
To live meant to grow stronger.
To do otherwise was to deny the meaning of life itself.
This was the belief the White Frost Dragon Lord held with absolute conviction.
Because of this, it never actively trained to become stronger. Instead, it simply accumulated power passively through the passage of time.
In fact, this was more or less the common mindset of all dragons.
Five hundred years ago, such thinking would not have been unreasonable.
After all, as a race once blessed by the world, dragons did not only gain racial levels as they grew. They also automatically acquired several dragon-exclusive classes.
The only difference between individuals was how much time it took.
But in the present era, where Wild Magic has declined and the power of the Dragon Lords has weakened, such thinking is clearly no longer suitable.
This was also the fundamental reason the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord opposed the White Frost Dragon Lord joining the operation.
Admittedly, Tier Magic is not weak.
That much was proven long ago by the battle records of the Eight Greed Kings.
But its shortcomings are just as obvious.
Compared with the singular nature of Wild Magic, the range of choices within Tier Magic is simply far too wide.
After centuries of exploration, combined with fragments of information left behind by the Six Great Gods and the Eight Greed Kings, the Dragon Race roughly categorized Tier Magic into four types.
[Arcane], [Divine], [Spiritual], and [Alternative].
These categories could be further divided into many branches, such as defensive magic, necromancy, the four elemental systems, teleportation, summoning, and more.
This created a troublesome problem.
If someone chose to learn a type of magic that differed from the one they were currently studying, that entire category would have to be learned from the beginning.
If the learning process was approached carelessly, it could easily lead to an awkward result. One might reach power comparable to the realm of a True Dragon Lord, yet only be able to use Faith-type magic up to the fourth tier and Magic Power-type magic up to the sixth tier.
It could not be said to be completely useless, but it would essentially make them nothing more than dead weight.
In the eyes of the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord, the White Frost Dragon Lord was precisely that kind of existence.
Although its aura was close to that of a True Dragon Lord, the actual difference in combat ability between the two was like heaven and earth.
However, this assumption shattered the moment the White Frost Dragon Lord released its Tier Magic.
"Ninth Tier… resurrection magic!"
Bloodshot veins appeared in the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord's eyes as the dark aura around his body surged violently.
He spoke in a tone filled with disbelief.
Among Tier Magic, if there were two categories considered the most extraordinary, they would undoubtedly be instant death magic and resurrection magic.
The former is also known as [One-Hit Kill Magic].
Its effect is determined through a calculation based on the combatants' attributes, magic resistance, equipment, and level difference.
If the conditions are met, the battle is skipped entirely and death occurs immediately.
The latter, however, is regarded as the most incredible form of magic.
Resurrection magic was not unfamiliar to the Dragon Race.
Among the Wild Magic possessed by Dragon Lords, there exists a spell capable of reviving the dead without consuming their life force.
(This is not fabricated. The original work mentioned it.)
During the war against the Eight Greed Kings, the Dragon Race once used this magic to counter the enemy's instant death spells.
However, the cost of using it was enormous.
Compared with Tier Magic that could also revive the dead, the difference was staggering.
If using Tier Magic resurrection consumed one unit of power, then Wild Magic resurrection would require ten.
And that was not even considering the current era, where Wild Magic itself is restricted.
Under such conditions, the requirements for activating it have become so harsh that they are almost impossible to fulfill.
"How could you possibly have mastered ninth-tier magic?"
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord stared fixedly at the White Frost Dragon Lord as an immense pressure filled the surroundings.
After a brief moment of shock, he quickly regained his composure.
Ninth-tier magic, and resurrection magic at that, which had extremely strict learning requirements. The chances of the other party mastering such a spell should have been incredibly low.
"Speak. Where did you learn that magic?"
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord slowly approached the White Frost Dragon Lord, the oppressive aura around him growing heavier with every step. Even the clouds in the sky were forced apart by the pressure.
At that moment, the White Frost Dragon Lord felt utterly miserable.
Damn it, at least let me explain.
He wanted to say something, but resisting the overwhelming pressure already took everything he had. Opening his mouth to speak was simply impossible.
He could only cast a pleading glance toward the other True Dragon Lords.
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord ignored him completely.
He merely watched the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord, who now looked like a demonic god, with great interest. His expression even carried a hint of excitement.
The Vampiric Dragon Lord observed the scene with a cold sneer.
He did not care whether the White Frost Dragon Lord lived or died. The weak should know their place.
The Heavenly Dragon Lord did want to step in and stop it, but the Brightness Dragon Lord raised a claw to block him.
His thoughts were actually similar to those of the Vampiric Dragon Lord.
There was no way he had no opinion about the White Frost Dragon Lord forcing himself into the operation.
Still, he only intended to let the other party learn a lesson. He would not truly stand by and watch him die.
Just as the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord raised a dragon claw wrapped in Wild Magic, seemingly preparing to probe his memory, the Brightness Dragon Lord instantly flashed forward and stood in front of the White Frost Dragon Lord.
"Brightness… are you truly planning to oppose me?"
"Or are you, like this fellow, connected to that filth?"
Their auras clashed as the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord tilted his head and spoke.
Right from the start, he threw a heavy accusation at him.
"Deep Darkness, I think you've been staying underground for far too long."
Facing the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord's suspicion, the Brightness Dragon Lord showed no fear. Instead, he replied with blunt sarcasm.
He understood the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord's personality very well.
If that guy had truly believed what he was saying, he would have either attacked immediately or turned around and left without another word.
There was no way he would stroll slowly toward the White Frost Dragon Lord like earlier and then stand here arguing.
Rather than genuine suspicion, this was intimidation and an attempt to seize the initiative.
Tch. Anyone who plays these kinds of tactics has a black heart.
Still, that actually matched his original plan perfectly.
"Then hurry up and explain it clearly."
The Brightness Dragon Lord looked at the White Frost Dragon Lord and spoke.
This guy was still somewhat useful.
Letting the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord take the initiative in a reasonable way had also been part of the plan.
The more they could lower the others' guard, the easier it would be to draw out the information they wanted.
"Well… what this little dragon actually mastered was not ninth-tier magic, but seventh-tier magic."
"The reason it reached the level of ninth-tier magic was because this little dragon performed a ritual in advance to strengthen its tier."
[Over Magic]
This was a form of magical enhancement that did not exist in YGGDRASIL, a special kind of magic unique to this world.
At the cost of consuming an enormous amount of mana, it allowed the user to barely cast higher-tier magic that would normally be beyond their ability.
By conducting a larger ritual, it was possible to raise the spell by as much as two tiers.
That was how the resurrection spell the White Frost Dragon Lord had just cast, [Hymn of the Frozen Barrier], had been elevated by two tiers.
It had risen from the seventh tier to a level comparable to the ninth.
So that is how it is.
Hearing this, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord nodded to himself. He could accept that explanation.
After all, he did know a little about [Over Magic]. It was just that, since he could not learn Tier Magic himself, he had never paid it much attention.
"That explanation is acceptable, but it is still not enough."
"To ensure there is no traitor among us, all of you will sign this contract."
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord waved a hand, and a ripple of Wild Magic spread outward. A phantom scroll appeared in midair.
To be safe, he added one more sentence.
"Only then can I reveal my trump card to you with complete peace of mind."
"It concerns the Dragon Emperor's research from back then, World-Class Items, and something even beyond that. Perhaps even… the chance to become a god."
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord spoke in a deeply tempting tone.
Back then, the Dragon Emperor had once made a deal with the Six Great Gods, after which he carried out research that lasted a full century.
Very few knew the details of that research process. Only a handful of True Dragon Lords had taken part, and the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord was one of them.
Among the remaining True Dragon Lords, aside from the Platinum Dragon Lord, he was the one who knew the most about it.
"Become a god!?"
The moment those words were spoken, every Dragon Lord present was immediately drawn in.
The Brightness Dragon Lord, the Heavenly Dragon Lord, the Vampiric Dragon Lord, and the White Frost Dragon Lord all froze for a moment. Good grief, they had just dug up something huge.
"Tell us the details."
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord demanded impatiently.
Although the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord had told him earlier that he would reveal the trump card for dealing with the filth during this meeting, he had never expected it to be this explosive.
Back then, he had focused entirely on pursuing the limits of physical power. He was not particularly skilled in Wild Magic, so he had not taken part in the Dragon Emperor's research and knew very little about the matter.
The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord said nothing. He merely glanced at the contract floating in the air.
The meaning was obvious. Sign it, and he would speak. Refuse, and there would be no discussion.
At this point, there was not much left to hesitate over. The Swordmaster Dragon Lord immediately signed his true name onto the contract.
The Brightness Dragon Lord glanced at it and frowned.
Good grief, this was an outright unequal contract. Once they signed it, they would basically have no choice but to follow the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord's command from then on.
Even so, the Brightness Dragon Lord still signed it while putting on an expression of reluctant struggle.
According to Nazarick's rules, this counted as a workplace injury, so it could be reimbursed.
The Heavenly Dragon Lord and the Vampiric Dragon Lord followed right after him.
Even the White Frost Dragon Lord cautiously left behind his true name.
At once, he felt a huge weight lift from his heart.
With this information alone, his mission could already be considered complete.
Meanwhile, when the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord saw that all the dragons had signed the contract, he instantly felt refreshed. The constipated look on the Brightness Dragon Lord's face in particular filled him with delight.
Hahaha.
The first step toward surpassing the Dragon Emperor, the initial stage of his plan to integrate the other True Dragon Lords, had been accomplished.
As long as nothing unexpected happened next, he, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord, would eventually unify dragonkind once more.
But before that, the urgent matter was dealing with the filth.
"Ahem. To explain this, we have to start with events from several hundred years ago…"
As memories of the past surfaced, the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord slowly began to speak.
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