Dragon Aura rampaged as the flames of Catastrophe spread across the sky.
The pitch-black heavens churned violently. A terrifying presence shattered the surrounding void, as if the sky itself had been torn open. The dreadful sight spread across the entire horizon.
Cowering in the corner, the Evil Tree trembled instinctively, pressing itself against the ground and not daring to move.
Boom!
As if enraged, pitch-black lightning fell from the sky like a blade of judgment, threatening to split the world in two.
The battered dragon stared at the heavens. But unlike before, he no longer felt fear.
His massive dragon wings spread over him, and with them came an unprecedented sense of security.
High in the air, Naohara gazed toward the sky.
His four-hundred-meter dragon body blocked out the sun. Black mist coiled around him while black flames flowed freely across his body.
Lightning mixed with curses descended, drowning the earth.
Boom!
The tremendous explosion echoed across the sky, and the terrifying aura made Aura and the others watching nearby shudder involuntarily.
"Father-sama!"
Aura could not help stepping forward, her voice filled with panic.
Although as a Guardian she should trust the Supreme Being, she could not stop herself from being afraid.
Her creator, Bukubukuchagama-sama, was already gone. If something were to happen to Father-sama as well...
Demiurge and Mare beside her reacted in much the same way.
However, unlike the two dark elves, Demiurge managed to restrain his emotions despite the fear in his heart.
"Calm down. Going up there now would only get in the way."
He placed a hand on Aura and Mare's shoulders, stopping them from rushing forward.
Demiurge had never doubted it. In his mind, the Supreme Being was an omnipotent and invincible existence.
What truly frightened him was something else.
They, the Guardians, were too weak.
So weak that in a moment like this, they could only watch and do nothing.
"Good thing Sephis isn't here. Otherwise..."
To carry out the dragon creation plan, a large number of dragon veins had been drawn into this forest, combined with the special abilities of the class [Dragon Vein Priest].
Demiurge could already imagine what would happen.
If something were to happen to Naohara-sama, then given Sephis's personality, he would certainly fall into an unprecedented state of rampage.
"Don't worry. My King is fine."
At that moment, the Heavenly Dragon Lord spoke.
Through Wild Magic, his perception far exceeded that of the others.
The Heavenly Dragon Lord could clearly sense that Naohara's condition was excellent.
In fact, it was so good that it felt somewhat abnormal.
"…He really is terrifying. No wonder Brightness didn't let me spar with my King back then."
Only now did the Heavenly Dragon Lord finally understand what the Brightness Dragon Lord had meant at the time.
Although his defense and vitality were extremely high, his offensive power was far weaker.
If they had really fought...
Well...
He would probably just be a very durable punching bag.
Thinking this, the Heavenly Dragon Lord continued maintaining the barrier while turning his head slightly to look behind him.
To prevent the shockwaves from spreading, more than half of his dragon soul had already been burned away.
Several kilometers away, two streaks of light were rapidly approaching.
...
On the ground, Naohara's figure slowly emerged from the lightning.
Just as the Heavenly Dragon Lord had said, not only was he unharmed, but his aura had grown even more terrifying.
"Looks like my guess was correct."
"[Catastrophe Dominator]... does it represent absolute control over Catastrophes?"
Naohara examined his completely unharmed dragon body.
The world's curse was one of the most terrifying forces imaginable. Almost no living being could survive under its power.
But Naohara was different.
[Dragonslayer] had granted him power that stood at the peak of World Bosses.
[Catastrophe Dominator] gave him absolute control over the power of Catastrophe.
With the two stacked together, the world's curse was not a threat to him at all.
Instead, it had become a delicious nourishment.
Naohara could clearly feel it.
Inside his body, a crystal-clear dragon core was shimmering.
The origin of Catastrophe was growing stronger, and both his soul and body were resonating with it.
As if he were about to break through some kind of shackle, make the ultimate leap, and undergo a true transformation.
"Boom!"
Another bolt of lightning crashed down, as though some unseen existence was flying into a rage.
This time, Naohara did not wait passively. He swung his dragon claw in a violent slash. Now that he knew the curse was ineffective against him, he had no more reservations.
His dragon fist, wrapped in black flames, shattered the lightning on the spot.
He opened his mouth slightly, and the power of the curse rushed in eagerly. The dragon crystal inside his body shone even more brilliantly.
At close range, facing the world's curse head-on, Naohara smashed apart the lightning while using the class [World Connector].
Under the protection of Wild Magic, he attempted to communicate and connect with the world.
Why was the offspring of the Platinum Dragon Lord being targeted by the world's malice?
That was what Naohara wanted to understand.
The world would not target something for no reason. There had to be a cause he did not yet know.
Unfortunately, the result was far from ideal. A wave of dizziness struck him as the will of the world rejected his connection.
Worse still, because of what he had done, the dark clouds in the sky grew even denser, as if they would not stop until one side was completely destroyed.
It was as though, no matter what, the offspring of the Platinum Dragon Lord had to be erased today.
"How could this be?"
Naohara stretched out his dragon claw and caught every bolt of lightning falling from the sky in his hand. Then he clenched his fist and instantly erased and absorbed them all.
He looked up at the sky. This could not continue.
Although his instincts were urging him to keep absorbing it, his intuition told him he had to stop. He had a bad feeling about this.
His dragon wings formed a barrier as Naohara slowly descended from midair and looked down at the young dragon below.
"Father, is there something you need?"
But before Naohara could speak, that one sentence from the young dragon left him speechless.
...Father?
Are you awake?
Naohara tilted his head. He did not remember saying anything strange, so what was going on with this kid?
Hey, hey, your real father is still in Nazarick working as a power plant!
He was already withdrawn enough. If the Platinum Dragon Lord found out about this, your rebellious self would probably make him drop dead from anger on the spot.
Naohara grumbled inwardly a few times, but he did not deny it.
Although he did not understand what was happening, judging from the situation in front of him, this kid seemed to mean it sincerely. That at least saved him some trouble.
"Take this, and also..."
Feeling the pressure in the sky becoming even more terrifying, Naohara did not waste any more words.
He looked at the young dragon, whose body was covered in cracks, and at the endless curse aura flowing inside it.
After thinking it over, he threw out an item.
Then a flash of light appeared on his forehead, and a phantom seed emerged, drifting downward.