With the sudden collapse of the Slane Theocracy, the Baharth Empire quickly followed suit, wisely choosing to adapt to the changing tides.
Only the Argland Council State, ruled by the True Dragon Lords, still struggled to survive—like a dying beast making its final desperate resistance.
Within a towering cavern carved deep inside a mountain, strange light refracted through countless crystal-clear stalactites, scattering brilliant radiance across the cavern like a reflection of the heavens in this underground sanctuary.
The cave walls were embedded with countless gemstones—red like flame, blue like the deep sea, green like emerald—forming a natural mural that dazzled with breathtaking brilliance.
Deep within the cavern, upon a mysterious altar, three colossal True Dragon Lords had gathered:
The Diamond Dragon Lord, the Azure Sky Dragon Lord, and the Platinum Dragon Lord.
Each of them radiated a unique aura of magic, their enormous dragon eyes filled with solemn gravity.
"The situation should already be clear to everyone," the Diamond Dragon Lord spoke first.
"If not for the Progenitor Dragon Emperor intervening, those shinobi would likely have already reached this place."
His entire body shimmered with diamond-like brilliance, resembling an enormous gemstone radiating dazzling light. Even defenses at the Moonlight tier would find it nearly impossible to break through his scales.
"But now that the Progenitor Dragon Emperor has been wounded by the Supreme Leader of the Shinobi World, the destruction of the Council State is only a matter of time."
His voice was deep and powerful, yet the faint trembling of his radiant body revealed the anxiety lurking in his heart.
The deaths of the Worm Dragon Lord and the Obsidian Dragon Lord had not stirred any grief within him.
Among the five Dragon Lords, those two had been the weakest.
Their deaths merely freed up power for him to seize.
But the injury of the Dragon Emperor had completely shattered the pride of the Diamond Dragon Lord.
Every word he spoke carried a tone of bleak pessimism.
"The Re-Estize Kingdom, the Baharth Empire, and the Slane Theocracy have all already fallen into the hands of the shinobi world."
The Azure Sky Dragon Lord lifted his head.
His emerald-green scales shimmered with vibrant life, like the boundless vitality of spring grasslands. His eyes were deep and clear.
"Nearby there are still the Desert City-State, the Holy Kingdom, and the Dragon Kingdom. Further east lies the City-State Alliance."
"Could these nations be brought in as reinforcements?"
As he asked this question, his gaze turned toward the Platinum Dragon Lord.
The Platinum Dragon Lord stood silently upon the altar like a sacred statue.
His scales glowed with pale platinum brilliance like distant stars, yet within his eyes lingered an unmistakable trace of helplessness.
This dragon—son of the Dragon Emperor who had once descended from the distant east—possessed immense strength. Beyond the Council State, he had secretly cultivated powerful external forces as well.
Compared with the central regions of the continent, the northwest corner of the Magic Continent was remote and poor in resources.
The Azure Sky Dragon Lord had always found it difficult to understand why a dragon of such noble blood would remain in the Council State for centuries.
His daily activities consisted only of occasionally sending out his Platinum Armor to roam the outside world.
From this alone, Azure Sky Dragon Lord could easily tell that the Platinum Dragon Lord was hiding a tremendous secret.
But every True Dragon Lord possessed their own secrets.
He did not care.
What he cared about now was simple.
Could the Platinum Dragon Lord bring external allies?
With the strength of only himself and the Diamond Dragon Lord, there was no way they could protect the Council State.
At that point, only two outcomes would remain:
Surrender—and accept an uncertain fate.
Or fight to the death.
Neither outcome was acceptable to the Azure Sky Dragon Lord.
A dragon that soared freely across the sky should not die fighting for servants and territory. It could simply fly to another corner of the continent and reign once more.
And as for kneeling beneath another's feet?
That was even more unthinkable.
Not even before the Supreme Leader of the Shinobi World, the one who had wounded the Dragon Emperor.
The only thing truly tying him down was the Council State he had cultivated for centuries.
But if real danger came, he would not hesitate to abandon it.
"Sheep will remain sheep, no matter how many gather together."
After a long silence, the Platinum Dragon Lord finally spoke, his cold eyes filled with restrained helplessness.
"Against the wolf-like forces of the shinobi world, they can at most serve as distractions against opponents below the highest tier of power."
"And besides, those nations may not be willing to risk aiding us. Each of them has their own interests to consider."
Ever since his Platinum Armor had been seized by the shinobi world, the Platinum Dragon Lord had already contacted his subordinates and forces in the east, intending to unite them and launch a coordinated strike against the shinobi world.
But the situation had changed far too quickly.
Even his father—who had always appeared invincible before the world—had lost a dragon claw to Uchiha Soren.
When he first heard the news, the Platinum Dragon Lord felt as though he had fallen into a nightmare.
With the power of the Shinobi World's Supreme Leader, exterminating the entire Magic Continent would merely be a matter of time.
The only reason the shinobi world had not done so yet was because they were allowing their ninja forces to slowly devour the continent piece by piece.
To the Platinum Dragon Lord, it felt like a form of amusement—much like how he himself had casually established the Council State.
Still, passively allowing the invasion to continue was not a viable strategy.
For now, the only thing he could do was conceal his true self while continuously sending expendable forces to drain the shinobi world's strength.
Perhaps, over time, the situation might change.
"Interests and considerations?"
The Diamond Dragon Lord might fear Uchiha Soren—but that did not mean he feared the other inhabitants of the continent.
A cold light flashed in his enormous dragon eyes.
His voice was icy.
"Then let those who dare consider such things… disappear."
The rule of the True Dragon Lords had moved from the front stage to the shadows.
Yet over the past thousand years, one thing had never changed—
Their arrogance.
The Platinum Dragon Lord cast a long look at the Diamond Dragon Lord.
The latter's arrogance made it difficult for him to respond.
The Eight Greed Kings, the Six Great Gods, and the Thirteen Heroes had already dealt devastating blows to the True Dragon Lords in the past.
The Ōtsutsuki brothers of the shinobi world had forced the Dragon Emperor into slumber within the Sea of Magic.
Now, with the shinobi world launching a massive invasion, the Platinum Dragon Lord felt as though he were walking on thin ice.
"Perhaps… leaving this continent would be the better choice?"
The thought had barely formed before he dismissed it.
As the World Connector, his strength would rapidly decline if he left this continent.
"Ruling through pure force and authority will only cause the forces beneath us to fracture and rebel."
"They might even ally themselves with the shinobi world and betray us."
The Azure Sky Dragon Lord was equally irritated by the Diamond Dragon Lord's arrogance.
"The best strategy is still to lure them with benefits, while backing it with the pressure of force."
"They must understand that following us offers a future."
Though his words sounded more refined, the underlying intention remained the same—
To treat those other forces as expendable pawns.
After some thought, the Platinum Dragon Lord spoke again.
"The Council State is like a human stuck in a swamp—unable to escape."
"There is no need to continue struggling here."
"Let our loyal servants launch the final attack."
"Meanwhile, we will leave this place and head toward the City-State Alliance, where we can rebuild our strength."
Faced with the calm yet unquestionable authority in the Platinum Dragon Lord's words, both the Diamond Dragon Lord and the Azure Sky Dragon Lord slowly lowered their heads in agreement.
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon → [email protected]/lucarioTL (replace @ with a)