The Vampiric Dragon Lord, whose true name remains unknown, is one of the few surviving True Dragon Lords.
The personalities of the True Dragon Lords are wildly varied.
There is the Brightness Dragon Lord, obsessed with mating; the Heavenly Dragon Lord, who wishes to sleep until the end of time; and the Platinum Dragon Lord, who believes himself to be the "Guardian of the World."
The Vampiric Dragon Lord is no different.
Just like his title suggests: the Vampiric Dragon Lord.
At first glance, the name sounds like a combination of vampire and dragon. In truth, that description is quite accurate.
This is a True Dragon Lord who delights in drinking blood.
"What exactly is this guy?"
The Vampiric Dragon Lord hovered at the edge of the black mist, staring at the pitch-black colossal dragon at its center. His expression shifted uncertainly.
He had no memory of such a being.
This unknown True Dragon Lord seemed as though it had never appeared anywhere in history.
More importantly, it was powerful. Far too powerful.
They had not even begun fighting, yet merely watching from a distance had already crushed his will to resist.
Even the former "Dragon Emperor" had never made him feel this powerless.
Like a mouse facing a cat, this unknown True Dragon Lord felt like his natural predator.
No… not just his.
The predator of all dragons.
If he hadn't sensed the aura of Wild Magic coming from the other dragon, the Vampiric Dragon Lord would have already slipped away.
"But I have to admit… that blood smells incredible."
While these thoughts ran through his mind, the Vampiric Dragon Lord inhaled deeply. His enormous dragon eyes locked onto Naohara, filled with greed and a chilling intensity.
He could sense it clearly.
The blood within the other dragon would bring him enormous benefits. If he could devour it, he might even step into an entirely new realm.
But the moment he thought about the other's terrifying strength, the Vampiric Dragon Lord quickly suppressed his greed.
He was not foolish.
Since transforming into an undead, the Vampiric Dragon Lord rarely experienced strong emotional swings. Most of the time, he remained calm and rational.
...
On the other side, Naohara had no idea what the Vampiric Dragon Lord was thinking.
Even if he did, it would not matter.
In the end, it was just a True Dragon Lord. His priority right now was checking his own condition.
[Magic Detection]
Name: Naohara
Race:
Wyrmling lv10
Young Dragon lv10
Adult Dragon lv10
Ancient Dragon lv10
Primordial Dragon lv5
Extreme Demigod Dragon lv5
???
Class:
Sword Saint lv10
Dragon Magic Caster lv10
Catastrophe Dominator lv5
Wild Magic Caster lv5
World Connector lv5
Dragonslayer lv5
???
Title: World Favored One
Level: 100+1 (Race Level + Class Level + Bonus Level)
Karma: -200
Naohara was not surprised by the changes to his race. He had expected that much.
However, the changes to his classes, level, and karma did catch him off guard.
Some classes had disappeared entirely, replaced by completely new ones.
[Catastrophe Dominator]
This class reminded Naohara of a former friend — Ulbert, known as the "Demon of Great Disaster."
Ulbert's class, [World Disaster], and his own current class, [Catastrophe Dominator], seemed related somehow, though he could not yet tell how.
As for the classes [Wild Magic Caster] and [World Connector], they were most likely obtained after learning Wild Magic.
"But the World Favored One… I see."
"So this must be the key to World Bosses being immune to World-Class Items. It even grants an additional level."
Looking at the title on the panel, a flash of understanding crossed Naohara's mind, but it was quickly followed by deeper confusion.
"Why is the level shown as 100+1 instead of 101? Is there a level cap at one hundred?"
"It seems breaking past level one hundred requires fulfilling some unknown condition."
Naohara speculated. He did not believe level one hundred was the true limit.
In the game Yggdrasil, the developers had once released an announcement titled [The Withered World], hinting that players could surpass level one hundred.
Unfortunately, as the player base continued to shrink and the game stopped making money, Yggdrasil eventually announced a server shutdown. Updates ceased, and the matter was never pursued further.
After glancing at his Karma one last time, Naohara did not pay it much attention.
"Overall, it was a huge success. The complete dragon transformation combined with the effects of [Dragon Blood Sacrifice] exceeded my expectations."
"With my current strength, I can already rival a World Boss."
"The title [Catastrophe Dragon Lord] is well deserved."
Feeling the changes within himself, Naohara was extremely satisfied.
With strength comparable to a World Boss, even if the Eight Greed Kings were to revive together, he could easily crush them.
As for the mysterious otherworldly powerhouse mentioned by the Brightness Dragon Lord, the one who had forced his way into the Eight Greed Kings' Guild Base and killed them, Naohara now felt far more confident.
After all, it was better to be cautious. Unless absolutely necessary, the three of them had no intention of destroying the world.
"Time to head back. Momonga is probably worried sick."
"But before that, there's one more nuisance to deal with."
With a shift of Naohara's thoughts, the sky-covering black mist and the black flames burning across the sea completely dissipated.
His 400-meter dragon body rapidly shrank, returning to roughly one hundred meters in length.
"You are… the Vampiric Dragon Lord, correct?"
After briefly adjusting to his current body, Naohara beat his wings and flew toward the Vampiric Dragon Lord.
Looking at the True Dragon Lord radiating a strong undead aura, Naohara quickly recalled the information about him.
As a God-kin descendant, the Captain of the Black Scripture could easily access most of the Slane Theocracy's archives, including intelligence on the True Dragon Lords.
According to the Slane Theocracy's records, there were two undead Dragon Lords: the Elder Coffin Dragon Lord and the Vampiric Dragon Lord.
From the intense blood aura surrounding him and the crimson effects covering his body, the one before him was most likely the Vampiric Dragon Lord.
...
The Vampiric Dragon Lord subconsciously swallowed.
Fragrant. Far too fragrant.
The scent of that blood aura was irresistible.
If he had the strength to win, the Vampiric Dragon Lord would have already pinned the other dragon beneath him and drunk deeply from that sweet blood.
Naohara looked at the Vampiric Dragon Lord in front of him, who was breathing heavily with burning eyes, and felt puzzled.
What is wrong with this guy?
Realizing his loss of composure, the Vampiric Dragon Lord coughed twice.
"Yes, I am the Vampiric Dragon Lord. May I ask who you are?"
After calming himself down, the Vampiric Dragon Lord spoke.
He was extremely curious about Naohara's identity.
For a moment he considered the possibility that Naohara was a Player, but quickly dismissed it.
Setting aside whether dragon Players even existed, the ancient bloodline flowing through Naohara, his overwhelming strength, and most importantly, the fact that he could use Wild Magic...
No matter how he looked at it, Naohara had to be one of their own kind. There was no way he was a Player.
Dragons respected strength above all else, so the Vampiric Dragon Lord deliberately adopted a lower stance.
Seeing this, Naohara revealed a terrifying smile. His pitch-black dragon claw rested on the Vampiric Dragon Lord's shoulder.
"Let me think… Ah, got it."
"You may call me… the Filth of the Dragon Emperor."
"Oh, so you're the Filth of the Dragon Emperor!"
The Vampiric Dragon Lord nodded instinctively, but in the next moment realized something was very wrong.
"Wait, what? The Filth of the Dragon Emperor?"
The Vampiric Dragon Lord suddenly tried to retreat, only to discover he could not move at all. A terrifying force suppressed him completely.
"Hahaha, don't be in such a hurry to leave. Come on, how about we be friends?"
His dragon jaws opened slightly, and influenced by his draconic nature, Naohara burst into wild laughter.
Grabbing hold of the Vampiric Dragon Lord, Naohara shot straight toward the ocean under the other dragon's horrified gaze.
The moment he first saw the Vampiric Dragon Lord, Naohara had already decided to subdue him.
After all, a True Dragon Lord that had turned into an undead might be able to help Momonga master Wild Magic.
For Naohara, the importance of that possibility was obvious.