Mare vs. Eternal Darkness, Aura vs. Platinum Armor

Boom!

The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord's jet-black form shot downward like a black arrow, accelerating with a single beat of his wings.

As he passed,

the air ahead of him compressed and shattered. A visible white shockwave burst outward, its pressure staggering.

"Ninth-Tier Magic: Earth Whip."

Mare pursed his lips and cast a spell to stop the diving dragon.

Brown light flashed.

Whoosh!

The ground beneath his feet churned like mud. Then a whip of earth half a meter thick sprang up like a frog striking at prey, resembling a giant python.

On closer inspection,

ore and other minerals were mixed into the earthen whip, giving it some of the destructive force of metal!

With a muffled bang,

the whip cracked through the air!

The Deep Darkness Dragon Lord adjusted his dive and dodged the spell, slowing his attack in the process.

"Y-you seem angry."

"Um, this is the first time we've met."

Mare looked up, his short golden bangs hiding his forehead and making him look frail. His mismatched blue and green eyes watched the dragon nervously. "It isn't because of Fanuen, is it?"

He was doing his best to gather useful information.

A subordinate's betrayal could anger a superior, yet the moment the dragon appeared, he had attacked the spot where the Undead Fanuen stood.

That meant

the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord did not care whether Fanuen lived or died. The target of his naked hostility was Mare.

That realization only confused Mare more. Was it because he was an Elf? Or did the dragon bear some grudge against Dark Elves?

According to the intelligence Fanuen had provided,

the dragon had been sent to investigate clues about an "anomaly" several years earlier. But what exactly was that anomaly?

Albedo, Demiurge, and the others had concluded that this information