The Outcome Is Decided

Higashino Makoto did not dodge.

He extended a hand, and a spell he had never used before rapidly took shape in his palm.

After breaking past level one hundred, spell casting times had also been drastically reduced. The spell was almost complete in an instant.

"Great Catastrophe!"

A spell unique to the world-class job Catastrophe Apostle, reputed to be the strongest annihilation-type magic in YGGDRASIL.

At the tremendous cost of consuming sixty percent of his MP in a single use, it delivered the strongest large-scale destructive magic in the game.

A crimson-black torrent of energy carrying an aura of destruction collided with the white dragon breath.

Mere dragon breath was utterly incapable of withstanding Great Catastrophe.

After the energy dissipated, the Platinum Dragon Lord was covered in ruptured wounds, as though it had just been pulled from a pool of blood.

"Not bad dragon breath."

His tone remained calm.

"If it had been an ordinary magic caster, they probably would have been burned to ashes by you before they could even cast a spell."

For the first time, the Platinum Dragon Lord felt a long-forgotten emotion.

It was not fear—as an existence standing at the pinnacle of this world, as the sole survivor of the force that had defeated the Eight Greed Kings, it had long since forgotten fear.

It was something deeper: the instinctive vigilance that arose when facing an incomprehensible existence.

"What exactly are you?"

The Platinum Dragon Lord's tone no longer carried its previous ease.

Higashino Makoto looked up at it. Arrogance remained unchanged in those golden eyes, but there was now a trace of seriousness within them.

"Well, didn't you call me the Dragon Emperor's filth? Just keep calling me that. I don't mind."

The corners of his lips curled upward slightly. It was his first time fighting a dragon, yet it had been far easier than he had imagined.

With a Dimensional Move, he arrived in the sky above the Platinum Dragon Lord's head.

"Platinum Dragon Lord, I have no interest in destroying your city, nor do I have any interest in killing you."

His voice came from above.

"But if your next attack is still only at this level—"

He paused.

"I wouldn't mind showing you what true despair means."

The Platinum Dragon Lord fell silent for three seconds.

Then, it laughed.

It was neither mockery nor bitter laughter, but the sound of pure fighting spirit igniting.

"It has been centuries."

The Platinum Dragon Lord's voice was as deep as thunder.

"Centuries since anyone dared say such words to me."

Its body began to glow.

Not with the gentle radiance from before, but with a blinding platinum light like a miniature sun. The concentration of magic power in the air surged sharply, the palace walls began to crack, and fissures spread across the ground.

"Since you say I am only 'at this level'—"

Golden flames burned within the Platinum Dragon Lord's vertical pupils.

"Then let me show you the Platinum Dragon Lord's true full power."

"Ultimate Explosion!"

This was the Platinum Dragon Lord's strongest primordial magic, without any flashy effects or additional abilities.

There was only an explosion powerful beyond measure.

It triggered a massive explosion and dealt enormous damage.

Plain and unadorned, yet unquestionably powerful primordial magic.

Who would take a boss's ultimate head-on?

It was not as though he could not dodge it.

He possessed a world-class item. The World-Separating Barrier created by the Platinum Dragon Lord's skill should have completely severed all interference between inside and outside; neither physical attacks nor magic could break through it.

That was why Higashino Makoto had directly used Great Catastrophe, while the Platinum Dragon Lord had also used Ultimate Explosion.

He used a Dimensional Move to leave the World-Separating Barrier's range, then returned to his original position after Ultimate Explosion ended.

Using "Life Essence" to examine the Platinum Dragon Lord's HP, he found that after taking a Great Catastrophe head-on, it still had roughly half its health remaining.

Its HP had not decreased from using Ultimate Explosion.

"I remember that in the anime, using skills through the platinum armor consumed HP. So the true body and the platinum armor really are different?"

Watching the Platinum Dragon Lord prepare to continue its attack, Higashino Makoto did not make a move immediately.

What if another Great Catastrophe came and killed it outright?

He should use a skill with lower damage instead.

"Reality Severance."

A tenth-tier spell, and the inferior version of "Dimension Slash," a unique skill of the World Champion class. Even so, it still counted as one of the stronger offensive spells.

Of course, the main reason was that its range was not as large, and the damage it dealt was lower as well.

Based on his observations, unlike in the game, where a boss could be whittled to death by chipping away at it, such situations were difficult to occur in reality—especially against higher-level enemies.

"Don't die, Platinum Dragon Lord."

"Triple Magic Enhancement. Reality Severance."

With a wave of Higashino Makoto's hand, three attacks resembling ruptures in space appeared against the Platinum Dragon Lord's soft abdomen.

Three jets of blood burst from the Platinum Dragon Lord's abdomen, yet it gritted its teeth and did not make a sound.

"Don't underestimate me!"

Enduring the pain, the Platinum Dragon Lord chose to attack directly with its body.

After all, it was a magic caster. In terms of physical strength alone, it was completely inferior to a Dragon.

As long as it seized an opportunity and struck the other's body, victory was still possible!

But at that moment, several angelic monsters appeared between the two.

They had lions' faces and four wings in total—one pair spread open, while the other pair wrapped around their bodies.

They wore gleaming armor and carried shields marked with eye patterns, along with javelins whose tips burned with flame.

"Super-Tier Magic. Descent of the Heavenly Host."

It could summon six level-80 angels known as Gatekeeper Cherubim, possessing outstanding tanking capabilities and excellent detection abilities, to attack the enemy.

Under the passive effect of Higashino Makoto's Lord of Hosts, the angels' abilities had easily surpassed level 85 and approached level 90.

They were absolutely not something the Platinum Dragon Lord could easily break through.

Higashino Makoto frowned as he watched the blood-covered Platinum Dragon Lord fight the Gatekeeper Cherubim.

"Unreasonable."

Higashino Makoto could not understand why the Platinum Dragon Lord was still fighting desperately.

Higashino Makoto floated in midair, looking down at the brutal battle below without even launching another attack.

The six Gatekeeper Cherubim formed an impenetrable line of defense, their holy light-wreathed javelins continuously piercing the Platinum Dragon Lord's body.

The Platinum Dragon Lord was indeed powerful—even angels close to level 90 could not suppress it in a one-on-one fight.

But with all six joining forces, and with it already heavily wounded, the situation became completely one-sided.

One of the Platinum Dragon Lord's wings was pierced through by two javelins. Golden dragon blood poured down like a waterfall, pooling into a horrifying lake of blood across the shattered palace floor.

It still struggled. Its tail swept one cherubim away, and its claws tore apart half of another's wing, but more angels immediately filled the gaps.

"Why bother?"

Higashino Makoto's voice came from above, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, as if he were merely stating a fact unrelated to himself.

"You know perfectly well that if this continues, death is your only path."

The Platinum Dragon Lord did not answer.

Its vertical pupils stared fixedly at the black figure in the sky, while blood spilling from its jaws dripped onto the shattered palace floor.