Dragon
"System, use 'Character Card: Níðhöggr' to overwrite the skin."
[Host equipped with 'Character Card: Níðhöggr', confirming character skin overlay, countdown 330 seconds, start timer]
Níðhöggr is a transliterated name. The true name of this black dragon lurking beside the roots of the World Tree should be 'Despair'!
He and countless snakes roamed World Tree, gnawing at its roots. When the roots were devoured, the Tree of Life withered and decayed, and the world was destroyed.
His specific combat strength is unknown, but as one of the culprits who ushered in the 'Twilight of the Gods' and caused the destruction of the world, his strength is beyond doubt, and he is Russell's most treasured Character Card.
"Roar roar roar—"
The tyrannical dragon roar echoed throughout Middle-earth. Ancalagon, possessed by Sauron, was momentarily blinded by an incomparably savage force and sent flying.
The enormous dragon's body crashed into the Ash Mountains, crushing a mountain peak. Before Ancalagon could even regain his footing, another strong wind swept in from afar.
Sand and stones flew everywhere!
The wind was strong and violent, causing mountains to collapse and be crushed into dust in its wake. The dark clouds raised by the Mount Doom, which had lingered for millennia, were torn open by this powerful wind, creating a huge gap that widened further and further in the north and south directions.
Dazzling rays of sunlight streamed down, falling upon Mordor, a land that had not seen the light for many years!
Ancalagon roared, dispersing the raging hurricane, and his dragon eyes swept around. The lingering dragon aura in the air made him somewhat uneasy.
Just then, a shadow fell across the sky, and something enormous flew overhead, obscuring the entire sky. He looked up and saw the dark clouds churning and disintegrating, and a huge tail covered in black scales swept across the horizon.
A dragon, a dragon I've never seen before!
"Roar roar roar————"
Ancalagon roared, the remaining will within him overwhelming Sauron's soul. As the world's strongest dragon, he could not tolerate any provocation, especially from his own kind.
"Roar roar roar————"
Above the clouds, a roar immediately responded, and a huge dragon head emerged, its disdainful eyes staring directly at Ancalagon, looking down at him like a king looking down at his subjects.
Provoked by that gaze, Ancalagon, possessed by Sauron, instantly went berserk, roaring repeatedly, and flapping its wings to soar into the sky.
In the sky, dark clouds rolled in, billowing black mist, and a huge black shadow fell, trailing a black contrail like a meteorite, its power terrifying and the surrounding space distorted.
The wings that seemed to hang from the sky spread, dispersing the thick black mist, and the ferocious black dragon revealed its true form. Its size was so great that even daytime was as dark as night, and it was slightly larger than Ancalagon.
Anxiety, anger, pain, depravity, fear...
With each breath, the dragon spews out a thick, inky black fog, filled with endless negative emotions that pollute the sky, the earth, and all living things.
A hint of fear flashed in Ancalagon's eyes. He spewed out scorching red flames, and a pillar of fire shot into the sky. The high temperature melted the air, and the terrifying scene was like Mount Doom erupting.
The intense heat of the flames was even more terrifying than lava; in other words, Ancalagon acquired the power to destroy the One Ring.
Russell, transformed into the black dragon Níðhöggr, roared in retaliation. A pitch-black, lightless sphere expanded and took shape in his mouth, filled with an aura of destruction, its dark power so thick it was despairing.
The absolute darkness first revealed its ferocity, exuding an ominous and evil aura. The next moment, it suddenly erupted, transforming into a black beam of light that shot down, stirring up a violent airflow as it rubbed against the air.
Boom!!!
Flame clashed with darkness, and the world fell silent for a moment. The next instant, a terrifying aftershock of energy erupted. Under this oppressive energy, the surrounding air was instantly displaced, space twisted and spun, and ripples spread out in circles.
The flames that Ancalagon spewed were suppressed by the black light. No matter how much the flames were intensified, they could only watch helplessly as the black light continued to approach.
Boom!!
The black light shattered the flames and slammed into Ancalagon, forcing him to plummet from the sky and crash once more onto the Ash Mountains.
The enormous dragon body crashed to the ground, unleashing a terrifying shockwave that caused the mountain to collapse, splitting open terrifying chasms, filling the air with dust and obscuring everything.
Russell, transformed into a black dragon, swooped down, and the two dragons engaged in close combat, their deafening roars echoing across the Ash Mountains.
The earth collapsed, and the savage aura of the two evil dragons was suffocating. Their powerful force often caused mountains and rivers to tremble.
"How is that possible!?"
Sauron was both shocked and terrified. Russell's dragon form was incredibly powerful, even managing to suppress Ancalagon, which he was possessing, at one point.
"What a joke! Ancalagon the most powerful and unparalleled dragon that caused the army of the main god to suffer a crushing defeat. It was actually beaten down by some evil dragon that appeared out of nowhere."
Just then, a gaping maw appeared before him, its sharp fangs gleaming with an eerie purple light, and it lunged at his head.
This black dragon is poisonous!
Ancalagon hurriedly turned his head to avoid it, but by the time he realized what was happening, it was too late. His neck was slashed by sharp teeth, leaving a long gash. Crimson blood gushed out and dripped onto the ground like a waterfall.
The scalding blood of the evil dragon, as destructive as magma, corroded the mountain rocks, turning them into deep pits emitting white smoke.
Russell's attack missed, and his massive body charged forward with lightning speed, crashing into Ancalagon with a black afterimage.
The poison swept through his body, causing Ancalagon to bleed from the pain. Sauron knew he was no match for him, so he decided to fight back and handed over command of the battle to Ancalagon's remaining will.
Ancalagon's fighting style was much more frenzied than Sauron's. He charged in without saying a word, bracing himself on all fours to withstand the impact, then whipping his long tail, which was over a thousand meters long, through the air to create a sonic boom, and lashing Russell hard.
Boom!!!
The deafening roar was like two mountains colliding.
Russell cried out in pain, raised his forelimbs and claws, creating a huge shockwave, and slammed them down on Ancalagon's head.
The latter was slammed to the ground, his proud head held high, a deep growl escaping his throat. In his line of sight, Russell suddenly turned, the whip lashing out at him.
Boom!!
A complete upheaval!
Ancalagon's vision blurred, and he only had time to let out a furious roar of defiance before his massive body was slammed into the mountainside. A terrifying force erupted, causing the mountain to collapse and shatter, leaving a spiderweb-like network of cracks extending from the deep crater into countless terrifying fissures.
Steel Tail!
Russell's latest permanent skill!
Russell himself didn't quite understand why a human could learn to use Steel Tail; he could only attribute it to his own special talent...
After all, there's no other explanation that's more plausible!
Dragons don't possess magic; their power is innate. Russell, with his Steel Tail, had a significant advantage in the battle, whipping Ancalagon twice in a row until he was completely disoriented, then rubbing his head against the ground.
The outcome is becoming clearer...
The Homepage Big Recommendation is over, back to my usual laid-back 6000-word post.