"Heh heh heh... even if we are both undead.
"A dragon's dignity is not so easily discarded.
"Remember your place!
"A mere mortal like you has no right to compare yourself to me!
"Much less look down on dragons!"
The dragon lich spoke coldly.
"Heh heh... Laliren! What laughable pride.
"I happen to have something very interesting on hand. Take a good look."
The lich, shrouded in black robes, laughed darkly.
The next moment, he gently waved his skeletal claw.
A dark portal opened behind him.
Then.
Under the dragon lich's astonished gaze.
A somewhat shriveled, pale, light-blue dragon.
Like a dragon of the dead, yet also a dragon of the living.
Surrounded by frost chill, withering, deathly stillness, and black water, the dragon slowly emerged.
Then its enormous body stood silently beside the lich, its shadow enveloping the two undead.
Its enormous dragon eyes were as lifeless and still as water.
Yet as it stared at him, the dragon lich's heart gave an involuntary jolt.
"This is..."
"A little gift from my lord.
"A dragon that already possessed tremendous strength and had a chance of becoming a high-ranking legendary.
"But for greater power.
"The fool willingly abandoned everything!
"Now, it is merely a puppet, a special puppet."
The lich laughed in excellent spirits.
"A special puppet...
"This dragon was favored by the Reaper in life, wasn't it?
"With such intense powers of withering and deathly stillness, there should be no mistake.
"But even one favored by the Reaper should not possess such intense powers of withering and deathly stillness..."
The dragon lich sounded somewhat wary.
"Hahahaha! This is my lord's masterpiece!
"He completely remodeled this dragon's body into a vessel ideally suited to the Reaper's power, supported by its original bloodline power.
"In this way.
"He also fulfilled this