"—Who are you? How dare you set foot in this domain?"
A low, rumbling roar reached Mare and Luminous’ ears.
The fog slowly lifted, and the source of the voice appeared before them—a massive, imposing dragon with a serpentine body covered in shining scales.
Its long, coiled tail twisted behind it, while a slightly skeletal, bony head, crowned with horns and spikes along its snout, glared down upon them.
Sharp, jagged teeth filled its maw, and large, bat-like wings unfurled from its back, creating an overwhelming presence that dwarfed both Mare and Luminous.
“Mare, ready for battle!”
“Y-yes! Ready!”
Mare gripped the [Shadow of Yggdrasil] tightly as he got ready to use his magic.
The Brightness Dragon Lord glared at the intruders who dared to intrude in his own domain with obvious malicious intentions.
But to him, these small, insignificant creatures attacking him were like puppies barking defiantly at a lion.
“So, you actually think you can challenge me, Arcadia Oriculus, a True Dragon Lord?”
His thundering voice was full of contempt. However, what he received was not a verbal response but the sight of Mare and Luminous, who almost yawned because of his words.
“I will kill you!”
Enraged by their actions, he soared into the sky as his enormous wings beat like a whirlwind, sending gusts of wind that scattered the clouds.
“Mare!”
Luminous spoke with her gaze fixed on the dragon. “Can you stop his movements?”
Mare nodded with determination. “Leave it to me!”
Raising the [Shadow of Yggdrasil], Mare struck it into the ground.
[Triple Maximize Magic: Twine Plant!]
Thick, vine-like stems burst from the ground, converging around the Brightness Dragon Lord in an attempt to trap him.
But with a powerful sweep of his wings, the dragon lord twisted in the air with remarkable agility, performing rapid aerial turns and cutting through the wind, staying just out of reach of the vines seeking to trap him.
“Do you truly think an attack like this could stop me?”
The Brightness Dragon Lord roared. His evasive maneuvers were impressive, displaying an agility that seemed almost unnatural for a creature of his size.
Watching him move, Mare frowned in frustration, but he wasn’t alone in this fight.
Luminous watched everything and assessed the situation.
‘Should I use lethal force? No, I might accidentally kill him.’
Aurelius’ command was to capture the Brightness Dragon Lord alive and not to kill him. Not only was the goal to gain a general understanding of the strength of a True Dragon Lord in this world, but it also served as a test for Luminous and Mare.
If they couldn't capture him, just bring his information back. So Luminous’s goal was simple: fight without going all out and not use insta-kill abilities.
Suddenly, Luminous’ body blurred, turning into a streak of red light, closing the distance with blinding speed.
In a split second, she reappeared directly in front of the dragon lord, cutting off his path to the sky.
“Wh-what?”
Caught off guard, the Brightness Dragon Lord faltered momentarily but then quickly refocused and used Wild Magic.
[Blinding Flash]
Sunlight glinted off his shiny scales, reflecting with dazzling brilliance.
“Ugh!”
The flash temporarily obscured Luminous's vision, causing her to squint. In that instant, the Brightness Dragon Lord vanished from her line of sight.
Then he swung his sharp tail powerfully, directly aiming for Luminous’ waist.
“!”
But just as the dragon’s tail sliced through the air—
Crackle!
— A massive bolt of lightning came down from the sky and struck the Brightness Dragon Lord’s head.
Roooar!
He screamed at the immense pain as electricity ran through his huge body, dimming his glowing scales and immobilizing him.
Seeing this, Luminous breathed in relief and then cursed herself for underestimating the enemy and letting her guard down.
Of course, the hit wouldn't have injured her, but it was too humiliating for her. Not to mention, once Albedo and others knew about it, Luminous would immediately become a laughing stock.
Just thinking about it made her want to smash this guy's head, but she controlled her rage.
“Thank you, Mare!”
“Yes, yes!” Mare replied with a determined smile on his face.
As the lighting subsided, the Brightness Dragon Lord staggered backward, and his wings drooped as he was forced to land on the ground.
“Who—what exactly are you?”
How could mere insects wound him?
Luminus’s gaze hardened.
“That’s an unnecessary question. To Aurelius-sama, you’re nothing more than a stepping stone.”
At her words, the dragon’s eyes widened with fury.
Never before had he been so insulted, nor could he remember the last time he felt such rage.
That these small, insignificant beings would dare attack him—him, the true Brightness Dragon Lord—and even harm him. This was unforgiveable.
“You will not leave here alive!” The Brightness Dragon Lord roared and rushed with a terrifying force toward Luminous and Mare.
He unleashed a torrent of Wild Magic.
One after another, blinding rays of pure light and destruction shot towards Luminous and Aura, blasting the ground and tore through the surrounding trees, reducing them to ash and powder.
When the smoke and dust finally settled, the charred earth stretched out before him.
But Mare and Luminous were standing unharmed amid the devastation.
“Impossible!”
His eyes widened in disbelief.
The attack he had used was one of the most powerful Wild Magic spells he could use [Blazing Metor Shower].
Confusion and dread stiffened his body, but anger overwhelmed his judgment. After all, he had always been revered as one of the strongest True Dragon Lords.
‘How can I lose to these insignificant beings?!’
On the other side, though, Luminous was noting something on a notepad that had appeared in her at some point while muttering with a slight smile.
"That Wild Magic was really strong."
“Really?" Considering how effortlessly she dealt with it, Mare couldn't help but look suspiciously at this big sister.
Their calm, lighthearted exchange only served to further inflame the Brightness Dragon Lord’s rage.
'How dare they treat this as a joke?'
“Enough! None of you will leave here alive today! Even if it costs my life, I will kill you.”
Determined, the Brightness Dragon Lord extended his claws and cast a transparent barrier around them.
This was the [World-Warping Wall].
A teleport-blocking barrier, trapping Mare and Luminous from using teleportation magic inside the wide glowing field surrounding them.
“You won’t be running away. From now on, there will be no more games—only death awaits you.”
Hearing those boasting words, Luminous couldn't help but shake her head in disappointment.
Seeing no fear or desperation on neither Luminous nor Mare's face, a flicker of doubt crossed his mind.
'Could it be that they really don't care about running away? Are they really that confident?'
The unexpected reactions of his enemies cast a shadow of unease over his unwavering confidence.
Despite his contempt for his opponents, he understood their strength and realized he would need to expend a significant amount of energy to definitively end this battle.
"Take this."
With that, brilliant crystals appeared one after another, filling the sky. They formed an enormous magic circle that continued to expand with terrifying force.
The pure power of his dragon soul poured into the crystals.
Blinding light and searing heat converged from above, and each burst of energy crashed down like a torrential downpour of explosions.
"Quarrrr!!!"
An explosive roar tore through the sky as the ground beneath them melted under the Brightness Dragon Lord's overwhelming firepower.
[White Nova]
The fierce barrage of light thundered down, creating an intense heat that obliterated the earth, stopping only when it had created a massive crater.
Everything below him was reduced to dust as he hovered in silence, but then he saw something that should never have been possible.
“Hmm, it’s cracked a bit.”
“Really…"
They were unharmed. Luminous and Mare stood there, completely unscathed. Not a single scratch marked their bodies—no sign of injury, not even a trace of the explosion’s impact.
"This... such nonsense—!!"
The dragon’s voice shook with disbelief. This time, Luminous opened her mouth.
“What’s so hard to believe?” Her gaze was cold. “Are you shocked that your Trump card failed?”
Luminous turned to Mare with a subtle smirk tugging at her mouth.
“Mare, I’ll handle it from here. I'll push this lizard to his limits. Just focus on gathering data on his abilities, step by step.”
“Leave it to me!” Mare replied confidently.
Luminous’s grin widened, and she cast a chilling look at the Brightness Dragon Lord.
“So, you use light-based Wild Magic, then, let’s see if dark-attribute magic has any effect on you. Think of it as a little experiment.”
As Luminous’s footsteps echoed ominously, the world around them grew darker; the once-blue sky and vibrant green earth faded into shadow.
[Nightmares's Domain]
A shroud of darkness began to consume the battlefield.