Nazarick, Sixth Floor.
Inside the large oval arena located at the center, two figures were locked in battle.
[Catastrophe Dragon's Crushing Fist!]
With a furious roar, a punch infused with the power of Catastrophe burst forward.
But in the very next instant, a fist wrapped in golden lightning shot out and blocked it.
The howl of black mist and the crackling of thunder rang out without end.
After several seconds of deadlock, the two fighters pulled apart.
"Haha, I can feel it!"
"My Dragon Soul is boiling, and my father's divine power is flowing through my body!"
His body looked like shattered porcelain on the verge of breaking apart.
Countless cracks covered his entire body, and thick black mist kept spilling out of them, yet he paid it no attention at all.
He clenched his slightly trembling arm, and a trace of fanaticism flashed through the Dragonoid youth's eyes.
He had to master this power.
He had to prove it.
He had to prove to the father who created him and gave him a second life that he was not some so called failure.
His existence had meaning.
[Catastrophe Dragon's Roar!]
The youth took a deep breath.
The seed rooted inside his body gave off a faint glimmer, and the cracks all over him began to shine with a dark luster.
Magic power mixed with Catastrophe gathered in his mouth.
Then, with a roar, a breath attack erupted and swept across more than half the arena with overwhelming force.
On the other side, the figure surrounded by golden lightning, also in Dragonoid form, showed a hint of seriousness in his eyes.
As though still unaccustomed to this body, he moved somewhat stiffly.
Rather than blocking the attack head on, he turned into a bolt of lightning, flashed away, and appeared high in the air.
"Haha, I was waiting for that!"
The words had barely left his mouth when a cloud of black mist appeared before he could react.
In a single instant, the youth was already right in front of him.
As if he had planned it all along, a fist wrapped in black mist came crashing toward him with a howl.
"So fast!"
His pupils shrank slightly. Driven by sheer instinct and a sense of danger, he jerked his head to the side.
The black mist brushed past his face, leaving behind a faint stinging sensation.
The terrifying shockwave blasted him away, and his body slammed into the arena wall like a cannonball.
At the same time, at the highest point of the arena, one figure was watching the battle below with great interest.
It was Naohara, who had just returned from the Theocracy.
Standing respectfully beside him were several Guardians, including Aura, Mare, Sephis, and Demiurge.
Not long ago, after returning to Nazarick, Pandora had taken the initiative to say that he wanted to go back to the Treasury.
Naohara, who understood his settings well, did not stop him.
After giving him a few instructions, Naohara began wandering around on his own while waiting for Herohero to return after receiving his [Message].
During that time, Naohara arrived on the Sixth Floor.
There he ran into Demiurge and the others, who were collecting experimental data, which led to the scene now unfolding before him.
"It looks like the adaptation to the power of Catastrophe is going quite well."
Naohara nodded as he spoke.
It seemed the large amount of resources invested earlier had not been wasted.
With both sides being dragons, a level 77 fighting against a level 90 and still managing to gain some advantage was already quite impressive.
But that was as far as it went.
A thirteen level gap was still impossible to overcome.
"If Goldie hadn't still been getting used to it, this fight should've ended a long time ago."
Aura pouted a little and spoke with clear dissatisfaction.
Of the two fighting below, the Dragonoid wrapped in golden lightning was one of the subordinates under her and Mare.
[Woodland Dragon - Gacha Dragon]
Back in the game era, it could only be obtained through paid gacha with extremely low odds, and its level was close to ninety.
It had been a gift to the two of them from the Supreme Being [Bukubukuchagama].
Aura and Mare usually called it Goldie.
There was another one called Greeny.
"This is also a form of training. Fighting in Dragonoid form through Wild Magic will help him master this power more quickly."
Sephis shook his head and explained.
Unlike him, who was a Dragonoid by nature, the two Gacha Dragons were pure dragons. Combined with their level, which was close to ninety, learning Wild Magic was not particularly difficult for them.
According to Demiurge, the purpose of this battle was never about victory or defeat.
Instead, it was meant to allow both sides to adapt to the new power they had gained and grow accustomed to using it.
"So far, the plan seems to be progressing quite well."
"There is one thing I did not expect, however. The offspring of the Platinum Dragon Lord is far more unusual than I anticipated."
Watching the battle below, Demiurge revealed a sinister smile.
Faith truly was a force that could not be underestimated.
But in a way, this was convenient.
At the very least, there was no longer any need to worry about the other party's loyalty.
"The offspring of the Platinum Dragon Lord."
"That title is too troublesome. From now on, we'll call him Niles."
"Niles Bahamut."
The young dragon had been cursed by the world at birth.
Not only had he failed to inherit Wild Magic, he had not even received the racial memories normally passed down to dragons.
Because of that, he did not possess a true dragon name.
After thinking about it for a moment, Naohara decided to give him a name.
He had briefly considered using the Platinum Dragon Lord's surname.
However, according to the report submitted by Sebas, the young dragon had repeatedly attempted to assassinate the Platinum Dragon Lord.
If he used that surname, it might have the opposite effect.
So he abandoned that idea.
"Aura and Mare, I'll leave this to you. Take good care of him, and give him plenty of fertilizer that helps increase intelligence."
Ignoring the surprise in the eyes of the Guardians, Naohara tossed something into the air.
A glass sphere appeared.
Looking closely, one could see a small sapling inside the sphere, its tentacle like roots spreading along the inner surface.
It was the sealed "Catastrophe Dragon Lord".
Since this being was, in a sense, responsible for bringing him to this world, Naohara naturally intended to repay the favor.
He immediately instructed Aura to find the most fertile land and plant it there.
"Understood, Father-sama."
Aura nodded and promised seriously.
At the same time, she began thinking silently.
The most fertile land.
If that was the case, why not plant it right next to the Platinum Dragon Lord?
That place had been soaked in dragon blood day and night, making it the most suitable location imaginable.
"Good."
Naohara nodded.
He had no idea that his casual remark would cause the Platinum Dragon Lord to suffer even more in the future.
His gaze then turned toward Sephis.
Feeling the dragon blood within Sephis becoming increasingly pure, Naohara fell silent for a moment before making a decision.
"Sephis, take these two items."
With a wave of his hand, a pitch black void opened, and two objects floated out.
The first was a crystal that emitted a clear, transparent glow.
It was a dragon crystal formed inside Naohara's body. The power of Catastrophe had been removed from it, leaving behind only the purest dragon power.
The second was a drop of blood shining with golden light.
This was human blood shed during his transformation. It could greatly raise the potential limit of humans.
"Father-sama, I cannot…"
Looking at the items, Sephis became visibly moved. He raised his head toward Naohara, clearly intending to refuse.
"Do not refuse, Sephis."
"When a father rewards his child, no explanation is necessary."
Naohara shook his head and directly interrupted him.
Just as he said, no reason was needed.
Even though they were not connected by blood, Naohara still cared deeply about this being he had created with his own hands.
Sephis lowered his head and remained silent for a moment before finally nodding.
"I understand… Father…"
After accepting the items, Sephis quietly stepped aside.
Demiurge watched the scene unfold but felt no jealousy whatsoever.
Just as Naohara-sama had said, a father rewarding his child was completely natural.
"Demiurge, this item is for you."
Hearing his name, Demiurge raised his head.
A crystal sphere floated before him.
"It contains a portion of the techniques related to the use of the Power of Faith. It should be useful to you."
Demiurge had been researching the Power of Faith for some time.
This was no secret.
Even before the Sorcerer Kingdom's coronation ceremony, he had already noticed this power and submitted proposals related to studying faith.
Now, the knowledge obtained from the Six Great Gods during the trip to the Theocracy could be handed over to him for further research.
Perhaps it would lead to some unexpected results.
"This subordinate accepts."
Demiurge bowed elegantly and replied with utmost respect.
Looking at the crystal sphere in his hand, his eyes shifted slightly.
He silently made a vow.
He would never betray the trust and expectations placed in him by the Supreme Being.
Techniques related to the Power of Faith.
Perhaps they could also be applied to the Dragon Creation Project.
Demiurge could not help but think about the possibilities.
After chatting for a while longer and watching the battle below, Naohara suddenly sensed Herohero's presence.
Only then did he activate teleportation and leave the Sixth Floor.