The rock-paper-scissors duel they had decided that Kurono would go after Leomelion, and Rei would head to where Eizen was.
He was in a bad mood because he wouldn't be the one to finish off Rose's uncle.
When he arrived at the mountain where the dragons were, he found Eizen reducing everything to ashes.
The younger dragons tried to fight him, but it was useless.
Eizen was tearing through the mountain to force Forte out.
"Fortesetanta. I know you're there; you've kept yourself hidden for so many years, and I've finally found you."
"You couldn't hide your scent forever. Come out, or I'll kill all the dragons before dragging you out."
"I'll start with this dragoness."
One of his claws held Zara, who was injured.
She had been the first to fight him, but he was too large and powerful for her, so now she was his hostage.
"If you don't care about the lives of the dragons, then stay there and run away like the rat you are."
"That won't be necessary."
Forte broke through the ceiling and flew out.
His wingbeats were weak; despite regenerating his wings, he couldn't stretch them, and now he was like a baby bird learning to spread them.
"I'm here. Eizen, you've caused so much harm to your own kind. Don't you feel anything when you hurt them?"
Eizen laughed maniacally as he threw Zara aside.
Then he swung his tail at him.
"Of course not!"
"From the moment I was born, one thought came to my mind: 'Kill all the dragons.'"
"I was born dead, but a strange figure brought me back to life, and that's how I knew I was special. I must exterminate all of you because I was born to be the only dragon on earth!"
His claws tore through Forte's scales, and his heads bit at his limbs to tear them off.
Then Rei, angry at the sight, rushed in and delivered a kick strong enough to twist Eizen's neck.
Eizen noticed him and looked at Rei.
"Who is this insect that dares to touch me?"
"Insect?"
"I'm a human being, idiot. And I'm the one who's going to kick your ass. Remember my name. It's--"
"Nonsense!"
Eizen tried to attack Rei with his heads, but Rei was too fast.
He dodged the attacks and sent various spells at Eizen.
They didn't hurt him at all, as his power was being drained for some strange reason.
But at the same time, Eizen was getting angrier.
The insect in front of him couldn't be eliminated despite his size.
He opted for a method he didn't like.
"I'll use that."
"Hey, insect. Do you think you're superior to me?"
"Let me show you what superiority really is!"
Eizen pulled some strange, huge magic stones out of a pouch on his belly.
"This is a gift from that elf. I accepted it because they were beautiful, but I never thought they'd be useful."
Eizen devoured the stones, and immediately, a strange light illuminated his body.
Little by little, his massive body shrank to the size of a human, his form becoming that of a dragon in armor.
Eizen spread his wings and flew quickly toward Rei, delivering a powerful blow that, if Rei hadn't dodged, would have taken off half his body.
The shockwave from the attack was strong enough to damage the trees in the background and open a crack in the ground.
Rei panicked and pointed his hand at Eizen.
"Damn it! Just die already."
Rei's attack was strong enough, as it consisted of several high-temperature fireballs.
Eizen had to retreat to avoid being suffocated by the heat.
But Eizen remained calm.
"Is that all you've got?"
"Don't make me laugh!"
Eizen approached Rei and began to beat him, but Rei had activated a protective shield of multiple thin layers just in time.
Despite being struck repeatedly without pause, the damage Rei sustained was almost zero.
But with each second that the shield endured damage, it started to break, and Eizen shared detailed accounts of his plans.
"This is my Dragon Emperor form."
"I only help that guy because he's the only one with the power to manipulate the tree. When the tree is under his control, I'll devour it, and with it, I'll become the most powerful being on the planet."
"I'm only telling you this because it's amusing to see you try to dodge my attacks."
"It's impossible!"
The damage Rei received eventually destroyed the shields, and he went flying from a blow to his cheek.
It was a single hit, a very weak one.
But Rei was already badly injured from the fall.
This overwhelming power belonged to Eizen, who boasted of his absolute might.
He was so confident that he didn't notice a strange flower listening to everything he was saying.
◇◇◇
"Do you think I don't know what you were planning, you stupid lizard?"
"You're easier to read than an open book."
"Once I achieved my goal, I planned to kill you and take your powers."
"But first, I need to deal with an unwanted guest."
Kurono had finally arrived where Leomelion was.
Behind him, the World Tree was glowing with a strange dark color, surrounded by a large number of dry elf corpses.
Leomelion stood before him.
"We've seen each other before, but now, in person, it's a different story."
"I am the king of the elves, Leome—"
"I already know who you are, Leomelion Schneizel Evergreen."
"I also know what your goals are."
"Oh? Really? And what are they?"
Kurono revealed the game's plot that Leomelion didn't want anyone to know.
"Years ago, you secretly left the forest. You wanted to explore the world because you didn't like being confined."
"But what you saw horrified you. The humans tortured you, and you were sold as a slave to a noble who did horrible things to you."
"You managed to escape and returned home as if you had just gone on a trip to the countryside."
"The reason for all of this is that, deep down, you hate humans. You hate them for humiliating you, for defiling you, and most of all…"
"For exposing your most vulnerable side."
"That's why, before returning home, you met the leader of the Death Goddess's cult."
"He offered you his help, and though you rejected it, he gave you advice on how to gain power."
"You had to kill the tree and become the new World Tree."
"That's why you killed your own kind. Because you knew your vision of protecting them all wasn't compatible with that goal."
"The few elves who followed you were those who had lived through similar experiences."
"Leomelion, your story is heartbreaking and sad to anyone. You could get your family to empathize with you."
"But the fact that you accidentally killed Rose's mother, the woman you loved, is the real reason why you want the tree's power more than ever."
"To bring her back—"
A massive ray of light shot straight at Kurono's head, destroying it instantly.
"Shut up."
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"
"Shut the hell up already!"
"How the hell do you know what happened in my life and what my goals are?"
"It's impossible for anyone else to know besides me!"
"...Right, I blew off his head."
"It doesn't matter anymore."
"I know all of that because I saw your life."
"...!"
Leomelion was stunned as he saw Kurono regenerating.
Since the chimera body he used didn't need a brain and only required a heart to live, he could regenerate easily from the damage.
Even if his body were destroyed, the real Kurono's soul was tied to the magic stone that Rei possessed.
Leomelion couldn't believe that Kurono was standing before him again.
"I know all of that because I saw your life."
"I can't give you detailed explanations because you wouldn't believe me."
"And I'll say it again: anyone could empathize with you given that backstory."
"But!"
Kurono's eyes were filled with resentment.
"You've killed so many innocent people on your way home—the family of farmers who took you in, the girl who gave you her blanket, and many others."
"Even Rose's mother, despite loving her, didn't support you. That's why, when she rejected you, you began your plan."
"Rose's mother was supposed to inherit the priestess's will to communicate with the sacred tree. Her death, caused by your accident, prevented that."
"That's why you needed your imprisoned mother: to steal the emblem she passed down to you."
"Being dead, she couldn't use her power, so you use her as a vessel to generate your current power. You're nothing but a parasite feeding off those who were kind to you."
"That's why I've always hated you and wanted to be the one to take you down."
"..."
Leomelion listened attentively to every word Kurono said.
The mystery of how Kurono knew his private life no longer mattered to him.
He felt anger toward him.
He felt that this man was judging him from a high pedestal.
As a character in a game whose life was visible to all spectators, it wasn't surprising to them, but to him, it was.
"So what?"
"Does any of what you're saying matter?"
"My wish will come true."
"As you say. But you're wrong about one thing."
"I obtained my mother's emblem a long time ago. I had to wait years for the magic circle in this place to absorb enough magic power from the tree to achieve it."
Suddenly, his body began to mutate.
Crystal-like scales formed across his body, covering him almost entirely.
He looked more like a creature than a human.
"Help! Help me!"
They both heard a voice approaching.
It was Enzo, running directly toward them after being attacked.
The speed at which he arrived was surprising.
He was already near Leomelion, who paid him no attention and merely raised an eyebrow.
Immediately, the crystal tail growing from Leomelion's back swung and shattered Enzo's skull in one blow.
Enzo died screaming in pain.
"Now, shall we begin?"
"Bring it on."
Before finishing their words, both rushed to attack each other.
(Now I understand why my power was draining when I came here. This magic circle had been absorbing my power.)
(That's why Rei and I could barely use any magic.)
(If I attack it, will it break?)
While dodging Leomelion's beams, Kurono attacked the magic circle beneath his feet.
Despite being just glowing paint, it took no damage.
"Tch."
"Don't get distracted."
Leomelion came straight at him, delivering a powerful kick that tore off Kurono's arm.
After losing it, Kurono regenerated another and launched a flurry of high-speed elemental attacks.
Some pierced through, but Leomelion was drawing magical power from the World Tree through the magic circle beneath him.
For the second time in this life, Kurono faced an opponent who was difficult to defeat.
Not even Calvin or Klyde were as dangerous as someone who could endlessly replenish their magic energy.
Kurono kept attacking in a repetitive process of inflicting damage and regenerating.
"This will never end," he thought.
(There has to be a way to defeat him.)
(He absorbs limitless energy from the tree and releases it.)
(He can regenerate easily and unleash multiple attacks without tiring from magical exhaustion.)
(How can I defeat someone like that?)
(If only I had a plug to make him explode like in anime.)
(Wait a moment, a plug?)
(If his body absorbs energy, what would happen if he couldn't release it?)
That's when Kurono came up with a great idea.
◇◇◇
Rei was in a life-or-death situation.
Eizen was launching powerful spells at him, but Rei materialized a massive wall in the shape of a door.
Not just one, but several.
The attack easily destroyed the walls.
The attacks Eizen sent seemed more like a game to him. He wasn't taking it seriously, but it didn't matter to him.
He could feel Leomelion's magical power growing stronger.
"Almost there, I can feel it's almost at the power I need."
Rei was exhausted. Only a few minutes had passed, but the amount of energy he had spent was already draining him.
His body had long surpassed its limit, and it was starting to show.
Before the next wall could be destroyed, it crumbled on its own.
Rei was writhing on the ground in agony.
"Is this all you can do?"
"Disappointing. I should've stayed in my dragon form."
And that's exactly what he did.
Eizen reverted to his dragon form, spread his wings, and flew toward Leomelion.
"It's time for my real snack."
As he flew, he noticed something—Rei was clinging to his tail.
"You're a persistent insect."
Eizen observed as Rei bit into his tail and then spat on him.
The spit enraged Eizen, and he flung Rei toward the ground.
Rei lay there, barely alive.
Eizen's heads moved closer, sniffing him, and then he spoke.
"Is that all you can do? Spit?"
"I guess I'll eat you for the insult."
Eizen swallowed Rei whole, gulping him down like a snack.
"You taste awful."
Once again, Eizen took to the skies, flying directly toward Leomelion.
But as he flew, his stomach began to feel strange.
"What's happening to me?"
It felt like uncontrollable, painful indigestion. His internal organs hurt terribly.
Eizen crashed into a mountain and rolled down its slope.
When he tried to get up, he finally realized what was happening.
He saw that, starting from the base of his tail, it was turning to stone.
"What is this?"
His tail was completely petrified, and slowly, the transformation crept up his lower body and hind legs.
"This can't be!"
At last, Eizen understood what Rei had done.
"With that spit… did he cast some spell to turn me into stone?"
"That's ridiculous!"
It was.
Despite how ridiculous Rei's actions seemed, it was the power of a god.
A small but incredibly powerful god.
By not breaking the laws of this world, that spit was the best Rei could do.
Eizen tried to shift into his hybrid form to sever his lower body and revert to his original state.
That way, he could regenerate after absorbing Leomelion.
But his plans failed.
"Ugh. It hurts so much."
When he shifted to his hybrid form, the petrification process accelerated, leaving only his head intact.
"This can't be…"
"I am the Dragon Emperor..."
"I am the one who stands at the top of the world."
"I cannot die here… I can't."
"Yes, you can."
"…!"
A voice came from inside him, and then Eizen's back cracked open.
A hand emerged, followed by a head.
Rei was crawling out from within Eizen.
As Rei forced his way out, Eizen's dragon body began to break apart.
"No, stop."
"My body…"
Eizen was nearly completely petrified as Rei had half of his body out.
With one final push to get out, Rei shattered Eizen's body entirely.
Eizen watched his life crumble along with his body, which had turned to stone.
On the ground lay the most dangerous living being in the world.
And beside him was the one who had defeated him.
"I want… to eat something… and then… take a bath."
Rei lost consciousness after that.
◇◇◇
Leomelion realized that Eizen's presence had disappeared.
Meanwhile, he was launching multiple attacks at Kurono, who, for some strange reason, stopped moving and focused on blocking the attacks.
From Leomelion's perspective, Kurono was exhausted. That's why he resorted to defending himself from the damage.
This made Leomelion happy.
"It seems you can't fight anymore. Let me give you one final parting gift."
He raised his hands to the sky to generate even more magical power.
"Now!"
Kurono pressed forward and ran toward him, grabbing Leomelion tightly around the waist.
"What are you doing?"
Leomelion couldn't understand what was happening, but his attack kept charging until it was finally ready.
He placed his hands near Kurono's head and attempted to release the magical energy.
But something strange happened.
The magical power didn't discharge.
"What's going on?"
He tried again but failed once more.
Kurono began to laugh.
"Hehehe, it seems my brilliant plan worked."
"What are you talking about?"
Then Leomelion noticed something strange happening to his body.
His legs began to swell like balloons, shattering the crystals.
"What's happening? What is this?"
Kurono explained as he watched Leomelion's terrified expression.
"I just thought of this: 'Isn't it inconvenient for both of us to use unlimited power without getting tired?'"
"Well, I decided to give us both a break."
"The magical energy you generate—I absorb it and send it right back to you. It's just like a hose connected to a nozzle."
"One end connects to one side, and the other to the opposite side."
"What do you think would happen if water from both taps meets, and the hose has no way to release it?"
"…!"
Although Leomelion didn't fully understand the explanation, he grasped it instantly as he saw Kurono's body begin to swell.
"You'll die too!"
"I don't think so."
"Your last attack tore off my head—look, it's over there."
"I might lose this body, but as long as a small part of it remains intact, I can regenerate. You, however, cannot."
Both their bodies continued to swell larger and larger.
They were now grotesquely bloated from all the retained energy.
"No! Please, have mercy!"
"I just want to create a better world for the races oppressed by humans."
"I don't believe you. You hurt others just because they disagreed with you."
"You hurt many people, even demi-humans."
"You made Rose's life horrible because of an obsession. If you truly wanted to bring happiness to everyone, you could have done it without violence."
"This is your end."
"Nooooooo!"
Both their bodies were overloaded with energy.
Like a balloon touched too lightly, their bodies exploded.
A massive pillar of magical energy shot into the sky, illuminating the entire region.
Kurono's sacrifice brought victory, alongside Rei's exhaustion.
Now, only the human invaders needed to be driven out, and with that, the war would finally come to an end.
________________
There's no fanservice, just the design of how Eizen looks in his hybrid form.
https://overlordmaruyama.fandom.com/wiki/Platinum_Dragon_Lord%27s_Armor