The dragon only heard in legends was now before Ainz. Gigantic and double in power. It was no miracle the dragons both feared and worshipped the Dragon Lord of Old. Yet Ainz was immune to fear and other mental effects and would not be consumed by it.
"Welcome Visitors. I believe I had never someone of your kind come to me."
The immense, powerful dragon was talking to Ainz with no hint of hostility. It simply wanted to know more about the Overlord and his followers.
Its dark and deep voice echoed through the air.
"It would be best to introduce myself. I am Ainz Ooal Gown. In old times, plenty knew that name. As for what I am, I am undead. A being that never touched flesh but is not dead."
"Interesting. I thank you for the information. And I assume you have come here in the understanding of who I am."
"That's right. But I only know you by the name, The Dragon Lord of Old. The only dragon left of the old world and current strongest Dragon Lord of the world."
Ainz could see that the dragon made a prideful expression while hearing that he is the strongest dragon in the world. Dragons were known for their greed and pride, so it was not unforeseen.
"You are correct, Ainz Ooal Gown. Even when the Dragon Emperor declares himself the strongest of dragons, I haven't noticed him try to face me yet. And you surely came here for a reason, did you not? Maybe you are here to challenge me and proclaim yourself the Defeater of the Old One? Or have you come for wisdom in pursuit of the greater purpose?"
The dragon was waiting for Ainz to pick one of the two options. How much he missed fighting with someone of his strength, but it was impossible for him now. He was beyond the powers of the other Dragon Lords and found no worthy opponent in the world to oppose him. But he would also like to distribute his old wisdom with the undead.
"I choose both and none at the same time. I must confess that I came here prepared to fight and kill you. But you strike me as an intellectual person, one that knows fighting isn't the solution to everything. A dragon that doesn't feel hate or superiority over others. This must be very difficult for you to control at your size."
The dragon laughed but continued the conversation shortly after. "You are really an amusing fellow. I thought the same about you, Ainz Ooal Gown. I didn't expect Death to visit me today, or at least for a long time. Do you mind if we continue our talk?"
"I would like to, Dragon Lord of Old."
"Let's leave the formalities out. Call me Tyndros. Tyndros Tynnantinth."
"Then you may call me Ainz."
Every mortal would become brain-damaged just by witnessing this event. An undead Overlord of Death and an ancient Dragon Lord were chatting like old friends. The sensation overwhelmed even the Dark Knights.
Ainz came closer to Tyndros and created an obsidian throne for him. He would make one for Tyndros, but it would obviously be too small for such an enormous dragon.
"Don't mind me getting comfortable. Maybe you could come down here and join me, so you don't have to keep your neck looking down at me. If you stay like that too long, you might get some pain afterward."
"Thank you for the advice. I will keep it in mind. And about the size problem, let me adjust something."
Suddenly, his body began to glow and shrink in size. It took a while for his body to shrink to the level of Ainz, but it was successful at last. Before him now stood a human-looking Dragonoid at the same height as Ainz. It still had a tail and the brown-golden scales even remained the same. Ainz quickly reacted to the change and made a throne for the dragon. He tried to adjust the design to the dragon's best interest.
[Create Greater Item]
On the opposite side of Ainz appeared a dark-golden throne, decorated by several dragon horns also made out of the same material. He didn't want to make a throne for him with real parts of his species.
"Interesting."
The dragon made its way to the throne, observed it for a moment, and rested on it. He held a proper poker face to not show if he liked or disliked the artificially made throne. Ainz wished to get a reaction out of the dragon but didn't show any hint of emotion, as the dragon said nothing about the throne. And it was physically impossible for him to do it.
"So, Ainz. I propose a deal. Each of us can ask the other three questions, and the answers have to be the truth. So both sides can get information from the other one."
The proposal wasn't bad for Ainz. He could get valuable information out of this deal, but also share some of his knowledge too.
"I accept."
The dragon made a positive gesture at the Overlord's words.
"I knew you would appreciate such an offer. Nevertheless, you wouldn't mind me asking the first question?"
"Not at all, Tyndros, you may start."
"You see, I know of undead skeletons and other creatures. But what I don't know is what you are? So, what species of undead are you?"
"And I thought you would ask a mind-breaking question. I am an Overlord, the highest order of undead." Ainz his base species was an Overlord. Yet he had many other racial upgrades. He hoped the dragon wouldn't get behind Ainz lying to him.
"An Overlord? Never have I heard of such an undead. But I suppose even I don't know everything about the world."
"Indeed. You can never stop learning new things. But now, let me ask you my question. Is there anyone stronger than you in this world?"
The air got colder, yet nothing transpired until Tyndros spoke up.
"A significant question to ask someone such as I. In ancient times there have been some that could rival or even defeat me. But now, I doubt if they even exist anymore."
Ainz felt foolish for asking such a wide question. He could have asked who is stronger or what is stronger than him. He would choose his next question more carefully.
"So, Ainz. I am curious about the spell you used to create these thrones? Is it wild magic, because I don't recall wild magic creating things out of thin air."
"It is simple Tier Magic. Nothing severe."
"Interesting. Tier Magic…mmh."
"Tyndros. I am curious about where the draconic rings came from? Maybe you know something about the subject."
"You know about them? Well, no matter. The draconic rings have been in this world for a long time. There are legends about their origins, but you can never be sure if they are true. The dragons used their power to dominate the world for a long time now. But never did one dragon possess all ten of them. Even now, the Dragon Emperor, who collected them all by defeating the dragons that guarded them, owns nine of them. Each one of them grants the wearer strength, but even with nine of them, he can't defeat me yet. He hungers for the last one like a starved dog, the draconic ring that I possess."
"So these draconic rings increase the strength of the wearer. And dragons get stronger the older they get. And when I am correct, the Dragon Emperor will eventually become stronger than you with his nine rings. You only hold one but are stronger than him. It doesn't make sense if you don't have another artifact of greater strength to compensate for the eight rings that you don't possess. I think I am correct in believing so, Tyndros?"
The dragon got a bit tense at the statement, yet no serious reactions followed.
"I will not answer your question because it isn't your turn."
"My apologies. Proceed with your question."
"I wonder if this is a possibility, Ainz. You are not from this world, am I right?"
The Overlord wasn't prepared for this question. That the dragon knew about Yggdrasil was imaginable, but to ask such a direct question meant he knew more of this subject. This meant others like him came into this world before. And even when he checked if there was a fellow god in this world, there was clearly none. This meant that they have either died or hidden their presence too well.
"Yes. I am not."
Silence painted the air. Ainz was trying to decipher what the dragon's next moves would be. It was clearly visible that there was finally some hostility towards the Overlord.
"And I thought you were a good guy, Ainz. As I heard Tier Magic I knew something was amiss. I really believed you were not an Otherworlder."
"Otherworlder? Care to explain?."
The dragon rose up, and it seemed as if it was forcing itself not to fall into a frenzy.
"Outsider, Outer God, Otherworldly Entity, Not from this world, An evil being that comes every century to this world to spread havoc and death onto this world's people!"
The dragon was furious at Ainz, yet he didn't understand why. Did he meet some other of his kind that left a poor impression on him?
"I don't understand why you have become so enraged, Tyndros. I have done nothing for you to respond in such a way."
"You even have the audacity to claim yourself innocent! I know your kind. Powerful beyond measure, something this world has never seen and something this world does not need! Not only did your kind kill innocent… They also murdered… Someone close to me."
Grief and hate embodied the aura of the dragon. It would be hard to persuade him to calm down. Dragons are stubborn creatures, after all. And having lost a person close to him, it would be even harder.
Ainz was buffing himself with the most useful spells to be prepared if an attack occurred. The Dark Knights went into a fighting posture and got closer to their master, protecting him if the dragon tries to land a heavy blow on him.
"But. We made an agreement, Ainz Ooal Gown. I will not attack you until you asked your last question. If you were not one of them, we could have been friends. Yet I know what destruction a being like you can bring to this world. And I won't let that happen ever again!"
What a pity it was. Finally, Ainz found somebody who he could have called a friend. But fate didn't want that to happen. Instead, he had to fight one of the most powerful dragons in the new world.
-Damn. This dragon really hates my kind. I wonder what the others from Yggdrasil did to make him become like this.- "I appreciate your self-control, Tyndros Tynnantinth. Lastly, what I will ask is what World Item you possess? Isn't it the reason you have survived through all these ages? Even when you tried to hide its existence, I already figured out some of its effects. With your own power, the draconic ring, and the unknown World Item, it makes you a real fierce opponent."
The dragon was developing hate, that was not from this world. That Ainz already knew so much about him wasn't on his mind. It made him want to slay him on the spot for seeing through him like glass.
"Damn you! I don't want to know what trickery you used to find out about my World Item. But I have to answer your question truthfully. It is called [Hatred's Gem]. But you only asked about the name and not the effects. These can you experience right NOW!"
The dragon transformed back into his original form that was towering Ainz about 100 meters. It wanted to crush Ainz with his tail, which weighed several tons. The heavy tail was coming down to Ainz with slow speed, but intense strength. If he would be hit by it, he would surely lose a third of his HP.
-Not today, you overgrown snake. Dark Knights, dodge the tail!-
The Dark Knights acted as he commanded them over telepathy. Ainz teleported into the air in front of the dragon, flying in the air and preparing his next attack.
But the Dark Knights weren't so lucky as he was. They weren't the most agile, so they got hit by the tail of the Dragon Lord. It wouldn't kill them immediately, but incapacitate them for a while. Yet the dragon's intention was not with them, but with the Overlord.
"You flee like the coward you are. My next hit will be sure to connect with your skull."
The dragon seemed to power up his fire breath, but Ainz preferred none of it. The flame came rushing out of the dragon's mouth, directed at Ainz.
"Not in your dreams." [Skeleton Wall]
The fire connected with the newly constructed skeleton wall and went through it the instant it touched it. But Ainz was prepared if this was to happen.
"[Elemental Barrier: Fire]"
It did exactly what it meant. A see-through red barrier appeared before Ainz, deflecting all the fire that was coming at him. The Dragon Lord was still breathing fire on Ainz. Yet to no success. It realized it was pointless to continue and stopped his breath. It flew into the air and decided to make a charge attack from the sky.
-Does he intend to destroy the whole mountain? He knows that I can just teleport away, right?-
"Now you DIE!" It proclaimed while spreading its massive wings and starting to charge at Ainz.
The speed it had, even for its size, was abnormally fast. Ainz saw only how the giant dragon came closer to his face every second or less. What he was not expecting was that the dragon summoned meteors to fall onto him as well. There were hundreds, if not a thousand, of different sizes coming at him. He realized that this place will not be a mountain after the attack, but a crater.
-This guy really wants to kill a god. I will have to wait until he gets exhausted for me to counterattack.-
The first things to make contact with the ground were the small meteors. Ainz was flying and could evade the small ones with ease. But the more difficult were the bigger meteors and the Dragon Lord himself.
-It seems I have to teleport out of here, or I get hit by a lot of rocks.-
He cast teleportation, yet the spell failed. "Don't tell me this is one of the World Item effects he possesses! No wonder nobody escaped from him. He blocked teleportation all around him." Ainz was impressed. But he had still to find a way not to get too much damage from the attack. The meteors came closer and closer, leaving him less time every second to think.
[Dark Comets]
From the back of Ainz came multiple small comets that glowed blue. They were fast and precise. Their target was any meteor that came near Ainz. He was protected, but the big meteors killed the Dark Knights in the action. He would have to make new ones when he got home.
-He should clash with me at any moment. I wonder what would happen if I did nothing? A massive Dragon Lord diving into me would surely not be the most pleasant experience.-
The meteors all smashed either into the mountain or were destroyed by the dark comets from Ainz. But the serious threat yet remained.
Ainz can't stop the Dragon Lord from charging at him, but maybe make the damage less that he would suffer.
[Ethereal Body]
As the dragon was almost touching Ainz with his great speed, he just passed through him and plunged into the ground. As Ainz predicted, there was no mountain left, but only a crater that was visible after the dust left the air.
The dragon didn't expect his opponent to just become transparent. But, like the name of the World Item suggests. He becomes stronger the more he hates his enemy. If this applies to all of his stats is still unknown.
"You think you are untouchable? Yet you have seen nothing… I call you, oh Lightning of the Ancient Dragon God."
As he chanted, there was red lightning emerging almost everywhere. Ainz was not ethereal anymore and got hit by one thunderbolt, forcing him to land.
-The ground is not safe, and the air even lesser. This dragon is more powerful than I thought.-
As red lightning was falling from the sky, there were also one's appearing around the dragon's body. Ainz realized the dragon wanted to attack him not only from the air, but also from the front.
The five lightning bolts that emerged around the dragon charged at Ainz with immense speed. They began to merge as they got closer to him. If they would hit him, it would not end well.
"[Black Hole]"
A dark cycle appeared in front of Ainz and sucked all light in and the lightning bolts cast at him. The dragon was startled by the attack, so Ainz used this occasion to study the glowing yellow crystal in the dragon's chest. It was as if it merged with the dragon, flowing yellow veins to it and out of it.
-This big yellow gem must be the [Hatred's Gem] if I'm correct. And it looks as if the World Item merged with his body and became almost a replacement for his heart.-
As the black hole disappeared, lightning started to fall again onto the ground.
"I will not fail again! Lightning! Obey my command!"
The previous random lightning strikes started to target Ainz from all directions. They made an impact with a [Magic Barrier] but it did not stop them. There were at least 30 red lightning strikes on Ainz, staggering him temporarily. He bore the pain, not realizing what would come next. The dragon was rushing at Ainz, trying to bite him into small pieces with his gigantic mouth. Ainz made the same move as the dragon wanted to crush him from above.
[Ethereal Body]
Ainz again went into an ethereal form, not expecting the dragon to see through his plan. His tail was glowing and when it swung at Ainz, he got hit even when he was ethereal. The Overlord was thrown through the air about 50 meters until he made an impact on the ground.
"Ethereal or not. Because I passed through you, my Magic Resistance made me able to hit your body, Ainz Ooal Gown."
This made logic to a certain degree. Because the dragon went through Ainz that indeed used magic, somehow its magic resistance was so high that it registered it as a hit and let him bypass the physics of the material world. And Ainz was not delighted about the news of his spells being ineffective at doing their task.
The dragon conjured 6 meteors above him, targeting them at Ainz. He was still trying to figure a way to win. Summoned creatures would occupy the dragon for a while and casting random spells are also ineffective as the dragon has very high magic resistance. He had to find another way to win this battle.
-I'm at half HP. His damage and defense are seriously high. But Ainz Ooal Gown does not know defeat, never! I won't allow it!-
Black energy shot out of Ainz into the air. An aura that reached the skies surrounded him. The powerful energy that was radiating around Ainz shocked the dragon.
"Come. I am ready for you." Ainz declared to the Dragon Lord.
This made him enraged and launched the previously conjured meteors at Ainz.
"Do not underestimate me, undead."
The meteors weren't as fast as the lightning that the dragon previously used, but they did more damage. Yet the Overlord wasn't the same as before.
[Boost Magic: Greater Luck] [Boost Magic: Magic Boost] [Boost Magic: Magic Casters Blessing] "[Maximize Magic: Burst]"
The incoming meteors seemingly burst from the inside. Before the dragon could act, Ainz made his first move.
"[Penetrate Magic: Grasp Heart] [Penetrate Magic: Obsidian Swords]"
The dragon was stunned by Grasp Heart, even when the spell's first effect didn't affect him. And suddenly, three Obsidian Swords launched at him, aiming for his head.
"No, the likes of you will never defeat me!"
The dragon roared and blocked the incoming projectiles with his wings, damaging them in the process.
"What have you done? My wings, the pride of a dragon, pierced trough….I…I WILL KILL YOU!"
The earth was shaking as the dragon grew with more hate, becoming even more resistant to magic attacks. It used its tarnished wings to come closer to Ainz and crush him to death.
"This is your last attempt to kill me? Stomp me to death, let us see if that works." "[Penetrate Magic: Thousand Time Lance]
As from nothing, multiple invisible lances pierced the dragon. He couldn't see them coming because they were traveling beyond time and space. He lost his balance and collapsed. The great dragon was bleeding from every hole.
"This…This is not the end…Earth oh hear my call…Cleanse the fifth of my wounds and let them disappear!" Suddenly the dragon was enveloped in green light, and his wounds started to close with magical means.
-If I recall, this is Wild Magic. There isn't such an ability in Tier Magic. I hope I can get these spells with my Dark Wisdom.-
The dragon stood up, even when he only possessed two wings and a tail. For Ainz it meant that this would be the second round.
"Oh, heed my call. Flames of dragons. Envelop me in the light to defeat my opposers!" The Dragon Lord of Old was now encompassed not by a green aura, but by fire. Ainz must be more careful not to let him near him.
[Life Essence] [Triplet Maximize Magic: Nuclear Mine]
-He is also at half health. When he charges, he will surely walk into my Nuclear Mines, dealing him an outrageous amount of damage.-
"Claws of Dragons, attack my enemy." Claw slashes appeared to strike Ainz out of nowhere.
"[Boost Magic: Greater Magic Shield]"
A purple shield appeared before Ainz, deflecting the slashes and leaving him unharmed. Yet the dragon wasn't fond of that and used his wings to crawl to Ainz. In doing so, activating the Nuclear Mines set for him, and damaging him heavily.
"Ughh... Even with these tricks, you won't be able to defeat me!" As the dragon recovered from the explosions, it conjured forth a few lightning at Ainz to distract him. But Ainz easily deflected them this time.
[Boost Magic: Void Wall]
A black wall emerged and seemed to suck everything in. And as the bolts of lightning struck the wall, it consumed them.
"Oh greater Flame of Good. Put the undead before me to ash!"
Flames burst out of the Dragon Lord and surround Ainz from all sides. The fire was a weakness to the undead, so he had to be careful.
"[Boost Magic: Elemental Barrier: Fire]"
He used the same spell as at the beginning of the fight. But what he didn't consider was that it would attack him while not being able to see because of the flames surrounding him.
"I got you now, Otherworlder!"
The dragon was badly close to Ainz, opening its mouth to make a bite attack on the Overlord. As Ainz was only standing there, he couldn't do much to dodge the attack because teleportation was somehow disabled.
"[Grasp Heart]"
It stunned the dragon to let it not bite Ainz, but he still bumped with it and the Overlord went flying a couple of meters. Both recovered from the attack and stood up.
"I believe it is time to end this, Dragon Lord of Old."
"I agree. And it will be me to finish this battle victoriously."
A bold claim from the dragon, but it was in his character.
-It would be bad to stand here waiting until I can unleash my Super-Tier Spell. I have to use an item for this. I got half of my Mana. It would be possible.-
[Delay Magic: Temporal Stasis] "[Maximize Magic: Black Hole]"
A black hole appeared behind the dragon, preventing him from coming any near to the Overlord.
"It is time." As Ainz said that, blue light and circles surrounded him. In his left hand appeared a sand clock. He crushed it, letting him use a Super-Tier spell without the timer.
"[Fallen Down]"
Light enveloped the area and reached out into the sky. Everything within a radius of 100 meters was exterminated, and it made the crater into an even larger crater. Nothing was left when the light faded and the world could be seen again. But the dragon was still living, yet barely. It has lost most of its body and one wing. It turned its head towards Ainz and spoke its last words.
"As I said…Beings with power beyond this world…Beings that only want to destroy…And I failed to save the world from you…From such a being…I hope someone will stop you…Ainz Ooal Gown."
The dragon released a loud screech that could be heard miles away before its head fell lifeless on the ground. The cry was probably to inform other dragons of his death. The battle was seen many miles away. Mortals of many races saw the destruction of the battle and described it as "The Battle between Gods" and dragons would call this day "The Undoing of the Old Dragon Lord". It would grow into a point in history that would change the events of the future.
"A pity. May you find peace in death, Tyndros Tynnantinth." Ainz said to the corpse and slowly came closer to it.
-If that attack didn't finish him, it would have become even more troublesome. But the reward is great.-
[Sustain Corpse] [Dark Wisdom]
In an instant, the Overlord's head was filled with more knowledge about Wild Magic. "My affinity for Wild Magic has drastically increased. Good to know I can get even more powerful with it. But I am more interested in the World Item that the dragon possessed."
Ainz came closer to see the imbued gem in the dragon's chest. He put his hand around it and tore out the crystal from the dragon's body.
[All Appraisal Magic Item] "Interesting. It is really called [Hatred's Gem]. Increases all attributes extraordinary, but leads the caster into a state of rage, letting him lose control of his body. This is useless for me, but it's nice to have it. I am more interested in the draconic ring he had on him. Now, where can I find it?"
As Ainz was seeking for it, a glowing object showed up above the dragon, with a shape of a ring. It had the color bronze and was as big as a hand.
"This must be it. Come to me, my treasure."
The ring felt Ainz and levitated to him, changing in size to let him wear it as a ring on one of his bony fingers. [All Appraisal Magic Item] "Mmh, this is what I wanted. [10th Draconic Ring] increased Magic Defence by the power of the owner. It adds a normal boost of 10 % and scales the more power one has. I would get a 10 % Magic Defence boost and an additional 5x 5 % boost. That means I will get a total of a 35 % improvement. I would like it better if it would increase my Mana, but I will have to look for one of the other nine draconic rings to get it. With my huge Mana reserves and a 35 % boost to it, I would be an even greater Sorcerer."
Ainz was laughing at the realization he made. The other rings weren't really important to him, except maybe one that increases Magic Damage.
-This dragon said the Dragon Emperor possessed the rest of the draconic rings. But before I attack him, I should do something else. Even when this Dragon Emperor is weaker than the Dragon Lord of Old. I should be careful. This one almost got the better of me, but not an enormous challenge, nevertheless.-
Ainz looked around to see the destruction they caused to the surroundings. The crater he was in could be called a lake if there was any water in it.
-I leave this place quickly before a new enemy appears.- [Gate]
A hole, in reality, opened, granting the Overlord access to his Throne Room. "It was a fun and challenging fight."