A fleeting panic quickly subsided. Neltharion was, after all, Neltharion, the legendary dragon who once cunningly deceived most of the dragonflights.
Beyond his slyness, his unparalleled ferocity and brutality were also part of his multifaceted character.
With a roar, a powerful sonic wave, visible to the naked eye, erupted, scattering the remaining clouds around.
Deathwing retaliated. Between his front claws, a massive orb of pure dark energy appeared, its deep, dark glow pulling in the gazes of the four mighty dragons. He hurled this energy sphere to the left rear of Alexstrasza, where the other three dragons were positioned.
The red dragon queen attempted to block it. Before her fearsome dragon breath could touch the sphere, it exploded, splitting into three massive dark arrows. These twisted and turned in the sky, eerily bypassing the defenses and evasive maneuvers of the three dragons, striking them directly.
"Boom!" This blow sent Ysera and the other two dragons tumbling backward.
Alexstrasza tried to whip Neltharion with her tail, but was countered by the acidic mist spewed from the leg of the Black Dragon King. The corrosive mist, imbued with dark power, touched her tail, forcing her to cleanse it with a small breath of fire.
Easily repelling the four mighty dragons, Deathwing roared in contempt, "Fools! Show your best moves! The outcome won't change! I am the embodiment of power! In front of me, you are mere remnants of the past!"
Neltharion's arrogance was not without reason.
When the Titans created the five guardian dragons, the most powerful was originally the Spellweaver Malygos, followed by Neltharion, who drew power from the earth.
But after Neltharion used the Demon Soul to severely injure Malygos and subsequently eradicated nearly all of the blue dragons, Neltharion became the top dog.
Now, even with the Demon Soul destroyed and the dragons reclaiming their past power, they had not fully healed from their past injuries. In terms of individual combat strength, Deathwing was undeniably the leader.
Moreover, having lost their powers for thousands of years, the four guardian dragons were somewhat rusty.
Neltharion clearly didn't understand the concept of fleeting fame.
In the next round, he was schooled on how to be a dragon.
Malygos' wide-range magic blast disturbed his vision. Nozdormu's slowing spell and Ysera's nightmare assault hit simultaneously. In that moment of distraction, Deathwing found another piece of his armor plating torn off by the red dragon queen.
Excruciating pain!
"Black dragon, never underestimate us from the past..." Alexstrasza's crimson silhouette filled Deathwing's vision.
Their teamwork was impeccable, catching even him off guard. But what surprised him more was their uncanny knowledge of his weaknesses. Their spells, just like before, couldn't harm him. Protected by his innate power and the armor embedded beneath his scales, no direct hits could wound him.
However, tearing off his alloy plating was a different story. He didn't need any external force; his own volatile power would destroy him.
Such targeted attacks, twice in succession, sent chills down the Black Dragon King's spine.
Yet, Deathwing wasn't one to surrender easily. Even with his vulnerabilities exposed, it didn't mean he would give in.
His pride as a guardian dragon and his inherent madness drove him.
"Ha! Underestimate? I don't need to. What stands before you is an insurmountable gap in power! Your battle skills are far inferior to mine!" Neltharion turned to Ysera, "Your attacks hinge on Ysera. As long as I resist her nightmares, you're powerless against me."
Alexstrasza's expression shifted.
All four dragons realized that none of them would fare well in close combat against Deathwing. If Ysera couldn't momentarily stun him, revealing a weakness, this battle would be hard to continue.
However, they weren't about to admit defeat.
They launched a coordinated attack once more.
Regrettably, as Neltharion predicted, he began to resist Ysera's nightmares. Even in the realm of dreams, he began to influence Ysera, reversing his madness and invading her dreams.
The four dragons tried a close-combat combined attack, but to poor effect. The more agile Neltharion used his tail to fling Alexstrasza away, his wings hit both Ysera and Malygos on their heads, and his left claw created a massive wound on Nozdormu's chest.
Had Nozdormu not been a dragon made of sand and metal, he might've been severely injured or even incapacitated.
Triumphant, Neltharion declared, "Ha! Even with your restored powers, what of it? Your era is over! After I kill you all, I'll take all the eggs from your flights and create a perfect world of my own!"
In the communication network crafted by Ysera's dream weaving, the four dragons urgently discussed.
"What do we do? My magic has little effect on him!" Malygos lamented.
"I'm too slow. Even when he's slowed down, I can't keep up," grumbled Nozdormu.
"If only, dear Ysera, you could hold him again with your dream," Alexstrasza uttered hopefully.
At this, Ysera hesitantly admitted, "I... I have another dream. Duke gave it to me."
"Why haven't you used it?!" The three dragons exclaimed.
"It's... it's a bit embarrassing," Ysera admitted, nearly in tears.
Malygos, ever the antagonist to Deathwing, immediately demanded, "What dream is it? Show us."
Taking advantage of Deathwing's boasting, Ysera hesitated for a moment before sharing the dream.
Alexstrasza's face turned a shade of red never seen before.
Nozdormu remarked, "This must be documented."
Malygos sneered, "Tch, she's not my consort. Why not use it?"
Ysera sighed, "..."
Finally, Alexstrasza hesitated, "Let's vote. Those in favor, raise your claw."
Two determined male claws and two reluctant female ones went up.
"Very well, unanimous!"
The next moment, the four guardian dragons launched another attack. This time, Ysera unleashed the new nightmare upon Neltharion.
In the dream, a rather fake-looking black female dragon was being chased around by a heavily Photoshopped Shiba Inu dog.
But that wasn't the crux of it. Neltharion recognized the black dragoness immediately. It was Sintharia — his wife!