No! I don't want to be a Super Necromancer!

Damien glanced around at his mismatched group, considering their next move. Blackie, ever poised and thoughtful, suddenly spoke up.

"If we're trying to find the first inheritor, perhaps we should search the Dragon World first. Earth's mightiest are only middling-level beings there. It could easily have been a dragon who received the inheritance."

Damien nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing in contemplation. "You might be right. We'll head there first."

Fluffy puffed himself up dramatically, massive skeletal wings spreading wide. "Excellent! I shall lead the way and announce our glorious—"

"No," Damien interrupted firmly. "Fluffy, turn into your human form. We don't want to attract unnecessary attention."

Fluffy visibly recoiled, crimson eyes wide in disbelief. "Human form? Me? A majestic, ancient guardian beast of unparalleled glory becoming… becoming one of your small, fleshy, hairless—"

Damien's palm met Fluffy's massive forehead with a resounding smack. "Stop complaining and do it already."

Fluffy stared down, mouth agape, voice filled with wounded pride. "You… you actually struck the mighty Fluffy?"

Blackie raised an elegant eyebrow, dry amusement glittering in her eyes. Rage Monkey covered his mouth, muffling a snicker.

Damien didn't waver. "Hurry up."

Fluffy sighed dramatically, folding his massive bone wings in resignation. "Fine. But let the record show my immense protest at this indignity!" With an exaggerated groan, his form shuddered, shrinking and compacting until standing before them was a tall, handsome man with flowing black hair, scarlet eyes, and a dramatically regal cloak.

Fluffy raised his chin proudly, still clearly disgruntled. "Even in this… limited form, my aura of greatness shines brightly."

Rage Monkey clapped excitedly. "Brother Fluffy looks stunningly handsome!"

Damien rolled his eyes slightly. "Let's move."

—

Dragon World – Territory of the Black Dragons

Upon arriving, Damien found himself staring out over an immense landscape of surreal beauty. Towering mountains of jet-black stone carved into sprawling castles stood amidst vast forests with shimmering obsidian leaves. Dark rivers wound their way through the land, reflecting a midnight sky dotted with stars that glittered like diamonds.

The sheer size and majesty of the black dragon's territory took Damien's breath away momentarily. Even Fluffy, initially sulking, stood in stunned admiration.

Rage Monkey's jaw dropped. "Wow, mom, this place is amazing! You dragons sure know how to live!"

Blackie shook her head slightly, her eyes distant yet warm. "This is my ancestral home. It is beautiful, yes, but dangerous too. Be careful."

Damien nodded seriously, signaling the group to follow him quietly. But their careful stealth lasted barely five minutes before they walked straight into trouble.

From the shadows emerged a massive black dragon surrounded by a host of 20 or so smaller black dragons. Their shimmering scales radiated overwhelming pressure and their cold violet eyes were haughty and filled with royal arrogance.

Damien felt a sudden sinking feeling.

"Humans?" the first and largest black dragon sneered, voice dripping with contempt. "In my territory? You must be either brave or exceedingly foolish."

Blackie froze, eyes narrowing sharply in recognition. "That's the Crown Prince…"

Damien tensed, sensing immediate danger. The Crown Prince raised one powerful claw lazily, issuing a bored command. "Capture these intruders. They shall serve as sparring prisoners. Perhaps some entertainment will come of it."

Dozens of black dragons descended swiftly, surrounding Damien and his companions. Rage Monkey's eyes darted around nervously, fists raised. Fluffy bristled indignantly, his human form quivering with barely contained rage.

"Did this oversized lizard just threaten the majestic Fluffy?" he growled dangerously, eyes blazing red.

Just as he prepared to unleash a devastating attack, Blackie placed a restraining hand on his shoulder. "Wait. We can always escape anytime. But becoming fighting prisoners might grant us easy access to the black dragon palace without needing to skulk and hide."

Damien considered quickly, then nodded. "She's right. Fluffy, Rage Monkey, restrain yourselves."

Fluffy howled with dramatic indignation, "Me, Fluffy, become a prisoner? Oh, the humiliation! My dignity, my pride—"

Damien glared sharply. "Fluffy, behave."

Fluffy huffed loudly, crossing his arms petulantly, and Rage Monkey whimpered softly, "Brother Fluffy, please don't be mad…"

As the dragons roughly shackled them, the Crown Prince approached Damien with cold amusement. "You look defiant, little human. Allow me to teach you humility."

The massive claw of the Crown Prince hovered menacingly above Damien, his violet eyes glinting with arrogant cruelty. A twisted, mocking smirk spread across the dragon's maw, revealing rows of gleaming, razor-sharp fangs.

"Look at you, pathetic human!" the Crown Prince sneered, contempt dripping from every word. "Did you truly believe you could walk into my territory and survive? Your kind exists only to serve—or to die entertaining us!"

His followers, dragons with sleek black scales and malicious eyes, chuckled darkly, nodding in sycophantic agreement. Their gazes lingered hungrily on Blackie's graceful figure, eyes filled with vile intent.

One of them snickered, voice laced with open lust. "Forget the human, let's keep the girl. Such beauty deserves proper appreciation."

Blackie's jaw tightened slightly, disgust flickering coldly in her eyes.

Damien's eyes half twinkled with amusement at their mindless bravado and half glinted with regret at the lost chance to be subtle.

"You think this is funny?" The Crown Prince snarled as he noticed Damien's amusement. "Why don't you go on and laugh… In hell!"

The Crown Prince sneered and was about to strike Damien down.

Yet, before he could do so, Fluffy snapped.

With a thunderous roar, he erupted into his towering guardian form. Massive skeletal wings exploded outward, shattering the chains like fragile twigs. Death energy surged violently from his body, causing the air itself to tremble with overwhelming power.

"You dare touch my caretaker?" Fluffy bellowed, voice echoing with primal rage. "The magnificent, the glorious Fluffy will not tolerate such insolence!"

Before the arrogant Crown Prince could react, Fluffy's monstrous claw slammed downward, unleashing a torrent of devastating death energy. The force obliterated the dragon prince in a cataclysmic explosion of shadow and bone, leaving nothing but charred remnants and swirling smoke.

A stunned, horrified silence blanketed the scene. The arrogant laughter of the prince's underlings died instantly, their smug faces twisted into shock and disbelief.

"Cro-Cro-Crown Prince? Where is he?"

"Is this an illusion? That eyeball over there… Crown Prince? Crown Prince?!"