"You've seized the authority of death, and now you seem to be a lesser god," Garon observed, stroking his chin scales thoughtfully as he looked at Karsus's avatar.
Karsus, when he had initiated the deification spell, was still a ways from demi-godhood. With the aid of a powerful divine force, he had already ascended to demi-godhood.
Thus, upon returning to the main timeline, it would indeed be feasible for Garon to use the deification spell on a medium divine power, especially with the assistance of a dragon god.
Although the dragon gods aren't like the goddess of magic, who could provide various enhancements for the deification spell, Garon's target was not a powerful divine force. The gods of fate and history within the elven pantheon were not particularly strong entities within the medium divine forces.
"You have an insightful vision," Karsus nodded and said.
He paused, looking up somewhat helplessly at the silver dragon, "Teacher, it seems that even in my current state in the prime material world, I'm still no match for you."
Becoming a god, but it seemed he still couldn't completely surpass his own teacher.
This left Karsus feeling a bit conflicted.
Garon laughed heartily and said to Karsus, "You may not know, but in the timeline I come from, my enemies have given me a nickname."
Karsus looked curious.
"What nickname?"
"The Hunter of Saints," the silver dragon said calmly.
"Because those deities that have fallen by my hand, the strongest avatars of deities in the prime material world, nearly ten in total, included those transformed from medium divine powers."
Pausing, the deep and profound voice of the dragon resounded once more.
"As for the powerful divine saints, they have never made a move against me."
"But why don't they try?"
Garon grinned.
"Because they know, even as powerful gods, they have no assurance of victory over me in the prime material world."
"They fear being defeated by me, fear becoming stepping stones that forge my reputation, thus they dare not act."
The silver dragon's bold words were almost a naked challenge to the deities, but the casual confidence in his speech let Karsus know his dragon teacher was not boasting.
"I know you are no ordinary demi-god dragon," Karsus said, looking at Garon.
"I've only managed to seize the authority of death, and even after ascending to godhood, I am but a lesser god. It seems I can't be of much help to you."
Garon gazed at his new disciple, who had become the god of death, and examined him for a while.
Then, under Karsus's watchful eye, Garon said earnestly, "Karl, you seem to underestimate the power of death."
"The authority of death has always been regarded by Yegor as his core authority, its power is far more profound than that of a mere lesser divine power."
"If you can deeply master the authority of death, even powerful divine forces will not underestimate you."
In the main timeline, Yegor was primarily known as the ancient god of death.
Because the current god of death is no longer Yegor.
Unlike here, in the main timeline, Yegor actively divested his own authorities, bestowing them upon others, ultimately creating two powerful divine forces and one medium divine force, keeping only the authority of death for himself and becoming a lesser god.
But there has never been any deity who underestimated the lesser divine power of the ancient god of death.
Death is one of the most potent authorities because all things ultimately face death, including the immortal gods, who may also be ended by death.
Having only the authority of death still holds an infinite future.
As for Yegor, now stripped of the authority of death,
At this time, Yegor has fallen to medium divine power, merely because he was first wounded by the Divine Form Annihilation spell and then weakened after losing his core authority.
He still possesses ten divine domains, and it is foreseeable that it's only a matter of time before he returns to being a powerful divine force, although his strength will certainly be diminished. However, he will definitely seek to regain the death authority at any cost.
"So, even though you have successfully ascended to godhood, you must not slacken."
"Yegor will always be watching you, looking for an opportunity to take back the authority of death."
"Before that, you would do well to thoroughly master the power of death to cope with the threat that Yegor might pose."
"This authority has the potential to make you a powerful divine force; do not waste it."
Garon admonished Karsus.
Karsus nodded gravely.
"The underworld is created based on the power of the authority of death."
"My true form will leave the star realm immediately and enter the underworld until I
can fully control the authority of death."
The underworld, also known as the death god's realm.
The scale and configuration of the death god's realm are undoubtedly on the level of a powerful divine force. Situated in the underworld, Karsus's safety would be greatly secured.
Listening to Karsus's words, Garon could imagine Yegor's frenzied state.
"As for the deification spell, I've already received warnings from the gods."
Karsus said to Garon.
"If I use the deification spell again, the gods will rise up against it."
"The goddess of magic suggested that I permanently seal away the details of the deification spell."
Although it wasn't completely successful and required many prerequisites, with divine assistance nearly impossible to secure, the end result of seizing a powerful divine authority still unsettled the pantheon.
Whether in the main timeline or here, the deification spell was thus considered the greatest masterpiece of mortal spellcasters across the multiverse.
At the same time, this spell was also regarded as a forbidden magic.
"No matter, you are the god of death, but you are also still a grand arcanist."
"Your wisdom as a grand arcanist still exists."
"Remember, it wasn't the deification spell that made you, but you who created the deification spell."
Karsus's mentality was still much weaker compared to true deities.
The knowledge and memories stemming from the authority of death were more like a movie watched from the outside because they weren't Karsus's own experiences, affecting his psyche to some extent, but not significantly.
However, this also meant he had great potential for growth.
"You are right."
"Compared to the god of death, I prefer the identity of a grand arcanist."
Karsus smiled slightly and said.
Then,
"Teacher, I must leave now. The prime material world is no longer where I should linger."
"If you need my help, just call upon me through the Time Alliance, and I will be there as promised."
Karsus looked up and said.
"Go then."
"There's one more thing I need to do before that," he said as Karsus closed his eyes.
The power of the authority of death was released, descending upon the world of Faerûn.
Simultaneously,
The bodies of arcanists and Ferlin magi who had died in the war were suddenly enveloped by a surge of death god power, then disappeared without a trace.
Karsus took these deceased into the death god's realm.
He could resurrect these beings within his realm.
Later, he would also protect every arcanist and Ferlin magus.
Grand arcanists with the spell of eternal life do not die, but ordinary arcanists will eventually face death, at which time Karsus will welcome them to the underworld.
During the use of the deification spell, Karsus had the arcanists and Ferlin magi share the pressure through the arcane chain; now was the time to reciprocate.
For the Empire of Netheril, Karsus, although ascended to godhood, still held deep affections.
The use of the spell of eternal life by grand arcanists is a challenge to the authority of death, but now, as the god of death, Karsus was willing to forgive this behavior of the grand arcanists.
After taking the war-deceased into the underworld, Karsus nodded gently to Garon, and his avatar simultaneously disappeared.
Garon looked towards the clear, gem-like sky, his gaze calm.
Yegor is a very powerful being.
His strength compares well even against the chief gods of some pantheons, fortunately, because magic is omnipresent, the goddess of magic is also of this level of divine power, which enabled the deification spell to succeed.
Yegor, having lost the death authority, will be an eternal enemy to Karsus in the future.
It will be up to Karsus how he handles this going forward.
Now, the future trajectory of this world has been disrupted, and Garon's vision is also shrouded in fog.
However, Garon isn't overly worried for Karsus; he isn't alone, the goddess of magic is his ally, and Karsus himself is a gifted grand arcanist capable of creating masterpieces like the deification spell, and possibly other forbidden spells in the future to deal with Yegor.
The silver dragon folded his wings and returned to the depths of the canyon.
Looking at the ravaged surroundings, Garon cast a World Weaving spell.
Under his will, the barren and desolate land sprouted bright green grass and vivid flowers again, the dry riverbeds filled with flowing water, and tall ancient trees rose again, filling the canyon and quickly returning it to a vibrant state.
Remaining in the canyon, the silver dragon began his study and research of magic.
During this visit to the continent of Faerûn,
he had collected many powerful spells, including those of the twelfth ring and even a thirteenth-ring spell given by Ioelum.
These spells required focused study to master and would consume a lot of time.
Rather than spending a lot of time learning them back in the main timeline, it was better to master them here where the flow of time differed from the main timeline and then leave once done.
The deification spell was also among the spells to be mastered.
This spell's details, aside from the version stored in Garon's mind, had all been permanently sealed away.
The canyon housing the dragon returned to silence.
Meanwhile,
In Netheril, the arcanists were rebuilding their homeland after the defeat of the death legion.
They used spells similar to the World Weaving spell, or grand arcanists directly employed the World Weaving spell to repair the environments extensively desertified by the Ferlin magi's mana drain and areas damaged by the death god power.
The deeds of Karsus, the grand arcanist who successfully ascended to godhood, along with his deification spell, were recorded in the history of Netheril.
[The late era of deification.
The light of Netheril, Karsus, with his self-created deification spell and the help of the interdimensional dragon and the goddess of magic, successfully seized the death authority from the Master of All Ends and ascended in one step to become the new sovereign of death, the god of death.]
Many arcanists regarded Karsus as a role model, seeing him as the greatest pride of arcanists.
Because before him, no arcanist had become a deity, especially in such an incredible manner.
At the same time, Karsus modified his holy emblem, turning it into a slightly open hand filled with magic runes, the Hand of Death.
The doctrine of the god of death also slowly changed over time.
The previous doctrine of death believed that death was the end of everything, that all processes in life evolved toward the ultimate death. The current doctrine, however, considers death as an end but also a representation of rebirth.
In the floating cities of Netheril, there now exist only two kinds of divine churches.
The Church of the Goddess of Magic and the Church of Death.
These two deities gained some of the faith of arcanists and protected the magical empire of Netheril with their divine powers.
Meanwhile, legends about the Time Dragon appeared on the continent.
The Church of the Time Dragon was established, drawing beings from all over the world, possessing different abilities and from different races, who gathered together out of reverence and admiration for the Time Dragon, writing doctrines, creating prayers, and promoting the deeds of the Time Dragon.
One day,
Members of the Church of the Time Dragon gathered together to pray to Garon.
"Please hear the call of your humble followers.
Lord of the Dragons!
The Only One of the Realms!
The source of change, the master of time and space, the wing of calamity, the immortal dragon, the lord of the colorless river, the embodiment of eternal time, the teacher of death, the manifestation of the unchanging river of everything, the traveler through time, the master of fate, the destroyer and protector of the empire!
The all-encompassing eternal dragon!
Your loyal, humble followers call upon you here, crave your response here, and pray for your reply here!"
This prayer ceremony, after mentioning many of Garon's traits, directly reached his ears.
Garon was quite astonished by this.
No other reason than that this suddenly emerged Church of the Time Dragon seemed very fervent, somehow knowing some of his deeds, and the written prayer was quite exaggerated, touting him as overly powerful.
Of course, Garon would not refuse their faith.
The Church of the Time Dragon, in Garon's view, was just a small organization, with just a few hundred members at the time, but it seemed they were creatures with an unusual fervor for true dragons, possessing good potential.
Thus, Garon responded to their prayers.
"Great, merciful, and benevolent eternal dragon, your humble followers beg you to descend with your mighty power and grant your followers a trace of strength."
Upon hearing this prayer, Garon had a realization.
By responding to the prayer, through the thread of faith, he could grant the other party a slight power of time.
And the followers who received his power rejoiced wildly, providing the time deity with a higher level of faith in a very short time.
"In this timeline's faith, I wonder if I can still sense it when I return to the main timeline."
After ending the prayer ceremony, Garon thought to himself.
He had a feeling that he probably could.
The river of time flowed quietly.
Garon mastered the spells one by one, and the deification spell had also been learned years ago through the direct guidance of Karsus's avatar.
Meanwhile, the fame of the Time Deity, or the members
of the Church of the Time Dragon, gradually rose in the continent of Faerûn.
Because they wielded a trace of time's mighty power, the Time Deities always prevailed in fights of the same level, naturally making a name for themselves and thus attracting more followers.
The prayer written by a member, because it sounded quite high in stature, also attracted a lot of interest when it spread, and likewise attracted many people.
Of course, it was still only a small organization.
Because Garon did not want false faith.
The Church of the Time Dragon only recruited members who had a fervent faith in true dragons; ordinary admiration and worship were not accepted, only those with a higher purity of faith had the opportunity to enter.
After several decades of development, the Church of the Time Dragon still only had about a thousand members.
After Karsus ascended to godhood, Garon spent a quiet and fulfilling fifty years in Faerûn, finally mastering all the spells he had acquired.
During this time, Netheril's grand arcanists produced many powerful spells.
But Garon did not collect them again.
Otherwise, after he learned them, new spells would appear, and he could not always stay in Faerûn to learn spells, which is an endless path even the Goddess of Magic has not reached the end of.
Nearly a hundred years after Garon came to this timeline.
With a deep dragon chant, the silver dragon stretched its wings and stood up from the peak of the canyon.
It was time to leave.
Before leaving, he notified Ioelum and said goodbye to this grand arcanist. As for Karsus, having become a divine being, he was aware of Garon's departure under his watch.
When Ioelum heard the news of Garon's departure, he hurriedly came from the Ferlin domain.
Now, the Ferlin magi, having gone through various events with the Empire of Netheril and with Ioelum's covert efforts, had become firm allies; exchanges between the Ferlin domain and the floating cities had become commonplace.
The mana drain technique of the Ferlin magi allowed arcanists to more finely control magical energy in environments with weak magic, honing their will.
And the wisdom of the arcanists' spells also greatly benefited the Ferlin magi as spellcasters.
Even some arcanists with unusual quirks established families with Ferlin magi and attempted to create corresponding spells to break reproductive barriers.
"Ioelum, why do you always stay in the Ferlin domain?"
"You wouldn't really—"
Garon looked Ioelum up and down, implying more with his gaze.
Ioelum ignored Garon's teasing, knowing that saying more would only further amuse Garon.
"Are you leaving?"
Garon nodded, "Yes, I've gotten what I wanted, and I've stayed here long enough."
After fighting continuously for more than two years, then resting for nearly a hundred years, Garon felt a bit rusty and needed to return to the main timeline to train with the elves again.
Having accumulated countless spells, he also needed to put them to use.
Learning them but not having a chance to use them made Garon quite restless.
"Hmm, last time you stayed for about a hundred years as well."
"So, will you come back in the next millennium?"
Ioelum asked.
Garon smiled and said to Ioelum, "Maybe, my friend. When I miss you, I might come here to see you; I hope you're still alive by then."
Ioelum also smiled and said, "Don't forget who invented the spell of eternal life."
After a pause, Ioelum said, "In recent years, a Church of the Time Dragon has emerged in Faerûn, growing quite rapidly. Its core members can use time-related abilities."
After speaking, he looked at Garon.
Garon shook his head, "Some people worship me, and I have granted them power."
"If you don't mind, help this organization discreetly."
"You want to ascend to godhood through faith?"
Under the dragon's shadow, Ioelum's gaze flickered as he spoke.
Garon candidly replied, "Of course, transcendent divine power is a fine thing, and becoming a high god is also an interesting matter."
Ioelum nodded and said, "I look forward to the day you ascend to godhood."
Garon looked down at Ioelum and said, "You've been a demi-god for a long time, maybe you could try to ignite the divine fire and ascend to the divine throne."
Ioelum decisively shook his head.
"I often study magic with Karsus, and we've just discovered a new form of magic power."
"After mastering it deeply, it might give me a chance to become something like a lesser god."
Garon became interested, "What kind of magic power?"
He remembered that when Karsus was young, he had mentioned wanting to use
a new form of magic against mana drain, but he was corrected by Garon who needed the deification spell.
But it seemed that Karsus really hadn't forgotten his original intent.
"A new form of magic that is highly concentrated and solid, formed in the most energy-efficient way."
Saying this, Ioelum raised his hand.
A thick substance, resembling tar or clumped honey, slowly flowed and writhed in his palm as a tangible object. However, this object seemed imperfect, constantly leaking wisps of magic power into the air.
"We call it, heavy magic," Ioelum explained.
Garon stared at the heavy magic for a while.
A concentrated form of tangible magic was indeed quite peculiar.
"With the same amount of energy, heavy magic can achieve effects several times, or even ten times, those of ordinary magic."
"But it's still very unstable; in the course of research, I blew up a forest."
Ioelum said.
Garon softly said, "But it will succeed eventually."
As a spellcaster, he was quite interested in heavy magic, but Garon didn't plan to participate in the research.
Once Ioelum and Karsus had concrete results, he would come here again to humbly learn.
Then, after saying goodbye to Ioelum, Garon opened a portal in time and space, stepping into it and returning to the main timeline.
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