Main Timeline.
A year has passed, and the war between dragons and elves continues. The smoke of battle spreads across many primary material worlds, and the outer planes are no exception, becoming battlegrounds for these two mighty races.
With the sudden disappearance of the lord of the Dragon Court, the elves in the primary material plane finally breathe a sigh of relief, as the absence of this demigod dragon, who could sweep through elven armies, grants them a momentary respite.
However, counterattacking the dragons is unrealistic. Even without Garon's initial involvement, the dragons remain the dominant side, though their advantage has diminished without him.
Now, the elves in the primary material worlds no longer attempt to drive out the dragonkind from their zones of conflict. Most elven strongholds have activated their Maze Ward barriers, settling into a daily routine of defense.
Defense is always easier than offense. The elves are adept at static defense, so despite the dragons' overall advantage, facing an elven army that refuses to concede or strike and behaves like turtles retracting into their shells means the dragons have not been able to achieve victory in just one year.
As for the battles between the deities of the outer planes, the immortal dragon god is closely watched by many other pantheons and cannot act rashly. The chief deity of the elves, previously severely injured in an ambush, is also absent from the battlefield, leaving the metallic dragon god and the goddess of life as the most powerful forces on both sides.
Although the goddess of life is a mighty deity and the metallic dragon god a lesser deity, the latter proves slightly stronger in terms of combat power. If the chief elven god were present, his power would match that of the metallic dragon god, but his spouse, the goddess of life, falls somewhat short.
On the divine level, the elven deities are also falling into decline. With the demigods and quasi-deities of dragons and elves continuously clashing in the outer planes, and due to Garon's influence, these demigods realize the importance of the primary material planes and shift their main battlegrounds from the outer planes.
This is necessary for the elves, who still hope to turn the tide of the war. When elven demigods descend to the primary material worlds, the quasi-deities of dragons must also leave the outer planes to confront them.
Previously, few demigods and quasi-deities were seen on the battlefields of the primary material worlds. But now, nearly every ten primary material worlds are designated as a major war zone, with quasi-deities of dragons and demigod elves arriving to take charge.
Consequently, with large numbers of demigod creatures descending to the primary material worlds, the risk of falling in the chaotic battlefields is significant. In just one year, the casualties exceed the total number of demigod casualties over the past ten thousand years.
Due to the dragons' superiority and the formidable combat power of true dragons, the scale of casualties among elven demigods is several times higher than that of the quasi-deity dragons.
Clearly, if this trend continues, the elven pantheon will not be able to sustain itself and will declare defeat.
After their defeat, the elves will likely leave the primary material worlds en masse to seek refuge in the elven realms to recover from the Dragonkind's sharp edge, as attacking divine realms is exceedingly difficult.
The elven realms can be seen as a divine realm jointly created by all the deities of the elven pantheon. Charging into an enemy's divine realm is an unwise idea.
In this context, with the fame of the lord of the Dragon Court, the Dragon Court continues to grow amid the flames of war, attracting dragons from different primary material worlds and even the outer planes.
Originally, many dragons were reluctant to be governed and were in a state of individual combat. However, now such dragons are becoming increasingly rare. Those who fought individually and survived the organized elven armies quickly realized the importance of backing a powerful organization.
At the same time, in the Dragon Court demi-plane, as ripples of time flowed through, the massive silver body of a dragon emerged from the river of time, becoming solid and substantial.
Garon looked around, assessing the Dragon Court demi-plane after a year's absence. War, while destructive, can also lead to highly efficient development. For instance, the Dragon Court demi-plane, now a hub for dragonkind, has grown even more potent.
Almost constantly, guardian dragons of the Dragon Court are casting spells to expand its space, stabilize its planar barrier, and set up numerous defensive and enhancement magic arrays.
With Garon's vision, he can no longer see the boundaries of the Dragon Court demi-plane.
"This demi-plane can now be called the Dragon Court plane," Garon thought to himself.
He also sensed even more potent presences. The power contained in the Dragon Horn contract had grown stronger, indicating an increase in members of the Dragon Court
. After the Dragon Court's expansion, Garon had not yet utilized the power of the Dragon Horn contract.
He felt that, if he exercised his authority as the lord of the Dragon Court and called upon the power of countless Dragon Court members to bolster himself, he might be able to fight above his level and contend with a lesser deity with his demigod body.
A year is but a fleeting moment in the long lives of dragons. Therefore, the return of the silver dragon did not cause an overly surprised reaction among the dragons residing in the Dragon Court, though they showed him respect.
"Dragon Court lord, the demigod Time Dragon, the Hunter Saint Dragon," a deep dragonic voice announced Garon's titles as it reached his ears.
Garon's gaze shifted towards the source of the voice.
In his field of vision, a massive red dragon with a body length of over seventy meters, comparable to Garon, approached slowly with vibrating dragon wings.
This was a red dragon.
Its deep red scales bore the marks of centuries, and its age exceeded ten thousand years. Its eyes seemed to be made of flowing lava, and its sharp claws and sturdy muscles contained unimaginable power.
Clearly, this was a quasi-deity dragon with the power of a demigod.
Garon had already noticed.
In the Dragon Court plane, several potent dragon presences lingered.
"Augustus, the Ancient Red Dragon, greets you," the red dragon said, nodding slightly in respect.
"Your form is even more robust than in the images."
Ancient dragons, as the quasi-deities call themselves, are distinguished from the typical primordial dragons. A thousand years might qualify one as a primordial dragon, but only those who have lived for ten thousand years can be called ancient dragons. Primordial dragons are the backbone of dragonkind, while ancient dragons represent the true depth of their lineage, accumulating over countless ages.
Some ancient dragons have lived for tens of thousands of years, experiencing the era of the Dragonfall Wars.
Though dragons are a long-lived race, becoming an ancient dragon while maintaining the physique and intellect of dragonkind requires exceptional talent; otherwise, joining a Dragon God's divine realm is the only path.
The ancient red dragon bowed slightly to Garon, expressing respect.
"Where do you come from?" Garon asked.
The ancient red dragon before him was connected to the Dragon Horn contract, indicating its membership in the Dragon Court.
Garon welcomed the addition of a quasi-deity dragon to the Dragon Court, which currently lacked high-end combat power. Both the Iron Dragon King and the Sun Dragon were just shy of demigod status.
This red dragon was not known in the primary material world, indicating that it came from an outer plane and had joined the Dragon Court within the past year.
It seems that the Dragon Court might soon need to set up an Ancient Council, Garon thought to himself.
"I previously resided in the Fire Elemental Plane," the dragon replied.
"After the outbreak of the war, I also battled the elves in the Fire Elemental Plane."
Garon nodded, smiling. "The Dragon Court welcomes you, Augustus."
The ancient red dragon's gaze was deep, and it smiled slightly in response. "Thank you for your recognition. The fame of the Dragon Court has already spread to the Fire Elemental realm, and you are to credit for that."
Compared to the young, hot-tempered, and arrogant red dragons, this ancient red dragon was humble and polite. Although it possessed a body size and power level similar to Garon's, it showed respect throughout, accepting Garon's leadership without any discontent.
The temperament of an ancient dragon is no longer influenced by instinct. Its nature might still be violent and cruel, but when necessary, it can perfectly restrain itself, appearing gentle and composed.
After a brief conversation, the ancient red dragon took its leave and returned to the Fire Elemental Plane's battleground.
Meanwhile, Garon learned that during this past year, a total of five ancient dragons had joined the Dragon Court.
Red Dragon, Terror Dragon, Blue Dragon, Silver Dragon, and a Spinal Ancient Dragon.
Moreover, these five dragons were not affiliated with any Dragon God's divine realm.
The ancient red dragon candidly told Garon that it sought the secret of immortality but had initially refrained from joining the Dragon Court, simply observing this new dragon organization.
In the lifetime of an ancient dragon, many such dragon organizations have been seen, most of which failed to develop further.
However, regarding the Dragon Court, it had a premonition that the Dragon Court would become a sacred place for dragonkind.
Or rather, the Dragon Court had already become a sacred place for dragonkind.
Ultimately, Garon returned from the time vortex. With each battle achievement, both the lord of the Dragon Court and its reputation soared, convincing Augustus to make the final decision to sign the Dragon Court's pact.
The reasons for the other four ancient dragons were similar.
Ancient dragons that had not entered a divine realm, although already quasi
-deities, still faced the constraints of lifespan. Each breakthrough in lifespan was perilously challenging.
Not all dragons were willing to become vassals of a Dragon God just to survive.
Dragons in a divine realm are limited to demigod status. To the free ancient dragons, a divine realm seems like a lifeless tomb, an option of last resort.
At this point, the Dragon Court was very attractive to dragons.
The Dragon Court is not a divine realm and does not demand worship.
Joining a divine realm involves worshipping a deity. While faith cannot be forced, gods possess the ability to influence minds. Initially, dragons in a divine realm may not believe in deities, but over time, under the influence of divine power, their minds gradually change, becoming loyal followers of the Dragon God.
Moreover, the Dragon Court's obligations to its members are not overly restrictive, only requiring some core duties that ancient dragons can accept.
And at this time, although the lord of the Dragon Court, a demigod Time Dragon, might not seem very powerful, as a Time Dragon, he is bound to reach the highest echelons of life and stand at the apex of the multiverse's food chain eventually.
Obeying the commands of a Time Dragon does not disgrace their dignity as ancient dragons.
"The magnitude of the Dragon Court is growing ever larger," Garon thought as he looked towards the Eternal Hall, flapping his dragon wings and moving unhurriedly through the roiling clouds, quietly observing the current state of the Dragon Court plane.
The Dragon Court, like him, is developing at an unbelievably rapid pace, especially during this period of war.
As long as Garon continues to grow, this organization under his dragon wings will also enjoy unstoppable development.
Soon, Garon arrived inside the Eternal Hall.
He ventured deep into the dragon's lair, amidst layers of treasures, and saw Yuna below, sound asleep.
Garon had been away in the continent of Faerûn for nearly a hundred years, but only just over a year had passed here.
In that time, Yuna's body size had broken through sixty meters, and her biological level had also reached forty, indicating that she, like Garon, had become a demigod dragon.
During Garon's absence, Yuna had woken up once. But since Garon was not there, she fell asleep again.
Her current sleep was due to drowsiness, not the need to absorb demigod crystal cores.
Seemingly sensing Garon's presence, Yuna tossed and turned in her sleep under the treasure, causing the gold and gemstones to flow like liquid with her movements.
The surface layer of gold and gemstones was stirred by Yuna's movements, revealing the powerful dragon body below.
Although Yuna's form was massive, her sleeping posture was like that of a young dragon.
She curled up, lying sideways amidst the layered treasures, with her tail stretched forward and held in her claws, occasionally nibbling on the tip, droplets of saliva occasionally falling onto the nearby gold coins.
Then, ordinary gold coins, as if enchanted, slowly floated up.
Many such floating gold and gemstones, visibly glowing dimly, were evident in the dragon's lair, clearly affected by Yuna's leaking power.
Garon chose not to awaken Yuna.
However, the sleeping Yuna seemed somewhat restless due to Garon's presence.
After tossing and turning a few times, unable to sleep, she slowly opened her groggy eyes.
The form of the silver dragon entered her view.
Yuna immediately realized her unsightly sleeping posture and covered her face with a gasp.
"Oh no."
"Garon, why didn't you wake me up?"
As she spoke, the power dragoness put her tail back, wiped the dragon saliva from the corner of her mouth, and with a slight spread of her dragon wings and her limbs together, her tail slightly curled around her, she stood up, assuming a pose that was relatively dignified and graceful for a true dragon.
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