The battle letter between Garon and the Lord of Rage was set for just one month later.
After Garon signed his name on the battle contract, the month swiftly passed, and the much-anticipated fight arrived on schedule.
The battlefield was set on an unnamed primary material world.
This world was devoid of life, with nothing but blowing sand and howling winds, the ground scorched by temperatures nearing a hundred degrees Celsius, without a single source of water or sign of life; an endless desert was its only theme.
Under normal circumstances.
Such a barren and lifeless primary material world would attract no attention from the deities, unless some had ulterior motives.
But today.
The desert world witnessed an unprecedented spectacle.
The world remained unchanged in its environment, but if a sensitive creature were here, looking up through the swirling sand at the sky, they would faintly sense a mix of divine, vast, or nearly blinding powers.
Many deities cast their gazes here.
The divine presence carried by the eyes of the deities made the desert world's sands seem as if tinged with a strange luminescence, no longer ordinary.
At this moment, no creatures could be seen here.
But as time quietly passed, a dark purple portal gradually opened.
Whoosh!
A shrieking cold wind burst forth, bringing with it countless large snowflakes, brutally crashing into the desert world.
The clash of low and high temperatures produced a sky full of mist.
Snowflakes intermingled with sand, layers of white and yellow blending together.
This created a bizarre and unique scene.
Simultaneously, a large foot stepped through the portal, landing on the now frost-covered desert world.
The titan deity, the Lord of Rage, Koschei, arrived in the desert world.
The blizzard and cold wind, from an unknown origin, replaced the swirling sands, and under the endless frost, this bare-chested, muscular giant like twisted vines, with each step forward, expanded the ice world, causing the original desert to take on a crystalline white hue.
At this moment, Koschei seemed like a king emerging from the ice and snow, his presence quite impressive.
Feeling the eyes of many deities upon him, as if the entire world was focused on him, and thinking of the promises made by the Lord of Storms, the Lord of Rage felt an unparalleled excitement and thrill.
Violent blood flowed within him, boiling and heating, the black demonic patterns on his skin twisting even more intensely.
Under this throbbing power, the Lord of Rage lifted his head and roared to the sky.
"I am a deity of the titan pantheon, the lord of the twenty-third layer of the frozen abyss."
"My name is Koschei! Known as the Lord of Rage, for all beings fear my fury and power."
"Today, as a titan deity, I will show the so-called eternal and temporal dragon the great power of the giants, to be defeated under my heavy hammer!"
Thud!
The Lord of Rage slammed his hammer onto the ground.
Instantly, the storm born from the skies centered around the Lord of Rage, spreading thousands of kilometers outward, turning the desert momentarily into a polar region.
"Eternal and temporal dragon, show yourself!"
"I can hardly wait to sacrifice your blood to my frost-cold heavy hammer!"
"My hammer is already thirsting for it!"
Though there was still some time before the battle officially started according to the contract, the Lord of Rage was already provocatively calling out.
In response, far away in the heavenly realm of Lunia, deity Garon, who was watching the desert world, looked on with the amusement one might reserve for a performing clown.
"Doesn't he know that the main character always appears last, yet he's so arrogant."
Deity Garon shook his head slightly.
Also in the Eternal Divine Realm, the metallic dragon god chuckled, saying, "Koschei is a lower-tier deity with two divine portfolios: strength and violence."
"He also possesses the ability of a frost giant to command ice and snow, as well as the abyssal power as a demon lord."
"Among lower-tier deities, Koschei's combat power is indeed not bad."
"But in the presence of a true powerhouse, his abilities are insufficient."
Of course, the so-called true powerhouse the metallic dragon god referred to was someone like Garon.
Speaking, the metallic dragon god's gaze flickered slightly, whispering, "The Lord of Storms is also watching this place."
Among the countless divine gazes currently converging on the desert world, one as tumultuous as a thunderstorm was that of the Lord of Storms, who was quietly watching Koschei.
"Do you think the Lord of Storms has made any preparations for this battle?"
"If the Lord of Rage loses too embarrassingly, it would be a blow to the dignity of the entire titan pantheon."
Koschei had declared his challenge as a titan deity,
not as a demon lord.
"It's very likely he has."
"I gave you the Goldscale Holy Sword to take this opportunity to completely kill this titan deity."
"The Lord of Storms likely harbors a similar intention and might provide Koschei with something akin to it to use against you."
"During the Dragonfall Wars, I clashed with the Lord of Storms, and even then, I felt that his schemes far surpassed ordinary titan deities. His daring to kill his father also confirmed my impression of him."
"So, it's best to be extra cautious."
The Stygian contract forming the battle letter clearly stated that no other beings could intervene during the fight, but weapons and divine arms obtained before the battle naturally don't count.
"It's alright, even divine weapons of powerful deities will be suppressed in the primary material world."
"And with his nature, even knowing that the Lord of Rage isn't his match, Garon won't be negligent in battle."
Deity Garon responded.
The conversation between the two was also known to Garon's true form in the Dragon Court plane.
Regarding this battle, Garon himself wasn't overly concerned.
However, as deity Garon said, given the special circumstances, even if Koschei was weak, he would not take him lightly.
"What kind of ace might the Lord of Storms have given Koschei according to the metallic dragon god?"
"If it's a divine weapon, that would be great, as it would be mine after the battle ends."
Garon wasn't apprehensive; on the contrary, he was somewhat looking forward to whatever ace Koschei might have, even though it was unclear if he truly had one.
At this moment, the Lord of Rage, having received no response to his provocations and feeling it uninteresting, stood still with his frost-cold heavy hammer, closing his eyes to conserve energy, waiting for Garon's arrival.
The River of Time that surrounded the desert world flowed quietly.
After a while, the calm waters suddenly rippled, and the ripples sketched the ethereal outline of a dragon.
The Lord of Rage's eyes snapped open, looking toward the disturbance in the River of Time.
Under the titan deity's gaze, the ethereal dragon outline quickly solidified into a majestic silver dragon clad in grey-scaled armor.
The silver dragon's wings unfolded, revealing a ring-like pattern of strange markings, with several distinctive black rings scattered across its body, its three pairs of formidable, winding horns glinting under the sunlight.
Just having appeared in the desert world, Garon immediately felt at least a hundred tangible gazes.
Spectators of divine and near-divine power were not uncommon at such duels.
After all, duels at the level of deities were rare.
On the other hand, the Lord of Rage, seeing the silver dragon steal all the attention upon his entrance, showed a somewhat displeased expression.
"Garon Aurelian, I don't believe you possess the great power spoken of in the rumors."
"I will, under the gaze of the gods, tear off your mask of deception and defeat you!"
The Lord of Rage said to Garon.
In response, Garon scoffed, his eyes displaying contempt as he spoke in a tone that seemed to state plain facts, "Are you worthy? It would be more appropriate if the Lord of Storms himself came."
The Lord of Rage's face darkened.
At the same time, the official time for the challenge arrived, and the Lord of Rage, unable to contain his boiling blood, swung his frost-cold heavy hammer from afar at Garon.
Boom!
A storm of knife-like cold wind and countless sharp ice shards erupted from the ground, sweeping toward Garon.
Simultaneously, the Lord of Rage charged forward with thundering steps.
A dark, oppressive red glow, evoking feelings of plunder, oppression, murder, power, and brutality, flowed endlessly around his body like a living thing, making him appear immensely powerful.
Less determined enemies, faced with such a display from the Lord of Rage, would unconsciously falter under the oppressive violence, falling into a disadvantage.
"The effects of the portfolios of violence and strength."
Garon's eyes narrowed slightly, identifying the nature of the glow emanating from the Lord of Rage.
"Whether it's violence or strength, both are portfolios known for their overwhelming force."
"But what you're facing now is an existence far beyond your own."
The dragon murmured softly.
Simultaneously, watching the blizzard charging towards him, Garon's dragon wings swept fiercely.
The power to command wind and snow, a trait of his white dragon lineage, instantly took control of the blizzard.
After a momentary pause, the raging blizzard, which had been assaulting Garon, turned and swept towards the Lord of Rage.
The Lord of Rage paused slightly, seemingly surprised that Garon also possessed the power to control snow, and was even more proficient.
Whoosh!
The Lord of Rage took a deep breath, stopping abruptly while stomping
heavily, causing the surrounding ice to suddenly cave and crack.
A black and red glow twisted around his arms, causing them to swell suddenly, veins bulging like blood snakes, hissing as if they were red-hot iron, seemingly containing endless power.
Then, with a twist of his waist, he completed a spinning motion in one fluid movement, swinging the heavy hammer down fiercely.
Portfolio of Strength: Hammer of Might!
Boom!
The portfolio allowed the Lord of Rage's heavy hammer to transform into a mountainous super-giant hammer, brutally dispersing the counterattacking blizzard, then shattering into about a dozen smaller hammers, raining down on Garon like a meteor shower.
There were sixteen splintered hammers in total, each essentially a divine skill formed by supernatural power through a divine portfolio, each as heavy as a billion tons and as large as a mountain.
"Interesting."
Seeing the opponent's portfolio power, Garon's eyes lit up.
In fact, this battle with the Lord of Rage was Garon's first formal confrontation with a true deity.
After ascending to a quasi-lesser godly power, Garon had fought with the scion of Chaos, the Lord of the Shallow Shadows, and the eternal dragon of another realm, but the scion of Chaos and the Lord of the Shallow Shadows were purely demon lords, not deities, lacking portfolios and divine power.
Although the eternal dragon had a time portfolio and divine power, it was completely suppressed by Garon, unable to manifest effectively, and being only a demigod, it lacked stable divinity and significant portfolio capabilities.
Now, seeing the Lord of Rage's portfolio power piqued Garon's curiosity.
If not for his near-divine power capable of matching divine power, the Lord of Rage's Hammer of Might would wreak devastating damage.
"It seems this battle won't be too boring."
Garon lifted his neck, summoning the rushing waters of the River of Time.
In an instant, the sky changed color, and the world trembled.
Despite the restrictions of the primary material world's rules, Garon, with a two-kilometer-long body akin to a silver mountain, made a brilliant entrance, each breath stirring violent winds, his presence formidable.
The dragon lowered its head, exhaling a breath as refining as molten steel.
The Breath of Time Annihilation swept through, destroying every incoming hammer, continuing unabated towards the Lord of Rage.
The Lord of Rage, feeling the power of Garon's breath, chose not to rely on a divine shield to resist but wisely dodged to avoid the brunt of the attack.
After the breath was spent, the silver dragon flapped its wings, its massive body crossing the sky, bringing with it wind pressure that reversed the blizzard, charging directly at the Lord of Rage.
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