Weeks ago, when Garon first arrived at the Frozen Wastes.
"This is the twenty-third layer of the Bottomless Abyss, the Frozen Wastes."
In the boundless, icy polar world, the silver dragon, bathed in divine light, floated high above the sky, surveying the Frozen Wastes with an indifferent gaze, taking in the landscape of this abyssal layer.
Although this place was part of the Abyss, its primary inhabitants were not demons due to the unique and monotonous environment. Instead, because the previous ruler was the frost giant known as the Angry Lord, the most numerous and common creatures here were frost giants.
Frost giants can be found in any icy and snowy environment, whether in the prime material world, the upper planes, or the lower planes. The only difference is in their abundance.
Under Garon's scrutiny, various frost giant tribes and cities dotted the Frozen Wastes.
Due to the overwhelming number of frost giants, the howling winds of the Frozen Wastes seemed to carry an odor that Garon found distasteful.
"Now that I have taken control of the Frozen Wastes, what should I do with these frost giants?"
With that thought, Garon's gaze turned as cold and severe as the environment, filled with chilling murderous intent. Due to his youth spent battling frost giant tribes in the Far North Ice Fields and the inherent enmity between their races, Garon had no sympathy for frost giants.
"These vermin are better off dead."
Turning his head, Garon's gaze stretched out and precisely locked onto two towering mountains and the grand ice fortress nestled between their snow-covered peaks.
Many frost giant clans were established around these two large ice mountains, and the guards within the ice fortress were mostly legendary frost giants of considerable strength.
The most powerful frost giants in the Frozen Wastes were concentrated around the ice fortress in Garon's view.
"An abyssal layer is not small; its vast surface area is so extensive that even I cannot perceive it in its entirety."
"For now... let's ignore the scattered giant tribes across the Frozen Wastes."
"Let's start by cleansing Koschei's ice fortress first."
With a flap of his wings, Garon vanished from the swirling snow, appearing almost instantly above the ice fortress.
The dragon's wings spread wide, his divine and draconic presences intermingling and undulating, dispelling the perpetual snowstorm covering the area and clearing the view.
At the same time.
Sensing the tangible divine and draconic presences, the frost giants and demons living nearby looked up in alarm.
A silver dragon blocked out the sun, coming into view.
Garon's physical form, although only a hundred meters from head to tail and not particularly large by abyssal standards, exuded a level of divinity and power far surpassing ordinary creatures. To those of lesser life forms, Garon seemed immeasurably majestic, like a titanic beast reaching the heavens.
At first glance at Garon.
The frost giants and demons, once loyal to Koschei, felt a chill in their hearts. The demons were somewhat better off, but especially the giants, with their already rough and rugged faces, twisted further in fear and horror, looking even more grotesque.
Garon landed atop the ice fortress, his massive dragon form unabashedly releasing waves of divine and draconic presence.
Garon's indifferent eyes swept across all directions as he declared, "I am the Lord of the Dragon Court, the master of time and fate, the Eternal and Time Dragon."
"Today, my divine might will cleanse the Frozen Wastes, purging all foolish mortals who despise me."
"Those loyal to the Angry Lord, and those who are enemies of the dragon race, will all face eternal demise."
No sooner had he spoken than a swarm of demonic guards flew out from the ice fortress, hastily calling out to Garon, "Mighty Dragon God, we only followed the ruler of the Frozen Wastes, not the frost giant god."
"You now hold the Frozen Wastes, and we are willing to serve you."
To these demons, it mattered little whether their lord was a dragon or a giant.
Their loyalty was notoriously fickle.
"A wise choice; I see the reverence for me in your eyes."
"I accept your allegiance."
"Now, prove your mettle with the blood of the giants in this land!"
Garon overlooked the land, speaking down to them.
An abyssal layer was large, and to manage it effectively, it was necessary to recruit some of the local demons as subordinates. Once things settled, Garon also planned to bring some true dragons who could withstand the cold and abyss to serve loyally here, and even deploy some of his mechanized legions.
The spectacle then unfolded.
Although the frost giants and demons under the Angry Lord's command had never gotten along well, they had generally tolerated each other without serious conflicts. Now, under Garon's watchful
eye, they turned on each other.
However, as soon as the battle started, the demons were routed, beaten soundly by the frost giants.
Garon observed this and shook his head, though this outcome was not unexpected.
The Angry Lord had ruled the Frozen Wastes for a long time, favoring the development of frost giants over demons due to his distrust of the latter, resulting in a significantly stronger frost giant presence in the area.
Furthermore, being in the presence of a dragon god, the frost giants knew they likely wouldn't survive much longer.
Also, as followers of the Angry Lord, these frost giants were naturally belligerent and relished in combat.
Thus, these frost giants fought fiercely and fearlessly, like beasts cornered in a fight to the death.
Even one frost giant, who had nearly stepped into the demigod tier and served as the captain of the ice fortress's guards, after tearing several legendary demons to shreds, roared furiously and charged directly at Garon perched atop the fortress.
"Damned Dragon God, die!"
The frost giant leaped powerfully, its force shattering the ground beneath it, and soared upwards like a shooting star.
Midair, amidst the howling wind and blizzard, it wielded its power over ice and snow to form a sharp, hefty ice spear in its hands. Muscles bulging, it reached the apex of its jump and hurled the spear at Garon, enveloped in divine light.
Garon watched the frost giant with a look of pity.
"Roaring and challenging a deity, you might think yourself brave."
"Little do you know, in the eyes of a god, you are but an overconfident, ignorant insect."
As a mid-tier deity, although Garon did not possess the near-invulnerable combat prowess of his true form, he was still a formidable divine being. Being harmed by a frost giant not yet a demigod would be a disgrace unworthy of his divine stature.
The frost giant's ice spear flew fast as lightning.
But in Garon's eyes, it moved as slow as a snail.
Under the hopeful gaze of the frost giant, the silver dragon nonchalantly flicked a claw at the spear.
Hiss!
In an instant, the ice spear reversed course, flying back even faster, more ferocious, and sharper than before.
The frost giant only saw a blur before feeling an icy chill piercing through.
A whooshing sound seemed to emanate from its chest.
Looking down, the frost giant saw a clean, gaping hole through its torso, the landscape visible through the other side, with the cold wind whistling through.
"Ah!"
The frost giant tried to gather energy to heal the wound.
However, how could it dispel the divine power that had harmed its body without equivalent divine power? After a futile struggle of a second or two, the frost giant, previously so formidable, became a corpse plummeting from the sky.
"My lord is mighty!"
A legendary Ice Spine Devil, covered in icy spines and several meters tall, shamelessly shouted in praise.
"Traitor!"
The frost giant opposing it glared in anger.
The Ice Spine Devil revealed a mouthful of sharp teeth, grinning wickedly at the frost giant, "Heh, thanks for the compliment."
To demons, betrayal is a term of endearment.
Betrayal among demons is as common as eating and drinking.
With the death of the Angry Lord and no lordly power to restrain them, these demons felt no remorse in their treachery.
Seeing the strongest frost giant guard die miserably, no other frost giant dared attack Garon anymore. Even in a hostile state, it took enormous courage to act against a god under the influence of his divine presence.
Unfortunately, without sufficient strength, such courage was worthless and cheap.
After watching the battle between demons and frost giants for a while, Garon grew bored.
After all, he wanted to see the frost giants' despair, not the current scene of frost giants beating the demons into a sorry state.
The dragon stationed atop the fortress shifted his body, slowly standing up and shaking his wings.
Simultaneously, rolling divine power mixed with overwhelming supernatural force burst forth, sweeping all around.
Every frost giant in its path froze, their actions halting.
Then, with expressions of pain, they exploded into a shower of blood, coloring the snowy world with a vivid red, like beautiful fireworks bursting forth.
Around the ice fortress, tens of thousands of frost giants exploded simultaneously, the thick scent of blood wafting through the air.
With a thought from Garon, a light shone, purifying the remnants and blood.
In just a moment, the area was pristine as if the bloody spectacle had been but an illusion. Snowflakes continued to fall, and the unending cold wind blew as if nothing had happened apart from the disappearance of countless frost giants.
The demons stood dumbfounded.
Having witnessed Garon's might, they began to worship the majestic dragon god, expressing their 'loyalty' with much fervor. In the demon world, filled with deceit and betrayal, their inherent respect and pursuit of power made their awe of the strong not entirely insincere.
Of course, Garon knew better than to trust the loyalty of demons, their ready betrayal still fresh in his memory.
However, as long as he could keep them under control, they could indeed be useful.
Having dealt with the largest congregation of frost giants, Garon took a deep breath.
The stench of giants that once permeated the air had almost completely dissipated, making the air seem fresher and sweeter to him.
With the main stronghold cleared, the scattered frost giant tribes across the Frozen Wastes were insignificant. Garon casually commanded the demons who had just pledged their loyalty, "I was not impressed with your performance just now. Now, I'm giving you another task, another chance to prove yourselves—clear out the remaining frost giant tribes in the Frozen Wastes."
"If you cannot even handle such a simple task, then leave the Frozen Wastes of your own accord."
With Garon's command, the demons sprang into action.
"By your will, your wish is our command!"
After expressing seemingly devout loyalty, the demons dispersed enthusiastically to raid the frost giant tribes.
As creatures naturally inclined towards bloodshed and brutality, the demons relished the opportunity to wreak havoc, enthusiastically embracing Garon's orders.
Meanwhile.
Garon's gaze shifted, focusing on a seemingly ordinary spot in the snow-covered space.
"How long will you hide? Show yourself."
The dragon spoke in a calm, unhurried manner.
Whoosh!
A swirl of blood-red flames burst into existence out of nowhere, then coalesced into form.
Under Garon's watchful eyes, a demon with horns on its head and a pair of wings that seemed to be made of flames appeared.
Its upper body was bare, displaying dark red skin covered with many crack-like textures emitting a lava-like glow, starkly contrasting with the icy environment.
The temperature around immediately began to rise with the demon's appearance.
The collision of high heat and low temperatures created steaming mists, hissing audibly.
This was a Flame Demon, one of the Tanaari demons from the 21st layer of the Bottomless Abyss.
Flame Demons bear some resemblance to the Pit Fiends of the Nine Hells, though they are somewhat shorter and bulkier, with slightly less impressive appearances. While their status among demons is not low, they do not hold as high a position as Pit Fiends among devils.
"Which lord are you?"
"Are you coveting this territory of mine that belongs to me?"
Garon's gaze narrowed as he spoke.
During his communication with the Chaos After, it was made clear that claiming the Frozen Wastes would attract significant attention, as a newly lordless abyssal layer would attract many powerful demons.
"Discovering me so easily, the Eternal and Time Dragon truly lives up to his reputation."
The Flame Demon grinned, his tone devoid of malice.
There might have been malice initially, but after witnessing Garon's performance, the Flame Demon thought it wiser to foster a friendly relationship.
In any place, the distribution of living creatures always follows a pyramid scheme—the stronger the creature, the fewer their number.
The Bottomless Abyss is no exception.
Most abyssal demon lords possess minor divine power; those with intermediate divine power stand out among them, and those with major divine power are among the most renowned demon lords.
This Flame Demon lord, holding intermediate divine power, wasn't at the bottom among demon lords, but he wasn't among the truly strong either.
"My name is Kaldurum, lord of the Crematorium, the 21st layer of the Bottomless Abyss."
"I heard that you intended to take residence in the Frozen Wastes and claim lordship here, and since my layer is close to yours, I wanted to see for myself the Eternal and Time Dragon of legend."
"I've always had issues with Koschei, and hearing of his death at your hands was quite pleasing to me."
Flame Demons coexisting peacefully with frost giants would indeed be unusual.
However, despite being stronger than Koschei, the Flame Demon lord had to be cautious because of Koschei's backing from the giant god clan.
"In the material world, there's a saying that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I think we might benefit from more interaction in the future, perhaps even becoming allies."
"I just wonder, would a dragon god be willing to befriend a demon?"
Aside from the Flame Demon lord's appearance, his tone was surprisingly amiable.
After listening to the Flame Demon lord's proposal, Garon calmly replied, "I don't mind forming an alliance with demons, but before we become official allies, perhaps we could start with some simple resource trading."
Taking up residence in the Abyss and maintaining a hostile stance towards all demons would only make things unpleasant
for himself.
Moreover, dragons don't inherently despise demons.
They're just evil beings, after all. Some of the chromatic dragons share traits with demons, some even more so.
However, an ally isn't just a title.
To become allies, a binding pact that could hold both parties is essential.
"I look forward to becoming true allies with a dragon god in the future."
The Flame Demon lord laughed heartily, his body wreathed in flames as he spoke.
Until now, there had been no dragon gods in the Bottomless Abyss, and Garon was the first to take up residence there.
Having a divine realm in the heavenly planes while holding a territory in an abyssal layer is quite rare among deities.
Having grown up in the Far North Ice Fields, Garon was familiar with and unbothered by the environment of the Frozen Wastes. However, his willingness to come to the Bottomless Abyss wasn't really about claiming the Frozen Wastes.
Once the plan to hunt giant deities was over, regardless of success, Garon's true form would return to his divine realm, leaving only an avatar to manage the Frozen Wastes.
After exchanging words with Kaldurum for a while, the Flame Demon lord left the Frozen Wastes.
Some time later, having settled into the ice fortress, Garon's attention was drawn to information relayed by an avatar he had left in his divine realm, which he received from the saint Eur about Solem's decision to venture to the Frozen Wastes.
Garon was curious about how Eur convinced the hesitant god of frost giants to take the risk, so he inquired further.
Upon learning that Solem was motivated to seize the Frozen Wastes just to make Eur smile, Garon couldn't help but feel sad for him.
Bewitched by a goddess of ill repute like Eur, who else if not the god of frost giants was doomed to die?
In the empty expanse of the ice fortress, Garon seemed to mutter to himself, "Lord of the Triple Realm, it's all on you now."
A magnetic voice emerged from nowhere, entering Garon's ears, soothingly stating, "The god of frost giants, Solem? A worthy prey. I'll ensure he remains in the Abyss forever."
"But, do not forget our agreement, or I shall be very upset."
Now, the movements of the dragon god clan were also under the strict surveillance of the giant gods.
Therefore, other dragon gods couldn't assist Garon in hunting the god of frost giants since, under the vigilant watch of the giant gods, it would be difficult for other dragon gods to enter the Abyss without revealing their traces.
If any abnormalities were discovered, the god of frost giants would certainly not choose to come to the Frozen Wastes.
But, without the help of other dragon gods, relying solely on Garon's power, it was obviously impossible to detain or kill the god of frost giants.
The opponent was not weak, and without sufficient numbers of intermediate divine powers, or a major divine power, it was impossible to stop Solem if he decided to flee.
Thus, the Immortal Dragon Queen made a deal with a demon lord.
Among all the demon lords in the Abyss, the most famous are undoubtedly the three Demon Princes.
Then there are those like the Archdukes, titled as either Grand Dukes or Lords among demons.
Archdukes are slightly weaker than princes but are still capable of contending for kingship in the Abyss.
The "Lord of the Triple Realm" mentioned by Garon is one of these archdukes, considered one of the strongest just below the Demon Princes, known as Graz'zt.
Demons respectfully call this lord the Lord of Shadows.
Most demon lords control just one abyssal layer, but under the Lord of Shadows, there are three layers of the Abyss.
Layers forty-five, forty-six, and forty-seven—all adjacent and all under the dominion of the Lord of Shadows, hence his title of Lord of the Triple Realm.
Interestingly, the Lord of Shadows' realms are also known as "Little Hell" because this demon lord's cunning is devil-like, and many demon lords have suffered under his wily strategies.
The Lord of Shadows and the Immortal Dragon Queen became covert allies after several clever encounters in the material world, a kinship formed over shared love for intrigue and manipulation.
Aside from his formidable power and intellect, his background is not to be underestimated either.
The Lord of Shadows' mother is known as the "Mother of Demons," Nocticula.
In the Abyss, Nocticula is an ancient Obyrith demon lord of transcendent status, known for tirelessly mating with powerful beings throughout the ages, giving birth to countless bizarre demons, including many demon lords.
The Lord of Shadows is one of Nocticula's most outstanding offspring.
"Rest assured, the dragon god clan does not care which demon becomes king."
"If the birth of a Demon King is inevitable, it might as well be one who is friendly with my
clan."
In exchange, the dragon god clan would support him in the battle for kingship in the Abyss, helping him replace the Demon Princes and achieve his dream of becoming the Demon King.
"Once I become the Demon King, if the gods of the dragon clan wish to follow me, when I achieve sole dominion over the multiverse, I will grant you a transcendent status second only to mine in the Abyss."
The Lord of Shadows stated earnestly.
Garon responded noncommittally, "Let's talk about that when you actually become the Demon King."
To this, the Lord of Shadows chuckled softly, his voice calm yet filled with boundless confidence, "You seem to doubt I can become the king. Let's just wait and see."
Then, silence returned to the great hall.
The Lord of Shadows, hidden in a place even Garon couldn't detect, fell quiet.
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