Murphy's intervention initially gave Yeenoghu hope of escaping back to the Abyss.
However, in a sudden twist, the last-minute sneak attack by the Kobold God drastically changed the situation, leaving Yeenoghu with no chance to flee the Material Plane.
"Well done, Kurtulmak," Garon, who initially had a grave expression, smiled and said to the Kobold God.
The Kobold God dodged the final bolt of lightning descending from the sky, thrusting his spear through Yeenoghu's gnoll body and laughed, "Your Majesty, Dragon God, this is what I should do."
Looking down at Yeenoghu, the Kobold God showed a look of disdain and contempt, "There are so many gnolls crazed to follow the footsteps of true dragons, but you, the god of gnolls, decided to oppose the Dragon God?"
The Kobold God was right.
Although gnolls did not worship the Dragon God, in many worlds, gnolls liked to follow powerful true dragons, just as fanatically as the kobolds.
"Yeenoghu, your followers are wiser than you,"
Yeenoghu snarled, spitting out guttural words from his throat, "Among the giant pantheon, I am a great deity worshipped by giants. But in the dragon pantheon, ha, do you think any dragon god would even look at me? I would only be a servant like you."
"All true dragons see gnolls as slaves and servants to be used at will."
"Kurtulmak, being a servant of the Dragon God, is that something you are proud of?"
Yeenoghu tried to manipulate the Kobold God with words.
But the Kobold God was unmoved, raising his chin proudly, "The Dragon God is noble and great; it is an honor to serve him. A fool like you would not even qualify to serve the Dragon God."
From the Kobold God's tone, Yeenoghu truly sensed a feeling of pride.
This made Yeenoghu incredulous.
As a deity, he could not understand how the Kobold God could relish being another god's servant!
But Garon, who had learned many dragon secrets after ascending to godhood, understood the reason.
Kobolds were not a naturally occurring race.
Their appearance resembled degraded dragon-kin and they possessed a faint trace of dragon blood.
In fact, the kobolds were created long ago by the Nine-Faced Dragon God to serve true dragons. Initially, there were not many kobolds, but due to their excellent reproduction and adaptability, they eventually spread across many planes.
Following true dragons and worshiping them was deeply rooted in the kobold's soul, an instinct that even as a deity, remained.
Moreover, the kobold deities were elevated by Io.
The Kobold God Kurtulmak, the Kobold Trap God Gaknulak, and the Winged Kobold God Kuraulyek were all deities thanks to the Dragon God.
(This corrects the previous mistake about the kobolds having only one god.)
Their power being a gift from the Dragon God, combined with their innate devotion, made the kobold deities the Dragon God's most ardent supporters.
Gnolls, however, were different. They were not created to serve dragons.
Yeenoghu, as the gnoll deity, felt contempt seeing many gnolls follow dragons only to be discarded, leading to a hatred for dragons. Since he received some worship from giants, he joined the giant pantheon opposing the Dragon God.
Meanwhile, the Storm Lord's attention seemed divided, sending lightning to the Material Plane to help Yeenoghu escape.
Looking up at the sky, one could see a faint expansion of golden light, seemingly gaining a slight advantage. However, the Storm Lord, seeing Yeenoghu beyond saving, decisively abandoned his entanglement with the Metallic Dragon God.
But before leaving,
Boom!
A bolt of lightning descended from the sky, targeting neither Garon nor the Kobold God.
"Ah!"
Yeenoghu let out a wretched scream, his already weakened and heavily injured divine body engulfed by the lightning.
The lightning from the Storm Lord was too swift and dangerous for the Kobold God to stop. He could only watch as Yeenoghu turned to ash, no longer existing.
Swish!
Along with the lightning, Yeenoghu's divine spark also vanished.
To prevent Yeenoghu from being sealed, the Storm Lord decisively killed him with lightning.
For deities, death was preferable to being sealed, as they could at least be resurrected, but being sealed was a fate worse than death.
"The Storm Lord's actions are indeed ruthless."
Garon's eyelid twitched as he looked at the dissipating lightning.
The ground where the lightning struck had a bottomless crater, surrounded by lingering arcs of electricity. The soil and rocks had been crystallized by the intense heat, emitting scorching heat, and the air was filled with scorched traces.
The key point was, the Storm Lord had not even descended into the Material Plane but could unleash such a powerful attack.
This behavior was clearly against the rules of the Material Plane, yet the rules could not stop the Storm Lord.
"Fortunately, the intensity of attacks in the Material Plane, while terrifying, is within manageable limits."
"Otherwise, the Material Plane would not be safe."
Garon breathed a sigh of relief.
The Material Plane is unique in that it allows weaker deities to face stronger ones directly. Under the rules of the Material Plane, deities are suppressed to the same level. If the Storm Lord could break these rules, it would cause immense disruption.
The Kobold God looked at the empty crater where Yeenoghu had been vaporized and turned his gaze to Garon, saying softly, "Your Majesty, Garon, I am sorry I couldn't stop the Storm Lord's attack."
There were still traces of burns from the lightning on the Kobold God's body, with arcs of electricity crackling.
"No need to apologize. If you could have resisted the Storm Lord, I would be astonished."
The silver dragon looked at the Kobold God and said.
Although this was their first meeting, the Kobold God had already lowered his posture significantly before Garon.
This was the wisdom of the Kobold God.
As a vassal of the Dragon Pantheon, the Kobold God would always be respectful and humble before any dragon deity.
However, the Kobold God was not a benevolent deity.
He was an evil god dwelling in the Nine Hells, wielding domains of evil, war, and trickery, none of which were attributes of a kind god. His divine rank even surpassed that of Yeenoghu.
In a fight, whether in the Material Plane or the Outer Planes, the Kobold God had a higher chance of winning against the gnoll god.
"Heh, Your Majesty, Garon, I have admired you for a long time."
"Before, I tried to imagine your power, but now I realize that even my wildest imaginations do not compare to a tenth of your real power."
"Your might is unparalleled, noble and majestic. Seeing your regal demeanor in battle, I believe you will become one of the greatest dragon gods."
"Fighting alongside you today and witnessing the defeat of the gnoll god is a rare honor."
As the Kobold God, his flattery was far superior to that of ordinary kobolds, and he praised Garon continuously.
Garon nodded slightly, looking at the Kobold God with appreciation, "You arrived just in time. Killing Yeenoghu is partly your credit."
The Kobold God quickly shook his head, "Your Majesty, Garon, you jest. I only provided a minor assist. Without your overwhelming divine power, Yeenoghu would not have been so easily ambushed."
The silver dragon laughed heartily and extended his dragon claw, seizing the cracked but unbroken Feral Wolf Flail.
"Take it; this is your reward."
With that, Garon tossed the Feral Wolf Flail to the Kobold God.
A nearly broken artifact was of little importance to Garon.
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty, Garon!"
The Kobold God accepted without hesitation.
When a dragon god offers a reward, refusal would only cause displeasure, a precious lesson for the Kobold God.
The Kobold God received the Feral Wolf Flail with delight.
Yeenoghu's Feral Wolf Flail was quite suitable for the Kobold God. After repairing and refining it, it would be a good artifact for him.
"This is a sacred emblem infused with my divine power and will. Please accept it."
The Kobold God took out an octagonal adamantine emblem and solemnly presented it to Garon.
"If you ever need my assistance, you can summon me through this emblem, and I will respond immediately."
The Kobold God said.
Not all dragon gods received such a promise from the Kobold God.
His main service was to the Metallic Dragon God and the Immortal Dragon Queen, the two most powerful dragon deities.
For other dragon gods, he would not be neglectful, but he would not proactively offer his emblem, signifying his readiness to respond at any call.
This was because, in Garon, the Kobold God saw a resemblance to the great dragon god who created him.
He believed that Garon's future achievements would at least rival those of the Metallic Dragon God and the Immortal Dragon Queen. Judging by Garon's current exploits, he had a high chance of surpassing them.
Garon picked up the emblem and glanced at it.
The emblem bore a peculiar design, a short, unique skull.
It resembled a gnome's skull.
In many planes, kobolds would cruelly kill any gnome they encountered because the Kobold God had a grudge against the Gnome Deity
.
This grudge stemmed from the Gnome Deity accidentally collapsing a temple built by the Kobold God and claiming it was due to poor construction.
However, the Kobold God took pride in his architectural skills.
The Gnome Deity's actions trampled on the Kobold God's dignity.
While flattering and respectful to dragon gods, the Kobold God had no kindness for other races.
After this event, the Kobold God harbored a grudge against the Gnome Deity, even engraving gnome skulls on his emblems.
The gnomes had their own pantheon.
The Gnome Deity who insulted the Kobold God was named Garl, a deity of great power.
Although the gnome deities were not formidable in battle, they were still gods, and a pantheon no less, far beyond the Kobold God's ability to challenge directly.
If not for Garl feeling guilty and the weakness of the Material Plane kobolds posing little threat to gnomes, along with the fear of the Dragon Pantheon, he would have long taken action against the Kobold God.
After praising Garon endlessly, the Kobold God left the Material Plane and returned to the Nine Hells.
The situation on the Dark Plains had stabilized.
The silver dragon turned his gaze towards the distance.
In his sight, the Ghoul King was still struggling, chased by the temporal mirror and numerous legendary true dragons, losing all his initial grandeur.
As a quasi-deity, the Ghoul King was utterly humiliated, chased by legendary true dragons in the Material Plane, unable to fight back.
Not wanting to die, there was no other choice but to flee.
Noticing Yeenoghu's death, the Ghoul King's heart sank as he felt Garon's gaze.
The oppressive feeling made the Ghoul King momentarily forget he was still being pursued.
Slash!
The temporal mirror struck, sending the Ghoul King flying like a cannonball.
The legendary true dragons unleashed their breath attacks, engulfing the Ghoul King's body.
When the dragon breath dissipated, the Ghoul King's aura was weakened, his muscles melted away, revealing cracked bones, but he still stubbornly clung to life.
"Your resilience is impressive,"
The silver dragon remarked.
As the Ghoul King watched the temporal mirror close in, a look of despair crossed his face.
But then, the temporal mirror dissolved like water.
Surprised, the Ghoul King looked towards the towering silver dragon.
Garon, having reverted to his normal size, moved closer to the wounded Ghoul King, his platinum eyes filled with disdain.
Under the dragon's pressure, the Ghoul King averted his gaze, not daring to meet Garon's eyes.
"Ghoul King Doriss."
"From today, you are the new demon lord of the Abyss's 422nd layer. Rename Yeenoghu's domain as you see fit."
Garon spared the Ghoul King, not killing or sealing him, but spoke calmly.
Hearing Garon's words, the Ghoul King was initially stunned, then quickly knelt, weakly but reverently, "I, Doriss, swear by the River Styx to follow you, my lord. The ghoul legion will serve you."
This cowardly nature had initially made him subservient to Yeenoghu.
Now, with Yeenoghu dead, to survive, the Ghoul King immediately swore allegiance to Garon, without a moment's hesitation.
In fact, serving Garon was far better than serving Yeenoghu.
Since Garon wouldn't stay in the Abyss, the Ghoul King could still enjoy his authority as a demon lord.
"My lord, how about renaming the 422nd layer as Garon's Domain or Dragon Domain?"
The Ghoul King suggested, changing his address for Garon.
"I said, you are the new demon lord. I only require your loyalty."
Garon replied calmly.
The Ghoul King was overjoyed, "Then, with your permission, Yeenoghu's Domain shall be renamed Ghoul Domain. Is that acceptable?"
Garon nodded indifferently.
"Once you return to the Abyss, immediately purge Yeenoghu's remnants, eliminate his influence, and properly manage the ghoul legion, expanding its ranks, ready to fight for me."
Garon commanded.
"As you wish."
The Ghoul King responded respectfully.
The Ghoul King then returned to the Abyss, immediately targeting the gnolls in Ghoul Domain.
After Yeenoghu took control of the plane, many gnolls came to dominate and bully the ghouls. The Ghoul King, oppressed by Yeenoghu for years, seized the chance for revenge without hesitation.
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