The setting sun was about to sink below the horizon.
The sunset's afterglow illuminated the distant mountains, casting a brilliant, fiery sky.
Garon shifted his gaze from the crimson sky to the devastated Dark Plains. The once smooth plains were now littered with deep craters and countless, unrecognizable, decaying remains.
Fortunately.
Most of the corpses were ghouls, followed by the giant army defeated by the true dragons' claws and fangs.
As for Garon's dragon kin, there were losses, but they were minimal compared to the giant army.
However, Garon knew deep down that in the vast, endless planes, there were always places where giants held the upper hand and battlefields strewn with the corpses of dragons.
This was inevitable.
In any war, regardless of scale or advantage, sacrifices were bound to occur.
As a dragon god revered by countless dragon kin, Garon's responsibility was to minimize dragon bloodshed and strive to defeat the enemies during wartime.
"Remember to bury the remains of our dragon warriors in the Dragon Tomb."
"They are our brave warriors, our heroes."
Garon's gaze fell on the legendary dragons present, and he spoke.
Unfortunately, Garon currently couldn't perform large-scale resurrection using time reversal.
"We understand."
The dragons lowered their heads and solemnly responded.
Next, Garon left this Material Plane and returned to the Dragon Court Plane.
In the quiet dragon nest, the silver dragon coiled his body and lay down, closing his eyes as if to sleep.
Garon wasn't sleeping but contemplating the future course of events.
A camel, even dying, is bigger than a horse, and a broken ship still has a pound of nails.
After the Dragonfall War, while the dragons' power had fallen from their dominant position, they were still unmatched by ordinary races and remained one of the most powerful species in the multiverse.
Thus, during the War of Glory, the dragons initially held an advantage.
Absorbing the war's gains, the dragons' overall strength improved.
Facing the giant pantheon, which was even stronger than the elven pantheon, this time was no exception.
In the first year of war, both sides were merely warming up, with skirmishes and probing forces. However, from the perspective of the Dragon Court contract, Garon noticed that in many planes, the dragons held a slight advantage.
Unless the giants were deliberately feigning weakness, the dragons were poised to expand their advantage and ultimately achieve comprehensive victory with time.
"However, the key to victory lies in the divine war."
"Deities descending to the Material Plane are unstoppable unless confronted by a deity of the same level or pseudo-divine power."
"At the divine level, our dragon gods are still stronger than the giant gods on the surface."
The weakest deity is far stronger than the strongest mortal.
Garon's eyes glinted as he slowly opened them.
"But the Storm Lord will not sit idly by."
"The greatest variable in this war lies with the Storm Lord, but it's unclear what his current power level is."
While Garon pondered, the gold and silver gems covering the dragon nest suddenly trembled, some areas rising, others sinking. Many gems ignored gravity, flying around as if a huge creature was moving beneath.
Garon's eyes lit up, and he looked down at the nest's bottom.
His gaze penetrated layers of gold and silver gems, finally resting on the Power Dragon maiden.
Yona opened her eyes, her light purple eyes still a bit dazed from waking up, but the confusion quickly turned to clarity and visible joy.
Whoosh!
The Power Dragon maiden spread her wings.
Clatter.
Countless gold and silver gems and rare metals of various hues scattered like a celestial maiden spreading flowers.
Amid the fountain of gems, Yona's graceful figure emerged.
Simultaneously, the flying gems seemed to be controlled by an invisible hand, falling in a rainbow-like rain and orderly piling up.
Yona retracted her wings, her already splendid dragon scales gleaming with various lights.
At this moment, the Power Dragon maiden, with her limbs together, her tail slightly curved, and her head raised in a graceful arc, displayed a posture that was elegant and dignified by dragon standards.
However, the moment her gaze met Garon's, Yona's eyes lit up, and she pounced on him with a joyous expression.
The previously elegant and dignified demeanor vanished instantly.
Yona's claws landed on Garon's shoulders, and she lowered her head to nudge his chest, then lifted her head sharply, flipping the unresisting Garon to the ground.
Then, Yona's massive body, now weighing over ten thousand tons, pressed down on Garon, and she began to kiss his face enthusiastically.
"I missed you so much!"
After being pressed and kissed for a while, Garon exerted force, flipping Yona off him with a surprised yelp, reversing their positions.
Under Garon's pressure, Yona struggled to regain the upper hand.
Although Yona had successfully advanced to pseudo-divine power, her biological level was just sixty, still slightly behind Garon in strength.
"Darn it, I want to be on top."
Yona's tail flailed, and her wings flapped, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't throw Garon off.
Meanwhile, the silver dragon said with interest, "Little Yona, stop resisting."
"It's useless. You should just surrender to me."
Yona's prolonged sleep and recent awakening excited Garon.
"You're bullying me."
Yona blinked, her light purple eyes reflecting the majestic figure of the dragon above her. She stopped struggling.
"You're right."
"I'm going to bully you hard."
As the dragon couple played, the entire Eternal Hall trembled, attracting the attention of the ancient dragons around.
Seeing the rhythmic tremors of the Eternal Hall, the ancient dragons knowingly looked away, murmuring softly, "As expected of the Dragon Lord and Dragon Queen, their vigor is truly unmatched. Even the Eternal Hall can't contain it."
In the Dragon Court Plane, where there was no earth, only sky above and below.
Strong winds swirled through the floating clouds, whistling.
Occasionally, beams of light streaked across the sky, piercing through the obstructing clouds and plunging into the plane's depths.
With the passage of time and the sweeping winds, the sky's clouds changed unpredictably—sometimes as gentle as water, bearing weight, sometimes like wild horses galloping, and sometimes like a vast galaxy pouring down.
A long time later.
The winds gradually subsided, and the clouds floated peacefully.
Inside the Eternal Hall's dragon nest, the two dragons snuggled together affectionately.
"You woke up at a good time; the war with the giants has just begun."
Garon said to Yona.
When Yona fell asleep, dragons and giants were still maintaining a facade of peace. Yona was surprised that a full-scale war between two powerful races could break out so quickly, "So soon?"
"It's been less than a century since the War of Glory ended."
Garon nodded slightly, "We need to capitalize on the victory while dragon morale is high to defeat our ancient enemies, the giants."
Yona looked puzzled, "But wouldn't waiting a bit longer, letting our strength grow, make the dragons even stronger?"
The gains from the War of Glory would take more than a few decades to fully absorb.
Currently, the dragons had just recovered from the war's damage and made some progress, but they hadn't reached their peak.
"Yes."
"But the Storm Lord also needs time to absorb and digest Annam's power and divine strength after patricide. The longer we wait, the more uncertainties arise."
"It's better to start the war while morale is high. If we defeat the giants in a full-scale war, the Storm Lord will be powerless, even if he becomes the second Annam."
Garon explained.
Yona nodded, not asking further.
She wasn't particularly interested in war strategies.
Looking at Garon, Yona blinked and said, "I've advanced to pseudo-divine power, and I want to test my strength. I'll start with the giants."
Her voice carried a hint of pride, "I'm now stronger than my parents. They haven't reached pseudo-divine power yet."
Being with Garon, Yona's growth in strength was exceptionally fast for a Power Dragon.
Dragon strength typically grows with age, meaning older dragons are generally stronger. However, exceptions exist, and Yona, benefiting from the synergy between a Time Dragon and a Power Dragon, had reached pseudo-divine power just upon maturing.
Garon nodded, "You can, but it's best not to venture into the Outer Planes."
"Pseudo-divine power isn't enough at the divine level. The giant pantheon has many intermediate gods and even greater deities."
"However, in the Material Plane, few giant deities can stop you."
At least intermediate divine power was needed to avoid being passive against strong enemies in the Outer Planes.
Reaching greater divine power, one could roam the Outer Planes freely, almost immune to death if cautious and avoiding other great deities' divine realms.
"I understand."
"But before that, hmph, I want to fight you and show you my strength."
Yona raised her chin, her confidence bolstered by her recent advancement.
"We're both pseudo-divine power now, and you reached it before me."
"But don't be surprised if I beat you."
Yona gave Garon a provocative look.
Dragons revere strength, even among mates, establishing dominance based on power.
With their levels now matched, Yona no longer saw Garon as unbeatable, eager to challenge him for a change in family status.
The silver dragon stood up, stretching and shaking his wings, saying, "My little Yona, have you forgotten who was on top just now?"
Yona also
stood, stretching her body, snorting, "That was just a contest of physical strength. It doesn't mean anything."
The silver dragon smiled slightly, "It seems you're determined to fight me. Don't be upset later if I win."
"Where do you want to fight, the Outer Planes or the Material Plane? Your choice."
Yona immediately said, "Of course, the Material Plane, the world where we tempered the star core. The vast cosmos is perfect for fighting."
Though both were pseudo-divine power, Garon's advancement was longer, making his biological level higher. Yona knew this, so she chose the Material Plane, where both would be suppressed to the same level.
"Alright, let's go."
In an instant, the two dragons teleported from the Dragon Court, heading to the star system world they had visited before, to duel as mates and decide their family status.
Meanwhile.
Mount Celestia, Lunia, the Silver Heaven.
In the Metallic Dragon God's divine realm, amidst the divine light, majestic golden mountains and rolling silver seas, the Eternal Dragon of Time and Metal Dragon God were in discussion.
"Bahamut, you briefly fought the Storm Lord."
"What do you think of his current strength?"
God Garon asked.
Because of the events on Rossen Planet, God Garon visited Bahamut's palace to consult on the results of the Metallic Dragon God's clash with the Storm Lord.
Hearing God Garon's question, the Metallic Dragon God's expression became serious, "The Storm Lord fought me while breaking the Material Plane's rules and unleashing extraordinary lightning divine power, which you should have seen."
God Garon nodded, "The Storm Lord seemed distracted, and you gained a slight advantage."
"So, he shouldn't be that strong?"
The Metallic Dragon God's face turned solemn, shaking his head, "No, the current Storm Lord is stronger than I imagined."
God Garon was slightly taken aback.
The Metallic Dragon God continued, "I thought it would take a long time for the Storm Lord to absorb Annam's power despite being his bloodline descendant. But now, it seems I was wrong."
God Garon frowned, "What do you mean?"
"In our brief encounter, I sensed he was distracted and not using his full power."
"The Storm Lord didn't go all out, was distracted, but I had to give my all, and only then did I gain a barely noticeable advantage."
"Look here."
The Metallic Dragon God raised his claw.
As the Metallic Dragon God moved, God Garon's gaze shifted to the claw.
In an instant, God Garon's expression became solemn.
A twisted crack ran from top to bottom through the Metallic Dragon God's seemingly indestructible platinum scales, almost extending from the palm to the forearm.
Blue-purple electric arcs crackled along the crack's edges.
"In just a few seconds of contact, you were injured? Unbelievable."
God Garon said in a serious tone.
The Metallic Dragon God had recently ascended to intermediate divine power.
Even at low divine power, the Metallic Dragon God was formidable, capable of contending with elven deities.
The question was, how could the Metallic Dragon God match greater deities, even ranking among the top, with a low divine power?
Undoubtedly, it was due to his pseudo-greater divine power dragon body, which had endured countless ages.
The Metallic Dragon God's scales far exceeded artifact-level defense, among the hardest substances in existence.
Injuring the Metallic Dragon God in such a short time indicated the unimaginable strength of the current Storm Lord.
Fortunately, the Metallic Dragon God's next words reassured God Garon.
"I deliberately tested the Storm Lord's power, not resisting his attack during one clash."
"But even so, leaving a wound on my scales signifies much."
The Metallic Dragon God said gloomily, "It seems the Storm Lord has gained all of Annam's power, reaching a divine rank of twenty, becoming the highest greater deity, surpassing Corellon's divine rank."
A trace of frustration appeared on the Metallic Dragon God's face, muttering, "Damn it, no wonder he dared to fight my dragon kin. He's confident for a reason."
"Is Annam's power so easy to absorb?"
This was the Metallic Dragon God's most puzzling thought.
Annam was the giant's chief deity, comparable in power to the Nine-Faced Dragon God.
Though Annam fell to an ambush by the giant pantheon in the Storm Lord's divine realm, the Metallic Dragon God didn't believe Annam's power could be easily absorbed, especially by the patricidal Storm Lord. It should take thousands or even millions of years.
"As I tested the Storm Lord, he was also testing me."
"After this encounter, he'll likely allow the giant gods to join the fray."
Weak giants, weak giant gods—but one powerful chief deity could change the war's outcome.
What seemed a certain victory now became uncertain.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the divine realm grew oppressive with the Metallic Dragon God's mood.
God Garon, deep in thought, suggested, "This might not be a bad thing. The stronger the Storm Lord, the more he believes in his power, thinking I am vulnerable."
"But in truth, I am unharmed."
"If we plan well, we might heavily injure the Storm Lord."
Killing was impossible.
Killing a greater deity required the Storm Lord to enter the Dragon God's divine realm, nearly a fantasy.
The Metallic Dragon God nodded slowly, "If we can heavily injure the Storm Lord, it's the best outcome."
"Otherwise, this war with the giant pantheon remains uncertain."
Annam was powerful.
If the Storm Lord truly inherited all of Annam's power, only the combined might of the Metallic Dragon God and the Immortal Dragon Queen could hold him at bay.
"Ah, if only the Nine-Faced Dragon God could be resurrected, the giant pantheon would be nothing."
"But we have no clues about the Dark Axe, making the chief god's resurrection a distant dream."
The Metallic Dragon God sighed.
Reviving the Nine-Faced Dragon God was nearly an obsession for the Metallic Dragon God, a remnant of the chief god's body and positive will.
"We're still strong without a chief god."
"I'll visit Avernus Hell to discuss this with the Immortal Dragon Queen."
God Garon said.
The Metallic Dragon God was stronger than the Immortal Dragon Queen.
But in terms of scheming, the Metallic Dragon God couldn't match her.
"Alright, go."
"I'll gather the upper plane dragon gods on Mount Celestia to discuss our next steps."
___________________
(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)
If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters
Read Ahead
Patreon.com/INNIT