Facing the Fire Giant God, Garon assessed the power of the opponent's avatar.
"It's comparable to the power I descended with in this material world."
After making this judgment, Garon squinted slightly, looking at the Fire Giant God, and said indifferently, "It seems you've already forgotten how I crushed you just now."
The Fire Giant God remained unmoved by Garon's provocation.
Despite being a deity of flames, the Fire Giant God had a calm temperament, even more rational and composed than the Frost Giant God Solum.
"It's just an avatar."
"Dead is dead."
"Do you think defeating my avatar with your true form is something to be proud of? Then you are nothing special."
The Fire Giant God said leisurely.
Meanwhile.
In the raging sea of flames, groups of hellhounds reappeared, crouching low, hovering behind the Fire Giant God, staring at Garon with vicious eyes.
"Rather than avatars, I would prefer a true battle between our true forms."
"But since you don't dare to go to the outer planes, we'll start with an avatar battle."
The Fire Giant God's body was wreathed in rolling flames, moving without wind.
"Garon Aurelian, I hope you won't disappoint me."
"After all, both Solum and Yeenoghu fell to your hands."
The Fire Giant God raised both arms as if embracing the world.
In an instant, the flames that swept across thousands of kilometers suddenly stilled. Not only the ordinary wildfire but also the fire breath of the red dragons and the magical flames on the battlefield were uncontrollable. All types of flames seemed to be drawn by an invisible and powerful force, transforming into streams of fire that gathered in the Fire Giant God's hands.
Under Garon's gaze, a giant crimson sword, burning with fierce flames and imbued with divinity, appeared in the Fire Giant God's right hand.
A square shield, also ablaze with flames and imprinted with a giant fist symbol, appeared in the Fire Giant God's left hand.
The Burning Divine Sword and the Fiery Divine Shield.
These were the two weapons the Fire Giant God frequently used.
However, perhaps remembering the experience of the Elven God of Bows losing an artifact to an avatar, the Burning Divine Sword and Fiery Divine Shield in the Fire Giant God's hands were temporarily condensed from extraordinary divine power and the fire domain, essentially divine power weapons, not the actual artifacts.
Unlike the giant gods, the dragon gods preferred to use their bodies in battle.
It wasn't prejudice against using artifacts but simply because few artifacts could match the power of a dragon god's body, making artifacts seem less effective.
In terms of physical strength, giant gods couldn't compare to dragon gods. True dragon scales were virtually indestructible, and their claws and teeth could tear the sky and rend the earth. Giants, while strong, lacked the innate dragon scales and sharp claws.
"Come, let me sever your head."
"Then turn all dragons in this world to ashes in the flames."
In the vast, desolate desert, sandstorms arose.
Surtr wielded the Burning Divine Sword and Fiery Divine Shield, his body ablaze, swelling to 300 meters tall. On the other side, Garon also used gigantification, enlarging his temporarily possessed iron dragon body to 600 meters.
Both, having only descended with part of their power, were much weaker than their true forms.
Yet, to the local dragons and giants, they were still unbeatable beings, only to be gazed upon with awe.
At this moment, the true dragons of the material world seemed to sense danger, preferring to endure injuries from giant attacks rather than stay near the godly avatars.
"Cowardly reptiles! Do not flee."
Many giants roared at the sudden behavior of the dragons.
Simultaneously, a vast and oppressive extraordinary divine power erupted from the Fire Giant God.
Flame Domain: Scorching Heaven!
In an instant, centered on the Fire Giant God's body, an invisible but very real terrifying heat radiated. There were no flames, but the surrounding air distorted severely, visible waves of heat rippling continuously.
Layers of sand on the ground melted, and sparse oases dried up.
The already lifeless desert turned into an even more perilous wasteland.
Ordinary creatures within the Scorching Heaven Domain almost instantly lost their lives. Many giants were affected, their breath stifled, and their skin turning red as if scorched by fire.
Only now did they understand why the dragons had acted as they did.
Unlike the giants, the dragons, still retaining the mindset formed during the Glorious War against the elves, had a clear awareness: if a demigod battle was imminent, the first thing to do was to stay away from the battlefield center.
Fortunately, the Fire Giant God controlled the domain, only slightly affecting the giants, preventing them from dying outright.
"Humph."
Garon snorted, his wings spreading wide as he activated his domain.
But this time, it wasn't the Time Stop Domain.
The giants, who had just been relieved from the lethal heat, were once again caught in Garon's domain.
"Ah! My skin is aging, my life force is draining!"
Many giants felt their bodies rapidly weakening, faces filled with fear.
This was the Decay Domain, an ability derived from the Breath of Time after Garon ascended to quasi-lower deity. Everything within the Decay Domain, whether living or non-living, would be worn away by the rapidly flowing river of time.
Though not as potent as a direct hit from the Breath of Time, its broader range made it useful for sweeping away lesser enemies.
A giant, dragging its rapidly aging body, tried to escape the domain, but as time passed, its movements slowed until it collapsed at the edge of the domain, its once solid muscles withering, its skin covered in age spots, its vitality like a candle in the wind.
This was the fate of all giants who couldn't escape the Decay Domain in time.
"Humph."
Seeing this, Surtr's expression darkened, the flames on his body fluctuating more intensely.
A divine fire shield formed from the fire domain surrounded Surtr, resisting the Decay Domain and Garon's newly activated Time Stop Domain.
On the other side, Garon used the Wall of Ages to block out the extreme heat from Surtr's Scorching Heaven Domain.
Without further words, the 'iron dragon' soared, its body rising powerfully, carrying a surge of heat and a sky full of sand, like a black iron meteor, charging directly at the fire giant, every scale on its body like a menacing steel blade.
Surtr, wielding the Burning Divine Sword and Fiery Divine Shield, had eyes burning with battle intent.
Boom!
The dragon, with immense power, slashed its claw at Surtr's head.
Surtr raised the Fiery Divine Shield, blocking the dragon's impact and claw slash, but his body was pushed back by the dragon's force, his muscles bulging and flames burning fiercely.
At that moment, it seemed as if an ordinary human soldier was confronting a ferocious tiger.
"What incredible strength."
Surtr's heart grew heavy, no longer underestimating Garon, the rising star.
As they clashed, the dragon and giant's bodies plummeted to the ground. The hellhounds summoned by Surtr howled and lunged at Garon, but upon approaching, they were crushed by the dragon's casual wing or tail swipe. Occasionally, a hellhound's claws and teeth would leave insignificant marks on the Wall of Ages, unable to break through or pose a threat.
Finally, the dragon and giant crashed heavily onto the ground.
Boom!
A nearly kilometer-high wave of sand erupted, spreading in all directions with a deafening roar, creating an apocalyptic scene. The overwhelming impact wiped out the hellhounds following Garon and Surtr.
In the massive crater, the Fire Giant God roared.
The power domain was fully activated, enhancing his body, stopping it from falling deeper into the earth.
The Burning Divine Sword traced a deadly arc, bypassing the giant shield and aiming at Garon's neck.
Sss!
Cracks appeared on the Wall of Ages, with flames spreading around the fractures. At the same time, the surface dragon scales on Garon's neck shattered, and flames continued to burn.
The Fire Giant God's attack landed, leaving a wound on Garon.
But there was no joy on his face; instead, his brows furrowed.
In his vision, the dragon's claw pressed firmly against the Fiery Divine Shield, while the other claw locked onto the Burning Divine Sword, even as the sharpest edge cut through the inner side of the dragon's scales and burned the flesh.
Simultaneously, the dragon's maw opened, brewing dangerous, invisible energy.
A pair of platinum eyes gazed down at the Fire Giant God.
The Breath of Time Shatter spewed from the dragon's mouth, aimed directly at the Fire Giant God's head from close range.
Surtr's heart tightened, pulling his head back under the protection of the Fiery Divine Shield.
Suddenly, the dragon breath landed on the Fiery Divine Shield.
Boom!
The sudden burst of terrifying impact made Surtr's body tremble violently, his arms, veins bulging, almost losing grip of the shield.
But that wasn't the main issue.
The main issue was that under the Breath of Time Shatter, the Fiery Divine Shield rapidly cracked, covered in spiderweb-like fissures.
"Damn, what great strength."
"Both avatars, yet stronger than the Dragon God of Destruction, Karix's avatar."
This was Surtr's first fight with Garon on a similar level. He hadn't expected the dragon, known for temporal abilities, to also possess such a powerful physique.
"This guy seems to have maxed out all attributes."
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, the Fiery Divine Shield shattered with a boom.
The Breath
of Time Shatter struck Surtr's head, disintegrating his entire upper body.
Boom!
An endless blaze erupted, generating a force so intense it blasted Garon away.
After being flung tens of thousands of meters, Garon spread his wings, halting his retreat, and looked towards the other side.
The blazing flower of flames contracted and reformed into Surtr's body, though much weakened from the massive expenditure of divine power.
An avatar could never compare to the true form.
In the intense battle, both sides' energy was depleting rapidly.
If the true form chose to provide more energy here, other material worlds' avatars would weaken, a decision for the true form to make.
Surtr's true form didn't sacrifice other material world avatars for victory here.
Because not only in this world, in other worlds where Surtr's avatar and Garon's avatar fought, Surtr's avatar was invariably at a disadvantage.
"Now do you understand the difference between us?"
Looking at the weakened Fire Giant God, Garon spoke slowly, his calm tone stating an undeniable fact.
Garon wasn't surprised by the outcome.
Surtr was indeed strong, one of the top mid-level gods, not a weakling.
But unfortunately, he faced the Eternal and Time Dragon, the top legendary dragon species, stronger than him.
Even the Chaos Aftermath, an old quasi-greater god, didn't gain the upper hand fighting Garon in the material world. Surtr winning against Garon would be astonishing.
The Fire Giant God's face darkened, the flames on his body flaring more intensely.
As a giant god, losing to a dragon, their archenemy, was the hardest thing to accept.
Though avatars didn't represent the entirety, it was an undeniable fact that his avatar was at a disadvantage in this battle.
Without further words, the dragon charged at the Fire Giant God again, like a black lightning bolt, incredibly fast.
Surtr realized close combat was not to his advantage against Garon, especially without the Fiery Divine Shield. Forming new divine power weapons was difficult with his avatar's remaining extraordinary divine power.
"You underestimate me."
"Pay the price for your arrogance."
Seeing the dragon charging, Surtr whispered.
Simultaneously, the remaining extraordinary divine power of his avatar evaporated rapidly, almost completely consumed.
Sun Domain: Scorching Sun.
Behind the Fire Giant God, a golden sun rose.
Flame Domain: Flame Fist.
Blazing flames materialized, forming a mountain-sized flaming fist.
War Domain: Master of Blades.
Buzz!
Under the War Domain's effect, the rising golden sun transformed into a colossal golden sword, majestic and towering, piercing the clouds, exuding a strong killing aura, seemingly capable of slicing stars and worlds.
The flaming fist raised the golden sword, slashing mercilessly at Garon.
The attack range was too large and locked on tightly, making it hard for Garon to dodge.
Even with his nearly 600-meter body, Garon seemed small under the combined divine power attack.
"So strong, the synergy of these domains isn't just simple addition."
"Divine Garon, you must be watching the material world. Learn well!"
Garon infused all his temporal power into the Wall of Ages, bracing himself.
At this point, the exhausted avatar was no longer important.
In the next second, the Flame Fist wielding the golden sword, with rolling flames, descended from the sky, striking Garon into the earth.
Boom!
The earth shattered, creating a fiery, bottomless rift. The surface cracked in layers, extending millions of miles, forming a terrifying chasm, splitting mountains, oceans, and forests, turning creatures into ashes.
The new fiery canyon scarred the earth like a wound.
Dragons and giants, watching, held their breath, stopping their fights, looking at the apocalyptic strike.
"Mighty is our god!"
"Great Fire Giant God, invincible and powerful!"
To the local giants, no creature could survive such a blow, so they cheered.
But their smiles quickly froze.
In the ripples of the river of time, the 'iron dragon' gradually reappeared in the sky, a ghastly wound almost running through its body, scales shattered, flesh charred by flames.
But despite the severe injury, Garon's avatar lived.
"Close call, the Wall of Ages held up, or I'd have been split in two."
"I was careless, shouldn't underestimate any enemy."
Garon assessed his remaining temporal power, less than one percent left.
He lifted his head, looking across.
A mountain giant, panicked, looked at Garon, the last divine light fading from its body, leaving only the Fire Giant God's sigh, "So close, such a pity."
"Garon Aurelian, I lost here, but you haven't won completely either."
"We will fight again."
With all divine power exhausted, the mountain giant stood as the vessel of divine power.
Next, Garon spread his wings, locking his will onto the legendary giants, activating Time Split.
Mountain giants, thunder-wielding storm giants, stone giants with hard bodies, frost giants controlling snow—all fell, their bodies split into pieces by invisible blades.
Seeing this, the true dragons rampaged through the sky, assisting Garon in clearing the remaining giants.
For a while, dragon wings danced in the sky, casting shadows under which rivers of blood flowed, and giant corpses gradually covered the ground.
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