"The audacity of these lowly beasts to meddle in our war!"
The dragons were furious, yet unable to escape their dire predicament.
They were too exhausted.
Fatigue washed over them like a tide, their magic depleted, and their bodies sluggish. Interplanar wars were like this: the situation was unpredictable, and victory in one world did not guarantee safety. One moment they had just defeated the enemy, and the next, they were facing foes from another plane.
"Follow me, break through and leave this place!"
In the face of danger, the sea emperor dragon roared, mustering his remaining strength. He spread his wings and charged through the dense pack of wolves, his dragon horns piercing countless enemies and becoming stained with blood.
The other dragons rallied around the sea emperor dragon, tearing through the wolf pack to make an escape.
Meanwhile, a white flash streaked across the sky, circling the sea emperor dragon in an instant.
The sea emperor dragon's body shuddered as if struck by lightning, pain surging through every part of his being.
Sizzling sounds filled the air as scales shattered and blood sprayed like arrows.
In just a moment, his body was covered in horrifying claw marks, nearly eviscerating him.
He lost strength and fell towards the sea.
On the brink of death, the sea emperor dragon barely managed to lift his eyes to see what had attacked him. However, the creature was too fast; he only caught a glimpse of a blurry white flash before it vanished and began attacking other dragons, leaving a trail of lifeless bodies falling into the ocean.
"Lord Dragon, if you are watching, I beg you, hear my call and descend."
The sea emperor dragon's will was fading, but driven by intense resentment and anger, his inner voice rang like a bell, resonating through countless dragons and reaching Garon.
"As you wish."
A deep voice echoed in the sea emperor dragon's mind.
The next second, the power of time crossed the planar barriers and descended.
In the ocean, the sea emperor dragon's closed eyes opened once more, but his originally blue pupils were now tinged with platinum.
Boom!
Wings spread wide, the sea emperor dragon burst from the waves.
Although his body was still covered in grievous wounds, his expression remained calm, exuding an aura of majesty and reverence.
Time Reversal!
A semi-phantom ring of black scales appeared, rotating counterclockwise.
Fragments of dragon scales rose from the depths of the ocean, shooting from all directions to attach to the sea emperor dragon, quickly restoring his bloodied body to its pristine state and erasing the negative effects of the resonance casting.
"The sea emperor dragon performs quite well on the battlefield."
Garon was not using the sea emperor dragon as a vessel for the first time.
Choosing a vessel couldn't be random; the stronger the vessel, the more will and time power it could bear, making Garon's descent stronger. He remembered this was his second time using the sea emperor dragon as a vessel.
This dragon species had impressive potential, ranking high among many dragon species.
At the same time, Garon's gaze shifted to the white wolf wreaking havoc on the battlefield.
A seemingly ordinary white wolf, no more than two meters long including its tail, was the culprit behind nearly killing the sea emperor dragon and thwarting the dragons' breakout.
The white wolf noticed Garon's descent and looked at him, their eyes meeting.
The wolf's posture was graceful, its pure white fur untainted by blood, and its black eyes deep and intelligent, yet filled with a wild light.
The Beastlands, the wolf lord, mid-tier divine power.
"Wolf lord of the Beastlands."
"It seems you've allied with the giant gods."
Garon spoke calmly.
Animal lords had no names, simply being called by the type of beast they represented.
The wolf lord was simply called Wolf.
"No, we are partners, allies who advance and retreat together."
The Storm Lord's divine realm was in the Beastlands, where he often interacted with animal lords. Understanding their needs, the Storm Lord promised various benefits and demonstrated his great power, convincing some animal lords to ally with him.
The wolf lord was one of them.
Animal lords had witnessed Annam's fall, which shook the entire Beastlands, causing many animal lords to panic. Some believed that the Storm Lord, who killed Annam, had the power to defeat the dragon gods.
Additionally, the Storm Lord offered benefits that were hard for the animal lords to refuse.
After much hesitation, they chose to cooperate with the Storm Lord.
Animal lords were the kings of beasts.
Their abilities represented the pinnacle of their respective species. Though intelligent, they rarely used their intellect, thinking more like beasts, similar to immature white dragons with questionable intelligence for their level of divine power.
In many prime material worlds, giant clans would keep wolf packs to assist in hunting.
Garon hadn't expected the wolf lord to be tamed by the Storm Lord.
As for the wolf lord's claim of partnership, Garon sneered.
"Wolves have a wild nature, yet you, the wolf lord, have become the Storm Lord's dog without realizing it. How pitiful."
"Remember, not one of you animal lords serving the giant gods will survive."
With that, the dragon's wings flapped, and his body shot like an arrow towards the wolf lord.
Howling, the wolf pack surged towards Garon, while the wolf lord's fur changed color, retreating a few steps to blend into the pack and disappear.
The wolf lord's stealth abilities made it extremely difficult to detect.
With the wolves changing targets, the dragons finally caught a breath but remained on the battlefield, pushing their weary bodies to intercept the wolves and ease Garon's burden.
The dragons trusted Garon, believing that once he descended, he would turn the tide.
However, the wolf lord, aided by countless wolves, surrounded Garon. Though the dragons were in poor condition, they wouldn't stand by and watch their god be besieged.
The dark mass of wolves moved like a tide, coordinated in their attack. Some distracted Garon, others launched direct assaults, while some waited for opportunities to strike from the sides. Their coordination was superb, wave after wave attacking Garon relentlessly.
"Interesting."
"But that's all."
Garon's gaze sharpened, and the wolves halted, their bodies instantly torn apart, falling into the ocean as bloody chunks.
At that moment, a sky wolf, enduring the time-slicing power, swelled to mountain size and lunged at Garon's neck.
Garon reacted swiftly, raising a claw to swat the giant wolf's head.
The wolf lord, avoiding direct confrontation, shrank back to normal size and summoned countless white wolf shadows that turned into real wolves, attacking Garon again.
Beast Power: Wolf Shadows!
Garon activated his time-stop field, but the white wolves were unaffected, not even slowing down.
Whoosh!
The dragon's tail swept through a group of white wolves.
Those touched by the tail vanished like bubbles, without substance.
Among the countless illusions, the wolf lord patiently waited for a chance, attacking when Garon showed any weakness.
Slash!
A white wolf clawed at the time barrier, leaving cracks, revealing it was the real wolf lord.
Boom!
A time burst hit the white wolf, which dissolved into an illusion.
"Can you shift between real and illusory states? Impressive ability."
The dragon murmured, sweeping away waves of white wolves.
But they were just illusions, replaced by new ones as soon as they were destroyed.
Surrounded by a dense pack of white wolves, the wolf lord waited for openings, occasionally appearing to strike at Garon's body, but failing to penetrate the time barrier.
After a while, Garon seemed tired of it, not even bothering to dodge. He began recklessly crushing the wolves, attacking broadly as if by chance.
"Once your energy is exhausted and you reveal your true form, you'll die."
Garon declared.
After a stalemate, the wolf lord, hidden among the illusions, detected a weak spot in the time barrier. After several tests, he silently lunged, transforming into a giant wolf head to bite Garon.
Beast Power: Wolf Bite!
The wolf's fangs, sharp as swords, radiated intense energy, causing Garon to feel a sting even before contact.
Crunch!
The wolf's bite was powerful and swift, tearing through the time barrier and ripping away scales and flesh, exposing bones.
In that instant, Garon showed a vicious grin, anticipating the attack. He twisted, and his claw, infused with the power of time and space, struck the wolf head.
"I've been waiting for you!"
From the outside, it seemed as if the dragon's claw struck first, with the wolf head colliding into it, shattering upon impact.
The wolf lord's body flew from the wreckage but was caught by Garon's massive claw, crushing it.
Garon squeezed, turning the wolf lord's body into a mix of blood and bones.
With the power of time corroding it further, the wolf lord was utterly destroyed.
His defense was weak; once caught by Garon, he had no chance to resist.
"Hey, how about your true body comes to play?"
On the other side of the planar gate, the true form of the wolf lord, standing majestically among the wolves, growled at Garon, baring his fangs.
Animal lords were different from normal gods.
Provoked by Garon, the wolf pack parted, making way for the wolf lord to stride through, intending to kill Garon's incarnation himself.
In the Dragon Court realm, Garon's true self was ready to descend personally.
Unfortunately, a thunderous roar interrupted, striking the ground before the wolf lord, creating a deep crater.
"Return."
From the depths of the Glorious Forest in the Beastlands, the Storm Lord's indifferent voice echoed.
The wolf lord growled at Garon a few more times, suppressing his bloodthirsty impulse, and said, "I was careless this time. Next time, I'll tear your neck apart!"
With that, the planar gate closed, and the wolf lord abandoned the wolves that had entered the prime material world, leaving them to be slaughtered by Garon's incarnation.
"The Storm Lord... you again."
"Always meddling when I'm about to do something significant. Just wait, I'll end you sooner or later."
After the battle subsided, Garon frowned.
When killing Yeenoghu, the Storm Lord nearly allowed Yeenoghu to escape. Fortunately, the metal dragon god and the kobold god's ambush prevented Yeenoghu's escape.
If the wolf lord's true form had succumbed to provocation and entered the prime material world, Garon likely could have dealt with him. However, the Storm Lord's intervention stopped that.
Returning his consciousness to the Dragon Court, Garon observed the ongoing conflicts in the endless worlds. He noticed that other animal lords allied with the giant gods were now joining the fray. These animal lord incarnations, leading beast armies, often struck the dragons after battles with giants, catching them off guard and inflicting significant damage.
There were now four animal lords: the wolf lord, the snake lord, the fox lord, and the chicken lord. The wolf and snake lords possessed mid-tier divine power, while the fox and chicken lords had lower-tier divine power.
"These animal lords are truly courting death."
In the Eternal Hall, the silver dragon's gaze deepened as he pondered silently.
"The Storm Lord's increased power is one factor in involving the animal lords, but relying solely on force to subdue them... that's not realistic."
"What benefits did the Storm Lord offer to entice the animal lords into daring to join the war against the dragon race?"
Garon mused, his eyes flashing with thought.
During the Glorious War, few outside races dared to get involved.
Partly because they feared the scale of the dragon-elf war expanding, dragging more races into it, and partly because they didn't want to be caught in a larger conflict.
"These animal lords cannot be allowed to escape. Otherwise, the dragon gods' prestige will be tarnished, attracting more opportunists."
The fear and respect other races had for dragons far exceeded their fear of giants. To set an example, the animal lords who first dipped their toes in the water must be killed.
"As the saying goes, better to strike first than suffer a hundred strikes."
"However, if they don't leave the Beastlands, it's difficult to kill them. Should we invade the Beastlands?"
Garon frowned, but soon his frown turned into a bright expression.
"Why not?"
"Perhaps the Beastlands can serve as the place where Divine Garon falls."
Falling right under the Storm Lord's nose would most effectively reassure him.
"This is an opportunity to plant a bomb."
Garon's eyes shone with determination.
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