'Well then, how do I invoke the divine power within the core, baby?'
As someone who had never killed even a chicken in his previous human life, Drake was somewhat fearful of war. Yet, perhaps driven by draconic instincts, he found himself with a burgeoning desire for conflict and carnage. Without hesitation, he inquired of the AI how to proceed.
[Host, you simply need to envision the divine core within your soul and imagine drawing upon its power to wield divine force... roughly speaking.]
'Roughly?'
AI's hesitance put Drake on alert.
[My apologies, Host. Due to the unique rules of Saint Soren's world and the 'divine' being beyond scientific explanation, the Tyren civilization doesn't fully comprehend it. The 'God-making Plan' was only a theoretical concept that had not been previously validated.]
'Damnit, you imbecile! So, you're saying I'm essentially a lab rat?'
Drake was furious. Barely holding back his ire, he exhaled a hot breath, the gesture causing Nimue to step protectively in front of the Queen once again, fearing the unfathomable dragon she couldn't understand yet the Queen respected might lash out.
Glancing around with his vertical pupils, Drake realized he had no choice but to forge ahead. With the contract sealed and the Elven Queen having given her power for his arrival, he was obliged to uphold his promise and secure her victory in the war.
Resolutely, Drake closed his eyes and delved into contemplation, attempting to connect with the divine core he once witnessed.
Within his soul, a crystal beyond physical description—existing only as a mathematical model—quivered. Hesitating just a moment, Drake poured his consciousness into the crystal.
Boom—
His mind reeled from the shock, his soul nearly torn asunder. Yet, the divine core, melded with his spirit, emanated incredible power, forcibly binding his soul together.
He felt as if he traversed eons, witnessing ancient visions. A dragon, so illustriously grand and immensely vast that it defied description, soared through the cosmos. A being with five heads, each glowing with a different hue, followed by countless primordial dragons. As they journeyed across the stars, countless beings of various planes either submitted or trembled in fear. The dragon's presence reduced all to nothingness.
It was the creator of the dragon race, born to sit atop the food chain, commanding respect from all—whether beings that once dominated the land, angels in heaven, or demons from the abyss.
Drake knew this being, this terrifyingly vast dragon, was the former master of the divine core—the Five-colored Dragon God.
As the Dragon God glanced back mid-flight, its gaze meeting Drake's, all visions collapsed. The god's essence dissolved into pure divine power within Drake's soul, elevating his existence and bequeathing fundamental divine knowledge.
And then, Drake was at a loss for what to do.
In that moment, he gained a basic understanding of 'godhood.'
Divine power is the foundation upon which gods exhibit their might—a force with infinite potential. 'Gods' change rules and manifest miracles through the expenditure of divine power.
Yet for a god, the true crux of power lies within their divine office and core. Drake was not the fallen Five-colored Dragon God. Inheriting its core didn't mean he could comprehend or inherit its divine office. With ample divine power but no corresponding office, he couldn't unlock the boundless potential of his divine power, a blasphemy against divinity.
It was impossible to congeal a divine office in an instant. The office represented a god's domain of power. Excluding primordial deities, even modern gods took ages to gradually acquire their offices.
Drake's greatest challenge now was how to utilize this divine power effectively.
What is a god?
As Drake pondered this question, a voice as grand as a church bell resounded within his soul:
God is a dream, god is faith!!!
In that revelation, Drake understood. Though instantly forming a divine office was impossible, he now knew how to wield the transformative divine power. When he first became a dragon, he dreamt of the power witnessed in stories—of those five dragons he admired. And a god is a magnificent being that turns dreams into reality!
"aaaaaAAAAA——"
A dragon's roar tore through the sky, splitting the clouds above the Elven Kingdom's sacred Tree of Life.
Under the astonished gaze of Queen Ariella, her Chief Guard Nimue, and the venerable elven legendary mages, Drake's small fledgling body, no longer than three or four meters, began to grow inconceivably.
In the blink of an eye, a dragon of over three hundred meters in length, akin to a small mountain of gold, unfurled before them. Circling the towering tree, its wings eclipsed the sun, and its majestic head, sharp claws, and elegant body glimmered with scales radiating like the sun—undeniably a creature of legend, not meant for this era.
The dragons that still lived upon this continent paled in comparison to this grand entity.
As the dragon's might roiled across the land and sky, creating an oppressive atmosphere, even Nimue, of legendary stature herself, paled and faltered in the face of this indomitable presence. Had it not been for the Elven Queen's intervention, she might have collapsed alongside the elderly mages.
"This... Is this a demi-god dragon?!"
Nimue murmured, her eyes glazed with disbelief.
"No, this is not a mere demi-god dragon, but a demi-god of the primordial kind!" Ariella affirmed, clutching her staff until her knuckles whitened.
Utilizing the divine power from the core, Drake transformed into his current formidable form, his senses now vastly different. He needed no guidance from the elves to sense the location of the war.
A cascade of emerald brilliance radiated from him for miles around. As the dreamer who weaved reality from fantasy, he became the master of dreams.
In that moment, Drake felt as if all beings were beneath him, daring to challenge even true gods. Without uttering another word, he took to the skies, soaring directly toward the battlefield.