Rebirth as a Time Dragon: A DND Chronicle

Inside the divine kingdom of the Fire Giant God, Surtr.

Amplified by the rules of his divine kingdom, Surtr's form was as vast as a star, standing tall and mighty, his combat power soaring.

He stood with his feet on the ground, flames burning atop his head, his strange crown resembling twin horns. His entire body was entwined with dazzling chains of divine rules, as if he was the very center of his divine kingdom, continuously drawing strength from its rules.

In Surtr's left hand, the Flame Shield stood like a fiery curtain, seemingly able to block all attacks.

In his right hand, the Burning Sword created magnificent scenes resembling cosmic galaxies with every swing. In the material plane, it could destroy countless worlds in a single strike, plunging countless beings into eternal death, turning worlds into seas of fire.

Despite his formidable display, Surtr was already covered in wounds.

Even his divine kingdom struggled to withstand the combined assault of eight dragon gods. Chains of divine rules manifested and shattered one after another, weakening the amplification Surtr received, while the suppression on the dragon gods diminished.

Indeed, gods are strongest within their own divine kingdoms.

A fire giant god with a divine rank of fifteen could defeat ordinary greater deities within his domain!

However, this only applied to one-on-one situations.

Divine kingdoms are not omnipotent.

If too many enemies invade simultaneously, the divine kingdom can become overburdened, damaged, or even collapse.

Undoubtedly, the presence of eight dragon gods exceeded the capacity of Surtr's divine kingdom. Furthermore, with his current combat power, Surtr could only match the first-generation Iron Dragon King. He was no match for the Metallic Dragon God or the Immortal Dragon Queen in a one-on-one fight, let alone facing multiple dragon gods wreaking havoc.

The Metallic Dragon God, the Immortal Dragon Queen, and the first-generation Iron Dragon King.

These three dragon gods, with power akin to greater deities, surrounded Surtr, forcing him into retreat. Every second, Surtr lost countless divine power, his divine body sustaining layer upon layer of severe injuries, barely hanging on to life.

The other five dragon gods focused on devastating the divine kingdom.

Spells, dragon breaths, and massive dragon bodies shattered the divine kingdom's terrain, changing the skies and the earth. The residual impact of the battle between these powerful entities turned the divine kingdom into a wasteland in no time.

Naturally, as the divine kingdom lay in ruins, its amplification for Surtr decreased, while the constraints on the dragon gods weakened.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With thunderous roars, the dragon gods exerted their strength, shattering the chains of rules entangling them.

Blinding golden light.

Dark, colorful radiance.

Black metallic luster.

In an instant, the three dragon gods seemed like three giant suns, their divine and draconic might sweeping across Surtr's divine kingdom, turning everything in their path to nothingness.

As for Surtr, who bore the brunt of their power.

His skin cracked, dark red fiery divine blood flowed, and his body was thrown across the sky.

Boom!

The Metallic Dragon God's massive claw covered the sky, descending on Surtr's head, its sharp talons tearing through space.

"Ahhh!"

Surtr's fiery face contorted, veins bulging, as he raised his Flame Shield.

Boom!

Surtr's entire body trembled. Under the immense power of the Metallic Dragon God, he was forced to his knees, his arms shaking as they held up the Flame Shield, muscles bulging like mountains, straining with all his might, yet unable to withstand the dragon god's strength.

Crack!

The Flame Shield shattered into pieces, divine essence scattering.

Surtr's eyes reflected the brilliant golden, finely scaled dragon claw.

"God Lord!"

Several lesser deities and countless semi-divine fire giant apostles roared, rushing to aid Surtr, their divine kingdom's master.

But they were already overwhelmed.

The Destruction Dragon God, who was devastating the divine kingdom and eliminating the lesser apostles, grinned savagely. His dragon wings created a curtain of flames that descended heavily.

Fire giants, who should have high fire resistance, bathing in lava unscathed, whether legendary, semi-divine, or even lesser deities, turned into flaming torches under the Destruction Dragon God's attack, burning to ashes.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

The Metallic Dragon God's claw, unstoppable and overpowering, descended on Surtr's head.

Under the pressure of the greater deity's might, Surtr's heart tightened. He barely managed to raise his Burning Sword, hoping to buy time for the arrival of the other giant gods.

Crack.

The Burning Sword was snapped in half.

Having lost two divine artifacts in quick succession, even with the divine kingdom's remaining amplification, Surtr barely blocked the Metallic Dragon God's strike.

But let's not forget, there were still two dragon gods eyeing him.

Just as Surtr had no time to celebrate, the first-generation Iron Dragon King crashed into him from the side.

Boom!

A pair of sturdy, black metal-like dragon horns pierced through Surtr's divine shield, ramming into his side, sending him flying. Blood flowed freely as he tumbled, smashing through countless mountains.

When he finally steadied himself, a sense of dread washed over him.

Turning around, he saw ten malevolent eyes glaring at him.

Red, blue, green, black, and white—the five giant dragon heads of the Immortal Dragon Queen rose behind Surtr, then darted forward, biting him.

Crunch!

Neck, arms, and legs—the five dragon heads bit down on Surtr, spreading his body into a large X shape.

In an instant, light matching the colors of the dragon heads extended over Surtr's body, making him multicolored. As he struggled, he found, to his horror, that his divine power was locked, unable to move, leaving him at the mercy of the dragon gods.

Under the Immortal Dragon Queen's power, Surtr's aura rapidly weakened.

A deity's life force is tenacious.

With the divine kingdom's blessing, Surtr hadn't truly died.

The Metallic Dragon God and the first-generation Iron Dragon King didn't idle. They opened their mouths, unleashing powerful dragon breaths at the restrained Surtr.

In his current state, Surtr couldn't even form a basic divine shield. If the dragon breaths hit, even his resilient life force wouldn't save him; he'd be annihilated.

Divine lights belonging to the giant gods were already streaking across the Land of Fire like meteors, about to descend.

In his final moments, Surtr's face twisted with resolve.

"I shall pour all my divine kingdom's power into an unstoppable force!"

"Flame Divine Kingdom, shatter!"

Though he couldn't control his divine power well, as the master of his divine kingdom, Surtr still had a mental link with every inch of the Flame Divine Kingdom he had personally constructed.

Under Surtr's will, the divine kingdom exploded.

Suddenly, the divine kingdom's space shattered, the ground and sky collapsing simultaneously. Countless beings within the divine kingdom, including many of Surtr's fire giant followers, perished as the divine kingdom crumbled.

At the same time, every deity felt the immense repelling force.

The explosion of the divine kingdom interrupted the attacks of the Metallic Dragon God and the Immortal Dragon Queen, turning into a destructive storm that even greater deities would fear, sweeping in all directions.

Boom!

In a silent, terrifying explosion, countless strands of divine essence scattered, forming a brilliant pillar of light that pierced the Land of Fire, seen by all gods in the Heroic Realm.

The destructive force of the divine kingdom explosion extended from the top of the Serpent's Spine, spreading across the Land of Fire, shattering the sky and earth.

It was as if an invisible giant beast was devouring the Land of Fire, causing unimaginable destruction.

Fortunately, the destructive force of the divine kingdom explosion wasn't limitless. Unlike the world-shattering light, it didn't grow indefinitely. After leaving a terrifying void in the Land of Fire, it finally dissipated.

This allowed the gods of the Heroic Realm, who had been on edge, to breathe a sigh of relief.

They feared the Heroic Realm would suffer the same fate as the Glorious Forest, wiped out by the divine war.

"Surtr self-destructed his divine kingdom under the dragon gods' assault."

"What a ruthless decision. Though he saved his life, the loss is nearly as great as if he had fallen."

The gods watching silently thought.

First, the most loyal followers and strongest apostles of Surtr were in his divine kingdom. To construct a divine kingdom, a god must pour all their essence into it, making it extremely precious.

After self-destructing his divine kingdom, Surtr's divine rank would undoubtedly drop, potentially falling to lesser deity status.

And until he built a new divine kingdom, Surtr would be exposed to the malicious intentions of evil gods, vile entities, demons, and devils. Unless he stayed in another giant god's kingdom or had their protection, he'd be in constant peril.

When the dust settled, the Land of Fire was left in ruins, not a single mountain unscathed.

In the dark red sky, the figures of Surtr and the dragon gods reappeared.

The Fire Giant God was in a pitiful state, his divine body unrecognizable, bloodied, and his aura weak. Due to the self-destruction of his divine kingdom, he had lost consciousness, and a heart containing his divine core beat weakly.

The intense explosion had scattered the dragon gods.

The Life Dragon, Tamara, was closest to Surtr.

She immediately used her divine power, creating a gleaming spear that aimed at the unconscious Surtr. The other dragon gods also moved, ready to strike.

Sizzle! A thousand lightning bolts descended from the sky, striking around Surtr and forming a protective sphere. The remaining giant gods also descended, deploying their powers to fend off the dragon gods' attacks.

Another bolt of lightning hit the ground, forming the image of the Stormlord.

Reaching out, the Stormlord condensed the lightning sphere, pulling it close and storing it in a hidden space with a simple gesture.

"If I had been a moment later, Surtr would have been finished."

The Metallic Dragon God inwardly lamented.

A divine kingdom is a god's greatest defense and stronghold. Killing a top-tier intermediate deity within their divine kingdom, especially one with the backing of a pantheon, is no easy feat.

Otherwise, during the giant pantheon's assault, the Ruby Dragon God and the Destruction Dragon God would have also perished, rather than holding out until the dragon gods arrived to help.

This is one reason the gods found the dragon-giant war excessively insane.

They had become so frenzied they were invading divine kingdoms and successfully killing gods within them, causing unease among the deities who viewed their divine kingdoms as their ultimate sanctuary.

Especially independent gods without a pantheon.

They imagined what would happen if they faced an assault from the dragon or giant pantheon within their divine kingdoms.

The answer was clear. Unless they were greater deities, they stood no chance of survival alone, even within their divine kingdoms.

Back to the matter at hand.

The dragon gods launched a swift assault but ultimately allowed Surtr to barely escape with his life by self-destructing his divine kingdom. However, he was now completely incapacitated and incapable of participating in the imminent divine war.

At this moment, the Land of Fire was filled with the divine presence of the dragon and giant gods, causing the world to tremble and the mountains to collapse under the pressure of their godly auras.

The entire Land of Fire seemed filled with the mighty forms of the dragon and giant gods, their divine and draconic auras suppressing everything, their radiant light dazzling and oppressive. Even the beings in the Sky Garden and the Dwarven World felt the terrifying presence, the atmosphere murderous and cold, the air almost solid.

Using their divine auras as boundaries.

On the right stood the dragon gods.

The Metallic Dragon God, the Immortal Dragon Queen, the Destruction Dragon God, the Ruby Dragon God, the Justice and Arbitration Dragon God, the Death and Judgment Dragon God, the Life Dragon, and the Rune and Trickery Dragon.

On the left stood the giant gods.

The Stormlord, the God of Nature and Hunting, the Stone Giant God, the Hill Giant God, the Giant Love God, and the Giant Trickery God.

Eight against six, seemingly giving the dragon gods an advantage.

However, the Stormlord was incredibly powerful, and not all the giant gods had arrived yet.

On the already shattered and ravaged ground, deep fissures suddenly emitted a thick, black-purple glow representing abyssal power, flowing like liquid, forming a vortex-like abyssal portal.

Two more quasi-deities descended into the Land of Fire.

One was a bloated, hulking figure wielding a fierce, menacing mace, with a face full of flesh, skin dark green, emitting a nauseating stench, surrounded by a swarm of demon flies, bloodsucking mosquitoes, and death maggots, like a dark cloud.

This was the second-generation Ogre God, Vaprak.

The dragon gods barely glanced at Vaprak before ignoring him.

Like the Gnoll God slain by Garon, Vaprak's combat strength was far below that of the dragon or giant gods, not worth considering.

The real game-changer was the second figure from the abyssal portal.

This presence required serious attention.

This being was both a god and a demon lord, possessing lesser extraordinary divine power, comparable to greater deities, known as the Minotaur King, the Beast Prince.

Like the Archdevil of the Abyss, the Lord of the Undead, this powerful demon lord, Baphomet, was among the most revered in the Abyss, second only to the demon princes, with ambitions to become a demon king, allied with the Mother of Demons, Pale Night, his staunch ally and lover.

In various records and legends, he had many names: Baphomet, Baphomet, Baphomet. His most widely known name today was Baphomet.

Baphomet appeared as a humanoid creature, standing tall on two hooved legs, a pair of menacing, thick horns atop his head seemingly capable of piercing the sky, his dark fur tinged with purple, rippling in the wind, his muscles like layered rock, intertwined with vines, exceptionally sturdy.

Streams of air flowed like dragons, inhaled with each breath.

He wore armor and wielded an enormous, fearsome axe, its blade blood-red, glowing like heated iron, emitting a murky blood light.

He glanced casually at the Metallic Dragon God and the Immortal Dragon Queen, then at the Stormlord, holding his blood-red axe close, standing still, his aura contained, showing no intention of joining the fight.

Baphomet was a demon lord who revered violence and barbarity.

If he intended to fight the dragon gods, he would have charged at them the moment he appeared, not remaining passively on the sidelines.

The second-generation Ogre God, though also a demon lord, revered Baphomet, and seeing this, he contained his surging divine power, chewing on the death maggots infesting his flesh, juices splattering.

The Stormlord's eyes narrowed, his voice heavy with a hint of accusation, "Baphomet?"

The situation grew more tense. The dragon gods refrained from rash action, assessing the situation.

Baphomet snorted.

Under the Stormlord's gaze, the powerful demon lord waved dismissively, impatiently, "Kid, are you questioning me?"

"Don't think that just because you're the Giant God King, you can speak to me like that."

"Not even Annam could order me around!"

"If it weren't for your promise to aid my ascension in the Abyssal Crown War after the conflict, I wouldn't even bother with you."

Though beaten multiple times by Annam, Baphomet's wild, rebellious nature remained unchanged, frustrating Annam to no end, who eventually gave up on him.

In terms of age and seniority, Baphomet was older than the Stormlord, an ancient being from the same era as Annam and Io, just slightly less powerful.

The Stormlord's expression remained stoic, listening to Baphomet's insolent words, his face impassive, but the frequency of the lightning and electric arcs around him increased, revealing his inner turmoil.

"If you don't want to fight, then, Baphomet, why are you here?"

The Stormlord looked down at the demon lord, speaking coldly.

Baphomet snorted twice, ignoring the Stormlord, and turned his gaze to the dragon gods, focusing on the Metallic Dragon God and the Immortal Dragon Queen.

"Bahamut, Tiamat."

"Although I am part of the giant pantheon, I am not truly a giant god. Some giants merely revere my strength."

Hearing Baphomet's words, the giant gods grew tense, the Stormlord frowned, lightning crackling in the sky.

Baphomet paid them no mind.

"Oh?"

"Baphomet, it seems you have your own thoughts and plans. Given the tense situation, state your purpose directly. Don't waste our time."

The Immortal Dragon Queen's eyes glinted, and she spoke first.

Baphomet laughed heartily, then his expression grew serious. He looked at the dragon gods and said solemnly, "In this war, I will remain neutral and not attack you. In exchange, after the war, when I need it, you will assist me in the Abyssal Crown War."

The Stormlord's face darkened.

The dragon gods exchanged glances.

Having already made a deal with the Shadow Lord, now another Beast Prince?

The gods communicated silently, and soon, the Immortal Dragon Queen smiled, "Very well, we can agree to this. We will establish a River Styx Pact, ensuring that within the bounds of the pact, the dragon pantheon will assist you in your quest for the crown."

"However, if you face the Shadow Lord, we cannot participate."

Baphomet nodded, "I am aware of your deal with the Shadow Lord."

"No problem, currently, the Shadow Lord and I are still allies. If we ever become enemies, it will be when only the two of us remain in the race for the crown."

"Heh, assuming the Shadow Lord can make it that far, by then, I won't need your help."

As Baphomet and the dragon gods discussed the details of their pact and prepared to sign the River Styx Pact, the Stormlord could no longer contain his anger.

He spoke through gritted teeth, "Baphomet, I have already promised to help you in the Crown War after this war!"

Baphomet nonchalantly picked his nose, flicking away imaginary debris, snorting, "What if they have some ultimate trump card? What if the Nine-Faced Dragon God Io resurrects? What if the dragon pantheon wins?"

The Stormlord's face twisted in fury, nearly roaring, "Baphomet! Remember your place! You are—"

Before he could finish, Baphomet interrupted.

His voice grew deep and violent, his eyes reddening, "Kid, we haven't signed a pact. What good is an empty promise?"

"And don't use the giant pantheon to pressure me. If you anger me, I'll leave the giant pantheon."

Baphomet's strength gave him the freedom to leave the giant pantheon without consequence.

Pausing, Baphomet continued, "Now, I give you a choice."

"We sign the River Styx

 Pact, I stay neutral, and if the giant pantheon wins, you help me in the Crown War after."

He fell silent, waiting for the Stormlord's answer.

Seeing Baphomet's unyielding stance, the Stormlord grew silent.

If he refused, Baphomet might indeed switch sides to support the dragon pantheon!

Good grief! The dragon gods watched the internal strife of the giant pantheon with interest.

In this turbulent, confrontational moment, Baphomet leveraged his irreplaceable value to simultaneously form pacts with both pantheons.

From Baphomet's perspective, this was the safest strategy.

Regardless of who won between the dragons and giants, Baphomet would benefit, without needing to risk his life in the war, simply maintaining neutrality and observing.

It was a brilliant scheme.

The Immortal Dragon Queen pondered.

Considering Baphomet's wild nature, it was unlikely he devised this strategy himself. So, who suggested it?

"Mother of Demons, Pale Night... Did you advise Baphomet?"

The Immortal Dragon Queen speculated.

Pale Night and Baphomet were allies and lovers.

The Shadow Lord was Pale Night's most prized son, connecting the three.

If Pale Night, Baphomet, and the Shadow Lord formed an alliance, and received the dragon pantheon's support, they indeed had a chance to defeat the demon princes and ascend the throne!

If one of them succeeded in becoming a demon king.

The dragon pantheon would be the greatest power behind the demon king.

___________________

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