Rebirth as a Time Dragon

Mount Celestia, Seventh Layer, Chronias, the Radiant Heaven. Accessible only through the Bridge of Heaven, it is distinctly different from the other six layers. Even for the residents of Mount Celestia, the seventh layer remains a particularly mysterious domain.

Garon lifted his head, gazing at the vast, magnificent Bridge of Heaven.

Immediately, the gods began to move, transforming into streams of divine light and entering the Bridge of Heaven, vanishing in an instant.

The Metal Dragon God reminded Garon, "In the Radiant Heaven, you may feel some discomfort, but there will also be some benefits."

Discomfort? The Metal Dragon God didn't elaborate, and Garon didn't press further.

The two true dragons spread their wings and also entered the Bridge of Heaven, their bodies vanishing into the endless radiance.

As Garon entered the Bridge of Heaven, he felt a blinding whiteness filling his vision. Time and space seemed almost indistinguishable, and the usually gentle and comfortable holy light of Mount Celestia—the essence of the Bridge of Heaven—grew increasingly scorching.

This state didn't last long.

It seemed like only a moment before the whiteness in Garon's vision dispersed.

A new world unfolded before Garon's eyes.

It was an ocean of holy light, brilliantly radiant and ever-changing, morphing into various forms of creatures galloping through the air. There was no sky or ground, only an endless flow of living light, reflecting upon the gods.

Apart from the newly arrived gods and the holy light, there were no other living beings present.

At the same time, Garon frowned.

Upon arrival, he felt the discomfort the Metal Dragon God had mentioned.

The scorching sensation from the Bridge of Heaven had nearly become a burning pain, originating from Garon's will and soul, not his body.

Simultaneously, scenes began to flash in Garon's mind.

Scenes from his early life—stealing dragon gems to sate his hunger, beating his dragon siblings, then upon returning from exile, beating the white dragoness and taking her lair, and encountering the weak human children Amos and Lilith in the polar region and driving them away instead of helping them—played out in his mind.

Each time these memories surfaced, the burning pain grew more intense.

A soft voice seemed to whisper in Garon's ear, telling him that his actions were wrong, that he should be kind-hearted, embody supreme goodness, act as an example, and strive to make the multiverse a place of supreme goodness, free from conflict and war, where all beings could bask in the paradise of ultimate goodness.

Finally, the memories flowed to the War of Glory.

Each elf killed, each life taken, increased the burning pain in Garon's heart.

Only by feeling remorse and yearning for goodness could he feel a cooling balm that eased the burning pain.

The recollection continued to the Giant War, with memories of him slaughtering giants as an avatar, the pain peaking, shaking even Garon's iron will.

Garon silently resisted.

The more he resisted, the stronger the burning pain became.

Thus, Garon felt increasingly hot, as if he was about to melt into the endless holy light. The gentle whisper in his ear turned into a sharp, dangerous voice, warning him that any evil would be purified in this place of supreme goodness.

Unmoved, Garon's will was tempered in this unimaginable pain.

When his will was on the verge of collapse, filled with thoughts of goodness, he thought, "Is Mount Celestia trying to melt me?"

Just as his consciousness was about to succumb, Garon, his face grim, prepared to use Time Reversal again.

Meanwhile, the Metal Dragon God, watching Garon's changing expression as he was engulfed in holy light, extended a dragon claw, ready to help dispel the holy light.

At that moment, the holy light around Garon suddenly became harmless.

Garon, as if awakening from a dream, took a few deep breaths and then glanced warily at the radiant, endless landscape around him.

The unbearable burning pain had vanished.

Garon also dissipated the gathered time power.

Interestingly, although only a few seconds had passed, Garon's memories had cycled through his entire life dozens of times, enduring continuous soul-burning pain.

As Garon emerged from this, he felt his will had become more steadfast, as if tempered into flawless, unbreakable divine steel.

"If I were to face the God of the Cloud Giants now, there might be a difference in level, but his mental powers would hardly affect me," Garon thought silently.

The Metal Dragon God said, "The Radiant Heaven is a dangerous place. It is the origin of Mount Celestia, a realm of ultimate goodness."

"The holy light here will obliterate all evil and impurities. Even good-aligned beings will have their individual wills purified and dissolved, becoming part of the Radiant Heaven."

"Only powerful deities can remain unaffected."

The silver dragon exhaled slowly and said, "I see. Powerful deities aren't unaffected because they are supremely good, but because their strength is enough to ignore the influence here."

"If beings recognized as supremely good here exist, then even the good gods don't qualify."

Supreme goodness and goodness are not the same concepts.

Supreme evil and evil are also different.

In the Abyss and Hell, there are many evil beings, but supreme evil is equally hard to find.

"You are correct."

"The Radiant Heaven is more extreme than the Abyss and Hell, but this is also a unique characteristic of Mount Celestia."

A gentle and familiar voice sounded.

Garon turned to see the God of Light, dressed in golden divine robes, resembling a kind and gentle elder.

"Long time no see, God of Light."

"Is it you who called this meeting?"

Garon asked.

The God of Light shook his head and said, "No."

"Then who could it be, capable of gathering so many powerful deities?"

The God of Light looked at the omnipresent holy light without answering.

But Garon and the Metal Dragon God understood.

"Mount Celestia."

The idea of planes having wills is an established fact among the gods.

The outer planes, led by the Abyss in the lower planes and Mount Celestia in the upper planes, highlight the significance of Mount Celestia. It is not a weak plane like the Elemental Planes or the Heroic Domains.

The gods of Mount Celestia are also an exceptionally powerful force, far surpassing any single pantheon.

Including the Metal Dragon God and the divine Garon, they are also part of the gods of Mount Celestia.

Suddenly, the holy light gathered and formed the Hound Archon King seen by the gods.

The Hound Archon King waved a hand, creating star-like outlines that scattered and formed a ring.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let us begin."

Without words, the gods instinctively understood that these stars were their council seats.

The gods took their seats on the holy light stars, and eventually, Garon was positioned between the Metal Dragon God and the God of Light.

"Before the meeting officially begins, please look at these scenes."

The Hound Archon King spoke in a cold voice.

Endless holy light surged like waves, weaving into a series of images.

In the images, dragons and elves waged war, causing the sky to collapse, and lands to be devastated.

The War of Glory was displayed before the gods.

But this did not last long. The scenes changed to the war between dragons and giants, far more frenzied and intense than the war between dragons and elves.

In these scenes, dragons and giants fought, with the collateral damage causing innocent nations to be destroyed, rivers of blood, mountains of corpses, mountains collapsing, forests burning, even oceans evaporating under the dragons' synchronized spells, revealing desolate seabeds and countless sea creatures perishing.

The destruction of the Radiant Forest.

The near fragmentation of the Heroic Domains.

These were all included.

The gods were silent, but their gazes were already focused on the two dragon gods present.

The scenes did not end.

As the war between dragons and giants escalated, causing more casualties and chaos, demons, devils, and evil entities left the lower planes to the war zones, secretly harvesting souls, growing stronger, or exploiting the chaos to destroy cities and nations.

Finally, the scene froze with dragons and giants at each other's throats, and demons and devils laughing maniacally in between.

"As you have seen."

"The wars between the dragons, elves, and giants have caused natural disasters, planar collapses, endless human misery, and provided nourishment for abyssal demons and infernal devils, fostering the growth of evil."

"Though the war has ended, its repercussions are endless."

The Hound Archon King looked at the two dragon gods with an indifferent voice, "I represent Mount Celestia, gathering you here for one purpose."

"I seek the Dragon Pantheon's assurance that after today, the dragon race will not initiate any more wars, will not give lower-plane evil creatures opportunities, and will not cause turmoil in the multiverse."

As expected.

They came with bad intentions. Garon and the Metal Dragon God exchanged a glance.

The war had just ended, and they convened a gods' council, likely targeting them. And indeed, that was the case.

The gods' gazes were all focused, yet they remained silent.

After a brief silence, the Metal Dragon God's eyes narrowed, leaving claw marks on the star beneath him. He said in a deep voice, "Hound Archon King, do you mean to say that the war was entirely the dragons' fault?"

"Are we to be held accountable for the destruction caused by the war?"

Upon hearing this, Chauntea, the Earth Mother, said gently, "Bahamut, please

 don't be angry."

"I don't think the Hound Archon King meant that."

"This meeting is only for discussion and suggestions, not to blame the dragons."

Lathander, the Lord of Dawn, with a charming, sunny smile, agreed, "Yes, Bahamut, calm down. The Hound Archon King, representing Mount Celestia, wouldn't make baseless accusations. Perhaps he just didn't express himself well."

The God of Justice seemed to support the Metal Dragon God, saying, "The Hound Archon King's words might easily cause misunderstanding. But Bahamut, you wouldn't make a fuss over nothing, right? Let's hear what he has to say."

With the gods' persuasion, the Metal Dragon God had to suppress his anger.

At the same time, Garon observed the gods' kind faces and gentle tones, remaining expressionless but feeling cold inside.

Beneath the holy light's cover, Garon saw the gods' cold, wary gazes, as if watching venomous snakes, aimed at him and the Metal Dragon God. Their words varied, but it was clear that their underlying sentiments were unified.

"We cannot give you that assurance."

Garon said, sharing the burden of the gods' pressure with the Metal Dragon God.

As soon as he finished speaking, the gods' gazes focused on Garon.

Every deity here was a powerful god. Their gazes were not easy to withstand, and Garon felt the surrounding air solidify.

Simultaneously, a radiant light enveloped Garon, alleviating much of his pressure.

The God of Light gave a gentle smile and nodded without speaking.

"If the dragon race assures no further wars, what if lesser races provoke us in the future? Should we just let them insult us?"

"The majesty of true dragons is inviolable. The Hound Archon King's request crosses the line for our race."

At this point, the Hound Archon King said, "In times of war, whether love and beauty or justice and knowledge, all these things are destroyed. War strips everything beautiful of its color."

"Metal Dragon God, Time Dragon God."

"I know war was not the intention of the Dragon Gods, but it is an undeniable fact that dragons are warlike."

These words resonated with gods like the God of Love and Beauty, the God of Justice, and the Lord of Knowledge.

"Sigh, indeed, countless knowledge was lost in the flames of war, never to return."

Oghma, the Lord of Knowledge, sighed.

"A warlike race is endless. It seems it is not just the dragon race."

The Metal Dragon God, regaining his calm, said expressionlessly.

"But the actions of the dragon race affect the entire multiverse, which other races cannot do."

"The earth crumbling under the dragons' trampling pains me deeply."

The Earth Mother said.

Simultaneously, the God of Nature, Silvanus, with a kind face on his oak trunk, became cold, looking at the dragon gods, "The forests destroyed by the dragons' breath and spells are endless."

"The natural order has been so greatly disrupted. The dragon race is inescapably responsible."

As the guardian god of nature, Silvanus could not tolerate large-scale destruction of nature.

He was the first god present to show open hostility towards the dragon gods, without hiding it.

This council, more accurately, was a trial against the dragon race.

"If you are so opposed to wars involving our race, why didn't you stop it midway, but waited until now, when it's all over, knowledge lost, the earth shattered, and nature destroyed?"

Garon questioned the gods.

After a moment of silence, the Hound Archon King replied, "During the war, you and the giant gods were nearly mad. We realized the war couldn't be stopped. Only after the war could we address it, preventing future wars."

The Giant Pantheon is no small pantheon.

In a war where almost the entire pantheon was annihilated, and many dragon gods also fell, who would be foolish enough to intervene midway?

These gods were not fools.

After the war ended, when both sides were exhausted and the victor had yet to recover, was the best time for accountability.

"You seem to misunderstand. I, Bahamut, am only the god of good dragons, not the chief god of the dragon race."

"I cannot represent all dragon gods to give you that assurance."

After a pause, the Metal Dragon God laughed, then said sharply, "Even if I could, I wouldn't do it!"

Garon added, "Everyone, if there are no other matters, you may continue the meeting. We will leave first."

Having understood the gods' stance, there was no need to stay further.

The Earth Mother sighed softly, "This council is just for discussion and suggestions. Why are the two dragon gods so stubborn and difficult to communicate with?"

Garon nodded and said, "Since it's a suggestion, Bahamut and I can clearly state that we do not accept your suggestion."

Upon hearing this, the gods fell silent.

"Open the Bridge of Heaven, or I will tear through the Radiant Heaven's barrier and leave directly."

The Metal Dragon God said forcefully.

The Hound Archon King spoke again, this time with a hint of threat, "Mount Celestia is a sacred place for good beings, but your current actions make me question if you belong to the good alignment."

The Metal Dragon God laughed and said, "Are you saying you want to expel us from Mount Celestia?"

The Hound Archon King had this ability.

As the embodiment of Mount Celestia's will, he could repel divine realms established in Mount Celestia, causing instability and forcing the target to leave.

The Hound Archon King said, "No, this is just a warning."

"Alright, we've received your warning. Now we will leave the Radiant Heaven. You may continue your discussions and send your suggestions to our divine realms. We will consider them and might even agree."

Saying this, the two dragons stood up, ready to leave.

The God of Light shook his head without speaking.

Among all the gods present, only the God of Light and the God of War from the Chaos Sea, Tempus, had remained silent throughout.

In a council targeting the dragon gods, staying silent was already rare.

The God of Light had a good relationship with Garon and the Metal Dragon God. As for Tempus...

Tempus, the God of War, also known as the Unconquered God.

The title "Unconquered" is not ordinary.

But the God of War indeed lives up to the praise.

He follows three unwavering principles.

First, when there are no benefits, he remains neutral, so Tempus wins.

Second, when there are benefits, he bets on both sides, so Tempus wins again.

Third, when he must choose a side, he supports the winning side, so Tempus still wins.

In the material world, when Tempus responds to the call of his followers and descends onto the battlefield, if he rides a white mare, it signifies that army's victory. If he rides a black stallion named Deiros, it foretells defeat. Most of the time, he rides both horses, one foot on each.

Clearly, the God of War found it hard to choose between Mount Celestia and the Dragon Pantheon, thus following the first principle: staying neutral.

His principles made him have no enemies, earning him the title of the Unconquered God.

"Are you not opening the Bridge of Heaven?"

The Metal Dragon God's dragon might erupted, raising a dragon claw, golden light shining, covering the pervasive holy light.

The Hound Archon King remained silent, but the Bridge of Heaven appeared, landing before the two dragon gods.

Garon and the Metal Dragon God left through the Bridge of Heaven, reappearing in the sixth layer, the Radiant Heaven, then returning to the Silver Heaven.

As soon as they descended over the Silver Sea, the Metal Dragon God, with a serious expression, said to Garon, "Garon, gather the important things from your divine realm and leave Mount Celestia."

The council, facing the Hound Archon King's questioning, was extremely dangerous.

As the embodiment of Mount Celestia's will, the Hound Archon King possessed terrifying power in Mount Celestia, especially in the Radiant Heaven, equivalent to a top-tier god with a divine rank of twenty.

This being was not a weak beast lord or einherjar king but a mature and powerful embodiment of planar will.

If the Hound Archon King had joined forces with the gods to attack in the Radiant Heaven, even with Time Reversal, it would have been difficult to resist.

However, these gods belonged to the good alignment, making it highly unlikely they would unite against them.

As the Hound Archon King said, their purpose was to warn and restrain the Dragon Pantheon, preventing it from becoming a hegemonic force again.

"Damn, if our chief god were here..."

The Metal Dragon God's eyes were cold as he muttered.

"What about you?"

Garon asked.

The Metal Dragon God said, "I will take the necessary things and leave immediately. Even if my divine realm cannot migrate and remain in Mount Celestia, I will temporarily leave it and establish a new one."

"By the way, don't bring any Hound Archon apostles from your divine realm. Leave them behind. Even if they are genuinely loyal to you, they could unknowingly act as the Hound Archon King's spies."

Remaining in Mount Celestia under the Hound Archon King's scrutiny would be like tying their own hands.

"Where should we go after leaving Mount Celestia?"

Garon asked.

The Metal Dragon God grinned and said, "Initially, there wasn't a suitable place, but now, think about it. Where do you think we should go? You probably already have the answer."

As the Metal Dragon God said,

 Garon had the answer in his heart while asking, just confirming if their thoughts aligned.

"Alright, to the Heroic Domains!"

"Not only to go but to completely occupy the Heroic Domains, making it an outer plane solely for dragons."

Garon said.

Once he fully mastered the Crown of Heroes, Garon would be recognized as the spokesperson of the Heroic Domains.

Simultaneously, the gods of the Heroic Domains felt a sense of foreboding, puzzled as they couldn't pinpoint the reason.

Immediately, Garon called back Yuna, who was frolicking in the Silver Sea, and visited his divine realm. He ordered his elven servants, dragon maiden guards, and dragon followers to leave, took the treasured items from his divine realm, and, through a large-scale portal opened by the Metal Dragon God, led his divine realm inhabitants and servants out of Mount Celestia.

The Hound Archon King probably didn't expect that a mere warning would make the two dragon gods decisively leave Mount Celestia, acting swiftly and without hesitation.

This was a loss for Mount Celestia, as more gods meant higher prestige.

___________________

(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