The Gold Dragon.
The Lord who was the pinnacle of all dragons.
Before him, my existence felt infinitely small.
His size alone was comparable to a dozens-story apartment building, but the aura flowing from that massive body was unlike anything I had ever experienced—unique and
special.
‘…I’ve become a bug.’
That expression was exactly right.
Before the Dragon Lord, I felt like nothing more than an insignificant creature.
[Are you afraid?]
Perhaps reading my mind, the Lord opened his mouth.
“I am not afraid. I was just a little surprised.”
As time passed, that feeling faded and only a sense of familiarity remained.
The power I possessed was itself the power the Lord had granted me, and since I had nurtured that power, it was bound to resemble the Gold Dragon’s own.
Should I say I felt a strong sense of kinship?
[You have accomplished much in a short time.]
“That is because of the power you gave me.”
[It is your Talent. The power I gave was merely water and sunlight to allow the seed of that Talent to bloom.]
“I have one question.”
[What?]
“You have Bidel, so why did you need me?”
Bidel had been Rank 1 for a long time, a veteran who fought the betraying Dragon Gods on the front lines.
Despite her existence,
I wondered why he went searching for a successor.
[Bidel is a being created from my Fragment. She is strong and can use my power most closely. In fact, she has shown strong suppression against the Apostles, but that is as far as it goes.]
“Why?”
[Because she is a Fragment of my existence, there is a Limit. She cannot surpass the vessel that the Fragment possesses.]
So he used Bidel to exert suppression, and during that time, he was searching for a true successor.
“What must I do?”
[By now, the betraying Dragon Gods have probably realized that you have become my successor. They will likely be preparing a plan for that.]
“Are they going to invade Earth?”
[That is highly likely. If they invade, the dimension called Earth will be erased from this world.]
“Then I must stop them.”
I had no intention of letting those bastards run rampant.
Especially not letting them destroy Earth.
[From now on, I will transfer everything I have to you. Use this power to deal with all the betraying Dragon Gods.]
“What happens after I deal with them all?”
[When you reach it, you will naturally come to realize it.]
The Dragon Lord raised his massive body and lifted his head.
The Lord’s face, seen from afar.
The dragon’s sharp eyes flashed with light as they turned toward me.
A brilliantly shining golden light poured down.
A familiar yet foreign energy stirred throughout my entire body. It intertwined with the energy I possessed, and the process of becoming one proceeded.
In that process, various memories and information flowed into my mind.
– “…Kugh!”
On a desolate land, the Lord, who had used Polymorph, lay collapsed.
Various weapons were embedded in the Lord’s body as he coughed up blood.
Spears, arrows, swords, and more.
Repeatedly regenerating and then decaying, his recovery power gradually diminished.
Then the betraying Dragon Gods appeared before him.
– “You’re persistent.”
– “But this is truly the end.”
– “Lord, your world is over.”
I captured the images of the betrayers.
Their eyes were filled with deep desire.
– “…Cough. Why did you betray me?”
– “Your knowledge and power. We will become gods.”
– “…Kheheh. You won’t be able to handle this power.”
– “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of that.”
Thunk!
A spear made of flashing lightning pierced the Lord’s heart.
– “Kehuk!”
The Lord coughed up black blood and collapsed. Rain poured from a sky filled with dark clouds.
– “You will never obtain what you desire.”
With those words, the Lord detonated all his knowledge and power.
He gathered only the most important parts and sent them outside the dimension.
That was the Lord’s Fragment, now before my eyes in the form of a dragon.
The information the Fragment contained was the method to become a true god, and the knowledge to properly wield that power.
These things were contained within it.
Based on the information flowing into my mind, I operated the power passed down by the Fragment.
The Fragment’s power became one with my own power.
I reconstructed my body using the aura, knowledge, and power the Lord had possessed.
Into a body that could most perfectly handle this power.
Crack!
Crackle!
As my fingertips vanished, golden threads flowed out. The threads flowed into the empty spaces, forming shapes.
It was like the process of making a doll.
The golden threads filled the spaces where my human body had disappeared.
I could have changed my appearance, but I did not.
Because my starting point was always as a human.
Whooom!
Infinite power surged during the transformation.
I divided the power felt throughout my body into my Dantian, chest, and head, achieving balance.
The three energies became one, completely transforming my body, and I fully accepted the Lord’s knowledge.
[You have become an Intermediate God.]
[You can appoint a Lesser Deity.]
[You are granted the qualification to enter the Divine Realm.]
Seeing the newly appeared messages, I snapped my fingers.
I escaped the Void Space and returned to the Arena’s Waiting Room.
Ren and Bidel, who had been waiting there, knelt and paid their respects.
Looking at them, I opened my mouth.
“Prepare for war.”
There were also multiple dimensions in the Divine Realm.
In particular, those who had just entered the Divine Realm had to spend hundreds of years accumulating skills in a place called the Entry Realm.
There were various ways to build power in the Divine Realm,
but the most common method was to catch strong creatures and absorb their Spiritual Energy.
The various Monsters living in the Entry Realm.
By catching those Monsters, absorbing Spiritual Energy, gaining Enlightenment, and developing strength, one could move to the next stage.
However, it was difficult for those who first entered the Entry Realm to catch Monsters.
Therefore, a commonly used method was to use a Lesser Deity to supply Sacrifices.
Elixir Pills made from Faith and Sacrifices created in the Earthly Realm.
There was one downside: if the Faith disappeared and the faction diminished, the Spiritual Energy obtained through the Earthly Realm would vanish.
“…Grit.”
Feeling his power gradually dissipating, the White Dragon God gnashed his teeth.
It was clear that Boakin had been dealt with.
Otherwise, the current situation could not be explained.
“Black Dragon God… that bastard.”
Clenching both fists, the White Dragon God’s eyes flashed as he used Spiritual Energy to track the Black Dragon God.
Spiritual Energy spread in all directions according to the White Dragon God’s will.
Along with it, the Spiritual Energy rapidly dissipated.
“DaAaAamn!”
The White Dragon God struck the wall beside him with a fist full of rage.
Crash!
The wall itself burst open, creating a huge hole. Beyond the hole, a vast forest and a stream running through it were visible.
The White Dragon God had been situated in a high mountain range.
Gnashing his teeth and clenching his fist, the White Dragon God could not contain his anger.
And for good reason.
What allowed him to build a foundation early and gain so much Spiritual Energy until now was the Elixir Pills obtained from the Earthly Realm.
Killing the Lord’s Successor,
dealing with those with Talent,
and using the Sacrifices of the Earthly Realm to create Elixir Pills to grow.
However, as his Faith and faction disappeared, what he had gained from the Earthly Realm became useless.
‘…One-tenth.’
When considering the overall proportion of Spiritual Energy, it might not be considered a large amount, but it had taken decades to accumulate that much Spiritual Energy.
It meant he had regressed compared to others.
Especially, when thinking of the other Dragon Gods who were likely surging ahead, his anger would not subside.
If they found out about this, they would surely come directly to kill him and take all his Spiritual Energy.
To prevent that, he had to regain his strength.
“…Black Dragon God.”
The only way in the current situation was to find the weakened Black Dragon God, kill him, and absorb all the power the Black Dragon God possessed.
If he was even a little late, he would be dealt with by the other five Dragon Gods.
The White Dragon God focused on the Spiritual Energy spreading in all directions to locate the Black Dragon God.
The Entry Realm was an enormous land.
However, there were certain locations the Black Dragon God would favor. Places filled with darkness that let in no light, yet where moonlight’s influence could be felt strongly.
Such places were few.
“…Found it.”
One Spiritual Energy responded.
The White Dragon God moved to the place where the Spiritual Energy lingered. Using Spiritual Energy to leap through space, he arrived at a place filled with darkness.
Whooom!
He used Spiritual Energy to create light.
The pure white light seemed to illuminate the interior of the darkness, but another Spiritual Energy that felt like darkness blocked its power.
The light appeared but could not brighten the surroundings.
Instead, a familiar voice came from within the darkness.
“White Dragon God? What is it? Not content with touching my children, now you crawl here to devour me too?”
“Shut up! You bastard touched my children first.”
“What an absurd bastard. You’re the one who struck first, and now you say we did?”
“Words don’t work. No, there’s no need for words. Just die. I’ll make good use of your Spiritual Energy.”
The White Dragon God detonated the Spiritual Energy he had gathered to the fullest.
BOOOOOOM!
The Spiritual Energy became a massive light, exploding and spreading in all directions, exerting influence.
The deep underground collapsed, and light flowing in from outside illuminated the dark space.
The Black Dragon God hid in the darkness scattered here and there and counterattacked using Spiritual Energy.
BOOM!
KABOOM!
The Spiritual Energy imbued with white and black auras clashed, causing explosions.
The surroundings were devastated as a fierce battle unfolded.
The Black Dragon God spread his hands, and dozens of Black Orbs filled the sky with darkness, then poured down on the White Dragon God.
KABOOOOM!
It was a bombardment so intense that if not for the White Barrier created by the White Dragon God, he would have died.
While the orbs blocked by the barrier exploded, the White Dragon God gathered Spiritual Energy for a counterattack.
The Enlightenment he had naturally gained from absorbing light over a long time. The New Fist he created through that principle.
Flash!
The White Dragon God’s body shone as brightly as if he had become the sun. It swallowed all the surrounding darkness and made everything emit light.
He pushed off the ground and charged at the Black Dragon God.
The White Dragon God’s fist, approaching at the speed of light, aimed for the Black Dragon God’s head.
BOOM!
A heavy explosion burst forth.
Twisting his head to dodge, the Black Dragon God gathered Spiritual Energy and released it.
Black Dragon Cannon.
A black dragon shot out, targeting the White Dragon God.
BOOM!
KABOOM!
They traded attacks, competing over whose Spiritual Energy would run out first.
The White Dragon God was confident of victory.
The Black Dragon God had lost his Supreme Apostle long ago, and his support base had collapsed faster than the White Dragon God’s.
Above all, it was daytime, not night.
The sun in the sky was advantageous for the White Dragon God.
At the end of the stubbornly continuing battle, the White Dragon God was about to squeeze out his remaining strength to target the Black Dragon God.
Someone appeared between them.
The White Dragon God frowned as he felt a very familiar aura, one that should never have been sensed.
“Dragon Lord?”