Rebirth as a Time Dragon

As time passed, Anivia's feathers began to undergo a mutation, with increasingly significant movements.

Under Garon's gaze, rings of frost spread outward like shockwaves, emanating from the icy feathers and extending a few feet before retracting and surging back into the feathers.

This process repeated over and over.

With each cycle, the icy feathers shrank in size.

Eventually, the icy feathers completely disappeared, forming a cocoon-like structure.

At the moment the cocoon structure formed, a burgeoning life force began to emerge from the center of the cocoon, rapidly growing.

The icy cocoon began to shake and tremble.

Cracks spread across the surface of the ice crystal like lightning, expanding outward.

"This..."

Watching the scene unfold, the dragon scratched the scales on his chin thoughtfully.

In fact, when he saw the icy feathers turning into a cocoon and nurturing life within, Garon knew what was about to happen. He was just surprised that the icy feathers brought from another dimension could undergo such a transformation.

Crack! A crisp sound like ice breaking echoed through the Hall of Heroes.

A small, exquisite head emerged from a crack in the cocoon.

It looked like the head of a bird carved from ice, entirely made of ice crystals, not flesh. A tuft of beautiful, long feathers adorned its head, looking fantastically beautiful as the surrounding light refracted through the ice.

Crack, crack. The cocoon, actually an eggshell, shattered completely.

The creature inside was fully revealed.

With a magnificent, long tail, a body made of ice crystals, and wings emitting cold air, it was a miniature version of the ice phoenix, Anivia.

Chirp?

The little ice phoenix tilted its head and, in the shadow, looked up at the towering silver dragon.

The next second, it seemed startled and shrank its head back.

Garon gazed quietly, noticing the confusion and helplessness in its eyes, like a newly born beast with blank thoughts and memories.

However, this state did not last long.

For a moment, its body stiffened like a statue, and the confusion in its eyes was almost instantly dispelled, as if it received an overwhelming amount of information. Its eyes soon filled with the calm and rationality of ancient wisdom.

This scene was familiar to Garon.

The process of a young dragon receiving the dragon's heritage was quite similar.

"Anivia, is this an avatar of yours?"

The dragon lowered his eyes, looking at the small ice phoenix not even the size of one of his claws.

"Ah, Garon."

After a slight pause, the ice phoenix came to its senses, with a hint of joy in its voice.

But soon, the little creature looked as if it was about to cry.

"Ugh, this isn't my avatar. I was killed."

"I died so miserably, my body was completely eaten. Luckily, I had a feather here with you that allowed me to be reborn; otherwise, I would have truly died."

The little Anivia lay on the ground, her wings drooping powerlessly, speaking in a tone of despair.

Anivia possessed the power of rebirth.

Even if only a feather remained, she could use it to resurrect. However, this kind of resurrection was not traditional; it was a new ice phoenix inheriting Anivia's memories and thoughts, like a different flower blooming on the same branch.

The Anivia who had sworn brotherhood with Garon was dead.

This new one had her memories but was a newborn.

Garon, having spent some time with Anivia as a sibling, felt a bit heavy-hearted upon hearing about her death.

The newborn Anivia, on the other hand, didn't seem too concerned.

"We have a time alliance contract, but why didn't I sense your call for help?"

Garon asked.

The little ice phoenix blinked, then its feathers almost stood up, looking fluffed up and angry. "I... I was ambushed!"

"The wretched Nagakabouros ambushed me while I wasn't prepared."

"Nagakabouros..."

Garon paused.

"Wasn't that sea beast already dead?"

Anivia shook her head and said, "We also thought it was dead, but it ambushed and killed me. Moreover, it seems to have changed."

Clearly, that creature wasn't completely dead and had come back again.

Its vitality was remarkably tenacious. Garon thought to himself, at least three encounters with Nagakabouros now.

"How has it changed exactly?"

Garon asked.

Anivia shook her newly born, immature body helplessly and said, "I was clearing out a type of purple creature sweeping across Valoran when Nagakabouros ambushed me. It seems to have become the leader of those purple monsters."

Garon recalled summoning Volibear through the alliance contract.

In a brief conversation, Volibear mentioned an unknown purple creature appearing on the continent of Valoran, causing some trouble.

It now seemed to be more than just a small problem.

"Ornn and Volibear probably don't know about my death yet."

"I didn't have time to warn them before I died. They might also be ambushed if they're not careful."

Anivia's tone became more anxious.

"They don't have the power of rebirth; if they die, they truly die."

Garon exhaled, looked down at the somewhat anxious Anivia, and said, "I understand. Since Nagakabouros isn't dead, I'll go kill it again."

"I'll set off now."

The current Garon was no longer the fledgling demigod needing the protection of elder brothers in Valoran.

Garon, who was now close to becoming a mid-tier deity, could easily kill Nagakabouros in a one-on-one fight. Even if Nagakabouros had grown stronger, Garon was not afraid or worried.

At the same time, sensing the unfamiliar creature's presence, the dragon maiden woke up and opened her eyes.

Garon conveyed his thoughts to Yuna, who instantly understood the situation.

Due to Garon's adventures in different dimensions, he often shared his experiences with Yuna, so she knew who Anivia was.

Yuna curiously looked at the little phoenix but didn't speak.

"You can't help now, so stay here."

"This is my domain, very safe."

Garon said to Anivia.

Anivia, who had been observing Yuna, shifted her gaze to Garon upon hearing his words, nodded, and said, "Okay, I'll stay with you for now, Garon."

Although unwilling, Anivia knew that in her current state, if she went to the wilds of Valoran, she'd only be a prey and couldn't provide any help.

"Yuna, I need to go to another dimension."

Saying this, Garon opened a time-space gate.

The river of time rippled, splashing waves that intertwined and formed an intangible ring-shaped time-space gate, blending past, present, and future into an indistinguishable state.

"Guard the Hall of Heroes here."

"If anything unexpected happens, use the alliance contract to call me."

Garon and Yuna had also established a time alliance contract, allowing them to communicate across dimensions to some extent.

"With me here, don't worry."

Yuna raised her chin proudly, her dragon scales glistening.

Besides Yuna, there was also the presence of the Metal Dragon God in the Hero's Domain, which made Garon feel very reassured.

"Be careful. I have a bad feeling about Nagakabouros."

Anivia said with a worried tone.

Garon nodded, then leaped into the time-space gate.

In the waves of the river of time, the silver dragon disappeared from the sight of the dragon and phoenix.

In an alternate dimension with a similar flow of time to the main timeline, less than a century had passed. On the continent of Valoran, in Furnace Village.

A majestic, imposing forge fortress was built within a volcanic mountain. Molten lava flowed slowly, streaming out from within the fortress, gathering like rivers on the surface, colliding with cold air to produce vast clouds of steam that rose to the sky.

At the base of the forge fortress.

A series of delicate buildings were built along the mountain, primarily of stone, occasionally featuring solemn and majestic statues.

A giant bear standing upright, a wing-spreading ice phoenix, an armored humanoid goat, and a serene silver dragon—each statue was lifelike, meticulously crafted, with hair and scales glowing faintly, exuding a special aura that compelled worship.

The clanging sounds from within the forge fortress seemed never-ending.

Hearing these sounds, the intelligent beings living there often paused, looking towards the forge with devout, faithful eyes, murmuring prayers, forming invisible threads of faith.

Simultaneously.

The sky suddenly darkened.

A massive silver dragon appeared, blocking the sun, coming into view of countless believers.

His body was covered in a layer of silver scales, three pairs of crown-like dragon horns adorned his head, his wings were broad, and his form was majestic, with mysterious black scale rings distributed across his body.

"The Furnace Village has changed quite a bit."

Garon descended, looking around.

As Garon appeared, the followers of the Four Pillar Gods fell to their knees, chanting praises to the greatness of the Dragon of Eternity and Time.

The faith established in this dimension had not been severed.

"Fourth brother, you're back?"

Ornn's mature, steady voice and Volibear's rough voice echoed from within the forge fortress, filled with the joy of reunion.

Coincidentally, Volibear was also at Ornn's place.

Garon nodded and said, "It's been a long time, brothers."

Saying this, the dragon flapped his wings, flying straight into the forge fortress.

Inside, Ornn was holding a forging hammer, crafting armor on an anvil, while the sturdy Vol

ibear sat nearby, watching eagerly.

When Garon arrived, Volibear laughed heartily and gave him a big bear hug, as enthusiastic as ever.

After letting go, Volibear patted Garon's shoulder forcefully, making a loud noise.

"Little brother, you feel much more dangerous now."

"But I haven't wasted time either. Haha, my followers revere me as the God of Thunder and Storms."

"Come, let's have a match to see how strong you've become."

Feeling an intense danger from Garon, the battle-loving Volibear was eager to test his strength.

Under normal circumstances, Garon would be happy to spar with Volibear.

However, the current situation was not suitable.

"Brothers, did you know that Anivia is dead?"

Garon said bluntly.

Upon hearing this, Ornn and Volibear's faces instantly darkened. Around Volibear, lightning and storms began to swirl, thunder roared, and dark clouds gathered.

"Garon, what happened?"

Ornn, usually calm, suppressed his agitation and asked in a deep voice.

"Nagakabouros isn't dead; it has returned and ambushed Anivia."

"Because I had one of Anivia's feathers, she was reborn in my dimension and told me what happened."

Garon briefly explained the situation.

"Nagakabouros? That damned creature is still alive."

Volibear's voice was filled with killing intent, his bear face clouded with anger. "Let's go find Nagakabouros now and avenge Anivia. Even though she can be reborn, the cost of death is still great for her."

Garon understood this, as did Ornn and Volibear, knowing well how Anivia's rebirth worked.

"We won't spare Nagakabouros!"

Volibear's voice was almost a roar.

Garon asked, "Do you know where Nagakabouros is?"

"That... I don't know."

Volibear's momentum faltered.

"If it can hide for a century without being discovered, it means it's very well-hidden. If we alert it, it might go into hiding again, making it hard to find."

Garon said slowly.

"Don't rush. Brothers, tell me about the current situation in Valoran."

Volibear suppressed his anger and, with Ornn, began to recount the situation on the continent.

After Garon left, they continued to draw faith, spreading their teachings, protecting intelligent beings, and providing shelter, power, food, and more.

Naturally, in this dangerous, wild world.

The Four Pillar Gods' teachings spread rapidly, with more and more believers, who were often very devout due to the lack of budding civilization.

In such circumstances, despite only a century or so, the Four Pillar Gods achieved divine status.

The God of Thunder and Storms, Volibear.

The God of Forging and Fire, Ornn.

The God of Ice and Frost, Anivia.

The God of Eternity and Time, Garon.

"By the way, Garon, something strange happened here."

"About seventy years after you left, a new you was born from faith. It's weaker than us, not yet at the level of a lesser deity."

"Though it occasionally calls us brothers, we know it's not you."

"Since it was born from your faith and resembles you, it seems to think it's really you, so we haven't done anything to it."

"Think about how you want to handle it."

Another me?

Garon's eyes brightened.

He initially thought his faith on the continent wouldn't be enough to birth a deity in such a short time. However, the wild growth of faith here was intense, leading to the birth of a faith-based Garon within a century.

Whether to seize its divinity or make it a clone, both were viable options.

How to proceed would depend on the faith-based Garon's attitude towards the real Garon.

At the same time, Garon noticed something amiss.

"Brothers, you've all become lesser deities with divinity. Is Anivia the same?"

Ornn and Volibear didn't know how to create divine realms. Moreover, this dimension, being in the primordial era of the universe, had no formed outer planes, with chaos beyond the material plane. The initial primordial gods, far stronger than demigods, roamed and were very dangerous, so they remained on the continent despite being lesser deities.

Even for Garon, this was a very perilous era.

"Yes."

Hearing this, Garon's face grew more serious.

"If you haven't died and just become gods, you might not know. When gods fall, their consciousness is preserved in their divinity and can be resurrected through faith later. Divinity is almost indestructible."

"But according to Anivia, she died completely."

This meant Anivia's divinity was gone.

If it existed, the divinity would follow Anivia's will and likely fly to Ornn or Volibear.

While divinity wasn't entirely indestructible, the success rate was incredibly low.

"Being able to destroy divinity, Nagakabouros now is no simple foe."

Garon took Nagakabouros more seriously.

"Anivia told me Nagakabouros seems to be the leader of the purple creatures."

"The purple creatures she mentioned, you should know, right? What are they?"

The dragon's face was serious as he asked.

Ornn looked thoughtful and said slowly, "Not long after you left, creatures of different forms and races but all purple in appearance began emerging from cracks in the ground."

"They have almost no intelligence, driven only by a devouring instinct, even attacking us gods with their frail bodies."

"Initially, they were weak and insignificant, swarming like insects."

"But we found some purple creatures with terrifying devouring abilities, seemingly never sated. They devoured ice, snow, forests, earth, living beings, wild magic, and rapidly evolved based on what they consumed."

After a pause, Ornn's face grew solemn. "We demigods realized the severity of the problem and didn't let them develop unchecked. We eradicated them as soon as we discovered them."

"Due to our timely response, these purple creatures, though troublesome, haven't become a major threat. They are quickly eradicated by nearby demigods."

Through Ornn's description, Garon gained some understanding of the purple creatures.

Devouring evolution was undoubtedly a terrifying ability.

It was unclear if they had an upper limit. Without an upper limit, these purple creatures would be very dangerous.

In his timeline, Garon had never heard of such creatures.

"Perhaps the primordial beings completely eradicated them."

"Or they naturally went extinct due to low intelligence."

Lacking information, Garon didn't dwell on it.

"If Nagakabouros has become the leader of the purple creatures, encountering them might draw it out."

Anivia was killed by Nagakabouros while dealing with purple creatures.

Drawing the snake out of its hole came with risks.

"Many demigods are here. Killing Anivia first shows Nagakabouros, even if it lost its intelligence, still instinctively remembers the grudge of the past siege. We are likely its primary targets."

Garon analyzed.

"Good, I'll leave the sanctuary and become active, destroying one purple creature nest after another."

"Hmph, I'll wait for Nagakabouros to show up!"

"I'll kill it myself."

Volibear's voice was like thunder, speaking sternly.

Ornn also nodded, saying, "We'll split up. I'll also destroy the remaining purple creature nests to draw Nagakabouros out."

Acting together might make Nagakabouros continue hiding.

Though the purple creatures lacked intelligence, acting like beasts on instinct, their instinct often made them more sensitive to danger and more likely to hide. They couldn't be underestimated.

Solo actions had risks.

But those present weren't afraid of risks.

"Brothers, remember, if it shows up, call me immediately using the alliance contract."

Garon reminded.

Though it was an ambush and Anivia wasn't strong, being able to kill Anivia, a lesser deity, in one strike and destroy her divinity showed how dangerous Nagakabouros was now.

Next.

Ornn and Volibear fully armed themselves and left the forge fortress to destroy the remaining purple creature nests.

Garon also left the forge fortress but didn't immediately search for purple creature nests. Instead, he headed to the territory of the 'God of Eternity and Time' mentioned by Ornn.

Nagakabouros needed to be dealt with, but the faith-based Garon also required attention.

The two matters didn't conflict and could be handled simultaneously.

Especially since this dimension lacked the concept of divine realms, it wouldn't take long for Garon to deal with the 'God of Eternity and Time'.

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