Passing through the golden-red gate, Neltharion stepped into Divine Kingdom Serrakon.
He landed on a rocky floating platform, surrounded by endless void.
Two figures were already waiting there.
They were the avatars of the Main God Obsidian and the Bear God Rhunok.
Obsidian's will stirred, and the familiar Godhead Panel unfolded again:
[Godhead Panel - Subordinate God Neltharion]
Name: Neltharion
Titles: Black Dragon Emperor, Earth Guardian, Protector of the Dragonkin
Divine Position: God of Black Dragons
Godhead Level: 2 (Weak)
Main God: Dragon of Radiance, Obsidian
Faction: Lawful Neutral
Domains: Dragon, Earth, Fire
Divine Emblem: The emblem is circular, with a majestic black dragon head relief at its center. The dragon head is surrounded by deliberately carved cracks, symbolizing past wounds, and the outermost ring is a pattern of scorching, flowing lava.
Symbols: Obsidian; Lava Rivers; Earth Fissures
Followers: Approximately 5000 (mainly Black Dragons, Dragonkin second, various other races)
"Welcome back, Neltharion," Obsidian said first.
"Thank you, Main God. And you, Rhunok," Neltharion replied, his voice steady.
The giant bear nodded slightly, a greeting.
After a brief silence, Obsidian spoke again: "This item, it is time for it to return to its rightful owner."
A stream of light flew from the depths of the divine palace, hovering before Neltharion.
It was an earthen-yellow rune, exuding a rich aura of the earth, subtly revealing a hint of cold order.
This was precisely the power of the Earth Guardian that the Titans had bestowed upon Neltharion back then.
"As for the official gift for your ascension to godhood," Obsidian continued, "it is still being prepared."
In fact, the gift had long been prepared, and that was the 'Dragonkin' divine position.
As the creator of the Dragonkin race, when the total number of Dragonkin exceeded ten thousand, this divine position naturally coalesced around him.
However, in the DnD system, more divine positions are not necessarily better for a god.
Three to five core and higher-level divine positions are considered ideal.
For example, the Earth divine position is clearly a superior alternative to, and encompasses, the Mountain divine position.
Therefore, the initial plan was for the Dragonkin divine position to be managed by Neltharion, with Obsidian only enjoying the power of faith.
However, when Obsidian ascended to intermediate divine power, he noticed that he had gained the opportunity to choose a secondary divine position.
It was still the leftover choices from before: [Lord of the End] or [Whisperer of the Abyss].
This made him very curious about how he would bear these divine positions with completely different styles and potentially conflicting attributes.
After a period of dedicated study, Obsidian discovered that to reconcile these two secondary divine positions, he would need to split his soul, allowing them to exist as independent subordinate gods within his divine pantheon.
Although the split 'themselves' could still be considered part of Obsidian, they would no longer be as completely in sync with his will as an avatar, unable to achieve instantaneous information sharing, and would require a certain medium to communicate.
After weighing the pros and cons, Obsidian temporarily made no decision.
He hadn't yet decided whether to split his soul, nor did he have any idea which secondary divine position to choose.
He only decided on one thing: that he would retain the 'Dragonkin' divine position.
If possible, Obsidian still wanted to hold this divine position himself, as he was, after all, the creator of the Dragonkin.
Neltharion carefully took the Earth rune.
The rune seemed to weigh a thousand pounds in his claw, containing power capable of shaking mountains and rivers, and bearing an endless past.
He was silent for a moment, then solemnly said: "Thank you, Main God. This gift is profoundly meaningful."
Subsequently, the three gods came to the floating platform that had long been reserved for Neltharion.
Neltharion floated above the platform, his wings half-spread, his divine consciousness stirring slightly.
Through the authority granted to a subordinate god by Obsidian, the Divine Kingdom Serrakon began to respond to his will.
Amidst a low rumble, Obsidian giant pillars rose from the depths of the earth, their surfaces flowing with rapidly cooling lava.
Lava then surged, gurgling into newly formed ravines, transforming into crisscrossing rivers of fire, outlining the fiery Veins of the divine palace.
Amidst the intense radiance and rumbling, the embryonic form of Neltharion's divine palace gradually emerged.
At its center was the Black Dragon's holy land.
The overall color scheme was black and red, like a heart incubating within the earth.
Surrounded by rivers of lava, a fortress rose from the ground.
Its scale was immense, clearly built for the large-bodied dragon race.
At the same time, four smaller holy lands quietly formed at the four corners of the floating platform.
To the east, the Bronze Temple was condensed from the sands of time, with a small desert at its base;
To the west, emerald vines intertwined to form the skeleton of a dome, delineating the boundaries of the holy land of life, with leaves and flowers slowly unfolding within it;
To the north, the Azure Tower rose from the ground, surrounded by runes twinkling like stars, standing amidst wind and snow;
To the south, the Scarlet Fortress ignited flames, majestic and solemn, with eternal fire burning brightly.
With the Black Dragon holy land as its core, the five holy lands echoed each other, collectively forming Neltharion's divine palace.
The scorching rivers of fire, like bloodlines, flowed between the five great sanctuaries, making them of the same origin and breath.
The moment the divine palace was completed, a deep and majestic aura immediately permeated outwards.
Neltharion nodded again to Obsidian and Rhunok, then flapped his wings and flew towards the central Black Dragon holy land.
His dragon wings folded, he glided into the core of the fortress.
The internal environment was not resplendent, but rather closely resembled his old lair deep within Highmountain.
The light was dim, mainly coming from the underground lava rivers beneath the ground fissures.
The air was warm, carrying the sulfurous scent that Black Dragons loved most.
Obsidian pillars supported the towering dome, and smooth, warm stones were scattered on the ground.
Neltharion found the most comfortable spot from his memories.
This area was slightly elevated, offering a view of the entire interior of the fortress.
He slowly lay down, his limbs relaxed, his head resting on his folded front claws, letting out a satisfied sigh.
After shedding the burden of ages, Neltharion was finally home.
After a moment of peace, he raised a front claw, and the Titan rune reappeared in his palm.
He gazed at this rune, which had granted him power and ultimately led him into the abyss of madness, and a complex light flickered in his vertical pupils.
Neltharion did not choose to absorb it, to re-grasp the power bestowed by the Titans.
Instead, he abruptly closed his dragon claw!
Divine power instantly erupted, but not to destroy the rune, but to break the lock that the Titans had woven upon it!
The rune made a crisp sound in his claw, and all the Titan imprints, backdoors, and the cold, alien constraints of order upon it were removed and crushed by Neltharion!
Then, he slowly opened his dragon claw.
The rune had already transformed into ownerless light dust.
This light dust emitted a rich and pure aura of the earth, glittering in the Earth Guardian's claw.
He blew gently, and this cluster of light dust, as if summoned, slowly sank into the ground of the divine temple, passed through the boundaries of the Divine Kingdom Serrakon, and returned to the planet Azeroth itself.
Returned to its rightful owner.
Having completed all this, Neltharion closed his dragon eyes.
He began to mobilize his power, integrating all his insights from ten thousand years of understanding, protecting, shaping, and even destroying the lands of Azeroth.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"