"We're back!"
Standing on a desolate island that bore the scars of devastating destruction, Muria let out a long sigh. From an overall perspective, his recent journey across the interconnected realms of this vast world cluster had gone relatively smoothly.
After all, he had successfully found both his father, Anselor, and his mother, Atris the Golden Dragon Queen. His father's consciousness had already fully awakened, and there were no major issues with his mother either.
Despite this success, Muria remained uneasy. The source of his worry was his companion, Mikaela, whom he had yet to locate. This unresolved matter weighed heavily on his mind.
No matter how frustrating it was, he had to endure. As for his other family members, including his grandmother, the Dragon King Alista, and his grandfathers, he wasn't concerned at all. These legendary beings had ventured into the void and ascended as epic entities.
Whether the world's laws could suppress their consciousness was uncertain. For all he knew, they might already be thriving in their places of rebirth—either reaping enormous benefits or dominating their surroundings with unparalleled might and renown. Whatever the case, it wasn't his responsibility to worry about them.
"Mika... where are you?" Muria silently brooded, feeling an ominous sense of foreboding. His instincts warned him that something bad was looming on the horizon, which made him all the more restless.
Although his true self exerted some influence over his reincarnated body to prevent rash actions, the environment often forced reincarnated beings to make difficult choices under external pressures.
This was Muria's primary concern: circumstances could compel his loved ones to act in ways they didn't intend.
"Is this your homeland?" the young girl Arina asked curiously as she observed the surroundings, noticing Muria's melancholic expression.
"No. My homeland is far away. I haven't been back in a long time."
Muria looked skyward as he spoke. By now, he figured he must already have a grandchild or two. His son had ventured into the void, so it was unlikely that he hadn't left any descendants behind in Erathia. However, Muria had never met them.
"Why don't you go back? Is there a special reason?" Arina asked with growing curiosity.
"Special reason? Not really. It's just that my strength isn't sufficient yet. Going back now would be embarrassing."
"Not strong enough?" Arina was stunned. To her, Muria's power seemed boundless, like the unfathomable depths of the sea. Yet here he was, claiming that he wasn't strong enough.
"Yes."
"What kind of strength would be enough, then?"
"Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand. You don't even know what level I'm at right now," Muria chuckled, deliberately teasing her.
"Ugh!" Arina pouted in frustration but quickly noticed a change in Muria's expression. His face had become serious as he gazed into the distance.
"What's wrong?"
"Stay here and don't wander off. I have something to take care of." Muria gently lifted the small wyvern perched on his shoulder and placed it on the ground beside Arina. "It will protect you," he added.
"Wait—" Arina tried to respond, but Muria had already vanished, disappearing into the horizon.
"What's going on? I've never seen him look so anxious before. Could it be something serious?" she wondered, though she didn't dwell on it. She had unwavering faith in Muria's strength. To her, there was no problem he couldn't solve.
…
A raging fire swept across the island's dense jungle, sending thick clouds of smoke billowing into the sky and blocking out the sun. Terrified animals fled in all directions, desperate to escape the inferno.
Meanwhile, the indigenous Lasha tribe had no time to fight the flames. They were locked in a desperate battle with the true culprit behind the fire.
Calling it a "battle" wasn't entirely accurate. The Lasha people could do nothing except kneel before their sacred totem and pray fervently to their guardian deity. This was a conflict far beyond their ability to intervene.
The enemy attacking their village came in the form of over a hundred disc-shaped warships hovering in the sky. These were not foes the tribe could hope to confront; only their guardian deity could stand against them.
All the Lasha could do was pray, offering their faith to empower their god. If their guardian triumphed, the tribe would survive and endure. But if he fell, their fate would be left in the hands of their enemies.
"Reckless!"
In the skies above, Li, the Earth God, had taken on a serpentine human form and was locked in combat with a squadron of Luminous warships. However, as the battle dragged on, he began to regret his impulsive actions.
If it were a straightforward confrontation, he had no fear of the fleet. Given enough time, he could even annihilate them entirely. But war wasn't that simple.
The fleet's commander was no fool. Instead of focusing all their firepower on Li, they targeted his weakness—his followers. The ships redirected their most powerful attacks toward the Lasha village, forcing Li to divert his power to shield his worshippers.
Protecting his faith was essential; it was the foundation of his divine existence. Though the Lasha tribe represented only a small fraction of his total followers, this island was his point of origin—where his ascent to godhood had begun.
"Damn it! How did those evaluators miss such a powerful totem god in their assessment?" the fleet commander grumbled angrily. He skillfully maneuvered the ships to evade Li's attacks while continuing their assault on the village.
"Captain, this is just a totem god. He's not a true god capable of altering reality with a mere gesture. The situation isn't too dire. Our advance forces should be able to handle him," a red-haired Luminous officer tried to reassure his superior.
"Shut up! Take a good look at our opponent. He's a god—one who, given enough time, could ascend to true godhood. We have no room for arrogance here," the captain snapped.
"Yes, Captain. Gods are indeed the greatest obstacle to our civilization's advancement."
"Have we called for reinforcements?"
"Yes, sir. Command has instructed us to hold out for half a cycle. Three more combat squadrons will be arriving soon to help us kill this god."
"Half a cycle? We can manage that," the captain said confidently. He began envisioning how this victory could boost his rank and privileges within their civilization.
But his ambitions were shattered in an instant.
A massive golden dragon appeared in the sky, accompanied by a deafening storm of thunder. Countless bolts of lightning rained down, forming an impenetrable web that enveloped the entire fleet of over 120 ships.
As the lightning struck, flames ignited spontaneously, consuming the vessels. However, Muria quickly noticed something unusual—his fire seemed to strengthen the ships' defenses instead of damaging them.
"Interesting," he murmured. He dispelled the flames and intensified the lightning assault. At the same time, fierce winds howled into existence, and needle-like raindrops fell from the sky, piercing the fleet like countless blades.
"So, they've got high fire resistance? No problem—I'll just switch tactics," Muria mused. He wielded the elements—wind, rain, thunder—effortlessly, commanding them as he pleased.
"Teacher!"
Seeing the golden dragon descend, Li's face lit up with joy. The presence of the mighty dragon, surrounded by storms, brought him immense relief. This was the comfort of having a powerful ally.
"Didn't I teach you to lie low and develop quietly? You're not ready to provoke enemies like these," Muria scolded. He paid no attention to his struggling adversaries, his gaze instead fixed on the interdimensional gate.
Beyond the gate, he saw an immense fleet capable of traversing the void—an overwhelming force that could dominate any world without gods or epics to oppose them.
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