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Chapter: 229

The moment the blade of the poisoned dagger touched the skin.

Click.

Something, a strange sound echoed.

At that instant, everything came to a standstill.

As the sticky texture of the poison seeped from the dagger’s edge, Rychlen felt as if his body had turned to stone, frozen in place.

Was his action delayed? Had he become the god they desired, completely powerless?

Drenched in despair, Rychlen could only move his eyes as he surveyed his surroundings.

Then…

“…!”

He spotted several other gods, just like him, unable to move even an inch.

They could only roll their eyes around, stuck in place.

Seeing these gods like this, Rychlen realized he wasn’t the only one immobilized.

But how could those powerful gods be unable to move, as if they had turned to stone? It felt as if the world had frozen. Was that truly the case?

The answer must lie with—

“Self. That’s enough.”

A girl with large horns and silver hair suddenly appeared before him.

— – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Many pondered.

Why does the world have day and night?

Why does the world keep changing?

Why does time keep flowing?

Some believed that the sun god and the moon god, two embodiments of the god of light, drive the sun and moon in a chariot, causing day and night to alternate.

Others thought a giant snake coiled under the earth spins around, causing the world to rotate.

Still others believed that the unproven god of time turns a gigantic hourglass, allowing time to flow.

Yet, none offered clear evidence.

What is time? Why does it flow? Such simple questions yielded no answers.

In the end, must we accept time as it is, knowing nothing more?

While contemplating this, I encountered one significant meeting.

A chance encounter with an old lizardman mage, searching for something.

The aged lizardman shared various stories with me.

Tales of the lizardmen existing before humans walked the earth.

Stories from the age of dragons, when countless dragons roamed the land.

The tale of the dragon god that ended that dragon age. Their belief in the dragon god, and the story of the dragon god that destroys and organizes everything when the world reaches its end.

The story of the dragon god that creates and destroys everything.

However, these two dragon gods were the two sides of a single existence, meaning that the dragon god created, maintained, and destroyed the world.

From this story, I felt a vague sense of something.

If this world was created by the Creator Dragon God, maintained by the dragon god, and destroyed by the Destruction Dragon God—

If the world is being sustained by that dragon god—

Isn’t the force that flows time that same dragon god?

Of course, it’s just a flimsy idea.

But if, just if, the Creator Dragon God that the lizardmen worship exists…

Then time… isn’t the closest being to the god of time the Creator Dragon God?

Naturally, I had no definitive evidence yet. As a scholar, it was only natural to find such stories intriguing.

Thus, I compiled the stories I heard from the lizardman alongside my research on the Creator Dragon God and published this book.

I sincerely hope those who find this book will take more interest in the tales of the Creator Dragon God.

— Lizardmen and the Dragon God Faith (Part One: Creator Dragon God Version)

This book meticulously investigates the faith of the lizardmen and explains it from the human perspective.

However, at that time, academia considered it merely a book on the barbaric faith of lizardmen, choosing to ignore it.

In the future, as the lizardmen are reassessed, this book will also gain value, but that’s a tale for a distant future.

— – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“Self. Let’s see.”

In a world where everything stood still, a silver-haired girl with large horns walked with ease.

“I got delayed preparing this and that… and what a fascinating situation this is.”

Rychlen instinctively recognized who the girl was.

Aside from her silver hair, her appearance resembled Hades whom he met in the underworld, decorated with horns on her head.

She looked almost identical to the Dragon Priestess described in the hero’s tale.

Therefore, the girl before him must be the Dragon Priestess.

At least, that should be the case.

“Well then… let’s start by letting Rychlen move his mouth again. I’m curious to hear what kind of story you have.”

The girl snapped her fingers, and Rychlen realized he could now move his mouth.

Although the other gods remained immobile, he could speak. He could communicate his thoughts to the girl before him.

Looking at her, Rychlen opened his mouth. If his thoughts were right, she must be the Dragon Priestess.

So, he said—

“Gaia…?”

However, the name that came out of Rychlen’s mouth was entirely different.

Surprised that he had unwittingly spoken someone else’s name, Rychlen was baffled. Why did he say a different name? More importantly, how did he know that word was someone’s name?

Rychlen’s mind became increasingly chaotic as he glanced at the girl, who seemed taken aback and her eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh… how peculiar. To say that name… didn’t you lose your memory?”

“No… um… I said it without realizing. I’m sorry.”

“Hm… even if it’s been erased from memory, does a trace remain in the soul? How peculiar. Very peculiar. Hm… well, anyway.”

The girl, referred to as Gaia, examined Rychlen, then pulled out something small from her bosom and manipulated it, pressing down on something beside her. Suddenly, Rychlen’s body began to move against his will.

No, it wasn’t just Rychlen.

All the gods, including Zeus, began to move involuntarily.

“Well then… let’s just turn things back to a proper state.”

The dagger pressed against Rychlen’s neck pulled away. The poison pouch that had been tossed aside flew back into Rychlen’s hand.

The poison on the dagger rose on its own back into the pouch, which was neatly tied up as before.

It was as if time was rewinding.

The hilt of the dagger was placed into Rychlen’s mouth, the club that had been thrown at Zeus returned, the poison pouch went back into Rychlen’s bosom, and the dagger found its way back to his waist.

Everything was returning to the past. Time was rewinding.

The gods around them moved back to where they originally were, the remains of Poseidon, crushed by the club, rose again, and his broken head regenerated.

Rychlen’s body, which was transforming into a god, also returned to its original state. The faith that had taken hold inside him also flowed back. The followers who had sacrificed themselves for the ritual began to revive.

Everything was being reversed. The sight filled those surrounding with fear.

Reversing time. Whatever was done, whatever was achieved, whatever results were witnessed, it meant erasing everything as if it had never happened.

“Well then. Let’s begin from here.”

After the gods had returned to before they captured Rychlen, the girl known as Gaia smiled gently.

“Zeus. I’ll grant you the right to speak. Now, that was quite the amusing trick you pulled.”

“Goddess of Life…!”

As Zeus was once again able to move, Rychlen’s eyes were filled with horror.

The Goddess of Life, not the Dragon Priestess. It was indeed the Goddess of Life herself. Though her appearance so perfectly matched, it was the Goddess of Life and not the Dragon Priestess.

‘Wait, so does that mean the Dragon Priestess resembles the Goddess of Life?’ Rychlen thought.

“You… had no intention to forgive us, did you?!”

“Forgive? Forgive… hmm. Not entirely absent. Not entirely absent.”

The girl smiled softly.

“If this child ascends to godhood and returns as the King of the Gods… then a condition was placed. But since he himself refused, that’s the end of it, isn’t it?”

“But!!”

“Quiet.”

When the Goddess of Life spoke softly, Zeus’s mouth was sealed shut.

It was as if she had made it so he couldn’t speak, or rather, as if she had granted him no permissions at all. His entire body froze.

“You did not acknowledge this willingly and tried to forcibly make him a god? That ritual was certainly interesting, but… did you think I’d just overlook that?”

“…!”

Unable to speak, Zeus appeared desperate to convey something, but being immobile, he couldn’t communicate anything.

“Sacrificing many lives to elevate him to godhood… quite a rough and crude method, but certainly an effective one. If he hadn’t resisted with all his strength, he wouldn’t have been able to avoid becoming a god.”

The Goddess of Life spoke calmly, but faint traces of anger could be felt within.

Anger at the gods who had cavalierly sacrificed the lives under her care.

The wrath of a goddess whose domain was invaded.

“No matter how much you feared destruction, it does not justify oppressing someone who did not want it.”

With light steps, the Goddess of Life approached Zeus.

“That won’t do, right? Zeus?”

She lightly reached out and grasped the crown above Zeus’s head.

She seized the crown containing Baal’s power and authority.

 

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