The moment the blade of the poison-coated dagger touched his skin…
Tick.
A strange sound was heard.
Simultaneously, everything froze.
The moment the sticky texture of the poison on the dagger’s edge could be felt against his neck—Rychlen’s body stiffened like a block of stone.
Was his action too late? Had he become nothing more than an immobile god, fulfilling exactly what they desired?
Rychlen, steeped in despair, scanned his surroundings with the only part of him that still moved—his eyes.
Then…
He saw it. Other gods, just like himself, completely immobilized, unable to move even an inch. Their eyes darted frantically around as if trying to make sense of their frozen reality.
Realization struck Rychlen: he wasn’t alone in this paralysis. This was happening to all of them.
But how could such mighty gods be frozen like statues? As though the world itself had turned into ice, rendering everyone incapable of movement.
The answer…
“That’ll do.”
Would come from the mysterious girl who suddenly appeared before him.
—
Many have pondered:
Why does the sun rise and set?
Why does the world keep changing?
Why does time flow?
Some believed the twin servants of the God of Light—the Sun God and Moon Goddess—drove celestial chariots across the sky, bringing day and night.
Others claimed a colossal serpent coiled beneath the earth spun endlessly, causing the world to rotate.
Still others thought an unseen God of Time turned a giant hourglass, allowing moments to pass.
Yet none of these theories held definitive proof.
What is time? Why does it flow? Such fundamental questions remained unanswered.
Must we simply accept its existence without understanding?
During my musings, I encountered something unexpected—a meeting with an elderly Lizardman mage.
This wise old Lizardman shared tales older than humanity itself: stories of dragons ruling the land during the Age of Dragons; tales of divine dragons creating and destroying worlds; and legends of the Creator Dragon God crafting existence while the Destruction Dragon God cleansed it.
These two aspects of one entity maintained balance through creation and annihilation.
From those stories, I sensed something profound. If the world was sustained by the Creator Dragon God, might time itself also flow from its power?
Though lacking much persuasion, if the Creator Dragon God truly existed… wouldn’t it then be closest to being the embodiment of time itself?
Despite lacking concrete evidence, such tales sparked my interest as a scholar.
Thus, I compiled this book, weaving together knowledge gained from both the Lizardmen’s faith and separate investigations into the worship of the Creator Dragon God.
May whoever reads this take greater interest in the Creator Dragon God.
— Lizardmen and the Faith of Dragon Gods (Vol. 1: The Creator Dragon God)
Alas, the academic community dismissed this work as barbaric at the time. Only later, when the Lizardmen were reevaluated, did this book gain recognition.
—
“Alright then, let’s see…”
Amidst the halted cosmos, a silver-haired girl with large horns strode confidently.
“Took me longer than expected to prepare everything… but quite the scene you’ve made here.”
Rychlen instinctively recognized her.
Her resemblance to Hades, save for her silver hair, and the horns atop her head left no doubt. She looked almost identical to depictions of the Dragon Priestess from hero sagas.
Indeed, she must be the Dragon Priestess.
It made sense.
“Well then… First, I’ll allow Rychlen to speak. Curiosity gets the better of me.”
With a flick of her fingers, Rychlen discovered he could move his lips once more.
While other gods remained motionless, he now had the ability to convey his thoughts to the girl standing before him.
Opening his mouth, Rychlen addressed her. If his assumptions were correct, she was indeed the Dragon Priestess.
So…
“Gaia…?”
Surprisingly, a completely different name slipped out of his mouth.
Startled by his own words, Rychlen wondered why he’d uttered someone else’s name—and stranger yet, how did he know it?
His mind grew increasingly tangled as the girl herself widened her eyes in shock.
“Hmm… Fascinating. You remembered that name despite having your memories erased?”
“No… That is… I said it unconsciously. My apologies.”
“Interesting. Even if wiped from memory, traces remain within the soul, perhaps? Strange indeed. Anyway…”
The girl named Gaia examined Rychlen closely, then retrieved something small from her embrace. Manipulating it briefly, she pressed a button, causing Rychlen’s body to move involuntarily.
Not only Rychlen but all the gods in the Divine Hall began moving automatically.
“Let’s rewind things appropriately.”
The dagger aimed at Rychlen’s throat withdrew. The poisoned pouch flew back into his hand. Poison dripped off the blade and returned to the pouch, which neatly sealed itself.
Like rewinding time, objects reverted to their original states. The dagger handle was placed back in Rychlen’s mouth, the club hurled at Zeus returned, the pouch tucked away, and the dagger slid back into his waistband.
Gradually, the past unfolded again. Time reversed.
Surrounding gods returned to their initial positions. Poseidon, whose head had been crushed by the club, regenerated. Rychlen’s body, transitioning into divinity, reverted to normal. The faithful who sacrificed themselves during the ceremony came back to life.
Everything reset. Those witnessing the spectacle trembled in fear.
Rewriting time. Undoing every action, every result, every consequence.
“Let’s start from here instead.”
After restoring events prior to the gods capturing Rychlen, Gaia smiled gently.
“Zeus. You shall have the floor. Quite the show you put on.”
“Hey! Goddess of Life!”
Upon hearing Zeus’ voice, Rychlen’s eyes widened in astonishment.
Goddess of Life? Not the Dragon Priestess but the actual Goddess of Life stood before them? Every detail matched perfectly—not the Dragon Priestess but the Goddess herself.
‘Wait, does that mean the Dragon Priestess resembles the Goddess of Life?’ Rychlen thought.
“You… intended not to forgive us, didn’t you?!”
“Forgiveness? Hmm… No, that wasn’t entirely true.”
Smiling faintly, she continued.
“If this child ascended as a god and reclaimed his throne as King of the Gods under certain conditions… I would’ve considered it. But since he refused, that was the end of it, right?”
“But!!”
“Silence.”
At the Goddess of Life’s quiet command, Zeus froze entirely, unable even to utter a word.
Apparently denying him permission to speak—or perhaps denying him any action altogether—his entire body stiffened.
“You forced this upon him without consent, didn’t you? Forcing someone unwilling into godhood? Did you truly think I’d overlook such arrogance?”
“…!”
Unable to respond, Zeus strained silently, desperate to communicate yet trapped in immobility.
“Sacrificing countless lives to forcibly elevate someone to godhood… crude and brutal, yes, but undeniably effective. If he hadn’t resisted with all his strength, there’d be no stopping his transformation…”
The Goddess of Life spoke calmly, though a faint trace of wrath lingered beneath her composed exterior.
Wrath toward the gods who disregarded the sanctity of life under her domain.
Wrath over the violation of her territory.
“Even fearing doom isn’t an excuse to oppress someone so harshly.”
With light steps, she approached Zeus.
“Wouldn’t you agree, Zeus?”
Reaching up, she grasped the crown atop Zeus’ head—the very artifact imbued with Baal’s power and authority.
