The Infinite Dragon God Cannot Find Silence

Amidst the incomprehensible gazes of the Skywing races, Altshuh burst into laughter once again.

The opponent is far stronger than expected—is there anything more exciting in the world?

He once thought of directly seizing the Star Cup and becoming the supreme, one and only god, and perhaps then he could get the answer he wanted.

In the end, he didn't do it.

He is now incredibly grateful for that choice he made back then.

Even the most powerful God is still just the only God in this world.

It's just going from the strongest to the strongest; it doesn't mean anything.

Moreover, in that case, it would be even less likely that one would encounter such an opponent, and it would be impossible to obtain such an opportunity.

Since I can't determine a winner with my opponent right now, I should just hone myself to be even sharper.

The God of War wore an excited smile.

At this moment, the 'strongest' finally generated the motivation to become even stronger.

Show your strongest self to the strongest opponent, and defeat them in the first real battle after gaining self-awareness.

Then explore yourself, complete yourself, and finally—transcend this world.

The God of War possessed such confidence.

Because he is the strongest, and everyone else—are weak!

Chapter 271 Molting

"Are you back?"

Norns looked up and sighed.

"So, when will it begin?"

Behind her, purple light spots slowly coalesced into the shape of a young girl.

"Norns...do you understand?"

Orpheus's weak voice came from the still-unformed ball of light.

I was already feeling very sleepy, and then I took a blow from the God of War.

Normally, taking dozens more hits wouldn't be a problem, but this is a special case.

Orpheus is now in a state where it's not unusual for him to fall asleep anywhere at any time.

Even its body could not be fully solidified, but instead flickered from time to time, appearing as a blurry, ghostly figure.

Orpheus looked at his semi-transparent body and tilted his head.

"I think my skin is about to peel."

"The more accurate term would be molting."

Norns sighed again.

At a time like this... it's really bad timing.

Among dragon species, some 'dragon-snake' species molt periodically or at a specific stage, with the ouroboros being a prime example.

This molting isn't actually shedding a layer of skin, but rather a form of 'evolution'.

The shedding of a snake's skin symbolizes the cycle of reincarnation and new life.

Each molt is a complete transformation for the ouroboros.

This is not a superficial issue of strength, but a fundamental change at the level of life itself.

However, while this molting process has many benefits after completion, it also has many irreparable drawbacks.

To put it simply, that poor guy I mentioned before... was killed by her while he was molting.

Moreover, even disregarding the weakness during the period, the uncontrollable duration alone is quite troublesome.

Therefore, most dragons and snakes, once they realize they are about to molt, will find a completely safe place to hide or find a trusted and powerful person to help guard them.

However, when dragons and snakes shed their skin, they produce many unusual phenomena that often attract the attention of others and provide clues for their enemies.

Therefore, even with the utmost care, many dragons and snakes still perished during this period.

Orpheus doesn't need to worry about too many things right now, since she doesn't have any powerful enemies who can cross over to chase after her, and her first molt won't have any exaggerated or attention-grabbing anomalies.

Moreover, no matter how weak she is, she is still an Ouroboros, and even the strongest person in this world, Altshu, could never completely kill an Ouroboros at its root.

But shedding its skin is a rare opportunity for any dragon or snake; if something goes wrong, there is no second chance.

It's important to know that if any unexpected changes occur along the way, there's a possibility that the transformation could lead to a weakening of the material.

If possible, Norns would prefer to finish everything before undergoing the molting process without any worries.

Who knew that Orpheus's strength would improve so quickly? She encountered the first transformation that others would normally take thousands or tens of thousands of years to achieve at such a young age.

Norns frowned, but she quickly raised her eyebrows again.

What the hell am I thinking, being so considerate of this guy?

“I have arranged all my affairs after I am gone… I will leave the rest to Norns.”

Orpheus, not paying attention to Norns's thoughts, finished speaking almost as if he were dozing off.

"..."

Norns covered his forehead.

"Hey, do you even know the significance of this transformation? Aren't you afraid I'll take this opportunity to mess with you?"

“According to the usual pattern… since Norns asked this question… then it means I don’t know.”

"..."

"And... Norns can't do anything to me either."

"...Is it really that heartbreaking..."

Norns sighed again.

Indeed, after Orpheus gained a slight grasp of the power of destiny, he could probably sense how powerful the binding force from his future self was.

Now, she wouldn't even think of doing anything to harm Orpheus, let alone have any thoughts that could harm her.

"What about the other gods? Altshu... I feel you've already dealt with him in some way, so I won't say, but if it's during the molting period, other divine species, even dragon spirits and fantasy species, could affect you, right?"

Orpheus nodded at the same frequency, his previously solidified body began to disperse again, and then he shakily raised his hand and extended his thumb.

"These problems will be left to Norns."

"..."

Norns is so tired.

"However, I feel that this time there will be no problem at all."

Suddenly, Orpheus froze, and said seriously.

"……Yeah."

Norns breathed a sigh of relief, feeling slightly relieved.

Since she has a slight understanding of the power of fate... although Norns is really unsure whether Orpheus's use of it so far is truly just 'a slight understanding', in any case, since Orpheus can already touch fate, her feelings should be quite credible.

I guess so……

"Forget it, I'm finding it harder and harder to understand you, and 'Future' too... Just go in peace, I'll take good care of your affairs."

"Norns..."

"What are you doing?"

"If you're angry... it's okay to just say it..."

"...Please, please go quickly."

Before Norns, Orpheus wore a faint smile on her small, delicate face.

"After that, I'll leave it to Norns."

With her final words, the dragon goddess girl's figure, which had become slightly more solid, began to dissipate again.

"I need to rest for a bit..."

The sound drifted away with the wind, and the girl's figure completely disappeared.

"It feels like a separation of life and death."

Norns stroked his chin and then sighed.

The abnormality that was happening to her was so obvious that it was hard to ignore.

Because she usually had a carefree and unconventional demeanor, Orpheus probably didn't notice much, but she knew that her feelings for the dragon goddess were far too unusual.

It's not a forbidden love, but... the affection level is just too high.

The reasons for this are actually quite easy to deduce; there are probably only a few possibilities.

Norns sighed.

"Fine, there's nothing I can change, so I might as well just lie down and wait..."

After all, no one knows better than her what kind of power her future holds.

"Speaking of which, I seem to have forgotten something particularly important about shedding skin."

Having carelessly set aside such an important matter, Norns's thoughts jumped back, recalling another thing that seemed equally important.

However, before the girl could have time to think it over, a sudden change occurred.

Fifteen energy sources, each as large as the sun, appeared simultaneously around the sky garden.

Norns stepped out of the central hall, turned to look at the fifteen golden dragons surrounding him, and smiled silently.

"Is this the arrangement you were talking about...? It's less of an arrangement and more of a huge—troublesome mess..."

Looking at the countless Skywing creatures that were already fully prepared and had even unleashed their Sky Strike, Norns sighed heavily once again, for what seemed like the umpteenth time.