In a battlefield where the raw energy of magic intertwined with the very essence of nature, the casters served as architects, crafting intricate models of spells that acted as conduits to harness this vast, untapped power. This power, inherently volatile, drew its formidable force directly from the edicts of the divine—a testament to the God of Blessing's omnipotent grace.
Within this tempest of divine retribution, Bruce, a formidable green dragon, stood his ground, his body feeling as though it bore the crushing weight of mountains. Each step was a monumental struggle against the oppressive force that seemed to anchor his very soul to the earth.
"Bruce, flee at once!" Carona's voice pierced the turmoil, laden with urgency. "Our power is but a flicker against the might of a God."
Yet, Bruce's resolve remained unshaken. His gaze, unwavering, was fixed upon the heart of the battlefield.
Torenço, pinned under the divine weight, sneered despite his plight. "Ah, not just a despicable dragon, but a foolish one too," he remarked, watching his brother's retreating form.
In response, Bruce's tail, swift and merciless as an iron whip, lashed out, propelling both Torenço and Karona over the crest of a nearby hill. As they tumbled out of the reach of the divine light, the suffocating pressure lifted. They lay there, gasping for breath, their bodies marked by the brutal force of Bruce's intervention—scales torn and flesh wounded, a testament to the raw power the green dragon wielded.
In the painful aftermath, a realization dawned upon them. Without Bruce's tremendous force, they would never have escaped the divine's oppressive reach. Yet, puzzlement clouded their thoughts. Bruce, even under the immense pressure of the divine, could have fled. Why then did he advance towards the very heart of danger?
From a distance, Torenço and Carona watched Bruce's faltering silhouette. They knew him well—a dragon of decisive action, selfishness, and cunning, but never one to act without reason. This knowledge brought them a measure of comfort amidst the chaos.
The thought of a future without the canny Bruce was unbearable. The Dragon Clan, though powerful, faced a cruel reality. Many perished young, unable to withstand the harshness of life beyond the nest. And here they were, Torenço and Karona, years away from readiness, acknowledging their reliance on Bruce's shrewd guidance.
The humans, too, watched in disbelief as Bruce, against all odds, remained standing, inching closer to the fray. Such resilience spoke of either divine blessing or an indomitable spirit, unfazed by the divine's onslaught.
Bruce, a green dragon unsworn to any deity, undoubtedly embodied the latter.
Then, a devotee of the Holy Light Goddess, a fifth-level female magician, took the fore. "So, the green dragon is the architect of this chaos. By the Holy Light Goddess's grace, I shall purge this blasphemer," she declared. With a swift motion, her four wings unfurled, unleashing torrents of sacred light upon Bruce.
The holy light seared Bruce's scales, emitting thick plumes of smoke as the stench of charred flesh filled the air. His form was marred with deep, blackened wounds—an affront from the divine, marking him with scars of sacrilege.
As Bruce writhed in agony, his roars, guttural and fierce, echoed like a tempest, the pain igniting his senses and sending waves of torment straight to his brain. The air around him trembled with the raw power of his anguish.
Yet, amidst this turmoil, Bruce clung to a singular truth: the resilience of his dragon lineage. His heart, a fortress of vitality, promised survival if it remained unscathed.
The humans nearby felt an intangible force emanating from Bruce's roars, a palpable wave of energy that compelled them to stagger backward, as if pushed by an unseen hand.
Bruce was acutely aware of the clash unfolding before him—a war of energies, light against dark, each repelling and consuming the other. To the devout of the Holy Light Goddess, this was a sacred crusade, a battle pitching righteousness against malevolence.
In their eyes, Bruce, singed by the sacred light, was the embodiment of darkness, a symbol of evil incarnate.
"You wretched creature," hissed a voice, laced with divine wrath. "Your ignorance will be your undoing. You will pay dearly for your blasphemy."
But Bruce, undaunted by the searing pain or the oppressive might of the divine, marshaled his resolve. With a surge of mental fortitude, he unleashed a torrent of dragon breath, not upon the celestial adversary before him, but at the very symbol of their faith—a statue of the Holy Light Goddess.
Yet, his assault was thwarted as two valiant human warriors, guardians of the divine effigy, leaped into its defense. But they were no match for the potency of Bruce's venomous breath. The mighty guardians, once stalwarts of human strength, were reduced to agonizing shrieks, their forms dissolving into puddles of corrosive green.
Bruce, his disdain palpable, cast a contemptuous glance at the remnants of his foes. "Foolhardy mortals," he sneered. "Even your finest warriors are but chaff before my might."
With the path now clear, Bruce arched his neck skyward, gathering the toxic essence for another devastating strike. Despite the celestial onslaught from the angelic being above, his indomitable spirit endured. Thirty seconds later, a virulent gale of dragon breath surged forth, enveloping the pristine statue in a cloak of corrosive venom. The radiant aura that once graced the effigy dimmed under the vile assault, the celestial power that suffused it vanishing into the ether.
A cry of despair pierced the air. "Curse you, vile dragon! The Holy Light Goddess bears witness to your sacrilege. Her wrath is inexorable, and her judgment, severe. As her chosen apostle, I condemn you. May her divine retribution haunt you for eternity."
The words fell from the lips of the fallen magician, her divine wings dissipated, her once-hallowed aura now a faded memory. She lay prostrate, her feeble roars of defiance and curses dissolving into the chaos.
But Bruce, unshaken by her lamentations, understood a deeper truth. The true gods, bound by the delicate fabric of reality, dared not tread upon this material plane, for its fragility could not sustain their celestial might. To do so would risk oblivion, a fate no deity would court frivolously.
In this revelation, Bruce found his resolve. The gods, for all their proclaimed omnipotence, harbored a fear as primal as any mortal's—the fear of nonexistence.