Warlock of the Magus World

by Stayrr

What happens when a scientist from a futuristic world reincarnates in a World of Magic and Knights? An awesome MC is what happens! A scientist’s goal is to explore the secrets of the universe, and this is exactly what Leylin sets out to do when he is reincarnated. Dark, cold and calculating, he makes use of all his resources as he sets off on his adventures to meet his goal. Face?

36. 1107

Read Warlock of the Magus World - Chapter 1107 – Reversal online free - Light Novel Full

Reversal

Leylin gazed at the World Tree, his face filled with awe. Rumour had it that this was the source of all life. Only once life formed in a world would all thoughts gather to form its will.

Shar had used all sorts of impossible schemes to gain control of the intellectual beings of the Shadow World, using the Weave to gather all conscients and rob the beings of law of all authority. She'd managed to reverse origin, purifying the World Will and giving it form.

Leylin didn't think he'd be able to do it better himself. This World Fruit undoubtedly represented a complete World Will, and the moment Shar ate it she would instantly reach the peak of rank 8 and sweep through everything.

This was directly against Leylin's interests. Given that she was an enemy anyway, Leylin didn't hesitate to step out.

"What a pity… We still became enemies in the end. I thought you would make the more rational decision," Shar was obviously disappointed.

"My apologies…" Leylin's expression did not change as he walked to stand by the Snake Dowager.

"Then I'm sorry, but you'll have to fall here!" Shar's expression instantly turned cold as she aimed a finger at Leylin!

Rumble!* Terrifying! Vast! Seemingly limitless origin force crashed down on Leylin with the weight of the world, nearly crushing him to powder in an instant.

Shar didn't spare him another glance as he arrived before the World Tree that was radiating life. The fruit was already mature, about to fall any moment.

Shar knew very well that obtaining the complete World Will was the most important part of her plan. As long as she could devour it, she would be unafraid of any challenges. Even if Leylin announced her existence and brought other peak rank 8 Magi to besiege her, she could force all of them to return home in defeat as long as she stayed here.

After reaching the peak of rank 8, she had plenty of time to deal with Leylin.

"A very smart decision!" When faced with such terrifying pressure, Leylin could only sigh helplessly.

"Things are already so bad. If you have any trump cards, get them out now!" The Snake Dowager took a look a Leylin, eyeing him flirtatiously.

"You think too highly of me!" Leylin laughed helplessly while stroking his chin.

"If you don't have any confidence you'll be able to turn the tables, your only option now is to run as far as you can." The Snake Dowager was unexpectedly more confident in Leylin than herself.

"That's true…" Leylin took a look at the A.I. Chip, the top-most record on the task schedule extremely striking. [Beep! Progress of analysis of rank 0 to 9 of Shadow Weave: 100%.]

'Let's see what you've left me, Distorted Shadow…' Lightning flashed in Leylin's eyes, and the surrounding atmosphere suddenly grew mysterious and terrifying. The Snake Dowager looked at Leylin with shock before moving backwards greatly.

"Hah…" Leylin cried out under his breath, terrifying power of laws sending a great amount of energy into the spell.

This spell model was extremely unique. It was the only rank 12 arcane spell in existence, Karsus' Avatar.

The A.I. Chip operated frantically, recording large amounts of data.

[Beep! Host body is a great arcanist. Analysis of Shadow Weave at 100%. Meets prerequisites.] [Bee! Charging of energy complete. Arcane spell model launching.] [Grade 12 arcane spell: Karsus' Avatar, launched!]

The skies turned gloomy all of a sudden, and the world was brought to a standstill.

'This again. That feeling of fatal danger!' Shar's expression quickly changed as she trained her eyes in Leylin's direction, not letting any of his movements escape her view as she grabbed at the World Fruit.

Crack! Crack!* Great numbers of cracks began to appear on that crystal in the sea of origin force. The young girl sealed within it opened her eyes, a trace of terror appearing on her face.

"Your greatest mistake, Shar, was to fuse the Tree of Life with the Weave." Leylin rose to the skies, a resplendent arcane spell forming in his hands.

"Target the Shadow Weave. Karsus' Avatar!"

Rumble!* Shar's expression changed in that moment, her body freezing and growing slightly transparent. It was evident that she'd been injured heavily.

"AAAHH!" She clutched at her head as she released piercing screams, "MY WEAVE… YOU ACTUALLY STOLE MY WEAVE!"

Even though Shar had known that Leylin had a trump card in his possession, she'd never have guessed that it had to do with the Shadow Weave. The ability to strip her of her control was far too shocking.

Whatever her feelings may be, the Shadow Weave that Shar had put painstaking effort into creating had been stolen by an outsider just like that. Even the Snake Dowager was stupefied.

Shar would already have fallen if she was Mystra. However, she was lucky that she'd changed her own origin, shifting onto the path of the Magi. Still, losing the Weave caused her immense and unimaginable harm.

If Shar was in this situation, Leylin had it even worse.

'Rank 8! This Karsus' Avatar is definitely a rank 8 Magus spell!' Leylin's face was flushed. The A.I. Chip sped up further as it accepted more information about the Shadow Weave, large amounts of data flashing across his mind. If not for his body of laws and experience in the area, the only possible result of this spell would be an explosion of his brain!

'Distorted Shadow definitely had malicious intent!' Leylin was now certain about this. There was nothing wrong with the arcane spell itself, but the problem was who would take over control of the Weave.

After breaking away from Shar's control, the Shadow Weave immediately went berserk, giving Leylin the impression that it was like a high voltage electrical network. And now, he actually would have to use his own two hands and placate this power grid!

'Nobody but the Weave's original controller can take control of it in an instant. Be it a great arcanist or a being of laws, forcing control would only cause them to die alongside it. It isn't even possible to stop and save your skin…'

Leylin had once thought that the advantage of his main body and the support of the A.I. Chip would make it simple to replace the Goddess of the Weave. However, he now knew that his conjectures were completely off!

If just the Shadow Weave could render him in this state, then the true Weave that extended throughout the World of Gods could only be more terrifying! With his current strength, launching this arcane spell could possibly mean nothing would be left of him; he would basically be doing free labour for Distorted Shadow!

'As expected of a sly Magus from ancient times. He hid something in that arcane spell that even the A.I. Chip couldn't simulate…'

Cold sweat beaded down Leylin's face. If not for this practical test using the Shadow Weave, he'd likely have been tricked into death in the World of Gods. Sacrificing himself to help others was definitely not his style.

'But… with this data, I'll be able to right the mistakes from before…' The Shadow Weave was inferior to the real Weave, but with one experience of such a terrifying change Leylin had something he could work with.

"Get over here!" The Shadow Weave was now entirely under his control. Being founded atop the Weave, the World Tree was naturally his as well.

In a moment, the World Tree abandoned Shar and became Leylin's. With most of her strength lost to the grievous injuries, she could do nothing to stop it.

"The last step!" Leylin pulled at the air with two hands, and the origin Weave of the Shadow World came into view.

"With the Shadow Weave as the offering, mature!"

Rumble!* A pair of hands made of primal chaos erupted from a part of the World Tree, grabbing the purplish gold Weave and kneading it into a bundle before disappearing back inside.

Leylin felt no regret when it came to the Shadow Weave. He could also make use of this opportunity and rid himself of this high-pressure electrical network.

The World Tree finished the final stages of its growth with the Weave, placing its terrifying web of roots into the World as its lush branches took the place of the original Weave.

"This is the final implantation plan…" Leylin sighed and approached the World Tree. The fruit had now grown murky, containing authority over the entire world.

'This is a World Will, concentrated to the limit and completely solidified!' Leylin had a mysterious lustre in his eyes as he reached out and plucked the World Fruit, "Holding it is akin to holding a whole world…"

Leylin couldn't help but grow intoxicated by the feeling of having an entire world in his grasp. The fruit that Shar had painstakingly cultivated had become the greatest of his profits!

The moment he consumed it Leylin would instantly become a peak rank 8 existence, gaining control of the entire Shadow World. It would make him the world's master, and give him an extremely long life. Unless the Shadow World was destroyed, he would never fall.

The Shadow World was a large world itself, and without any disasters that could destroy the astral plane itself it definitely wouldn't face any problems. In other words, if he willed it Leylin could obtain terrifying power and lifespan in an instant, living as long as the astral plane itself! This was definitely a huge temptation for any Magus, something everyone spent most of their lives pursuing.

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Return

The huge temptation in front of him didn't manage to cause the slightest change to Leylin's expression. "False Eternity? Hmph!" he shrugged with apathy as a sneer surfaced on his face.

What Leylin pursued was the immortality afforded by reaching rank 9, a realm of power that exceeded the scope of the astral plane itself. This World Fruit would bind him to the Shadow World, stopping any further advance. Perhaps the other Magi who had no hope of advancing would make such a choice, but this definitely wasn't so for Leylin.

However, the Snake Dowager couldn't stay calm after seeing him take over Shar's achievements. Unconcealable desire revealed itself in her eyes as she leaned forward. After all, this World Fruit was the essence of the Shadow World's Will, able to give her dominance of the Shadow World once more as it fused with her laws to advance to the peak of rank 8.

Leylin knew that the Dowager had no choice but to agree to any requests he made right now. Unfortunately, he did not deign to speak. She and Shar were both rank 8s, and only together would they be easy to control. If one of them advanced to the peak of rank 8, they would choose to kick him aside.

Leylin hadn't fought desperately and plotted for mere goodwill, or the World Origin Force. The Shadow World was a big world, and he felt it better to keep it with him. It wasn't necessary to fuse with the world to control it.

'These two women aren't simple characters. Neither of them can be left behind alone as a representative. Instead, I can leave them both here so the two will have to act in tandem whether they stay or leave.' This was Leylin's decision, and right now was the best opportunity to enforce it. The Snake Dowager and Shar were both seriously injured, and currently he was the only one with enough power to call the shots.

Bang!* However, Shar's avatar lost the last of its strength at this moment, fading away as her silhouette dispersed.

"Where did she go?" The Snake Dowager frowned.

"Back to her true body, of course. Having taken so much damage, it'd be surprising even if she manages to stay awake." Leylin shook his head. With the World Fruit in hand, he could see everything about the Shadow World.

"I'm heading out," he said as his figure disappeared abruptly. The Snake Dowager was filled with resentment as she looked at his departing back.The sea of origin force in the Shadow World had thinned down greatly. With the light of civilisation exhausted, all that could be seen was an ancient stone palace.

Leylin's figure appeared to hover over this palace, and the origin force instantly separated, opening up a path for him meekly. He walked unimpeded into the palace, seeing Shar sealed in a huge crystal.

Leylin looked at the huge crystal and nodded, 'The World Crystal! Is this the consequence of her trying to control the World Will?'

The girl sealed within the crystal seemed to notice Leylin's arrival, slowly opening her eyes. A blob of shadows emerged outside the crystal, forming a figure he was familiar with. It was just that her aura was greatly weakened.

"You're finally here… Are you here to destroy me?" A bitter smile surfaced on the young lady's face. Although this Magus hadn't yet eaten the World Fruit, the authority he had at his disposal made it easy for him to take care of her.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken." Leylin waved his hands, and the World Crystal that sealed Shar's body cracked apart. Her body was thrown out.

"My Lord… This…" Having regained her true body, Shar opened up her eyes to stare at Leylin.

Although this body had the same face, Shar looked more pale now, like a young lady who'd been sick for a long while. Her aura was weak, making her look much more attractive than her previous gaudy look.

"I wouldn't need to do much to destroy you. However, the conflicts between Magi and gods don't concern us." Leylin said with a smile, one of his hands behind his back.

"Now, it seems like we need to have a 'long chat'…" Shar's eyes betrayed a shrewd smile as she took the initiative to grab Leylin's hands and lead him to the depths of the palace. The defeat had changed her mindset completely.It took several more years for Leylin to leave the Shadow World. He glanced around him, seemingly able to see the figures of Shar and the Snake Dowager as the corners of his mouth revealed a strange smile.

Might made right. Leylin was currently the strongest person in the Shadow World, thus he was also the one with the authority to divide the cake. He'd taken his time and split up control of the Shadow World.

It was impossible for his true body to stay there forever, so he'd chosen the Snake Dowager and the Mistress of the Night as his representatives. He gave each 20% of his authority, keeping them both on the same level but still leaving himself the majority of power.

Although the Snake Dowager had been reluctant about it, she understood that she'd have been able to gain nothing without Leylin. She didn't make a peep. On the other hand, Shar was the loser so she didn't qualify to make any demands at all.

Furthermore, it wasn't impossible to reach the peak of rank 8 themselves with 20% of the world's authority. They'd be able to use the Shadow World's origin force to recover, and strengthen themselves. Thus, the two of them both submitted to their new master.

Each of them had used all means possible to entice Leylin as a fighting partner, but in the end he'd run away with the greatest benefits. The Snake Dowager kept to her old promise, transferring a portion of her bloodline origin so he had control over her bloodline descendants. Shar refused to be outdone, so as a former intermediate god she divulged a great number of secrets regarding the World of Gods. Leylin learnt what to take note of when he advanced to become a true god.

As for any other interactions… Leylin touched his chin in reminiscence as he looked at his status.

[Leylin Farlier, Rank 7 Warlock. Bloodline: Targaryen. Strength: 275.11, Agility: 229.88, Vitality: 400.97, Spiritual Force: 653.19. Body of Laws. Law Comprehension: Devouring (100%), Massacre (58%), Disaster (27%), Decay (15%), Curses (1%), Shadows (33%). Origin Force Saturation: 100%]

'I'm at the limits of origin force now…' The Shadow World's origin force wasn't defective like that of Dreamscape, so Leylin had had no problems with absorbing it. It was something Shar and Allsnake had used to entice him before, but he'd just ended up becoming their master. Even the shrewd Shar would never have imagined that she'd become subordinate to a rank 7 Magus.

With more than half of the authority over the Shadow World, Leylin had naturally used as much origin force as he could to max out his attributes.

'I'm still a rank 7 Warlock… I'll come back after I advance to rank 8…' A trace of a smile emerged on Leylin's mouth. So what if the Magus World's origin force was controlled by Mother Core and Dreamscape's was flawed? With the support of the Shadow World, he could still advance by leaps and bounds. He couldn't feel great enough for becoming the master of a world.

'Shar and Allsnake went overboard this time… The Shadow World needs time to recover. If not, it would've given me much greater benefits…' Leylin was currently the master and judge of the Shadow World, and he'd tasked the Snake Dowager and the Mistress of the Night to restore the world to its former glory.

"Ah, the contract's been taken care of!" Leylin continued on his journey without hesitation, light constantly flickering in his eyes, "There's only two things I have to do in the Magus World now…

"First is to talk to the other beings like Mother Core. After all, I can't take out the entire World of Gods myself…" Leylin was aware of his limits. His attempt to control the Shadow World had nearly cost him everything, and if not for the arcane spell that was his trump card the results would probably have been greatly different.

The World of Gods would be far more dangerous. The enemies there were tens of thousands of times more powerful, and on top of that there were cunning and wicked Magi like Distorted Shadow waiting there with traps at the ready.

Leylin intended to surround himself with allies, bringing the entire Magus World along as he used absolute power to crush everything. As long as he revealed some information about the World of Gods, he didn't have to worry about powerful Magi not taking the bait.

"As for the other, I need to take care of the Lords of Calamity in Dreamscape… The Nightmare Absorbing Physique…" Leylin sighed deeply. The Nightmare Absorbing Physique was a gift from Dreamscape, but it was also the dagger the world used to eliminate its thugs. It was intended to destroy locusts like the Lords of Calamity.

However, Leylin didn't think so simply. Proverbs said that the hunting dogs would be destroyed once the rabbits were killed, and even if he wasn't afraid of such a thing he had to take precautionary measures.

The Nightmare Absorbing Physique was intended to restrain the Lords of Calamity. If Leylin revealed his might to eliminate all the Lords of Calamity, what would Dreamscape's World Will do then? Would it leave him in control of such power? Leylin felt like he had to let the Lords of Calamity survive, because this would bring him great benefits.

'Maybe I can do the same thing I did here, punishing the Lords of Calamity like a judge after I spark infighting among them…' Leylin didn't want to be someone else's weapon. Such people didn't face good ends. Instead, he wanted to be the one in charge, the person making the rules.

Since Dreamscape was weakening itself because the Lords of Calamity were taking too much of the World Origin Force, he would restrict the amount they used. That way he would be able to please both sides, at the same time managed to preserve himself.

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Pouring In

'Of course, most of the time you end up pleasing neither side if you try to please both. My finesse and ability are going to be put to the test… Power is still the most important.' Leylin's eyes flickered as he grasped the crux of it all, 'Only a peak rank 8 power can force Dreamscape's World Will to concede. That'll be when I can deter the other Lords of Calamity as well, it's the bottom line for this plan to work.'

The space between Leylin's brows twitched slightly at this thought, and a bright red line appeared at that moment. Leylin's soul flashed with radiance, almost instantly linking to the large and vast Dreamscape.

With a Lord of Calamity sacrificed to Dreamscape, Leylin was like a fish inside water in this world. His powerful soul force swept across the major regions.

'Dreamforce is growing stronger as well, but it's still very dangerous. Also…' Leylin's expression turned grim. He could sense the evil auras of the Lords of Calamity in the world, able to tell that those scattered beings had gathered in groups for protection. Their sealed lands had been linked together; they'd evidently discovered something.

Leylin's current strength allowed him to deal with a single Lord of Calamity easily, but if they attacked him together he wouldn't be able to handle them. There were no fools amongst the existences of laws. Even if Leylin had shrouded himself in mystery they'd still managed to find something off about the situation and put their guard up.

'Looks like my plan of gaining an advantage by taking out a few Lords of Calamity won't work…' Leylin shook his head, but he didn't find it particularly regretful. Even if Dreamscape's World Will helped him reach the peak of rank 8, it wouldn't be worthy of ecstasy. Borrowed power would never be his.

Dreamscape could give him a great many things, but it could also leave him with nothing in an instant. Only something he had obtained for himself was truly his! Leylin calmed his beating heart, heading not to Dreamscape but to the Magus World.

With Mother Core and other peak rank 8s in charge, the Magus World was completely calm and without any problems. Of course, to existences of laws nothing that didn't affect their kind was a problem.

'A few more organisations are fighting on the mainland in secret?' As he gathered information, Leylin laughed and he shook his head. While the surface of the Magus World was under his jurisdiction, he couldn't be bothered with ants fighting amongst themselves.

'No matter how powerful their geniuses are, as long as they don't grasp laws these organisations will remain useless… They were born in the wrong era…' Leylin sighed at this conclusion, a trace of pity in his eyes.

Once the Final War resumed, these geniuses would not meet good fortune. It wouldn't be possible for them to reach rank 7 so quickly, and even though they'd crawled their way up to becoming Morning Stars that only qualified them to be cannon fodder. Was there anything more unlucky than that?

Of course, there would be special cases of people who grew with battle, even peeking into the realm of laws. However, the chances of this were so low it was pitiful.

Targaryen Castle.

Flames from the Fiery World raged in the extraplanar laboratory, gigantic spell formations flickering with boiling heat. A thick layer of World Origin Force had been condensed into a pond at the core, showing the true form of the origin force weapon Leylin had poured his blood and sweat into for centuries.

A kingly aura seemed to radiate from the hazy fog, as if a terrifying primordial monster had awakened from its slumber. Rainbow lights flashed as an absolutely lethal weapon showed its appearance.

This weapon had all forms. It was a sword, a blade, a hammer, a lance, it was every weapon used in war. Every edge and corner was extremely sharp, making it seem like an assembly of all lethal weapons from ancient times to the present. This weapon didn't even need to be waved around to cause damage, the sharpness of its aura alone could cause the surrounding space to fragment.

Noticing Leylin's arrival, the weapon began to emit sharp sounds that gripped the heart and soul. Even rank 2 or 3 Magi would probably have their souls destroyed under this illusory attack.

"You can't wait to be born?" Leylin smiled as he looked at the results, a satisfied smile appearing on his face, "It still isn't time yet."

With a wave of his hand, a surge of World Origin Force as terrifying as rivers and lakes in the world suddenly poured in, filling the World Pond in an instant. Everything seemed to be in a surplus compared to before.

The origin force weapon cheered, and greedily began to devour this origin force.

Leylin watched on while deep in thought, 'With the supply from the Shadow World, it will probably surpass all divine weapons in the future and delight in consuming the fresh blood of the gods…'

The Magus World was obviously the most abundant in its origin force, followed by Dreamscape and the Shadow World. However, he could only pick up scraps in the Magus World, forced to share equally with a large number of beings of laws. Dreamscape treated Leylin like its child, and as for the Shadow World? Leylin was its owner, possessing a terrifying amount of authority over it!

Thus, he would be able to gather the most origin force from the Shadow World, followed by Dreamscape and the Magus World. This was the benefit of having a world to himself.

That wasn't all, Leylin had something else prepared as well. He would shape this origin force weapon into a lethal weapon that would shake the astral plane!

"A.I. Chip!"

[Beep! Preparation for stripping of laws is now complete. Beginning infusion. Laws being stripped off: Calamity (27%), Decay (15%), Curse (1%), Shadow (33%).] The A.I. Chip loyally carried out Leylin's orders.

The laws Leylin had devoured weren't of much use to him, and they would only contaminate his path. It was necessary for him to remove them. With the help of the A.I. Chip, he could isolate his understanding completely and pass it on as a present, or sell it. It was similar to divine force and divinity in the World of Gods.

Of course, beings of law would pay an astronomical price for this comprehension. If, by chance, they needed these specific laws in the first place, they'd be able to give up anything!

However, this was too extravagant for Leylin. It was better for him to grasp his own laws. If these laws were unusable, he could just pour them into his weapon. An origin force weapon with the power of laws would then have the grandeur of a true divine weapon!

"Begin!" Leylin's eyes immediately turned black as the rank 7 Targaryen phantom appeared behind him. With devilish wings, a single horn, vertical pupils and two claws, the winged serpent widened its huge mouth and spat out threads of darkness that fell into the pond, containing the laws of disaster, decay, and other powers that he'd comprehended.

The pool began to boil, and the origin force weapon at the centre roared out. Runic patterns crawled onto its body, physical proof that the laws were getting to work.

Pouring the power of laws inside the weapon was not something that could be done in a day or two. Leylin spent a total of three years emptying his useless laws into it, so much so that his truesoul seemed to weaken.

'But it's all worth it.' Leylin took a look at the dark figure in the pool. The origin weapon had already lost its fierce aura, no longer showing off its power. Its splendour had been restrained, which only made it even more horrifying.

[Leylin Farlier. Rank 7 Warlock, Bloodline: Targaryen(Rank 7). Strength: 275.11, Agility: 229.88, Vitality: 400.97, Spiritual Force: 653.19. State of Soul: Law Comprehension: Devouring (100%), Massacre (58%). Status: Origin Force saturated, unable to increase.]

'The truesoul may grow weaker with the elimination of the extra laws, but it's also sharper now.' After getting rid of the laws that would contaminate his path, Leylin felt that his truesoul had now become more clear and sensitive, as if thirsting for more along its path.

'This is shown before rank 8… Does that mean I'm at the peak of rank 7?' Understanding arose in Leylin's eyes. Rank 8 involved understanding multiple laws, later forming their own path based on these laws. He wasn't confused about it anymore.

'The path of a Magus cannot be altered once it's set. Any extra laws will only corrupt the truesoul. All my confusion has been removed, and I can now see my path clearly. Everything else, my path to eternity, is in the World of Gods!'

"Soon! Soon!" Bright light flashed in Leylin's eyes as he clenched his fists.Leylin's figure appeared in the seventh level of the subterranean world, and he sent a powerful surge of soul force out, "Mother Core!"

Tok! Tok!* Dark red light appeared in the darkness, pulsing with power.

If one looked closer, they could see that this was a crimson gem made of lava, seeming like a vertical eye sitting at the core atop numerous vein. This was another form of Mother Core, different from before.

"Lord Leylin, you're finally here!" Mother Core proclaimed loudly, not the least bit surprised at Leylin's arrival.

"Yes. And I come with sincerity. The Final War is about to erupt once more, and I wish for your help!" Leylin spoke exceptionally sincerely.

"The Final War never ended. However, a few new variables have entered the scenario, about to make it more fierce…" Mother Core spoke as if making a prophecy.

"Mm, an opportunity's arrived. I have a way to breach the crystal sphere," Leylin admitted bluntly.

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Prosperity

"What? Your Excellency Leylin, do you know what you're saying?" Ignox's figure appeared in the abyss, a ring of darkness. Other conscients moved out as well, showing their interest in the matter.

Leylin inhaled a deep breath, "Of course I do. I have a way to get past the crystal sphere, and can already send those with power up to the Breaking Dawn realm past it. Transferring beings of laws is a problem, but I'm looking into it."

"Interesting! Interesting!" Leylin felt several malicious intents descend on him immediately, wanting to pry open his mind.

"Get lost!" He grinned malevolently, bright red light from Dreamscape shining as a vertical eye appeared between his brows. The evil conscients wailed in anguishing instantly, retreating in haste.

"It's the symbol of the Nightmare King!"

"No wonder he's growing strong so fast, he isn't beneath us rank 8 existences anymore…"

The many conscients were alarmed. Only until now did these powerful existences regard Leylin properly. Equal power was a basis for communication, and Leylin had never doubted that fact. If he didn't reveal strength rivalling rank 8, these Magi would snatch away all his achievements.

"I've said this before. Leylin became one of us after he signed the contract."

Boom!* An immense explosion resounded, showing Mother Core's determination. A peak rank 8 that wished to try prying on Leylin stopped immediately.

'Legend has it that Mother Core comes from the centre of the Magus World and has tens of millions of clones, each in different form. Looks like that's all true…' Leylin nodded his head as light flashed in his eyes.

"The fruits of your research will be protected." The massive body that represented Mother Core moved up and down, indicating her will.

"Thank you, my Lady. However, I wish to share the results of my research with the rest…" Leylin smiled and tossed a bait that the other existences could not refuse, "In exchange for a small price of equal value…"A flurry of discussion later, shocking news travelled out from the Magus World. A rank 7 Magus had actually discovered a way to break through the World of Gods' crystal sphere, and this had been confirmed by Mother Core.

This news caused a huge wave of controversy. After all, the war between the Magus World and the World of Gods had never stopped. With the World of Gods unable to turtle up anymore, it would most likely resume in full force. And now, it seemed like that epic war was upon them once more.

It was worth mentioning that the crystal sphere blocked all communication into and out of the World of Gods. The divine beings there did not learn of this news at all. They continued to feel that, with the protection of their crystal sphere, the Magus infiltration was extremely far away.

The person at the root of all this commotion was actually quite calm. Having displayed power equivalent to rank 8s, nobody in the astral plane except existences on par with Mother Core could touch him. Even if such a person appeared he could always escape to Dreamscape or the Shadow World, leaving those existences unable to do anything about him. With these trump cards in hand, Leylin's true body would not be affected by the trials and hardships he'd have to face.

Leylin had only passed down methods to have creatures at or below Breaking Dawn enter the World of Gods, leaving the methods for beings of law to himself. This was indeed a fact— after all, he was still in the outside world and even the Manderhawke Plate couldn't let him get in— so he wasn't afraid of someone interrogating him.

Magi weren't short sighted people, but the information still stimulated their greed. The astral plane grew more lively as numerous powerful and evil gazes locked onto the World of Gods. The Final War would blow up once more, and it could happen at any moment!On the other end of the astral plane, within the crystal sphere. The numerous gods of the World of Gods remained unaware of the impending danger, continuing their scramble for power and profit with crafty plots and machinations.

The mainland had calmed down in its never-ending war, a truce being called between the Orc Empire and the Silverymoon Alliance. Everybody's focus had instead drifted south, towards the rumoured native empire.

Faulen Island.

This was originally the territory of the Faulen Family, but Leylin had moved his entire clan to Debanks Island a while ago. This caused a decline in its status, but the island was still the primary port of the southern seas, an important transfer point.

Huge quantities of sugar, salt, and food items continued being sent up from the south, transported to the mainland in exchange for iron, cloth, and technology. An unknown number of merchants had grown rich on this channel of trade, whereas smuggling continued unabated despite repeated crackdowns. It gave the shipping route another name— the Path of Gold.

Rumours were abound that even ordinary sailors could become millionaires after a few years of working this route. They'd attracted a huge wave of adventurers, filling the bars and hotels to the brim as they caused the city to prosper.

On this day, a small transport ship anchored itself in the port. Unlike the others that were anxious to fill every nook and corner with goods, this one seemed to be comfortable as every passenger had ample space. It was a favourite of many aristocrats and businessmen.

Escorted by an old butler and knight, a youngster whose face was covered by a white veil walked down the deck.

"So this is Port Venus, the rumoured land of wealth and hope?" The youngster took a look at the huge beams and mechanical arms in the harbour. Huge tools could be seen everywhere in the two piers, nimbly dancing around with a life of their own as they transported massive wooden crates down enormous ships from distant lands. The crates were wheeled outside the pier along a long track.

There were numerous sailors waiting here, their exposed torsos showing their strong muscles. The youth's attention was drawn to the fact that humans weren't the only ones here. There ertr black and yellow-skinned southern natives, fishmen with obvious traits of the ocean, beastmen with dense fur, dwarves, and halflings abound, as if they'd found a place that belonged to them.

"Such a strange device… Normal beams are far less flexible, unable to sustain such great weight." The youth took a look at the huge network of beams and merchandise that covered the entire area like black clouds.

"Yes, it looks like a veritable mountain. In fact, even if a mountain was placed here I have no doubt that they can move it away in a short period of time. This equipment shows their lord's astonishing attainments in engineering." The old butler wiped his spectacles, "Such a magical place, but this isn't our destination. You should go in and rest, young master…"

"Yes… This place isn't where I should be…" The youngster's voice grew gloomy as he left the pier with his knight. However, he hadn't noticed that his temporary stop had attracted the attention of others…

Outside Port Venus, within the wizard tower atop the hill. Ernest had just raised his glasses, his head already covered with white hair as he looked extremely old and weak. Leylin had left him in charge of Faulen Island's defence, giving him a majority of the control over the wizard tower.

"An interesting little fellow… It's a pity I have no energy to play with you." Ernest sighed from his wheelchair, a thick blanket spread across his lap with spirit-crafted ceramic teapots and cups beside him.

"Tower spirit, send this information to the Giant Serpent Church… The matter won't be our problem anymore…" Ernest waved his hands, then closed his eyes slowly with graze. It seemed like he didn't want to waste the slightest bit of energy.

"O' time you are so ruthless and cunning, having stolen my memories yesterday but suddenly placing them in front of me today…' he whispered softly, as if recalling something.

His mind's eye showed him the appearance of his greatest disciple, the pride of his life. That young genius had advanced, becoming the youngest high-ranked wizard and legendary wizard as he broke the prejudice of the world against wizards. The rest of the world saw in him how a true genius rose to power, and now his student had already started to peek into the realm of the divine!

"O' Oghma, God of Knowledge… I pray sincerely to you, hoping to receive enough time to witness his moment of glory!" Ernest took out an emblem from his chest and started praying.

Most wizards held weak faith, and Ernest himself had previously worshipped the Goddess of the Weave. Due to some unspeakable reasons, although he'd ended up changing his faith, he hadn't joined the Giant Serpent Church. He instead turned towards the God of Knowledge, Oghma. After all, knowledge was power, wasn't it?

Ernest did not know that the youngster and his butler would pull the attention of many other existences here, setting off a storm that would spread across the entire mainland before crossing over to multiple worlds…

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Escape

Night time.

The see looked even deeper in the darkness, terrifying monsters seemingly hiding within as strange whining sounds could be heard within the fog. Steel boots moved along the coastline as a few silhouettes walked out of the sea.

"We can borrow the power of our Lord to escape the monitoring of the wizard tower," a man wrapped in gray robes said.

"Bah, the territory of a false god. I'll personally destroy it one day!" a robust man exclaimed, a look of disdain in his eyes.

"Pay attention to your words, Mare." Their leader turned back. He was wearing exquisite armour, the large single eye emblazoned on his cape a symbol of his church. "Our mission is to pursue the remnants of the evil church. The affairs of the south sea do not concern us. Unless we receive personal orders from master or our church, there will not be any conflicts with others during this mission."

"I understand, Bishop Morand." The man muttered, but he eventually quieted down.

"Is everyone clear on on the mission?" Bishop Morand looked at his own subordinates and could not help being prudent. "Our target is the descendant of an evil god. If the church survives, it could assist in his resurrection, so it needs to be cleaned up.

"My intelligence says they intend to escape to Debanks Island. We must not let them succeed!"

"Debanks Island… The land of the Giant Serpent, a hell on earth with unending death and fear…" Soft murmurs circulated within the group, and Morand's face grew unsightly.

Leylin was a false god who'd managed to resist the suppression of Helm's Church, even killing a large number of clergymen. He'd been on the Church of Protection's list for a long time.

Unfortunately, this fellow had holed up in Debanks Island, controlling what was once the Sakartes Empire. He also had numerous subordinates, including another demigod. Although they'd sent several squads with high hopes, none of them had managed to survive Leylin's countermeasures.

A few attempts later, Debanks Island had been marked as forbidden grounds for Helm's Church, even mentioning it garnering the hostility of its paladins.

"Let's set off! We swear to crush the demigod!" Bishop Morand's face held an unswerving determination as he led his subordinates into the night."My Lord, you are like the stars up in heaven, your wings of healing protecting the world in their embrace. Massacre is your sharp sword, and your eyes are brighter than the sun…" A bishop was leading the prayer within a concealed room on Faulen Island, dressed in robes embroidered with a giant snake.

Leylin had yet to become a true god, so his church was not recognised by the other gods on the mainland. If they revealed themselves in public, they would be attacked, so the church held its prayers in a secret area.

Once the daily prayers were completed, the bishop entered an office where a few valiant believers were waiting, a few natives in particular amongst them. Although the natives were slightly shorter than the rest, the violence in their eyes and their ice cold killing intent put a faint pressure on the rest.

"Good day, everyone. We have all gathered here today under the gaze of the Winged Serpent Kukulkan," the bishop nodded towards the rest.

"Under the gaze of our God!" Everyone immediately prayed in unison, fanaticism noticeable in their eyes. Regardless of personal power or faith, these natives had proven themselves. The bishop did not reveal any disdain.

The bishop suddenly remembered, 'Word has spread that a large number of natives have joined the church's headquarters in Debanks Island, and there's a high chance that the next pope will be a native saintess…' He then gripped the emblem on his chest and started repenting in his heart, 'Everything is the will of our only Lord. Please forgive me for my wavering faith…'

Of course, the rest only saw the bishop clench at his holy emblem before sitting down behind his Of course, regardless of the changes in the Bishop's heart, the others only saw him clenching the holy emblem and sat down behind the desk soon after.

"Intelligence from the city hall and wizard tower say that an incredible figure seems to have entered our territory." The bishop banged on the table, taking out a stamped letter that he showed to the rest.

A subordinate took a look and spoke out with his doubts, "Poison Scorpion Church?"

"Yes. It's a church that worships an ancient scorpion demigod. They've been developing in secret for a long time, but sadly they were discovered and suppressed by the forces of Helm while their lord was ascending. Rumours say the demigod fell…" Mockery appeared on the bishop's face as he explained this, "There was no need to pay attention to such a small church before, but according to wizard Ernest, the demigod's descendant has fled to Faulen Island, planning to journey to Debanks Island."

"This matter can be quite troublesome… We're currently trying to maintain peace with the forces on the mainland as we develop, this might invoke a war…" One of the subordinates frowned.

"Of course. I'm aware of that, but we cannot allow them to act with total disregard for law." The bishop looked at his subordinates with resentment. If under normal circumstances, would there even be a situation out of his control? Unfortunately, he had only taken over this branch recently, and it was the former headquarters of the Faulen Family.

Of course, they listened to Leylin's orders, but outside of that it was troublesome to unite them. These elites couldn't be dispatched if they weren't convinced about the situation.

Just as the bishop was troubled, his face suddenly changed. A strong will descended on the place abruptly, and flames were ignited on the statue of the feathered serpent.

"Our Great Lord has descended!" The bishop was the first one to kneel down in prayer, the others quickly following suit.

A thought was soon transmitted out of the statue, causing a hint of joy to appear on the bishop's face, "Worshippers, I am in need of you…"

"Are all of you clear of our Lord orders? "

"Yes!" the formerly rebellious subordinate stood out, saying resolutely, "This is the will of the Lord, we'll complete the task even if it costs us our lives!"

"Good!" The bishop nodded in satisfaction.The youth and his two servants were still unaware of the huge crisis that was about to befall them. They'd already set up at a small inn. The youth had tried to escape, but now he'd been arranged in a clean room. The butler moved to the edge of the window, taking a few glances before he tightly shut the curtains.

The knight stood at the door like a sculpture, similar to a loyal guard.

"You're the son of our Lord. Please pay attention to your actions. How could you run out on a whim? Aren't you aware that the Church of Protection is right behind us? They definitely won't let us go if they're given the opportunity…" The butler's face had blackened.

The youngster shrank down. "I'm sorry, bishop… I, I only wanted to look at that lord's wizard tower…"

'Sigh… He's still a child after all, this responsibility is too heavy for him to shoulder…' The bishop who was dressed like a butler let out a secret sigh, softening up at the sight of the youngster's face.

"Please endure it for a while. We'll be safe once we reach Debanks Island."

"Debanks Island?" A rare trace of joy appeared on the youngster's face. "The place with the rumoured native empire and the Giant Serpent… We won't have to worry about Helm's Church once we're there?"

"As long as you can obtain their protection, yes!" A kind and amiable smile surfaced on the butler's face.

"Our Lord interacted with the Giant Serpent Church before, and they're willing to help innocent people like us who've been suppressed… More importantly, our gifts will definitely gain his favour."

The moment gifts were brought up, the knight subconsciously gazed at the youngster's neck. A crystal pendant was hung there, emitting soft light.

"They will only shelter you for such an artifact…" The butler stroked the child's hair, "You don't have to be sad. This is something our Lord gained in an accidental encounter. I'm sure you can exchange it for your safety and the opportunity for the church to rise again in the future. I'm sure he would have agreed as well…"

The youngster did not notice the trace of pity within the butler's eyes. A child of god was someone who's descended from a true god. Demigods' descendants barely qualified to be addressed as such, and in fact their Lord had several heirs as precaution. Unfortunately, this child was the only one among his brothers and sisters who'd survived.

'If a true god falls, as long as their believers continue to call out their true name with devout faith they'll return after a period of time. However, it's different for a demigod… The conditions are harsher, and there are additional requirements that will make resurrection more difficult…'

Although his heart felt pity, the faith in the butler's soul ultimately won. He recovered his previous expression.

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Tracking

The face of the knight changed at that moment. His figure that was similar to an iron fortress moved forward, smashing the floor apart.

Hss!* A thin shadow arose from the floor with a vertical blood-red eye. It looked like a tiny black snake.

"Wait a moment! This is…" The butler stopped the night, placing his hands on the floor in all seriousness. The little snake stuck out its tongue and licked his fingers, moving towards his ears without hesitation before it released soft hisses.

The black snake exploded once it conveyed the message, and the butler's face immediately changed, "Not good! The Church of Protection discovered our tracks, they've been behind us all this while!

"Forget the luggage. We should flee immediately, use the windows!" The butler had made his decision in a moment. The trio left the building secretly after they packed their essentials, leaving a candle burning to make it seem like the room was still occupied.

'They left? That's good. Regardless of their reasons, the fight shouldn't have happened at the centre of the city, it would have affected our reputation significantly.' A man draped in black robes emerged from the street, looking in the direction the three had headed. A long, thin snake slithered out of his sleeves, looking like the same one that had spoken to the butler.

"Bring this news to the lord, little precious. Those hateful guards of Helm have caught the trail as well…"

The black snake's movements were as fast as the wind, and it instantly disappeared into the darkness.

"Hoohoo… We should have them suffer this time, letting them know that the Giant Serpent Church isn't so easy to provoke." The black shadow laughed coldly.

It was at this moment that an icy voice from behind startled him, "So you people are determined to oppose us?"

A hint of ice-cold killing intent pervaded the place, shortly followed by a dagger being pierced through the robed man's chest.

"Despicable thing, trash like you belongs in the Nine Hells and the Abyss!"

When the man in black turned around, he saw a thief standing there with a cold expression. There was a condescending look in his eyes, Helm's logo on his armour abnormally prominent.

"Huh?" Just as the thief was about to pull his dagger back, his expression suddenly changed, 'There's something wrong. The resistance…'

Boom!* The man in black exploded, numerous black snakes scattering as they quickly spread themselves through the street.

"Hoohoo… Helm's assassin… Just wait as my precious little snakes devour you…" A voice similar to an owl echoed from all directions, causing the assassin to turn grim. His figure disappeared into the darkness, only to reappear in front of Bishop Morand.

"I've failed, my Lord."

"It isn't your fault." The bishop seemed quite forgiving, "The Giant Serpent Church chose to get involved, and our men have found traces of the false god's descendant. Your orders have changed; in the name of the Lord, eliminate the spawn of the vile demigod!"

"In the name of the Lord!" Everyone quietly prayed, even the assassin. Fervour seemed to radiate from their eyes…

Whoosh!* A massive number of black shadows encircled the fleeing trio as Helm's Church chased after them.

"Waaaa!" A youngster's cries echoed through the desolate beach. The butler had decided to use this route since there weren't any people here even in the day because of frightening whirlpools, but people from Helm's Church were still on their heels. This was a sufficient display of the church's abilities.

By the time the youngster came around the knight was already on the floor, cut in two. His kidney had fallen out and his intestines were exposed, a scene surely to plague the youth's nightmares for a long time… If he could survive, that is.

The kid himself was alive solely due to the efforts of his butler, who'd torn open a protective magic scroll. However, looking at the dense encirclement, the magic would not be able to sustain itself much longer.

"High-ranked wizard?" The knights of Helm opened up a path for Bishop Morand to walk through, and he did so without hurry.

He looked at the butler's face, a trace of pity in his gaze, "I didn't expect the Poison Scorpion Church would have a high-ranked wizard remaining. You're pretty good, to have survived the fall of that vile false god…"

The demise of their god was a fatal blow to any church. It wasn't just a problem of conviction, the priests of the church would be greatly weakened, instantly revoked of their status. An average body would be unable to bear the pain that followed.

In other words, a pure priest without any other profession would receive a fatal blow once their god died. The same held true for the lower-ranked members of the clergy as well. Only warriors, wizards, or other Professionals at high ranks would be able to survive that loss of power, even then on the condition that they were young and strong in terms of the soul.Basically, for a pure Bishop without another profession, the High-Ranked Bishop would receive a fatal blow that results in his death upon a god's demise.

This butler in front of Bishop Morand was one such person. The damage done to the bishops of a demigod when it fell was lower, and on top of that he himself was a tenacious high-ranked wizard. He managed to endure the backlash, allowing him to escape while their pope and a considerable number of other bishops had died. The man had taken on the responsibility of protecting his god's child.

"The Poison Scorpion Lord is a real God, I will not tolerate your blasphemy." The butler maintained a solemn face, his dignified temperament not betraying a hint of anger.

All devout worshippers held unyielding faith in their gods, making such fervent followers much more frightening than the rest. This butler was naturally one such man, or a high-ranked wizard would never join a demigod's church.

"I can still give you a fair trial. Surrender, and hand over that spawn of the devil!" Bishop Morand spoke with a compassionate tone, and a giant eye appeared behind his back as he looked at the old butler.

"Don't even think of using teleportation or a random portal. Our Lord has locked down the surrounding space. You shall be burnt at the stake!"

The youngster looked around him. The knights of Helm had taken out golden crossbows from their backs, the weapons incredibly frightening at close range. Forget teleportation, even if they tried to flee on land or in air they'd be unable to escape the attacks.

"Watch over me, my Lord." Disguised as a high-ranked wizard, the butler's face was solemn as he spread a few tiny scorpions on the ground.

"Enslave!" "Greater Transformation!"

Roar!* The tiny scorpions roared as they grew in size, becoming five metre long two metre high monsters, acting like tanks in front of the wizard.

"Young master. I'll make an opening for you a while later, take the chance to escape. Bring that pendant to the Giant Serpent Church or the Faulen Family, and plead for their help." The butler stood in front of the child, resolved to fight to the death.

"I…" It was already a significant feat for a youngster of thirteen or fourteen years of age who'd never experienced suffering to stay conscious so long.

"Sigh…" The butler could only helplessly sigh, turning around to face his opponents once more.

Bang! Ka-cha!* The giant scorpions were dismembered rapidly under the knights' attacks. A paladin had already rushed up to him.

"My Lord… You're a star of the heavens, and one day you shall return to your throne…" The wizard mumbled, the fear of death absent from his face.

However, this expression changed after but a moment. A keening sound rang out as a black spear broke the spatial barrier to pierce through the paladin whose holy sword was raised.

"The sinister light in the air…" Bishop Morand frowned, turning towards the main culprit. It was a native warrior of the southern seas, short but full of toned muscle.

But then he saw the tattoos of devils bound with iron chains on the bodies of the man and his allies, and he went livid.

"The Giant Serpent Church's elites, devil hunters! They're high-ranked devil hunters who've sealed real devils!" Morand didn't even send out any orders. His subordinates were already shrieking.

These devil hunters evidently had an unsavoury reputation in the south sea. Devils themselves were known to be cunning and secretive, with vile powers. How much more powerful did devil hunters have to be to defeat these devils?

Even if they were aligned neutrally, devil hunters used the powers of the devils they captured. It caused people to associate them with the devils as well, something the hunters did not care to explain. Their bad reputation had accumulated, and stories of them caused children to cry at night.

Morand wasn't as ignorant as the commoners though, and he had a clear understanding of his opponents' abilities. 'Devil hunters are very powerful. They need to be high-ranked Professionals to seal devils in the first place, and some of them are even legendary…'

He quickly glanced at the many shadows hidden in the darkness, making the wise decision to reveal his identity.

"I am Bishop Morand of the Church of Protection! What are you lot trying to do?"

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Work

"The Church of Protection?" The leader of the devil hunters sneered. His muffled voice and thick accent couldn't cover up the ridicule in his tone.

"How dare you ridicule our god?" Rage could be seen on Morand's face. No bishop would lie down and take an attack on their god.

"No, no. How would I dare ridicule a true god?" The devil hunter was dressed in the distinctive garb of the southern seas. He had yellow skin and thick lips, his brown hair styled with several small pigtails.

"It's just… We have the opportunity to punish those who attack the faithful, as well as imposters."

"Imposters?" Cold sweat beaded down Morand's forehead, and he had an extremely bad premonition.

"Follow the Lord's orders, check for devils!" This diminutive leader did not give him the chance to do anything, shouting out all of a sudden as holy light flowed to reveal a few Detect Devil spells were already cast.

Leylin was a Lord of Baator, so other than fundamental holy skills members of his church could also detect devils. The spell was something Leylin had invented himself, and over time it had shown itself to be a 100% accurate.

All this was to say that devil hunters held authority when it came to checking for devils. And just as Morand hesitated for a moment, the situation fell out of his hand.

"Oh!" The milky white holy light around one of Morand's subordinates suddenly shifted to a bright red, the face of the man changing a few moments after the spell was cast. A blood-curdling screech rang out as the man grew a horn, and a layer of hellfire surrounded him.

This paladin had turned into a devil in a moment's time! Morand and the rest were flabbergasted at the sudden, fierce, change!

"You're daring enough to shelter a devil, pretending to be paladins… What sort of blasphemy is this?" The leader spoke righteously, "Kill them all!"

"Justice! Justice!" the other devil hunters shouted, a terrifying wave of hellfire raging forward in attack.

"You…" How would the bishop not know that they'd fallen into a trap? The only thing he couldn't understand was— why had the Giant Serpent Church that had made every effort to avoid clashing with them before changed so suddenly, becoming a savage, crazy beast?

All the doubt and astonishment ultimately condensed into one question. "HOW DARE YOU DO THIS?" Morand roared.

Unfortunately, nobody replied. Seeing his opponent remain obstinate, the leader of the hunters issued an order, "Transform!"

"Hehe…" Numerous high-ranked devil hunters suddenly smiled with malice as the tattoos on their bodies grew active. Parts of their bodies, normally hands and legs, started to demonise in the midst of terrifying hellfire. Bright red scales formed as sharp demonic nails grew out of their hands. Thin, needle-like chains coiled around their arms.

A devil hunter retained their human intellect and normal abilities when they transformed. On top of that, they obtained a devil's physique, and similar magical ability.

The strength from this sinister change instantly drowned their opponents' resistance. Even Bishop Morand threw out his trump cards one by one, eventually burnt to ashes by the hellfire.

The leader of the devil hunters left his group, walking towards the boy and butler who'd been shocked stupid. "I'm aware of your identities. Please follow me!"

Although he'd returned to his normal appearance, the frightening form from before had been etched into the boy's mind. It would inevitably leave a strong impression on him. His butler was in better condition, able to maintain his courtesy. Sealing the admiration in his heart, he replied, "Devil hunters? Truly a formidable army. If our Lord had such guards, he wouldn't have met his demise so easily…"

After sending the two of them off with respect, the look on the small guy's face immediately changed.

"Are all the preparations done?"

"Leader!" Another monkey-like devil hunter walked to his side and whispered to him, "Everything is completed. The devil transformation was recorded, and we located the affected commoners and nobles."

"Well done. Contact the central church post haste! Settle things before they can even react!" The small man touched his chin, a predatory gaze within his eyes…

The wit of these subordinates was inspiring, and they'd performed such deeds repeatedly. It was tragic that all of it had to be condensed into a few pages when they reported to the headquarters of the church in Debanks Island.

"Hmm?" Tiff raised his spectacles. Even someone like him, with legendary strength, seemed to have been eroded by the passage of time.

However, the truth was that this was all an act. His appearance had been changed on purpose, a kind old man as the pope more acceptable to the citizens.

As the pope of the Giant Serpent Church, he'd performed his work very well so far. What was once the Sakartes Empire had slowly recovered over this long time, and was flourishing once more. In fact, the Faulen Empire was even more prosperous than Sakartes at its peak.

More land had been put to use as they acquired technology from the mainland, and the number of goods sold on the streets had grown in number as well. Most importantly crafts had been introduced to the natives, bringing them from the dark ages to the iron age. Tiff had a feeling of glory as he looked down from the mountain atop which the Giant Serpent Church stood to gaze at the capital.

The pope massaged the spot between his brows until his eyes felt better, starting to read the report from his subordinates.

"The issue in Faulen Island was dealt with pretty well. The Church of Protection suffered losses, even… The person in charge is called Tubanke? Pass down the order, have him transferred to headquarters."

A transfer order stamped by the pope was sent out quickly, causing the surrounding clergymen to grow envious. The man would obviously be promoted. However, Tubanke had gotten this by fighting on the frontlines. They had nothing to say about it.

"The Poison Scorpion Church's child has secretly set sail, on his way here alongside a high-ranked wizard… They'll be here in ten days?" Flipping over to the next document, a rarely seen expression surfaced on Tiff's face.

'I need the Lord's guidance.' Tiff stood up and tidied himself up before heading to the rear of the church.

This place was forbidden grounds within the church, even guards few and far between. The lack of people gave it an atmosphere of seclusion. The original marble palace had been worn down by time, its lustre changing to one of archaic charm.

There was an enormous shrine behind the headquarters of the Giant Serpent Church. A statue of the Feathered Serpent God Kukulkan lay within, built atop ninety nine marble pillars as it emanated a trace of sacred brilliance.

"Master… You are the stars in the sky, with the authority of massacres. All commoners crawl under the protection of your wings…" Tiff started praying.

The thread of faith connected itself to the statue, and the Feathered Serpent buzzed as a youth emerged from the golden radiance. Tiff lowered his body further; his master had arrived.

"Tiff!" Leylin was wearing a loose white robe, every inch of his body flawless as a result of his godfire. Golden light flashed in his eyes as he looked at Tiff.

"I learnt of the incident with the Poison Scorpion Church. You've done well!" The first thing Leylin did was approve of Tiff's work. He continued with his decision, "When they get here, bring them to me. I'll receive them personally."

"Your wish is my command. May your divinity spread throughout the world!" Tiff replied in excitement. Leylin had always maintained a low profile, starkly in contrast to his attitude today. He naturally knew that his Lord had decided to change his actions, and that change would cause an enormous transformation in the prime material plane.

'Is it time?' Tiff suppressed the elation in his heart, withdrawing slowly.

'Such an intelligent chap!' The golden gleam in Leylin's eyes grew even more dazzling as he looked at Tiff's back. A hundred years had passed in the astral plane, and the World of Gods had experienced an even longer span of time. His preparations for ascension had finally been completed!

Leylin can't help but to take a look at his own status.

[Leylin Faulen. Race: Human (Demigod), Rank 27 Arcanist (Legendary). Strength: 21. Agility: 21. Vitality: 21. Spirit: 27. Arcane Energy: 270. Divine Force: 200 (200) Status: Healthy. Feats: Legendary Sturdiness, Scholarly, Intermediate Perfect Body, Dreamscape Vision. Specialties: Origine Force Detection, Origin Force Amplification, Illusions.]

'My divine force has finally manifested…' He seemed to be happy, 'The island's population has increased as well, and is sufficient to support a God of Massacres. Everything's ready!'

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Plan

Becoming a god was the lifelong goal of every being in the World of Gods, something they all longed for.

And now, Leylin was standing at the threshold to becoming a god! Ascension held even greater meaning for him than most; only a divine soul would allow him to open the crystal sphere from the inside, allowing his main body to enter the World of Gods!

To be blunt, the moment he successfully became a god, there would be little time left until the Final War resumed.

This was why Leylin took godhood very seriously.

Besides, meeting the requirements did not mean one would successfully become a god. In the history of the World of Gods, there were plenty of examples of people falling during their ascension, or being ambushed by the enemy right after. He obviously did not want to be one of those poor gods.

'Malar and Cyric will definitely sense my ascension, our roles clash… They wouldn't let me off… This is something decided by natural circumstances, just like how there can only be one male in a pride of lions. This is an unchangeable fact…' Leylin stroked his chin, looking grim.

'Then there's Mystra, Tyr, and Helm. They already plotted to kill me once. I'm afraid they won't let me off; the moment my divine realm is prepped they'll attack me immediately. My body will have grown divine, so I won't be protected by the prime material plane anymore…'

Leylin was currently relying on the fact that he was only a demigod. He'd holed himself up on Debanks Island, and the other gods could only glare at him without being able to do anything. With true gods unable to descend, their avatars and clones were basically a free meal for him. On top of that, Leylin was protected by his church and empire, rendering battle tactics on land and sea useless.

For this reason, he was able to do as he wished up to this point, rather than being pursued and killed. However, after becoming a god, everything would change. The prime material plane would reject his body and expel him to the outer world. When that happened, things would get 'fun'.

Outside the prime material plane, Mystra and his other enemies would definitely be furious and ready to take revenge at any time. What was more terrifying was that they, in the outer world, no longer had restrictions that they would have had in the prime material plane, and could wield their powerful might as greater gods!

Greater gods were equivalent to peak rank 8 Magi. With a possibility of attack from their true forms, Leylin could already feel the fear rising in him. Without the time to establish his divine realm, it would be impossible to block these malicious beings. When the time came, he would be in danger.

Falling right after becoming a god! Lelin felt like he would become the greatest joke in the World of Gods if such a thing happened.

'Also… I should worry about Baator…' Leylin sighed.

He had successfully robbed Beelzebub's authority and become the master of Dis, hiding his true identity. But who was Asmodeus? This sly devil had also made use of a series of schemes to obtain most of the power in hell, and he'd now placed his attentions on Leylin.

Leylin had never been interested in working with the devils. After all, while they did trust each other to an extent, they wouldn't hesitate to trick outsiders. He wouldn't accept any offering of peace, instead gunning to become their master.

This was why Leylin had created the Devil Hunters, powerful Professionals that only the Giant Serpent Church could create. It was partly for empowering his subordinates, but also because he wished to crack down on devil worshippers in the prime material plane as he lay out a path for himself to walk.

Evidently, the devils that were loyal to Leylin could evade Devil Detection spells without paying any price. The rest, however, were not as lucky. The remaining Archdevils were growing increasingly dissatisfied with Leylin, and he could already guess that some of them were already talking to the gods for a chance to overthrow him.

At the same time, Asmodeus' sly hand was reaching for Dis. He didn't seem satisfied with using his daughter as a substitute for the Hag Countess to give him authority over Malbolge. Rather, he seemed greedy for more, wanting to unify the Nine Hells and become the true master of Baator! Who would be a better target than Leylin, who had appeared midway?

Leylin had no doubt about it. As long as there was an opportunity, Asmodeus would definitely put all of his resources into gobbling him up and taking control of Dis.

'Hehe… Come at me with your schemes! I just hope you won't break your teeth in the end…' Leylin snickered inside.

It wasn't as if he didn't have any cards up his sleeve. Thultanthar was waiting silently in his semi-plane, the flying city seemingly impatient to drink the blood of the gods. A great arcanist with a flying city had been able to intimidate even the gods of ancient times.

At the same time, there was a Magus of laws waiting outside the crystal sphere, greedily eyeing the World of Gods. Those that were preparing to attack Leylin would soon be shocked to find that the rabbit in their hands was actually an evil primordial dragon!

Putting this aside, Leylin took a look at the A.I. Chip's records.

'A.I. Chip! Show me the revised version of the grade 12 arcane spell, Karsus' Avatar!'

[Beep! Karsus' Avatar is being revised. Estimated time: 677h 23min 13s] the A.I. Chip intoned loyally.

This was a terrifying card in Leylin's hands. It could let him dispose of Mystra in an instant, at the same time releasing numerous ancient Magi from the core of the Weave. With his experiment in the Shadow World, Leylin now knew the power of this arcane spell model.

Of course, the backlash was immense. However, with the A.I. Chip and his test data, it would be a breeze to fix the issue. Leylin was sure that regardless of what other tricks Distorted Shadow had planned, it would have to do with this arcane spell.

However, he had taken measures to deal with this and was amending the arcane spell model. This meant Distorted Shadow could only watch on helplessly.

'So if I think about it, I do have quite a few cards…' Leylin stroked his chin, 'But… I still need a few people to lead the way!' A pair of master and servant shivered somewhere in the southern seas. They assumed it was because of the sea winds, heading into the hold of their ship. Who knew what the future held.

At the thought of the child of a god, Leylin immediately recalled the true master of the Poison Scorpion Church, who was a demigod.

'With how much of a moron Poison Scorpion is, it's natural that he was disposed of. It would be strange if he wasn't…' Poison Scorpion had dealt with his Giant Serpent Church before. Rankings were very strict on the continent. Everyone had their own rank, and since Leylin was neither a god nor a high-ranked legend but a demigod, he naturally wouldn't mix with beings of other statuses.

The only ones able to speak on equal terms with him were other false gods and demigods. Hence, it was extremely normal for beings like them to form secret alliances. In the face of suppression from the true gods, the demigods and false gods who lacked people to back them up had to learn to band together.

Leylin had obviously made friends with a few of them, making oaths of alliance. Even if it was useless, it would afford him a breather when he ascended and faced the pressure from the other gods.

There were many demigods who held the same train of thought as Leylin did, which was why diplomatic activities went rather smoothly. The Poison Scorpion, master of the Poison Scorpion Sect, was one of the demigods that Leylin had met. Unfortunately, the power of divinity and godfire seemed to be warping his rationality, and he was in a crazed state half the time everyday.

It had to be said that a demigod like this being able to support a church and only being eliminated now had exceeded Leylin's expectations.

'The law he comprehended was massacre as well. That's the only thing that I want…' Leylin stroked his chin. Poison Scorpion's divinity was similar to his own, so he began to formulate a vague plan. It was for this reason that he had ordered his subordinates to make contact with him, and then invite the last blood descendant of the Poison Scorpion to the Debanks Island.

'Just a Poison Scorpion isn't enough… I need more… I need more targets!' In that moment, the figures of various demigods flashed by Leylin's eyes.

Becoming a god was no trivial matter, and new gods were far too eye-catching. Leylin's methods were simple. He'd have his allies ascend alongside him, leaving them to absorb some of the damage. Of course, it would be even better if they were willing to ascend ahead of him, as that would mean he had more experience.

'Before I officially become a god, I still need to see a demigod ascending…' Leylin had always liked being prepared, and if another god could provide him with this experience, that would be for the best.

While he had already subdued Shar of the Shadow World and obtained much information about the gods from her, she was an old being after all. She understood little about the current situation in the World of Gods, and Leylin did not feel too confident.

'A true god…' A low sigh rang in the palace…"Young master, we're here!" An old butler was helping a youth down a boat in Debanks Island's pier. Ten days had passed in the blink of an eye.

"Wow… Is this the native empire? I almost thought I'd returned to the huge port in the continent!" The youth jumped off the deck and gasped after seeing the port even larger and more luxurious than Port Venus.

"This is His Highness' land. Please be careful of what you say!" The old butler reminded him cautiously.

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Meeting

The old butler and the youth were guarded by a group of 'friendly and polite' native soldiers after they entered the territories of Debanks Island. Since they were in a land that was not their own, they allowed this arrangement. After a few days of uneasy waiting, they managed to arrange a meeting with Leylin.

On their path to the holy mountain, the old butler looked at the youth solemnly. "Do you remember what I told you, young master?"

The youth had stiffened up in the tense atmosphere, but he still managed to nod, "Mm."

'Sigh… This beautiful and fertile country… It's a powerful base even for demigods. No wonder he can flourish for so long without fear of being destroyed by the mainland…' The old butler gazed at the flourishing imperial capital and sighed in awe. Leylin truly had picked a great place. Not only was there a large population to provide faith for him, the mainland had little influence here.

However, thoughts were just thoughts in the end. Few were as bold as Leylin, aiming to take over the natives' empire. With the defect in the natives' souls, the gods avoided them like the plague.

With all sorts of factors, Leylin somehow managed to get the best parts of everything. If not for the natives, Debanks Island would long since have been divided amongst the gods, and he wouldn't have had any chances.

Clang!* The heavy gates of the Giant Serpent Church opened slowly. The devil hunters guarding the sides and the large number of priests and acolytes walking around added a certain weight to the atmosphere.

"Welcome!" Tiff was dressed in his regal attire, crown included. Standing on the steps, he looked like a kind and holy man.

"The Pope shouldn't bother with humble servants like us…" The butler pulled at the youth, who quickly realised his position and hastened to bow.

Tiff merely smiled in answer to the tiny mistake of the youth, "Please follow me. My master will see you personally…"

Hearing this news, the butler and youth obviously grew more nervous.

'The Giant Serpent, the youngest legendary wizard in the world who conquered an empire with a few thousand people… Leylin Faulen, the legend of legends…'

The youth exchanged a glance with his butler, obviously uneasy. However, Tiff had already moved out, and the two couldn't avoid this confrontation anymore. They could only follow behind in apprehension.

The three soon arrived at the palace behind the headquarters. A god in white robes was already waiting there, standing under his own statue. Golden light sparkled off his body, causing the large statue of the winged serpent to grow radiant as well. He seemed in harmony with the shrine, almost blending into one body.

After taking one look at this person, the butler was certain that this was the Leylin Faulen of the legends! This was the master of the Debanks Empire, as well as a demigod magician!

"Oh great being, please accept the worship of a humble mortal!" The butler bowed down and knelt, and the youth followed soon after.

"High-ranked magician, Daybreak Hand Schliff… your loyalty is worthy of praise…" Leylin did not speak loudly, but it still reverberated throughout the shrine. The tone of the voice showed that it was unquestionable.

The Giant Serpent Church had long since revealed all of this high-ranked wizard's secrets. His true thoughts couldn't be hidden in front of Leylin.

"Is this the Poison Scorpion's son?" The god's gaze moved past Schliff, focusing onto the youth.

"Ra… Raike greets His Highness…" the youth stuttered out. He could sense that Leylin's imposing aura was even more powerful than that of his demigod father, who had once been the master of his church.

"Yes… Raike inherited the Master's bloodline and glory, and will surely become a saint in the future!" At the mention of his faith, Schliff just had to speak, "Your Highness, please help us on account of the goodwill from our master in the past…"

In answer to this mortal's humble request, Leylin did not comment. Rather, there was a look of pity in his eyes as he watched Raike.

"As the child of a god, do you know what your destiny is?"

"Destiny?" Raike's eyes showed his confusion and bewilderment.

"As the descendant of our Master, he has no other choice!" Schliff answered loudly, obviously trying to hide things for a while longer.

"Heh!" Leylin merely shook his head and smiled, but did not reveal the truth.

True gods only needed faith to revive themselves, but things were wildly different for demigods. The master of the Poison Scorpion Church hadn't accumulated any divine force, and now that he'd fallen even if he obtained enough faith in the future he lacked the most important thing for revival— a vessel.

The vessel needed to be powerful enough to take on the power of a god. Most importantly, this person had to have the same blood as the god. This Raike was evidently Poison Scorpion's vessel, and someday in the future his father would break into his body and revive within to appear in the world once more.

It was not just demigods. In actuality, many true gods liked to use this method. Leylin had once even wondered whether Alustriel, the queen in the north, had been prepared for such plans by the Goddess of the Weave.

"There's a contract between Poison Scorpion and I, to give each other all the help we can. Promises at our level cannot be broken." Leylin answered in the affirmative.

"Many thanks, Your Highness!" Schliff bowed in excitement. Even he had not expected things to go so smoothly. However, after seeing Raike, Schliff hesitated before steeling the look in his eyes.

"Mighty master, this is a humble offering from us." Meeting Schliff's gaze, Raike gritted his teeth and pulled out the sparkling pendant from his neck, offering it up with both hands…

Once everyone left, Leylin focused on the necklace in his hands.

'A divine weapon? And there even seems to be some force hidden inside…' The A.I. Chip's light flashed in Leylin's eyes, and he nonchalantly threw the item into a semi-plane. As he was now, refining an origin force weapon, a divine weapon was nothing much. However, it wasn't bad as a collectible.

"Raike… I sense a dense aura of deity blood…" Leylin looked in the direction that Raike had left, eyes seeming to reflect scenes of what would happen after he left.Within the carriage, Raike seemed to have made up his mind before he asked Schlif, "Just now… what His Highness mentioned…"

"You don't need to know about that, young master!" Schliff immediately put on a cold expression, his powerful aura preventing Raike from speaking further.

"All you need to know is that you were born for the sake of our master. Everything that is yours has to be sacrificed in order for the revival of the master…" Fervour glinted in Schliff's eyes, the terrifying zeal causing Raike to shift his gaze down.Demigod as he was, it was easy for Leylin to peek on a high-ranked wizard without them even noticing. Many secrets revealed themselves before him.

Unfortunately, he felt no pity towards Raike, and he had no desire to help him.

"His blood is concentrated, so the chances of revival are greater… But that isn't enough…" His divine sight seemed to transcend the seas, locking onto the vast mainland.In the south of the mainland, within a dangerous marsh full of lush bushes.

A devil hunter with the crest of the Giant Serpent Church cautiously maneuvered past numerous assassins' territories as well as the tribes of barbarians and kobolds, arriving at the depths of the marshes.

This was an ultimate region of death. It was rumoured that there was a nine-headed monster dwelling here, and the poisonous fog it emitted could kill any living being. Even divine spells were useless in front of it.

However, few on the mainland knew that a tribe similar to humans lived deep inside.

Ooooo—* Numerous humanoids gathered with the sound of a large cow bugle. These beings had a distinct physical appearance, looking like werejackals or kobols.

Some kind of shaman walked up to an altar. "Ukekelu, our Lord… We pray to you devoutly, and offer a blood sacrifice!"

A few sacrifices had their clothes stripped from them as the old man prayed, trembling as they were delivered to the platform. His eyes bloodshot, he picked up an obsidian dagger and kissed it once in devotion before standing in front of the slaves. It looked like he was watching some lambs to be slaughtered.

The shaman dismembered the sacrifices easily, a technique passed down through centuries allowing him to keep them alive until he made the final cut. Only such a thing would please Ukekelu enough to grant them his favour.

Demigods, devils, and demons who were false gods were different from true gods. They could do anything for the sake of faith and power, seeking out new followers with greed.

Most of the time, Leylin believed that it was because there were people like these who were so shortsighted that the reputation of demigods was tarnished so badly. It made it such that his Giant Serpent Church could not operate well on the continent.

However, he was merely blabbering on. Without blood sacrifices, demigods would long since have died out with the bit of faith they obtained from their followers. Only Leylin, who took control over the Debanks Island and had nobody vying for faith with him could treat his followers so generously and give them more benefits. In the long run, this was the best method, but it was difficult for everyone to do this considering the circumstances.

As the shaman proceeded with his ceremony, the other worshippers quickly knelt in prayer. Blood poured everywhere, as if nurturing some horrifying force.

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Alliance

A large number of guards had been moved to watch over the ceremony. The lax guard allowed the devil hunter to sneak inside easily. When he saw the sacrifices on the altar, a disturbed look appeared in his eyes. 'Blood sacrifice?

'Poor followers. Only our Lord truly cherishes us, even if we worshippers make mistakes he kindly gives us his guidance…' A sense of superiority surfaced in the hunter's mind as he compared himself to these people. Comparing this sacrifice with the methods of the Giant Serpent Church, his devotion actually grew a bit. His faith stat would've grown by a few points if such a thing existed.

Wooooo—* The sacrificial ceremony reached its peak at that moment, the heart of the altar pooling with blood. An indistinct silhouette walked out of the boiling blood, with a human head but the body of a lion.

"Ukekelu! The mighty Ukekelu has descended!" The old shaman bowed in agitation as he started chanting prayers, followed by the other worshippers.

"…" Ukekelu lowered his head, looking at the shaman as he spoke in an unknown language. It caused the shaman's expression to change immediately.

"The Lord says there is a spy here. Guards!" The guards that looked like ravenous wolves immediately howled out.

'Not good, I've been found!' The devil hunter squatting in the grove felt his heart freeze, and he prepared to break out and escape.

"Ugh!" However, bright light burst forth from the giant snake emblem on his body at this moment. He soon lost consciousness, his body taken over by a great will.

"Lord of Debanks Island, the Giant Serpent sitting upon the throne… Welcome, Your Majesty Leylin!" The human-headed lion hovered in the air, releasing a few howls. The old shaman retreated alongside his guards, leaving the place to the two.

"Mm. Long time no see, Your Highness Ukekelu." Leylin found it sluggish to move around in this body, like a huge elephant who'd been squeezed into human armour. However, that didn't matter much. His conscient was only borrowing this body, so even if it perished he'd only lose a vessel and some divine force. It wouldn't be much.

The demigod in front of him was a part of Leylin's alliance. Legendaries had their own circle in the prime material plane, and the same naturally held true for demigods.

Unfortunately, numerous demigods were placed in an awkward position. Not only did they have lack gods willing to protect and promote them, the divinity within their bodies clashed with specific other gods that caused delays in their ascension. They'd formed cliques of their own to help each other for this very reason.

Poison Scorpion was one such god, and so was Ukekelu.

"If you've come to the marshes yourself you must have important matters to discuss…" Ukekelu said as he sharpened his claws. He was quite envious of Leylin's following and his distance from the mainland. Even more importantly, this person had begun preparing for ascension before even becoming a legendary; his schemes were shocking.

"Have you heard about Poison Scorpion?" Leylin directly revealed the purpose of his trip.

"The Church of Protection… Those lunatics!" Ukekelu's face grew unsightly at the mention of the topic. Helm's church was clearly the nemesis of all false gods; just its mention would be such a powerful deterrent.

"Poison Scorpion has already fallen. Either of us could be the next target…" Leylin's soft words caused Ukekelu's face to darken. Between the two of them, he was both an easier target and a closer one.

Looking at the other party becoming restless, Leylin revealed a confident smile. "We have to come up with countermeasures."

"It'll be easier to have Helm fall than have him abandon his duty, and both are impossible." Ukekelu was clearly aware of his own position.

"Mm, but he's only bound to slay false gods. What about true gods with their own divine kingdoms?" Leylin revealed the primary purpose of his trip.

"True god? You plan to ascend?" Earth-shattering shock rippled out from Ukekelu's body of blood.

"Of course, there's no demigod who doesn't want to." Leylin didn't cover his intentions up in the slightest. Ascending was indeed the best solution against Helm's Church.

"Pity… I haven't accumulated enough faith to ascend. If I try now I'll only face the backlash of the World Origin Force, falling immediately." Ukekelu was indeed tempted, but he ultimately shook his head.

"Of course, if Your Majesty Leylin has such intentions, I would definitely fully support you!" On the other hand, Leylin didn't trust such verbal promises.

"Your Highness is the oldest of us demigods, I believe there shouldn't be a huge deficit for you… Would this be enough to bridge the gap?" Leylin seemed to see in Ukekelu a fish that wouldn't bite without bait. He smiled in secret as he revealed a diamond emitting golden light, having it float towards the other.

"This… Divine force suiting my role, and experiences of ascension… Why do you have this, and why are you willing to give it to me?!" Ukekelu was obviously frightened by Leylin's present.

"Your Highness doesn't have to worry much about the source. However, I'm sure your chances of ascension will increase significantly with this?" Leylin's secretive smile caused Ukekelu to think that a true god was supporting him. After all, a demigod couldn't get a hold of such items.

However, this was enough for a demigod. As expected, Leylin saw greed and ambition rising within Ukekelu's gaze. No demigod would be able to reject such temptation, even if they knew a trap lay in wait.

Ukekelu had been a demigod for a long time. If he didn't advance soon, he would share the fate of Poison Scorpion. The Church of Protection wouldn't ever let him off as long as he was a demigod.

Numerous expressions flashed past that face of blood, but ultimately Ukekelu still absorbed the diamond into his body, "I shall accept Your Majesty's presents. What price do you require for them?"

"A simple agreement, and no matter which of us manages the last laugh we have to assist the other demigods…" Leylin faintly smiled.

"I'm going to the Sea of Death and the Dark Grasslands after this. They've been demigods too long as well…"

"You want us to advance together to reduce the attention?" Ukekelu wasn't stupid, and he managed to catch Leylin's intentions quickly. It was of benefit to him as well, so he naturally didn't object.

"Thats right… We can also aid Poison Scorpion before that… After all, he's one of us." Unknowingly, Ukekelu suddenly felt an extreme chill in his heart after seeing Leylin's smile.Within a city on the mainland, inside the huge Church of Tyr.

"Paladin Rafiniya!" An old warrior-priest walked into the room, unswerving determination on his face.

This room was largely unfurnished except for necessary supplies, with no extravagant furniture. The owner of the place was frugal.

"Cardinal!" Although Rafiniya looked the same as before, her body had grown more well-rounded, and her face was filled with more mature charm. Even though she still looked young, she knew everything had changed.

Years of experience had moulded the feeble-minded knight into a paladin of justice. She was now the legendary Holy Paladin, the Knight of Light! Her position had grown constantly inside Tyr's church, and she'd even amassed numerous followers.

"The Lord has a mission for you!" The old cardinal warrior passed a scroll to Rafaelia.

"The target is the Poison Scorpion Church. They intend to use their descendant to revive their fallen demigod. When he revives, the Poison Scorpion Lord will definitely bring suffering to the masses. Our Lord has decided to take action for the sake of justice!"

Looking at the sacrifices and consumption of blood as detailed in the documents, Rafiniya felt like she couldn't repress the anger in her chest anymore.

"To fight for justice!" She suddenly drew out her long sword and solemnly agreed.

"Very well! Another thing…"

"During this operation. Other forces like the Giant Serpent Church might be there to lend assistance, you'll have to be careful…" When the cardinal said this, it seemed difficult for him to speak.

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Setting Up

"Giant Serpent Church?" Rafiniya's expression changed, as sealed memories came to light.

"Leylin, huh…" The scenes in her mind seemed fresh, and it caused Rafiniya to stagger a few steps. The youngest legendary wizard appeared in her mind once more in all his handsomeness, a memory of the shadow that had been cast on her entire life.

'We'll meet again…' Rafiniya thought to herself. The last time she'd met Leylin, she invited him to the north to kill Malar. However, they'd separated on the issue of the sharing of loot, and she'd heard that he beat back several churches to emerge triumphant.

Even more shocking news followed afterwards— Leylin Faulen had taken an army of five thousand men to the natives' empire, taking the place over completely. He'd advanced into a demigod, and built the Giant Serpent Church!

The news had made it clear that her former leader had already chosen a different path, and walked further down it than she had hers. Rafiniya gritted her teeth.

She was extremely aware that her current status as a legendary paladin was due to Tyr's blessings. But why would Tyr give her his attention in a church filled with paladins? She hadn't wanted to think of the reasoning and avoided the issue, but she couldn't back down anymore.

"I must believe in justice, and fight for what's right!" Rafiniya said out loudly, as if reaffirming her thoughts.

"Very well. Our Lord is watching you!" Having received the reply he wanted, the cardinal left.

However, Rafiniya clenched her fists tightly. 'Demigods, blood sacrifices, and filthy transactions. Leylin… If you're there, I won't hesitate to pull you out and punish you in the name of justice!'With Helm's support, the Church of Justice travelled extremely fast. It had only taken them three days to confirm the location of the Poison Scorpion Church. The two lawful churches gathered their warriors outside a small city.

"This is Cardinal Romese, of the Church of Protection. He'll be in charge of this operation, we're to assist him!" A priest on Rafiniya's side pointed out.

Romese's eyes brightened after he took a look at Rafiniya. "Lady Rafiniya, the star of hope for the commoners! Please accept our greatest respect for your love and protection."

Rafiniya was an absolute beauty, and she possessed an aura of purity and holiness as a paladin.

"Your participation in this mission gives us more confidence." Cardinal Romese expressed his heartfelt welcome to Rafiniya's participation. This was extremely normal, as no one would reject the help of a legendary.

"Let's skip the small talk. I will definitely comply with orders. I hope you don't bear any grudges, eliminating evil is the foremost priority." Rafiniya spoke icily and meticulously.

However, this attitude caused Romese to appreciate her even more. He waved his hand, and a priest moved forward to present her with a map written on parchment.

"Our intelligence says the Poison Scorpion Church is performing a blood sacrifice, using the bloodline and strength of a deity to revive their false god… The other false gods are supporting them, including the Lion-headed Golem, the Lord of Murky Darkness, and the Giant Serpent of the southern seas…"

Romese spoke briefly of the current situation, causing the expressions of those listening to turn solemn. Demigods were extremely powerful beings that had the blood of many on their hands. Many of their order had fallen to these opponents.

It was a pretty simple affair. Any demigod that was easy to deal with had already been executed by the lawful churches. If they could survive for so long, these false gods weren't ordinary, possessing great strength and cunning.

"This is the place they chose for the sacrifice. The Tree Castle." The cardinal pointed to a red circle on the map, the wording extremely clear.

"The baron in the Tree Castle has been brainwashed by the Poison Scorpion Church, so the troops and civilians there are already under their control. We've obtained the decree of the royal family— All heretics in the area are to be executed immediately!"

No one objected to Romese's words. Cultists weren't human to those on the holy mission, only a group of creatures that had lost their sanity. They had to be purged!

"The garrison troops and the paladins will cooperate with us. Our target this time is the blood descendant of that false god, and the upper echelons of the Poison Scorpion Church." Romese distributed portraits of Raike and Schliff. The drawing was extremely lifelike, and nobody would make a mistake.

"This is the descendant of the false god, the crux of their blood sacrifice. His name is Raike, and he's our primary target.

"This wizard is known as Schliff, and he's one of the church's core bishops. He's a high-ranked wizard, not legendary in any domain. He excels at instant teleportation and portals…"

"Our mission is simple. If there aren't any false gods lending a hand, we can take care of it on our own," Rafiniya concluded after Romese's brief. However, they knew that demigods were possibly here, so nobody dared to let down their guard.

"Does everyone understand now? Set off immediately!" Romese got on his warhorse, and the tall, sturdy horse neighed loudly.

Thud! Thud!* The warhorses bristled with energy as this small group of elites from the churches set off in the direction of the Tree Castle.The Tree Castle had turned into another wasteland. Black mist covered the area like a creature's maw, gobbling up the entire region.

A large eye floated in mid-air. Romese seemed to obtain some information from his god, and he said with certainty, "This is the might of a false god… Their blood sacrifice is at its critical point."

"May the Lord lead our way!" The other clerics prayed fervently, as a weak white glow appeared on their bodies. The black mist was soon dispelled, revealing a concealed path.

"Let's go!" Romese took the lead, with Rafiniya following closely behind. The scenes she saw had caused her to tighten her grip on the reins. The crops in the area had already withered, and the farms were left empty and in a mess. It was as if the farmers were removed forcibly from the area.

"The castle is there!" Romese turned around and headed towards another direction.

The faint traces of blood told of the merciless situation that had unfolded in the area. Rafiniya gritted her teeth and made an oath, "Vile gods, I'll never let you go!"

Castles often represented a long history, providing absolute protection to the inheritance that nobles were so proud of. However, the baron of the Tree Castle now stood at the corners of a wall, and his gaze was extremely strange yet fervent. The pride and reservedness that a noble was supposed to have, and most importantly the intelligence, had disappeared from his body.

'Twenty thousand civilians, and aristocrats and nobles as well. I hope the Lord is satisfied with my offerings!' The look of zealotry on the baron's face was reserved for only the most pious of believers.

"The Poison Scorpion Lord will definitely feel your sincerity." Schliff was carrying a large tome of the church, dressed up in papal attire inclusive of a crown.

"Enemy troops will be here soon. I hope you'll be able to fight to the very end, all the troops of the church are yours to command." Schliff handed a golden sceptre with scorpion carvings on it to the baron.

"All for our Lord!" The baron swore as he received the sceptre in a stately manner.

"Very good!" Schliff did not hesitate to leave the castle walls. Why would he fear entrusting this task to such a zealous apostle?

Many of the Poison Scorpion Church apostles remained within the castle. There were many bodies of young ladies and masters of nobility that were strewn across the floor.

The reception hall of the castle had already experienced a huge change. Many items of the core infrastructure had been removed, replaced with a towering altar stacked with dead bodies and flowing with blood.

At the top of the altar was a throne made of white bones that also resembled a cage, locking a youth within it.

Seeing Schliff, the youth eyes brightened, "Schliff, save me! I don't wish to die!"

"Nonsense!" The malevolence in Schliff's voice as he berated the boy called Raike to grow breathless, "You're the seed of the Lord. The purpose of your existence is to be sacrificed for his sake!"

Schliff's icy speech broke every delusion the boy had had. "But… But I…" Raike's face turned pale immediately.

"There's no 'buts'… The lord will definitely be reborn from your flesh. That will be great glory for you!" Schliff walked up to the pedestal which had many waiting apostles.

"Brothers and sisters. Our Lord hasn't fallen, only left temporarily." Schliff opened his arms and decreed, "Now, as long as we chant the name of our Lord piously, he will gather enough energy to change the world and appear before us, leading us into bouts of victories ahead!"

"Lord, O' Lord! You are everything, my flesh, my blood, my soul…" The apostles here were the craziest of the lot. They began to chant immediately, and even though there weren't many of them the power of their faith had already converged onto the altar.

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Resurrection

Gods could not die. Even if they fell, as long as their worshippers chanted their truenames day and night they would one day rise up from the astral plane, returning to their former glory.

Now, under the fervent chanting of the Poison Scorpion Church, the altar seemed to light up with a strange flame. Flesh and blood began to fuse together, revealing faces warped with pain.

"Almighty Lord, the God of Scorpions— Chester Potter!"

"Chester Potter!" "Chester Potter!" The worshippers recited the name again and again, soon joined by the warped faces on the altar. Some mysterious force seemed to attract a conscient here, having it descend upon the place.

"O' lord… Arise from your slumber!" Schliff's hands and legs began to tremble with excitement…

"The false god's ceremony has already started! Stop them!" The elites of the two churches had already reached the castle under Romese's lead, a large number of soldiers following behind them.

"A fallen demigod has no need to revive!" Romese unsheathed an icy blue sword at his waist, and an icy gale began to stir. "All high-ranked Professionals follow me, the rest of you focus on the attack on the castle!"

No matter how tall and sturdy it was, a castle not protected by high-grade spells was but a joke to powerful Professionals. Romese wrapped his body with qi as the fight began, leaping upwards in a moment. He covered a dozen metres in a single jump, landing on the castle walls with a thud.

"Kill him!" An exasperated voice sounded out, and many warriors with black armour began to surround him.

"Know your place!" Romese harrumphed, and snow began to dance around his body. An icy gale instantly turned the apostles of the demigod into frozen statues, and they crashed down to the ground.

"Are you the baron of this castle?" Romese leapt again, flying past all obstacles to arrive before a man dressed in noble clothing. There was a sceptre in his hand, imprinted with a scorpion.

"You vile watchdog!" Flames seemed to spew forth from the baron's eyes as he rushed forward with the sceptre.

"No traces of psychic spells or intelligence reduction…" Romese shook his head, "You are a true sinner, the apostle of a false god. Face your judgement!"

Blue light flashed, and the sword pierced through the baron's chest. The man moaned painfully, looking at his chest in disbelief.

"Hng! You think the identity of a noble is your amulet? How naive," Romese said indifferently. However, as he looked towards the centre of the castle where the hall was, his brows furrowed.

A terrifying evil spirit had converged in that area, forming a powerful whirlpool.

"Chester Potter! Chester Potter!" "You are the Lord of Slaughter. In your left hand, you wield the Hammer of Annihilation, and in your right the Book of Judgment. Any enemies will turn into a quagmire of flesh and blood before your presence. You are the home for our souls, I am willing to…"

The power of worship of the apostles and faces combined formed a crimson glow that converged atop the altar, landing on the throne of bones. The crimson energy engulfed Raike, entering him through his skin pores as the boy howled without end.

Raike's aura continually grew stronger and stronger, until eventually the energy beneath his skin began to surge and contort his body. It was like something was about to burst through his skin from the inside.

And still the boy's body seemed like a bottomless pit, absorbing all the energy that came. The conscient couldn't enter the body.

"There aren't enough apostles," Schliff muttered as he looked towards the castle walls, "Even with the sacrificial formation and twenty thousand souls we cannot revive our Lord…

"Have they been breached already? They probably have some legendaries helping them!" Time had grown short.

"It seems like there's no choice but to use this…" Schliff took out a golden crystal, shaped like a rhomboid. It was a gift from the Giant Serpent Church, but he didn't want to use it unless all else failed. That Giant Serpent was not a simple person. There was definitely something concealed within everything he'd given them.

However, the current circumstances left Schliff with no other choice. "Lord! Please guide me and show the way!" He prayed for one last time, and his eyes filled with resolve. He then threw the crystal onto the floor.

Bang!* The altar had a violent reaction to the golden crystal. A terrifying amount of power of faith and divine force was released, causing the whirlpool to spin a dozen times— no, a hundred times faster!

The crimson ball atop the altar suddenly blazed, melting off all the flesh and blood in the area to form layers of rippling energy.

"Argh!" Raike's screams rose a few octaves within the cage, and his body began to bloat.

"Lord Chester Potter! Revive now!" Schliff roared in malevolence.

Rumble!* The ground trembled, and the altar turned into a huge furnace as all the energy began to enter the throne of bones.

Bang!* The cage above the white bones burst open to reveal Raike's figure. His body had grown a few times over, crimson energy filling every ounce of it. It suddenly seemed to light up on fire, as if something within had destroyed all of him.

"My Lord!" Schliff was happy beyond tears. During the explosion, he had sensed an extremely familiar conscient overcome the obstacles of the astral plane to descend into the hall.

The crimson light ripped Raike's body apart, and a middle-aged man walked out from within.

"My divine name is Chester Potter. I am the Lord of Scorpions, the Ruler of Slaughter!" Chester Potter waved his hands, and a surge of black gas formed robes that covered him. Blood red eyes opened up, and he roared towards the world, "HELM! I'm back, and I won't fail this time!"

Romese and Rafiniya had just arrived to witness this scene.

"Being reborn from his own blood descendant and using the descendant's life as a vessel, these false gods are so evil!" Rafiniya was extremely furious. She pulled out her sword, and holy brilliance filled the sky.

"I will purify you!" The light of the sword radiated out, carrying a shrill roar as it swung towards Chester Potter.

"A legendary paladin? You belong to Tyr?" Fear streaked past Chester Potter's eyes, but more madness overcame it. He pointed his right hand forward, and a terrifying explosion occurred as it collided with the holy sword. Shockwaves rippled into the surroundings.

Meteor Strike!

"Anyone who opposes me must die!" Chester Potter issued his decree as light from a summoning spell glowed from his body.

Rank 9 Spell— Extradimensional Summon!

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!* Many scorpion-shaped monsters moved out of a portal, their sheer number causing Rafiniya and Romese to change their expressions.

Romese moved between a variety of expressions, but he finally gritted his teeth and made a decision, "Let's retreat first!"

Rafiniya's lips moved, but she did not voice an objection. They were two legendaries pit against a demigod. They weren't even on the same level.

Since the mission had failed, then protecting themselves would be the priority.

"Hurry and leave! I'll bear all responsibility!" Romese's blue sword released an icy power, forming walls of ice that blocked the advance of the scorpions. He roared at the scorpions behind his back.

Very soon, Rafiniya and the rest of the troops retreated to outside the castle walls. From this position, they could clearly see Chester Potter at the centre of the altar. Ominous crimson clouds circulated above him as the clouds seemed to form a funnel atop his head. The demigod gathered the flowing energy, his terrifying aura forming a malicious scorpion.

"All of you… Don't think about leaving!" The malicious-looking scorpion chased after them, and the other summoned scorpions roared as they surged forth as well.

"My worshippers, do not panic, and do not be lost…" A gentle voice sounded out just then, carrying a mysterious soothing effect.

"It's our Lord! Our Lord has descended!" Romese knelt in a certain direction, and Rafiniya bowed with respect as well. A strange rune in the form of an eye formed in mid-air, the void being ripped open as the avatar of a god walked out.

This avatar belonged to Helm, and it was the strongest power a god could muster in the prime material plane. With the ritual successful and Chester Potter revived, the God of Protection had descended to take care of the situation himself.

He first looked at the crimson clouds and the strange scorpion, and his expression turned solemn.

"A divine being obscured our prophecy, causing us to choose the wrong time. This was why Chester Potter could resurrect successfully." Helm's words sent shock through the hearts of the lawful.

"Obscured? Our divination?" Romese muttered, and his heart turned frigid.

His experience told him how scary such an opponent could be. Not only was he hidden in the darkness, he was a poisonous snake waiting for an opportunity to deal deadly damage.

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Ascension

"Helm… HELM!" A humanoid voice sounded from the giant scorpion, but Helm's avatar looked at the ominous clouds instead. His face turned darker the longer he looked.

Rafiniya felt a surge of might descending suddenly, causing her knees to buckle as she almost fell to the ground.

Rumble! Rumble!* Silver lightning streaked between the ominous cloud, snaking around ceaselessly.

"This… It's the descent of origin force… Someone's gathering divinity to ascend," Romese muttered, looking at the sky above the castle.

The giant scorpion roared, as vengeful spirits floated from up from its body.

"It's him! Is he preparing to transcend now?" Rafiniya's voice was hoarse.

"What's happening?" It wasn't just the opponents that were flabbergasted. Schliff's mouth gaped wide open, and his eyes almost popped out in disbelief.

This was but a resurrection ceremony. Why was more divinity gathering now? How was an ascension attempt occurring right now? This wasn't right!

Schliff roared in his heart, but in the next instant he recalled something and a murky shadow was cast over his figure. 'It's that golden crystal! There was something else within it!'"Has it begun?" The conscients of several false gods had gathered an unknown distance away from the Tree Castle.

A golden aura was shining on Leylin's body. He smirked as he looked at the waves of origin force, "Chester Potter. You walked out of flesh and blood, and have the rights to ascend. However, you've slain many civilians and their vengeful spirits are now chasing you. This is your sin!"

Boom!* Right after Leylin spoke, many vengeful spirits appeared from the void. Their clothing made them seem like commoners from the Tree Castle. Their faces were now wailing in agony, their blood-covered hands pulling down Chester's body.

"Our Lord! We will be with the Lord!" A faint, hair-raising hymn sounded from the void, growing louder as time went on. The vengeful spirits seemed to have crawled out of the underworld, wanting to pull Chester down with them.

"A demigod cannot withstand such sin," Leylin was extremely well versed in this area, "If Chester Potter does not want to fall again, he can only advance to become a true god, and use his divine kingdom to bear the hatred and send them away for good."

Truth be told, this was all within Leylin's plan. However, Chester still had himself to blame. If he hadn't wanted to perform such a large blood sacrifice to revive himself, Leylin would've been unable to make use of this opportunity to push him down. As it was right now, Leylin was merely lighting a pile of firewood on fire.

'His divinity is in slaughters… This origin force will likely attract similar gods like Malar and Cyric who specialise in massacres… Chester Potter, I hope you can last a little while longer…' Leylin thought apathetically.

There were some other things in the crystal Leylin had given Schliff, including some of his own comprehension of the law of massacres and a large amount of divine force in the domain. It would be enough for the demigod to ascend, egging him into taking that final step.

"Your Excellency Leylin… Your schemes can even cause the devils of Baator to tremble in fear. It seems like we're lacking when compared to you…" Ukekelu said, and a puddle of black mud at his left shone brilliantly. All the demigods here were evidently fearful.

"This is something we decided on together," Leylin said. He discovered the fear and isolation, but didn't worry too much since he'd been open about this from the start. If these demigods wanted to ascend, they could only cooperate with him and bite down on the bait.

"I've already tested what I gave you multiple times. Are there any problems?" Leylin's rebuke caused the demigods to turn silent.

Very soon, their attention shifted to the Tree Castle once again. Chester's ascension would give them great benefits. Not only could they use this as a learning experience, they could also see the reactions of the true gods.

As for the pitiful Poison Scorpion Church, they just abandoned it. Without Leylin and the other demigods, this church was destined to be doomed if it could not escape the attention of the true gods.

In fact, Chester Potter's resurrection was the last chance that the demigods were willing to give him. In exchange for this chance, test being used as a guinea pig to test the response of the true gods was a reasonable bargain, was it not?

Crash! Boom!* Pale green lightning struck the horde of summoned scorpions, wiping them out. Chester Potter's scorpion phantom flickered under the pressure of the origin force, revealing his original black-robed form.

"Argh… I am the Lord of Scorpions! I control the law of slaughter, and I WILL become a true god!" Chester Potter waved his arms, and a dark gold flame blazed from his body to fuse with his comprehension of laws. This was his divine spark as a demigod, the quintessence of his form.

Threads of the law of slaughter converged on the divine spark, runes spinning around it in a sphere as they nurtured it. Chester had given his everything into ascension.

"Our Lord Chester Potter… You are a star in the skies, wielding the law of slaughter. The fear of humans shall become your strength…"

"Our Lord Chester Potter… You will sit on the throne of your divine kingdom, where our souls will nest…"

"Our Lord Chester Potter… I am willing to give up everything I have, and carry out my mission on this earth. I earnestly pray for your glory amongst the gods, and pray that you last forever!"

Schliff prayed fervently, and with utmost sincerity. The other worshippers followed his lead.

The high-ranked wizard knew quite clearly that the Poison Scorpion Lord could not overpower the remaining demigods, and had been caught up in their conspiracy. He was left without any choice but to transcend.

His other worshippers had also realised this point. Right now, the only chance they had to live was to pray and aid Chester Potter in his transcendence. The worshippers of this false god were thus literally praying for their lives.

A surge of faith converged around Chester Potter, absorbed by his divine spark and nurtured into power in his domain.

Chester's personal comprehension of the law of slaughter wasn't great, and he lacked enough worshippers to ascend on his own. Even amongst demigods he wasn't the strongest.

However, none of that mattered with Leylin here. Chester's law of slaughter that had piqued Leylin's interest was quite close to his own law of massacre. Converting between the two had been extremely easy.

With Leylin's 'aid' from the dark, giving Chester some of his own comprehension of massacres, Chester had immediately met this requirement. He'd tried to smart, wanting to avoid Leylin's comprehension and the enmity of the massacre gods that it entailed, but his efforts didn't pay off. With the power of the lightning and origin force, and the prayers within, this event was made known to the entirety of the prime material plane.

Any existence that had crossed into the legendary realm fixed their gazes upon the area. They could see that a demigod was beginning to break through and become a true god. The sacrificial runes there told everyone of his identity.

The Poison Scorpion's truename was Chester Potter. No matter what the mortals had named him, once his ascension succeeded, this name would forever be attached to him. He would even be able to sense some of what was said whenever his name was mentioned.

His worshippers would also gain strength from his truename. By just whispering and chanting his name, they would be able to connect to their god.

Chester had seemed to choose slaughter as his divine domain. The sacrificial runes floating around him read 'the fear of mortals will become your strength,' a clear indication that he was of the evil alignment. Just this fact was enough for all good gods to oppose him.

Roar!* Right at that moment, a portal opened in mid air. A giant golden ape came tumbling out, straightening to stand up in the void. Its blood red eyes were locked onto the demigod in the lightning, as if looking at prey.

The God of Hunt— Malar!

'As expected… Anyone who tries to ascend into a divine position related to massacres will face the hostility of the gods who wield it.' Leylin shook his head, but doubt and confusion filled his mind. 'What about Cyric? He's the God of Murder, and he's even more closely attuned to slaughter…'At this moment, within the headquarters of the Church of Murder.

"Blasphemy! That false god is committing blasphemy against our Lord!" The pope roared at the surrounding slaves and clerics that knelt in a circle before him.

"Send out the orders: all legendaries are to cease their missions right now and move to attack the Poison Scorpion Church. Behead them on sight, I want to see the heads of every one of their priests before me!" The pope's face was filled with malevolence as he issued his order…

Once everyone left, the pope knelt before Cyric's statue, his quiet prayers tinged with helplessness.

Only he knew that this powerful god, the God of Murder, had gone insane. He'd even issued orders for internal conflict, and the upper hierarchy of the Church of Murder had already fallen into disarray.

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Annihilation

There were many rumours surrounding Cyric, but the most popular one was that he was originally a mortal like them. He stumbled upon the inheritance of a fallen god by chance, soaring to godhood. It caused many mortals to worship him fervently.

However, many of those worshippers wanted the inheritance for themselves. If the chance befell them, they would gladly steal his luck.

Since Cyric was a mere mortal before he ascended, the huge leap of power, alongside his divinity and the power of his domain, had side effects. He grew selfish, prejudiced, and slightly crazy.

Exactly because of this, Cyric would definitely have reacted to a demigod ascending into his domain in the past. However, now he'd gone completely insane.

The pope looked at the statue that was wrapped up in a dark red energy, and the worry on his face grew heavier. It took a while for him to finally make up his mind, "Merrick!"

"The Lord is in a state of confusion, I think it's due to the influence from the Book of Cyric." The bishop's voice was extremely raspy and hoarse. He had also sealed the church before speaking.

Merrick kneeled the moment he heard this news, cold sweat enveloping his body. He thought the pope was going to silence him. After all, to blaspheme a god was utter disrespect and would be punished!

However, luck was on Merrick's side today. The pope had not planned to kill him, and continued talking on his own, "Our Lord might have read the Book of Cyric recently, which is why he isn't responding to our prayers. Holy decrees haven't been issued either…"

Merrick nodded his head in agreement, he'd actually been suspecting as much for a while. The Book of Cyric was a divine weapon that Cyric had created himself, containing the power to confuse even gods themselves. Any being that set their eyes on the Book of Cyric would believe the lies within— that Cyric was the one and only true god in the world!

The late God of Thieves was the former owner of this book. He'd succumbed to it and perished pitifully, allowing Cyric to steal most of his divinity and divine force. However, the power of the lies in the book was so great that even Cyric himself had fallen into a daze after reading it.

All this was just an assumption, but at the same time it was quite logical— assuming there was no information that he had not been privy to. The pope now thought he understood the truth of the situation.

"Can I trust you, Merrick?"

"Of course! I am willing to give up my life for the Lord, my everything!" A fervent expression appeared on Merrick's face. He was definitely a zealot.

"Very good. I'm handing you a mission." With trembling hands, the pope handed over an ancient tome to Merrick.

"This is the Book of Truth. Our church spent great amounts of resources to obtain it from the Church of Truth." The pope fixed his gaze upon Merrick, clasping the man's shoulders with his hands.

"Merrick. As the favourite of the Lord, you have seen his true form the greatest number of times. I need you to hand this book to the Lord, and have Him see it."

With Cyric having gone completely insane, even the pope's words would fall on deaf ears. However, there were some other worshippers the Lord would listen to, and Merrick was one of them. The former merchant had rocketed through the church's ranks, becoming a powerful phantom thief. At the same time, this had cemented his faith in Cyric. The pope believed his Lord was most likely to see the Book of Truth if Merrick delivered it.

"The future of the church is now in your hands!" The pope patted Merrick's shoulders in encouragement, "Once our Lord reawakens, these thieving false gods will forever stay in the fallen river of the underworld, and wail for eternity."

"Rest assured, Your Holiness. Even if I have to sacrifice my life i will complete this mission!" Merrick guaranteed. As if he had found his calling at that moment, a mysterious force suddenly enveloped his body and allowed him to bristle with strength.In the Tree Castle.

Chester Potter was doing his best to resist the origin force lightning. His godfire had dimmed, seemingly about to go out soon.

However, a drop of gold had already been congealed, the runes of law combining into one as if nurturing something within. The droplet almost broke out of the ball of energy.

'The six requirements to become a true god: divinity, the godfire and divine spark, divine force, the divine domain, divine essence, and a divine kingdom. Chester already has three of the six, and all he's lacking right now are the domain, essence, and divine kingdom…' Leylin continued looking over the region as the A.I. Chip's light flashed in his eyes, storing the valuable information from the experiment.

In fact, if Chester Potter managed to obtain his divine domain today, he would have turned into a true god already. Establishing a divine kingdom was a painstaking process, and without a semi-plane already in hand one would need several hundreds of years to build one from scratch. Thus, the world viewed beings with godfire as demigods, and those with divine domains as true gods.

Only true gods had the right to form a divine kingdom, accepting the souls of their worshippers to form a sturdy fort.

"Lord Chester Potter… We pray that you hold the world in your hands, and your throne high up above the skies…" The prayers grew softer and fainter.

Chester Potter roared and his godfire blazed, almost forming the energy ball that would represent his divine domain.

'Using the power of faith to hasten comprehension of laws… This is how things work in the World of Gods…' Leylin sighed. The process was quicker than normal, but it also had its drawbacks. 'Moreover, one law can only be enjoyed by a single entity. The other gods in the domain of massacres will immediately become Chester's enemies…'

Roar!* Seeing that Chester had a chance to succeed, Malar took action immediately. He unleashed his powerful massacre domain, one tempered by time. Even if Malar was a beast god, so many years of accumulation had given him greater comprehension of massacres than Chester Potter had.

Crash! Rumble! Boom!* The origin force lightning was about to dissipate, but it converged once more. This time, there were even streaks of crimson within the lightning, carrying the power of massacres.

'This is massacre lightning, an attack by Malar…' Leylin sighed upon seeing this scene. Chester would definitely be done for if he and the other demigods did not help. A false god just couldn't resist true divine might, even if that might came from a lesser god.

Malar wanted to let Chester bring out his law of slaughter and steal it, but many gods had fixed their attention on this area so he attacked immediately.

Leylin had felt several powerful divine conscients eyeing the place, several familiar auras among them. The group of false gods had huddled up together in front of these powerful presences, masking their presence. No one would jump out to save Chester at this point.

Despair appeared on Chester's face before the crimson lightning hit, and his godfire dimmed.

"Chester Potter!" "Chester Potter!" "Chester Potter! We will be forever with the Lord, and live together with you!" The vengeful spirits on the ground grew even larger in number, and they reached out their bloody hands and grabbed Chester Potter's body.

These crazed spirits had enough hatred to cause a demigod to fall. Over time, their pulling force had turning into a whirlpool, consuming Chester Potter within.

"Argh…Noooo…" The maniacal roar of despair did not overturn Chester Potter's fate. He was dragged away by the spirits from his divine spark, and grew even further from his divine domain. Finally, a streak of crimson lightning struck the drop of gold.

Rumble!* The lightning wreaked destruction, and the golden barrier that protected the divine spark dissipated to reveal the content within. A dark golden flame within flickered out.

Rumble!* Chester Potter who had lost his silhouette, and his true body was exposed to the lightning. The vengeful spirits around him were turned to dust as it struck.

"Chester Potter! Come with us!" "Come with us…" Even if they had been destroyed by the lightning, there were no pain seen on these vengeful spirits' faces. Instead, glee had filled their expressions.

Once the lightning demolished his body, Chester's soul was exposed, seeming extremely pale and weak.

"Come with us…" These vengeful spirits moaned, and bloody hands dragged this soul into the underworld.

"Argh…Nooo…" Chester Potter's final plea of sorrow caused even the gods that were watching to tremble. He would become one of the vengeful spirits of the underworld, entering its darkest depths. Tens of thousands of souls would chew and feed on him until the end of the world…

A violent gale suddenly whistled past, and the ominous clouds disappeared to leave Schliff and the other worshippers gaping in disbelief.

"My Lord… Chester Potter…" Schliff muttered, and immediately wept. The other worshippers were also filled with distraught, and some even wished to commit suicide.

These survivors would not meet with a good end. After confirming that the false god had fallen, the paladins and Helm's knights charged forward and killed these evil zealots.

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Unrest

"Tsk… Chester really is pitiful…" Ukekelu, the lion-bodied demigod, shook his head.

"If my ascension fails, I won't end up any differently either…" A mass of black mud issued this thought, but while the demigods continued their discussion a rain of blood enveloped the Tree Castle. Any survivors believed to worship Chester Potter were sent to burn at the stake.

On the other hand, Schliff faced much better treatment. His head had been chopped off directly by a legendary paladin.

Leylin looked around and asked, "How is it, everyone? After witnessing this scene, what do you think of my idea?"

"With the obstruction of a true god, our chances of advancing will definitely be reduced… Your suggestion is worth considering…"

"I'll answer you before the time limit."

The other false gods gave a reply one after another.

"Very well. I believe that, as long as we work towards a common goal, becoming true gods isn't just a wild hope for us. We'll definitely succeed!"Once the other demigods left, Leylin looked towards the forest with an imposing look.

'Vengeful spirits will arise during ascension, causing a tide of pollution…' Although Chester Potter's situation was a unique case, Leylin did not completely overrule the possibility of the same happening to himself.

'Experimental results show that negative energy easily attracts such mutations, and also results in powerful magnetic fields that distort space…' He stroked his chin.

If one spoke of karma, Leylin's kill count almost equalled that of the Poison Scorpion. Even in the World of Gods alone, the number of people who had fallen at his hands was an astronomical figure. Countless natives had fallen at his hands, and numerous high-ranked Professionals. If even 1% of those vengeful spirits moved during his ascension, it would land him in a very tricky situation.

'I need to thoroughly bid farewell to my past before I ascend? Moreover, only true gods of the World of Gods can bear the weight of the vengeful spirits…' His understanding of deities had increased.

'That's not everything I gained from today,' Leylin's eyes shone, 'The descend of the World Will allowed me to distinguish between the strengths of the different camps. Malar was a live example, the same kind of thing will definitely happen to me!'

Chester Potter could be called a test subject for Leylin's own situation. The A.I. Chip had gathered a lot of valuable information from this live experiment, information that would be vital to Leylin's advancement.

'Once all the preparations are complete, I shall immediately return and ascend!' Desire and thirst revealed themselves in Leylin's eyes, and his confidence peaked. Who other than him could start the war on the gods once more?'May your soul be at peace.' Rafiniya prayed silently inside the Baron's household. Those that had survived the sacrifice sympathised with evil and there was no need to let them off. She'd undertaken the task, purging the entire residence with her holy sword.

Rafiniya felt like her own heart had been stirred up by that bloody altar. Twenty thousand innocents had died, and even their corpses hadn't been spared. Their only remnants were traces of wetness and ripped clothing.

'Those evil and false gods are the greatest stain on the cause of justice!' Rafiniya felt a burning flame within her chest, about to break out of her body.

"Holy Knight!" A priest of Tyr ran over, bringing over a mirror of water. An image formed on the mirror, showing an old priest that resembled a warrior. The man had a kindly face and thick eyebrows, his expression filled with determination.

"Cardinal!" Rafiniya immediately saluted to the old man. Her actions weren't just due to a difference in status and strength, instead a respect born from her heart.

"Rafiniya! I've learnt that the false god has been eliminated. You've done well," the cardinal praised.

"All is due to the Lord's protection. Under the guidance of our Lord, those evil and false gods only received their just punishment." Rafiniya pursed her lips, seeming very obstinate.

Seeing this scene, a kind smile surfaced on the Cardinal's face. He then turned serious, "Rafiniya, I have another task for you."

"Please." Rafiniya did not want this tragedy to repeat itself. She was in a hurry to set off, slicing the evil zealots apart to save innocent civilians.

"Very well," A trace of unwillingness appeared within the elderly cardinal's eyes as he looked at Rafiniya's current state, but he soon suppressed it. "A number of demigods backed the resurrection and frenzy of the Poison Scorpion Church this time…"

The cardinal's face was exceptionally serious, bemoaning the state of the universe and pitying the fate of mankind.

"These false gods greatly disrupt the peace of the continent. The Lord has decreed that we investigate the parties involved in this incident, and work together with the other churches to eliminate those false gods."

"As the Lord wills." Rafiniya knelt down on one knee and agreed. "Where am I to investigate?"

"The southern seas, Debanks Island. Specifically, the Giant Serpent Church." The moment the cardinal revealed her destination, Rafiniya's body quivered.

The cardinal spoke slowly, "I know you had a good relationship with that demigod wizard. If you're unwilling—"

"No! I accept this task." The Holy Knight looked up, incomparable resolution on her face.

"It is true that Leylin and I were friends. However, he's threatening the peace of the continent! It's my duty as his friend to pull him off the wrong path!"

"What if he exceeds his limits?" the cardinal asked indifferently.

"In that case, I shall end his mistakes once and for all." Rafiniya's body radiated justice with her reply.

"Very well! The Lord has seen your determination!" The cardinal nodded in satisfaction, stopping communications.

"Holy Knight Rafiniya! The cardinal commanded us to follow you." A team of powerful paladins and priests approached Rafiniya. This was only the investigation team. Once she sent confirmation, high-ranked legendaries and even gods' avatars would be dispatched there.

"I didn't expect us to end up like this, Leylin…" Rafiniya looked towards the setting sun, faint regret in her eyes. She seemed to recall their first meeting, a time when both of them were of similar strength. Leylin had shaken her off quickly, becoming a high-ranked wizard, then a legendary and ultimately a demigod. She could only watch his distant back, unable to even shadow him.

'I'm so stupid! Really, with his thirst for power and his attitude of safety over principles, it should've been clear from the start that we'd end up on opposite sides!' Rafiniya withdrew her sword, the regret replaced with resolution. 'You have your path, and I shall insist on mine. From this day forth, we are enemies!'

The Holy Knight pointed her longsword towards the south, setting into an unshakeable determination, "Let's set off. Our target is in Debanks Island, the Giant Serpent Church!"

A large number of mounted troops filed out of the Tree Castle, leaving dust on the road."Romese!" Helm's avatar called out to his own cardinal in another camp.

"My Lord! You are the guardian and defender of the true gods…" Romese knelt down, his face full of sincerity.

"Although we won this time, things won't remain so simple…" The avatar's eyes shone with foresight.

"Head towards the south, and assist the troops of justice in eliminating the Giant Serpent Church entirely." Helm decreed, "The church will exert pressure as needed on the coastal nation, having them form a sea expedition."

"I understand! Your will is my command!" Romese respectfully agreed, but great shock entered his heart. 'Not hesitating to gather secular forces in an expedition? This breaks custom… Has our opponent reached such a terrifying level?'

The church and state had certain tacit understanding. This action would throw the gods' might around the secular world; such an action would attract a great deal of negativity.

There was only one reason Helm would shoulder this— the danger of allowing the Giant Serpent Church to continue developing greatly exceeded the danger royalty posed towards them. It could even threaten Helm himself!

Having thought of this, Romese suddenly felt the weight of the task that had been placed on his shoulders…

The situation in the continent hadn't calmed after the Poison Scorpion Church was eliminated, instead growing even more strange. Numerous demigods began to stir, and dense clouds began to shroud the prime material plane. It was in such a turbulent environment that Rafiniya's party arrived in the southern seas.

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Rebellion

Faulen Island.

Rafiniya had a nostalgic expression on her face as she stepped onto the dock once more. The last time she'd come here, it was to congratulate Leylin on advancing to the legendary realm. She'd then entreated him to take part in the operations of the Silverymoon Alliance in the north.

It seemed like that had happened just yesterday. However Rafiniya clearly knew that nothing was the same as before.

"There's news, my Lady. All transport to Debanks Island has stopped." A paladin arrived by Rafiniya's side.

"I've seen them," Rafiniya looked at Port Venus. The originally flourishing port had now become rather desolate. With the loss of the hugely important Debanks Island, a majority of the ships had left. There were only two or three boats here, a rather pitiful scene.

"They've pulled back their forces, did they discover something?" Rafiniya gritted her teeth, "Even if we have to find our own ships, we must hurry onwards to Debanks Island!"

Bang!* Just at this moment, the earth suddenly shook beneath them. The skies rippled with a powerful aura and turned dark.

"What's happening?" "Help!" The port was in an uproar.

Rafiniya looked in the direction of Debanks Island with an experienced gaze. Strong origin force undulations were spreading from that location, and faint sounds of prayer could be heard even here. Her expression grew grave, 'Too late!'

In the next moment, origin force from ascension spread towards them. It wasn't only from the southern seas, gods seemed to be ascending everywhere. Rafiniya's face paled instantly in response.Within the swamp, many natives had come together and knelt in prayer. "Ukekelu… Almighty Ukekelu, you are our master…" The power of faith converged into a sweeping tide, completely enveloping the sphinx.A clump of murky mud suddenly spread across the grasslands, expanding to the size of several cities as sparks of golden flame began to seep out from its body.*Rumble!* The tremor of origin force spread across the multiverse in a moment. Many gods turned their gazes to the prime material plane, shock clear in their eyes.

"So many demigods are ascending…" "This is a conspiracy!"

Many divine wills flowed together in the void. News of this activity even spread to the demons and devils.

Many leading existences of the World of Gods focused their attention on the prime material plane, hoping to preserve themselves or gain something from this occasion.

In the outer planes, Mystra's avatar arrived outside a divine kingdom filled with divine light.

"Mystra, I've waited a long time for you to come!" Origin force roared outside the divine kingdom, congealing into an elderly warrior who had lost both his eyes.

"We have another slip-up in our plans. Elminster had stayed in hiding and not acted all this time, but now he has already begun his ascension to become a true god…" Mystra was very gloomy, "And with that demigod's ascension, great changes have occurred in the path of fate."

"You still care about that prophecy?" Tyr straightened his back, "In this world, only justice and fairness can be eternal."

"The snake that will destroy the world…" Mystra's wry smile soon grew serious again, "I have never before felt as I do now, that his footsteps are imminently drawing closer and closer…"

Tyr could not overlook the powerful premonitions of so great a god. He grew silent, and the divine kingdom nearby seemed to grow suffocated as well, "It's not so easy to ascend to godhood. Since that person is ascending in the domain of massacre, he'll suffer great hostility from Malar and Cyric…"

"Let's wait and see. My premonition is far from reassuring…" Mystra looked into the distance. Her starlike eyes seemed to cut through everything, and see directly into the future.The ninth level of hell, Nessus.

"Father!" The current ruler of Malbolge, the Erinyes Queen Glasya who possessed unimaginable charm, bowed in front of an old devil.

Having entered the realm of laws herself, Glasya could sense the incomprehensibly formidable power that Asmodeus possessed. In spite of the primordial contract in his hands giving him natural authority over Baator, the other Archdevils had been resisting his rule. However, his innate control could not be changed…

"I sense the undulations of Baator's origin force…" Asmodeus took the form of a mountainous devil, his black goat horns slightly pointed and his eyes filled with immeasurably profound evil.

"A Lord of Baator is currently trying to ascend to godhood." Asmodeus' words made Glasya cry out in shock.

"Ascension? Who? Which devil dares to renounce…. Hmm? Don't tell me it's the Lord of Dis…" Glasya's thoughts seemed to turn very quickly to the ruler of Dis. Leylin was still a mystery to her.

Of course, after many years of investigations, Leylin's true identity was not a secret to the Lords of Baator. They had even formed a unanimous pact and set plans to invade and overturn Dis in motion. Had Leylin not left Baator to reside permanently in the prime material plane, he would perhaps have been ambushed and killed already, his authority divided up among the other lords.

"Baator was never his goal… He pursues only the everlasting radiance of godhood…" Asmodeus said with great accuracy.

Asmodeus had to thank Leylin. The demigod had been a conspicuous target to date, attracting considerable ire that let his own plots play themselves out in the shadows. Asmodeus hadn't attracted any violence yet.

With Leylin's 'contributions', Asmodeus would have been willing to spend some time crafting a devil's form for him if he wished to completely depend on Baator in the future. He would even bestow a false reputation and glory upon him. However, all of this had now changed.

"The integration of a god and a ruler of hell will no doubt give rise to many unimaginable consequences…" A poisonous worm crawled out from Asmodeus' beard, and was tossed into his mouth. The Archdevil's evil eyes were filled with resolution, "We need to overthrow the Lord of Dis, and sever his ties with Baator."

"The pit fiend Azlok is ruling over Dis in his place right now, and is quite satisfied with his current positions. Even if we use the people we placed amongst their ranks and add the power of the other Lords, it'll still be difficult to topple his rule. Even if he isn't a true devil," Glasya bit down on a scarlet lip, "I need a lot more time…"

The Erinyes Queen had taken several thousands of years to seize Malbolge, accumulating a large rebel army in secret before taking advantage of the upheaval in the Second Hell to succeed. Had she not first stripped the Hag Countess of her origin force and forced her out of the realm of laws, she wasn't likely to be the final victor.

That showed the power a Lord of Baator held over their subordinates. However, Leylin being human caused many devils to feel dissatisfied, and his rule hadn't been too long either. It wasn't a particularly favourable situation for him.

"No buts! Go and notify Mammon and the others. I'll need their help to overthrow Dis. Even if we have to leave Avernus for it and give them that authority, I'm fine with it. You'll be in charge of accepting and signing the contract," Asmodeus flipped through his enormous tome of contracts before tearing out a piece of black parchment.

"Understood!" Glasya accepted the agreement. She saw her father's resolution, and knew that with Asmodeus' wisdom and foresight in addition to her decisiveness, their interests in Leylin could not be held back.

'An existence which my father is willing to sacrifice profit to defeat, what sort of schemer is he? I really look forward to this, haha…' Devils were a bunch of fast-moving creatures, especially when it came to the formalities of contracts.

In order to save time, Asmodeus had even directly opened up the network of authority, allowing several Lords of Baator to contact their moles in Dis.

The entirety of Dis was soon embroiled in war. Powerful explosions resounded, as armies of armed devils rushed forth to burn the Iron City. Their primary target was the official residence of the highest-ranking devils, the core of the city's rule— the Iron Tower!

At this moment, pit fiend Azlok was surveying the scene of the city with taunting eyes.

"Mm, Dir, Modiklo and Hessas, all of you betrayed us…" Looking at his city falling into enemy hands, Azlok's expression did not hold the slightest trace of regret and or rage. He looked at these devil rebel armies as if he was looking at a bunch of clowns.

"You lot have never tasted our master Kukulkan's power…" Azlok turned and moved to a conference hall, where the old devil that Leylin had subdued appeared.

"Haha, all the preparations are complete. We have our people guarding all the nodes, the devil hunters are all in position!" Borke cackled, radiating primordial evil. His power caused even Azlok's heart to skip a beat. Only Leylin with his superior power and plots could subdue such a creature.

"Very good, let's go out and receive them! I'm impatient to see the despair on those traitors' faces, haha…" Devils were most fond of using schemes to get rid of those more powerful than them.

"I can't wait either!" The old devil followed behind Azlok like a butler, and they slowly left the Iron Tower.

Many great devil armies had already surrounded the region around the Iron Tower, held back by their fear of the tower's defences. They were late in mounting their offensive.

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Shock

Seeing Azlok and Borke walk out, the traitorous devils all took a step back.

"Surrender, Azlok. You don't have to work so hard for the sake of an outsider!" A pit fiend dressed in barbed black armour stood out, "We're backed by the Lords of Baator, including Supreme Asmodeus himself. This is the will of the Nine Hells!"

"Even the Nine Hells must submit to our master!" Borke stepped forward, emanating vile, devilish soul light.

"This… Primordial power… Who exactly are you?" The pit fiends were stunned. This old devil was almost as strong as the Supreme.

"Keke… My name's long since been buried in the long and deep river of history. On the other hand, you shall become the dust and decay of yesteryear… You shall be buried in history, remembered as foolish and inferior…" Borke snickered, and a terrifying wave of origin force suddenly descended upon Dis, accompanied by some unresigned, enraged howls.

"It's beginning!" Borke and Azlok exchanged a glance and knelt down, beginning to pray.

"Our master, Kukulkan. You are the master of Baator, the Nine Hells. You are the Lord of all devils, the personification of order, the speaker for evil. You are the maker of laws and rules, holding power and authority!"

"Our master, Kukulkan. You control the power of massacre. The blood and terror of your enemies shall turn into your strength. Death shall accompany you wherever you go. You are the master of the end!"

"Our master, Kukulkan! Your will extends across the earth. Your divine kingdom shall protect our souls, and the souls of all your worshippers shall gain new life within!"

"Our master, Kukulkan! Your name shall become sacred. May your throne remain tall and turn into the stars in the skies!"

"This is… an ascension ceremony! A Lord of Baator is about to become a god!" Dir, Modiklo, Hessas and the other pit fiends all exclaimed at this moment.

The slight sounds of prayers could be heard from all directions. All the devils that Leylin had subdued now knelt piously, their fervent prayers gradually filling the entirety of Dis with a holy golden lustre.

Horrifying origin force howled out, and with the zealous power of faith crossed the obstruction of space and dimensions to arrive in the prime material plane.Debanks Island.

At this moment, all the natives had abandoned whatever they were doing. Those of higher status gathered at churches, while the rest turned to statues or even the sky to pray.

"Our master, Kukulkan! You are the protector of natives. We natives exist because of you. You lord over our souls and protect us after death in your heavenly kingdom. Your name shall become holy amongst all natives!"

"Our master, Kukulkan. You control the power of massacre. The blood and terror of your enemies shall turn into your strength. Death shall accompany you wherever you go. You are the master of the end!"

"Our master, Kukulkan! Your name shall become sacred. May your throne remain tall and turn into the stars in the skies!"

For some reason, all the natives felt a hot rush in their hearts that they could not get rid of. Only praying allowed them to feel peace. The prayers that were similar yet different from those in Baator grew louder and louder, until they were suffused with the faith of the world to gather in the capital of the Faulen Empire.

Upon the holy mountain, the skies were already filled with terrifying dark clouds. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed from inside, as if numerous thunder dragons were roaring out from within. Golden power of faith converged to form a funnel, pushing all this power right on top of the holy mountain into the shrine Leylin was in.

This was just the start, and the intense whistling of origin force far exceeded how things had gone with Chester Potter. Tiff and Isabel stood together outside the headquarters of the Giant Serpent Church, gazing up at the origin force lightning above them. There was a look of obvious worry on their faces.

"Ascension… Our master has the accumulation of faith from an entire empire. He definitely will succeed!" Tiff's eyes showed a crazed fervour. Over all these years of serving him, he'd developed an absolute trust in his god.

"With his accumulation of divine force, I'm not worried even with the backlash from origin force and malicious spirits…" Fine dragon scales appeared on Isabel's body, emanating the aura of an ancient dragon. This was a form ready for battle at any time. "What I'm worried about is him being targeted by those gods…"

""Whatever it is, we will serve as a fort for our master, firm and solid!"" Tiff looked solemn, speaking in unison with a circle of powerful members of the clergy.

"Be it god or devil, anyone who wants to interrupt the ceremony will have to do it over my dead body!" Isabel gripped the Red Dragon Sword's hilt tightly, the look of resolution in her eyes like ice that would never thaw.*WHOOSH!* The origin force lightning in the sky seemed to have reached the limit of what could be amassed. With what sounded like the enraged roars of primordial dragons, the sounds of explosions seemed to tear the skies apart.

Rumble!* The roof of the shrine was cut through. If Leylin hadn't sent a decree to evacuate the slaves and weaker clergymen, there would've been heavy casualties in the Giant Serpent Church.

The lightning, with all its boundless destructive force, was stopped by a golden palm. Numerous prayers had formed a surge of faith that lingered around Leylin's godly body.

"All these years of planning… Today is the day they come to fruition!" Leylin floated in the skies, dazzling golden light emanating from all parts of his body. Golden godfire revealed itself, using massive amounts of divine force to resist the heavenly lightning.

Numerous chains of laws flickered around Leylin. Pure runes of massacre were already beginning to enter the godfire unceasingly, terrifying power that only belonged to true gods growing within.*ROAAAAR!* In the hunter's wasteland that was Malar's divine kingdom, the main body of the God of the Hunt began to howl. The ape could sense that someone was eyeing its massacre domain, that thief that had once stolen its divinity!

Malar left his divine kingdom without hesitation, moving towards the boundary of the prime material plane."Another false god eyeing our master's domain!"

Deep inside the marshes and ravines, within in the headquarters of the God of Murder's church. An aged pope rapidly turned red, and even began coughing out large amounts of blood, "Let them work on their own…"

He feebly waved his arms, his crooked body seeming to hold an endless amount of fatigue. The pope stared at the statue of Cyric, eyes holding a last bit of hope.

"Our master still has yet to respond at all… Hopefully Merrick can get the Book of Truth to him as soon as possible, or challengers like these will only increase in number in the future…"On Debanks Island, Leylin now reached a critical moment in his ascension.

Rumble! Rumble!* Destructive lightning rained down, dying out to large amounts of divine force.

"The Feathered Serpent God, Kukulkan!"

"Our master, Kukulkan… who exists with us!"

"Who exists with us…"

In the meanwhile, a river of death formed that extended through multiple worlds. Numerous illusory souls crawled out of the river, holding the power of blood and vengeance. They tried to contaminate Leylin's pure body.

These vengeful spirits were mostly natives, and Isabel could even recognise high-ranked Professionals who had died at Leylin's hand. Even the late demigods of the native empire were here!

"A divine soul is the sublimation of a life form. Before this can happen, it is necessary to put an end to all sins of the past…" Tiff mumbled.

Numerous vengeful spirits pounced forth, pulling at Leylin's holy lustre with hands stained with fresh blood. It was like they were trying to put out his godfire.

The origin force lashed back with lightning, and these vengeful spirits shot forth with hatred. If a demigod could not hold up, they would end up like Chester Potter, pulled down to the depths of the underworld to be tortured for eternity.

With the number of lives Leylin had taken, the backlash and hatred were abnormally terrifying, exceeding the destruction wrought on the average demigod significantly.

However, just as Tiff and Isabel were starting to feel their hearts clench in fear, Leylin made his move!

"I am the master of the law of massacres. All of your pain shall become my power!!" He suddenly took a step forward, his powerful massacre domain quickly spreading out. Bloody light radiated out, and the vengeful spirits' cries disappeared. Hundreds of thousands had been absorbed instantly, forming Leylin's strength.

"Even if enemies that have died can be revived, none can escape the fate of death once more!" Leylin seemed to be chanting a prayer, at the same time making a prediction. Even the spirits of the demigods paled with terror, and they were immediately annihilated alongside all the other powerful enemies Leylin had killed in the World of Gods.

Lightning dissipated in the skies, and the vengeful spirits of the Styx seemed to lose all their strength in front of their master. Tiff and Isabel clenched their fists in anticipation, this was a moment they would never forget in their lives!

The godfire stabilised, surging with the power of laws.

[Beep! Host is beginning ascension. Being amplified by power of faith, comprehending law of massacre!] [Beep! Host's comprehension of the law of massacres is at 67%… 80%…] The A.I. Chip's prompts were refreshed continuously.

The laws of the World of Gods were different from the Magus World, and the gods could use faith to comprehend laws. The process of solidifying one's divine domain was, in fact, the process of comprehending that law. Leylin obviously would not let this hard-to-come-by opportunity slip past him. Great amounts of divine will rushed forth as he recorded all his realisations about massacre.

Boom! Boom!* At this moment, the power of the Weave went berserk above Debanks Island. Mystra's figure revealed itself, dressed in splendid clothing. Tyr's avatar showed itself as well, holding a large blade with both hands. The avatars of two greater gods had arrived here, and they obviously harboured terrible intentions.

Some demigods obtained favour from certain gods. During their ascension, these gods would especially show themselves via their avatars and protect them. However, Mystra and Tyr were obviously not about to do this.

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True God

A huge monster made of sludge roared out over the spacious grasslands, a small godfire emerging to meet the pale-white lightning in the sky. Bolts of lightning crashed down like raindrops, the power of annihilation they carried destroying the surrounding landscape.

Ooo!* The silhouette of the river of death appeared once more, and vengeful spirits reached out towards the monster with their bloody hands, climbing on top of its body to pull it down into the underworld.

"No!" The monster released a loud roar, and its godfire burst forth. However, its divine spark was eventually extinguished. Losing its divinity, the monster's body was dragged down into the Styx, and it completely disappeared…

The southern swamp.

"Lord Ukekelu!" "Ukekelu!"

With the pious prayers of numerous worshippers, the lion-bodied demigod Ukekelu managed to survive the thunderstorm and the resentment of the vengeful spirits. Twisted runes of law gradually formed within his godfire, about to propel his breakthrough.

"You sinner! How dare you commit such heresy on my law of savagery?" A huge figure emerged in the sky just then, carrying the imposing aura of a true god. Scarlet lightning crashed into Ukekelu's godfire, causing it to tremble. Space rippled at the edges of the divine spark, and power of law collided with the runes to form such chaos that it eventually just exploded.

"Damn that true god!" Ukekelu looked up into the skies, snarling and roaring as the radiance in his eyes gradually dimmed.

"My Lord… NOOO!" The priests on the ground bellowed, soon finding the divine power in their bodies ebbing like a tide. The suffering that came with such a thing was more painful than if all their bones had been pulled out.

"Pu!" All the members of the clergy spat out blood and fainted under the horrifying attack, while some of the old and weak met their deaths directly.In the skies above Debanks Island, the Goddess of the Weave and the God of Justice were standing side by side.

"Two of those false gods have been defeated by Gruumsh," Mystra said with conviction as she looked towards the horizon.

"In comparison the serpent's accumulation is terrifying. To directly overcome the vengeful spirits and the origin force… It looks like his comprehension of his law is extremely deep as well, and it won't be a problem for him to enter his divine domain…" Tyr looked at Leylin surrounded by origin force, the evil energy making him furrow his brows. How had they not noticed this huge tumour that had been hidden in the prime material plane before?

"He's currently protected by origin force, as a matter of law we cannot interfere…" However, Mystra faintly added another word to this statement, "Unless…"

"Unless it's by a god in an identical domain, who can devour the power of law." Tyr looked at the primate that appeared in the sky.

Malar's avatar bellowed with rage, its huge claws pulling back as the law of massacre descended upon the World of Gods. It caused Leylin's divine domain to grow unstable, and scarlet lightning struck his divine spark.

"This damned monkey. I'll kill it one day!" Isabel suddenly gnashed her teeth in rage.

"We're not strong enough yet to deal with the avatar of a true god…" Tiff held Isabel back, "However, it's not a problem to deal with the rest."

He hinted for Isabel to look down, and she saw some sneaky silhouettes lurking towards the holy mountain.

"Those damned things!" Isabel snarled as two huge draconic wings burst out of her back. Her transformation only took an instant before a legendary Dragon Warlock pounced towards the silhouettes. The land was bathed in a sea of blood.Leylin had sensed the lightning strike down on him from the sky.

"Malar," he laughed coldly, "How could I forget you?" He'd seen the beast god use this move on Chester Potter but a short while ago, how could he not be prepared?

"It's time to use you. Go!" Leylin's hands suddenly opened up, and surging divine force mixed with the power of faith isolated the scarlet lightning for a moment. Leylin fished out a crystal ball with a huge amounts of blurry spirits inside it, directly transforming them into soul force that was absorbed by the godfire.

These spirits had been stored by Akaban, the emperor of the former Sakartes Empire. A small number of them had been used for tests in Baator, but now Leylin had cast most of them out. His godfire rumbled as it absorbed so many spirits, its power skyrocketing as a sparkling translucent crystal emerged, the depiction of his divine domain.

This crystal was flawless, a hint of blood to its colour indicating that it belonged exclusively to a God of Massacre.

"Such a pity. Malar is only a lesser god in the end. If Cyric was here, this demigod could only fall…" Mystra's face was full of doubt, "Why exactly is Cyric sitting back and watching others take over his domain?"

"There's no use guessing right now!" Tyr shouted from beside her, his huge sword in hand. "All we can do now is wait. The power of laws and the prime material plane will stop protecting him once he ascends, and he'll be thrown out. A lesser god has nowhere to run facing my true body…" As a greater god, Tyr was confident in himself.

"That's the only way," Mystra sighed. Her heart was filled with anxiety, but she had no other choices.Leylin currently wasn't in the mood to care about the outside world. Once the crystal appeared in his godfire, it commanded the entirety of his focus.

Buzz!* The crystal radiated the power of laws, trembling as it fused together with the godfire back into Leylin's divine body. It seemed tailor-made for him, no longer able to be split apart.

At the same time, Leylin saw a vision. A powerful god was screaming from within dark shadows, holding his head as a force instantly tore a crack into his throne of massacre.

The image faded quickly, replaced by the AI Chip's prompt:

[Beep! Host has obtained the divine domain of massacres. Comprehension of the law of massacres has reached 100%.] [All conditions have been met, host is now ascending…] [The host comprehension of Massacre rule: 100%! All the conditions have been met! Advancing true god!"] [Beep! Host has automatically been classified as a legendary priest. All spells unlocked.]

All of Leylin's followers seemed to sense something at this moment, their eyes brimming with tears of excitement as they started praying.

"Kukulkan, my Lord, you are the lord of our souls. You shall shelter us in your kingdom after death, for you are the ruler of all!"

"Kukulkan, my Lord, you wield the power of massacres. The death of your enemies shall bring you power, and you are the end of everything!"

"Kukulkan, my Lord, your will shall shape the earth. We wish for your throne to join the stars in the skies!"

Devout prayer spread across the prime material plane, followed by Baator, the Abyss, the heavens, and even the entire astral plane. Those of legendary might, devils, demons; they all shifted their attention to this location. A true god had been born, recognised by the world to stand at its peak!

If someone were to ascend to godhood, even if they fell the very next moment they would leave an indelible mark on the history of the World of Gods, one that would be hard to forget. Numerous existences saw this moment as an opportunity, making their moves while Leylin was experiencing drastic changes to his body.

The terror of the law of massacre was enough to support a powerful god. Furthermore, Leylin hadn't comprehended the law step by step, instead having it all thrust upon him through faith and the power of the World Origin Force. It caused him to feel bloated in an instant as the terrifying energy mixed with faith was spreading around his body. If not for the divine body he already possessed, Leylin would have exploded due to the enormous force.

With such terrifying energy, his godfire and divine force seemed to fuse with his divine domain, ultimately forming a true god's body. In that split second, Leylin Faulen had entered the realms of rank 7 and become a true god!

Buzz!* The whole world started to roar, and the space around Leylin began to shatter. The world was beginning to suppress him, the prime material plane unable to accommodate the body of a true god. It was urging him on, to move into the endless void and establish his divine kingdom.

'Establish a divine kingdom? I'm not that stupid!' With his ascension, Leylin had an understanding of the process of establishing his divine kingdom that was almost second nature. It was so much so that, with the favour of the origin force, the construction of his divine kingdom would far surpass normal domains and save a great amount of divine force.

However, two greater gods were waiting to ambush him the moment he left the protection of the prime material plane. Only a fool would choose to do so.

"Haha… Mystra, Tyr, I'm sorry to disappoint…" Leylin laughed wildly. This was only the tip of the iceberg.

"A divine kingdom? My choice is— here!" Leylin floated up into the sky, suddenly pointing towards Debanks Island. Golden divine force whizzed out, instantly surrounding the entire island and changing the laws of space and time within.

The sea origin force attracted during his advancement had yet to disperse, giving Leylin a large reserve of energy that allowed him to cause drastic changes to the large island.

Rumble!* Earthquakes and tsunamis rocked Debanks Island, but all of Leylin's worshippers were sheltered by golden divine force. Large traces of divine power caused many natives to start kowtowing in a frenzy.

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Divine Kingdom

"Has he gone crazy? He actually wants to build his divine kingdom in the prime material plane?" Mystra was flabbergasted.

"We can think about that later. Let's leave now!" Tyr retreated very quickly, moving above the oceans in an instant. He distanced himself from the island that had been enveloped in golden light. The two greater gods were only here through avatars. If they recklessly entered Debanks Island which was in the midst of becoming a divine kingdom, the only outcome would be death.

Mystra retreated miserably as well, but Malar's avatar had been trapped by the golden light of the divine kingdom. It was rapidly consumed, and could only release a final cry of anguish before it perished, boosting the creation of the divine kingdom.

Avatars themselves had been reduced to such a state, so the elites that had been sent their definitely met with misfortune. Even those with legendary strength were rendered as helpless as normal human beings, killed mercilessly by the holy crusade of Debanks Island.

Golden threads of law energy appeared in the void, forming an intricate pattern above Debanks Island that was a scene to behold. Now that Leylin could exercise his will in control of the law of massacre, he combined the threads of law into one that was meant for his divine kingdom.

"No, we can't let him continue this! Let's rally our troops immediately, and transfer the units and paladins in the Silverymoon Alliance. No matter how high the price is, we have to kill him!" Mystra's voice had grown extremely shrill, "He's only building his divine kingdom right now, it will take but a few avatars to destroy it. If we give him time, I'm afraid…"

Tyr nodded his head solemnly, acknowledging Mystra's judgement, "Such pure evil should not be allowed to exist in this world!"

It took several hundreds of years to build a divine kingdom. Only after that could the realm be called a safe haven for its creator, amassing large numbers of elite troops and powerful Professionals. These places had holy spirits and valiant spirits, with such strength that even a greater god wouldn't want to engage in so large a battle.

Leylin's divine kingdom lacked the time it would need to strengthen him. Without enough worshippers, guardians, and spirits, as well as a lack of churches and spell formations and the weak foundation of laws, his defences were at their weakest right now.

What's more, once Leylin established his divine kingdom in the prime material plane, his true body would no longer be able to leave. He would have to remain there, stuck as a Saint.

Many gods had once chosen to descend into the prime material plane as Saints and Saintesses, but they had perished. A god in such a form was just a big gift to those powerful legendaries. Mystra had no doubt that Debanks Island would turn into a haven for adventurers in the future.

If one managed to kill a true god, the god's divinity, divine domain, and all their accumulations would become their own. Even some demigods wouldn't be able to resist such temptation.

"He's seeking his own death!" Tyr concluded.'Building my divine kingdom in the prime material is just courting death… Don't you think I know that already?' Leylin mocked the thoughts of the two from within Debanks Island. He was almost done with his ascension now, but it wasn't quite done.

His many worshippers were praying, "Kukulkan, my Lord, your seat is royal and divine, like the stars in the skies!"

""Your seat is royal and divine, like the stars in the skies!""

Truth be told, even if all ascension ceremonies had this line in them that was merely a wish of the gods. The establishment of a divine kingdom wasn't something one could do overnight, not to mention that a throne among the stars. Such a thing would deplete several centuries of accumulation of a lesser god instantly!

However, Leylin was different. He'd still held onto the origin force sea that had helped him ascend, and he had a trump card.

"My ascension ceremony is far from being over!" Leylin exclaimed loudly, and the entirety of Debanks Island began to tremble. The light of the divine kingdom enveloped the entire region, separating the outside space from the island itself. The ocean separated from the land, and Debanks Island had turned into a semi-plane in an instant.

"A royal seat? How?" Mystra felt like all her knowledge and expertise with the divine had vanished today. She was unable to comprehend Leylin no matter how much she tried. 'Even if he still has the origin force from his ascension, it's definitely not enough!'

The World Origin Force began to surge wildly. The entirety of the southern seas roared as the miniature continent that was Debanks Island was removed from it. This was an extremely big chunk of the world being taken off the map, so the repercussions of such an act were unimaginable.

Of course, Leylin did not give a hoot about such things. If not for his limited divine powers, he would gladly remove the entire southern seas from the prime material plane. After all, the size of a divine kingdom was directly related to the power of its god.

At this moment, all intelligent creatures in the prime material plane noticed a brand new star shining atop the southern seas.

"This… is a royal seat! The evolution of a divine kingdom!" Many gasps sounded throughout the prime material plane.

However, they were soon replaced by cries of disbelief. Instead of rising up into the skies, this new star had actually fallen down! What did they just see?

"Haha… Why would I want to evolve it and enter the higher planes? I can do the same in the lower planes!" Leylin laughed maniacally. It was much easier to have his divine kingdom descend than rise

Of course, either option would require a great deal of energy for any other god, but Leylin was different. He had his authority as an Archdevil of Baator, and the doors of the Second Hell were forever open to him. With his status as the Lord of Dis, Baator would not reject the descent of his divine kingdom, Moreover, he could even use the power of Baator's origin force to help his divine kingdom evolve at crucial times!

Indeed, Leylin's goal had been the Second Hell of the Nine Hells. He'd made the entirety of Dis almost a part of his divine kingdom! If he combined Debanks Island with the Second Hell, it wouldn't be far fetched to make the entire plane his divine kingdom!

With the unlimited space in Baator, and the laws of Dis alongside his divine kingdom, Leylin's powers immediately surpassed that of lesser gods to enter the rankings of intermediate gods. His divine kingdom was equivalent to ones that intermediate gods would put painstaking effort into building!

At this point Asmodeus' schemes and Mystra's hostility could all be thrown to the sidelines. Dis would eventually become a strong fort for him.

"The destination is Baator. Let's go!" A phantom of Leylin appeared in the skies. At the borders of the world, one could see the giant turn its head towards Baator.

Boom!* A fist comprised of immense, endless origin force broke free of any obstructions posed by the prime material plane, beginning to sink down…

The Second Hell of Baator, Dis. The origin force of the world began to smoulder as an infinite power of law moved out to link with Debanks Island.

"Kukulkan, my Lord, you are the marshal of all devils, the Lord of Hell! The entirety of Dis shall become your divine kingdom!" In the innumerable space nodes within Dis, the devils that were dispatched from Debanks Island had begun to pray in unison.

Dis trembled violently, as if welcoming a newborn child. Many devils of Baator sensed the change, and began to turn uneasy. However, even the highest level of their hierarchy in the Lords of Baator couldn't do a thing about it!

"NOO!" An extremely unwilling roar rang out from the Ninth Hell. The deep valley of Nessus was split open to reveal the massive body of a devil. This was the true body of Asmodeus, the Supreme of Baator. It had been recuperating from serious injuries all this while, leaving all matters to be taken care of by a clone.

Right now, however, Asmodeus could no longer tolerate Leylin's actions. He'd always wanted to unify the Nine Hells, and now that Leylin wanted to take the entirety of Dis for his own, never to leave, he couldn't stand it anymore.

A primordial contract appeared in Asmodeus' hands, causing the origin force of Baator to whistle in rage. His body expanded to nearly cover all of Baator, blocking the arrival of Leylin and his divine kingdom.

"I hereby invoke the primordial contract, exercising my right as the sole party allowed to collect souls. I have the authority to unify all of Baator. You, get lost!" As Asmodeus roared in rage, a massive wave of hell's energy surged towards Leylin.

"You pathetic existence! You want to stop me, a true god?" The same origin force congealed behind Leylin, "As the overlord of DIs, I now proclaim that Dis is no longer a level of Baator."

With Beelzebub's authority in hand, Leylin used it to the utmost. It took only a few moments for a huge chunk of the origin force behind Asmodeus to be ripped off.

"In my name as Kukulkan, Dis now has the authority to collect the souls of my worshippers. The primordial contract shall be rendered void!" Leylin immediately used his godhood to counter Asmodeus.

Asmodeus was aided by Baator because he had the authority to harvest souls on its behalf. Now, however, Leylin removed this right by law! Such an attack hurt Asmodeus even more than just the loss of Dis.

"You actually dare…" Asmodeus seethed with venom.

"There's no use in making any noises, get lost!" Dis rumbled, and Asmodeus' figure immediately turned smaller. As Leylin activated the onslaught of his divine kingdom, the devil was sent flying back to Nessus.

Boom!* Debanks Island had immediately merged with Dis, and radiated with a holy light!

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Divine Domain

"Kukulkan, my Lord, you are the Creator of Order, the Overlord of all Devils. You are the Wielder of Massacre, the Lord of Dis!"

Prayers resounded as the two planes experienced a perfect fusion. Leylin had prepared for this, remodelling Debanks Island to be similar to Dis so they could draw closer.

A golden glow spread across the former Second Hell. A large region around the middle of the Iron Tower in the middle of Dis had been evacuated, and Debanks Island fit into the place like a tile of a puzzle. The laws of the two began to blend together, eventually forming a divine kingdom that belonged to Leylin alone.

With the accumulated area of Dis, Leylin instantly overtook all lesser gods in the aspect of his divine kingdom. Golden light shrouded the heavens and the earth, and all of Leylin's believers regardless of race obtained an enormous boost to their power.

On the other hand, the rebel armies were dumbfounded. Entire batches of their elites started to melt under the divine light, nourishing the growth of the divine kingdom.

"Haha… Dir, Modiklo and Hessas… Dis is now the Lord's divine kingdom. Can you even run away now?" Azlok roared. With the power of the divine kingdom he was close to rank 7, and the other pit fiends couldn't even unleash the strength of intermediate devils. They were easily tortured to death.

With his divine kingdom in tow, Leylin could suppress the rebellion with ease. In fact, just his subordinates were enough to settle this problem."So he was also a Lord of Baator… We've failed completely this time…" Mystra laughed bitterly.

"The entirety of Dis as his divine kingdom, and an endless army of devils… He really is hard to handle…" That evil forces were thriving caused Tyr to furrow his brows. No matter how much thought he put into it, he never would have been able to guess Leylin's plans. Even after Leylin's success, his insane approach was still unbelievable.

"Such a large divine kingdom… Once it's completely built up he'll definitely be even harder to kill…" Mystra sighed. "With such resources, even as a lesser god I'm afraid his power is—"

"He's started to raise his divine essence," Tyr interrupted at that instant, causing Mystra to calm down and begin sensing the movements in Dis.

Divine essence was the proof of a god's strength. To an extent, it was even more important than their position in their domain, giving them their divine rank. Some ordinary true gods, if they accumulated divine essence the moment they advanced, would just be jokes at divine rank 0.

To be at divine rank 1 just as one advanced to become a lesser god could be considered very good, while rank 2s and 3s were rare geniuses. Of course, this didn't count those like Cyric, who had the fortune to inherit the divinity of powerful gods. Those were special cases, and could not be compared to the rest.

"He's begun… Did he break through to rank 3 directly? He really is a genius!" Just as Mystra was speaking, the two gods' eyes suddenly bulged.

They sensed Leylin's divine rank rising rapidly, not slowing in the slightest after he reached rank 3. He broke through rank 4 and 5, slowing down only when he reached rank 6. He'd become rank 7 in a flash.

"Divine rank 7, near the peak of the lesser gods… His talent is really—" Tyr laughed bitterly.

"No, it's still rising!" However, Mystra's face changed. She sensed Leylin still growing after rank 7, breaking through to rank 8 before he stopped. He was now at the pinnacle of lesser gods!

"Divine rank 8, the pinnacle of the lesser gods… Just one level away from being an intermediate god… He's a monster! A monster!"

Tyr and Mystra discovered that they had nothing else to say. One's divine rank represented their power, and was the most direct way of determining a god's battle capability. Those upto rank 8 were lesser gods, 9-17 were intermediate gods, and those at 18 and above were categorised as greater gods.

The higher one's rank, the greater their power. As well, the abilities their divine spark granted them also grew more terrifying. Leylin was currently at the pinnacle of lesser gods, only one breakthrough away from being an intermediate god!Leylin was currently focused on his own transformation, the A.I. Chip frantically updating his status as many prompts surfaced.

[Beep! Host has ascended to godhood, divine rank 8.] [Beep! Host is affected by divinity, all primary stats 8.] [Beep! Arcanist rank has been supplemented by divine rank, level 8. Host is currently a rank 35 arcanist.] [Beep! Host has obtained the divine abilities— Warp Reality, Epic Massacre.]

Leylin instantly felt his own power evolve greatly. Unlike the rest of the astral plane, even one stat point in the World of Gods caused a drastic change. Even those with powerful divine force only had their stats floating around the fifties.

"No wonder demigods can't contend with true gods… So advancing causes such terrifying changes…" Leylin muttered.

[Host attributes have changed, refreshing status.]

The A.I. Chip soon projected the new statistics to Leylin. His status had experienced a heaven-rending change, and the new additions due to his godhood attracted his attention.

[Leylin Faulen:

Race: Human(Lesser God).

Divine Name: Kukulkan, the God of Massacre.

Alignment: Lawful Evil.

Divine Domain: Massacre.

Divine Kingdom: Dis.

Divine Rank: 8.

Worshippers: Natives, Devils, Adventurers, Clerics.

Worshipper Alignments: True Neutral, Neutral Evil, Lawful Evil.

Arcanist Rank: 35. Strength: 29. Agility: 29. Vitality: 29. Spirit: 29. Arcane Energy: 350. Divine Force: 800. Status: Healthy.

Feats: Herculean Strength, Master of Knowledge, Dreamscape Vision, Epic Adaptability.

Divine Feats: Origin Force Detection, Arcane Art Amplification, Illusions.

Divine Abilities: Warp Reality, Epic Massacre]

"There's a separate divine name?" Leylin's eyes stopped at his divine name for a moment. He'd chosen that instead of his original name because of some plans for the future.

Skimming through his new status, Leylin's attention fell to the abilities granted by his divine spark. The A.I. Chip showed him the explanations of the two:

[Warp Reality: Anything can be changed in the presence of a god. Host can consume divine force to change the laws in the material planes, Hell, Heaven, the Abyss, and even hostile divine kingdoms. Range is limited by divine rank.] [Epic Massacre: Host can obtain divine force by conducting massacres. Any gods killed by the host's true body will have their divine spirits thoroughly exterminated.]

Although the explanations were simple, they caused Leylin to suck in a cold breath, 'Such formidable powers of massacre, this is what true gods rely on!'

Even though he'd skipped right to the peak of lesser godhood, Leylin didn't have the slightest amount of doubt. After all, a god's strength was directly connected to their divine kingdom.

Take Avernus for example, the First Hell. There were two gods within it, the God of Kobolds Kurtulmak and the God of the Sahuagin Sekolah. Still, a vast region of it remained unoccupied. Leylin, on the other hand, had swallowed the entirety of the Second Hell, the lands he possessed far surpassing the two combined.

Moreover, he had built a perfect divine kingdom without having to waste the slightest amount of divine force, and this in spite of only being a lesser god. Even compared to the gods, the word genius wasn't enough to describe him. Instead, he befit the title of monster!

With the sheer size of Dis, Leylin didn't have to spend much effort perfecting his divine kingdom. He'd even acquired a great number of devil hunters. Besides, he himself had advanced to the peak of lesser gods, with abundant divine force.

More importantly, the cards he had prepared for his ascension had been hidden away, and not all of them had been revealed.

'This is much better than what I anticipated. The worst case scenario didn't come into play.' Leylin had been prepared to reveal his identity as a Magus if worse came to worst, falling out with the gods and killing Mystra directly as he restarted the Final War. Right now, however, time stood on his side. He could spend his time accumulating power, to great effect once the war did come back.

'It's not good to leave my cards hidden… I should at least reveal my power and determination!' Resolution flashed across Leylin's eyes, and Thultanthar glowed with a chilly radiance inside his semi-plane. It was like a ferocious ancient beast, ready to devour its prey.

All of Dis was now under Leylin's control, having become his divine kingdom. Just a thought caused space to flicker as a few silhouettes appeared in front of him.

"My Lord!" Two devil hunters saluted obediently the moment they saw him.

"Tiff!" Leylin instead called out to his pope, "You shall spread my glory around the world."

Leylin waved his hands, and a surge of divine power gushed out of them. A golden radiance fell upon Tiff's body, and the original papal symbol that was a demigod weapon cheered as it entered the ranks of true divine weapons.

"Your will shall spread through the entire world, my Lord!" Tiff piously got on his knees to pay his respects.

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A Divine Battle

Tiff's transformation didn't end there. Leylin had showered the man with divine grace, raising him to a legendary priest immediately.

This ability was unique to true gods. Demigods could only give their priests rank 0 to rank 5 divine spells, while true gods could go all the way up to rank 9, even legendary divine spells like Revive that only existed in rumours!

This was also the basis of the influence of true gods' churches. In the past, Leylin was limited to guarding his worshippers on Debanks Island, but now he could move outside and attack like any other god.

Tiff knew this, and it naturally caused him to be flooded with emotion. He was on the verge of tears.

"Return and placate the worshippers on Debanks Island. Their lives will remain like they were on the prime material plane, maybe even better." Leylin waved a hand, and space fluctuated once more as Tiff was returned to his original location.

Truth be told, although fusing Dis with Debanks was good for Leylin, this was not necessarily so for the natives of Debanks Island. They were residents of the prime material plane, and being told that their lands had fallen down to the Nine Hells could terrify them to death. Some might commit suicide, or just go mad.

After all, the churches indoctrinated the prime material plane with Baator being a synonym for the evil devils. Thankfully the natives weren't as affected since they knew little about Baator and the propaganda around it. They put their faith in the Giant Serpent, and with the pope personally telling them that their lives would only be better, they would likely settle down.

"Isabel, Azlok, Borke!" Leylin turned to his cousin and the two other large devils.

"You did well!" He started with expressing his approval, then moved on to the main question, "How are the war preparations?"

"The devil hunters are ready and waiting," Isabel said with a bow. "The flame devils and armies of gluttony are prepared to receive your orders."

Azlok and Borke bowed elegantly as well, their eyes full of a thirst for battle and unification. Devils liked order, and unification and laws were a representation of that. All the Lords of Baator were unsatisfied with its current segmented nature, and now these two believed they'd found a chance to combine the Nine Hells once more!

"Good. Begin operations immediately," Space flickered, and the three figures disappeared. Dis began to make an abrupt move.

All higher existences shifted their attention to the Nine Hells once more. The Second Hell glowed with divinity, causing all the divine conscients watching to be filled with suspicion and confusion.

In their view, Leylin should have kept a low profile as a newly advance god, amassing his strength. Instead, he was doing something so eye-catching right after his ascension!

[Beep! Host body has created an avatar. 100 divine force consumed.] [Beep! Host body has created an avatar. 100 divine force consumed.] [Beep! Host body has created an avatar. 100 divine force consumed.]

Three bright balls of golden light separated themselves from Leylin, warping in the air to three doppelgangers that looked exactly the same as him.

They were avatars, something every god acquired the ability to make after ascension. However, Leylin had been exceptionally quick in this, and that was thanks to the A.I. Chip.

These three avatars all possessed a holy lustre, their golden pupils radiating the cold dignity of the divine. Leylin didn't have to give them any commands, they already knew what to do.

Rumble!* The three avatars left instantly. Reappearing in front of Isabel and the army of devil hunters.

Isabel raised the Red Dragon Sword high up, announcing, "The Lord has sent us a decree. The target is Minauros. In the name of the Lord, ATTACK!"

"In the name of the Lord!" "The mighty Kukulkan is watching us!" Huge portals opened up, and the devil hunters called out Leylin's true name as they marched into the battlefield.

In front of them was a nasty, loathsome marsh. There were numerous imps and lemures here, stunned to see this large army all of a sudden.

One of Leylin's avatars walked to the head of the army, body suddenly radiating an inexhaustible light, "Begin the divine battle!"

Rumble!* Dis began to emanate bright light that corroded Minauros unceasingly, fusing with the light from Leylin's avatar.

Divine light shone to quickly neutralise Minauros, and what had been a filthy marsh dried up, congealing into solid ground.

"Go!"

The devil hunters charged forward, a great battle was about to begin!

"Our mission here is just to control the battle. With the two avatars and the help of my divine kingdom, there won't be any issues with keeping the frontlines of the battle here for a while." Leylin's two remaining avatars were in deep discussion with Isabel at the heart of the army.

"If it's necessary, sacrifice the avatars. That should be enough to hold Mammon back for a while…" Leylin's avatar glimmered with golden light, smiling gently as he spoke.

"You mean this attack is a feint? Then your true motive…" Isabel's eyes went wide.

"This place is one of my targets as well. But before that…" Leylin chuckled.

The earth rumbled, as even greater power radiated than before. Divine light filled the First Hell, and in that moment the laws of Leylin's divine kingdom fused with the original laws of hell to begin remodelling everything.

Those gazing upon Baator from the outside would see an extremely interesting scene. Avernus and Minauros, as the First and Third Hells respectively, had originally been sandwiching Dis between them. Now, Dis began to emanate a bright lustre that was corroding these two Hells of Baator.

Minauros was only slightly affected, but Avernus was taken over completely. Under Azlok and Borke, large numbers of devils had broken through into Avernus from Dis.

Numerous powerful conscients arrived in the place in a moment, filled with anxious questions and terrifying roars. Nothing could exceed this situation in its abruptness!

'So what if you're true gods? What if Mammon is a Lord of Baator? If I don't do this now, there won't be a better chance in the future!' Leylin was incomparably calm at the centre of this storm. He seemed extremely resolute, ignoring the intent of the two gods of Avernus to negotiate. Once he made up his mind about something, he would never change.

Amidst the army at Minauros, Leylin's avatar was still speaking to Isabel.

"There's three reasons I want to seize two of the hells immediately," he said frankly, "First and foremost, my divine kingdom is but one of the Nine Hells. If I don't occupy more and gain the upper hand, the other Lords will definitely unify to resist me. While I'm not afraid of them, I'd lose the opportunity to grow further.

"However, if I can fuse the first three layers, I'll immediately have the power to choose between attack and defence. The rest of the Lords aren't of one mind, and I'll be able to rope them in or attack them individually."

"Ah. Since Asmodeus was gravely injured by the origin force during the descent of the divine kingdom, he can't come out anymore. The rest of the Lords are leaderless, so they can't work together now?" Isabel seemed to understand.

"Yes. Making use of the momentum of becoming a true god, I'll suppress them and give them no chance to react or establish ties with me. In the future we can learn of each other better, then it'll be even more difficult for them to reach an understanding amongst themselves. Instead they'll serve me… After we take these two Hells, we'll be stronger than them. We won't be afraid of being overthrown!"

"The second reason is for the other gods to see," Leylin's eyes glimmered with wisdom.

"The other gods?" Isabel exclaimed in surprise.

"I am one of the gods, after all. They see me as an enemy and want to beat me down, so I need a reason to do this. If I attack the devils and conquer Baator, won't that be a great pretext? I'm sure it'll garner support from some of the good gods. More importantly, even the gods that detest me will be happy to see me expend my energy on fighting the devils, so they'll lower their guard…"

"Making use of this time to lower their guard…" At this point, Isabel was beginning to understand Leylin's overall strategy, and she respected it a great deal.

"But…" She bit at her lips, worry evident from the crease between her eyebrows, "Two Hells… Even if we catch one by surprise and the reinforcements can't come in time, two true gods and one Lord of Baator… Can we really take them down like this?"

"That's the third point," Leylin lifted his brows, looking decisive and unyielding, "We won't just win, we'll do it beautifully! That way, we can completely terrify everyone who's unsure!"

This was Leylin's main intention, and after thinking it through properly even Isabel had to admit that as long as Leylin's plan succeeded he would truly be able to stand on his own two feet amongst the gods. He would no longer be afraid of any uprisings against him.

Even after understanding all this, Isabel still watched Leylin with worry, "Are you confident?"

"A 100%!" Leylin's boundless confidence was evident in his smile. His divine body took one step forward, and arrived inside his concealed semi-plane.

""Master!"" Shaylin and Ilyo appeared atop the flying city, "Thultanthar is ready for launch!"

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Shadow

The ancient Netherese had established the splendour of the arcanists. In the period of darkness after the dusk of the gods, the arcanists had saved the commoners from savagery and foolishness, building a civilisation the gods themselves feared!

Combined with their flying cities, ancient great arcanists had the power to kill gods themselves! The gods would not stand such an affront to their existence, and the arcanists who coveted origin force and touched on several taboos were exterminated.

However, that very war that had destroyed the Netheril Empire had also gravely hurt the gods. Many had fallen, and the numbers of gods decreased without end.

Because of this painful lesson, the arcanists became taboo and were annihilated by numerous churches. All tomes related to the Netheril Empire were destroyed, creating another era of savagery.

One flying city of the arcanists had managed to survive that period, and at a specified time it had returned to the prime material plane. It was in the western desert the Thultanthar fell into Leylin's hands.

Having obtained such an instrument of death, Leylin had left it alone. Even though he'd met some crises before he hadn't allowed the City of Shadows to reveal itself.

Firstly, he'd been waiting to use this card at the best possible moment, and secondly he was working on understanding everything about it and remodelling it to his desires. If it had to do with Distorted Shadow, Leylin would not let his guard down.

Right now, the Adept Scepter of the Monarch of the Skies, the elemental radiation of the Magus World, Dreamscape, and the Shadow World, and all sorts of other high-energy sources had been piled into Thultanthat, giving it a great boost in power. It had grown to become the ultimate slaughter machine!

As well, Leylin was currently a rank 35 arcanist. The power that would result from him working in conjunction with the city was something even the A.I. Chip could not calculate.

"Master! Thultanthar heeds your call!" The city's fairy Shaylin and the skeleton lich Ilyo knelt before Leylin, awaiting orders. Leylin had now become a true god, and his imposing aura far exceeded that in the past. These two beings were filled with reverence.

"Mm, I sense that." Leylin had now been in possession of Thultanthar for a long time, and was naturally attuned to its changes. It was no exaggeration to say that the City of Shadows had experienced a complete transformation, the city's primary material becoming silvery-grey metal. The primary cannons had been restored completely, and the diamond golems were fully armoured, awaiting orders.

What Leylin found most satisfying was the addition of the Shadow Weave. How could he have let the information he got from Shar go to waste? He'd obviously used it to immediately remodel Shadow City.

[Beep! Connected to Thultanthar's core authority. Shadow Weave construction at 100%. Overall performance estimated to have been raised by 37%.] The A.I. Chip loyally sent information regarding the City of Shadows.

As long as the A.I. Chip was around, Leylin had no need to fear betrayal by Shaylin and Ilyo, even at the same time.

'With the Shadow Weave built, not only can I obtain power from the outer Weave directly, I'm immune to all offensive magic from rank 0 to rank 9. Most importantly, I don't need to care about Mystra's interference.'

This was easy to comprehend. The Shadow Weave had been created specifically by Shar to steal Mystra's power. How could she have any control over this?

'With the A.I. Chip's analyses of the true Weave extending the Shadow Weave, I can now steal Mystra's divine force directly… Of course, that can only be used as a way to kill her…" Leylin's figure instantly appeared in the control room of Shadow City, where he sat at the throne high up and above.

"How can the birth of a true god not be built on the ichor of the other gods?" Leylin snickered, while the A.I. Chip's prompts continued to show. [Beep! Systems launch complete, beginning spatial jump!]

Rumble!* Terrifying spacetime undulations erupted out, and the huge city disappeared in an instant. When it appeared once more, its surroundings had changed.

This was a deep blue sea that spanned as far as they eye could sea. Sharkmen could be seen on occasion, and numerous petitioners were resting on a beach. The lustre of valiant and holy spirits brightened the skies.

Shrines filled the scattered islands, and there was a huge feeling of pressure in the skies. A great amount of divine lustre seemed to be on the verge of seeping into Thultanthar, filled with the great suppression from laws.

There was no question about it. This was the divine kingdom of a true god!

Bzzt bzzt!* The appearance of the floating city caused great distress to the surrounding petitioners. Numerous sharkmen roared, hissed, and had various other reactions. Some fled, while others gathered around.

"Who is it that dares encroach upon our Lord's divine kingdom?" A few powerful holy spirits approached from the skies, yelling out loud.

Indeed, they were in the divine kingdom of the god of the Sahuagin, Sekolah. A long period of accumulation had turned this place into a sturdy nest, and Leylin could currently see a dozen holy spirits around him, all powerful beings comparable to rank 6 Magi!

However, in Leylin's eyes, they were merely trying to do something impossible.

"Little worms shouldn't try to speak here. You don't even meet the requirements for me to use the main cannons on you." Leylin waved his arms around casually, and Thultanthar's auxilliary cannons shot out a malicious light. A powerful web of energy formed a black hole that melted away the surrounding holy spirits.

Just one move decimated the surrounding space, and Thultanthar had only revealed one part of itself.

Numerous petitioners cried and yelled as they fled. When had they, who dwelled in the divine kingdom, ever seen a battle at this level?

"Sekolah!" "Sekolah, my Lord!" The pious worshippers shouted out in prayer, the power of faith filling the skies above the ocean.

Rumble!* Lightning appeared on the blue horizon, and a terrifying suppressive force lowered the flying city's strength.

An avatar walked over, radiating golden light. He looked like a sharkman, his eyes filled with a cold ruthlessness, "God of Massacre, Kukulkan, why do you invade my divine kingdom?"

Although Sekolah was merely a lesser god, and this moreso was only an avatar, it held power akin to that of a true god with the help of his divine kingdom.

"Protector of the Sharkmen, God of the Ocean, Sekolah!" Leylin's figure appeared outside Thultanthar. In front of a true god, he still needed to be polite. "I wish for you to move your divine kingdom away, so there won't be any pointless conflict between us."

Leylin had been serious with his conditions, but it left Sekolah feeling extremely enraged.

"Greedy god, you must pay for what you did today!" Asking a true god to move their divine kingdom was an absolute insult. It would have been strange if Sekolah agreed.

The ocean seethed with his rage, turbulent storms appearing in the skies. The weather within a divine kingdom indicated the god's mood, and having stayed in Baator for a long time Sekolah obviously possessed the malevolence of the devils as he snarled.

"I knew this wouldn't work…" Upon seeing this, Leylin sighed.

"You gave up your last chance, Sekolah…" His figure gradually dissipated.

"This isn't a negotiation but an obvious challenge. I'll satisfy you!" Sekolah waved his hand, and powerful sharkmen armies appeared from the depths of the ocean. They radiated with energy, power gathering at their hands to form mottled attacks.

"Ready. Shoot!" A holy spirit waved his arm, and numerous bows thundered as they shot a rain of arrows onto Thultanthar. On the other side, a barrage of magic attacks drowned out the flying city.

When fighting in the divine kingdom of a god, one had to face the frightening attacks of an unending sea of people.

"Face my fury!" Sekolah snarled as well, the terrifying pressure of his divine kingdom appearing once more as lightning crashed down on the City of Shadows.

Gods, in their divine kingdoms, possessed unimaginable might. Even greater gods had to pay a terrible price to slay one, requiring several centuries to recover.

[Beep! Launching Shadow Weave.] With the A.I. Chip's prompt, a translucent layer of the Shadow Weave appeared and protected Shadow City. Any attack, be it physical or magical, lost all form in front of the Weave as long as it didn't possess legendary might. In fact, the energy of such attacks was actually absorbed by the Shadow Weave.

[Beep! Divine kingdom laws analysed. Counter field prepared, launching…] A tremendous stream of data entered Thultanthar, and the city seemed to spread its wings. The invisible Shadow Weave spread out, emitting unfathomable spatial undulations.

The Netherese Core of the flying city began to roar violently, transmitting terrifying energy to all parts of Thultanthar. A power of law radiated out that was tailored to counter the laws of the divine kingdom, and a hazy fog melted the lightning in the sky away.

"This is… Flying city!" Sekolah exclaimed in shock. The flying cities of the arcanists could contend with divine kingdoms, and they naturally had techniques specifically to destroy them.

'The construction of this divine kingdom… I can see how the Magi from then failed…' Leylin sighed, appearing in front of the Netherese Core in an instant.

"Let me see the power of the arcanists to kill gods!" Heat radiated from Leylin's eyes. The Shadow Weave allowed him to connect to the core, and his power as a rank 35 arcanist was emitted without reservation.

[Beep! Antigod network prepared. Primary cannon 2 charged.] the A.I. Chip prompted robotically.

Afterwards, incomparably terrifying energy arose from Thultanthar, attracting the attention of all beings high above.

Rumble!*

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Fall Of A God

Light!

White light!

A scorching, dazzling brilliance that seemed to come from multiple worlds radiated origin force as it was launched from Thultanthar's primary cannon. This was a fusion of a great arcanist and a flying city, possessing the power to kill gods! Such might showed itself once more in this world, causing many existences to cry out in alarm.

Rumble!* Space shattered in the divine kingdom, and the avatar melted away under the white light. The light cut a path of destruction through the ocean, eliminating anything in its way. Shrines, holy spirits, or obstacles, they were all reduced to dust under the light, before even that dust was reduced to nothingness.

Boom!* The white light finally burst through the divine kingdom, breaking through the confines of the First Hell to disappear into the endless void.

"AAAAAHH!" Sekolah's divine kingdom had received a massive amount of damage. Numerous petitioners perished in an instant, and many more valiant and holy spirits cried out in pain.

[Beep! True body discovered, sniping down.] The terrifying City of Shadows swept through numerous churches immediately, the powerful Shadow Weave spreading its tendrils to form Sekolah's true body out.

The true body of the Sahuagin God was much larger than his avatar. He looked to be made of gold, but he'd already lost an arm, the area around him horrifyingly translucent. This ease evidently due to to the main cannon firing just now.

"Wait… I'll admit defeat and leave Baator!" Sekolah yelled loudly.

"Too late. I need the fall of a true god to pave my path to victory. This will intimidate the other gods as well…"

Leylin expressionlessly sent down the order., and the terrifying cannon rumbled once more…

On the prime material plane, in a hidden church in the ocean.

"Sekolah, my Lord, please protect us and ensure our victory in battle…" Guided by a priest, a group of sharkmen piously knelt down before a statue of the Sharkman God. As the Lord of the Sahuagin, Sekolah was the protector of the entire race. Without him, they would instantly lose 90% of their territory in the ocean!

"Sekolah, my Lord… You are the Lord of the Ocean, the Protector of the Sahuagin…" Devout power of faith gathered in front of the statue, glimmering with traces of light.

Ka-cha!* However, at this very moment, slight shattering sounds could be heard from the statue.

The sharkmen below exchanged glances. Finally, someone gathered the courage against the danger of profaning a god and looked up. Afterwards the poor man gaped, his mind going blank.

"The… the statue…" The other sharkmen looked up, but were alarmed to find that the glimmer on the statue was dimming without end.

Finally, with a loud crack, the holy light of the statue disintegrated. The entire statue began to fragment, and turned into little piles of dust.

"Priest…" The sharkmen desperately looked for their priest, but found that he was now lying on the ground, the holy light leaving his body. He was twitching uncontrollably, a look of pain on his face as he lay unconscious.

All the sharkmen cried and yelled, feeling that the mighty existence had completely cut off all contact with them and left them feeling empty inside.

"Our god… Our god, Sekolah…" An elderly sharkman knelt on the ground, large drops of tears flowing from his eyes and turned into beads of pearls that fell to the surface of the ground, producing crisp sounds.

"God… our true god has fallen…" The rest of the sharkmen cried out, moving around helplessly like headless flies. The fall of their god was a calamity!

Without Sekolah's protection, the sharkmen would lose all their priests, met with challenges that could wipe out the entire race. Mournful wails sounded as a bugle horn resounded in the seas. The Sahuagin Emperor had sent down an order. The entire race began to grieve, while remaining on their guard.

Unlike the prime material plane, the changes in the divine kingdom were far more terrifying. Layer after layer of chains undid themselves, and terrifying destructive storms poured in from the outerworld, causing great disasters. The petitioners and valiant spirits fell without the ability to resist, while the other beings and holy spirits didn't fare much better.

Wide expanses of space crumbled. If nothing went wrong, the laws of Baator would enter and remodel the place once more, restoring it to the wasteland of bloody streams that was Avernus.

Bzzt bzzt!* Thultanthar rumbled violently as it moved about the divine kingdom, bringing ruin and destruction everywhere it went. The city steamrolled all resistance.

[Beep! Treasure trove discovered, energy undulations at grade C.]

A dazzling shrine opened up, revealing a treasure trove filled with gems and other precious materials that contained energy. This was something Sekolah had accumulated after he ascended, but the City of Shadows took it all without reservation.

As a time-space fort, Thultanthar was essentially merged with the semi-plane it was created in. It had near endless space, and it would be no problem for it to store hundreds of such treasure troves.

Leylin was currently standing atop Thultanthar, allowing Shaylin to sweep through Sekolah's divine kingdom in her excitement. He was paying attention to the greatest harvest of the battle.

[Beep! Law of devouring has been activated, 80% of the target's divine force has been absorbed. Obtained divine domain: Sahuagin. Comprehension of the law of the ocean now at 17%.]

'As expected of a god of the World of Gods. Just killing one can give a Magus so many benefits…' Leylin looked at the golden crystal in his hand and sighed. One could gain less than 10% of the accumulation of the opponent in a battle between Magi of laws, but that number rose to above 60% in a battle between a Magus and a god. With his law of devouring, Leylin could even go as high as 80%. It was no wonder that the gods and Magi were so envious of each other, and the Final War was without end.

"But… Sharkmen and the ocean? It looks like Sekolah is only the God of the Sahuagin, only understanding a little about the ocean. Who knows, he might not even have a minor domain in the ocean… But then again, there's the Goddess of the Ocean and the Master of Storms who are both more powerful than him, how would he dare to dip his finger into the laws of the ocean? This bit of comprehension was likely because of natural accumulation as the God of a marine species…"

Leylin shook his head. He had no interest in the law of the ocean, much less the narrower domain of Sahuagin. Being the god of such a race was worthless to him, and it didn't even qualify to be branded into his origin force weapon.

"I'm afraid I can only gift or trade…" Leylin stowed the crystal away, "The ocean gods should have a bit of interest in the faith of those sharkmen. More importantly, they're aligned to chaos and evil so it doesn't go against my interests. They wouldn't see me as an enemy…"

Since he'd chosen to side with evil, Leylin naturally wouldn't help the good gods. He could still find a few allies amongst them.

Whoosh!* Currently, the destructive storm had swept through the divine kingdom and eliminated all traces of Sekolah. Few even survived. In contrast, Thultanthar stood tall in the heart of the storm, the object of everyone's terrified gazes.

This move had allowed Leylin to show the terror brought about by an arcanist using his flying city to the higher existences. They couldn't help but recall the brutal memories of their war with the Netheril Empire.

Rumble!* Just at that time, violent tremors swept through the Nine Hells. One could see a divine kingdom glimmering with gold as it left Avernus, moving towards the boundless void. The God of Kobolds slowly appeared behind the translucent divine kingdom.

Seeing Sekolah's fate, Kurtulmak had wisely chosen to escape. After all, his strength was about the same, so if Leylin could kill Sekolah he would face no trouble in killing him.

Moving one's divine kingdom wasn't similar to the situation after Leylin ascended to godhood. At that point in time, Leylin had the support of the origin forces of the prime material plane and Dis, reducing the energy required for movement. It was different for a realm that had already settled down. If it moved again, it wouldn't just use up a lot of divine force but also cause great turmoil within the realm itself.

In spite of all this, Kurtulmak chose to leave. This meant only one thing: he was afraid, terrified of Leylin! If a true god took the first step to withdraw, Leylin's reputation would definitely spread through the worlds.

With Kurtulmak gone, nobody could stop Leylin from expanding into Avernus anymore. Under Borke and Azlok, the army of flame devils purged all resistance. With the descent of the floating city, the Bronze Citadel was taken over without any issues. The pit fiends who had been guarding the area had their heads thrown off the city walls.

The brilliance of Leylin's divine kingdom finally spread all over Avernus, and the two planes slowly began to fuse.

"Damn it… He's remodelling his divine kingdom too quickly… Is this because of the momentum from his ascension, or because he's a Lord of Baator?" Glasya watched Thultanthar from outside Avernus. Seeing the city that looked like a heavenly country, she gritted her teeth before leaving, choosing not to attack.

Glasya had no confidence of victory in front of a true god's divine kingdom. More importantly, her father's main body was grievously injured, and their allies had became unreliable. She did not have the energy to waste here.

The laws of the devils were much more cruel than those in the mortal world. Asmodeus, who was seriously injured, had become prey to many of the Archdevils. This included even her, a Lord who had risen from his shadow.

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Expansion

It wasn't just the archdevils watching the changes in Baator. High up in the skies, Mystra looked away.

"What a pity… if the archdevils of hell were more united, this would definitely cause a huge blow to the God of Massacre…"

"Wanting those sly devils to work together is like wanting them to abide by the rules…" The God of Justice Tyr spoke up at the side. Due to the nature of his domain, he felt no goodwill towards these evil beings.

"That's true!" Mystra laughed wryly. She obviously knew what the devils were like. Every second was spent hating on their superiors, as well as scheming to obtain greater status.

Things would've been alright if Asmodeus wasn't injured, and with his prestige he would have been able to construct a joint army, however he'd been smashed back into the depths of Nessus when he was trying to stop the divine kingdom from descending. This injury arose from going against a sea of origin force, and even Asmodeus would have to spend a long time recovering.

Would Leylin let a chance like this slip by? Worry was evident in Mystra's eyes.

"He's now unstoppable," Tyr stated. His voice was full of helplessness, and he seemed to see how troubled Mystra was. "If it was just a lesser god at rank 8, we could've launched a holy war against him. As long as we didn't mind the consumption of energy, we would've been able to knock him off his throne in a few centuries… Unfortunately…"

Mystra looked at Thultanthar that was within Leylin's divine kingdom, knowing what Tyr was afraid of. They wouldn't be scared off by a divine kingdom, nor by a great arcanist and a flying city. However, if the two were to be fused together, the power boost wasn't just additive.

A flying city supported by a divine kingdom? Even the great arcanists of Netheril hadn't considered such a thing!

On top of that, Leylin's arcanist ranking was 35! Even in the Netheril Era he would've been at an unstoppable peak. He was an existence able to kill gods! Such a high-ranked arcanist and a flying city was a nightmare to all the gods.

Divine beings had enormous calculative abilities, and Mystra understood the price that had to be paid to wipe Leylin out, "Even a greater god will face destruction of their divine kingdom, and their divine force will be weakened to the limit. They'll enter a coma, and who knows how many tens of thousands of years it will take to recover…"

For the gods, a greater god on the verge of falling was the tastiest prey. So here came the question. Which greater god would be so selfless as to give up their lives in order to exterminate Leylin?

Gods were all selfish. As long as they predicted any loss, they would immediately give up. This was why Tyr felt that Leylin was now unstoppable.

"Thankfully… Much of his power is caught up in Baator. With Asmodeus and the archdevils around, he'll be stuck in a standoff for a long while. It wouldn't be a wonder if it took thousands or tens of thousands of years…" Clearly deluding herself, Mystra could only let things go according to Leylin's plans and lie low.

"In this time, we'll definitely find a way to stop him!" Tyr expressed his approval of this plan. The battles of gods were always very long, and there was nothing strange about them taking millennia.Third Hell, Minauros.

The intense battle had been going on for a long time. The devil hunters of the Giant Serpent Church had easily suppressed the devils, but the devils in turn possessed astounding numbers and numerous powerful beings. The battle was at a standstill.

The city of Jangling Hiter that hung above the marsh with chains had now been ruined. Countless kyton and devil hunter bodies were strewn all over the lands, quickly being devoured by the swamps.

The commander of the kyton legions, Lord Mammon's most trusted subordinate Quimas, had already had his head cut off by Isabel, a prize of war for the devil hunters. Unfortunately, even with the help of a Dragon Warlock and a god's avatars, their advance had been stonewalled.

That was because the Lord of Greed himself had descended in front of them, his serpentine lower half resting above the devil armies. Terrifying poison radiated from the trident in his hand, obstructing the path of the devil hunters.

If not for the holy light from Leylin's avatar protecting the army, all the devil hunters would be dead by now, contaminated by toxins.

"The fires of greed shall burn you, and your souls shall fall into the marshes of corrosion…" Mammon waived the trident around, speaking a fatal curse.

"There's too much nonsense from you!" Leylin's avatar floated in mid-air, and a portal appeared just then.

Rumble!* Spacetime fluctuated, and Thultanthar cast a massive shadow as it appeared overhead Minauros.

"Hss… Master of Gluttony, God of Massacre… Leave, or you shall be punished by the Lords of Baator!" Mammon stuck out his forked tongue, obviously frightened by the flying city and Leylin himself.

"Devil whose eyes are deceived by greed… have you not noticed yet?" Leylin descended from the flying city to look down on Mammon, "The reason I only come now is because I've reached an agreement with the remaining Lords. You, are to be abandoned."

"No! No!" Mammon's body twisted in unease. Evidently, as those lords had yet to send reinforcements after all this time, a great amount of psychological pressure and discouraging thoughts were already in his mind. Now that Leylin had uncovered them, the anxiety in his mind became more apparent.

The flying city extended the Shadow Weave, counteracting Mammon's authority as an archdevil. Divine light invaded the area.

"We're now on equal terms, with our main bodies against each other. The winner gets everything, while the loser shall turn into sludge!" Leylin's main body walked down from above the flying city, looking like he had a cloak of golden light around him.

A Targaryen appeared in his eyes, hissing at Mammon. Its pupils betrayed a terrifying intent to devour its target, as if it had found prey it'd been hung up on for a long time.*Rumble!* Not long after, the entirety of Baator was met with a horrifying change.

The light in Dis moved to the Third Hell of Minauros, and the first three Hells began to merge into a single body that was Leylin's divine kingdom. Besides those immediately having faith in Leylin, the devils living in there and very much against him turned into soil. The power of evil was converted into fertiliser for his divine kingdom.

A few archdevils watched these changes from the lower Hells, fear evident in their eyes but unwilling to do anything to stop it.

None of them was a match for Leylin alone, and they didn't have someone to band around. Asmodeus was gravely injured, his coma causing intense unrest in Baator.

However, Leylin's divine kingdom had also reached its limit after taking over three hells in total. His divine force was at a critical point, so he halted his movements. The divine light faded, allowing the many archdevils and higher existences to heave a sigh of relief.

Within the divine kingdom, Leylin who was standing on top of the flying city was clearly thrilled. Though this operation was extremely risky, he had succeeded! From hereon, even if the other Lords were to band together and resist him, he now had the means to contend with them! He also had no need to fear other gods interfering!

[Beep! Primary body's law of devouring is in action. Comprehension of law of greed: 100%. Divine domain condensed: Greed.] The A.I. Chip's prompts came to view.

'It's actually 100%… Is it because he's a devil and we're essentially the same, and also that the law of greed is compatible with me?' Leylin stroked his chin, looking to his refreshed status.

[Leylin Faulen:

Race: Human(Lesser God).

Divine Name: Kukulkan, the God of Massacre.

Alignment: Lawful Evil.

Divine Domain: Massacre, Greed.

Divine Kingdom: Avernus, Dis, Minauros(Merged)

Divine Rank: 8.

Worshippers: Natives, Devils, Adventurers, Clerics.

Worshipper Alignments: True Neutral, Neutral Evil, Lawful Evil.

Arcanist Rank: 35. Strength: 29. Agility: 29. Vitality: 29. Spirit:35. Arcane Energy: 350. Divine Force: 200(800). Status: Healthy.

Feats: Herculean Strength, Master of Knowledge, Dreamscape Vision, Epic Adaptability.

Divine Feats: Origin Force Detection, Arcane Art Amplification, Illusions.

Divine Abilities: Warp Reality, Epic Massacre]

'No rise to my divine rank?' Leylin closed his eyes for a long while and sighed. However, he had expected such a result. He was now already a peak lesser god, and if he were to raise his rank slightly, he would become an intermediate god!

An intermediate god in the World of Gods was akin to a rank 8 Magus, grasping multiple laws and nearly immortal. The Snake Dowager, Trial's Eye, Nefarious Filthbird and other great existences that had their names spread far across worlds were only average. How could they have advanced so easily?

"Three levels is enough. I need to keep a certain amount of divine force in case of any surprise situations. The newly-merged planes of hell and the devils also need to be reorganised…"

Leylin looked underneath Minauros, where a few archdevils looked at the divine kingdom up ahead cautiously, eyes showing their fear.

"Let's leave things like this for now…"

Leylin smiled, and then drew up an armistice for a hundred years to the bottom layers of hell. Those devil archdukes must be eager for that.

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Touring

The waves from the ascension of numerous demigods soon died down. While most of them had failed, the one who had succeeded managed to spread his name across multiple worlds.

Even the most ignorant and ill-informed of people who stayed in labs all day long or liches deep in sleep heard of the God of Massacre, the Ruler of Devils. The golden light glimmering from the divine kingdom that spanned the first three levels of Baator was enough proof of Leylin's unmeasurable strength.

The Nine Hells had, because of Leylin's arrival, undergone a massive change. Souls that fell to Baator now moved along the Styx to reach the Fourth Hell Phlegethos, governed by Samuel. Only his own worshippers would enter his divine kingdom.

In other words, Leylin had used the souls of his own followers to replace the primordial contract that governed the harvest of fallen souls. With this foundation overturned, Asmodeus could no longer control the first three levels of Baator.

However, Leylin still had very few worshippers when compared to the number of souls that used to fall to the three Hells. Even with the faith of the natives, these numbers did not measure up to the original harvest of the first three Hells.

However, Leylin did not mind at all. His divine kingdom needed to be reorganised, and having too many devils was nothing good. Asmodeus might have dreamed all his life of becoming the lord of all devils, but that was not what he was pursuing. Few of his worshippers in the prime material plane wished to become lemures…

The burning Iron City at the core of Dis was long gone, in its place a region with birdsong and fragrant flowers that looked like utopia. A holy mountain made of white jade towered into the clouds, with a huge shrine atop it.

Countless petitioners piously prayed and thanked their god for the favour, and golden power of faith illuminated the skies.

"My Lord!" Tiff entered the shrine quickly, bowing to Leylin who was on his throne, "The flame devil army and other devils have been reorganised. Of them, a total of…" Tiff reported the number of devils willing to serve Leylin. Leylin lifted his brows, making an inference based on the information in an instant.

The first three levels of Baator were now entirely Leylin's territory. Those who did not submit would either be expelled or killed, becoming fertiliser for his divine kingdom. Those able to live up to this point were naturally all his followers.

Of course, it was hilarious to expect faith from devils.

"Mm, you did well! Leylin nodded, acknowledging Tiff for his work. "Bringing the church to Baator was just a plan of convenience. Be prepared. We can't give up the intelligence network we've established on the prime material plane either…"

All gods treated the prime material plane as the biggest cake, as it was their main source of faith. While Leylin had moved Debanks Island and the native empire to the divine kingdom to be used as his own territory, the faith in the prime material plane could not be abandoned.

He was now a true god! He had nothing to fear when up against the other gods' churches, and could grant his priests spells up to rank 8! This was the largest difference between a true god and a false god. This was the best time to spread faith.

"Understood! Your will is our command!" Tiff respectfully accepted Leylin's order.

"Mm. Also, I'll personally bring you to spread faith and describe my divine kingdom…" With a thought, the space transformed and he and Tiff arrived high in the skies. In the divine kingdom, Leylin was everything! Nothing could halt his will.

Describing the divine kingdom of a true god was an important mission for Tiff, the pope, who had entered the divine kingdom before.

"In general… all living beings wish for something better. Even gods cannot stop their desires…" Leylin spoke.

Tiff looked around. The treacherous environment of Dis had turned to grasslands, with bright green shrubs everywhere giving it some vitality. Avernus and Minauros were undergoing the same changes, the soil becoming more fertile as regions of danger were wiped out.

In terms of the image, this was like turning hell into the mortal world, and perhaps someday, transforming it into heaven.

"Those who have faith in me wish to reach heaven after death and get a better life, which is why they're willing to give me faith. This is a contract between them and the gods. Even greater gods can't stop this…" Leylin waved his hand, and several scenes appeared.

A few native petitioners were diligently farming some fertile land. Since it hadn't been a long time from Leylin's ascension, he had few dead followers. Dis could contain all of them, and there was a lot of space for more.

Leylin had partitioned out large areas for agriculture, and with just some work from the followers, heavy rice plants and fruit trees grew from the soil. Numerous petitioners prayed towards the holy mountain with their eyes brimming with tears, thanking Leylin for this miracle.

"This…" Tiff stared at Leylin in amazement.

"A petitioner doesn't just pray all day long. This will only cause them to become rigid and rot away, or perhaps perish…" Leylin laughed, eyes glimmering with wisdom, "I've given them the opportunity to work, so that they understand the concept of obtaining things after putting in effort for it… Of course, this is my kingdom and I control the soil. They can put in less than a tenth of the effort and obtain tenfold or even hundredfold what they would have before… Even the laziest person can live comfortably…"

Tiff listened closely. When it came to the construction of a divine kingdom, it included Leylin's understanding of the path of faith. As a pope, he needed to be on the same page as his god!

"Also… the feeling of superiority comes from comparison. In order for followers to understand how difficult it is to lead better lives, I've provided this…"

Leylin brought Tiff along and moved away. This time, they were at the boundaries of the divine kingdom, where some of the treacherous characteristics of hell remained.

Many lemures, soul shells, imps, and even chained evils, bone devils and other higher devils had chains around their feet as they moaned and shrieked. They were like slaves as they transported blazing rocks, constructing a fort and a better landscape.

"These are the devils who went against me. I've especially kept a few of them here…" At this moment, an impr cried out and fell down after being burned. The supervising devil hunter moved forward expressionlessly, lashing out with a whip filled with holy power.

Pak!* The cleansing force from the whip was a punishment even more terrifying than barbs and poisonous hooks. Blood and flesh flew everywhere from the imp who had been hit, and it began to cry out. This caused the surrounding devils to tremble in fear.

"These devil slaves are in charge of the basic infrastructure in the divine kingdom. They don't have much power… Every time a new follower's soul comes to the divine kingdom, you can bring them here to take a look…" A barely detectable smile appeared at the corner of Leylin's lips.

In the divine kingdoms of other gods, all worshippers were treated equally, gaining eternal life. They did nothing, not living up to their true potential.

However, things were different here. With these lower devil slaves as a comparison, the followers would realise that the place they were living in was indeed heaven, which would give them motivation and increase the power of faith. That would be a huge profit for Leylin.

When it came to the suppression of these beings, Leylin and Tiff were expressionless, as if they had seen nothing. They were all unwavering people, and had seen more than their fair share of these happenings. As long as it was useful to them, they would never withdraw.

"I've prepared two choices for the new followers' souls." Leylin brought Tiff back to the shrine atop the holy mountain, beginning to state his plans.

"The common idea is to to live in the divine kingdom as a petitioner, becoming immortal as I am… On the other hand, they can turn into devils if they wish to, entering the army. Then they'll follow the laws of Baator. This is very simple."

"Also… I wish to for the original devils to be dealt with this way…" With a wave of his hands, Azlok, who had been a pit fiend, appeared, causing Tiff to exclaim.

He had obviously seen this devil commander before, but there was now a huge change to his form. He now had a translucent body that was glimmering with gold rays, causing Tiff to feel like he was approachable. He knew that the essence of this devil had undergone a change.

"Master…" Azlok's eyes were full of fervour as he devoutly bowed to Leylin.

"Discovered anything yet?" Leylin glanced at Tiff.

"This is… a holy spirit!" Tiff muttered.

"Mm! I've altered the form of the devil legions such that they have the characteristics of petitioners. From hereon out, they shall be the guards of my divine kingdom… If followers wish to turn, they will also achieve this form…"

There was no point in keeping the devils of the past. However, if he turned them into petitioners, that could increase the might of Leylin's subordinates by a large extent, while providing him with some faith.

Leylin, who had three forms as an archdevil, true god, and Magus of laws, could make use of his own knowledge and the help from the A.I. Chip to transform devils into devil petitioners. This way, he could adequately make use of his resources. There was also no issue of estrangement between the two groups now.

"Hence… after coming to the divine kingdom, followers will still be in the form of petitioners. These devils are a personification of strength, akin to the emissaries of heaven…" Tiff's eyes brightened as he quickly thought up a line.

"Mm! Let's do as you deem fit…" Leylin waved his hand and let Tiff be on his way.

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Paying A Visit

Telling him about the essentials of his divine kingdom and worshippers, Leylin left the responsibility of allocating duties to Tiff. The pope made preparations to take some people back to the prime material plane.

Leylin paid little attention to all that, instead shifting his attention to the spoils of war. He had taken three of the Nine Hells in one move, alongside a chunk of the prime material plane. It had given him great profits, and the resources, treasures and the like couldn't escape Leylin's checks after Avernus and Minauros had been converted to his divine kingdom.

Unsurprisingly, the greatest profits were from the Sahuagin God Sekolah. He was after all a true god, and his accumulations over tens of thousands of years were definitely something. Just the treasure trove Thultanthar had found could fill up the greatest of warehouses, filling up a not insignificant portion of its dimensional space.

Shaylin and Ilyo spent their time doing inventory. With their knowledge, they probably wouldn't let any valuable item slip by.

It had to be said that after conquering a true god's kingdom, Leylin was instantly much wealthier than before. He greatly increased his own resources, and was even regretful that he had let Kurtulmak go.

With the flying city having shown itself, the remaining gods definitely would be on their guard against such surprise attacks. It wouldn't be so easy to kill gods anymore.

"But… the greatest harvest is this!" Leylin turned his palm over, and a golden crystal appeared. It undulated with powerful laws, and just its presence caused small streams to appear in the surroundings. The sound of the ocean rang forth from the crystal, and the figures of numerous sahuagin, the sharkmen, could be seen living within.

Sekolah's divine domain was that of the Sahuagin, and this was Leylin's greatest harvest from killing him. It represented a complete law, able to cause other Magi of laws to go crazy. Even the gods that were interested in the faith of the Sahuagin, those related to the ocean, would be willing to pay a huge price to make an exchange with Leylin.

"It really isn't very useful…" Leylin had no interest in a domain pertaining to a specific race. No god or demigod not related to the seas would be interested in it.

However, if he could condense the divine domain of the ocean instead, probably all of the gods would be in a hurry to obtain it. After all, much of the prime material plane was water, and the ocean was a source of faith able to support a greater god.

"There's few able to make an exchange with me. If I were to choose… Umberlee and Talos?" There were many ocean domain deities, but even as a lesser god Leylin wouldn't consider most of them. Those gods weren't even comparable to him, and there wasn't much use in getting them on his side. The only two choices were Umberlee the Intermediate Goddess of the Ocean, and the Greater God of Storms Talos.

'Talos is obviously the better option when it comes to power, but it's not always about power with allies. Besides, he's of the storm domain and his faith is concentrated around the natives of numerous islands. He wouldn't be as interested in beings of the ocean…' Leylin's eyes flashed with thought.

Just at that moment he sensed divine force approaching him, and he involuntarily revealed a smile

Whoosh!* The seas surged outside Leylin's divine kingdom, and a god's avatar stood upon the ocean spray.

She was dressed in flowing blue, the bottom of her clothing merged with the endless waves of the sea. Her look was one of divine dignity as she held what seemed to be a golden trident with endless waves rippling forth from its tip.

The lady did not advance, waiting outside his divine kingdom. The avatar of an intermediate god would still just be free food if they entered a lesser god's divine kingdom. Instead she sent out her energy undulations, like an identification used when knocking on the door.

"Umberlee?" The unique nature of the divine force allowed Leylin to identify it in an instant.

"Welcome, my Lady!" He moved to the boundaries of his divine kingdom instantly, golden light opening up a path to enter. "I am the Master of Massacre, the Ruler of Devils. I express my goodwill to the Goddess of the Ocean."

Umberlee squeezed out a slight smile and entered his divine kingdom, her fearlessness causing Leylin to nod to himself.

'Rumours say Umberlee is a moody goddess, even capsizing a few ships at sea for fun and using such fear to obtain faith… It looks like she's rather intelligent.' This goddess had made quite a name for herself on the waters. There were many of the Scarlet Tigers who worshipped her.

Leylin was currently seeing another side of this goddess. She seemed calm and wise, ascertaining his goodwill with one look as she entered the divine kingdom of an unknown god without fear. She was both gutsy and scheming.

The two of them arrived at the huge church of the holy mountain. Watching Umberlee, Leylin suddenly revealed a smile, "Lady Umberlee, may I know why you're here today?"

"I'm here for the divinity of the sahuagin." Umberlee had a hoarse voice, but there was a magnetic feel to it, sounding rather unique. She didn't beat around the bush at all.

"Oh? While this divinity is indeed useless to me, why are you so sure I'd trade with you?" The smile about Leylin's lips widened, "I have more than just one choice. There's Talos as well, the God of Storms would probably want the faith of an ocean race. After all, the sharkmen are quite large in number…"

"Talos would just kill you and take all your divinities away," Umberlee fiddled with the golden trident in her hands, "But I'm different. We're close to each other in power, and without any conflict of interest we'd make for strong allies…"

"Haha… well said!" Leylin applauded, throwing the golden crystal over.

"Hmm?" Umberlee seemed slightly confused, evidently not expecting Leylin to be so generous. The crystal buzzed with excitement the moment it reached her hand, glowing water rippling around it as proof of the compatibility. Fusing with it wouldn't require much effort.

"Aren't you afraid I'll just leave?" Umberlee looked at Leylin, as if trying to see through him.

"I believe in your reputation, my Lady, you'd treat another god with respect." Leylin was very confident, not the least bit worried that she would not pay him back. Such self-confidence obviously came from his own strength, which caused a myriad of emotions to flash in her eyes.

"I came here for a trade. However, it seems I can't quite satisfy you!" Audrey laughed wryly, a similar golden crystal appearing in her hands. The faint sounds of blades clashing sounded from the crystal, full of the taste of blood and murder.

"Divinity in weaponry… While it's incomplete, it's more compatible with your massacre domain. It shouldn't take much divine force to mend it, this is one of my prized possessions…" Umberlee introduced.

"Not bad Those battle gods should like this… Unfortunately…" Leylin shook his head. Having chosen his path, he had no plans of lusting after other laws.

"Alright… well, what do you need?" It was obvious that Umberlee valued this divinity greatly. After all, the sahuagin were a huge race in the ocean, and obtaining this would allow her to consolidate her power in her own domain. There was no substitute.

If this crystal fell into the hands of another, they could make use of the sahuagins' faith to have designs on her ocean domain. This was something she definitely couldn't tolerate.

"An alliance, a single instance of help— with certain conditions of course—, and you need to guide me into the Celestial Hall." Leylin stated his demands. Forming a so-called alliance and guiding him into the Celestial Hall would take Umberlee no effort at all. However, that one instance of assistance was somewhat useful.

Umberlee was rather surprised by Leylin's lenience. It took her a long period of silence before she nodded.

"In my name as Umberlee, I swear to uphold a single request of the God of Massacre Kukulkan as long as it is within my capabilities…" The Styx materialised itself. An oath made to the abyssal river under the truename of a god was quite restrictive, and even greater gods wouldn't be able to wriggle their way out of the situation. Leylin naturally eased up.

"The first time a new god enters the Celestial Hall, the palace of ten thousand gods, they need someone who's already a god to lead their way. As your ally, I'm willing to be your guide." Umberlee's grim face seemed to loosen up, revealing a flowery smile.At the highest point of the World of Gods, its core, was a boundless sea of origin force. A golden shrine floated within this sea.

The doors held the power of spacetime, and the history of the entire world was engraved into the walls, detailing the rise of the many gods. It was filled with a sense of archaic wisdom. With just one look, Leylin felt his mind blown by the vastness and magnificence of the palace.

'Spacetime strength… A domain only rank 9 Magi can touch upon…' Leylin sighed with awe in his mind.

Umberlee continued speaking to him. "The Celestial Hall was created by the Overgod, and only true gods qualify to enter it. It will remember your aura the first time you walk in, and a pedestal that is uniquely yours will be erected…"

'Mm… Only legendary World Wills like those of the World of Gods and Magus World can imbue a place with spacetime powers…' Leylin naturally knew that World Will of the World of Gods was referred to by the gods as their Overgod. It had incomparable strength, and even set up all of the gods' laws. Its influence spanned across the various worlds that formed the cluster.

However, the World Wills of both the World of Gods and the Magus World had been greatly injured in the Final War, pushing them into a deep sleep as they recovered from the damage. The Overgod had sealed the World of Gods within the crystal sphere, resulting in the current situation.

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Celestial Hall

"The Celestial Hall, once ruled by the Overgod, was where all conflicts would end. It was known as the palace of a thousand gods, a place where all the deities would meet and discuss issues with other gods before presenting their case to the Overgod for judgement. The god in question would then be promoted or removed. Under the radiance of the Overgod, the many smaller worlds in the World of Gods had been operating smoothly.

However, the Overgod has now fallen into a slumber now. This place has lost its original purpose and prestige, instead turning into a place for gods to converse."

Umberlee seemed to be reminiscing about the past.

"The gods are now divided into different camps, each taking up laborious schemes and plots as they wildly amass wealth and power. They eye the seat of the Overgod." Her voice grew fainter the more she spoke, and became ever more distant.

The doors of the Celestial Hall seemed to buzz with the hymns of the gods and the law of spacetime. Umberlee motioned like she was unlocking them when she arrived, and they sensed her and opened up.

Holy light radiated out of the Celestial Hall in an instant, shining brightly with the dignity that came with power.

'The World Will of the World of Gods, their Overgod… So it's been sleeping within the Celestial Hall…' Leylin immediately recognised this aura, it was similar to the one he'd experienced back in the Magus World.

It was like the Overgod was the entirety of the World of Gods. Even if he'd only come into contact with the World Will of the Magus World and that too when it was in deep slumber, he couldn't be wrong about this. Leylin seemed to feel an affinity to the World Will, wanting to submit himself to it.

'It really is an overgod, so frightening in spite of being deep asleep. If not for that baptism I experienced in my transmigration, and my essence being that of a Magus, this influence would've been even greater…'

"Pass the doors, and the Celestial Hall will affirm your position as a deity."

Umberlee entered the hall first, and when Leylin went in he felt numerous piercing gazes on his body. The gazes of the divine beings within contained hostility, hatred, curiosity, apathy, and a myriad of other emotions. The gazes of the greater gods in particular could even annihilate someone with legendary might instantly.

However, Leylin was one of them now, and he was only here with his avatar. He had nothing to fear. Thus, he entered the Celestial Hall with extremely light footsteps.

Boom!* At this instant, a will that that carried the changes of time peered into his soul. If not for him being reborn once into the World of Gods, his identity would have been exposed. Even then, Leylin had to frantically protect his secrets, the A.I. Chip's light flashing continuously in his eyes.

'A final confirmation of my identity, huh? So strong…' Leylin smirked deep down, but he put on an expression of comfort. The Celestial Hall rumbled as a new divine pedestal rose from the ground. Leylin had passed the inspection, confirmed to be native to the World of Gods before he ascended.

Only after the terrifying inspection was over did Leylin look around the Celestial Hall in peace. Powerful energy waves were radiating from the pedestals with golden seats on them, carrying an imprint of origin force. Leylin could tell the identities of each with just a glance.

Greater gods, intermediate gods, lesser gods… Good gods, neutral gods, the wicked and the chaotic… The seats were arranged irregularly, but it was a picturesque sight that seemed to hold some order to it. The greater gods held the seats up front, their pedestals more than tenfold as large as those of the lesser gods. As well, the gods of the same alignment were seated together.

As a mere lesser god, Leylin's pedestal rose up at the back of those with the evil alignment. Umberlee's own seat was a fair distance away, close to those of the chaotic alignment as well. Her strength as an intermediate god radiated out, pushing the seats of lesser gods away from her.

She sent Leylin a message just as he took his seat. "You can see the laws the Overgod set up here. Even the greater gods cannot do anything about it… Also, we usually leave an avatar in this place to make it easy to contact each other."

Leylin nodded in understanding. He shot a casual glance at Tyr and Mystra in the good and neutral camps, their gazes upon him carrying great hostility.

Of course, Leylin wasn't afraid at all. After all, the Overgod itself had set up the laws in this place, and even if an avatar died it was no big deal.

'So the Celestial Hall lost its original purpose once the Overgod entered its slumber, turning into a place for conversation and arguments, huh?' Leylin stroked his chin, as he felt the obvious glances of the gods around him.

Most of the gods in the evil alignment looked at him gleefully, as if they were dying to know what would become of Leylin after facing the wrath of two greater gods. It was basic instinct for them to plot and scheme against each other, and they were giving Leylin some respect by not participating in the battle. It was extremely normal for them to look at him in schadenfreude.

There was a gaze of fear amongst the many that contained mockery, and it was especially familiar to Leylin. He turned to the source of this gaze, finding the avatar of Kurtulmak the Kobold God. His divine radiance seemed rather dim, likely the after-effects of having to move his divine kingdom.

With both of them in the same camp, Kurtulmak was seated close to Leylin. However, his seat was behind Leylin's own, seemingly because his divine rank was lower than his.

Leylin smiled as he met the respectful and fawning gaze of this Kobold God, but deep down he was contemptuous. The Kobold God was now scared of his prowess, but if there was a day that Leylin met his demise, this god would be the first to jump out manically and rip off a huge chunk of flesh from his body.

However, Leylin would never give him this chance. Kurtulmak was destined to live under his shadow his entire life.

With fights banned and only avatars present, the atmosphere in the Celestial Hall was extremely relaxed. There were even many gods conversing in groups at the corners of the hall.

"It is indeed a good place to talk…" Leylin's gaze swept past the gods, and he immediately noticed the centre of the hall. A massive throne was erected in that place, to be used by the leader of the gods. It seemed to unify all the deities, as if it was the core of the world.

Leylin's astuteness told him that a powerful being was currently deep in slumber on that throne. The radiation of laws from the place was evident, similar to what happened in the Magus World. There was a layer of origin force crystals sealed around the throne of the Overgod, forming a mountain of origin force.

'This is… world crystal!' Leylin immediately recognised this crystal. However, it seemed even more useful than in Shar's case, able to protect and not just seal. The throne was sealed within the world crystal, and the Overgod was within, deep in slumber.

World crystals were tens of thousands of times more powerful than origin force, and even the greater gods would not be able to break it apart even if they joined forces. It was this layer of protection that allowed the Overgod to unify the gods, and remain safe up to this day.

'However…' Leylin looked at the seats of the greater gods in front, his face filled with ridicule, 'The World Will obviously sealed itself to protect itself from these greater gods… It seems like it already detected that it was at a disadvantage when it entered its sleep…'

This was a matter of course. Now that the greater gods stood at the apex of the World of Gods, a few would definitely want to take that last step to become the new Overgod. This desire would only be amplified by the World Will's current slumber. The only reasons the Overgod had survived to this day were that the world crystal was protecting it, and the greater gods were being suppressed by each other.

'In fact, the World Wills of the World of Gods and Magus World were the most powerful in the Final War. Looking at the setup here, it seems like the World Wills were either completely in the realm of rank 9 or quite nearby, incomparably close to immortality…'

Even with his divine gaze Leylin could only see a shroud of light within the world crystal, unable to view the original appearance of the Overgod. The laws around the crystal seemed to be greatly beneficial to all deities, so they would leave their avatars here.

It was just like Magi observing the laws in the origin force sea. The affinity the gods had for origin force would increase in the Celestial Hall, making it easier for them to generate more divine force.

Leylin saw several avatars sitting quietly in the area, some even turned to stone. They were apparently in the middle of comprehending some laws, and were possibly only a step away from ranking up.

'I should think of a way to launch a devastating attack on it before the Final War commences…' Leylin looked at the overgod's royal seat, his eyes seemingly filled with reverence. Even greater gods who excelled in prophecies would never discover his true intentions.

'I should probably use the ambitions of these greater gods. It won't be such a bad idea…' Leylin's thoughts were as fast as lightning, and he immediately came up with a plan that was likely to succeed.

The greater gods wanted the throne for themselves, so he could just fan the flames at the side and reap the greatest benefits with minimum effort. Pitting the gods against each other before the Final War was the best way to wear them down.

'No matter how high and mighty you are, when the overgod returns, what will you guys become? One that does not become eternal is just an ant…' Leylin's eyes held a chilly apathy as his gaze swept across the Celestial Hall. When the Final War resumed, how many of these deities would fall?

With just a thought, Leylin's interest was piqued. He left his avatar in the Celestial Hall, shifting most of his attention to his main body in his divine kingdom.

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Dark Clouds

With their calculative nature, a god wouldn't easily leave their divine kingdom once it was created. The kingdom served as the best of defences for their true bodies. Even if any avatars they sent out were killed they could be made up for with time, but the death of their main bodies would be a true death.

Naturally, Leylin had learnt of this method as well, stationing his true body in his divine kingdom as he started on the endless task of developing it and his resources.The hubbub over Leylin's ascension died down after a while, but there was still some turbulence in the dark. Pope Tiff of the Giant Serpent Church infiltrated the prime material plane with a group of elite priests, beginning to publicise Leylin's deeds.

Tiff was a legendary priest himself, and the ability of the numerous priests to cast spells up to rank 9 symbolised the power of a true god. With such backing, the Giant Serpent Church developed rapidly in the prime material plane.

It started with the southern seas, as a large number of sailors, pirates, and adventurers began to embrace the new God of massacre. From there it spread to the mainland, unimpeded by the Church of Protection that now recognised Leylin's divinity.

The duty of Helm's church was to strike against false gods and protect the churches of the true ones. Regardless of their indignation, they could only give up their hostility to Leylin. A god's domain and duties imposed great limitations on them, and most times even they themselves couldn't break through those barriers. Violating his own laws would cause Helm's rank to drop, and he could even lose his position and fall.

Of course, the God of Protection not hindering them didn't mean other gods weren't either. Tyr decreed that Leylin was a Lord of Baator, stating that it would be his mission to bring down the evil God of Massacre.

Mystra did the same, and to much greater effect. With the power of the Weave in hand, she had a great amount of influence over wizards that caused the Giant Serpent Church to be unable to obtain any powerful ones. This trend would definitely continue.

Luckily, devil hunters had magical abilities themselves, allowing the church to move along for the time being. If any problem did arise, their clerics could still play the role of magicians. Just like how battles between gods were long and protracted, the secular world was the same.

Under their god's chosen pope, the Giant Serpent Church worked tenaciously to expand in the prime material plane. They fought Mystra and Tyr with wit and courage, the situation likely to remain in a stalemate for a long time unless something big were to happen. On the surface, the prime material plane was gradually calming down.

Numerous gods had ascended over the ages, and the appearance of another lesser god only caused the denizens of the World of Gods to be a little surprised. The influence of his ascension was actually rather limited. As well, the upheaval in the north had greatly attracted everyone's attention.

As the greatest source of faith and souls, the prime material plane had numerous powerful existences eyeing it. Disaster after disaster occurred, and war was never absent from the mainland. Another round of battle had been ushered in after the period of calm.

The war this time was launched by the orc empire. Having spent the winter accumulating resources, they managed to mobilize their troops and materiel as they got ready to rid the world of their nemesis the Silverymoon Alliance.

The Alliance in return rose up in resistance. Headed by Alustriel, they were also actively preparing for war. Tumour had it that they'd even obtained the support of the Old Mage, Elminster.

More importantly, the Goddess of the Weave and the God of Justice had now officially united, Tyr's backing giving Alustriel the foundation to fight the orcs with. A number of aristocrats who had lost their fiefs banded together as well, giving her reinforcements.

Many aristocrats in the north had ended up miserable after the war, being annexed by other nobles. Now, everyone desperately hoped for the Silverymoon Alliance to regain its original territory, taking revenge on the orcs. If Alustriel still couldn't obtain a decisive victory, the Silverymoon Alliance would likely be buried in the pages of history.

Thus, with nobles fighting for land, commoners fighting for vengeance, and Alustriel fighting to restore Silverymoon to its glory, the fog of war shrouded the entire prime material plane. With divine strengths being pit against each other in the north, the incident of Leylin's ascension was further suppressed…

The new Silverymoon was the core of the alliance. With its neat, spacious streets and the magical lights on either side of the road, the place seemed to be just like the one in the past. The old Silverymoon was currently serving as the capital of the or empire. For Alustriel to construct a replica showed her determination.

Unfortunately, the newer city was somewhat smaller and more jammed up due to limiting conditions. Only a few pedestrians were on the street, and the occasional guards and knights could be seen rushing about. Quite a number of shops had closed down, the clouds of war affecting everything.

Clang! Thud!* In this situations, a team of knights dressed in heavy silver armour with the emblem of the God of Justice were currently sealing the entire streets.

"Holy Knight, Lady Rafiniya! The troops are ready!" A paladin saluted to Rafiniya. It seemed like her rank in the Church of Justice had risen once more.

"Mm," Rafiniya nodded indifferently, looking at the familiar buildings around her and seemingly recalling her past in Silverymoon.

'It really is similar… Such a pity that we can't possibly go back in time…' Rafiniya bitterly lamented in her heart.

Her mission had ended in failure, and only afterwards did she learn that she'd only been bait. While she was out on the surface, a real team of elites had been sent out with Elminster to conduct a secret operation.

The lack of trust had caused Rafiniya to feel angry in the depths of her heart. However, she couldn't do anything about it and it was this arrangement that had allowed her to avoid the deathtrap that was Debanks Island. Elminster's team had suffered heavy casualties, and he himself had died once. The man had managed to resurrect himself with a clone he'd kept prepared, but it was still basically total annihilation.

'The Giant Serpent Church certainly found out about us then. So they treated us like insects and didn't pay any attention to us… Isn't that why we were able to leave?' Rafiniya was filled with bitterness. When had that back she'd been chasing grow so powerful, and yet become so evil and terrifying as to look upon her as an ant whose existence was to be dismissed?

Adding insult to injury, Rafiniya hadn't been punished upon her return, instead actually rising in standing. She knew this wasn't due to any merit on her part, just some consideration for the future.

"What… What's happening?" She bit her lip, feeling an intense emotion corrupting her heart.

If Leylin or Tyr were present, they would notice that she was experiencing an extremely unique change. Leylin had deliberately messed with her before, causing the now legendary paladin to slowly question her own faith as she drifter from her original alignment. A glimmer of dark red power developed in Rafiniya's soul, hiding this from Tyr.

"Justice, and faith. My Lord… please forgive my lack of conviction, I will persevere on my path in the future!" She finally stabilised her soul after a long period of struggle, "Announce it to every businessman and shop owner. Do it perfectly, these are orders from the church!"

Several paladins took her orders, rudely knocking on tightly shut doors to display notices stamped with Silverymoon's crest to every shop owner. The faces of the merchants turned pale, sweat covering their fat and greasy foreheads.

"The Queen of Silverymoon has ordered thus— For the sake of life and war preparations of the citizens, all stores are to continue operating as per usual. Prices shall not exceed twice their original value, and an overseeing group under the Holy Knight has been formed. This order was issued on…"

The paladins smacked the store owners' faces with the notices, ignoring any entreaties as they continued their operations. They held no favour for these greedy merchants, seeing them as synonymous with greed and evil.

These men hoarded supplies in the lead up to war, dropping supply in the market and profiting from their actions. Basically every merchant had blood on his hands, and if the alignments of those here were to be tested likely more than half of them would face immediate death. To tolerate their existence and a doubling of the price was already great grace!

Because of all this the paladins could be said to be behaving roughly, the disgust evident in their eyes. Numerous anguished wails sounded out in New Silverymoon.

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Neon

On a platform within the city hall of New Silverymoon, Alustriel was dressed in a beautiful cloak and a small crown as she leaned against the railings of a balcony overseeing the bustling city. There was a bitter smile on her face.

"Do you hear it, Your Highness? Do you hear the city mourning?" A scholarly old man adjusted his spectacles beside her.

"I hear it… But apart from this, what other ways do we have?" Alustriel turned around and the bitter smile on her face vanished, now replaced by a solid determination. "Our people fear the ferocity of the orcs, and my backers have been unable to gain the protection of the northern kingdoms. We even have to take on their troubles instead, those merchants want to sell at ten times the cost in this kind of time! Heavens… I even pawned the jewels of my crown for such a low price, what more do they want?"

Alustriel sounded exasperated the more she went on. Although she had the support of two greater gods in Tyr and Mystra, Tyr's church had never been a wealthy one. Besides, Mystra had to cater to the rest of the world as well, so her support was limited. Even if she managed to latch onto the church, the Silverymoon Alliance was facing the assault of the orcs. Having lost everything, even with the help of the northern lords she wouldn't be able to afford the resources of this war.

From the beginning, the war had been one between Mystra and the orcs. However, the Goddess of the Weave wasn't particularly either, and without enough krona mercenaries and adventurers wouldn't take the risk to participate. They couldn't even equip or feed their own soldiers!

In a sort of silver lining, some 'generous' people had been moved and were willing to donate their money, items, and even food for the war. Still, Alustriel's heart only felt a chill when faced with the sheer enormity of her foes.

The old scholar hesitated before speaking his mind, "But Your Highness… If you behave like this, won't you offend the Goddess of Wealth? The church of Lady Waukeen supports the merchants…"

"I am left with no other choice…" Alustriel waved her hands in exasperation. "Waukeen is a goddess who stands in neutrality. Besides, rumour has it that she conducts some business within the orc empire, so we cannot rely on her help…

"Furthermore…" Alustriel blinked her eyes, "The ones executing the operations are the paladins of Tyr's church. We should be rest assured of how they conduct their business, shouldn't we? They wouldn't treat a good person unfairly…"

'But… They will also never let any bad people go, yet the merchants are filled with such people…' The old scholar sighed, yet he did not dare speak his mind this time.

As Alustriel's right hand man and her consultant, after such a long period of time working together he had understood some things perfectly. While Alustriel seemed to have matured after the annihilation of the previous kingdom, her original naivete was still very much there.

"Sage Elminster has already arrived here. I hear he's come with a good plan…" The scholar looked through his records and reported to Alustriel.

"That old pervert?" Alustriel said in disdain.

The scholar's face turned beet red in embarrassment, but he corrected his facial expression and reminded Alustriel, "Please refrain from such words, Your Highness! You must watch your image and conduct yourself appropriately in a public place. Moreover… He is your foster father!"

"Alright alright, help me send him away on my behalf… Tell him I'm not around!" Alustriel waved her hands, and immediately opened a portal and stepped into it, leaving the old scholar smiling wryly…As this unwelcomed guest of Alustriel's came, the conversation between Alustriel and the old scholar had ended abruptly.

However, they'd missed one point. Despite how they'd planned some actions, the ones executing them would change it completely.

Although Alustriel had told Rafiniya to have a certain tolerance for the merchants backed by the Goddess of Wealth, who were the paladins? If their thick heads made of granite would know how to adapt then there was something seriously wrong here!

One of the paladins searched the warehouse of a priest belonging to the Goddess of Wealth, acting out of order to cast an appraisal spell. He discovered traces of evil, and once the clues led to the capture of a devil everything grew irreversible.

As a torrential wave of 'justice' swept past New Silverymoon, the ones who suffered the most were the merchants under the Goddess of Wealth. In order to obtain higher profits and margins, these unscrupulous merchants had been willing to do anything, including bartering with the devils. There was no better way for the paladins to deal with them, and with Alustriel's authority they began to cleanse the city.

In the process the paladins had captured several merchants that had connections with the devils, sending them to be burnt at the stake. There were even more found guilty of corruption.

Very soon, the citizens of New Silverymoon were greeted by a different sight. Most of the shops had reopened, and the shopkeepers had bright and friendly smiles on their faces as they treated every customer with respect. They were afraid of complaints or criticism, something that would cause the paladins to come looking for them once more.

Deep down, these merchants who had suffered heavy losses cursed the paladins, especially Rafiniya who was at their head. The commoners went to sleep early at dusk, but even more schemes were happening in the dark.

The priests of wealth seemed unaffected by all this, and with the Goddess Waukeen backing them, they did have the right to feel that way. As long as Alustriel had an iota of intelligence she would repay them for their losses. If not, they could immediately seek the orcs and support them with materiel.

The ones who'd suffered the greatest losses were those merchants who peddled on the small and medium scales. The violent purge had put them on the verge of bankruptcy, and the unlucky ones without any backing suffered great losses. Some of them had been gobbled up by larger merchant groups…

A dim oil lantern flickered in the room, reflecting the pale faces of the leaders of the Neon merchant group.

"Someone say something! What's wrong? I specifically rushed here for this meeting today!" A loud voice sounded. It came from a lady sat at the middle, a ravishing woman in her twenties seated on a leopard pelt.

The leaders' bodies shuddered, and they did not dare to lift their eyes to meet her gaze. It was as if a threatening beast or poisonous centipede was in front of them. A leader gritted his teeth before speaking, "Those paladins want us to keep to the same prices as before. We already lost about 1500 gold from the frenzied buying, and the losses will only rise…"

This loss was extremely alarming for a medium-sized merchant group like theirs. "Moreover… Once the paladins discover out dealings in the dark…" Another leader's teeth clattered, before he collapsed to the ground, "Big Miss… We beg of you to let us leave first…"

"Dream on! Do you think you can still run away? Once our deals are discovered we won't be able to escape those paladins at all. It might even bring your families to harm…" The harsh truth was spoken in an icy tone, condemning these people to damnation.

"Relax, it's not like I don't have my own preparations. The family dispatched its elites, and as long as you hide well and take the chance to send the next batch of goods you'll be able to leave. If we succeed, the profits will be large enough for you to buy a huge villa in the south, and even marry the daughter of a noble. Who knows, you might be able to start a noble family of your own after a few generations…"

With such guarantees and temptations, the leaders' faces grew better as the look of suffering went away. However, a shadow appeared on the lady's face when they'd left.

After waiting a while and confirming that nobody had remained, she went to the corner of the warehouse and fumbled around for a hidden mechanism. A wall opened in the corner to reveal an underground passage, and she took up an oil lantern and walked into a narrow basement.

There wasn't much stored in the basement, and in fact there was steam rising from the ground that caused the lady's clothes to grow damp. There was a spell formation at the centre, shining with mysterious light.

Inserting two powerful energy crystals into the spell nodes, the woman took out a silver mirror and placed it in the middle of the spell formation.

Tss!* Light flashed, and a middle-aged man dressed in silver robes appeared in the mirror.

"Anya!" the white-haired man began, "How's the situation there?"

"Thanks to the Lord, our deals haven't been discovered yet. We only incurred some superficial losses…" Anya frowned, "I've put the leaders at ease, so we won't be discovered for the time being. However, there isn't much time left, Father!"

"This situation is far worse than we had imagined…" The middle aged man's face turned dark, "Blake isn't giving us any more updates, he's likely met with mishap. He had a lot of information on hand, and we could be exposed at any time. The God of Justice and the Goddess of the Weave definitely won't let us go if we're found out…"

"The orcs can't be trusted, nor can the Blackblood Tribe… Are we going to become a common enemy?" The resolute front that the lady had put on was broken. She almost crumbled to the floor, her face filled with despair.

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Decree

"Don't despair, Anya," the middle-aged man put on a fierce expression, "The prime material plane is vast, we can definitely find a way out… It's not just Silverymoon and the orcs here…"

"I've already made some contact with some other channels, we can discuss the details later. The shadow mirror seems to be waning… Your only mission is to stabilise the situation, it concerns the life and death of our family…" The image grew blurry as time went on, the voice getting cut up.

Just this short period of communication required a spell formation and several expensive energy crystals. Anya could only smile bitterly and shake her head.

"Other channels… Is Father prepared to seek out other factions? But the ones who would accept us at this time… Are they demons or devils?" Anya smiled sardonically, "Forget it… As long as we can live, I wouldn't mind help from the Abyss itself…"

The actions of the Neon Merchant Group had reached their crescendo. Anya dreaded the thought of the consequences of them being outed now. She rubbed her temples as determination flooded her face once more, before she lifted her dress and walked away.

As she was moving out, she sent out a silent prayer from her heart, 'Any god out there, please, protect me and my family. I'm willing to give you my faith, my life, and even my soul after this passes…'"Neon Merchant Group? A prayer for our help?" Tiff rubbed the glasses that gave him a scholarly appearance. "What do you think, Moena?"

"They're a medium-sized merchant group in the north, mainly trading in leather and medicine. Their current leader is Fagus Bane. We performed some investigation after receiving their prayer, and they're not as simple as they seem on the surface. Not only are their relations in the north complicated, they seem to be in contact with the orc empire," A high-ranked priestess said from the side.

"So that's how it is…" Tiff suddenly laughed. "That is to say, they're currently in a dangerous situation and if their secret is revealed they'd be exterminated by Tyr and Mystra? There aren't many influences willing to protect them and incur the wrath of those two… Just nice, since we're one of them!"

'They'll be helpful when we're trying to expand in the north…' Light flashed in Tiff's eyes, 'We need more detailed information.'

Tiff still hadn't been enticed by what he was shown. He needed more information, to be able to weigh the pros and cons to come up with the correct decision. This attitude was also why Leylin chose him to be pope.

"You can leave for now." Tiff waved his hands, sending the priestess away. He soon followed her out.

The entire church was filled with a festive atmosphere at this moment, numerous priests busy as they rushed about to arrange for a great amount of food and drink.

"Everyone, continue the hard work for the Lord's birthday." A few officers were urging everyone on, sweat beading on their foreheads.

Tiff was deeply moved by this scene. 'Has it already been a year since the Lord ascended, detaching himself from his past to sit on his throne? The Neon Merchant Group will make a good present for it, he'll definitely be pleased…'

Year 27945, Calendar of the Gods. The Giant Serpent Church celebrated the passage of one year since the birth of their god.

Even adding his mortal life Leylin was currently only 300 years old, quite young. However, such things as age held no significance for the gods. Still, Leylin made time to descend for the sake of his worshippers, performing a miracle that caused many of them to be moved to tears.

The holy mountain within Leylin's divine kingdom was piled up with jade, bright light pouring out of the huge church to penetrate the first three Hells. The light dispersed suffering and evil, bringing about hope and beauty.

Leylin's true body was sat down on his throne within the church, heavily protected by guards and enchantments as his body radiated immortal light. The theatrics done, he was turning to a report from Tiff.

An endless stream of prayers came to Leylin every day, originating from his divine kingdom, the prime material plane, and even devils from the depths of Baator. Tens of millions of prayers were received, and Leylin responded in accordance to the importance of each.

Even though gods had powerful minds, they still weren't capable of dealing with such hard work. Many gods assigned the task of responding to prayers to a few demigods or lesser gods, helping reduce their workload.

Leylin had just established his divine kingdom, and he didn't have as many capable and trustworthy subordinates. Instead, he'd had the A.I. Chip handle a huge portion of this task. With all the upgrades it had received over time, it was better than him at such mechanical task.

[Beep! Pope Tiff's prayers have been found, beginning transfer…] Tiff's report came in the form of a prayer. The man was extremely pious, and given that he was after all the pope of the Giant Serpent Church his thread of faith was thick and dazzling. He was given great importance in the A.I. Chip's programs, allowed to speak directly to his god.

A great amount of images and information entered Leylin's eyes in an instant, detailing the Neon Merchant Group, Fagus, and Anya… Almost instantly he completely understood Tiff's prayers.

'The Neon Merchant Group, in the north…' Leylin stroked his chin… He himself had much wider and more detailed channels of information passing Tiff's own, and it took but a thought for him to gather more intelligence. 'They're sending firearms to the orc empire, and their main channel of trade is with the Blackblood Tribe of the Moonwood?

'On top of that, they have a batch of important goods sealed within New Silverymoon right now. If they're discovered they'll be tried for treason, the profanity causing the entire group to be destroyed…'

'Blackblood Tribe… Malar!' Leylin laughed.

The Lesser God of the Hunt had joined hands with the orcs once before. However, Mystra and Tyr had supposedly taught him a ruthless lesson, taming him after an attack on his avatar.

Unfortunately this didn't cause the slightest of changes to his nature. It seemed like Malar was colluding with the orcs once more…

Within the prime material plane, the Giant Serpent Church was a sea of celebration. There was unlimited food and drink, and for many worshippers it served as an opportunity to gain trust and make a favourable impression.

Churches that provided the material comforts and positivity would always be far more popular than the churches of evil. Even if Leylin was a true God of Massacre, he was actually gaining faith unlike Cyric who just liked to scheme, plot, and conduct sacrifices.

At the core of the church, Tiff was currently praying to a statue of Leylin. He'd reported on the Neon Merchant Group, his Lord being aware of everything even more thoroughly than him by the time he was done.

A golden light descended upon the statue, and Leylin's imposing voice sounded out, "Tiff…"

"My Lord!" Tiff was the pope of the Giant Serpent Church, and his prayers were treated with great priority with them still being developing. It was quite common for the Lord to descend for important affairs, and this was just a conscient. He wasn't in the slightest bit surprised.

Of course, this was still the conscient of a true god. Even he didn't dare be negligent as he saluted in accordance with teaching.

"Kukulkan, my Lord… You are like the stars in heaven, wielding the power of massacres, the Ruler of Devils…"

"The prime material plane has been developing well, and the celebrations went well.." The dignity of a deity was transmitted with this thought.

"The glory is mine, and the land belongs to you." Tiff's eyes couldn't help but shine when he heard this, but he still didn't dare to reveal a trace of carelessness…

The birthday celebrations left a deep impact on Leylin's worshippers. However, they only knew to enjoy the shelter and glory of their Lord, not realizing that a team of high-ranked devil hunters had secretly left the headquarters to head north. They weren't just going to assist the Neon Merchant Group…The North.

Numerous horses neighed as a caravan with completely covered carriages slowly left New Silverymoon.

'We're finally out…' It was only after they moved their path until New Silverymoon's outline disappeared that Anya loosened up and relaxed.

At the same time, she almost felt depressed enough to puke blood. She'd paid a lot for this permit to live, transferring all the profits of her merchant group and even having to pretend to compromise with those paladins that had rocks for brains. It had caused her to be neurotic for a long time.

'Whatever… As long as we can take care of these things, everything will be worth it.' Anya looked at the fleet behind her, nodding towards the person in charge.

He immediately shouted with understanding, "Everyone, work harder! As long as we reach Donnie before dark, Big Miss will give us a huge reward. We've also prepared fragrant barbecue and bread, along with warm beds and hot water…"

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Leaving The City

The promised rewards of dinner and good accommodations were enough to cause the caravan servants to exert all their strength. Their eyes reddened with the exertion as the caravan sped up once more to the tune of numerous shouts.

"Faster! Hurry up…" The anxiety that she couldn't display on her face made Anya recall the most dangerous deal she'd made— when she'd entered the endless wilderness to negotiate with those stinking orcs.

'The crisis this time far exceeds our transaction with that tribe…' Anya's face was unchanging as she faced those orcs, but this time she was really starting to get nervous. After all, if her actions this time were discovered her entire clan would land in deep straits! Unrest and fear had tortured her so much these past few days that there were now more wrinkles above her eyebrows.

The front of the caravan suddenly stopped, causing a great disturbance behind it as some carriages were toppled directly. The scene caused Anya to be filled with anger.

"Whats happening? Why did you stop?" She called out to her personal servant, holding back the urge to use her horsewhip. "Head to the front and check what's happening!"

However, before the maid even went out, a servant dressed in military clothing rushed over with a face full of sweat.

"Miss, it's the paladins! There's a whole team of them blocking the path!"

"Those damned official dogs…" A few servants grumbled in a low voice. In their point of view, the paladins had taken most of the profits from the Bane Family, leaving them with little of the profit. Even when they risked leaving New Silverymoon in the middle of the war they still chased after the caravan. Those paladins really were extremely hateful!

However, the news only brought terror to Anya when she heard it.

'Did they find out?' She felt her heart fall, feeling a chill like she had been dropped into an icy cave. Sadly, her subordinates were here. Anya had no choice but to put on a bold front and hurry forward.

She soon saw a team of paladins dressed in silvery armour standing ahead of the caravan, dazzling emblems of the God of Justice on their chests. The determination radiating from their eyes caused her unrest to intensify to the limit.

"Captain Elric…" she said as she stepped forward, barely forcing a smile as she found a familiar face among the paladins. "The Neon Merchant Group has always abided by the law. We even sold 80% of our goods in New Silverymoon, and you granted us the clearance to leave…"

Anya was speaking in a thick nasal voice, the trace of coquettishness in her tone a habit learned from her line of work. It was unfortunate that this approach had no effect on the paladins, and Captain Elric's eyes were instead filled with disgust.

However, he didn't say anything. He stood down respectfully, giving way to a female paladin standing behind.

'The Holy Knight!' The moment she recognised Rafiniya Anya felt despair well up in her heart, as if the bones had been pulled out of her body.

"Looking at you, I knew there wasn't an error with our intelligence! Sinner Anya, are you still unwilling to admit your sins?" At the legendary realm, even simple questions from Rafiniya were terrifying. The power behind them pierced through to Anya's heart, the horror almost causing her to collapse and confess.

"It was all arranged by the captain. Do you think I'd abandon a paladin's honour just for your worthless dirty tricks?" Elric pridefully raised his head while, disdain filled his eyes. "Exterminating you within the city would be too conspicuous… However, it is different here. Surrender obediently, and you shall receive a fair trial. We never let villains go, but at the same time we won't treat any good person unjustly."

Elric was naturally confident in his team. They were composed of multiple high-ranked paladins, and their leader was the legendary Holy Knight! They could clear away all evil!

"In the name of Her Majesty, I request to search the caravan!" Rafiniya declared loudly. With Rafiniya and the paladins representing both Tyr and Alustriel, a majority of the people in the caravan started wavering. Many of them had been kept in the dark, and even the expensive mercenaries seldom knew the truth.

Standing against the Silverymoon Alliance and a greater god's church, Anya was skeptical of who would be willing to stand along her regardless of how much she she offered.

"Captain Rafiniya, you have always been my idol… I believe in your personal integrity, but I am sure that there is some sort of misunderstanding…" Anya dismounted and gave Rafiniya a ladies greeting. Afterwards, she walked to an overturned carriage and tore the tightly wrapped oilcloth off.

"Please take a look… These are all common leather and majority are empty boxes…" Anya tried to show Rafiniya her transported goods. "Everything here is approved goods, there's no contraband."

"Your little tricks are nothing in the face of justice. Stop showing them off, it just seems ridiculous…" Rafiniya replied with a cold face, flipping over some of the leather.

Clank!* The scabbard on her waist released a crisp buzzing sound, and a ray of dazzling bright light dre a beautiful arc mid-air.

Kacha!* The axle of the carriage was broken, and the wood cracked apart. The horses ran away in fright, whining as they'd been broken out of their shackles. Their escape caused dirt to stain Anya's beautiful skirt, but she didn't seem to mind in the slightest.

Only one thought was cycling through Anya's mind right now… They'd found out!

Crash!* Splintered wood flew into the sky, revealing a layer of storage between the carriage's storage and its bottom. A few pieces of dark red crystals emitting a bloody glow fell out. Even the merchants standing far away could smell the stench of blood.

"A blood sacrifice… For the blood essence to be this pure, just how many souls would it take?" Rafiniya's hand trembled as she held onto the hilt, "You bear to sacrifice your own kind for those murderous evil gods?

"Your sins have been determined. The entire Neon Merchant Group and the Bane Family shall be punished for your sins!" Rafiniya announced loudly.

The paladins behind her unsheathed their longswords at the same time, their eyes filled with disgust and determination. The terrifying atmosphere caused those who hadn't been aware to collapse suddenly.

"Dear Lord… This has nothing to do with me, I'm only a hired stable boy! Please forgive me… forgive me…" The legs of the coachman who was wearing a straw hat and coarse linen clothes gave way, and he directly fell to his knees with his whip still in hand.

Others reacted similarly. With both the monarchy and the theocracy against them, not many were courageous enough to fight back.

"Retreat!" The mercenaries employed by the caravans were more quick-witted than ordinary people. Sensing a bad situation, their leader immediately shouted as he fiercely whipped his horse. They intended to fall back.

The mercenary leader obviously knew the severity of this incident. Even if he was unaware of it and was innocent, the church would rather kill the victims than let a sinner go. He wouldn't be able to prove his innocence! And with high-ranked paladins on the opposing side, there was no way for them to win the fight. Fleeing was the only choice.

"A vain attempt to escape punishment? Fools!" Rafiniya evaluated indifferently.

Even without her acting personally two of the paladins beside her rushed out. Summoning light flickered as several celestial horses emerged, the devoted comrades of pure paladins.

With the paladins being so strong, how could mercenaries on ordinary warhorses escape?

"Wait… I can testify… I didn't…" The mercenary leader did not manage to escape far before he was caught. His face was in despair, and he went out screaming. Unfortunately, the cold-looking paladin did not utter any superfluous words and directly pierced his heart with a longsword.

Numerous paladins riding on their celestial horses surrounded the caravan, and sealed off all possible escape routes. Everyone was left trembling on their knees.

"Sinners! How much harm is done to the world because of your greed and evil?" Looking at Anya's pretty face, Rafiniya's flushed red with anger. "A source of evil like you, should not exist in this world… In the name of Justice, I shall judge you!"

Milky white light condensed on Rafiniya's longsword, and Anya sent a meaningful glance to a trusted aide that was preparing to dash forward.

"These servants are innocent and unaware, please bestow them mercy and forgiveness…." She said at the end.

"Cunning evil sinner, are you still trying to display your hypocritical kindness?" A callous murderous spirit could be seen within Rafiniya's eyes.

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Letting Go

The world rumbled as a purifying sword of light crashed down, but it futilely swept through the air.

'Hmm? Someone who could penetrate my ability to lock spacetime… Is that a legendary wizard or sorcerer?" Rafiniya turned very serious, looking at the uninvited guest.

"Priestess of the God of Massacre, Barbara, greets the Lady of Hope. This person is a follower of our master, so please hold back…" A native maiden wearing the robes of a priest appeared in front of Rafiniya, the holy light from a legendary priest exceptionally obvious as it emanated from her.

Beside her was a devil hunter with thick chains wound around his arms. The man with a dark aura had already caught Anya's arm; he was the one who'd saved her from Rafiniya.

"You… you're from the Giant Serpent Church…" Anya immediately realised the identity of the person who had saved her, a look of hope rising on her face.

"A person who makes use of the evil power of devils…" Rafiniya gazed at the devil hunter next to Barbara. He had numerous little plaits in his hair, and his tan, yellowish skin identified him as a native.

More important was that she couldn't ascertain the strength of his aura. It seemed like she was actually looking at hell when she looked at him!

'A legend! A legendary devil hunter!' Rafiniya realised the identity of this person in an instant. Only someone of such strength could cause her to feel such fear.

Legendary strength, especially with devil hunters, was a qualitative increase in power. Devil hunters needed to seal legendary devils to reach that level of power! This person had legendary power himself, and on top of that he was supplemented by equivalent magic ability! Just having ascended he was equivalent to centuries-old high-ranked legendaries!

Such devil hunters were new to Leylin's armies, having appeared after he took over three of the Nine Hells. Leylin had grabbed a bunch of devils who'd opposed him, using them to have a large number of devil hunters on the verge advance. The only issue was that there were few devil hunters qualified to reach such strength right now.

The person in Rafiniya's way now was someone with such strength, and he was accompanied by a legendary priestess.

"Giant Serpent Church… Do you wish to help evil and go against justice?" Rafiniya looked serious as holy silver light appeared on the surface of her armour. She made a few secret hand signs to the paladins behind her.

"Don't even try to contact New Silverymoon… Did you think we wouldn't prepare for that?" Barbara spoke the language used in the mainland in a very articulate manner. Knowledge of all languages was an essential ability for priests.

"I've already altered the space here. Forget signals for help, even the power of faith will be slowed down…" The paladins' expressions quickly changed, as if to accentuate her words. One of them pulled Rafiniya aside, whispering something to her that caused this legendary paladin to turn grim.

Hellfire! Claws of Confinement!

Large numbers of dark figures emerged from the surrounding forest, terrifying devil spells being launched from them. Even the celestial horses didn't dare to touch the blazing hellfire, and the paladins who'd originally had the upper hand were now constantly being forced away.

"So many high-ranked professionals!" Rafiniya's expression was very dark as she brought up a great screen of light that prevented many devil hunters from attacking.

She knew full well that the only reason she could persist to this point was that the other party didn't want to take things too far. If not for that, she wouldn't last long against that legendary devil hunter.

"Are you declaring war on our church?" Rafiniya questioned loudly.

"Hehe… An accusation like that is rather terrifying…" Barbara sneered, not the least bit afraid.

"Rafiniya… I remember you!" The priestess suddenly gazed at Rafiniya's face, "You were the knight who once followed our master in the north. While his sacred and holy being has cut off all connections with his mortal self, you did serve him at one point. For that reason, you may leave…"

"Hmm?" Barbara's words surprised Rafiniya greatly, especially when she mentioned letting them off.

"Damn it… are you insulting us?" A young blonde paladin's face flushed red, and his neck seemed to bulge as he grabbed the hilt of his sword in preparations for a charge.

"Wait!" Rafiniya easily knocked this young and impulsive kid unconscious, and had an older paladin nearby grab him.

"This was a mistake in my plans. There's no need for more pointless casualties… I brought you out of the city, and I shall bring you back." Rafiniya took a deep breath, "Let us go!"

Even the most zealous of paladins had learnt to compromise. That was a price Tyr had to learn to pay in the mortal world.

"I won't see you off!" Barbara saluted her with a gentle smile, while the devil hunter nearby sneered."Why didn't you keep them here?" Anya half-reclined on the devil hunter as the paladins left, her eyes on their backs.

The devil hunter completely disregarded Anya's flattering behaviour, causing her expression to stiffen and become awkward.

"We could take them out with our strength, but it would have caused immense casualties." Barbara answered in his stead, saving the situation.

"You're being too presumptuous, Anya!" a stern voice sounded, causing Anya to turn back in surprise.

She saw a white-haired middle-aged man slowly emerge from the shadows, bowing towards Barbara and the legendary devil hunter, "My lords, please forgive my daughter for her ignorance…"

"Father… why are you here?" Anya asked, stunned. This was her father, the master of the Bane Family and manager of the Neon Merchant Group.

"Isn't it all to take care of this mess? Quick, apologise to the two lords!" Fagus glared at his daughter. These were two legendaries, who had a true god church backing them!

He understood very well how terrifying such strength could be. Much more importantly, if the Giant Serpent Church were to be offended, the Bane Family would probably have no place to go in the north or even the entire prime material plane.

"Our Bane Family and the Neon Merchant Group have completely sworn loyalty to the Giant Serpent Church. From hereon, they are our benefactor…" Fagus reminded Anya.

"My apologies, my lords… I… I…" A blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Forget it! Even our master would forgive the mistakes committed by the youth…" Barbara laughed as she waved her hands, "Besides… the reason I did not keep them here is not primarily because she and the master are acquaintances. She is a legendary being after all, and the God of Justice will surely pay much attention to her. Since we've tampered with this space, there's a rather large chance of Silverymoon and the God of Justice's Church finding out the moment a battle breaks out… The other side has already gathered Elminster and a huge batch of high-ranked legendaries. With our current strength, we still can't go head to head with them…"

"That's why we need to leave as quickly as possible!" The devil hunter in command, The devil hunter commander, who had looked expressionless all this time, now spoke up.

"We shall do as the lords suggest." Fagus smiled flatteringly, as if fawning on them. It caused Anya to feel resentful and relieved at the same time. At the very least, the serious responsibilities had been taken over by the Giant Serpent Church and wouldn't be her problem anymore.

"What are you still standing there in a daze for? Pack up, we leave immediately!" Fagus yelled at the servants who had yet to move. Only now did they comprehend what had gone on, a look of disbelief in their eyes as they watched their master.

The events today were too damaging to their mental states. First was the paladins, and just when they thought they were in a pinch that was impossible to escape from their master had brought an even more powerful group that sent the paladins running. The Neon Merchant Group was only a middling business!

In that moment, they began to revere their master. The servants moved quickly, thankfully packing up all the fallen items. Fagus moved forward, taking all the blood essence made of flesh and soul and giving it to the devil hunters.

"The blood essence here is very pure, and its characteristics make it incompatible with spatial items. If it isn't stored in dimensional pouches or other such storage items, it will soon lose its effects. It needs to be stored using blood-traced wood… If not for all that we wouldn't have such problems…" Fagus sighed as he spoke.

"Mm. Let's go!" After everything was collected, Barbara turned to leave, with the father-daughter pair of Fagus and Anya close behind.

The rest of the merchants followed the original route and hastened towards the next town. Whatever it was, they now had no taboo items on them, and would no longer be afraid of any checks.

In the eyes of Fagus and other higher-ups, they had to make the best of the situation. As long as the other merchants could take the attention off them even slightly, that would be good. What happened to all these people was not their problem.Currently, within Leylin's divine kingdom in Baator, the God of Massacre saw an avatar of Umberlee once more. The Goddess of the Ocean had an even denser aura than before, evidently growing more imposing after consuming the divinity of the Sharkmen.

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