Haul
"So what if you're a god's avatar? You shall fall!" On the shoulder of the giant frost sprite, Lillian was like a goddess of snow. A layer of ice covered Malar's feet, planting him firmly on the ground as an icy meteorite hundreds of tons in weight broke through the skies to land on the avatar.
"What the hell. Is this woman crazy? This attack will also affect us…" In the face of such earth-shattering strength, Leylin was forced backwards. Even Alegor in his dragon form flapped his wings with as much strength as he could muster to keep a distance.
"You mortals profane gods…" Malar's avatar transmitted spiritual undulations in the face of the meteorite. Yet, it crashed down before he could finish speaking, and his words were drowned out.
*Rumble!* A magnitude ten earthquake erupted abruptly, shaking the land and causing dust to form a terrifying mushroom cloud in the sky. Everyone with strength in the north felt the earth shaking in that instant!
"Hah… this mad woman…" Leylin had grown himself a pair of powerful wings of air, and he looked down at the huge pit from the meteorite. The terrifying hole was tens of kilometres deep, and the middle was pitch-black with a base that could not even be seen. "Has the avatar died yet? I doubt it, but he's sure to be heavily injured…"
"Alegor, quick!" Lillian seemed to be on the verge of collapse after casting this legendary spell. She couldn't even maintain the giant frost sprite under her, only able to let it explode back into ice and snow in the air.
*Roar!* The legendary dragon threw himself into the depths of the pit, and what followed were furious snarls and yells. A large black figure was flung out, like a small mountain being tossed away.
Leylin's astonishing eyesight had allowed him to see what happened clearly. The legendary druid Alegor in his dragon form had been caught by the tail, and Malar's avatar had thrown him out like he was tossing a hammer.
Leylin's pupils shrank, and he muttered to himself, "Such tenaciousness… So this is the avatar of a god."
"You who profane the gods! I will extract all of your souls and place them in my divine realm, burning them in holy fire for a hundred thousand years!"
The gigantic ape monster walked out of the pit, clearly agitated. However, he clearly wasn't doing well either. Golden liquid flowed out of his wounds, glowing with the light of divine force. Still, it was hindered by an invisible force.
'Seems like he really is gravely injured,' Leylin thought as he nodded to himself. Still, Malar's body was just a convergence of divine force held together by a god's conscient. It was this divine force that allowed him to maintain physical form. Even the blood spurting out of his wounds was the same, slight injury unable to harm the god's origins.
And yet things were different now. His wounds were making it difficult for him to maintain his form in the material plane, and his divine force was already beginning to dissipate.
"Mortal woman, how dare you harm my divine body…" The golden ape monster appeared in front of Lillian in the next instant, its giant claws slashing forward.
"Ah…" In spite of crystal armour and tens of layers of frost shields, Lillian's defences were broken apart. The legendary wizard's body shot out like a cannonball, and smoke filled the skies.
The red dragon was nowhere to be found in the deep pit. Instead, Alegor's original form lay there unconscious.
"Damn it… So I'm the only one left at the end?" Leylin rubbed his nose, wondering with a wry smile.
'There's a few dogs beside this monkey, it'll be a little troublesome…'
"Keke… there's one left? Are you trying to flee? Come, let me enjoy this hunt!" Malar's eyes were fixed straight on Leylin, emitting a crazed bloodthirst.
However, in the next moment, a large palm pushed the head of the avatar into the ground. This was Crushing Palm!
"Are you crazy? I finally got my prey here after much effort. Why would I leave?"
Leylin's eyes were cold and wise, "A god letting me leave? The divine force forming your avatar is now lacking, and you urgently need to replenish it."
How could Malar's thoughts escape Leylin? The four legendaries had made preparations for a long time and given so much. While the avatar had persisted up till this point, the grievous injuries he had sustained were serious enough!
"ROAR! I will kill you… Kill you!" The large monster ape pulled up from the soil and shook his head in fury.
"You won't be able to kill anyone!" Leylin's voice was cold as he pointed to the avatar's head with his right hand.
Legendary Spell— Meteor Blast!
Four large fireballs fell from the sky, exploding on top of Malar's head. The exemplary flames immediately caused Malar to snarl in anger, "Legendary spells again! Why? How do you have so many spell slots?"
"You can ask again in death." Leylin looked apathetic as legendary spell was cast after legendary spell.
Legendary Absorption. Legendary Detonation!
"Im…possible…" The avatar blustered. Much of his negative energy and defences had been neutralised by the absorption spell, leaving him open to the detonation that struck his neck.
Malar's large head disintegrated.
Having become a legendary arcanist, Leylin had integrated his research as a Magus with the analytic abilities of the A.I. Chip to cause a terrifying qualitative change. He could now cast legendary spells near-instantly. Having been drowned in them, it was no wonder that Malar's avatar died.
"Still… We haven't even started the true battle yet…" Leylin stared at Malar's avatar's corpse unblinkingly.
The collapsed body was undergoing a huge transformation. The pieces of the corpse melted to form a thick golden liquid, much of which fused to form a large golden sphere. Malar's cries could still be heard from its core.
"The avatar isn't made of flesh and blood after all. Even if the head is cut off, it can still move. Then again, a form made of just divine force is extremely fragile…"
Leylin understood the various forms gods could take on. Malar's avatar wasn't completely dead yet, and as long as he could flee to his divine realm and fuse back into the main body he would suffer no real losses.
"This unique ability of divine force, the ability to vary its form, is what makes it difficult for people to capture it. It is also the key to murdering a god…" Leylin glanced in the direction of the unconscious Lillian. She was currently gravely injured, rendered immobile.
The original plan was for her to capture the avatar. She would use extremely cold ice to dull the life of the divine force, then use a special container to capture or directly absorb it. Of course, Leylin had not expected too much of her. He had a better method.
"Don't you leave!" he yelled, numerous thin green threads forming a large web that shot forth from his fingertips.
"Did you think a mortal object like that… could…" As he saw what Leylin was doing, the bundle of light that was the avatar scorned him. However, Malar was then left unable to laugh.
*Swish!* The large green web stopped most of the golden ball. The liquid divine force could not break through its seal!
"How's this possible? What kind of web is this?" Malar roared, but was unable to do anything about the tightening of the web. He soon reached Leylin's palm.
"As expected, a web formed of origin force works very well at detaining the divine force of a god. The A.I. Chip's predictions were right." Leylin saw the struggle within the web, where Malar was like a large fish that had accidentally fallen inside. He could not help but snicker as he grabbed the web tightly.
World Origin Force! This was the origin power of everything, what arcanists called origin energy.
A web formed of origin energy was the bane of all godly beings. It was no wonder that the ancient gods and arcanists were arch enemies, and the arcanists had been wiped out.
Leylin was probably now the only Great Arcanist on the continent. He had no problems with turning origin energy into a web, and this was the insurance he'd prepared for this operation. As the large web tightened up, Malar's avatar's cries grew soft until he completely stopped moving.
*Rumble!* Tremendous undulations filled the skies in the direction that the other small part of Malar's avatar had escaped, and his worshippers' prayers formed a golden light
"So we weren't the only ones coveting the avatar after all. I managed to lure them out by letting that small part go…" Leylin had no plans of stopping. While the smaller avatar still had most of the firepower focused on it, he opened a teleportation gate next to him.
"Please wait, Lord Leylin!" Numerous figures shot over at this moment, all with powerful divine force on their bodies.
This was a group of legendary priests. They were led by Benedict, the bishop of the church of justice.
Retreat
"That belonging to mortals shall go to mortals. That belonging to gods shall go to them. Please do not delude yourself." Benedict's tone was almost pitiful of the fate of mankind.
"Tsk, I hate mediums like you. You've even brainwashed yourself…" Leylin looked behind him, unsurprised to see the legendary priest of Mystra as well, "Isn't this all for this avatar I have? Even the Goddess of the Weave is joining forces with you…"
"You should know not to slight the wills of two greater gods. As long as you hand over the source of evil in your hands, our church will definitely compensate you satisfyingly…" Benedict now had a merciful look in his eyes, as if he was saving the world.
What a joke that was! Would Mystra or Tyr hand over a portion of divinity in exchange for the avatar? Even if they were willing to, Leylin himself wouldn't want it. Leylin was used to getting what he wanted, and did not accept charity. This situation caused anger to rise from the depths of his eyes. "Sorry, not interested."
The clear rejection immediately stunned Benedict. He then grew indignant, "You're so stubborn!
"Go!" Five high-ranked legendary priests moved forward at his command, forming into a pentagram as they circled Leylin. It exhibited great prohibitive strength.
"So… now that we've shed all pretense of cordiality, it's time to do it by force?" A dangerous smile rose by Leylin's lips, "Luckily, I'm not entirely unprepared…"
Watching Leylin surrounded by the pentagram, a kind smile arose on Benedict's face, "This spell formation is boosted by our gods, and it is impossible to destroy it from within. Do you still not repent?"
Leylin took at the sparkling array, seemingly deep in thought. 'These are pretty good sealing runes. I'll need some effort to break out from within…'
After hearing the man speak, however, he snickered, "It wouldn't do good for you to dispose of the legendaries you invited yourselves."
"You think too highly of yourself. Our church can bear the consequences of losing a mere legendary…" Benedict sighed, "Looks like Leylin has been corroded by greed. Go!"
"Exactly what I was thinking. Do it!" Leylin nodded.
"We're already at this point, and you still…" The fury in Benedict's heart grew, and in that moment he made up his mind. He would suffer the loss of reputation in exchange for Leylin's death.
However, his expression quickly changed.
*Woo! Woo!* A deathly aura, as dark as ink, had filled their surroundings. Numerous bony hands dug their way out of the ground, some with rotting flesh remaining on them as they roared with ire.
"This profaning of souls, it's a necromancer!" The priests' bodies immediately flashed with divine spells.
"Keke…" The bones started to laugh with a strange sound as they formed a gigantic horned skull. The skull struck the pentagram.
*Rumble!* Although divine spells were the bane of necromancy, the opposite was true as well. The pentagram trembled under the deathly aura, reacting like hot oil would to cold water.
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* Many black cracks crawled along the spell formation, seeming like human veins. The formation then shattered loudly.
"This strength… It's a high-ranked legendary necromancer!" Benedict exclaimed in his shock as a mouthful of fresh blood dyed his snow-white collar red.
"You got it in one. I'm sorry you don't get a prize…" Leylin's figure flashed, and in an instant he'd disappeared from the formation. By the time the black light flashed again, he was already outside the encirclement.
"Chase him!" Benedict yelled, no time left to care for his injuries.
The supporting soldiers he'd brought had terrifying might. There were many legendary priests from the Goddess of the Weave, and there was even an entire regiment of paladins.
*Crack!* *Crack!* However, all these people were drowned out by the army of the undead. The skeletons enveloped them like an endless tsunami, and few spells could fight off this army of cannon fodder. Benedict's eyes widened further.
"Stay here!" he shouted, activating quite a few high-ranked divine items. Still, even he was met by a wall of skeletons. A strange skull watched him coldly, a dead expression in its empty eye sockets.
'Legendary spell, Skeletal Wall. It's said to be so powerful even legendary paladins need to hack at it hundreds of times to deal with it…' Benedict recognised the origins of this wall. Unable to suppress his injuries any longer, he spat out a few large mouthfuls of blood.
He rejected attempts to help him along, now looking like a ravenous wolf in winter. "A high-ranked legendary necromancer. Use this to identify and trace him!"
Although he said that, Benedict knew full well that powerful necromancer had very long lives. Some even just turned into liches, and it was unclear how many of them were hiding in the corners of the world. It would be a mere fantasy if one wanted to determine the identity of this one.
Besides, with how things were, what was the point even if they did find out?
"Damn it! DAMN IT!" At the end, the bishop could only let out an angry growl like that of an injured animal, unable to do anything more.
...
In a different location.
The little bit of Malar's avatar that Leylin had deliberately let off streaked through the skies like a shooting star, breaking through a few seals to reach the outer planes.
However, just as it was about to return to his true body in his divine realm the Beast Wasteland, he was suddenly grasped by a palm. It continued to snarl, evidently frantic as if in peril. Divine force rippled forth, but dissipated like a cool breeze in front of the hand.
"Quiet!" A discontent voice sounded, seeming to carry with it the power of laws. Every single movement of the hand seemed to be paired with a vast divine force, causing Malar's avatar to immediately cease all movement.
"I never thought there would be someone in the prime material plane able to intercept Malar's avatar…" The Weave rippled, and a goddess with starlike eyes descended to look at the person who'd grasped the avatar in his hands.
"Although there were surprises in our plan, it's still under our control…" The god that rendered Malar's avatar unable to fight back looked rather strange. He wore ordinary warrior clothing, and looked incomparably haggard. His eyes were lined with blood, and he was missing his right hand. He looked like an old veteran whose will was still strong.
However, he'd still managed to grab Malar's slime-like avatar with his remaining one. The avatar was completely unable to move. This was Tyr, the Greater God of Justice and the protector of all paladins!
"Alright, Mistress Weave. Let us see to Malar…" Tyr spoke slowly, following Mystra to the outer regions of Malar's divine realm.
Once they arrived at this place, the golden sphere that was Malar's avatar seemed to grow more emotional. Loud howls echoed from within the divine realm.
"Now, Malar. Swear to the Styx that you won't take part in our battle with the orcish gods, and you will have your avatar back. Silverymoon will also acknowledge the current boundaries in land and let the Blackblood Tribe remain in the Moonwood…" The Weave trembled, sending the goddess' words into the divine realm.
Malar's roars quietened down for a while, but he did not walk outside. Being a beast did not mean he was a fool. The God of Justice was right outside! If he dared walk out, Tyr would definitely annihilate him. Mystra would probably be happy to see this happen.
Hence, Malar resolutely hid in his divine realm, occasionally releasing a few animalistic howls that were hard to understand. Of course, for the gods, understanding each other's thoughts was very simple.
...
A long while later, Tyr nodded and sent Malar's avatar into his realm, and then left the realm with the Goddess of the Weave.
"Alright… Malar side is taken care of. Thank you for your help…" Mystra told Tyr.
"With our divine force, it would be a simple task to break into Malar's realm, kill him, and send his truesoul to the astral plane…" Tyr began to speak.
"He's still a true god after all. Now that a war between the gods can erupt at any time, we shouldn't waste too much divine force. Besides, while Malar is someone who works alone, I know that he has dealings with the gods of fury…"
The explanation rendered him quiet. Even the God of Justice had to learn to compromise. Had he not, he would long since have fallen.
"The preparations in the mortal world are almost done. While those legendaries have their own plans, I have it under control…"
All sorts of images flashed in front of Mystra, revealing recent events.
"Now that the attack on the avatar is done, the battle between legendaries should start soon. When the time comes, I'll send my divine weapon down. It will challenge the possessor of the Thunder God's Hammer, Saladin…" Tyr reiterated their previous agreement.
"Justice will definitely triumph over evil. The mighty wills of the various universes came to this decision, and I now say this representing the suffering commoners of the north." The god's eyes seemed to pass through time and space, seeing everything…
Divinity: Massacre
Quiet spatial turbulence was stirred as a crack opened up between planes. Fierce elemental energy surged through it, annihilating everything in its way.
A floating city stood tall in this region, as if a powerful fortress that was indestructible and eternal. Only after entering the ghost city did Leylin heave a sigh of relief.
"Welcome home, Master!" Shaylin, the fairy who was like a housekeeper, appeared to greet Leylin. Only this place had arcane spell formations that rendered him immune to the spying of the gods, as well as other divination spells.
Once he tossed his coat to an attending golem, Leylin turned to the skeleton lich Ilyo, "You did well."
"It is my honour to serve Master!" Ilyo pressed his right fist to his chest as he spoke. He was in his crystal skeleton formed, but he was wearing something akin to a black suit. The clothing formed a vile harmony with the skeleton.
Although he knew Ilyo wasn't speaking from the bottom of his heart, Leylin felt it was enough for the lich to act upon his commands. Sensing the immense power of the God of the Hunt, he'd contacted the necromancer through his phylactery, commanding him to stay concealed and ready to act at any time.
It seemed like the lich truly was experienced. His grasp of time and usage of skills was split-second perfect. If not for the coincidental suppression of the ghost city and the phylactery, Leylin definitely wouldn't have been able to deal with him.
"You won't be recognised by others, will you?" Leylin asked without choice. Skeleton Lich Ilyo, was a name synonymous with trouble and death in the prime material plane, and in recent times his name had even been connected with the ghost city.
"Please don't worry, Master. What I used were common death-type spells, and I even left behind little details that might point to other liches…" Ilyo's skeleton snickered, "If they really did try to pursue me using the clues I left behind, I'm sure it would make for an extremely interesting situation…"
Seeing his expression, Leylin could not help but mourn for the paladins. He sent him away, and turned to the fairy. Shaylin immediately flew to his shoulder, beginning an incessant report.
"I've been working hard to help manage the ghost city ever since you left, Master. That lich has been diligent as well, and the city is now restored…"
Shaylin was once the intellectual core of the ghost city. Once its owner had died, she'd managed it independently for tens of thousands of years, and she was obviously very practiced in matters like this. Leylin nodded along as she spoke.
Time was now on his side. With the restoration of the ghost city complete, it finally began resuming is usual operations. The Mise energy core was stockpiling energy, and soon enough it would regain the powerful ability to match up to the gods.
"Good. Bring me to the core restriction room, and prepare 20% of the Mise energy core reserves for use. Additionally, get me the arcane energy powder and golem rainbow crystal from the storehouse."
Leylin looked at the large green web in his hands, it was now time to deal with Malar's avatar. Still, this was the avatar of a god and could have some hidden abilities. It was best to be on the safe side and absorb him in the floating city.
"Even if I let some of it get away, the divine force and divine will here, as well as the information on domains should be enough for me to refine a trace of divinity in massacres…" He brought Malar's avatar to the core restriction room, and once all defences were operated he revealed the avatar's true form within the web.
It was currently a large pool of golden gelatinous matter, an unmoving huge slime that seemed dead.
"While I did give him some rough treatment, it shouldn't be to this extent…" Leylin shook his head, "Perhaps the most fundamental divine will and conscient is still waiting in there, ready to devour me…"
Compared to the gods' inconceivable strength, even a high-ranked legendary's soul seemed fragile. Many people had been deluded into thinking they could absorb divinity in the prime material plane, but they were instead absorbed by the gods and turned into avatars. Some were indeed lucky enough to succeed, but they experienced a great change in their temperaments and turned into lunatics.
"What a pity… Your plans will not come to fruition!" Leylin touched the semi-solid divine force on the ground with his finger, "Is the origin conscient of a mere beast trying to swallow me?"
In the instant that Leylin's mind and the avatar's conscient made contact, the image of a terrifying giant serpent flashed in Leylin's eyes. Having absorbed the power of the NIghtmare Absorbing Physique, the Targaryen seemed to have reached a more inconceivable level. It even seemed to echo within the World of Gods, and its strength continued to grow.
Sensing this conscient, the pile of slime quickly shrunk back. Yet, Shaylin was prepared and restrained it, leaving it with nowhere to go. Leylin took hold of it, and powerful devouring strength exploded forth from his body.
"It has begun…" Leylin closed his eyes, beginning the contest between their conscients and the transformation of divinity.
...
There was little to say about the battle between conscients. Malar's avatar couldn't even begin to resist the Targaryen before it was devoured, and he even leaked some information about divine domains. When Leylin opened his eyes again, a trace of dark gold divine force twined around his arm.
"Is this the power of the divinity of massacres?" Leylin looked at the divinity of massacres, which seemed as thin as a hair on one's head. Sounds of slaughter filled his senses the moment his thoughts made contact with it, causing his eyes to redden slightly.
"This thread of the divinity of massacres contains about 10% of the law of massacres. There's a great amount of divinity, as well as the power of faith from Malar's followers…" Leylin identified the components of the thread.
Divinity was very important to gods, and even true gods would take some time to recover after a portion of their divinity was cut off. Malar had lost most of his avatar, so he would likely be in a terrible state right now.
"Stepping into the realm of the gods using the power of massacres? I like it!" Leylin laughed slightly. A thread of the divinity pounced forward, fusing with his body seamlessly. The process was simple; he'd long since tamed this thing.
Bits of comprehension of the law of massacres emerged in Leylin's mind. An intense, qualitative change occurred inside his body at the same time.
[Beep. Host body beginning to absorb divinity. A.I. Chip upgrading…] The A.I. Chip's robotic voice sounded, and what followed was silence.
After an unknown period of time, the A.I. Chip's voice sounded once more. [Beep! Auxiliary system successfully upgraded. Detected large changes to host body's stats. Recalculating…]
Afterwards, numerous prompts shot out.
[Beep! Host has successfully absorbed the divinity of massacres. Has been changed as a life form, transitioning into a divine being.]
[Beep! Host has absorbed divinity. All stats +1.]
[Beep! Host's spirit has advanced, arcanist ranking increased. Currently rank 22.]
[Beep! Analysis of level 7 Weave at 100%. Host has unlocked all rank 7 spell models, and will no longer forget spells. No materials needed to cast rank 7 spells.]
[Beep! Host has obtained divine body feat: Epic Adaptability.]
[Epic Adaptability. Divine beings have a great tolerance for various extreme environments. All divine beings can survive in lava and frost, be suffocated, or starve. Note: This feat overlaps with Intermediate Perfect Body, and is now encompassed under it.]
Leylin also found that his stats were refreshed again.
[Leylin Faulen. Race: Human (Divine Being), Rank 22 Arcanist (Legendary). Strength: 16. Agility: 16. Vitality: 16. Spirit: 22. Arcane Energy: 220 Status: Healthy. Feats: Legendary Sturdiness, Scholarly, Intermediate Perfect Body, Dreamscape Vision. Specialties: Origine Force Detection, Origin Force Amplification, Illusions.]
[Analysis of Weave: Level 0 100%, Level 1 100%, Level 2 100%, Level 3 100%, Level 4 100%, Level 5 100%, Level 6 100%, Level 7 100%, Level 8 87.56%, Level 9 57.72%.]
[Spell Slots: Rank 9 (4), Rank 8 (6), Rank 7 (???), Rank 6 (???), Rank 5(???), Rank 4 (???), Rank 3 (???), Rank 2 (???), Rank 1 (???), Rank 0 (???)]
"Divine being? A change to my state?" Leylin looked at his hands. Golden veins appeared under them, and then died down.
"The progress of analysis has increased as well. With the analysis of level 7 complete, I've met the minimum requirements to cast the legendary rank 12 arcane spell, Calcas' Avatar…" Leylin recalled the powerful model that Distorted Shadow had given to him. It was a terrifying arcane spell that would release all the conscients of the ancient Magi, and could steal all of Mystra's strength in an instant and cause her to fall.
"If this was in the past, Distorted Shadow would definitely have appeared and used all sorts of methods to distort my senses, forcing me to become arch enemies with the Goddess of the Weave and then make his move."
A smirk rose about Leylin's lips. He was now no longer a pawn to be used as others pleased. While the Weave Goddess' church was slightly hostile to him, they weren't mortal enemies and their differences weren't irreconcilable. Naturally, there was also no need to make any moves yet.
Power of Divinity
Leylin prized free will the most. For its sake, he wouldn't even mind falling out with Distorted Shadow.
"Besides, after grasping a thread of divinity and becoming a divine being, I'm officially on the way to ascending to becoming a god. I now can sense prayers from followers well and respond to them. While I can't bestow divine spells, this is already quite good…" Leylin closed his eyes.
Even without the boost from his Nightmare Absorbing Physique, he could sense the countless threads of faith in the air, and it was easy to trace them back to their source.
In the north, within Tiff's viscount territory, in a secret room. Tiff, who was doing his daily prayers, suddenly heard a voice from within his mind, "Dear follower, I am here. I exist within you!"
Through his spiritual force senses, Tiff felt his prayers connect with a very familiar existence. That feeling immediately caused him to kneel, with tears streaming down his face.
"Master, Feathered Serpent God Kukulkan, you are finally awake…"
This scene occurred in the minds of many followers of Kukulkan. They all began to pray, the power of faith constantly transmitted to Leylin through the Weave and absorbed by his massacre divinity.
"Next is to spread faith and nurture my divinity, before attempting to ignite my godfire…"
A fire seemed to blaze in Leylin's eyes.
"The feeling of accepting faith is similar to the power of domains… Is this the massacre domain?"
Leylin commanded, "A.I. Chip!"
[Beep! Mission established. Host has obtained partial information on the massacre domain. Beginning simulations.]
"After obtaining the massacre divinity, the respective domain ability has awakened, but this would require large amounts of the power of faith and my own comprehension to coordinate…"
Leylin stroked his chin, eyes flashing as he pondered.
Domains were gods' true assets. Only through them could gods connect with the faith of their followers, and then transform that strength for their use.
Leylin now had only made contact with the surface layer of the massacre domain, and even the A.I. Chip was still unable to digitize it.
After all, the massacre divinity was not his own. Only after he had a better understanding of the law of massacre could he truly grasp this domain.
When that time came, the A.I. Chip should be able to digitize information regarding the domain.
Leylin stood up slowly, and with his breaths, a powerful gust of wind blew in the secret room and struck a steel plate. It began to buzz.
"How strong have I become after absorbing the divinity?" Leylin raised his arm, and a water screen appeared, showing a reflection of his figure on the bright layer of water.
He was still tall and had a good posture, his golden curls matching with deep blue eyes like the sea to create the most standard image of a noble youth.
However, Leylin now noticed a very hazy golden luster from his body from the corner of his eye. This layer was very weak, and without paying much attention to it, it could be overlooked.
"Also… Leylin stared at his eyes. In the depths of the deep blue eyes, traces of gold flickered.
"Is this what happens after taking in divinity?"
Leylin stroked his chin, "In a few years, I'll be able to conceal this entirely after I've adapted to the power of divinity. However, I don't have that much time…"
"Shaylin! Move the floating city towards the outer sea regions of Dambrath."
Putting on a purplish-gold wizard robe with star patterns on it, Leylin issued the order.
With his will, the entire Ghost City began to rumble. Amidst the elemental turbulence on the outer planes, it began to charge towards the surrounding space of Dambrath. On the way, all obstructions to the floating city were crushed into powder.
"The gods? The north? Hmph! No matter what plots you have, what can you do to me if I leave?"
Sitting at the control area, Leylin sneered.
The reason he had come to the north was to obtain Malar's divinity! Since his goal was met and he sensed the situation in the north, when was a better time to leave than now?
Making a decision when it was time to was one of the reasons that Leylin could survive to this day.
While there were immense benefits to be taken in the north, Leylin had offended two greater gods' churches. How would he dare stay on?
"But… The God of Justice and Weave Goddess' churches are preoccupied with helping Alustriel regain her kingdom, which is why most of their power will be concentrated in the north. The possibility of them making trouble for me is at a minimum…"
"But… Tiff will be in trouble…"
Leylin's eyes flashed "But that's only something I've done at leisure. There's little to hang onto there."
At this thought, Leylin immediately made a prophecy using Tiff's thread of faith.
"Immense danger will arrive soon. Bring all forces and preparatory priests away from the north and head to the outer seas of Dambrath…"
"Immense danger? Is it the church?"
Tiff looked solemn as he began to pray, "God! You are the master of everything. I shall carry out your will…"
"What's wrong, darling?"
The mistress looked at Tiff next to her, evidently worried. While they had shared a bed for many years, she still felt that this person was like a stranger.
"It's nothing much… I'm leaving…"
Tiff ruthlessly got up and put on clothes, "You can leave with me, or stay behind to manage the land…"
While she was still stunned, Tiff had already left the room. What came next was a huge ruckus.
For Leylin, the land and wealth in the north were things that could be given up on. Only the seedlings of priests that had been painstakingly nurtured were the most important and could not be abandoned.
Tiff understood Leylin and had the batch of loyal priest seedlings to leave as quickly and safely as possible from the north.
As they had left quickly and resolutely, all that the two churches had after they could react were only the things that Tiff had abandoned. They had no clue of what they had let escape.
...
Leylin had left without a sound and returned the same way.
Besides Ernest, Baron Jonas and a few others, the people on the land did not even know that this legendary wizard young master had left and returned in secret.
For ordinary people, it was common for wizards to stay in their towers for a year and a half and not show themselves.
After greeting his parents and mentor, Leylin had no plans to care for the land and instead, stayed within the wizard tower.
All these tasks were settled by his men. All he had to do now was amass the power of faith and train his divinity, all this to ignite his godflames and become a god.
Within the wizard tower.
A layer of distorted massacre domain expanded. Leylin wore loose wizard robes, meditating as he felt the threads of faith in this territory.
It might be because he was within the territory itself with many people protecting him, but the threads of faith were even more distinct than before.
The massacre domain expanded, allowing him to have a better understanding of this great domain power.
"The massacre domain should grow through constant battles and nurturing through taking lives. I even have a terrible premonition that this massacre domain can steal all life energy, which means… the more I kill, the more powerful my main body gets?"
Leylin looked at the A.I. Chip, getting another prompt that said [Obtained information regarding massacre domain.]
In Leylin's opinion, he would soon be able to control and digitize the true domain soon.
"Tiff and the rest should arrive soon. What's next is to find a place for a massacre and nurture the divinity in my body…"
Leylin stroked his chin and pondered.
Based on his senses, if his divinity value was at 1 now, it had reached 1.1 after absorbing much the power of faith.
"I obtained the massacre divinity before, but that's only an introduction and medium! After passing through this threshold, I can transform the power of faith and boost my own divine force…"
Leylin seemed to understand something.
Whether his divinity had power was another matter altogether.
Before he had become a divine being, it would have been impossible to communicate with his followers and absorb their faith without help from the Nightmare Absorbing Physique.
With divinity, he could do this as well as transform faith, thus making preparations to ignite godflames.
"It's best to comprehend the domain of massacre while spreading the source of faith… Is this… conquering?"
Leylin sank into deep thought, "Where do I find a large unconquered land and not attract the attention of the gods?"
The prime material world had basically been divided by the gods already. There wasn't much more territory left.
Even if Leylin was willing to head to Karen's hometown, the dark region, he would still need to seize faith from Ross and a large number of underground gods. Most importantly, they were all true gods, and it was impossible for him to go against them.
"I'll need to make my choice carefully… Tiff and the rest are going to reach soon, so I should settle them down first and have them mix with the commoners on the land. I'll make my mind after fully unearthing the potential of this territory…"
With the current circumstances, Leylin could only plan things this way.
Empire
Waves splashed into the side of a majestic warship, yet it didn't falter at all. It stood tall like a mountain or reef braving the wind and waves, advancing into the depths of the outer seas.
The ship was flying the flag of a scarlet skull and dagger. Numerous others followed behind it, with fierce cannons and countless pirates on board. Even the largest of merchant groups would be scared out of their wits at this sight.
This fleet was that of the Scarlet Tigers, the organisation that controlled the outer seas of Dambrath. The Scarlet Tigers had the best of the best, with over a hundred large warships and more than five thousand men.
With their several expansions, the Scarlet Tigers seemed to have bitten off more than they could chew. However, with Tiff and the other elites joining from the north, a powerful pirate fleet was formed that rivalled the imperial navy.
"I never expected the native empire to actually exist…" Isabel was on the bow of the Scarlet Tiger, her legendary Red Dragon Sword hung at her waist. She emitted a faint draconic aura, her bloodthirsty eyes staring pointedly into the horizon.
The memory of her time on Nightmare Island was still fresh in her mind. She'd been made a fool of by the natives there, and now she'd obtained information regarding their empire through repeated attacks on native tribes. Having determined their location, she was planning to deal them a huge blow.
'But I never thought cousin Leylin would agree to this. He even came here himself…' Isabel looked towards the ship's hold, seeming serious, 'Is this for faith, to become a god? Is a god going to be born out of our family?'
In the past, Isabel didn't have the guts to think of such blatant blasphemy. However, things were different now. Leylin had performed miracle after miracle, cementing his cousin's confidence in him. In addition, Isabel had been able to sense the power of divinity on Leylin's body.
'My cousin will successfully become a god. All who stand in his way will be killed, regardless of their identity!' Isabel reached for the hilt of her sword, her mind made up. The sombre atmosphere caused all the surrounding pirates to shiver in fear as they glanced at their leader.
Once she'd become a Dragon Warlock, Isabel had completely suppressed the demonification of her body. Dragon King's Mystic Might had even allowed her to cross the threshold of the legendary realm! Her title in the outer seas had changed. She was no longer the Scarlet Witch, instead the Daughter of the Red Dragon.
Along with Leylin, she was one of the two main forces in charge of the outer seas, on one the surface and the other in the shadows. All the other organisations knew of their backgrounds, and were obviously fearful.
Leylin could sense Isabel's conviction. Sitting quietly in the captain's room, he couldn't help but chuckle.
'A conviction formed out of love?' Leylin nodded as he sensed an extremely thick string of fate.
Learning of his ambitions for godhood and that he'd already obtained a thread of divinity, Isabel had become one of Leylin's worshippers. She even began to spread the faith of the Winged Serpent God Kukulkan amongst the pirates, and even if Leylin wasn't a match for the gods of the storms or the like, her methods caused a portion of the pirates to change their faith.
What surprised Leylin more was that Isabel's faith for him was extremely firm and zealous. Albeit slightly, it was even more sturdy than Tiff's! Leylin knew for sure that if he'd become a god already she would be a devout follower of his.
Leylin sensed the faith of the other pirates, and could only smile wryly. "I'd be lucky to have even one with such a firm conviction as her…"
Although Isabel was doing all she could to assist him, Leylin was still only a divine being. He could only answer the prayers of his followers, not grant them divine spells. He wasn't competitive at all with the true gods, or even false gods, demigods, or devils. Worshippers were bright, after all. Why would they invest effort into someone who couldn't give them anything?
If not for Isabel using her position and doing everything in her power to promote this faith, the religion of the Winged Serpent God would have failed terribly.
'I need to give my worshippers some real benefits as soon as possible. I should become a demigod and bestow divine spells to them, but I'll also need to give them material compensation.
'This is the principle of equal exchange.' Leylin suddenly had a revelation. The path of faith in the World of Gods still followed the Magi's principles of equal exchange. Worshippers provided their faith, and in return the god promised to receive their souls after death, taking them into their divine kingdom. They would also provide shelter, divine spells, and other things. In essence, the thread of faith was a contract between god and man.
Of course, even the Magi's concept of equal exchange did not necessitate that the things traded were of equal value objectively. The two parties just had to find the traded items that valuable.
That concept allowed the gods to pay less than their worshippers offered up. This was the only way for them to accumulate divine force and increase their power. Sadly, these days the churches were growing more competitive. The gods had to give in greater amounts to obtain more and better followers. This internal competition caused wasteful consumption of divine force.
On top of that, there were devils and demons stealing their 'food'.
'This is the sorrow of the gods. As their foundations are with the mortals, they can never abandon the faith in the prime material plane. Gods whose faith has been lost will gradually die out, and their eternity is but an unrealistic rosy view…' Leylin sighed. Although this path was powerful, it was so limiting it wasn't worth him immersing himself in it.
This body was only a clone, while the original walked the path of the ancient Warlocks. This had never changed. That was strength that truly belonged to him, and Leylin knew this very well.
Of course, the path of faith was the most compatible with the rules of the World of Gods, and there were many areas of it he could learn from. Clone as he was, this Leylin did not hesitate in his attempt at godhood.
After pondering the contract between gods and humans, Leylin focused on other matters.
'But… Even I didn't expect that just as I was trying to find a place to expand my faith and comprehend the domain of massacre, the native empire suddenly emerged… Could the world origin force be helping me in hopes that I succeed? What kind of joke is this?'
He'd originally planned to conquer another territory to boost his relationship with his worshippers, comprehending the massacre domain and disseminating his faith. The information about the native empire had been a huge surprise.
Although there were legends and rumours about the native empire in the outer seas, Isabel had now found a number of safe shipping routes. It seemed too much of a coincidence, so Leylin smelled something fishy.
To the conscients of the gods, a Magus like him was an intruder and their arch nemesis. Why would they try to help him? It would be more normal if he was being hunted down!
'What's with this situation? Could it be that the World Will treats me as a complete native after reincarnation, and is trying to get me on its side? Or is it in such deep sleep that it doesn't react to the matters of the world anymore. Maybe this is to balance power… Have the gods' goals deviated from that of the World Will, and they're betraying it?'
Numerous possibilities flashed in Leylin's mind, and were simulated by the A.I. Chip to find any possible changes in the future.
'There are many changes in the future… But I can't go wrong with grasping the present!' After planning for a long time, Leylin sighed, 'Whatever it is, occupying the native empire and comprehending the massacre domain amidst constant slaughter is key. I need to spread my faith afterwards as well…'
At this thought, Leylin sent out a divine call.
"Master!" A moment later, Tiff's figure emerged from the shadows without a sound or any trace of energy undulations.
"Have you met Isabel? You will work with her in the future, and spread faith of me in the native empire…" A golden ray flashed in his eyes.
"I've seen her… If Master already has such power in the outer seas, the native empire will not be a problem for you." Tiff spoke reverently.
He was actually rather surprised that Leylin had a legendary sorcerer under him, and rather relieved. He obviously did not dare to be negligent when it came to Leylin's divine orders.
Watching Tiff's figure disappear, Leylin nodded inside. Tiff's retreat from the north had gone quite well. While he had lost a few helpers in the process, they were outer powers that did not know their true secrets. The group of acolytes that Leylin prized the most successfully reached the outer seas, giving Leylin the confidence to declare war on the native empire.
After all, faith could provide unimaginable effects when one was invading and occupying another territory. This war could be said to be a selection and training for the priests. With Leylin's foresight, he would definitely be able to discover a large number of people who would form the sturdy foundations for his church in the future.
He had two legendaries in Isabel and Tiff, as well as an experienced army. They were being led by a divine being in himself, and on top of that they had the continuous support of the Faulen Family. This was what Leylin was counting on!
He'd basically sent out all his elites for this battle, his ambition evidently not something a mere fief with a small population could satisfy.
Debanks Island
An intense military discussion was taking place within the captain's room of the Scarlet Tiger.
There were few participants. Leylin who was in charge naturally sat at the front, with Isabel and Tiff by his side. At Isabel's side were Robin Hood, Ronald, Karen, and the other leaders of the pirates. Next to Tiff was the organisation Leylin had run in the north. This included devil worshippers and real devils. Even if they concealed it, their aura still caused the pirates to feel a sense of danger and unease.
Next to the devil followers were a few priests, higher-ups with grim faces. These priests were seeds that Leylin had nurtured. Although they were young, they were already beginning to show merciful and kindly traits, and did not seem to be compatible with the devils. However, they still sat together, which created a rather interesting atmosphere.
These two groups were meeting for the first time, and could not help but size each other up curiously. These were all Leylin's elite forces, as well as the fledgling form of his future church and army. They were also the capital Leylin was using on an expedition to the native empire, and he naturally had to integrate them well.
After the long self-introductions were completed, Leylin coughed softly. Immediately after, the area went quiet.
"Isabel, present the situation over there." In official settings, Leylin always called Isabel by her name, and would still do the same after becoming a god.
For eternal gods, blood relations and whatever else was pointless. The only interest was in eternity!
"The native empire was found by a group of pirates under me. It is on a large island with an area of about the size of two or three Dambrath Kingdoms… The surroundings of the island is always filled with dangerous gales and ocean currents. There is only a slight period of time every year that ships can successfully sail past, which is why contact with the outer world is at a minimum. My underlings now have a clear idea of the patterns of the currents and have created an accurate shipping route…"
For the pirates under Isabel, identifying ocean currents and shipping routes were fundamental skills.
For the pirates whose lives depended on the skies, their abilities in navigation and techniques in determining their location based on the stars far exceeded that of ordinary merchant ship navigators and sailors. As the greatest captain in the outer seas, Isabel naturally had many talented people at her disposal.
After determining the location, determing the shipping route was simple with some time and many tests at the cost of lives.
"Hss…"
Isabel's speech immediately had gasps sounding from Tiff's side.
"The size of two or three Dambrath Kingdoms? That area is akin to like a small continent already!"
"The Dambrath Kingdom has a population roughly made up of a million people. At the most conservative estimate, the native population that we have to face is over 2 million? How frightening!"
Such a simple ratio immediately resulted in uneasy looks on some pirates' faces.
After all, they had less than ten thousand men, and yet had to fight enemies that numbered hundreds more than them! If not for having an advantage in possessing ships and a route, they would long since have had thoughts of escaping.
"Quiet!" Tifa yelled. "Are you trying to humiliate yourselves in front of Master? Or is your mind that weak?"
Such a strict questioning and his status as a legend immediately caused everyone to quieten down.
"While there are many natives, that doesn't mean much. You'll know how things are once we get onshore.
Leylin nonchalantly waved his arms.
Even in Leylin's previous world during the Age of Discovery in the west, when the colonialists had taken over North and South America, they had conquered all the tribes and the kingdoms there with just hundreds or even tens of people. With thousands of criminals, pirates and many others, they had taken over the whole continent. It was then discovered by someone akin to a hero. (Similar to Cortés who used just 1000 people and took over the Aztec Empire with a population of 15 million people in 5 years.)
In Leylin's eyes, the native empire was not much different from the Aztec Empire in his original world, a backwards civilisation full of savagery and ignorance.
With advancements in civilisation and technology, conquering a civilisation that seemed huge but was actually oversized and backward was basically no different from killing a fat pig.
No matter how terrible the continent was, it was still better than the natives who used wooden spears and did not even have clothing.
Most importantly, with a 'god' like Leylin working, was there a chance of failure?
As a divine being, Leylin had an invisible, powerful infectious aura. After seeing how confident he was, the fears of the rest of the people died down.
After seeing how the situation had turned out, Leylin nodded and allowed Isabel to continue introducing the situation with the native empire.
"Based on our usual practices, I call this newly-discovered island the Debanks Island. It is now known that there is a native empire at the very centre which they call Sakartes, which means the sun that never falls. That takes up most of the plains on the island. The population is about 1.5 million people, and around the Sakartes Empire, there are a few tribes. Most are subservient to the Sakartes, and amongst them, there are some wars. Altogether, there should be about five or six hundred thousand people there…"
Isabel evidently valued this intel-gathering job and had even been able to gain such definite numbers about the Sakartes Empire, which was pretty god.
While already mentally prepared, some still gasped after hearing that they would be declaring war on about two million people.
"Hehe… that's nothing, you brainless things! Those aren't two million enemies but, in my opinion, two million healthy slaves! There's also countless treasures and fertile land!"
Isabel smirked at how her subordinates were acting and exclaimed coldly, sounding condescending.
The rest of the pirates remembered the frail natives and reacted.
What they used to do was take the natives as slaves. They obviously knew that just using blades would scare the natives into subservience, and they would not resist no matter how they were flogged. Sometimes, just one supervisor would be enough to manage hundreds of native slaves.
After disregarding the numbers, the pirates finally reacted, feeling vastly superior to them.
"Exactly! Those natives are so frail. What's there to be afraid of? Besides, we don't have to declare war on all of them at once. We can work from the surrounding tribes and subdue a few groups to work for us and let them kill themselves…"
Ronald spoke in a low voice, "The moment we conquer such a large land, or even just ten percent of it, all of you will be able to obtain unimaginable amount of wealth and even become nobles who have land…"
Pirates had always been living with their lives on the line. After hearing something so tempting, their breathing began to get rough while their eyes became bloodshot.
"That's right… As a Marquis, my family has the authority to confer titles… When the time comes, I definitely won't be stingy…"
Leylin made his promise then, which immediately had the pirates cheering.
Being able to turn from the most lowly pirates to nobles? That temptation was enough for the pirates to work torturously for.
At Tiff's side, the people started to get a little restless. After all, clerical members needed to eat and drink, as well as have safe and comfortable lives.
"Taking over the native empire and providing faith to our master is also a divine order!"
Tiff grimly announced.
"For our Master!"
The rest began to pray devoutly.
After knowing each other, everyone left the room in succession, leaving only Tiff and Isabel behind.
"It doesn't matter if there are ten times more natives than us, but… Has Master ever thought about the possibility of them being protected by gods?"
Tiff looked solemnly as he asked. This was also what Leylin had been trying his best to avoid.
"Mm, I also wanted to warn you about this. In the few native tribes of the outer seas, there faith totems. Some were even comparable to legends or demigods…"
Isabel spoke seriously.
From their point of view, no matter how useless the natives could be, they could still have one or two true gods.
That would be terrible.
After all, Leylin was now merely a divine being! The cruelty of divine battles could be experienced from many historical poems and poetic sagas.
"You don't have to worry about this. The Debanks Island does have a few native religions and divine beings, but at most, there's only a half-god and not a true one… On top of that, the gods of the continent have no interest in the faith of the natives…"
Leylin guaranteed.
When it came to gods, he obviously was the one with the most right to say this. Upon hearing this, Isabel and Tiff relaxed.
True gods were a large gap from him, but the difference between a divine being and half-god was not so big. If the difference was not so large, they would still have courage to to risk their lives.
As for how Leylin knew about this, Isabel and Tiff sensibly did not ask more questions, since gods always had their own secrets.
Leylin too had no intention to share his plans. After they left, Leylin went to the bottom of the hold of the ship and saw a group of native slaves cowering in fear.
In preparations for this expedition, these natives would be the translators and communicators. This would reduce the natives' hatred of this colonial invasion.
Contamination
'A.I. Chip, show me the schematic from the soul research.' Leylin seemed to have no reaction to the natives' fear. A wave of the hand had a wizened old man approach him, and he pressed his palm into the old man's head with a glint in his eyes.
Time, passed, and the man's expression warped quickly. There was happiness and suffering, but mostly confusion. The rest of the natives backed off as they watched this 'god' 'bestow' gifts upon him.
In their point of view, the leader of the slaves and the supervisor were both amazing people. As for Leylin, who headed thousands of pirates and had several hundred large ships in his possession, he far surpassed their tribal chiefs or priest elders. Perhaps the only thing that could compare to him were their totems.
[Beep! Soul schematic analysis completed. Beginning comparison…] The A.I. Chip projected a coloured image in front of Leylin, comparing the native's soul to that of a regular person. A few darker regions were specifically marked out.
Putting the now-useless lab rat down, Leylin returned to his bedroom alone. Large amounts of data flashed across his eyes, and he began to turn serious.
"As expected, there's something wrong with the natives' souls…" A long time ago, Leylin had discovered an extremely interesting phenomenon. None of the native tribes in the outer seas believed in any true gods. This was something unthinkable!
The gods were so thirsty for faith that they wouldn't even leave strange creatures and mud beasts alone. Why would they abandon these intelligent natives? Even if their souls weren't even a tenth as strong as that of a commoner from the mainland, the gods still understood that little things would add up.
However, of all the tribes that Leylin had attacked, the natives all believed in natural spirits and totems, and there was no appearance of the gods from the mainland at all. The only explanation for this would be that there was some flaw in their power of faith, which left the gods with no choice but to give up on them and treat them as trash. They allowed the natives to do as they wished, and even if they knew of the large native empire they didn't bother with it.
With large amounts of research and comparisons, as well as with his own abilities as a divine being, Leylin had finally touched upon the secret.
'This spirit… The problem isn't exactly internal. It's actually contaminated…' Leylin was now solemn, 'On top of that, this mutation is familiar, with the mark of arcane and Magus spells… It reaches the depths of their genes, and has been passed on generation after generation.'
In essence, the power of faith was just soul energy that was dispersed when worshippers reached an emotional peak during their prayers or ceremonies, full of fervour. Using their domains and divine sparks, the gods absorbed this specific soul energy and turned it into divine force. There was no essential difference between lesser and greater gods either. It was the same process.
"What happens if we absorb this mutated soul force?"
'A.I. Chip, simulate the absorption of the natives' power of faith,' Leylin commanded, stroking his chin with his interest piqued.
[Beep! Mission established. Beginning simulations… Preparing model…] Large amounts of data flashed by Leylin's eyes, giving form to a scenario. The statue of Malar from before had been enshrined around a native altar, the rest of the natives worshipping it. Visible only to divine beings, power of faith rippled as it gathered at the stone statue.
There was no change to the statue at the beginning, and his divine force increased in strength. However, a decade later the statue began to grow indistinct. A dark red lustre lingered around it, and Malar turned more violent and asked for regular blood sacrifices.
A century later, Malar's divine realm exploded amidst his despairing roars. A gigantic ape body fell into the prime material plane, bound securely around the native priests.
Five centuries had passed, and Malar was now a beast with no mind of his own. He had turned into a golden flag, with the figure of an ape on it.
'I used Malar as the model because I'm more familiar with his divine force, but I never thought this would happen…' Once the simulation had passed, Leylin fearfully recalled the scene just then.
"There's definitely something wrong with the natives' power of faith. It's greatly contaminated, and can even cause a true god to weaken, eventually even fall to the prime material plane. Combined with the sacrifices, they become bound to the planet, their mind slowly erased until all that's left is pure instinct…"
Such a miserable thing was no different from suicide. It was no wonder why the gods had forsaken these inhabitants.
'They lost their holy kingdom, and were banished into this area with their consciousness eroding over time. It's worse than confinement… The power of their faith is contaminated, but it's a hereditary thing that they simply can't change…'
Leylin pondered over the issue, 'Since that's the case, I don't have to worry about other gods meddling if I enact my plans on this kingdom. However, I'll have to bear the burden all on my own…'
Although the worship of these inhabitants was lacking, and the spirits they bound weren't as powerful as gods, a demigod who assimilated with those spirits could become comparable to gods! The totemic demigods would be that strong!
Of course, once they left their area, the power of these demigods would fall drastically.
'No matter what, there is a chance here. A huge one!' Leylin's eyes flashed as countless possible scenarios unfolded in his mind. All that was left was to bring them to reality.
"However… The incompleteness and contamination of these spirits still makes me uneasy. If I don't understand them completely…" Leylin recalled several samples of these totems, his divine conscience delving deep into the genes where the ancient memories were located…
There was a fire on the battlefield, floating cities crashing into the ground like meteorites. The arcanists, who were always intelligent and farsighted, who controlled all the truth in the world were now being slain. Their murderers? The gods!
The last remaining arcanists of Netheril cried out in hatred and anguish, "The spark of the arcane spells of Mise will never cease! We will never yield…"
Multiple memory fragments were revealed to Leylin, and even with his power he could only process a small portion of them. However, the information divulged from even that small portion was enough to move him.
"So these people are actually immigrants from the Netheril era!" Leylin gasped. He'd previously seen other people from the Netheril era before, like Helen. Although it was a rather miserable thing to see them run and hide for their lives, they were living in heaven compared to these people.
'Who'd have guessed that the progressive and cultured Netherese have been reduced to such a state over tens of thousands of years. They're called barbarians and fools, some even captured and turned into slaves…' Leylin sighed inwardly.
He could now understand what had happened before. The gods had been displeased with the fearless research of the Netherese arcanists, and it had eventually led to war. They began to kill what looked like all living arcanists, and most of the floating cities crashed into oblivion. The Netherese civilization had crumbled in a day.
It was at this moment that a group of Netherese had gathered. They likely wished to resist the enslavement of the gods, and were resolute in their decision. They swallowed a medicine that caused them to reject the power of faith, the rest unlucky enough to be swept into the high-ranking battle and ending up as collateral damage.
In any case, the Netherese had experienced a complete change in spirit, and were now considered venomous to the power of faith, and in turn to the gods themselves! They definitely wouldn't be taken in by the gods, so they escaped across the seas and started reproducing here.
During this process, due to the powers of the gods and other backhanded means, these people from the Netherese Era had regressed. What was once a renowned and cultured civilisation had now turned into a group of barbaric and foolish tribals…
'If my guess is correct, the ancestors of these natives turned into barbarians after rejecting the power of faith. This had stopped them from finding even one god to turn to, how pitiful…'Leylin felt the anguish of losing a whole civilisation from the bottom of his heart.
His eyes turned red. 'However… Since matters have turned out like this… Hand over your blood, tears, hatred, and your power of belief– everything…'
The gods may not have been able to resolve the issue, but Leylin could circumvent it. His ancient Nightmare Absorbing Physique could absorb emotion itself, and the emotions of millions of people would definitely grant him power to rival gods!
'Of course I have to keep a low profile about this. At least before I begin my ascension, the ability to make use of these inhabitants' power of faith shouldn't be divulged…' Leylin rubbed his temples, feeling a headache. The number of secrets he was hiding continued to grow.
'"I'll have to devise a meticulous plan. Fortunately, Debank Islands is a solitary one, with almost zero contact with the mainland, so there's a chance to keep information from leaking!'
Flame Bird
Hundreds of towering warships glided across the outer seas, making for a magnificent sight.
However, it wasn't so beautiful to the one in charge of the long voyage. There were five thousand men to feed and take care of, which was a huge problem on the seas. On top of that there was the restlessness, and the disease that constantly crept up on Leylin's men.
Fortunately the crew were originally pirates of the Scarlet Tiger, so they could handle such long distance sailing.Tiff himself had dispatched the acolytes under him to each and every ship, boosting the morale of the men. Without holy magic to aid them, it was a very big test.
Leylin was on the deck of the flagship, looking out at the boundless sea. He breathed a light sigh, "Our food and water supplies are depleting quickly. This long distance war is really a huge gamble… Fortunately, we are able to reach Debanks Islands before our stock runs out…"
A flush of red appeared on Isabel's face, a rare sight. Being the captain of the Scarlet Tigers for so many years had killed that elegant young lady. She was now a pirate, filled with savagery and deceit. Only when she was with Leylin like now would she reveal a part of her girly side.
"Are we depending to seize supplies upon reaching the shores? That might not be the safest method!"
Hearing Isabel's surprised words, Leylin shook his head. "We have a limited number of men. Each of them is extremely precious, so we can't make senseless sacrifices…"
Even in Leylin's previous world, it was difficult to win wars after a period of travel.
"What are you thinking of?" Isabel looked at him.
He'd already drawn out a navigation map with Debanks Island at the center. The drawing scale was somewhat absurd, but it had sufficed.
"We will first make a detour and circle to this area." Leylin pointed at group of islands beside Debanks Island. They were large enough to each have a ruling kingdom, with many smaller islands beside them.
"You mean to say… So we take down the Chihuahua Islands first, and use them as a supply point?" Isabel surmised. Although she had thought of this strategy as well, it required too much time to prepare. Leylin had maintained an unhurried pace in front of the pressing situation.
"Yes. There seems to be a tribe with over ten thousand members here, we could use them as practice to polish the skills of our men…" Although both Leylin and Isabel were confident in their army's strength, it wasn't possible to establish coordination in a day or two. Leylin wanted them to undergo some training.
"I got it…" This sort of slow and steady advance told Isabel how determined Leylin was, so she immediately passed down the orders.
...
The Chihuahua Islands were close to Debanks Island. The tribe that resided here were vassals of the Sakartes Kingdom, but because of the ocean supporting them they were quite independent.
After all, with the unskilled boat crafting abilities that these inhabitants have, chopping up all the trees in the area to make wooden rafts would still not be enough to stage a rebellion.
The ruler of this tribe might have had such thoughts, but his elders and priest would have advised him otherwise.
Under such a situation, this tribe was still doing fairly alright, compared to the others which had to offer much more tributes to the kingdom.
The chief of this tribe, Abasa, was now sheltered and served by his maids who lazily fanned a giant banana leaf, at the same time enjoying the taste of the tropical fruits.
Abasa was extremely dark skinned, and he was extremely obese. Layers of fat could be seen on his body, just like a giant hog. However, his neck was extremely slender. This was the sign of nobility, and several metal piercings were found on his lips. On his face were many oiled markings, which hid his original features.
"Something has happened!"
As Abasa enjoyed the service of his maids, an extremely skinny old man dashed in.
"Oh? My wise priest, what has made you come in such a flurry?"
The high priest had a heavy smell of incense mixed with lamp oil around him, and he wore a five coloured feathered crown which the plumes reached the height of three metres, the feathers angling in a very dangerous angle.
"My mighty chief, the king of the Chihuahua Islands, our ancestors' spirits are now enraged, and this needs you to be there personally…"
The high priest fell and knelt on the ground, sounding serious.
"The fury of our mighty ancestral soul? Were our sacrifices not enough?" When it came to matters like these, Abasa found it difficult to continue enjoying himself. He pushed the maid away, eyes surrounded by puffy skin staring at the high priest.
"No, I think this is more like a warning!" There was a patch of blood on the high priest's forehead, evidently shocked by what had happened.
"Bring me there!" Abasa waved his arms, and a few natives who were like monkeys raised the chair he was sitting on and began to walk.
Less than an hour later, all the natives in the tribe seemed to gather as they watched the high priest in the centre performing.
There was some sort of anesthetic incense and gas burning in the surroundings. As the leader, Abasa donned his ceremonial attire, a cloak formed of five-coloured beast hide, with difficulty. He stood at the front of the procession while the high priest unceasingly danced, body writhing as if he had epilepsy.
At the heart of the procession, on a crudely-made flag of animal skin, traces of dark red golden lines appeared.
"Mighty ancestral spirit… What hint do you wish to give us?" Abbas knelt, and the rest of the natives followed suit.
*Rumble!*
As everyone kowtowed, a huge cloud rose from the heart of the altar. The image of some creature flashed past, releasing a few roars that were difficult to understand.
"The ancestral spirit is warning us!"
At this moment, the high priest jumped as if he had obtained some divine enlightenment.
"At the west side… unprecedented enemies will appear. They will ride steel fortresses on the sea and bring about massacres and death… They are…"
The high priest foamed at the mouth.
"What are they?" Abbas pulled at the high priest's neck till he turned purplish-red, as if about to suffocate to death.
"They are… the fair-skinned devils!"
After spitting this out, the high priest fainted.
"Fair-skinned devils?" Abasa rubbed his chin, "Send down the order. All warriors are to bring pikes and stone blades and wait at the western coast…"
The vocabulary and experience of natives was limited. Even the chief did not understand what a fair-skinned devil was meant to be. All they knew was that the enemy was coming.
"Oh!" With the encouragement from the ancestral spirit, the sturdy warriors in the tribe completed this task at great speed.
Abbas, who guided his subordinates, was full of mettle, "I shall skin the scalp of the enemy's leader and hang it on the war to serve as my medal…"
...
"Hm? Our attack seems to have been discovered…"
Leylin, who stood on deck, frowned.
"Luckily, this is just a small tribe. Of the natural spirits they worship, they are at most only divine beings…"
Seeing the native warriors at the coastline nearby, Leylin spoke, "Isabel! Tiff!"
"Here!"
"You'll take over commanding. You don't have to worry about anything else. Just take down the Chihuahua Island. Remember to seal of the sea paths and don't let even one escape…"
It was naturally best to have news of his invasion not spread for as long as possible.
After instructing this, Leylin took off, charging towards some divine being.
Isabel, who had taken over commanding, drew the Red Dragon Sword in her hand and glanced at the native warriors who had gathered at the coastline disdainfully. They had wooden pikes and stone blades, as well as canoes.
"Bombard them! Let them see our might!"
Isabel yelled. The natives were equipped so poorly, and there were less than two thousand of them. This was like a fat piece of meat being presented to them.
"Go!" The pirates immediately released terrifying howls from the battleship with reddened eyes.
A wave of bombs were shot to the native tribe's position.
The ferocious explosions as well as terrible cries by his ears left Abbas frozen.
"Ancient ancestor! This huge fort on the sea… and that godly fire? What have we provoked?"
Countless warships closed in. Their canoes were already capsizing, and the guards by his side were already yelling as they tried to flee. The chief could not help but release bellows of despair.
In the next moment, this old chief had his head chopped off by a blade.
"Heh! This fat pig is obviously a high-ranked person. I wonder if there are rewards…" Along with this voice, the gold and silver accessories on the chief's body disappeared in an instant.
"Is this the natives' guarding spirit? While there's divinity, it has low intelligence…"
Leylin took a look at this divine being that looked like a flaming bird, eyes flashing with light from the A.I. Chip.
"Your followers are now being massacred by me, and the power of my domain is diminishing. Submit to me, and I can let you live!"
Leylin used his divine will to send a wave of information, but what he got in return was the flaming bird's howl of rage.
*Chiu chiu!*
Along with this sharp chirp, a bundle of golden flames enveloped Leylin, causing the air around him to distort and rise.
Domain of Massacre
"Hmph, what a pigheaded idiot! You haven't even ignited your godfire yet and have the gall to go against me?" Leylin snorted, and the flames immediately went out. After obtaining divinity, he no longer saw anything in regular divine beings. This divine creature in front of him was merely seeking death.
At this thought, Leylin looked through the results of the A.I. Chip's scan.
[Totem spirit (Flaming Bird) Divine being. Strength: 15 (+5) Agility: 17 (+5) Vitality: 19 (+5) Spirit: 20 (+5) Possessed feats: 1. Domain: In the range of the followers' prayers, the totem spirit will obtain a boost to properties. All stats will increase by 5. 2. Affinity with flames. 3. Holy form: Immune to all spells below rank 5. 4: Unknown ???]
"While in the range of the followers' prayers, all stats increase by 5? This really is a god similar to earth-bound spirits…"
Leylin snickered, "Is this what you're depending on? Unfortunately… This isn't your time anymore. With the loss of followers, the boost you get from your domain will decrease, which means the optimum opportunity to have you serve under me is now…"
The boost from the domain would obviously come along with the existence of followers.
Now, however, with the pirate army closing in and the young men of the native tribe being massacred, faith was quickly diminishing.
The effects from the massacre was trivial. What was worse was that without the totem spirit's protection, the faith of the natives collapsed.
In a short period of time, Leylin saw the (+5) at the end of the stats slowly dim and turn into (+4). As the areas they occupied expanded, the numbers went down.
"Is this faith? So powerful and so pitiful…"
Leylin sighed, noticing the fraud that was totem spirits. If he really could become a true god and bestow divine spells, the followers' faith would not crumble so quickly.
*Chiu chiu!*
Leylin actually had plans to subdue this flaming bird totem, since this would be his first guide on the Debanks Island.
Unfortunately, the bird had no plans to make use of Leylin's kind intentions and used a huge bundle of fire to end the conversation.
Flames filled with golden luster struck the region where Leylin had been standing, the boiling-hot temperatures taking in all the oxygen in the surroundings and created an area like a vacuum.
"It only has an ability similar to magic and can't make use of the divinity and power of faith in its body well. It's like the instinct of beasts."
Leylin sighed, the Roaring Red Dragon Stuff appearing in his hands then.
As he had used [Dragon Soul Burn] a few times already, the red dragon soul inside had already diminished in size and looked rather dispirited.
[Dragon aura domain]!
[Conical Flames]!
Now, however, in the face of a legend that was merely a divine creature, Leylin did not even need to burn the dragon soul. With a wave of his staff, a powerful dragon aura domain expanded with the dragon aura rippling within.
*Roar…*
A red dragon figure appeared above Leylin, spewing out unique conical flames at the flaming bird. Such might immediately had the giant flaming bird snarling unceasingly.
*Rumble!* Two huge bundles of flames strived for victory in the air, turning the horizon red.
"How can such brutish strength contend against me?"
Leylin yelled, conical flames piercing through the flaming bird's golden fire and enveloping it.
*Chiu chiu…*
The enraged howls of the bird could be heard in the flames, but there was something peculiar about the situation.
*Rumble!* All of a sudden, the red dragon's flames exploded into what looked like a red lotus. At the heart of it, the flaming bird did not seem to be injured and instead, even larger.
It chirped in its excitement, swallowing the red dragon's flames with large gulps, its golden flames flames turning crimson.
*Chiu chiu!*
The flaming bird that had assimilated with the red dragon's flames became larger in size, eyes looking human and filled with pride as it flew towards the red dragon figure in the air.
"Being able to take in the flames? The A.I. Chip should have found out. Is this a unique divine ability?"
Leylin's eyes flashed with wit, "Are you trying to swallow a legendary dragon soul? In that case, I'll give it to you!"
[Dragon Soul Burning]!
The dragon soul at the tip of the staff completely withered, body enveloped by translucent flames.
With the burning of the dragon soul, the red dragon figure in the air became more solid. Each scale seemed to be more corporeal, and sharp claws held a sharp glint.
*Roar…* The red dragon's large eyes showed intelligence as it collided with the flaming bird all of a sudden.
High-pitched dragon howls and bird cries surprised both the natives and pirates on the ground. All of them gazed upwards, watching the battle between the red dragon and flaming bird. Some natives were able to recognise their totem and immediately tossed their weapons aside, beginning to pray right away.
"What are you standing there in a daze for? Go!"
A similar dragon aura burst forth, and Isabel drew her Red Dragon Sword from a native soldier with an unknown duty as she berated the pirates loudly.
With two legends in charge, strength, great equipment, and having more fighters than enemies, they completely crushed the opponents. The pirate army had now pushed through to the outer regions of the tribe, and the enemies they faced had turned into a group of people acting without structure. There were even appearances from the old, young, female and frail natives.
"Those who do not surrender are to be killed with no exceptions!"
With her life as a pirate over so many years, Isabel lacked the pity that regular females had and sent down the command. Those pirates and devil followers that were initially extremely evil carried this out ruthlessly, and perhaps even did this even more cruelly than required.
"All I can do is to give him all my faith and complete all mortal battles…"
Isabel's eyes showed her understanding of her position and charged to the depths of the tribal area. Around her, the red dragon's figure and flames followed, making her look like the most beautiful war goddess.
*Chiu chiu…*
Meanwhile, the battle in the sky between legendary beasts reached its conclusion.
While the red dragon was of a legendary rank and had its dragon soul burnt, it was a fact that it was already dead and its power was diminished.
The giant flaming bird was not only a legendary being but even had divinity! Through several rounds, it had torn of large chunks of soul force from the red dragon's body and even swallowed its flames, causing its golden fire to turn red.
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!*
At the end, as the flaming giant gnawed at the head of the red dragon figure, the crystal with the dragon soul at the tip of Leylin's staff shattered.
"Tsk… after so many uses, the red dragon's soul force is completely consumed…"
Seeing the dragon soul vanishing in front of him, Leylin did not look the least bit surprised. The flaming bird, on the other hand, released an elated chirp and gulped down the red dragon figure while absorbing the flames it possessed.
"Then again, it's time I change the core!"
Leylin's figure ascended till he stood before the flaming bird. After absorbing the dragon soul, its body had become more enormous. A sense of a dragon aura was also being emanated by it as it met Leylin's gaze without fear. There was even desire in its eyes.
"Oh? Trying to eat me too?"
Leylin could not help but begin to chuckle after understanding what the bird wanted, "It really is a beast. It can only do everything on instinct and doesn't even care if it can digest me."
"Go crazy…" Leylin snapped his fingers, and the flaming bird immediately began to writhe, layers of flames rising as half of the red dragon's head appeared from its body.
"While being able to assimilate the flames is advantageous for you, you might want to be careful since eating too much could mean you might be assimilated instead…"
A sinister smile rose by Leylin's lips, "As you are now… you are prey truly worthy of being slaughter after being fattened up…"
"Return!"
Leylin tossed the Roaring Red Dragon Staff in his hands, and it began to soar into the air till it reached the head of the flaming bird. The sharp end of it quickly pierced downwards!
*Chiu chiu…* The large flaming bird could have easily dodged the attack, but it seemed to have gone stupid as it stayed where it was, golden and red flames twining around and eating at it.
*Xiu!*
The red dragon staff was like a sharp arrow that disappeared through the head of the bird, causing flames and golden blood to spurt everywhere.
*Chiu chiu…* With the large flaming bird's last miserable cries, a huge explosion sounded. The sound first came from its stomach, which then formed a storm that swept the bird within.
Leylin stood at the side, watching the large body being torn and devoured by the storm..
"If all earth-bound spirits on the Debanks Island have this level of strength, I have nothing to worry about. However, with the support of the native empire, those earth-bound spirits have strength probably similar to demigods…"
Leylin sighed inside.
The pirate allied armies had now killed their way into the inner parts of the native tribes. They began their ruthless massacre of the old, weak and ill, as well as all sorts of atrocious activities.
"Is this what conquering means? Increasing my strength by massacring continuously…"
Leylin's eyes showed his bewilderment for a moment, before the A.I. Chip sounded. [Beep! Host has killed a divine creature. Obtained partial information on the domain of massacre. Massacre domain model establishing. Beginning digitising…] [Beep! Host has grasped domain, massacre.] [Massacre domain. Obtaining strength by constant massacres! In this environment, host's stats increased by 1% (Current effect). With a certain probability, Host can obtain opponent's soul energy. Host's followers can also obtain boost from massacre domain.]