Unfortunately for the time being Liam was unable to tell his friends and family about the horrors of the universe and how to avoid the controlling hands of the system.
In preparation to help them, he started to kill again this time using the Celestials exp siphoning method to redirect a portion of the exp from the system.
Although he was still vigilant of the Celestials currently the biggest threat was the system and its mind reading.
Knowing that the universe could not access his soul, Liam redirected the displaced exp to his soul. He felt his mind becoming even clearer and working much faster.
By now it was clear to him that exp is the essence of the soul. The benefits were huge and his mental capabilities were far superior now.
However, there seemed to be a side effect. Liam's mind became unstable and made his personality slightly more ruthless.
'As expected, they can't be trusted.'
The Celestials weren't interested in helping him even though their words were the truth. They wanted to create a monster, but his high intelligence quickly caught the subtle change in his state of mind.
Since they didn't lie, he wasn't able to confirm their intentions without testing out the exp siphoning.
Immediately he typed into the group chat.
[Do not trust the Celestials - Liam Vensire (Innovator)]
Of course, he wasn't discouraged by the result of his little experiment. After all the clarity he felt was real: he only needed to purify the exp and transfer it to his soul as something other than soul essence.
For the next few days (external time), he locked himself away.
He had asked Locklear and Frey to take care of the territory for him. The architects would be asked to build and plan certain constructs and the other personnel would be guided to do their assigned work.
The soldiers continued to clear the land and kill hostiles both in and around the territory. All Liam had to do was occasionally level up the territory, which meant that although he was beginning to fall behind he would fall behind by much.
During his seclusion, he would be sent food while he tried to formulate ways he could purify the soul essence and convert it into something that would be both stable and a powerful accessory to him.
******************
Meanwhile, Jay was living up to his macabre skills and abilities.
Searching and slaughtering bosses and all the enemies he came across. These bosses were much stronger than regular enemies of their level, but in return gave far better rewards. Their bloodlines, however, were the same as normal enemies.
At this moment, Jay was following the trail of a lead one of his holy scouts had recommended to him.
"What your name again scout?" he asked while rushing through a dense jungle of vegetation.
"My name is Arnold, sir." The scout responded respectfully per his position.
"Arnold, tell me exactly what you saw and what you meant by special boss?" Jay questioned his subject while jumping across the thick vegetation of the lower canopy.
"What I saw was nothing like the other bosses exept the boss itself." He spoke excitedly as he remembered the special boss and the awe-inspiring actions of his lord.
"The creature was a 10 feet tall 6-tailed fox. I wasn't able to determine the sex but I assume it is female from the posse around it." Arnold hurriedly explained.
"So this posse sets the vixen apart from the other bosses?" Jay asked while encouraging Arnold to continue.
"You are right my lord, the vixen's entourage consists only of what I assume are elite monsters. More than this the surrounding area was surrounded by regular foxes. My guess is this boss is a native territory lord." Arnold concluded his recollection.
'How intriguing. This fox better have a talent for me to plunder.' Jay's inner thoughts were full of greed.
"I see, let us continue on." He replied to the scout in a cool and composed manner hiding his greed.
*******************
Jay suddenly stuck his hand out indicating for his holy subjects to halt, having caught sight of the fox territory.
He activated [Massacre] before rushing into the land of foxes. Once he took the first step he felt a burning feeling and an increase in temperature. He expected this thanks to the brief he had received when the scout first brought this boss' case to him.
The holy suffix on his troops allowed them to easily shrug off the effects of the burning heat and begin their slaughter.
This vixen must have worked hard to develop these troops over the past 3 days only for them to be ruthlessly destroyed by some stray god lacking divinity.
Thousands were killed by Jay alone. The collective efforts of his holy troops eradicated the normal foxes off the face of the planet
Suddenly Jay received a system notification.
[Player has obtained the right to become a god within the Pantheon of Eternal Strife]
'What is this? Eternal Strife? How interesting' Jay read this line of text and was instantly lured by the sweet power this pantheon could give him.
He decided to look further and understand the pantheon made up of 13 gods.
[Pantheon of Eternal Strife]
[Transience: The God of Transience represents the fleeting nature of all things, and is associated with the passage of time and the cycles of nature. Worshipers of the god of transience might include artists, poets, and philosophers who seek to understand the beauty and meaning of fleeting moments]
[Ephemerality: The God of Ephemerality represents the impermanence of all things and is associated with the changing seasons and the harmony of time. Worshipers of the god of ephemerality might include gardeners, naturalists, and those who seek to live in harmony with the natural world]
[Mortality: The god of mortality represents the inevitability of death and the transition to the afterlife. Worshipers of the god of mortality might include those who seek to understand or escape the inevitability of death, such as priests, healers, and necromancers]
[Death: The god of death represents the end of life and the destination of souls that aren't converted into exp. Worshipers of the god of death might include those who seek to honour and appease the deity, such as mourners, funeral directors, and those who perform death rites and ceremonies]
[Slaughter: The god of slaughter represents the violent and chaotic aspects of existence, and is associated with war, conflict, and bloodshed. Worshipers of the god of slaughter might include soldiers, mercenaries, and those who seek power through violence and domination]
[Existence: The god of existence represents the sustaining power of life and is associated with creation, growth, and renewal. Worshipers of the god of existence might include farmers, healers, and those who seek to understand and harness the power of life]
[Chaos: The God of Chaos represents the destructive power of chaos and the unpredictability of existence. The God of Chaos might be worshipped by those who embrace chaos and unpredictability, such as some barbarian tribes or chaotic cults]
[Blood: The God of Blood represents the primal power of bloodshed and the sacrificial nature of war. The God of Blood might be worshipped by warriors or soldiers who believe in the power of sacrifice to achieve victory in battle]
[Domination: The God of Domination represents the desire for power and control over others. The God of Domination might be worshipped by those who seek power and control, such as despots, conquerors, or those who value authority above all else]
[War: The God of War represents the destructive power of conflict and violence and is associated with soldiers, warriors, and conquerors. The God of War would likely be worshipped by soldiers, warriors, and those who see conflict as a means of achieving their goals]
[Destruction: The God of Destruction represents the power of chaos and destruction, and is associated with natural disasters and catastrophic events. The God of Destruction might be worshipped by those who see the power of natural disasters as a force of change or by those who revel in destruction for its own sake]
[Pain: The God of Pain represents the physical and emotional suffering caused by violence and conflict, and is associated with torture, cruelty, and sadism. The God of Pain might be worshipped by those who enjoy causing suffering or by sadistic cults]
[Vengeance: The God of Vengeance represents the desire for revenge and retribution, and is associated with those who seek to right wrongs and punish those who have done them harm. The God of Vengeance might be worshipped by those who seek retribution for wrongs done to them or their loved ones, such as vigilantes or those seeking revenge for personal reasons]
[Divinity of Slaughter Progress - 1.0×10-7%]
[Divinity of Death Progress - 1.0×10-9%]
[Divinity of Chaos Progress - 1.0×10-11%]
[Divinity of Blood Progress - 1.0×10-9%]
[Divinity of War Progress - 1.0×10-8%]
[The progress of other Divinities are currently incalculable.]
'What the hell, even the Slaughter Divinity needs at least a billion kills.' He was irritated since it would take so much effort yet he smiled at his prospects eagerly.
"SOLDIERS! A Boss fight is imminent prepare yourselves for death, for glory and for victory! You have trained for this moment, honed your skills and sharpened your weapons. Now is the time to put everything you've learned to the test. Remember your training, keep your wits about you, and fight with all your heart. This battle will not be easy, but it is one that we will win. For our comrades, for our families, and for our holy land, we will emerge victorious! So stand tall, soldiers, and face this challenge with courage and determination. Together, we will prevail!" Jay made his speech, encouraging the soldiers to fight bravely and at their hardest.
They started by encircling the Boss and its entourage before closing in. They soon formed a dense circle with a radius of 500m when the foxes discovered the soldiers had arrived.
At this point, the soldiers maintained their formation and remained vigilant. They knew that the Boss and its entourage would not go down without a fight, so they prepared for battle. The soldiers who were equipped with long-range weapons took positions at the outer perimeter, while those with close-range weapons took positions closer to the centre.
As the Boss and its elite foxes tried to escape, chipping away at the encirclement, the soldiers stood their ground and waited for the right moment to strike. The Boss was massive and intimidating, yet the soldiers would not falter. They remained focused and determined, ready to give it their all.
The battle began with a barrage of attacks from the soldiers' long-range weapons. The Boss was angered by this, throwing large fireballs at the soldiers, but the majority of soldiers dodged and weaved, evading the deadly blows.
A few, however, were not as lucky and the scent of their charred flesh wafted over to the others, but those that remained were not discouraged nor demoralised but instead angered. The soldiers with close-range weapons then charged forward, engaging the elite foxes in vicious and brutal combat, tearing apart the foxes regardless of the loss of life on their side. Jay had already activated [Massacre] but its timer would soon run out, so he rushed at an elite fox slaughtering it in 3 moves.
The battle was intense, and the soldiers fought with all their might. They sustained injuries, but they did not give up. They continued to fight, knowing that victory would soon be within their grasp.
Jay now rushed into battle brandishing his adamantine-tipped spear, slamming the burning Boss' side with all his force before lodging his spear into the ground to counter his inertia. The Boss was unprepared and was launched by the power of Jay's momentum.
If it wasn't angered before it most definitely was now. In its rage, the Boss lashed out its clawed paws, sending a wave of flames towards Jay. The range of this sort of AOE attack was too large for Jay to avoid by running.
He instead crouched down and leapt forward using his spear as a windbreaker, waving it in an intricate pattern that somehow manipulated the wind. His jumping height was far better than any normal creature unaffected by the system but in front of him was the top of a moving wall of fire.
His seemingly pointless swinging of the spear had dispersed a portion of the flames, allowing him to pass through unharmed. The boss was too far from the edge of the circle he shot at for the soldiers not to dodge. However, the encirclement had been broken meaning that the soldiers would now have to be vigilant of assaults from behind, after all, beasts had no concept of etiquette.
He slashed at the feet of the Boss with his spear, causing it to stumble and lose its balance. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the ranged soldiers began to rain down a barrage of arrows and projectiles on the Boss with all their might, pushing it further and further towards defeat.
Despite its size and strength, the Boss was no match for the determination and skill of the soldiers. Jay ended the Boss by blinking before its face and with a clean stab through the beast's eye penetrating its skull, destroying its brain and ending its pathetic life.
As the Boss fell to the ground, the soldiers let out a victorious cheer. They had emerged victorious, just as Jay had promised in his speech. The soldiers may have suffered losses, but they had fought with all their hearts and had achieved the ultimate goal of victory.
Jay looked around at his fellow soldiers, proud of what they had accomplished together. They had faced death, fought for glory, and emerged as victors. It was a moment that they would all remember for the rest of their lives.
[Through your efforts and teamwork you have killed Blazing Vixen (Level 30 Boss)]
[You are the first Homo Sapien …]
[This is a peak B-4 ranked boss possessing a territory]
[Acquired 150 points of proficiency in skills - Spearmanship (C+), [Martial Arts (C+), [Blink (D+), [Instinct (E+), [Vampire (D)]
[Acquired 20000 experience]
[Territory has gained 5000 experience]
[Bloodline - [Blazing Fox] has been obtained and improved to [Nine Tailed Vulpes Ignifera] due to the effects of the talent [Assimilation]]
[Territorial Ability - [Heat Domain (B)] has been obtained and improved to [Inferno Domain (A)] due to the effects of the talent [Assimilation]]
[Talent - [Fire manipulation (D)] has been obtained and improved to [Mother of Fire (A-)] due to the effects of the talent [Assimilation]]