*Chik! Chik!* The large two-headed mouse bellowed, a pair of sharp claws being enveloped by yellow light. A huge wound was torn open on Benny's ches, but for the Ent who didn't have any weak points or even flesh and blood, there was naturally nothing like a scene of blood spurting out.
On the contrary, there was no pain on Benny's face. Instead, a green circle of light was emitted from his chest and it began to heal immediately. Even the giant claws were caught inside, inducing the large rat's fury.
"Bind!" Green leaved vines were like the most terrifying of law-shackles, extending from Benny's arm and twining around the giant rat.
'Powerful regeneration abilities and such physical strength… Could this be the Primordial Ent rumoured to be from ancient times?' Belinda watched the two monsters fighting and gritted her teeth, making use of this hard-to-come-by chance and beginning to flee. Meanwhile, the mysterious feelings she had for Leylin grew even stronger…
*Rumble! Rumble!* Terrifying earthquakes wreaked havoc near the crescent lake, causing dust to fly everywhere. Two huge figures could vaguely be seen in battle. Wooden arms or vines were sent flying on occasion, and this would be accompanied by a terrifying crunch.
The Ent was evidently not a match for the giant mouse, but due to its characteristics it could buy a lot of time for Belinda to escape. By the time the giant mouse achieved victory, it could only roar in fury at the pile of wood shavings.
Someone else was spying on the battlefield from the darkness.
"This darned old mouse. Get an entire brigade over here for me. I want it dead!" Aegnis glared at the giant two headed rat hatefully, her eyes showing her wrath. The few soldiers behind her could only agree meekly.
'Thankfully, Belinda's fine.' Aegnis patted her chest, a pondering look in her eyes. She was obviously worried about Belinda going on a solo mission and had followed her secretly. If not for the appearance of the Ent, she probably wouldn't have been able to keep from acting herself.
'Nick seems rather interesting! Are otherworldly summoning techniques his trump card?' While sacrifices and beast spirits were the norm in the Purgatory World, there were also other paths to power. Even Magi existed here, hence Leylin's summoned Ent didn't surprise Aegnis too much. At most, she would think he'd inherited some relatively obscure abilities.
'But this Ent that he so casually summoned has the power to hinder a rank 5 gluttonous beast for a while…' Aegnis stroked her chin, 'I should warn Thomas and get him to stop his plans for now. I should look up Nick's history, he might be someone who'll give us a huge surprise.'
However, Aegnis had no idea that when Leylin's true identity was revealed, she wouldn't be surprised, but horrified.
"Yes, ma'am!" one of the guards immediately bowed and withdrew.
"Next up, it's you, you disgusting old mouse. How dare you harm my adorable Belinda? I'm going to tear your bones apart and use your brain juices as gravy!" A vast and horrifying three-headed snake appeared abruptly in tandem with her announcement, pouncing towards the giant two headed rat.
The rest of the soldiers exchanged glances. In the end, despite their unwillingness, they could only follow their leader and charge forward as well. A massive battle was about to ensue…
Aegnis had grown slightly fearful after Leylin revealed that tiny bit of his strength. Thomas' plan for revenge had been put on hold, which gave him valuable time.
However, battles generally grew more intense, and things had almost gotten desperate.
In order to contain the wave of gluttonous beasts, the holy city had already arranged campaigns against them several times. Even the Snake Dowager herself had sent out a clone, but in the face of Beelzebub's huge army of gluttonous beasts, they yielded tiny results. Several of her clones were even destroyed. The bloody loss of life caused the holy city to be in an extremely unstable situation.
A few months later, after several attempts to meet the beast wave, the battle line was pushed to the edges of the holy city. The city walls, and the triumphal arch that used to be filled with holy light, had now turned into the last line of defence for the snake beings.
Furthermore, compared to the spread of gluttony itself, the Gluttonous Army had Beezlebub himself in charge. Even the Snake Dowager would not be able to deal with them easily.
It could be said that the holy city was now in a desperate state of emergency and on the brink of life or death.
There were many residents within the holy city, and they would often hear the roars of the gluttonous beasts as they slumbered. They had no choice but to contribute and help with the holy city's defences.
"I've told you many times already! This is property of the Stewart Family, and I am a guest of Young Master Thomas. Unless you get his consent, you have no right to look through anything here. Scram!" Leylin sent a group of patrolling officers away sternly.
Even while using the name of the Stewarts, Leylin had no choice but to take the risk to use a mental hint, and only then did the patrolling officers leave obediently.
After sending them away, Leylin laughed wryly. "Is it already the fourth time this month? Each time they seem to be even more urgent. Looks like rumours of the gluttonous beasts being on the verge of breaching the holy city have spread widely…"
He then came to the flowerbed. The little green tree had already grown quite tall and was completely emerald green, like a flawless work of art.
Even with concealing spell formations, this strange scene had attracted some attention from others. If not for Leylin spending most of his time close to it, perhaps there would be someone brazen enough to come in and steal it.
"The 'holy light crystal' that Belinda sent over seems to have a good effect on the Wisdom Tree! Cough cough…" Leylin sized up the little green Wisdom Tree, looking quite satisfied. Even while he was coughing, the hope in his heart grew.
'I had to courteously bow to Thomas in the past, hiding my true strength for later. It's given me two years, which was just enough for this stump to successfully grow. Destiny is on my side!' Leylin's eyes burned with passion.
Ever since he found out that holy light crystals were beneficial for the little Wisdom Tree, he had secretly acted and committed a few alarming crimes, gathering large amounts of crystals and bringing the growth of the Wisdom Tree forward.
Leylin had always acted with caution and did not leave any traces behind. Since they were at war, their intent to hunt down criminals was weaker than usual. With this as a cover, he had been able to hoodwink them easily.
After all, who would suspect an old geezer on the verge of death?
Yes, in two years the Allsnake Curse had practically extracted all of Leylin's life force. Even with facial transfiguration techniques, many wrinkles still appeared on his forehead and palms.
"A.I. Chip, how much longer do I have?" Leylin inwardly asked.
[Beep! Gathering data on Host's life force… Establishing conjecture model! … Experiment completed. Estimated time till death: 34 days 12 hours 23 minutes 32 seconds.] The A.I. Chip intoned faithfully.
"A little more than a month? It's shorter than I expected. Is it because I helped out the last time? Cough cough…" Leylin began to cough hard again, his handkerchief covered in scarlet blood.
"The rejection is also becoming more and more serious," Leylin smiled wryly and threw the blood-stained handkerchief aside.
He was now already at his very weakest.
The frightening part of the Allsnake Curse was that it was essentially fatal for all of the descendants and Warlocks who made use of the Dowager's serpent bloodlines. It was already an incredible thing that Leylin had managed to hold on for so long.
*Roar!* *Awoo!* *Rumble!* *Clatter!* Load roars, multi-coloured flames and the cries of many snake beings could be seen and heard. The ground shook underneath them all continuously. This was another attack from the gluttonous beast wave outside towards the holy city.
The Snake Dowager and Beelzebub had yet to act, and seemed to have come to some tacit agreement, handing down the responsibility of victory to their subordinates. Thus, these attacks happened a few times everyday, resulting in many sacrifices and refugees.
With the protection and the support they believed he had, many neighbours came to Leylin and prayed for help. Leylin ruthlessly rejected all of them.
"No!" "I don't want Daddy to go!" "Please, don't send me to the battlefield! I don't want to die!" Noise could be heard from the streets, and the moans and cries of wretched souls travelled into Leylin's ears.
"How chaotic." Leylin shook his head and returned to his deckchair, narrowing his eyes as if taking a nap.
"Grandpa Nick, we've come to visit!"
*Bang!* The door was pushed open, and Sophia as well as Belinda walked in. In Sophia's eyes was an unconcealed sense of sorrow. From his life aura undulations, Leylin did not have long left. Even Belinda no longer had any reservations and came to visit him often.
"Hey, you're here!" Leylin's smile was like that of a lonely old geezer, kind and friendly as he watched little children dropping in, "I've just made some tea!"
The dilapidated courtyard was the same as before, just that beside the green tree Leylin had made a round table and deck chair, not leaving the area at all. On the wooden round table was a porcelain teapot that was emitting steam.
"Come and try my new brew!" Leylin was very friendly and made a cup of green tea for Belinda and Sophia.
"Oh, it's very fragrant!" While holding the teacup, Sophia looked extremely content.
-x-X-x-
"Sophia seems to be recovering well, she doesn't need to come here anymore!" Leylin reclined on the deck chair and spoke leisurely.
"Mm, thank you very much!" Belinda's eyes seemed to become a little emotional. For some reason, ever since Sophia began drinking the mysterious 'tea' Leylin made from his little green tree, her condition had greatly improved. She had become much more mature and intelligent.
"By the way, what is this 'tea'? Is it some sort of medicine?" Belinda was puzzled, but at the same time was filled with gratitude towards Leylin. She naively believed that Leylin had grown the tree in order to treat Sophia, and Leylin obviously would not uncover this beautiful misunderstanding.
"Oh! It's just the name of a drink from my hometown. It's made from plants, where the essence of leaves is extracted through liquid. It is rather similar to this drink," Leylin obviously did not want to elaborate.
"Is it the culture of some overseas isle? I really hope I can travel there with you one day…" Belinda's eyes seemed to be luminous and sparkling.
"Mm, there will be chances!" Leylin yawned, not seeming to be in good spirits.
"Alright, Sophia. What stories have you brought for your Grandpa Nick?" He turned to Sophia. She had already drained the tea.
"Oh! I heard from sister Aegnis that the holy city is preparing for a huge counterattack. Even the disciplinary corps will be moved…"
"Also… The entire holy city is now under a strict curfew. There are even plans to gather all the residents and manage them all together."
...
"Thomas is really incredibly stupid! If I just throw a random tantrum, he'll divulge all the sensitive information he knows. Isn't Sofia amazing?" Sophia raised her head arrogantly with a crafty glint in her eyes.
"Yes, Sophia is the best!" Leylin nodded slightly in praise. He had gained a lot of information about every corner of the holy city from her daily accounts. However, the more she spoke, the more his head began to droop, until his eyes finally shut as he sank into a deep sleep.
Sophia immediately stopped speaking when she noticed this, and her eyes reddened with emotion.
"Let's go," Belinda's voice trembled as she draped a fur coat over Leylin. She then led Sophia away. They were very busy everyday, and their free time was limited. Perhaps it was also because they were unwilling to see Leylin in this state.
However, after they had left, Leylin's eyes sprang open brightly and animatedly, "So it's already come to this? It seems like the big decisive battle is approaching soon, it's about time to start my plans."
"Meanwhile… I'll take care of a few little rats," Leylin's eyes slanted to the side, as if he could see through the wall to watch another place far away.
After that he closed his eyes, and like a tired old man sank into a deep sleep.
...
*Clatter!* A valuable crystal bottle fell to the ground, shattering into fragments.
"At a time like this, as a noble of the Stewart Family, even I have an obligation to fight on the battlefield, and yet he stays there doing nothing. I have no idea what sister is thinking!" Thomas huffed. The armour he wore was covered with bloodstains.
"Young Master Thomas, our Stewart family has been part of the garrison over generations in the holy city. Protecting the holy city has always been our duty! As for that man, he is just a free resident…" The white-haired middle-aged butler advised. He had completely lost one eye, and there was only a deep hole left there.
"Furthermore, my Lady seems to have discovered that he he is hiding some trump card and ordered us not to offend him. I believe that with the Madam's foresight, she won't be wrong!"
"But… I can't take it! And then there's those two bitches… It's not just Sophia but even Belinda goes over to visit him so regularly. What do they take the Stewart Family for?" Thomas yelled, and the butler could only sigh.
They were clearly free residents, and Belinda had even taken the initiative to help out with the guarding of the holy city. She was merely taking some time to visit her friend, and there was no reason to get mad over that. Of course, this good-for-nothing young master wouldn't listen anyway.
"I can't take it! I can't take it anymore! Mumbas, find a way to make Nick disappear forever! It should be easy since it's wartime!" Thomas' expression turned dark, bloodlust evident in his eyes.
"Yes, honourable young master! Your will is our command! However, the second elder is now preparing to lead the counterattack of the disciplinary corps. Please be patient…" The old butler bowed a full ninety degrees.
"I know, I know! This damned situation!" Thomas groaned in annoyance but did not retort further, allowing the old butler to heave a sigh of relief. What he did not realise was that the bloodlust in the depth of Thomas' eyes did not fade. It instead grew more forceful…
Night had fallen. Aegnis was wearing her crystal armour as she stood on the walls of the holy city. Her line of sight extended past the triumphal arch, fixed on the dense army of gluttonous beasts outside.
They had already been contaminated by the law of gluttony, and it was difficult to make out what their original bodies looked like. The only similarities they shared were their terrifying and powerful energy undulations, as well as their desire for food. Aegnis shivered in fear at this sight.
Days were short in the Purgatory World, which was why many beasts were more active at night. These gluttonous beasts rarely rested, and when their physical strength declined they would feed on their own kind that had died in previous sieges, which was why they seemed even more full of vigour than ever. What this meant was that their appearance was even more frightening at night than during the day.
Watching this uproar at the frontlines by the nearby beasts, the experienced Aegnis knew this was a signal for them to attack.
She abruptly turned to watch the soldiers on the city walls with her. They were mostly the troops that the Stewart Family were in charge of. Some of them were volunteers, and some were labourers who were forcefully conscripted.
Aegnis took a deep breath, her voice spreading through the frontlines. "Mighty Matriarch! My blood brothers, can we allow those filthy and despicable beasts to set foot in the holy city and pollute the glory of our dignitary, the holy mother?"
"No!" "No!" "No!" The residents in the holy city were now so loyal that they were ready to die for the Snake Dowager, and they naturally howled loudly in denial.
"Very good. Tear them apart for me, our holy city must be victorious!" Aegnis brandished the nine-tiered whip in her hands that had a snake head, thundering.
"To Victory! "To Victory!" "Long Live Stewart!" "Long Live Stewart!" Many soldiers shouted loudly, the atmosphere heated to the extreme.
Seeing that she had taken care of the soldiers' morale, Aegnis sighed in relief and retreated from the city gates.
"You did very well, Aegnis!" Belinda walked over in martial attire.
"Is that so? I feel that it's far from enough though," Aegnis smiled wryly and draped an arm around Belinda's shoulders, "How are the second elder and the disciplinary corps?"
"Preparations are complete. We are prepared for battle anytime!" Belinda did not struggle against her and sounded calm, "If all goes well and this operation is a success, we can probably push the battle line close to the Crescent Lake…"
"Hah… if it goes smoothly?"
Aegnis chuckled, pressing her lips close to Belinda's ears, and spoke to her in a low voice, "Belinda, leave! Take Sophia and maybe even Nick. Leave this place; go as far as you can!"
"Why?" Belinda was stunned, Aegnis' warm breath tickling her ears as they flushed red, "Do you have no faith in the holy city?"
"If my enemy is an army from another dignitary, I wouldn't be afraid even if they surrounded us, but…" Aegnis shook her head, "You know how the gluttonous beasts work. Belinda, what's most terrifying isn't their strength but that they are infectious! 14 of our own family have been infected by the power of gluttony in battle. In order to prevent the infection from spreading, we had no choice but to obliterate them."
"So that's what happened!" Belinda's eyes widened, extremely shocked.
"If that damned Sovereign King of Gluttony isn't eliminated, there will never be a victory over those gluttonous beasts. Do you get it now?" Aegnis coquettishly lifted Belinda's chin.
"Then come with me!" Belinda gritted her teeth. After all, she had treated Belinda and Sophie quite well, and Belinda wasn't willing to watch her die here.
"Hehe… you can all leave, but I can't." Aegnis laughed, though this gave a bad feeling.
"For your family?" Belinda's expression was complicated.
"Yes. Our Stewart Family has been protecting the holy city generation after generation. As the next in line, how can I leave now?"
Aegnis pushed Belinda while laughing maniacally, "Go! Pursue your freedom!"
"This is giving me an ominous feeling!" Belinda's eyes reddened, on the verge of tears. So many things had happened recently, and even this strong girl could not really endure it.
'Mighty Matriarch, please show mercy and save us all!' Belinda looked towards the statue erected at the heart of the holy city and could not help but kneel piously, making a silent prayer.
The mighty statue watched everything expressionlessly, as if it had seen through everything with a slight smile. It seemed like everything was guided by her hand, but nothing really changed. The wind blew, and Belinda felt a chill come on, a sense of terror rising within her.
-x-X-x-
Outside the holy city, the great war was on the verge of beginning. Leylin was also caught up in the imminent crisis.
A guard with slanting eyes and a sullen face reported to Thomas: "Young master! Our people in the coastal division have sent news. There isn't the least bit of information on this Nick, and he seems to have appeared out of thin air. In addition, the other pure-blooded Alabaster Devilsnake clans have been contacted and they couldn't find this Nick wither, perhaps he is from some remote branch clan..."
"You couldn't discover his origins? That's fine, arrest him on the charge of espionage. Set off immediately!" Thomas stroked his chin, with a trace of menace in his eyes. He couldn't bear it any longer.
As for considering the bigger picture? He chuckled gently. This was not something that young master Thomas would ever consider!
"Yes sir," the slant-eyed guard immediately accepted his order. If the butler from earlier, Mumbas, was still there, he would perhaps try to dissuade Thomas. However, this guard clearly did not intend to do that and even seemed to add fuel to the fire.
After all, small fry like them only wanted to seize all opportunities to climb up, and as for the overall situation— what about it? It made one want to laugh.
A squad aggressively arrived in front of Leylin's building, pushing the door open smoothly.
"Nick, you are being arrested on the crime of espionage!" Thomas raised his head with a carefree smile on his face, as if he had already seen Leylin's panicked expression.
'Oh? He's really restrained himself until now, it looks like Aegnis' doing.' Only, it seemed that Leylin's response had gone beyond Thomas' expectations. After hearing this, he unexpectedly showed no fear, and only thoughtfully stroked his chin.
"What's the matter?" An awful sense of foreboding suddenly enveloped Thomas' heart. He felt faintly regretful, and felt that he had done something extremely foolish.
"Capture him!" The slant-eyed soldier next to Thomas, however, didn't think too deeply. after seeing how senile Leylin looked, with his life force at its very limits, he immediately issued an order without thinking.
Several soldiers charged forward immediately, and there were even sparks left in the air. The guards of the holy city were naturally all outstanding. The minimum requirement to enter the garrison was rank 3, and even the captain had the power of a rank 4 Magus.
Leylin was half-seated on the couch. Without even budging his fingers, he spat out a single word, "Obliterate."
The sound of something breaking filled the air, and everything seemed to still as the loud crash of crystals shattering echoed in the room. The guards that had charged ahead earlier along with the slant-eyed soldier had been destroyed by a black gas, and not even their souls remained.
"This strength… and the black destructive gas... You must be the thief who stole away so many holy light crystals, the great thief Daudet!" As the heir to the Stewart family, Thomas possessed at least this much knowledge. His teeth began to chatter in fear.
The great thief Daudet! This was a new rising name in the holy city, and he'd only needed to do one thing to trigger an awfully dangerous situation. In the strictly guarded holy city, he plainly dared to make his move and pilfered the entire reserve of holy light crystals, and had even killed several of the strongest guards!
Daudet's greatest strength was this black destructive gas! If they weren't currently in the midst of war, Thomas believed that with these battle accomplishments alone, Daudet's name could spread to the entire seven continents.
Daudet's actions were clearly an insult to the Stewart family who guarded the holy city. Even Thomas' sister Aegnis had vowed to apprehend the thief, but unfortunately there wasn't even a single clue for her to follow.
Thomas could never have thought that this frightening great thief Daudet was unexpectedly hiding in his own home, and he was actually Nick! The strange difference between Daudet and Nick made Thomas feel a strong sense that none of this was real.
"You're the great thief Daudet, then why…" Thomas took several steps back with a panicked expression and felt utterly humiliated.
He had already realised that when Leylin had so easily tolerated him and conceded the sisters to him, he was actually being used as a shield. When he had been so immensely pleased with himself before, he was actually being played for a fool.
"You really… really dared to treat me like this, I will absolutely get my revenge on you, I swear it!" Of course, on the surface Thomas still had a fearful and humiliated expression on his face. There was a ring laden with a huge red gem on his hand, which was secretly emitting unknown undulations.
"Do you know why I acted so directly today, and didn't hesitate to expose myself?" Leylin calmly asked. He seemed as if he hadn't sensed Thomas' secretive action at all, but was still half-lying on the couch.
"I… I don't know," Thomas leaned against the wall, extremely afraid that if he went a few steps further, he would be pursued by Leylin. In his heart he was wildly roaring to himself, 'Yes, yes! Just like this, before you catch your prey, you'll humiliate me a little? Very well, come! Give me a bit more time until my family's reinforcement arrives and I'll pay you back a hundred times the humiliation you've given me!'
"Perhaps you are thinking that I'm acting like I've just caught my prey, and first I'll humiliate you a little before killing you?" Leylin indifferently said, right at that moment. His voice was teasing and his bright eyes seemed to have completely seen through Thomas' actions.
"No, how would I dare to think that?" Thomas knew that it would be harder to laugh than to cry. This feeling of being seen through made his heart sink a little.
'Isn't it almost time?' Leylin didn't bother with Thomas anymore, but looked at the position of the triumphal arc of the holy city.
Just as Thomas began to feel suspicious, a violent earthquake began to shake, and Thomas nearly fell.
With a great rumble, a loud sound came from the city gate. With the cries of countless gluttonous beasts and the sound of killing, a violent commotion began to spread within the city.
"Do you know why I didn't respond to your little secret action earlier?" Leylin stood and ridiculed Thomas, who was anxiously wringing his hands. Thomas' face paled immediately, as if all the blood had drained from it.
"It was because… The Stewart family, or the entire holy city, will become history after tonight. How could I care about your cry for help?"
"How.. How is that possible? Our holy city is under the protection of the Matriarch!" Thomas' voice was very hoarse, as if he was a desert traveller about to die from thirst.
With a whistling sound, two black daggers shot out from Thomas' sleeves like two concealed vipers in a flash, baring their fangs at Leylin.
Even though Thomas was a playboy, as Aegnis' fellow clansman and with a pure rank 6 bloodline, even if he hadn't really practiced he was still in the Morning Star realm.
Thomas' twin daggers which were pitch-black with a dark lustre, emitted undulations which were not inferior to any high-grade magical equipment.
*Swish! Swish!* In an instant, the daggers were already flying towards Leylin's eyes, and he could even see Thomas' malevolent smile behind them.
With a crackling sound, countless sparks appeared, and shortly after a huge force could be felt. Thomas even felt like the daggers had pierced into steel, and could not even move an inch more.
"How is this possible?" Thomas' expression changed in an instant. It felt like he had been sent flying after being hit head-on with a train. As his chest caved in completely, he threw up a huge amount of blood and fragments of bone.
Thomas fell to the floor like a dead dog, and seemed to have lost most of his fighting strength in that moment. However, his pupils dilated abruptly, as if he had seen something unfathomable.
"The daggers are rather fine, it's a pity I can't use them," Leylin looked at the daggers he had caught in his hands, and sighed.
The powerful magical equipment that Thomas had shot out had been caught by him in both hands, and hadn't really been able to inflict any damage to him.
Thomas' astonishment was not because of this, however. He was surprised to find that phantoms of tiny snakes began to appear within the twin daggers, charging towards Leylin's hands to bite him.
Sizzling sounded, and several wisps of white smoke appeared which caused Leylin to wrinkle his eyebrows and throw the dagger away.
With two puffs, the twin daggers slammed into the ground, and two traces of what looked like burn marks appeared on Leylin's hands.
"My daggers are my family's treasured heirlooms, and have even received the Matriarch's blessing! You dared to…!"
"Haha… Ahaha… You're definitely dead! Through the daggers, the almighty Holy Mother will definitely know about you, you're definitely going to die! Haha…" Thomas began to laugh wildly.
"What? I'm afraid that she won't have the time to care about me!" Leylin shook his head.
"What's happening?" Thomas had also realised something was wrong, especially when the sounds of fighting at the city gate gradually grew weaker, and even began to spread inside the city. The sound of blood-curdling and surprised cries could be heard in response.
"You still don't know? The city gate has been broken! The gluttonous beasts have murdered their way in, and what the Snake Dowager needs to consider now is how to confront Beelzebub instead," Leylin looked down arrogantly at Thomas, his eyes filled with pity.
"Since the Stewart family is full of trash like you, no wonder you couldn't guard the holy city."
...
A little into the past. After she had bid Belinda farewell, Aegnis' expression grew firm and resolute. "What's the situation like now?" she asked once she'd reached the city wall.
"The preparations are complete, the disciplinary corps have been dispatched. Judging from the beasts' response, our chances of success are very high," a secretary-like snake man reported to her.
-x-X-x-
The disciplinary corps was the most elite squadron in the entire holy city. Every snakeman there was a blood descendant of the Stewart family, and possessed strength at least at Morning Star. The leader of the disciplinary corps was the Stewart family's esteemed second elder, who had no faults as a commander.
If these troops were appropriately deployed, they could indeed reclaim the perilous situation they faced, and would at least bring the battlefront to the same level.
However, Aegnis felt a fluttering feeling lingering in her chest.
"What's happening?" She climbed onto the tower and immediately saw the disciplinary corps. Compared to the last few times she had seen then, the disciplinary guards had an even more tyrannical aura around them, and Aegnis could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"The preparations for the guardian technique have been completed!"
"Activate the technique, and initiate activation of the holy city protection matrix!"
"Rank 2 Alchemy Cannon is ready, and can fire at any time!"
Commands were continuously issued, and a spell formation that permitted free movement into the holy city was engraved onto the disciplinary corps' armour.
"Attack!" At the heart of the guards' square formation, where a large golden flag waved in the wind, a gentle but firm voice rang out.
"Disciplinary corps, move out!" Standing at the very front was a white-haired elder shouting, an explosive aura at rank 6 undulating from him.
'No, this is wrong!' Aegnis finally realised that something wasn't right. All of a sudden, her eyes widened and even her voice became shrill, "Second uncle's aura, how could he have suddenly grown so strong? Even if he used forbidden magic it wouldn't be possible, unless…"
Aegnis suddenly roared out, "Be careful!"
However, it was too late.
"Disciplinary force, with me!" The numerous soldiers of the disciplinary corps roared. Their bodies secretly swelled, and ghastly demonic energy erupted from them in an instant.
With a loud rumble, many spells were fired out, and the power of the guards were concentrated into one force, merging together in the second elder's hands.
"Thunder of discipline!" The second elder cried in a frenzy, and a massively destructive attack landed straight on the city gate. Several deafening crashes could be heard, and black lightning swept across the area with a blazing radiance.
The guards on the city gate were vaporised in an instant, burnt to ashes. Then, they were obliterated right down to the atomic level. Soon after, the holy city's entrance was also destroyed by the spell, and many protective runes began to fall apart completely.
"No, not this!" Aegnis held her head as tears began to subconsciously flow from her eyes.
The holy city's defensive techniques were extremely powerful, with even laws being inscribed in the arrays. Even the disciplinary corps would have found it difficult to take it down in one strike; it was the method they were most confident in for obstructing the gluttonous beasts.
Now, however, the disciplinary corps had the defensive array's approval, and it was destroyed from within. Immediately, the holy city had lost its greatest defense.
It wasn't just that. The ones who had suffered the most under the earlier attack were the elites of the Stewart Family, Aegnis' clansmen! Even her father, the patriarch of the Stewart family, was there.
"In the name of gluttony, kill!" The traitorous second elder began to laugh wildly. His body exploded into a gruesome three-headed python, with deeply twisted blood vessels rooted in its irregular scales. It looked inconceivably horrifying.
Afterwards, the turncoat disciplinary corps immediately began to attack the stunned allies around them. Blood-curdling screeches could immediately be heard as the carnage began.
"Why? Why?" Aegnis rushed in front of her uncle. She was lucky that the area she was responsible for wasn't the most important section, and it had suffered fewer losses. However, the most important defensive array had now been destroyed. The battle now had lost all its meaning and suspense.
"Why, second elder? Why did you betray our guardian family's honor?" Aegnis' eyes were full of tears, and she was still in disbelief.
"Why?" The three headed python's slit eyes were full of ridicule and madness.
"The guardian family?" he chuckled, "Do you rejoice in being the Matriarch's guard dog? With our bloodline shackles and chains, unable for all eternity to break through our roles as gatekeepers… I have had enough!"
The three-headed python hissed menacingly, and the snakemen who couldn't escape in time were swallowed up. Its blood vessels incessantly circulated blood-red energy throughout its body, making the python grow even more demonic and enormous. It even appeared to reach the peak of rank 6, sprinting towards rank 7.
"This is true power, how amazing!" The three-headed python had an intoxicated expression in its slit eyes.
"Gluttony, the power of gluttony! So you've been contaminated by the Sovereign King of Gluttony?" Aegnis felt slightly relieved. If her uncle was being manipulated, then it would make her feel a little better.
"Contaminated? No, I asked for this! This is the only way I could become strong. And it wasn't just me, every single guard of the disciplinary corps chose this." As the second elder spoke, the disciplinary corps' guards all laughed wildly and transformed into giant serpents. They too had grotesque appearances, and had clearly been contaminated by the power of gluttony.
"Aegnis, retreat! He has gone completely mad!" With a giant crash, the ruins of the city gate exploded, and the figure of an elegant three-headed python emerged. The scales on its body had begun to come loose, and it had severe injuries.
"Father!" Aegnis cried in surprise.
"Teehee! My beloved brother! You haven't died yet?" The second elder laughed.
"Demon who actively sought the power of gluttony, you are no longer a clansman of our family. I want to correct our family's mistake!" The three headed python charged immediately at the second elder.
At the same time, a tremendous force flung Aegnis far away and called to her, "Leave immediately!"
"Teehee! Elder brother, now I will prove that I have always been better than you, and better-suited to lead our family!" The three-headed python that had been transformed by gluttony aggressively tangled with the patriarch.
The rank 6 beast's bloody crushing ability had instantly created a blank space and isolated area. Whether it was guard or gluttonous beast, all who approached it were shocked to death.
Deafening roars filled the air as many gluttonous beasts immediately poured through the gap into the holy city. The surviving guards entered bloody close-quarters combat.
Aegnis' face was filled with tears, and in the end she could only faintly see the tremendous smoke that filled the air as her father's powerless body fell, accompanied by the second elder's mad laughter.
...
The sounds of explosions filled the air. As gluttonous beasts devastated the holy city, the giant statue of the Snake Dowager at the center began to emit dazzling light, as if she had heard the innermost prayers of her citizens.
In this layer of light, the entire holy city seemed to experience an enormous earthquake and many deep cracks began to appear in the ground.
Many buildings in the holy city began to twist and collapse with loud crashes, as if the heavens were torn and the earth had been split asunder. The giant statue of the Snake Dowager began to sink down without stopping. Finally, an immensely deep hole appeared in the ground.
"The power of gluttony, and the concealing power of chaos! Beelzebub, have you joined hands with the Nefarious Filthbird?" A coiled ball of snakes floated up from the depths of the hole like a star. Many giant snake heads uncoiled, exposing the Snake Dowager's puzzled face.
Overwhelmingly powerful undulations spread out at rank 8, and the entire holy city grew quiet in an instant. Many gluttonous beasts were engulfed by the shadow and burnt to ashes.
At the holy city's most critical moment, the Snake Dowager finally appeared!
"The Matriarch!" "Almighty dignitary!" "Invincible ancestor!"
The surviving inhabitants of the holy city immediately knelt down, and tears of joy began to overflow from their eyes. The one who had just appeared wasn't a phantom image or a clone from sacrifices; it was the real body of the Snake Dowager!
Every scale on the Matriarch's body had the most realistic feeling of true flesh, and even exhibited the aura of laws. Just the aura that emanated from her body gave innumerable benefits to her descendants.
"Dowager! It was you who first violated our agreement, and began to meddle with my affairs!" Accompanied by wild laughter, a demonic python emerged from the gluttonous beast army outside the holy city.
No, calling it a giant python would be inaccurate, as it had only the body of a python. However, it had grown a pair of extraordinary demonic wings, and its purplish-brown muscled arms had sharp talons at the end of its legs. It had many compound eyes just like an insect.
It looked as if Beelzebub had fused his soul with a mixed-breed snakeman's body, whose power had reached the limit. It could even meet the Snake Dowager as an equal.
After seeing Beelzebub's form, the Snake Dowager's eyes flashed with amazement.
"Haha! This body's raw material appears to be your descendent, but my gluttonous power has made it even more perfect than before. That's all thanks to a gift from a certain little fellow," Beelzebub split open his huge mouth, a purple-black barbed tongue licking his sharp white teeth and said, "In return, I'll swallow him up later and let him forever be part of the almighty Beelzebub…"
The impulsive power of gluttony and the omnipresent power of shadows began their confrontation with the holy city's walls as its boundary. In a moment, many guards and gluttonous beasts turned into ashes.
For two rank 8 existences to cross swords, it could be said that this bout decided the Purgatory World's future to an extent. Many powerful conscients descended here, and the faint chirps of the Nefarious Bird and traces of the Trial's Eye's power appeared.
"That crafty little fellow, I didn't think that he would bring me this much trouble!" The Snake Dowager's eyes became a little dispirited, and she looked directly into an area within the holy city.
-x-X-x-
"Since the people involved have arrived, it's about time for me to make my appearance!" Leylin watched the enormous sphere of snakes rise up, and as he saw the terrifying figure of Beelzebub flapping its large fleshy wings, he suddenly laughed.
Thomas, who was still on the ground, had already been scared out of his wits. The second elder and the disciplinary corps had rebelled! The holy city was under attack! The true bodies of the Snake Dowager and the Sovereign King of Gluttony had emerged!
Every single one of these events were terrifying changes for him. And when they had all happened at once, Thomas was simply at a loss as to what to do.
"Oh! Aren't you responsible for public security in this area during wartime? I'm sorry to trouble you, this place will only descend further into chaos from now." Leylin apologized to Thomas like a gentleman, yet this messed with Thomas' mind even more.
"Greater chaos? What do you mean?" But Thomas didn't have time to think. An enormous beam of grey light suddenly shot out from the walls and the floor of the loft, heading straight towards the sky.
This was the last scene that Thomas witnessed. Soon after, he was melted by the horrifying energy, left without even a corpse.
"We meet again, Snake Dowager, and the Sovereign King of Gluttony!" A smile was plastered on Leylin's face as he saluted them smoothly, just like someone greeting good friends whom he had not met in a long time.
Compared to the tremendous figures of the Snake Dowager and Beelzebub, the pillar of light beside them was like a thin thread. Leylin, who was within the light beam, was even tinier than an ant.
Yet it was this insignificant being who had attracted the attention of both the Snake Dowager and Beelzebub!
Any average rank 4 Morning Star Magus would have melted straightaway under the powerful and malicious gaze of the two rank 8 beings. Even Leylin had a similarly strong reaction.
"Keke…" He suddenly coughed out a large amount of blood. Blood even started to overflow directly from the tips of his fingers.
"Emperor of the Kemoyin Serpents! You little fellow, I'll admit that you have succeeded in infuriating me!" The Snake Dowager's voice was very calm, but an enormous shadow of a serpent's head had already spread its jaws wide open, as if it was about to completely devour Leylin whole in one bite.
"Beautiful lady! Please wait, he belongs to me!"
A large, invisible mouth seemed to appear in thin air, biting down and breaking the shadow of the serpent head.
Beelzebub flapped its dreadful wings, his numerous compound eyes all fixated on Leylin, "Thank you for letting me discover this world! But what a pity, Magus! An ordinary mortal like you cannot pry into the power of laws. Are you thinking of sowing discord between this lady and I, and benefit by being a third party? Such a strategy is destined to fail. With your mortal intelligence, how could you think of becoming a god?"
"According to the agreement between Mister Nefarious Filthbird and I, this Magus belongs to me!" Beelzebub proclaimed while facing the Snake Dowager, as though he was declaring his sovereignty.
"Indeed, you and Nefarious Filthbird are in cahoots, and you have shielded yourself with the support of his chaos power… Cough…" Numerous grey lights shot out from Leylin, weakening him further.
At this point, the chaos power from the Nefarious Filthbird that had previously been accepted began to rebel. It was as if it was going to imprison Leylin and send him as a present to Beelzebub.
"Heh heh… what a pity..." Leylin appeared even more fragile, as though he would die in the next moment. However, a stream of laughter came from his lowered head.
"What's a pity?" Beelzebub clearly wanted to continue teasing its prey.
"Hehe… It's such a pity that I've never once thought of depending on either you! And I didn't place my hopes on the fact that you would fight each other! I set up all of this just so that both of your true forms would be attracted here!"
Leylin laughed maniacally, his gaze filled with intent, "You are all my prey!"
"What… this premonition… A new fork has appeared in our path of destiny, a variable has appeared! No matter what, stop him at all costs!" The sweet smile that had always been on the Snake Dowager's face suddenly changed.
"Heh heh! It's too late!" Leylin laughed wildly. Numerous sacrificial ritual runes emerged from his body.
"Initiate established program!" He suddenly commanded.
[Beep! Program #1 has been activated, initialising forceful expulsion of chaos power.] The robotic voice of the A.I. Chip sounded.
When he had made his first sacrifice to the Nefarious Filthbird a long time ago, Leylin was already on guard against it. Afterwards, he had even ordered the A.I. Chip to monitor it at all times.
During the few times he'd been baptised by chaos power, he hadn't directly come into contact with it, only using it as a raw material. He had been saving it all just for this moment!
"Oh!" Leylin's face instantaneously flushed red. A grey layer of filth suddenly emerged from the hair follicles beneath his skin. Even the chaos power that had dug its way into his cells had been forcefully removed. In just a moment, he was clean.
*Bang!* A sacrificial spell formation emerged. The rune of the Nefarious Filthbird in the centre suddenly shattered, and an enraged cry of a bird could be heard.
"I offer the power of the Nefarious Filthbird as sacrifice! Mighty Purgatory Will, please descend!" Leylin's gaze was incomparably fervent, yet it was also filled with his extremely calm judgement. These completely contradictory emotions made his eyes look highly demonic.
*Buzz!* An incomparably vast sacrificial spell formation with complex patterns began to surface, with the room that Leylin previously resided in set as its centre.
This particular sacrificial spell formation was much bigger than those for the previous few dignitaries. The one receiving the sacrifice in the center was, impressively, a rune representing the Purgatory World's World Will!
*Whoosh!* In a flash, the entire Purgatory World seemed to have come to life. A mighty conscient, which was like the projection of the whole Purgatory World, suddenly turned its attention to them. As the violent winds howled, an enormous funnel cloud appeared in the sky, taking on a chaotic formless mass.
A grey radiance instantly descended from the heart of the chaotic mass, and collided with the Snake Dowager's attack. Although it turned darker, it still protected Leylin from harm.
In the Purgatory World, Sacrificers who practised the ways of sacrificial rituals only cast their sights on the seven dignitaries, yet forgot that there was one more alternative. While this being was exceptionally disordered, and often neglected, no one could deny that it was the origin of the entire Purgatory World!
"Heh heh… So this is what you're counting on, Magus? A chaotic will?"
Beelzebub laughed maniacally, "Judging by the strength of such a defense, it can't even resist any being of laws…"
"Indeed! The Purgatory World's will is extraordinarily chaotic, and it doesn't even possess the slightest ability to respond. Even if I use a portion of the Nefarious Filthbird's energy to attract its attention, the protective powers that are cast on me will not be able to protect me, much less defeat all of you…" Leylin's voice was gentle, almost serene. However, the Snake Dowager and Beelzebub didn't seem to think of it as a good sign.
"However… What if it awakened?" A green glimmer of light gently rose from the light beam. It was the Seed of Wisdom that Leylin had been cultivating before!
A splendid green brilliance rippled from above the little dewy green tree. Even those gluttonous beasts who had lost all semblance of intelligence seemed to have an expression of intense desire for this tree.
"Is this… the ancient Wisdom Tree? Don't tell me that he's thinking of...? Stop him, quick!"
A humongous grey bird spread open its wings. Its voice was full of anxiety, as though it had flown over from an endlessly chaotic place.
"Almighty Purgatory will! I offer the Wisdom Tree to you as a sacrifice! Awaken!" Leylin's eyes were glistening with resolution, and his hands moved strangely quick. Following his sacrificial song, the little green tree transformed into a ray of green light, becoming one with the chaotic sky.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!* A wild beast seemed to be hiding within the grey chaotic mass. The intensity of its undulations increased exponentially, and the area was slowly filled with a green radiance.
"Almighty Purgatory will! You are the master of the Purgatory World! The original power of the Purgatory World itself! You are the epitome of all that exists! Please open your eyes and take a good look at these thieves! They wilfully plundered your strength and polluted your world, causing the entire Purgatory World to continuously sink into ruin… I, Leylin Farlier, a lowly Magus, sincerely beseech for your strength to get rid of these filthy beings, and return the Purgatory World to how it used to be!"
With Leylin's prayer, the numerous undulations from the chaotic mass stopped, revealing a pair of cyan pupils. Shortly after, the entire world seemed to have come to a standstill. The gluttonous beasts and the snakemen not far away had all been rendered immobile.
The gigantic cyan pupils represented the world's will, and its gaze was fixated on the Snake Dowager, Beelzebub and the others who were still mobile.
Rage! Rage! Rage! The entire world seemed to have come to life, and was venting its anger, making the hearts of the Snake Dowager and other formidable beings palpitate.
"The world's will has awakened!" The Snake Dowager's face was deathly pale, as though she had seen the most frightening thing ever.
A hole ripped open in the sky. An unending stream of the original power of the world gushed forth and surged violently, much like the turbulent flow of a river. This amplified Leylin's growth rate, even making him feel as if he was the world itself.
*Whoosh!* In a flash,Leylin's figure sharply grew and he became a giant who was able to support both heaven and earth. The previously enormous holy city now looked like a miniature model to him.
"Success! Power that exceeds rank 6! Now I'm at least a rank 7 Sacrificer!" Large quantities of chaotic cyan runes appeared on Leylin's body. When he clenched his fist suddenly, even the very air seemed to shudder.
"This… is what I truly relied on!" The joy of having his plan succeed almost made Leylin shriek wildly into the sky. From the beginning, his trump card and all that he was relying on was the Purgatory Will.
In order to break through the bloodline shackles, Leylin required a bloodline origin and the power to surpass it, both of which which he didn't have. When he had still been bound by the Allsnake Curse, searching for enough strength to defeat the Snake Dowager was practically only a fantasy.
But through the Purgatory World's path of sacrifices, Leylin discovered a glimmer of hope! The path of sacrifices was originally used to pray for the strength of highly ranked beings, and was a method that would allow the weak to defeat the strong. The passing down of the sacrificial strength system inspired an even more fearless idea in Leylin.
Instead of offering sacrifices to a few dignitaries, why not offer sacrifices to the entire Purgatory World's World Will? After all, the World Will, which was just like a programmed intelligent being, was much more trustworthy as compared to the temperamental dignitaries.
And speaking of offerings, what else would be more suitable than the roots of the ancient Wisdom Tree that could bring about enlightenment?
-x-X-x-
The Purgatory World was a bizarre world. It was extremely vast, second only to the few strongest worlds such as the Magus World, World of Gods and Dreamscape. The world had originally been full of power.
Yet what was strange was that the Purgatory World Will had always been rather muddled. It was as though it was in deep sleep, or perhaps it was just foolish, allowing many formidable beings from other worlds to invade it, turning it into a paradise for a great many foreign beings.
However, the ancient Purgatory World was not like this. It also had its own powerful conscient!
Every world had its respective World Will, which would abide by its instinctive need to safeguard its own interests. After receiving such information from the Wisdom Tree, Leylin instantly saw hope in defeating the Snake Dowager and obtaining the bloodline origin!
Since the Purgatory Will was currently dormant or perhaps muddled, then Leylin would rouse it from its sleep! Judging by the Wisdom Tree's powerful ability to bestow intelligence and wisdom, this would be a simple task. It went without saying as to how the World Will would treat the Snake Dowager and the rest after it was awakened.
To visualize it, the Purgatory World Will was like a swarthy man guarding his house. While he was asleep, a gang of bandits had broken into his house and were acting like tyrants to his people. What would he do to them once he woke up?
Furthermore, the Purgatory World was an exceptionally strong world, unlike the small worlds where rank 8 beings could not fit in. It was at least of the same rank as the Icy World, which had been enough to suppress beings such as the Snake Dowager and many others, causing their invasions to fail.
Now, the Purgatory World was awake and clear-headed. Sure enough, upon seeing these thieves wilfully stealing the origin power on its turf, it immediately boiled over with fury.
Since Leylin had taken the initiative to offer sacrifices in order to awaken it, it went without saying that he would receive credit. Additionally, he had requested to banish these robbers, and it was reasonable that the World Will would hold him in high regard. It was so much so that upon obtaining additional support from the World Will, Leylin could now be praised as the son of the world! Everything he had done was to carry out punishments in the name of the heavens!
"It's the Purgatory World Will! It's awake!"
"Hasn't it always been muddled? Why did it come to its senses all of a sudden?"
"I sense a hint of wisdom. It's because of the assistance of the ancient Wisdom Tree!"
When the pair of eyes opened to reveal its the cyan pupils, a terrifying and oppressive force instantly descended on the entire world. These beings of laws could now sense it even more strongly. This was a suppressive force that originated from within the world. No matter in which corner one hid in in the Purgatory World, they would be unable to escape. This exemplified the horrifying amount of authority that the Purgatory Will possessed!
The suppressive force from inside this formidable world could even make foreign beings such as the Snake Dowager and the Nefarious Filthbird fall, and it could be said that there was nothing more terrifying than this!
A few other conscients kept their distance, and were filled with restraining fear. Even if they were rank 8 beings, the gains of starting a war against the World Will definitely would not make up for their losses.
This was especially since this was the Purgatory World, which was the homeground of the Purgatory Will. The moment someone got its attention, he would be left in a miserable state.
The winds howled. Numerous powerful conscients and spies from the deep sea immediately disappeared without a trace, cowering in fear.
*Chirp chirp!* The Nefarious Filthbird, which seemed to have flown out of nowhere, hastily made an elegant turn upon seeing the situation, trying to escape.
"Get lost!" Leylin raised his hand as though he was about to swat a housefly. Each and every move that he made seemed to bear the strength of the entire world, making the Nefarious Filthbird fly far away in the opposite direction as it wailed. Numerous grey feathers floated to the ground.
'Even though the strength is only temporarily borrowed, it's relatively horrifying!' Leylin could sense that every single cell in his body was filled with the tremendous energy. Furthermore, as compared to the other dignitaries who only allowed rank 6 Sacrificers at best, the Purgatory Will was clearly much more generous. The energy that Leylin had temporarily drawn support from had been amplified to the realm of a rank 7 Sacrificer. Even though it could not last for long, and had to be returned afterwards, at least it gave him enough external strength for the time being for him to be on par with the other contenders.
"The fellow who has been such a hindrance has left. Seal!"
Leylin spread open his arms and cast vast amounts of cyan chaos chains on the Purgatory World. It seemed that this region had been sealed shut, and a horrifying amount of lightning was attached directly to the chains.
This was an enclosure formed by the chaos chains and lightning laws. Beelzebub and the Snake Dowager were about to make a run for it, but their expressions turned gloomy.
With the aid of the A.I. Chip, as well his Full Moon truesoul, Leylin had a detailed estimate of his own strength. 'Three times! With the assistance of the world origin force, I'm left with three times at most to exhibit this peak of power!' he thought to himself.
He knew inwardly that rank 8 beings had the power to contend with the suppression of the World Will. After all, it too was an intelligent being, and its support for Leylin couldn't possibly be inexhaustible. Even if Leylin was willing to work under it and defeat the others on its behalf, the World Will might be reluctant to expend so much energy.
If they declared war against so many rank 8 beings at once, they would be devastated even if they emerged victorious in the end. The entire Purgatory World could even crumble under the attack.
However, with Leylin's current rank as a Sacrificer, it would still help him get rid of these few if Leylin cashed in all his contributions.
'The sacrifice of the Wisdom Tree contributed to the World Will regaining its clear-headedness once more. With all of that, I only received these few chances to take action?' Leylin was very clear about this sentiment.
'As expected, rank 8 beings are extremely powerful indeed. But three chances will be enough!' Currently, the Snake Dowager and Beelzebub were both suppressed by the World Will in this region that had been sealed shut. They had fallen by a rank, and were now about rank 7 or so.
On the other hand, Leylin had been amplified to rank 7, and even exceeded that slightly. The tables had turned instantly!
"Kemoyin Emperor, my descendant! Although you have the support of the World Will, you will not be able to deal with us! I can lift your curse, and even help you become the new progenitor of the Allsnakes. All I want is for you to vow your allegiance to me!"
As they both shared a common enemy, Beelzebub and the Snake Dowager had gotten a little closer. The Snake Dowager had also given a suggestion to bring about peace.
"Haha… Before I possessed such power, I wasn't even eligible to talk to you. And now you're actually appealing for peace? What's the use of such a weak alliance?" Leylin laughed maniacally. The original power of the Purgatory World wouldn't be entwined with him forever. Once this sacrificial ritual was over, he would still be that tiny rank 5 Warlock from before. Then, would he still entrust the security of his life to the Snake Dowager's benevolence?
"All living things in the world will collapse eventually. Only strength is eternal!" It was now that Leylin had gained a profound understanding of how the law of the jungle worked. If he didn't want to be assaulted and sacrificed, the only thing he could do was to make himself powerful. Everything else was bullshit!
"First strike!" After laughing to his heart's content, Leylin brazenly made his move. The entire Purgatory World seemed to boil. An abundance of the origin power of this world tethered to his hand, giving him the illusion that he could destroy the world.
"Allsnake Devour!" The Snake Dowager bit her lip. The demonic energy even made the entire world slow down. Numerous giant snake shadows suddenly appeared and attempted to bite off Leylin's hands.
*Crash! Crash!* Terrifying lightning shot out from Leylin's hand, annihilating the many shadows into ash and smoke. Leylin's giant-like figure, stretching from the earth to the heavens, instantly came in front of the starlike sphere of snakes.
"Sever the Kemoyin bloodline!"
An attack that transcended time and space made the Snake Dowager's face turn lifeless in an instant. Soon after, out of the many giant snakes that had extended under her body, the head of a Kemoyin snake with vertical slit-like amber pupils suddenly broke apart.
*Hss—* The many snake heads started to tremble at once, and anguish was apparent even on the Snake Dowager's face. This was an injury suffered by her real body, something which even damaged her bloodline origin.
The head of the enormous Kemoyin serpent tumbled in mid-air, and continuously dissolved to form a large ball of purplish-red blood with hints of cyan.
"The bloodline origin!" Leylin's eyes lit up. He could feel the longing in every single cell of his body. He suddenly went forth and swallowed the large amount of blood.
[Beep! Host body has consumed the origin blood from the Snake Dowager. Gene strands have been broken apart and recombined, recalculating data.]
In practically an instant, the genes of the Kemoyin Emperor broke apart from their limit. His bloodline accepted the fenes from the great amounts of origin blood. Under the A.I. Chip's command, these recombined genes did not follow the conventional path of the Snake Dowager. The instead underwent greater evolutions under Leylin's command.
These changes eventually extended to his soul. The barbed iron chain on Leylin's forehead cracked apart instantly. The head of an enormous black giant serpent suddenly emerged from within, hissing excitedly behind Leylin as its body seemed to undergo even greater changes.
[Beep! Allsnake Curse has been lifted!] The sensation of removing the chains in one move made Leylin feel entirely free from worry.
"Beelzebub! Do you know why I released the Trial's Eye and the Nefarious Filthbird, but insisted on keeping you behind?" Lightning flashed violently. The origin power of the world encircled Leylin from head to toe as he came in front of Beelzebub.
In comparison to the gigantic Leylin, the devilish body of Beelzebub was as insignificant as a rag doll.
Without waiting for Beelzebub to answer, Leylin continued, "Because I have my eye on the laws you hold! Your laws of gluttony are just too compatible with my own innate skills. I can't help but wish to take action. Thus, I specially summoned you to come to the Purgatory World for this purpose. And I even gifted you a clone!"
"A clone? This Black Horrall Snake?!" Beelzebub kept retreating, and fear was apparent in its numerous compound eyes. To him, Leylin was the real devil.
"No! Impossible. I definitely inspected it very carefully!"
"I didn't rig your clone, because to me, as long as its original form is a Black Horrall Snake, it would be sufficient!"
Leylin's pupils were burning with fervor. He spread open his arms and ferociously grabbed Beelzebub's devil wings.
"Second strike!"
-x-X-x-
"Your Wings of Gluttony will belong to me!" Along with Leylin's announcement and Beelzebub's miserable cries, the monstrously dark wings were forcefully torn off, splattering blood everywhere.
*Hss—* The phantom Kemoyin Emperor behind Leylin opened its mouth wide, and it seemed like there was a black hole at its depths. It immediately devoured the entirety of the devil's fleshy wings.
*Pila! Pila!* Two lumps of flesh surfaced on the snake's back. It then spread out a tremendous pair of fleshy wings that looked similar to Beelzebub's own.
"The law of gluttony…" Leylin sounded rather bewitched by them, "Combined with my own abilities, what kind of result will there be?"
The terrifying black hole wreaked complete havoc, devouring Beelzebub's entire body. In front of the Kemoyin Emperor's innate skill of control, the devil's mortal body which had been created with the Black Horrall Snake as its source material was suppressed to a huge degree. Beelzebub's body gradually disappeared as the Kemoyin Emperor devoured it.
The Kemoyin Emperor easily digested the power of gluttony that came from the source body of the Black Horrall Snake. A comprehension of the power of gluttony combined with Beelzebub's memories as it surfaced in Leylin's sea of consciousness, surging towards Leylin's truesoul barriers like a raging tide.
"Keke… I am the true master of the law of gluttony, its contamination isn't something the likes of you can resolve. Thank you very much, this body is great!" A barely visible shadow appeared above the Kemoyin Emperor, and Beelzebub's voice sounded from within the blazing demonic flames.
Under his influence, the Kemoyin Emperor quickly digested that large bundle of energy. Even as it evolved, Leylin's own will was being eroded.
Beelzebub had completely comprehended the law of gluttony, and to steal this power Leylin would first have to face the retaliation of his conscient. It released a large amount of power that mixed with the laws of gluttony as they approached Leylin. "Gluttony's corruption!"
Seeing that demonic palm, Leylin maintained an icy expression. He didn't look to be in pain, only releasing a powerful green lightning containing the power of the world origin force in his body. His cold voice sounded, "Strike three!"
*Crackle!* "NOOOOO!" Leylin's gigantic body immediately disintegrated, and an unwilling bellow rang out. Under the suppression of the Purgatory World's will, Beelzebub's conscient melted away like snow in the sun, leaving behind only the purest energy and comprehension of laws.
[Beep! Genetic recombination complete!] The A.I. Chip's voice sounded, and the Kemoyin Emperor behind Leylin behan to transform once again.
Two sharp claws stretched out, and the horn on its forehead protruded even further. The devilish wings became increasingly mystical, and black rhombus-shaped scales covered its body, emitting a mysterious luster.
"A new bloodline? No!" The Snake Dowager who watched this scene from afar could no longer keep her calm. Even though she was afraid of the protection of the World Will, she still attacked.
"Allsnake Shadow!" The murky Shadow World almost appeared to have been summoned by the Snake Dowager, attacking the Purgatory World.
Leylin did not counterattack. Instead, he spoke a few words, "I am Leylin Farlier, lord of all Kemoyin. As of this moment, all of the Kemoyin bloodline shall leave the control of the Snake Dowager!"
Leylin's eyes held traces of turmoil within them as he made this solemn announcement. His voice practically rang throughout the world; as long as it was a descendant of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline they heard his voice and couldn't help but kneel respectfully in subservience.
*Hss—* The giant snake behind Leylin completed the core of its transformation. No longer feeling the suppression of the Snake Dowager, it snarled at her.
"Ugh!" The pain on her expression was even clearer than before. Power from another plane seemed to be surging into Leylin's body.
"I shall destroy your godly status," he murmured, and with a vicious bite from the giant serpent behind him the sound of glass shattering could be heard. A huge gap had formed in the network of blood vessels on the Snake Dowager's back The excruciating pain caused the enormous serpents in the sphere of snakes to groan piteously below the Snake Dowager, and the faint image of the Shadow World promptly crumbled.
Losing a part of her bloodline force caused great damage to the Dowager's authority. It was enough to grievously injure her, and force her into a deep sleep.
"Leylin... Leylin!" The Snake Dowager snarled, no longer daring to stay here. The gigantic sphere of snakes rammed against the shackles of chaos.
Even more giant serpents were continuously struck by the lightning. However, they opened up a gap in the World Will's restrictions that allowed the Snake Dowager to escape. She had the feeling that if she'd stayed here longer she would've died.
'She escaped? Makes sense, she doesn't know I'm limited to just three uses of this power. Furthermore, with my control of the bloodline and devouring power, as well as the attention of the World Will, she'd be in trouble if she stayed any longer.' Leylin's eyes flashed, and he did not chase after her. He currently had more more pressing matters at hand to attend to.
[Beep! Optimisation of host's bloodline is completed. Law of gluttony and Allsnake origin blood have been added, currently at rank 6. Please rename the bloodline.] The A.I. Chip's voice sounded.
"Targaryen. Call it the Targaryen bloodline!" Leylin decided on a new name.
[Beep! Recorded. Bloodline evolution has been completed. Targaryen has been saved to the database, currently at rank 6.] As it sounded out, the A.I. Chip formed images of Leylin's new bloodline patterns, naming them Targaryen. A circle of blood-red energy enveloped Leylin's body.
The bloodline force of the Kemoyin Emperor had been changed to an entirely new bloodline. This change even extended to Leylin's truesoul. It was like glass shattering as a bottle exploded; the feeling of breaking through a bottleneck of the soul caused Leylin to tremble involuntarily.
The new bloodline force surged violently, and with irresistible power the golden line in Leylin's Full Moon truesoul expanded to envelop the entire thing. It was like a flame had been ignited.
[Beep! Host has broken through bloodline shackles. The positive energy of the truesoul is beginning to advance to rank 6] the A.I. Chip transmitted.
For a Magus to advance from rank 5 to rank 6, the most important point was to completely convert negative soulforce to positive soul force. Leylin's truesoul had already shown signs of the transformation, but due to the bloodline shackles the full process had been interrupted. Now, without the shackles, the process could be completed. [1 Negative and positive soul force are yin soul force and yang soul force. Just didn't use those names because most of the novel has stuck to a western theme so far and actual chinese concepts weren't prevalent before.]
The bloodline shackles had been like an enormous mountain weighing down on Leylin, putting him under a lot of pressure. With them gone, the power he had amassed allowed him to soar. His truesoul rumbled in that instant, the moon set ablaze as it turned into a blazing golden sun. It grew severalfold in volume, emitting powerful and concentrated energy.
With the strength he possessed, Leylin's success in breaking through to rank 6 was a given. Yet, that was not all. The A.I. Chip's voice sounded once more. [Beep! Host has reached rank 6. Huge changes have been made to body's condition. Recalculating…]
It then intoned loyally once more, [Beep! Host's rank 5 innate skill Devour has been affected by law of gluttony. Devour has reached rank 6, now able to digest any energy, even that powered by opponents' laws.]
'Devour has been upgraded to rank 6 from rank 5… So I can devour laws from now?' Leylin's eyes twinkled, 'Great! This innate bloodline ability is worthy of the rank 6 Targaryen bloodline!'
Past rank 6 was the realm of laws, and a bloodline that could devour laws and make them his own was obviously terrifying. This was also why he had spared no effort in getting Beelzebub to come to the Purgatory World. The law of gluttony and the innate skill of Devour complemented each other just too well. They were the best pair in Leylin's view.
The ability to break through without end as long as one possessed enough energy was something Leylin coveted. He considered it to be the best catalyst in the process of breaking through his bloodline shackles.
[Beep! Host's comprehension of law of devouring(transformed from law of gluttony) now at 99%]
[Beep! Host's body has been converted to a body of laws. Progress: 99%. Body's stats have surpassed standard limits, unable to be quantified. A switch to the Heavenly Astral Race's measurement units is suggested.]
Seeing the last prompt, Leylin's lips quirked as he burst into a wild laughter. Such terrifying strength caused even the air around him to shake. Since he had taken such huge risks in this adventure, he would obviously want to get the best benefits.
After reaching rank 6, the soul of a Magus would basically reach its limits, and its soul force would become tangible. Once they grasped a certain law, they would reach the realm of a rank 7 Magus. While Beelzebub's law of gluttony was pretty good, Leylin did not like it all that much. After all, he still felt some lingering fear towards that insane appetite.
Having the abilities of his bloodline influenced by the power of gluttony, he could thus form the law of devouring. It was something Leylin had long since anticipated.
Leylin had grasped many laws even as he reached rank 6. He was no ordinary Breaking Dawn Monarch. In fact, he could be said to be halfway to rank 7!
Once he completely comprehended the last bit of the law of devouring, there would be nothing holding him back from becoming a Magus who comprehended laws.
Breaking Dawn Monarchs couldn't grasp the power of laws the moment they broke through. They would have to wait to enter the peak of rank 6 before they could even peer into the world of laws.
But Leylin had done it! He had done something that was practically unprecedented in the Magus World's history.
-x-X-x-
The challenging risks had paid off. Leylin had staked everything on a desperate gamble, and it came through. Not only had he broken through his bloodline shackles, he had even grasped the power of laws! He was now comparable to a rank 7 law wielding Magus, and there was only a small barrier to his advance.
He was now so powerful that the A.I. Chip's original units of measurement couldn't quantify his strength any more. He had to switch to another unit of measurement.
'Near rank 7 in power… If I stay in the Magus World, I won't even need to be afraid of the Snake Dowager.' Leylin was now completely relaxed, and he even had the urge to yell out into the heavens. 'It's a pity that I couldn't lure Beelzebub out completely, and the law isn't complete. However, just the damage to his soul is enough to cause him to go into a deep sleep or even die. Worse comes to worst, I'll attack his lair and then seize the last bit of the power of laws. Naturally, I'll be able to enter rank 7 after that.'
'As expected, the power of a Magus changes drastically in rank 6. Those who grasp laws can't even be measured by the A.I. Chip…'
"A.I. Chip, show what can be displayed," Leylin commanded., immediately discovering a drastic change in his stats.
[Leylin Farlier, rank 6 Warlock. Bloodline: Targaryen (rank 6). Estimated stats, Strength: 5750, Agility: 4690, Vitality: 8290, Spiritual Force: ???, Magic Power: ???, Soul Force: ???. Comprehension of laws, Devour: 99%]
'Hah… What a change!' Leylin's eyes narrowed, 'This boost is much greater than that of my previous advancements. It's basically tens, or even hundreds of times! The boost from the power of laws is so terrifying…
'Based on the calculations, I must have over 10000 spiritual force, causing an overflow…' Leylin stroked his chin and commanded, "Alright. Recalculate with the stats of the Heavenly Astral Race as the model.]
[Beep! Recalculating host's data… change completed] the A.I. Chip loyally intoned and showed the stats to Leylin.
[Leylin Farlier, rank 6 Warlock. Bloodline: Targaryen (rank 6). Strength: 172.52, Agility : 125.07, Vitality: 253.77, Spiritual force: 449.42, State of soul: Peak Breaking Dawn. Comprehension of laws: Devouring, 99%.]
The units of the new data were based on the Heavenly Astral Race. Every unit was more than ten times its previous standard. The numbers in spiritual force had condensed a hundredfold, allowing it to be quantified. Because Leylin's soul force and power of laws had been merged into one, it was not shown on the A.I. Chip.
'Mm! The A.I. Chip's method of calculation is rather direct. Doesn't this mean even the slightest of my actions equate to hundreds of Heavenly Astral Morning Stars?'
Leylin stroked his chin, 'Our strength might be similar, but the boost from laws hasn't been calculated into it by the A.I. Chip…'
Things would've been different if he was an ordinary Breaking Dawn, but Leylin had already stepped into the realm of laws. The boost from the power of laws caused his strength to increase so violently that it was terrifying.
*Rumble…* Large spirals of chaotic energy dissipated gradually in the air, and that pair of green eyes also vanished without a trace.
The sacrificial rune on Leylin's body disappeared quickly, crumbling in practically the blink of an eye.
"The will of the Purgatory World has left…" Leylin muttered to himself, looking slightly desolate. As he had already reached rank 6 and comprehended laws, the World Will had sensed that Leylin had already surpassed many Monarchs.
"While I helped the World Will to gain some wisdom, it has helped me defeat my opponents and allowed me to advance. We're even now…" Leylin could tell that his status as a Sacrificer had dropped as quickly as it had risen. He was now back at square one.
"The Purgatory Will is merely a robotic intellectual body. The help before was merely a transaction. If I want to become a child of Purgatory, I'll have to join its side and allow its intent to pervade my body, becoming half a puppet." Leylin stroked his chin. World Wills were rational and unfeeling. Even if Leylin had helped it before, were he to reveal even the slightest intent to harm the Purgatory World it would still treat him as an enemy.
Wills worked like artificial intelligences, programs with procedures programmed into them. While he could not influence such a thing with emotions, he would be safe against backstabbing. Settling the transaction once and for all was quick and convenient.
This was unlike dignitaries like the Nefarious Filthbird. With it, no matter how devout one was in their prayer it would still think of ways to take control of them, turning them into a bargaining chip. Something like that would never happen with the Purgatory Will.
"But my path is still that of magic— the path of truth. Turning into a half-puppet doesn't suit me," Leylin shook his head, abandoning all thoughts of settling in the Purgatory World. It wasn't just becoming a subordinate of the Purgatory Will; just the thought of the other dignitaries here left Leylin's scalp numb.
Leylin may have grown close to rank 7, becoming an existence that was thousands of times stronger than before, but he was still no match for a rank 8. He might have seemed courageous and unstoppable, but that was because he had the cheat that was the Purgatory World Will.
With the World Will around, those rank 8s had to deal with its suppression. They would only have about 50% of their original strength, and on top of that they had to deal with Leylin who had reached rank 7 as a Sacrificer with it. That obviously made things dangerous.
However, Leylin had depended entirely on an offering of the genetic clone of the ancient Wisdom Tree, which had given him great support from the Purgatory Will. In the future, he would not have an offering of that grade. If he were to meet with the Snake Dowager and duel fairly, even escaping could be difficult.
"I've awakened the will of the Purgatory World. That's akin to finding an owner above those rank 8 existences who's constantly thinking about ways to expel them from the Purgatory World." Leylin felt pins and needles on his scalp.
In order to break through the bloodline shackles, he had roused the Purgatory Will from its slumber. That had had a great effect, but also thoroughly offended all the foreign dignitaries of the Purgatory World. However, if the situation were to repeat itself, Leylin would still make the same choice.
Still, staying in the Purgatory World was now a very irrational thing.
With so many rank 8 existences hostile towards him, and with him being an arch enemy of the Snake Dowager, not even the tiny bit of him would be left behind if they joined hands.
"The only choice is to hide in the Magus World," Leylin's eyes were filled with resolution. He was a native of the Magus World, and the powerful Magus World Will would naturally not suppress him. If foreign beings like the Snake Dowager were to enter, the suppression would be more terrifying than in the Purgatory World.
After all, the Magus World was one of the two most powerful worlds!
Weighing his options, Leylin was confident the rank 8 existences could reach the Magus World, but they would not be able to leave. Of course, there was a higher possibility that they would just give up. After all, they were no fools and would not seek death.
"Alright! Since I have a bit of time left, I should wrap everything up and leave as soon as possible!" Leylin's expression was rather urgent.
*Roar—* *Wooo—* At this moment, the restrictions from the World Will dissipated, and the world resumed its movement. Numerous gluttonous beasts roared at Leylin with an air of provocation.
There was no lack of rank 6s among the beasts Beelzebub had nurtured. They had astutely sensed that if they could kill Leylin and steal his comprehension of laws, there would be a drastic transformation to their bodies.
If they were alone, they might not have dared do this. Now, however, the many gluttonous beasts turned into a horde. Leylin could be a peak rank 6 on the surface, but with the horde and many rank 6s surrounding and attacking him, there was a slight possibility of him being killed.
"Kill him!" "Kill him!" The three-headed python that was the second elder of the Stewart Family provoked the gluttonous beasts around him to advance.
The earlier events had progressed too quickly, and on top of that there was a seal from the World Will. Many gluttonous beasts and even residents of the holy city were yet to react to it.
Only the rank 6s felt a sense of fear when it came to Leylin, but the hope to break through to the power of laws enticed them to take the risk.
*Roar—* The gluttonous snakes that were as enormous as mountains surrounded Leylin, accompanied by the terrifying zombified monsters.
"Is this clever?" Leylin watched the three-headed python hiding behind the berserk rank 6 beings, a slight smile on his face, "Even an ordinary peak rank 6 would find trouble when attacked like this, no? It's a pity though… I've already passed through the realm of rank 6. The power of laws is something you cannot imagine…"
Having nearly grasped the law of devouring, Leylin had changed drastically. The immense increase in his stats reached the requirements of rank 7. At the very least, the Blazing Flame Monarch that Leylin had seen before definitely did not have such extreme numbers when it came to spiritual force, and perhaps had yet to even reach the ten thousands.
After all, she had merely comprehended a bit of the power of flames, and only understood the tip of the iceberg. How could that be comparable to Leylin, who now had a body of laws?
"Submit!" Leylin merely spat out this single word while he was encircled by the many rank 6 gluttonous beasts.
In that moment, the terrifying power of laws exploded from his body, causing the world to come to a standstill once again.
*Thud!* *Thud!* There were hints of struggle in the beasts' eyes, but their bodies automatically knelt down.