Chapter 1755 - WMW 123

*Wooh!* As the Mage Sword was about to strike him, an enormous figure appeared before Akaban's eyes in a flash of red flames.

"No!" Akaban watched his beloved mount get torn apart before his eyes, pitiful moans spilling from its gaping jaw. The flaming horse had moved in front of him, laying down its life to take the killing blow.

"Was that Flame Teleportation? I wouldn't have been able to stop you if you fled… What a pity." Although he was uttering such words, Leylin still moved to the flaming horse's side. The demigod seemed to sense its imminent death, and it turned towards Akaban. Its eyes were full of admiration and helplessness, regret that it had to leave its partner behind.

The horse then summoned up the remaining trickles of its divine force, and an enormous sphere of flames enveloped Akaban. He disappeared from sight.

"NO!" The only thing that remained was Akaban's pained roar, his regret reverberating in the plains.

This noble steed had been his partner in all his fights. He loved and trusted it more than he did his imperial concubines and offspring. Even in death, he wanted his horse to accompany him. Were it not for such passion, how would a demigod allow him to ride it?

Now, everything would be destroyed.

"So you had such affection for your steed? What a shame…" Leylin praised Akaban's loyalty, but the Mage Sword in his hands was unhesitatingly put to use.

Whether he was a hero or a villain was all a matter of perspective. He clearly knew that with the horse's loyalty the chance that it could be soothed into submission was practically zero. What was his course of action, then? With the grudge between them only resolvable by death, he considered the complete destruction of his opponent the most reasonable course of action.

'He's already escaped the outskirts of Hope Stronghold? He really is quick!' Having shut his eyes and sensed a faint trace of Akaban's coordinates, Leylin gave up on his plan of pursuit.

After all, Akaban was one of the tribal gods of the natives. With the power of faith in the Sakartes Empire, he was infinitely close to becoming a true god. Given Leylin's current strength, chasing after him would be a masochistic idea.

This went the other way as well. Had Akaban not acted so stupidly in bringing his subordinates into Leylin's divine domain, he wouldn't have lost as badly as he had.

'The battle of the divine has come to an end. Now, it's time for the battle of the mortal world…' Although he did not intend to continue his pursuit, Leylin did not plan to let Akaban off. Since the demigod was so reliant on the natives' faith, it was time to dig his foundation out. Once he conquered the entire Sakartes Empire, Akaban would be a stray dog with no home. Anyone could slaughter him.

"Tiff!" After returning to the cathedral, Leylin immediately expressed his intentions.

"My lord! You are the stars in the heavens, and the ruler of all there is to devour. Slaughter is the sharp sword that you hold in your hand…" Tiff answered Leylin's summons before long, appearing at the center of the cathedral. His eyes were filled with emotion.

His body still had trace bloodstains on it. It was clear that the mortals had acted in tandem with the gods that had united to attack Leylin. It was a shame, though. All their schemes had disintegrated the moment Leylin ascended and bestowed his divine spells.

"How's the current situation?" Although he could mostly divine what had happened, he still needed Tiff's personal report to obtain the concrete specifics.

Tiff knelt on the ground as he respectfully reported the situation, "The Sakartes Empire conducted a surprise raid. Luckily, my Lord, we had your blessings and managed to force them into retreat. We didn't even sustain heavy losses; those who were injured healed extremely quickly with your divine spells, returning to their troops."

The difference of morale between troops who had priests and those who didn't was like night and day. The power of the healing arts was too formidable. Healing resources were rare in the prime material plane, so the divine spells of the priests were the only clutch that injured soldiers could depend on to survive the battle. The priests were also indispensable when boosting morale directly.

The native troops hardly equalled Hope Stronghold's legions. The only upper hand they had was the surprise attack, but once the clerics came into play they were utterly defeated.

After all, their shamans and other divine Professionals could only wield their divine spells within their god's domain. In Leylin's territory, the opposing troops didn't have the home ground advantage. It was pointless to discuss victory and defeat.

"Mm," Leylin nodded. "It looks like you didn't face many enemies this time. They seemed to have pinned all their hopes on the divine battle, and these troops were only used to sow chaos and serve as a distraction…" His eyes flashed with understanding as he bestowed this divine edict.

"Those despicable natives. They will inevitably pay for their actions today in blood!" Having become a demigod, Leylin's aura had grown even more powerful. It even held a trace of the power of laws.

"As you command, my Lord! Hope Stronghold will start a war. This time, we must teach them a painful lesson!" Tiff respectfully bowed his head.

"No, not a lesson. This will be extermination! I wish to never see the word Sakartes marked on a map ever again!" Leylin's cold reply caused Tiff's heart to constrict in fear.

Tiff gritted his teeth, but he still replied with determination, "Your will shall be done." After all, Leylin was the absolute authority in this place.

"Very well!" Leylin nodded, and with a wave a golden staff flew into Tiff's hand. Its handle was decorated in the motif of a lion, and the four differently coloured jewels on its crown shone radiantly. The entire staff seemed to be encircled by a formidable power.

"Is this… a divine weapon?" Tiff asked as he looked on in bewilderment.

"Yes. It's a weapon I refined using the enemy's false god. The jewels on top contain the power of lightning and fire. It's only a demigod-ranked weapon for now, but it should serve as the authority of a pope."

"My Lord…" Tiff's voice was choked with emotion.

"Go, I will watch you from the skies." Leylin waved him away.

"Yes, my Lord. I will defeat the entire Sakartes Empire for you, and conquer all of Debanks Island!" Tiff solemnly swore to Leylin.

...

Leylin's ascension hadn't just affected him. Hope Stronghold itself had grown enormously stronger. With the support of the priests' divine spells, the troops could now show a military power that was several times greater than before. As for seizing the opportunity to conquer the Sakartes Empire in battle, it was already a foregone conclusion.

With the boost from Leylin's divine aura and divine weapons, Hope Stronghold's main army effortlessly invaded the heart of the Sakartes Empire with irresistible force. The decadent native troops were unable to withstand a single blow.

Well, this was all really just the propaganda spread by the church. Although the outcome did not differ much from what was in the official reports, the course of events was something entirely different.

Away from their homeground, Leylin's armies were facing enemies that had the support of a demigod and similar numbers of clerics and other divine Professionals. Their opponents possessed several hundreds of years more of accumulated resources. However, spring had arrived. Sadly, the plague that had been curbed by the bitter cold broke out vehemently once more.

In Leylin's previous life, spring had always been the season where epidemics spread widely. The situation here was comparable, so it was hardly surprising. The plague was even more ferocious than before as it swept across the entirety of Debanks Island, creating more and more ghost towns. With its ability to infect even those who were once cured, even the divine Professionals were left up to their ears in work.

Leylin had previously killed two demigods, and it was the same as cutting the number of available clerics in half. With the balance at such a crucial point, even a single feather's weight was of paramount importance. What then about losing half of your clerics?

Sakartes was now met with another wave of death. There were so few clerics available that even nobles were dying out, forget the commoners. The troops from Hope Stronghold who had forced their way into Sakartes numbly took over ghost town after ghost town. A high number of enemy troops had surrendered to them as well.

There was nothing else to be done. If they continued to stay, all that waited them was death. Defecting would give them the holy water that could save their lives. At the same time, those natives who had surrendered used themselves as an example to show that none of them had been turned into sacrifices, or demoted to slaves after their surrender. Naturally, this situation was not without pressure.

Furthermore, for the sake of preserving their lives, those native commoners had fallen over each other in their eagerness to riot and erupt in chaos before the troops from Hope Stronghold arrived. They had even sent people to request the Stronghold to rescue them.

Generally speaking, the current situation was going great. It would only be a matter of time before they conquered Debanks Island. In these circumstances, Leylin chose not to personally get involved.

At this point, his personal perspective and status had already changed. He only needed to respond to the daily prayers requesting divine spells, and Tiff and Isabel would take care of everything else.

Leylin had now entered seclusion. After becoming a demigod, there were far too many differences between him and an ordinary mortal. Without much experience being one, he needed to slowly feel out his new role.

With his special senses as a god, his followers were presented before him in successive screens. They were even clearer than when he'd been a mere divine being. His connection with his priests was incomparably more convenient, and a lot quicker than before. Within the limits of the Weave, he could gather faith and bestow divine skills with ease.

"Mystra probably only has complete control of the outer Weave. She can only interfere slightly with the deeper levels…" Leylin understood the innate character of the Goddess of the Weave in that moment. She was essentially a jailor in charge of looking after the many Magi at the core. The numerous gods would never entrust their own worshippers to Mystra's control, so there were considerable limits to her influence.

-x-X-x-

'The inner Weave is a convenient way for a god to channel faith towards them. It didn't reject me using it, so it seems to be open… The basic requirement is that one is a demigod?' Leylin looked lost in thought.

'The innermost core of the Weave, as well as Karsus' Avatar, the rank 12 spell…' The thought of how difficult it was to release the conscients of the numerous Magi, even Leylin frowned. He had to get rid of the entire Weave to do so, which included the outer Weave that numerous wizards counted on and the inner Weave that the gods used as a channel for faith.

Would the gods willingly abandon such a convenient channel as the Weave? Regardless of their intellectual abilities, and their ability to count the number of worshippers in their divine kingdoms in an instant, the Weave was more than just an upgrade to their calculative abilities. It greatly reduced the cost of bestowing divine spells, and increased the convenience. Having become used to such a great advantage, could they still accept and tolerate more traditional methods?

'Once I shatter the Weave, I'll be going up against the entire World of Gods…' Leylin looked grim, 'It won't just be true gods. All demigods, and even nature spirits or divine beings who can use the Weave will probably become my enemies as well…'

Only Leylin who was from a foreign world would have the guts to take on an entire world. However, even he had to consider his options carefully. While Distorted Shadow still had incomplete conscients in the outer world, he had not done much in tens of thousands of years. That was only to be expected.

'I'm afraid I'll have to push my agreement with Distorted Shadow back…' Leylin stroked his chin, having made up his mind.

Now that he was a demigod, the injuries to his main body should have completely healed. Having taken over Debanks Island, the faith in him had greatly increased. It could even support his ascent to godhood. Time was definitely on his side.

If this dragged on, and both his bodies reached a higher realm, the terror that would be brought forth when they fused would be enough for him to take the plunge and challenge the world!

'The spread of faith is one thing in ascending to godhood. Another is to guide my worshippers, forming my unique role as a god.' Leylin was now aware of the relationship between faith, godfire, divine force, and a god's roles.

Faith was the source, being transformed by the godfire into divine force. This was the root of all gods, and the power of faith wasn't all the same. There were slight differences, and for example the soul energy radiated by great anger was completely different from that in extreme fear. The faith in a demigod was heterogeneous, so it took a lot of effort to transform it into divine force.

A god's roles acted as a guide, planning for the soul energy of their worshippers in advance. If godfire was an engine that purified faith to provide a more stable source of power, a god's roles were the key to separate the diesel from gasoline.

While in general the soul energy that could be absorbed after a god classified themselves would decrease, it would grow in purity. It reduced the burden on the divine, to the point that the amount of divine force left after the transformation was actually greater than before.

After all, which was easier— burning either diesel or gasoline, or both? Most probably would know the answer to that.

'A god's rule doesn't simply separate soul energy. It involves delving deeper into that domain, and acquiring even more terrifying might...' Leylin could now sense the faith from the pious worshippers and their tremendous soul energy. His godfire burned more vigorously than before, a few runes representing laws beginning to appear.

When it came down to it, a god's role was an embodiment of their laws. These runes indicated that he would soon form his own! Even the incomplete golden characters allowed Leylin to gain a better understanding of the World of Gods.

'The essence of the runes seem to tend to massacres and conquest, as well as sickness and healing. Will my first role as a deity be amongst these?' Leylin's eyes flashed with the rays of the A.I. Chip, 'A.I. Chip, is it possible to record this script?'

Although these law runes were incomplete, they were very unique. They weren't three dimensional, instead perhaps near four-dimensional. The A.I. Chip of the past would have been powerless at this, but after the upgrade it's limits weren't defined yet. Leylin wanted to test what it could do.

[Beep! Mission established. Beginning scan…] the A.I. Chip loyally intoned, large amounts of blue data streaming past Leylin.

[Beep! Target scanned. Discovered high energy force field, attempting to break through. Successful, beginning to analyse the characters of laws. Recording... Beep! Target has the properties of a 4D image, discovered interference from spacetime radiation. Data partially lost...]

[Beep! Characters have been scanned. Records only 67.66% complete.]

The large paragraph caused Leylin to grin in glee. He looked at the database of the A.I. Chip, seeing a subdirectory under laws called 'godly role runes.' Within it were the characters that had just been scanned.

Although they seemed less complete than those in the godfire, they still had the distinct charm of the original. The A.I. Chip of the past would definitely have been unable to make this scan. That it could force a partial copy gave Leylin a pleasant surprise.

'If all these characters are analysed completely, the chances of even natives igniting their godfires to obtain godly roles should increase by 50%...' Leylin nodded in satisfaction, and then focused on the analysis of the characters.

'Massacre and conquest, sickness and healing?' The results of the A.I. Chip's preliminary scans were according to Leylin's expectations. This was indeed the image he gave the natives of Debanks Island.

The selection of a god's role could easily give rise to battles between gods. Based on the A.I. Chip's conclusions, Leylin sank into deep thought. 'The characters of laws show that most of my faith comes from massacre and sickness. They're the most likely way for me to become a god. There's less in terms of conquest; the natives don't really have a concept of races and culture, and there are many battles even between their tribes. Faith in healing is the least, huh.'

Pure faith would not lie, and Leylin could only laugh wryly. From the looks of it, even if his church bestowed holy water and helped with the sickness, the natives still treated him as a personification of massacres, sickness, and death.

'Well, faith arising from reverence is always more stable than that from love and respect...' The grin on Leylin's face widened, 'Looks like I'm not fated to be in the good faction…'

Leylin had already decided to walk the path of massacres. With the power he held, he definitely wouldn't side with the good gods anyway.

"From the power of faith alone, massacre and sickness seem more stable..." Leylin had made his choice. He valued a domain in massacres more than one in sickness. Besides, few gods had grasped it, some of them being Cyric and Malar.

Although Cyric was a greater god, he was half-crazy, paying no mind to the administration of his mortal church. It had caused the priests of murder great distress. Things were different with sicknesses and plague. Leylin would rather fight against lunatics and beasts than the Goddess of Plagues who was clear-headed. He did not wish for there to be occasional plagues in his territories.

"And… Cyric?" Leylin lowered his face, ridiculing him with soundless laughter...

...

From the viewpoint of the gods, everything on Debanks Island was right before their eyes.

"Saintess, our vanguard has already taken over the two citadels in Ado City and Dole City. As long as we get Dul City as well, the capital of the empire shall be right before our eyes!" The troops of Hope Stronghold were proceeding smoothly along the massive lands.

The girl Leylin had conferred a title to, Saintess Barbara, had completed her routine prayers. She was now listening to the routine reports of a native army official.

Golden light flashed on her fair forehead, causing her to be bathed in a holy lustre. Aya and her little brother stood respectfully at her side, having become her maid and servant. Out of gratitude for their saviour, as well as the need for survival, the two of them now worked for her. The Saintess seemed to admire the great relationship of the pair, and had brought them with her.

"The capital?" Aya's eyes lit up as if she had recalled something, but that quickly dimmed.

Barbara seemed to think of something, and she asked, "Aya! You came from near the capital, right?"

"Mm! I was once a clanswoman of Ado City's Juna Tribe. I escaped with the rest of my tribe once plague struck…" Aya spoke slowly, and her brother bowed his head as if he had recalled something terrible. Truth be told, most of the natives that had fled with them had died on the way. Sickness and famine were the greatest natural enemies of the commoners.

Less than one in ten had gotten across the mountains and waters, making it to Hope Stronghold.

-x-X-x-

Recalling the hardship along the way, and how they'd made it safely, Aya felt like she was in a dream.

'This is all due to Master Kukulkan!' At this thought, she couldn't help but grab the sacred crest in her hands, beginning to pray silently.

'Mm, the imperial capital of the Sakartes Empire. If I can take that down and offer it to the master…' An idea arose in Barbara's mind, filling her thoughts. She wasn't being greedy, everything was just happening too smoothly.

Although she'd brought less than ten thousand troops from Hope Stronghold, many natives suffering from sickness had requested to enter. Even those from the imperial army changed sides. On top of that, having obtained the news about the divine battle through some secret channels, even the nobles of the Sakartes Empire began to waver.

The consequence of this was that Barbara's army expanded without effort, even getting close to the capital with easy victories. Along the way, many native refugees had taken on arduous jobs, to obtain the 'holy water' and the blessings of the Winged Serpent God. The secondary army also suppressed rebellions to express their loyalty.

Knowing that Hope Stronghold lacked people, Barbara accepted the offers of all the refugees and armies. In a short period of time, their army had expanded fivefold to reach 50,000 strong.

Tiff had originally been worried of spies sneaking in, but it seemed like the natives had no such intentions. Instead, it was the huge numbers that made command and logistics a headache. There had been a few times when things were extremely chaotic.

Unable to contend with such an oversized army, the Sakartes Empire seemed to be done for. The continuous successes had naturally raised Barbara's ambitions.

'As long as I take Dole City down, the imperial capital will lose all its protection…' Barbara planned in her mind. But then she looked at the city in the distance and was stunned.

Thick black smoke rose into the sky, and screams could be heard in the distance. A knight darted over, looking like he had some urgent information. "Report!"

"Let him come!" Barbara waved her arms, and the guards that had held him back dispersed.

"Saintess, a few leaders of Dole City have joined hands in rebellion. They have control of the entire city now, and agree to worship the Winged Serpent God… But only if we give them holy water as soon as possible. They also hope that we can take the city's people in now that there's chaos…"

"Proceed!" Barbara sent down the order after a nod.

These scenarios had gotten her very excited at the start, but by now she was numb. There was even a feeling of disappointment, that these achievements weren't her own. Still, there were important things to do at the moment.

The takeover of the city went smoothly. Under the threat of death, there were very rare cases of false surrender. With previous experience, Barbara sent a few people to help fight the fire before meeting the leaders. After she promised holy water, the entirety of Dole City was somewhat within her grasp.

The 'somewhat' arose from the continued existence of altars and priests. It was the last resistance Dole City had to offer. Battles involving faith were far more terrifying than the rest, so Barbara didn't relent and instead headed to the altar.

"Saintess, the altar here is for two false gods. One is the giant flaming horse, Woods, and the other the founding emperor Akaban. Although the horse's priests have lost all power, the clergy of Akaban still has the support of divine force. They've managed to get a group of soldiers to guard them…"

One of the leaders who were now on their side led the way, smiling slyly. After changing sides, their totem spirits had immediately become false gods. Were Leylin here, he would definitely lament the practical nature of humans.

"I understand. Leave the rest to the church!" Barbara watched the altar that was now a defensive structure, and her beautiful brows furrowed slightly. Although she was disgusted by the betrayal of these leaders, she had no choice but to take them in as examples for the rest.

Having lost two demigods, the priests could no longer meet the demand for healing. At this rate, death was certain. Barbara understood the betrayal for the sake of survival. Still, the remaining resistance made things a little troublesome.

"Bring the warriors of the church." Having walked around the defensive structure, Barbara finally acknowledged that the enemy's elite forces were truly powerful. Thus, she sent her own elites as well.

The natives had exemplary Professionals as well. There were hunters and amazon warriors that caused Isabel some trouble. Many of those guarding the altar were of the same type.

However, the Giant Serpent Church was a military church as well, and he now had a huge number of natives under him. A batch of half-naked native warriors with devil tattoos arrived in front of Barbara, each of them highly capable.

"Saintess! The warriors of our Lord shall heed your commands!"

"Good! Use your fury to expel the last remaining filth of these false gods!" Barbara commanded, standing in front.

Almost the instant the mobilisation order arrived, these natives changed greatly. They all began to grow, their muscles bulging bit by bit as they quickly became miniature giants. The lustre of divine spells lit up their bodies, carrying the unique radiance of the Winged Serpent God.

Under the illumination of this radiance, the devil tattoos on their bodies grew more vivid, and their eyes shone with a demonic glare. These warriors had been bestowed abilities reserved for devils!

"For our Lord!" The native warriors charged forward without hesitation, their attacks as powerful as a tsunami around the altar.

"The number of our Lord's warriors has increased greatly…" Barbara now looked reassured, and she cast divine spells alongside the other priests to boost them.

Priests and military strength were extremely important to a church. Tyr, for instance, offered a distinct path for paladins. Combining his knowledge of Debanks Island with his own strength and the A.I. Chip's calculations, Leylin had created a whole new path of strength for his own church. They were the devil hunters!

Like the name implied, devil hunters combined a sensitivity to devils with the tracking ability of the hunters. By activating their tattoos, they could even obtain abilities similar to the bloodline powers of devils!

This profession was a fusion of warriors and sorcerers. It was very powerful, but it also had a few flaws. Those who trained in it had to have an extremely powerful will. The pain during the branding of a devil tattoo was horrifying.

Thankfully, Leylin now had many subordinates. He had slowly selected beings from the 300,000 people, and it wasn't difficult to raise a few thousand devil hunters.

Leylin had especially created something special for this strength system. If a hunter could capture a real devil and seal it in their own body, they would obtain a lot of the devil's strength. It could even increase their rank! All true devil hunters had devils sealed within them.

Although Leylin did not have a blood feud with the devils yet, they were clearly mortal enemies. He'd created these hunters to strike all devils except Beelzebub's own followers. This would begin to weaken the strength of the Nine Hells of Baator.

Nobody would complain about such acts. Devoting effort into attacking devils was the 'right' course of action on the continent.

Barbara naturally knew nothing of Leylin's intentions. She was just sighing in shock at the astounding abilities of the devil hunters.

Those who had retreated into the church and guarded the altar were obviously fanatic followers of the false gods. There was no need to differentiate between them, it was enough to kill the whole lot.

Once the altar was purged, Barbara grimly stepped inside the hall. The green flooring was now dyed blood red, but she did not find anything wrong with it. To the natives, stealing everything from their opponents was something natural. This included their lives.

At the heart of the altar was an obsidian statue of a warrior riding a chariot. However, the horse leading the chariot had shattered a long time ago.

*Buzz! Buzz!* As if sensing the disrespect, a terrifying pressure arose from Akaban's statue.

"Hmph! False god!" Barbara merely glanced at the emperor disdainfully, and gripped the holy crest in her hands.

"Our Lord, the Winged Serpent. Master Kukulkan, please give me strength!" Holy light that was characteristic of Leylin emanated from the holy crest. White light flashed, and the immense pressure disappeared to reveal cracks on the statue.

"Destroy the statue, and purify everything that has to do with it!" Barbara ordered solemnly.

Soon enough, statues, holy crests, books, and even drawings hung on the wall were torn down, turning into ashes from the flames.

-x-X-x-

Done with the basic cleanup of the church, they erected a statue of the Winged Serpent God. With Saintess Barbara's lead, numerous warriors, soldiers, and nobles knelt to pray.

"Praise to our Lord, the Winged Serpent God Kukulkan. You are the serpent of the world that devours everything and grasps the power of massacres. Your body extends across the universe, stretching into past, present and future. Your beautiful eyes are like the clearest of lakes, the water from which can cure everything…"

The statue of the Winged Serpent God began to glow with the prayers, setting the worshippers' minds at ease.

"Our master has responded, the statue is complete!" Barbara exclaimed in delight, and then began to pray loudly. The power of faith converged to form a tide.

Within this tide of faith, the two eyes of the statue seemed to come to life as they brightened with intelligence. Dazzling divine force spread in all directions across the church, covering the city and even the skies outside. It was as if it was cleansing something, repelling and rejecting a golden glow tinged with dark red.

"This is a battle between faith!"

From the perspective of a god, Leylin could see all this happening even more clearly. A large region, with Dole City at its heart, had now completely escaped Akaban's control. His own power now filled the area.

Akaban's regions were now dwindling. From hereon out, the area around Dole City would no longer be his home ground, instead becoming Leylin's territory. Akaban's strength would drop if he came over, and Leylin would easily slaughter him.

Maps showed that the faith in Akaban had been reduced to a minimum. All that was left was a tiny region surrounding the imperial capital, the remaining lands surrounded and nibbled away by Leylin. The day they broke into the capital would be the day of Akaban's death.

This was the tragedy of earth-bound spirits and gods. They could not abandon their territories and followers, for only death awaited them otherwise. And for the same reason, Leylin wasn't in the least worried that Akaban would flee.

'Those true gods lead much better lives in comparison. They aren't limited to specific domains or regions for their faith, and even if they fall they can recover as long as faith in them still survives in the prime material plane, if their worshippers call the god's name from the bottom of their hearts… They're basically as tough as Magi of laws.'

As Leylin was pondering, his eyes suddenly shifted.

"Hm? That guy still dares to come here?" His body disappeared, reappearing at a church near the bounds of his territory.

*Chik! Chik! A large golden scorpion was waiting in midair. Seeing him, it took the initiative to move out of the way, stowing its stinger and claws as if acknowledging allegiance to Leylin. Some information was transmitted into Leylin's mind.

'Looks like it isn't here to fight. Beasts have an instinct to follow the strong, huh.' The demigod golden scorpion was obviously here to pledge its allegiance. Seeing the death of the double-headed lion, as well as Akaban's constant weakening, this was an obvious course of action.

"Then… prove your worth to me!" Leylin transmitted with a divine glint in his eyes.

He already had plans to take the scorpion in. After all, it was a native god and had so many uses. Since he planned to expand his power and establish a pantheon, he needed to have gods in that category.

Akaban wouldn't work. He represented all of the natives here, and naturally had the right to succeed and rule over the region. Leylin had to destroy him. However, things were different with the golden scorpion, and he could use it as an example.

"You should be the totem of the Raring Winds, right? That large tribe of natives?" Leylin stared straight at it, "Use all your strength and join my attack on the capital of the Sakartes Empire. That will prove your loyalty. I also hope to see you around in the divine battle."

This condition evidently did not surprise the scorpion. Without any hesitation, it agreed.

"Alliances are so fragile in the face of disaster…" Leylin lamented as he watched the scorpion leave.

The rapid weakening of the powerful native gods had given him a great warning. When he built his pantheon in the future, he had to consider things more comprehensively. There was a need for firm contrast, and also a requirement for equal opportunity and justice at the minimum. Without these things, even if the gods grew powerful they wouldn't escape the fate of betrayal and abandonment.

"The last campaign will begin soon," Leylin looked into the distance in the direction of the Sakartes Empire and made his own prophecy.

...

With no more defences blocking her, Barbara was planning to take over the rest of Dole City in one spurt. However, that was interrupted by an order from the church.

"I should await orders? The pope and Lady Isabel are coming as well?" Barbara gasped, and then glanced at the emissary, "I will definitely abide the will of the pope!"

No matter how courageous she was, Barbara would definitely not go against Tiff and the others. When it came to status, she was still a native, while Tiff and the rest had been long-time worshippers. Although there was talk of equality and freedom, the natural gap between them was hard to overcome.

In addition, she was a mere worshipper herself. She naturally had to abide by the orders of the church. Barbara knew full well how much influence Pope Tiff had, and she was merely a worshipper who was bathed in their god's favour and come to be called a saintess. As long as she was not a Chosen of their god, she had no power to go against Tiff.

'What should I do to gain more of the Lord's favour?' Barbara placed her palm under her chin and sank into deep thought...

Leylin didn't bother with such trifling thoughts of his followers. As long as they wanted a better life on Debanks Island, all beings would side with him for a variety of reasons.

This battle was one that would wipe out an entire nation. A new order would be built on the ruins of Sakartes, and something like that would net a person both fame and fortune. It wasn't something to give someone like a saintess.

In reality, even Tiff did not have the qualifications to do so. There was only one person that could govern the area to combine both reason and law. And that was someone who had Leylin's blood flowing in them! For this very reason, once Tiff and Isabel brought the elite army of fifty thousand troops over from Hope Stronghold, Leylin himself arrived at the barracks quietly.

That their god personally came down for them immediately raised the morale of the soldiers to a terrifying degree. In comparison, Dole City was in a dismal situation.

Huge numbers of nobles chose to give up on the rule of Akaban and his children, pledging their allegiance to Leylin in secret. Once the Raring Winds that believed in the scorpion demigod hastened over with their elite warriors and over ten thousand men, they combined forces with Hope Stronghold. With such an army surrounding the imperial capital, even those who had resolutely believed in their emperor now faltered.

The tall city walls could not hinder the spread of the plague, and they could obviously do nothing against the crumbling will of the people.

In a mere three days, the capital of the Sakartes Empire was broken into from the inside. Flames surged into the sky from the imperial palace, causing the army that had planned to fight to halt in their tracks. They could only watch as the palace that represented the glamour and splendour of the royal bloodline vanish.

On that same day, Leylin intercepted Akaban who was planning to escape. He killed Akaban with the scorpion's help, officially ending the more than five-century rule of the Sakartes Empire. The horrifying news that their god was destroyed shocked the leaders and nobles.

Having lost someone to pledge their loyalty to, few chose to fight Hope Stronghold, especially since it had holy water that could cure the plague. Most quickly chose to side with the Stronghold.

The new capital was now called Faulen, and a whole new empire was formed after the flames of war washed away all filth.

Because it was a country formed from faith, Leylin was unwilling to pass on the responsibility to others. He became the very first emperor, and from then the rulership would be succeeded by those with his blood for all eternity.

The new empire was quickly acknowledged by the surrounding tribes. After everything that belonged to the Sakartes Empire was taken over, and his organisation had expanded to the entirety of Debanks Island, they began the intense effort of eradicating the plague and clearing land.

With the 'holy water' and the god's baptism, the grim reaper that devastated Debanks Island was finally controlled. To the commoners, the Giant Serpent Church was like the sun in the sky.

Since the war had ended quickly, and they'd taken in a large number of tribes, the initial assessment of the population in the region came up to an astonishing 920,000. The plague had taken away about half of the initial 2 million natives, but it also left behind a huge amount of wealth.

After all, the mean wealth was lower when a huge population shared limited resources. This was also the cause for life and death battles between tribes. Now, however, the overgrown lands far exceeded the needs of the population, and the intense societal conflicts were eased.

After organising the clearing and plowing of land, as well as announcing the liberation of some slaves to take charge of their own land, the empire quickly gained a positive reputation. Leylin took in all the faith of the followers, turning it into a firm power that would support his ascension to godhood.

-x-X-x-

Calendar of the Gods, Year 37671. With 5000 pirates, Leylin Faulen had taken down Debanks Island which had a population of more than two million people, destroying the Sakartes Empire to create his own country. He himself had become a demigod, becoming one of the higher-ups in the World of Gods.

Many were astonished. This youth was only 26 years of age, and yet he'd achieved something so astounding; they could only look up to him now.

Numerous elite devil hunters and native knights surrounded a group of luxurious horse chariots in the new Faulen City. The knights' crests and the caravan's flag were symbols of a giant serpent, indicating the might of royalty.

"The plague's been taken care of, and we're beginning to plow the land for spring. We're doing great!" Leylin pulled apart the curtains of the chariot, gazing at the green fields with a hint of satisfaction on his face.

Saintess Barbara knelt at his side along with beautiful maids, their eyes full of an unconcealable fervour. The empire would be governed by the blood of its god. This was the decree of Leylin's Giant Serpent Church.

To get a more stable foundation, this god himself had brought a few natives around. Almost right after the new country was established, the twenty purest and most beautiful refined girls of Debanks Island had been sent to the palace. It didn't seem like such things would stop any time. Leylin never rejected such matters. Besides, this suited his standards better.

He was currently travelling to proclaim his strength to the entire empire. The view of his fleshly body would also draw in more worshippers. Leylin had developed a better understanding of the island's situation through his travels, and at the same time imprinted the might of the empire deeply into the hearts of the natives.

"This is the most fertile land in the empire, and it's close to the imperial capital. It's understandable for them to have such results…" Barbara said, her eyes glinting.

"It's great that they have knowledge in this area, especially when it comes to these matters…" Leylin understood the schemes of his worshippers like the back of his hand. Hearing what Barbara said, he had no idea whether to laugh or cry. However, such things were also a part of the path of faith, and Leylin had to consider his options carefully.

"Based on the way things are going, we should be able to get past this year's famine well…" After patrolling the entire country, Leylin was in a better mood. While the plague had greatly affected societal order, activity was slowly resuming normal levels. Thanks to the accumulations of the Sakartes Empire, this new country was headed in a better direction.

'A lot of things determine the strength of an empire. There's the population, agriculture, economy, military, and faith…' Leylin stroked his chin, 'I have 50,000 soldiers stationed in the capital. With Debanks Island itself only having 900,000 residents, it's definitely the greatest military. On the other hand, my finances are a problem… The agriculture and economy were affected by the plague, and it will take some time to return to normal. Most importantly, there's faith…'

Leylin had dealt fatal blows to Debanks Island's totem spirits and nature spirits. All those unwilling to serve were wiped out along with their tribes. With the golden scorpion at their head, the rest became subordinate to Leylin. That took up a portion of the faith in the empire.

Leylin was more than happy for this to happen. After all, his church was still the majority with more than 80% of the faith. The nature spirits could only divide the remaining fifth amongst themselves.

On top of that, he was a demigod now. His priests had divine spells, something that the shamans of the native gods could not compare to. He had a huge leg up over the competition, and was obviously unafraid of competing with them. These gods would likely be forced to hang around near him with no other choice.

'Then there's governance. I've already rewarded the pirates greatly, with land, slaves, and noble status. However, they are still fewer in number than the original native chiefs and nobles…' Leylin shook his head.

From his position as a ruler, the population of the natives was terrifying. On the other hand, there were less than five thousand who'd followed an outsider like him. The difference was like that between a drop of water and a lake.

Leylin had no doubt that if he did nothing, basic governance would fall to the natives in less than thirty years. Outsiders could only join in, be it passively or actively. To change this he had to bring some new people in, and kill some others. Only by bringing people from Faulen Island and killing natives could he ensure the stability of his power.

Unfortunately, Leylin wasn't just a ruler. His bigger priority was his godhood, and a massacre that dropped the number of natives would only reduce his power of faith. It would not benefit him. While he was conquering them, these natives were his enemies and it was essential to reduce their numbers. Now, however, they were part of his ascent to godhood. Killing them lost all meaning.

A god didn't care if the one governing the empire was a native or an outsider. All that mattered was that he received the same amount of faith. With the support of the church, his descendants wouldn't fall to the level of mere symbols or puppets. That would be enough.

"There is no eternal empire, but the gods have long lives," Leylin muttered. Compared to the long life of a god, even the most glorious of empires in history seemed short-lived.

[Beep! Response to today's prayers completed. Handled a total of 348,761 cases, bestowed 13,286 spells.] The A.I. Chip's prompt caused Leylin's lips to curve upwards in a smile.

Gods had to take care of their worshippers' prayers, and bestow divine spells every day. While his now divine soul could process fast enough to take care of this himself, it wouldn't be a walk in the park. The effort would drain him.

With over 900,00 followers, a following even more enormous than that of some true gods, the amount of work he had to do was vast and complicated. However, the A.I. Chip took over the tedious work, which made things more convenient for Leylin.

Even for a true god, such difficult work took more than just their bodies and avatars. Some even designated subordinate deities to the task. The A.I. Chip performed these tasks better than most gods, and on top of that Leylin could trust it absolutely without fear of betrayal.

"Your Highness!" Heading all the way back to their emperor, the numerous youthful and beautiful maids greeted Leylin immediately. Most of them exposed their bare arms and lower abdomens, showing their smooth skin with a heated gaze.

Leave alone the girls the tribes had offered, even the maids in Leylin's palace were rather good. Some could even be the heads of noble families. Leylin didn't mind a cordial conversation with them on the average day, but now he had something more important to do.

The centre of the capital's power had been Akaban's church. It had been remodelled into a headquarters for the Giant Church after the war, dedicated to Leylin's worship. Leylin was standing on the location of the old altar, observing a gigantic piece of obsidian on the pedestal.

This rock had a metallic luster to it, and looked like a black brick. However, Leylin's astute senses found something different with it. If not for Akaban's statue being destroyed, it would never have shown itself.

'I've finally found it… Is this Akaban's trove?' Leylin placed his hand on the surface of the black brick, immediately linking his divine will to a huge space. Divine force surged in the air, clearly beginning to dissipate already. Numerous translucent souls looking to be sleeping on the surface, with some still withering away. They filled an entire layer of the place.

'The souls of Akaban's followers… I never thought I'd be so lucky as to find a semi-plane containing them. While it isn't all that large, it's still much better than most demigod weapons…' Guiding the souls of followers was the task of divine souls. Whether pious worshippers turned into petitioners, valiant spirits, or holy souls, they were all of great help to their gods. Naturally, they wouldn't easily be abandoned.

Demigods lacked their own divine kingdoms, so many built their own demigod weapons or other items to be containers that could store the souls of their followers. Akaban was obviously very lucky to have found a semi-plane.

'There are at least a million souls…' Having estimated the number of souls within the brick, Leylin was shocked once again by Akaban's accumulations.

A semi-plane was no divine kingdom. No matter how hard one tried to protect them, the worshippers within would still die. Akaban would only guide the most devout of followers into the plane, which eliminated a large number of natives with more general faith. Akaban's fall had killed most of the souls, and those left over were actually the best of the best. They were the essence of the millions of native souls over the empire's centuries of existence!

'This is what true gods count on. I am far too weak in comparison…' Leylin sighed and observed the semi-plane. These souls evidently only worshipped Akaban, and they were useless to Leylin unless he destroyed them to take their soul origins. However, that was too wasteful.

Instead, his greatest harvest was the semi-plane itself!

-x-X-x-

Demigods had confirmed their path to ascension. All that they had left to do was make their preparations.

They required faith and a divine role, but other things like a divine kingdom were also indispensable. If, by coincidence, one already had a semi-plane, it would take much less effort to build their divine kingdom.

To a true god, their divine kingdom was where their true body lay. No matter how much care was put into creating it, it would not be enough. Leylin already had his own plans for his divine kingdom, but now that he had a semi-plane he could use it to contain the souls of his worshippers.

'I can make use of it once I've modified it slightly. Hm, it's better to seal all of Akaban's worshippers' souls here.' Leylin had soon determined the uses of the semi-plane. With the standard divine power to alter reality, the semi-plane began to whistle.

Golden divine force rippled the air, pushing out Akaban's brand and alarming a few powerful souls.

"Who encroaches on the master's country?" Golden flames blazed, and tens of native souls ascended into the skies, glaring at Leylin, "False god! This is not a place for you!"

"Ooh, valiant spirits?" Leylin knew that the souls of these natives should have been heroes of the Sakartes Empire's past. There could even be a few past emperors amongst them.

"Akaban has fallen. It's about time that you, who have been abandoned by the changing eras, enter the trashcan of history…" In Leylin's eyes, these valiant spirits were zealous worshippers of Akaban. They were useless to him. As his chant sounded, the snarling spirits suddenly froze as the spiritual force that made up their bodies fell apart, beginning to dissipate.

"How gutsy are you, to dare go against a god?" A tremendous aura exploded forth from Leylin, and the few valiant spirits that had managed to hang on disappeared.

Their existences had been supported by Akaban's divine force. With his fall they were far weaker than before, so how could they do anything in front of Leylin?

After he took care of these last bits of resistance, the rest of the souls all became confused or fell into a deep sleep. They had no power whatsoever to rebel. Something like a hurricane swept through the semi-plane. A large black hole appeared at its heart, and many souls were swept in.

At the end, the tail of the hurricane reached Leylin's hands. A huge number of souls were piled up into a golden crystal ball, swimming inside like tadpoles.

'Akaban already made this place suitable for the souls of worshippers. However, it's still lacking…' Looking at the desolate semi-plane, Leylin frowned.

'Divine force— change reality!'

"I command… Let there be light!" It was like magic. The moment he spoke, a dazzling light was formed amidst the chaos, expanding and chasing away all the shadows.

"I command… Let there be water!" The dry ground immediately closed up, as streams appeared and formed lakes and seas.

"With the water must come plantlife!" Tender green sprouts emerged from the barren soil tenaciously, and the greenness that was full of life spread through the area. Soon, they covered the entire semi-plane and formed large plains and forests.

"That should be it for the basics." The tremendous amount of divine force required to alter the semi-plane was slightly strenuous for Leylin. With a flick of his sleeves, thousands of milky-white souls fell into the plane, turning into bewildered souls.

"You will stay here for now." Amongst them were natives, pirates, and even a few that looked like devils. After hearing Leylin's voice, they all knelt down respectfully and began to pray, "Yes, Master! You are the the serpent of the world that devours all, the master of death who guides all souls like us…"

"There is an agreement between a god and his worshippers. As the worshippers give up their faith, I must protect their souls after death…" Leylin muttered to himself. This was the responsibility gods took on. Taking care of it, he'd suddenly felt his connection with his worshippers suddenly grow more firm.

"It's still fine to place the followers' souls here for now, but I still have to become a true god as quickly as possible and build my divine kingdom. That's the only place souls should return to…"

The use of altars, divine weapons, or even semi-planes to contain souls was something only demigods did, and it was because they had no other options. It was a make-shift strategy that could not protect the souls of followers well.

A semi-plane was slightly better than altars or divine weapons when it came to the rate at which souls disappeared. It was usually so fast that demigods' hearts ached. On top of that, the life in the souls would be erased slowly.

The gods obviously would not stand seeing their wealth dissipating. However, all methods to contain worshippers' souls had this flaw, except of course for divine kingdoms.

However, becoming a true god was still extremely tedious for demigods. Leylin couldn't forget about the middle god Helm, whose role was to be the protector. His church prioritised attacks on false gods, and unfortunately he definitely viewed Leylin as such.

Thankfully, his main territories were in Debanks Island, and there was a proven problem with the natives' faith. He hadn't gathered attention yet. However, with his rise right now the secret couldn't be kept much longer.

"No, there already are gods who've noted my existence…" Leylin looked towards the harbour, seeing a numerous fleet. The howling sea breeze and terrifying ocean sprays smacked on the gleaming, splendid surfaces of these large warships.

At the top of the warship was a large, bright gold coin bending in the winds. This was the Gold Ship, belonging to Gold Priest Xena under the Goddess of Wealth. Leylin had seen it before at Port Venus' harbour, and it was now approaching the seas of Debanks Island.

"Priestess! Based on the directions of our god, we will reach the continent soon!" At the bow of the Gold Ship, Leylin saw a familiar Bishop Xena. She was dressed in a white deer skin coat, looking lost in thought.

"I understand. You may leave…" Xena waved her arms and sent the captain away, her mind like the great waves on the surface of the ocean.

'A Giant Serpent Church is rising amongst the native islands. I must know everything about it!' This was a divine command Lady Waukeen had given her. Only a decree from the goddess could get this gold priest to abandon Port Venus, where gold seemed to flow like a river, and instead risk immense danger to enter the native sea regions.

'Show goodwill, but also observe carefully!' Xena thought over the goddess' words, looking slightly hesitant. The goddess' hints that the native empire had something to do with Port Venus thrilled her.

'Though I don't know why, I'm certain that the only one capable of doing this is the legendary young master of the Faulen Family!' Xena had an instinct that was unique to women.

"There are ships ahead. Be on alert!" At this moment, the sailor at the observatory tower yelled at the top of his voice.

"Enemy ships? The canoes of the natives?" Having had several experiences with them, Xena found it hilarious as she gazed at the waters, but then could no longer laugh.

Tens of huge warships leaped out through the horizons, under the lead of an even larger pirate ship that was modified with magic as they surrounded them. On the warships were numerous elite soldiers and sailors.

When had the natives obtained such giant warships? Xena was puzzled, but after seeing the blood-red skull and dagger flag at the top of the giant ship, she gasped.

'The Scarlet Tigers that are famous in the outer seas! It's actually them? Is this their base?' Xena had a very strong impression of these famous pirates. Some special channels had informed her that the Daughter of the Dragon was actually a legendary sorcerer, and the fear she had for them rose.

What shocked her more was that the Scarlet Tigers definitely had connections with the Faulen Family!

"If they're showing their flag, does that mean they're fearless now?" Xena forced a laugh and sent down the order, "Show our banner. We come bearing goodwill!"

After the signal was put up, the fleet at the other side quickly gave a response. They lined up at the two sides of the church's ships, as if they were guards.

"They want us to maintain our speed and follow them!" The sailors quickly understood the meaning of the other side's banner.

"Do as they wish!" Xena took a deep breath and calmed the anger within her, making a logical choice.

"They were scared so easily. I was even going to plunder the Goddess of Wealth's ship…" On the pirate ship that headed the rest, Ronald disdainfully pursed his lips and put down the copper binoculars in his hands.

"Bring them to Port Pado. All members and attendants must be checked carefully. Be vigilant! We are now the navy of the empire, don't get up to any tricks or I'll cut you into pieces!"

"Understood, head!" The other pirates chuckled and giggled as they answered. It was evidently difficult for them to change their attitudes.

Those native sailors, however, were now much more respectful. They would be the backbone of the imperial navy in the future. Ronald sighed with relief, now filled with hope!

-x-X-x-

Port Pado.

After handing over an application and going through a strict examination, Xena and her people were finally allowed into the port proper. They were given accommodations in what seemed to be a rushed building.

Although they used wood and stone bricks, Xena could still see the shoddy work of the natives. Compared to the grass huts next to it, however, this building seemed vastly superior.

'A port that's under construction?' Xena recalled the market she'd just seen. It couldn't even compare to the commercial street of a small town, at most the gathering of a pile of stalls. The items were only sold in clay jars, and trade was with barter without any basic currency. From her point of view, this was blasphemy towards her goddess!

"These darned natives. How lazy and filthy they are!" A few attendants complained, but Xena did not think the same way. Although they'd only been in contact for a short time, she had seen how energetic Debanks Island was.

'Goddess! Although these natives are base and weak, all their jewellery is made of gold… If this industry can be developed…' Grasping an opportunity to make more gold was instinctual to the priests of the Goddess of Wealth.

'I never thought this expedition would have such great harvests. However, the ocean currents in this sea region are far too dangerous…' Xena frowned inside.

Dinner was the natives' version of curry rice. They used banana leaves as plates, and the spice was astounding. After enjoying the sumptuous dinner, Xena summoned a high-ranked thief to her room.

A golden lustre filled the room. Although Xena didn't believe the natives could be all that powerful, she was still very cautious.

"How is it? Have you made any discoveries?" Xena looked at the tall, slender figure in front of her that seemed to want to disappear into the shadows.

"How could we get so much information in a day? Thankfully for the blessings of our goddess, the natives didn't seem to know how to keep secrets. We managed to get some intel through their legends and songs…" The thief's voice was hoarse, like he was a bald eagle.

"Speak." She frowned.

"Firstly… This place used to be called the Sakartes Empire, but a war occurred recently. Fair-skinned godly beings came from the west and defeated them, destroying their empire. That's the direction of the mainland…

"There's something more surprising. There seemed to be very few of those 'fair-skinned godly beings,' numbering less than twenty thousand total!" the thief supplied.

"Twenty thousand?" Xena was caught between laughter and tears, "But the Scarlet Tigers have about that number of people… An empire conquered by twenty thousand people… Haha…"

She looked pleased as punch, thinking the Sakartes Empire to just be some large native tribe.

"If you knew the true might of the native empire, you definitely wouldn't be laughing now." The thief interrupted her coldly.

"What's their population?" Upon hearing how serious he sounded, Xena reacted appropriately.

"Based on what they said, it would take fifty sunsets to walk from the beginning of the empire to the end. Each city has numerous tribes within, and the empire was also protected by the Sun God who governed everything, Akaban!"

The thief now looked solemn, "A conservative estimate puts the empire's population between five hundred thousand to a million. Their outer borders were as extensive as a kingdom's, and they were protected by a false god!"

"To be able to defeat such a powerful empire with less than twenty thousand pirates… Goodness! It would be difficult to do so even if they were five hundred thousand pigs…" Xena exclaimed, shocked.

"Exactly! What I'm going to say next is key." The thief now sounded slightly emotional, trembling from fear, "Remember the holy water we were sprayed with when we first got onshore?"

"That's just water with some sort of potion. It isn't holy water!" Xena called to attention. This was rather important when it came to religion. She would never admit to being blessed by another god, unless she was sure she wanted to betray Waukeen.

"Alright… That potion…" The thief quickly realised he had misspoken, and immediately corrected himself.

"There seemed to be a tremendous plague at the beginning of the war. Large batches of natives died, and the Winged Serpent descended suddenly, possessing the abilities to heal them. They gave the natives the holy water…"

"Winged Serpent?" Xena quickly thought of the Goddess of Wealth's divine orders, as well as how she was required to look into the Giant Serpent Church.

"Yes. The 'holy water' has astounding healing abilities, and was exceptionally effective against the plague. These fair-skinned beings were seen as heroes sent down by the heavens to save them, and are supported on a large scale. That's how they defeated the original Sakartes Empire…"

"Is that so…" Xena looked down, clearly deep in thought. She then turned to the thief, sounding serious, "Do you think… That plague has anything to do with the Plague Mistress?"

"It shouldn't. I've fought the priests of her church. While she can spread sickness, it shouldn't be so infectious… Also, her priests only know how to kill others and not save them…" The thief muttered bluntly in answer.

"Good then… Get more intel, especially related to the Giant Serpent Church…" Xena gave a long sigh and sent the thief away, staring at the oil lamp on the table as she muttered to herself resolutely.

"The Scarlet Tigers, the legendary wizard of the Faulen Family, and the winged serpent capable of healing sickness… What is the relationship between the three of them?" At the beginning, she'd thought this was just a practical joke on Leylin's side. However, by the looks of it it seemed impossible.

"Mistress. Please give me guidance!" Xena gripped the holy crest in the palm of her hand, and began to pray piously. A golden lustre enveloped the entire room, making it look misty.

...

"So it's the Goddess of Wealth… I've had the greatest amount of contact with them. Port Venus has Waukeen's Church, so it's natural for them to have recorded my aura…" Leylin wasn't all that surprised. After all, it was necessary for Debanks Island to interact with the outside world.

Debanks Island had far too much work to be done, and trade would greatly help recover its vitality. It was much better for them to be discovered by Waukeen than by Helm. After all, the goddess was neutral in alignment.

With the plentiful resources from Debanks Island, and the Faulen Empire as a whole having so many consumers, Leylin had no doubt the gold priests would be greatly attracted. However, it wasn't worth Xena risking her life.

The only thing that could spur a gold bishop on was the Goddess of Wealth, Waukeen!

"No matter what she expects, Debanks Island can definitely support itself. There's no need to fear any blockades or threats… Of course, if they can be enticed and we can get support from the trade network on the mainland, it would be great…"

Leylin moved his arms, "Send down the order. Receive them with the most politeness possible, and send them gold and cornelian-embedded utensils. Cover the floors with fleece, and welcome her to my palace…"

Leylin wasn't just the ruler of a new empire. He was also its patron god, so his orders were carried out without any hesitation. Xena and her people obtained large amounts of gifts from the natives, and seemed to be dazzled by their wealth. They made multiple stops along the way, before reaching Faulen City which was being rebuilt.

This had been the Sakartes Empire's capital. The roads and houses were already very spacious, and were now being expanded further. The vast driveways could even let a dozen horses walk side by side and speed along.

"The planning of this imperial city… The conqueror's ambition is very obvious…" Xena mentioned Leylin indirectly. In the natives' eyes, he was someone who represented blood and massacre, but she saw more than that. Because of the natives' minimal comprehension and the communication gap, she still had no idea who he was. Still, she was certain that he was extremely courageous, with great might and possibly more slyness than a devil.

The huge disparity and powerlessness she felt caused Xena to sigh deeply. If not for the light of the goddess supporting her, she would have long since escaped from Debanks Island.

"Information on the Giant Serpent Church is very vague, but the priests definitely have divine spells. The person behind the Giant Serpent Church should at the very least be a false god…" Anything that had to do with gods would be a source of trouble. Xena could feel an intense headache coming on.

"We're here! This is our emperor's palace. Only you are allowed to enter!" Elite devil hunters blocked the rest of the emissaries at the splendid golden entrance to the palace.

As the bodyguards that would guard Leylin, these natives were definitely loyal. Their strength was also first rate, and they could even be considered heroes. Their potential power was something that left even Xena's heart thumping in fear.

-x-X-x-

The main doors of the golden court flew open, revealing an enormous hall devoid of a single soul. Spotless white fleece was laid down on the floor, as delicate as a snowflake, while bright red curtains embroidered in gold hung at the corners of the huge french windows.

This was the empire's hall of government. Normally there were learned sages, treacherous bureaucrats and those with dreams struggling here, criticising each other. All manners of plots and massacres were borne of those moments, a normal scene unable to convey any of that atmosphere.

A delicate and unique fragrance hung in the air, but the incense was not thick enough to be intoxicating. Xena seemed to grow nostalgic, and she once again transformed into a naive 19-year-old young lady.

Leylin had not been in possession of this place for a long time, but this palace still seemed to have some unique historical charm. It seemed like the very air had accumulated hundreds of thousands of years of the vicissitudes of life.

Even a gold priest like Xena was left in a trance when shrouded in this atmosphere. Just as a gap appeared in her spirits, the sound of steady footsteps drifted into her ears. It sounded like the walls were heavily besieged as several deep cracks appeared.

She saw a young man walking unhurriedly into the palace hall. He wore white robes, tailored precisely to fit his body. His even pace and bearing revealed his extraordinary confidence.

Since the young man walked with his back towards the light, Xena could not see his face clearly. All she could sense was a brilliant radiance shining continuously from his body.

"I am Gold Priest Xena, an emissary from the mainland's church of wealth. I request an audience with you, Your Majesty the Almighty Conqueror…" Xena had already inwardly confirmed the man's status. She bowed deeply to show her great respect.

"No need for pleasantries. After all, we've met several times in the past." The voice was far younger than she'd expected, and also one she could never forget. Xena raised her head, finally able to see Leylin before her.

"So it's you!" Xena's tone revealed her confidence in her own hypothesis, as well as unconcealed shock. Although she knew him to be a legendary wizard, Xena had never expected him to conquer the entire native empire with a pirate crew. Still, that wasn't the most pressing matter…

'This aura… A divine being, no, a demigod! Only a demigod can put me under this much pressure! A legendary wizard who's just over 20? Hah, he's already a demigod! How could this be possible?'

Although she was stupefied, Xena recovered her composure fairly quickly. After all, she'd dealt with many churches in the past, and had plentiful experience.

It wasn't unheard of for ordinary people to meet with unexpected success in the World of Gods, ascending into the heavens with a single leap. Cyric had only been an ordinary thief as a mortal, and now he wielded formidable divine power as the God of Murder. He'd had the luck of obtaining a fallen god's godhood, along with their divine weapon. This had instantly made him a powerful deity himself.

Compared to that, even if Leylin's progress was universally shocking it was still acceptable.

Leylin himself didn't dwell much on Cyric. The God of Murder had obtained his strength by pure luck, and his powers were nothing if not for his divine boosts. As a result, he would easily suffer the control of his own powers. He was already halfway insane, so he couldn't be considered a formidable enemy.

Furthermore, Leylin had grievously offended Cyric already. He had even killed a legendary of his church, and their hatred and desire for revenge was boundless. This was the main reason why Leylin had chosen the path of massacres. Although compatibility was one consideration, he wasn't afraid of slighting Cyric again.

It would have been a little short-sighted to ignore him, stirring up trouble instead with a mid-ranked god like the Mistress of Plagues who he had no grudge against. Besides, a godly role in plagues was more limited in scope and application than one in massacre, without much room for development.

A god could process all these thoughts in a split second. To Xena it seemed like Leylin asked his next question without hesitation, "Xena, why have you come all this way?"

Leylin currently had a formidable divine aura, and in her reverence Xena almost knelt down before him. Still, she was still a gold priest of Lady Waukeen. A trickle of power surfaced from the holy crest on her chest, lending her its strength.

"I am here to pass on my master's sincerity."

"Lady Waukeen's sincerity?" Leylin looked at the bishop standing before him, a trace of playfulness flickering across his transformed golden eyes.

Not so long ago, a youngster like him had needed to cautiously weigh up the disadvantages and advantages of his schemes in front of a bishop of her rank. He'd even had no choice but to let a part of his profits go in order to rope her in. Now however, Xena could only crawl and pray for his benevolence. This gap between gods and men was so clear one could get drunk on the power.

The momentary silence caused Xena to assume that Leylin was put off. She immediately continued, "I've noticed Debanks Island has ample reserves of gold and silver. Your people luxuriously use pure gold for ornaments, and if these things were transported to the continent just a tenth of them would win you unimaginable profits. The accumulated wealth would allow you to build ten cities as large as Faulen…"

It had to be said: when Waukeen's priests saw enormous profit their expressions changed completely. They would discard their cowardice, daring to deal with even devils and demons. Now, an inferno raged in Xena's eyes as she faced a demigod. Her pretty little cherry lips spouted devilish words of enticement.

"Trade? Well, I can consider it…" Leylin seemed to be considering Xena's deal on the surface, but there was a different story in his mind.

'Is it a trap? But Waukeen has always been strictly neutral. Is she just attracted to Debanks Island, or maybe its my potential?' The fight against false gods was Helm's job. Leylin had never heard of the priests of the church of wealth actively taking such jobs.

On the contrary, the priests of wealth were often dazzled by the sight of gold. There were occasional rumours of secret deals with the devils even. Although most were groundless rumours, Leylin was keen enough to notice an inkling of truth in them.

Unlike demons and devils, false gods weren't considered particularly evil. Furthermore, even if Debanks Island had enough resources to satisfy him for now if it received the support of trade with the mainland it would recover much faster. This would also supply Leylin with a greater amount of faith.

"I can accept the trade, but you need to talk concrete details with Tiff and Isabel," Leylin no longer hid his association with the Giant Serpent Church.

Or perhaps he didn't particularly care if other gods discovered that he was the serpent Kukulkan. Too many gods had been known to assume false identities, using avatars in the prime material plane.

"Apart from this, my master has several very, very small requests. If your Majesty can help her, my Lady will absolutely be willing to provide many things that will leave you satisfied…"

"Oh? How interesting, do continue," Leylin stroked his chin, a smile blooming on his face.

...

After a short while, Xena quietly left with a self-satisfied expression on her face. Leylin was left alone in the great hall. A divine glow flashed across his eyes as he watched Xena's departing back, his gaze filled with pity.

Even the Goddess of Wealth had to comply with the oaths and unwritten rules of the gods. There were many things that she had to do despite her reluctance. Business with a false god, for example, was prohibited.

This was why Waukeen hadn't shown her true self. She'd sent one of her priests here, to serve as her shield at critical times. If Xena did not manage to see the truth, she wasn't likely to have a good future.

As for Waukeen's commission itself, Leylin was rather interested.

'So she wants me to help her find several items, using them as an exchange? How interesting… First is the Sceptre of Savras?' The image of a magic staff appeared before Leylin's eyes, before quickly shattering into pieces.

'This divine artifact is rumoured to be able to guard against prophecies and tracking by gods. That much is true, but the main part of the sceptre could be in any corner of the prime material plane. It could even be down in Baator or the abyss. Despite all that, she still covets this the most…' Leylin furrowed his brows rather distrustfully, 'This woman, what on earth is she thinking?'

It was a shame that she was an intermediate god, equivalent to a rank 8 Magus of laws. Leylin could not pry apart her thoughts.

'One thing's for sure. Be it for the trade or to hunt these items, I'll have to leave Debanks Island. I need to go to the mainland or the outer planes, is that what she wants?' Leylin couldn't help but guess. They weren't close in any way, so he wouldn't believe that Waukeen could so generously come over and help him so suddenly.

'If what I guess is true…' Leylin's drooping eyelids obscured the dim light in his eyes.

-x-X-x-

After days of careful contemplation, Leylin summoned Xena and agreed to the Goddess of Wealth's conditions. He handed over all matters pertaining to the native empire to Isabel and Tiff, while he followed Xena's ship back to the Faulen Island. He was currently back at his wizard tower.

Although this tower had already been upgraded several times, Leylin still found it too crude. This wasn't an issue with design, rather that he'd advanced too quickly. The basic facilities of this place couldn't keep up with his demands.

Thankfully, he did not have high expectations for the environment he was to be in. With the wizard tower's isolation abilities as well as his own divine force as a cover, the preparations were complete.

*Chiu! Chiu!* Inside the enormous forge at the core, a golden staff floated in mid-air. Threads of pure gold flames were dispelled in the surroundings, forming the figure of a large, gorgeous bird.

What had been the Red Dragon Staff had undergone massive changes and improvements. The coarse and solid staff was now more slender, and the dragon claw at the top had been refined, forming the claw of a bird. The most important part, the soul within the crystal, was now replaced by the flaming bird.

[Beep! Red Dragon Staff has been re-smelted. Connection and containment perfect. No conflicts in energy.] The A.I. Chip projected large amounts of information before him.

[Item Name: Blazing Sceptre. Rank: Legendary 3. Length: 0.76m. Weight: 2900g. Materials: Dragon Crystal, Dragon Bone, Dragon Blood, Dragon Scale, Divine Spirit, Divine Blood]

[Item abilities: 1. Storage. The staff can contain spells: Rank 9 (1), Rank 7 (3), Rank 5 (5). (Currently Empty) 2. Blazing Skyfire, legendary spell. (Can be used once every twenty days). 3. Domain of Terror. 4. Blaze: Absorbing the strength of divine souls, the staff can deal a one-time mental attack or boost itself. Will harm the imprisoned soul. 5. Fire Immunity.]

[Description: This staff once imprisoned a powerful legendary dragon soul, but its owner attempted a more terrifying experiment, sealing the soul of a divine being. All who use it without permission will suffer the wrath of gods!]

'What I gave Tiff was symbolic of the church. This suits me better…' When he conquered Debanks Island, Leylin did indeed come into possession of the flesh and souls of other demigods. However, this staff was still his most perfect creation. Although what he'd given Tiff was a demigod weapon, it was impossible to upgrade it. This staff had a limitless future!

'I can upgrade this staff at any time as long as the materials I have on hand are suitable. It could even become a divine weapon…' Leylin was very confident in this.

Having completed the Blazing Sceptre, Leylin did not opt to rest, instead going to another room. He closed his eyes as if in meditation, but his mind was actually communicating with the A.I. Chip. 'A.I. Chip, how goes the task I set you on?'

[Beep! Analysis of legendary arcane spell, Chain Contingency at 100%. Transmitting into Host's mind, beginning preliminary branding…] the A.I. Chip's robotic voice sounded. It had never let Leylin down before.

'A demigod is at the apex of the mainland. Debanks Island is too remote, and it's impossible to dispatch large armies and labourers on the long journey here. If they want to deal with me, there are only a few methods. This is the one with the best chance of success…' Leylin pursed his lips, and lost tremendous amounts of spiritual force and arcane energy. A continuous stream of divine force made up for these losses just in time, creating a unique cycle. It took a night of this to finally set up Chain Contingency.

While he had his own conjectures, he still chose to follow through with his plans. After all, it was foolish to offend a goddess without any evidence. Besides, he had his own plans as well, and he needed her cooperation to complete them.

'I hope all this is all in my head… But it's not bad to make preparations, right?' Immense divine force surged out, erasing the spell's aura from Leylin's body and hiding it within the aura of the divine.

It wasn't long after this was done that Gold Priest Xena visited him.

"Our church already has leads on the Sceptre of Savras. However, we need your help, my Lord." Xena looked respectful as she spoke, her eyes showing that she wasn't faking any of this.

'Looks like this priestess thinks that her true mission is to find the sceptre…' Leylin sighed, and then smiled, "As long as we do things according to our agreement, I'm fine with it…"

...

At the borders of the Dambrath Kingdom, west of the werejackal mountains.

Because of the suitable food and climate, there was a large number of werejackals around this place, including high-ranked sorcerers and Professionals with greater intelligence than their peers. They monopolised the entire mountain, making the area dangerous. All who were not werejackals had one fate in this mountain: they would be torn to the bone and eaten.

There was little the Dambrath Kingdom could do about this. They'd employed a legendary, but even he'd had to retreat. The werejackal mountains became a forbidden area with the passage of time.

Rumour had it that there was a mysterious large door at the depths of the werejackal mountains, leading straight to the abyss and the werejackal god, a sovereign who loved flesh! The closer one went to the place, the more desolate the nearby villages got.

One one particular path, a group of knights were hastening on their journey. Their unruffled aura alone showed that they weren't mere elites of the kingdom. They were guarding a young man and woman in the middle, each riding a handsome horse. However, considering the might of the two, it was hard to say who was being protected.

"The lead for the Sceptre of Savras is in the town up ahead?" Leylin sniffed at the air, frowning slightly.

"Yes, my Lord!" This was Xena speaking. Ever since the priestess found out that Leylin had attained a realm she could never hope to reach, she had become increasingly respectful to him. She had even taken to addressing him as 'my Lord', and if Leylin had not stopped her, she might even have called him 'Your Highness.'

"A hunter from the village said he entered the werejackal mountains once by accident, and at the outer regions of the valleys saw a terrifying statue and the illusion of a sceptre emitting multicolour light."

"That's all?" Leylin's eyebrows raised.

"We dispatched our own legendaries after that, but even two weren't enough to break through the outer regions of the valley. However, the two of them saw the sceptre as well, and it's matching the Sceptre of Savras by more than 90%…" Xena explained, laughing wryly as she still needed Leylin's help.

"A boundary that even legendaries can't enter? And the sceptre's there?" Leylin nodded. "In that case, this trip is worth it… But I've been staying at the outer seas recently. What's happening on the continent?"

After hearing that this was not confidential information, Xena gave him a simple rundown of the situation on the continent. Firstly, the unrest in the north had attracted the attention of the entire prime material plane. It was possible for it to escalate even further.

The alliance of Mystra and Tyr was something all the orc gods feared. They'd first wiped out their reinforcements in Malar and a few others, then supported Alustriel's war in the north.

After a few large battles, Alustriel had successfully gathered her revolutionary forces and taken over a decent amount of land. With the support of a few great noble families in the north, she had ascended the throne a few months ago and re-established the Silverymoon Alliance.

However, the orcs were still as powerful as before. Orc Emperor Saladin had the help of the divine weapon, the Thunder God's Hammer, and was still one of the most powerful beings in the prime material plane. If not for Alustriel blocking Saladin personally in a few battles, as well as the orc being afraid of the side effects from using the weapon, success would not have come so easily.

With all that done, the orc empire had grown enraged. They began to gather their armies after being dealt that heavy blow. At the same time, the people of Silverymoon trained hard as well, obtaining more support from the nobles and gods of the north.

It wasn't hard to imagine the even more terrifying war that would break out in the future, the greatest test for the newly reformed Silverymoon Alliance.

On top of that, there was the short-lived reappearance of the western desert's floating city. A number of legendaries had fallen there, the death of just one enough to stun the entire continent. This was something to do with a floating city! The only reason the news was this delayed was that the western desert was remote, with little in the means of communication.

A few churches had verified the theft of the floating city by a mysterious person, and they'd posted a great bounty for the same. It had caused a great flurry in the dark world. Numerous old monsters had been startled out of their shells, pursuing the traces of the lich Ilyo.

It had to be said that this was why Leylin had kept Ilyo. The lich could shoulder the brunt of the blame.