"I never thought I'd come back to the north…" Anya stopped her horse and looked around at the wilderness, a trancelike expression in her eyes.
"Argh!" "Ahh!" Sharp growls could be heard from goblins in the shrubbery as an enormous malicious intent enveloped the caravans behind her.
If they couldn't show a sufficient amount of force, these goblins would continue to follow them, looking for flaws in their defences as they waited for reinforcements. When the time was ripe, they'd rush into action and make mincemeat out of everyone in the caravans.
"Go!" Anya naturally knew how to deal with them. She didn't even have to say anything before several armoured knights rushed ahead. The mounts whinnied as they brandished their swords, causing the goblins to cry out in panic.
"Haha, you green-skinned midgets!" One knight laughed loudly, the dragon-patterned greatsword in his hand driving several dirty green-skinned goblins out of the grass.
*Bang! Bang!* Several of the pitiful little fellows suffered fatal injuries, and the ones that were left remaining began to scream in horror as they lamented their fates. The remaining goblins fled quickly, the tall grass shaking as wave after wave escaped.
A caravan could not survive in the north without the ability to defeat the goblins and ogres of the Endless Plains. They would be swallowed up and exterminated by the other merchant groups, dispatched in a harsh fight that left their bones to rot in the wilderness forever.
Several goblins were then hung at the front of the caravan, screaming the loudest. These wails would be the best deterrent against danger, even if only against other goblins.
Anya intentionally distanced herself from the stench of the green-skinned barbarians, draping a white scarf embroidered with gold across her face.
'Damn, isn't there a better method than this?' Her eyes scanned across the normal-looking servants with a hint of resentment in her heart, 'With them here, even if we were surrounded by ogre tribes, there's nothing much to be scared of, is there?"
Of course, Anya was well aware that this place was now the territory of the orc empire. If they were surrounded by the horde here, even several legendaries would not be enough to save them. This was why she decided to swallow her resentment, refraining from speaking.
"There are matters for you to attend to, Miss Anya!" A skinny servant ran over, looking young and immature. However, his eyes revealed a calm resolution that did not match his sweet face.
"What's the matter?" Anya asked reflexively. "It's most likely an issue regarding our arrival at the Moonwood," the youth replied, causing Anya to take another glance at him.
"I'll go immediately," Anya promised, and her eyes bored into the little boy's back with a rare trace of jealousy, 'What a lucky fellow… Wasn't he called Lonce? He actually received the favour of the Lord…'
When she'd first laid eyes on him, this child was but a weak boy hiding within the shadows. But now? His temperament and physique had both been transformed greatly, and he was now receiving focused training from the Giant Serpent Church.
'He awakened his talent as a devil hunter with divine inspiration… That legendary devil hunter will very likely accept him as a disciple…' Anya looked at Lonce' back and thought of her own brothers who were sent into the Giant Serpent Church. A wry smile appeared on her face, but she could not complain.
She understood the reason behind such treatment well. The Banes were a business family without any real faith. Given that they had to be converted to Kukulkan's faith, their devotion could not be compared to what Lonce showed. Even if the heirs to the family were still young, it didn't seem like they would become zealots.
'Perhaps the next generation of children can be nurtured…' Anya deeply understood the fundamentals of the church and what it relied on to exist. Monetary and other help was one aspect, but the most fundamental aspect of one's relationship with the church was the strength of their faith. Talent and money did not matter in the face of fervour.
Anya knew that the Giant Serpent Church had a unique divine skill which could determine the depths of one's faith through the light of faith emitted by the worshipper. This sort of analytical ability made her feel that she was in deep danger.
'It looks like I should deepen my understanding of the doctrine of their god. Sister Barbara might be able to help me with this…' A blush appeared on Anya's face as she thought of Saintess Barbara, for reasons she herself did not know.
"Father!" Anya rode to Fagus' side, continuing the journey alongside him. Their current journey was so important that even the head of the family had personally joined the caravan.
"We have to handle these matters well for the Lord. We cannot afford a single mistake!" Fagus said with a solemn face.
"I understand, Father." Anya inhaled deeply. Leylin had bestowed a miracle upon their family, taking out Blackmoon and the house backing it in one go. This freed up the Neon Merchant Group immediately, allowing them to put trade with the Blackblood Tribe on the agenda.
No matter how Fagus and his daughter looked at it, the Giant Serpent Church's actions this time were rather evil. However, they'd boarded this ship themselves, and could only walk the path that Leylin had paved for them. Fagus knew deeply of the horror of a war between gods, and now an innocent like him had been thrown into the mix. Even if he was unwilling, he could only bite the bullet and continue on.
A commotion suddenly sounded out up ahead, and Anya moved to whisper into Fagus' ear, "Father, we've spotted knights of the orc empire."
"It doesn't matter." Fagus looked at the flags they'd put up, a pass the orc empire had given them to guarantee the safety of their caravan.
"Argh…" "Argh…" Bleak howls sounded out as a few knights finally appeared before Anya's eyes. These werewolves were about two heads taller than the average human, with green eyes and hair. They were riding giant wolves with silver fur.
'The Mounted Wolves!' Anya paled as she saw these elites of the orc empire, their equipment being able to contend with human knights. The Mounted Wolves were a nightmare to all the people of the north.
The horses of the caravan neighed restlessly under the wolves' gazes, stomping their hooves on the ground as white vapour condensed from their breath.
Fortunately, the commander of the Wolves waved his hand after seeing the banner atop it. The wolves made way for the caravan, and they moved ahead despite their fear. The captain even dispatched two riders to protect them at the tail.
"Sigh… Compared to the Silverymoon Alliance, the strategic warfare of the orc empire is actually…" Fagus muttered under his breath, but he didn't end the sentence.
Anya knew what her father wanted to say. The Orc Emperor Saladin was a wise leader, possessing great foresight. Seeing how the humans flourished with the advent of civilisation, he was mimicking their ways to develop his own empire.
For the sake of food and materiel, Saladin had promised the Neon Merchant Group and Blackmoon Merchant Group to protect them within his borders. Orders had been sent for orc troops to not harass them, and only engage in fair trade. This would in turn attract more merchants, and increase the strength of the empire.
Alustriel and her subordinates weren't even comparable in this aspect. The only thing that helped them was that they were of the same race, and the orcs were their natural enemies. The benefits of trade with the orc empire couldn't always get rid of the shadow of war.
On the other hand, the fact that the orcs were buying magic scrolls and powerful equipment told Fagus that they were already prepared for war.
"What do you think?" a tall, and skinny figure asked Lonce, "Are you afraid?"
"No. I have nothing to fear with the protection of the Lord…" Lonce gripped a string of hemp that was tied around his neck. Something seemed to be hidden within.
"Alright then, what do you think of the orcs turning towards civilisation and protecting our caravan?" The tanned man seemed like he wanted to test Lonce's deductive abilities. This question would be difficult even for an adult to answer.
"I feel like…" Lonce bowed his head and pondered. When he lifted his head again, his eyes no longer filled with perplexment, "The orcs give off a savage and bloody aura. It seems right to improve themselves and march towards civilisation, but I keep feeling like something's not right."
Although he didn't elaborate further, the man seemed to be satisfied with his answer, "You're right. Gruumsh, the orc god, is a god of savages. This change doesn't match the true nature of his domain, so it'll cause a serious problem… How many of the orc gods will want to change their natural disposition to civilisation?"
"Is it very difficult?" Lonce nodded his head. Just thinking about it proved to be extremely astonishing for him.
"It is! Sometimes the gods cannot even choose the change of alignments and disposition…" The figure sighed, "And even though Gruumsh himself approved this change, not many others will. The imbalance in power has caused a fatal blow to the orc empire…"
-x-X-x-
The emperor's decree was enforced with might and savagery, causing fear to spread across the orc empire. The Neon Merchant Group dumped much of their goods along their way, using iron, food, weapons, and magic artifacts to trade for great amounts of precious metals. The orcs gave out some special items of the north at unimaginably low prices.
Gems were but stones for the orcs, and to exchange them for weaponry, rations, and clothing was a great bargain. It led to a great environment for the Neon Merchant Group as they finally arrived at the Moonwood.
This was the Blackblood Tribe's base, a place where Leylin had fought hard in multiple times in the part. Trade with the Blackblood Tribe was also what caused the paladins to notice the Neon Merchant Group, but with the urging of the Giant Serpent Church they continued with the transaction…
At the same time, another mounted group entered the Moonwood as well. They quickly passed the strange branches and obstructions, the slight wind in the forest raising their robes a little to reveal a silver lustre.
"The North, the Moonwood, and the Blackblood Tribe… I'm back," their leader muttered as she glanced at the Moonwood, lost in thought. She pulled off her cloak to reveal a young face.
"It might not be where everything started, but it was where the most blood was shed… It seems like a good place to end everything…" She muttered.
One of the cloaked figures halted beside her, revealing a benevolent and sorrowful face. "Are you feeling at a loss, Captain Rafiniya?"
"It's nothing, Cardinal Karal!" Rafiniya shook her head, "I spent a long time here before, so I'm just feeling nostalgic…"
"Mm. Your familiarity with the terrain will be to our advantage. We need to make use of that," Cardinal Karal made a hand gesture in front of his chest, "We've received intel that the sinful Neon Merchant Group is going to make contact with the Blackblood Tribe's werecreatures here soon, and supply the other side with materials for a blood sacrifice…"
"Those unscrupulous souls should go to hell!" Rafiniya gritted her teeth, her terrifying energy raging at the back of her hands as she grasped her sword. Just the thought that they were using the blood and souls of innocent beings to please the evil gods made her feel like a frightening bundle of flames was about to surge out of her chest.
"In the name of justice, I shall purge all evil and sin!" The high-ranked paladins began to chant alongside her, their faces glowing with a faint white light.
...
The Neon Merchant Group quickly met a group of werecreatures after entering the Moonwood. However, they'd obviously traded with the other party many times. The leader of the werecreatures even knew who they were, and once they showed their tokens they were quickly taken to the core of the forest where the Blackblood Tribe resided.
"It's been a long time, Shaman Gara…" Fagus greeted a shaman that was smaller than the werecreatures around him, with many strange ornaments all over his body.
"I smell something different on you…" Gara said as he moved forward to sniff at Fagus, causing Anya's heart to clench.
Fagus froze for a moment, but then he replied coolly, "Haha… what are you saying, my friend… Maybe it's that darned chef of mine who put too many onions in the morning soup…" Her father's calm expression caused Anya to feel ashamed for herself.
"Perhaps…" Gara didn't press on as he led the way, "You're late, my friend. You almost caused us to miss the ceremony this time. If the Lord gets angry, I swear your head will be hung to dry on a tree branch!"
The werecreature opened his mouth to reveal terrifying teeth. His tongue was barbed, and the disgusting smell of flesh coming from his mouth gave Anya the urge to throw up.
"You should know…" Fagus began to complain immediately, "Silverymoon's guards were switched out with a bunch of paladins. All the businesses have come under great pressure… It took me far too much to make sure I didn't miss the transaction…"
"Indeed, there's fewer caravans coming over recently. I heard your queen is squeezing the merchants dry to start the next war…" Gara nodded, as if sympathising with Fagus. He then pulled at the man's body in a friendly manner, making the difference in their builds all that more obvious.
"We won't let a friend of ours suffer, I promise you that!" he exclaimed as he patted his chest. If Anya hadn't seen how brutal the werecreatures got in their hunts and ceremonies, she would'be thought this man to be kind-hearted and honest.
"Come, let me see what you've brought for me!" After the chatter, Gara soon got to the main topic.
"Of course, my friend. I've prepared for this trade for a long time…" Fagus smiled. A dozen servants moved forward with a clap of his hands, bringing over heavy boxes with large bronze locks. One could see a thick layer of elven silk within, the fabulous material reduced here to a tool that pressed down on and prevented the items from shaking.
Fagus then opened up a smaller box after he removed the layers of silk, one made of mahogany covered in thick veiny lines. The blood essence within glowed with a radiance that caught everyone's attention, and the dense stench of blood it emitted caused Anya to wrinkle her eyebrows.
"This is it… This smell…" Shaman Gara took a deep breath. He seemed intoxicated, a flush rising upon his face, "I can confirm that this is an item of the greatest quality!"
"But of course. You don't know what I had to go through to—" Fagus started, saliva spraying out, but Gara waved him off in annoyance.
"I know what you want, my friend." He gestured to two werecreatures, and they lifted a box of items to bring it before Fagus. The wooden box seemed rather shabby, not at all comparable to what Fagus had brought. However, the light shooting out from within dazzled Anya the moment the box was opened.
Silver, gold, rubies, emeralds… All sorts of precious materials were within the box. It stroked a thirst for wealth within the group, the kind that caused adventurers and merchants to throw out their fear of even death!
"How is it? Are you satisfied?" The werecreatures burst into laughter, watching as Fagus practically pounced onto the wealth. This was a box full of gold coins and many other valuable jewellery. With some of it twisted and bloodstains still on some because of a lack of protection, it was easy to imagine how pitiful the original owner had been while the werecreatures were 'collecting' them. However, O Goddess Waukeen, which merchant cared for that?
"Enough! It's enough! Shaman Gara, your generosity is as great as the mountains and seas, more beautiful than the stars in the skies…" Fagus started to repeat his words.
"I'm glad you like it. As long as you can bring us even more weapons, magic artifacts and important ceremonial items, you can have as much of this stuff as you like…" Gara took charge, and they quickly finished the transaction. The shaman then personally brought Fagus to the edge of the Moonwood.
"You know this… When our Blackblood Tribe conducts ceremonies, we never left foreigners stay unless they are offerings to our god…" Gara laughed.
"Of course. I understand, I understand. I'll leave right now!" Fagus used a white handkerchief to wipe at the oil and sweat on his cheeks. The werecreature shaman stood at the boundaries of the forest, watching as the Neon Merchant Group disappeared into the horizon. His smile had a deep meaning to it.
...
"We should have left the territory of the werecreatures by now." Anya watched the forest disappear into the horizon, urging her horse to catch up to Lonce and the native next to him. "Are we leaving just like this, my lord?"
"Of course. The Church will deal with the rest. The Lord does not treat anyone who trusts in him poorly. All that wealth belongs to you!" The native who looked like a servant spoke stiffly in the language of the mainland, and his body began to transform. Light flickered as what seemed like a layer of water slipped off from his body, revealing his true appearance. This was the legendary devil hunter!
"Wait… I'm willing to donate half of my profits to the church!" Fagus quickly interrupted. The mission he'd believed to be extremely dangerous had gone so smoothly, and it had left him overjoyed. Even if he gave half his profit to the church the rest would still be a huge windfall for him.
"Thank you for your generosity!" The devil hunter did not hesitate to accept Fagus' donation. A budding church needed the donations of its worshippers.
The Goddess of Wealth even used income as an important criteria to measure the accomplishments of the priests of wealth, and this was used extensively by others as well. While Leylin himself had a great amount of property, the Giant Serpent Church was still developing, and he naturally would not reject this.
"This is a final warning… There will be a war and conflict here soon. Leave immediately!" The devil hunter told Fagus before leaving with his men.
Fagus waited till the devil hunter, Lonce, and the rest disappeared into the horizon. He then yelled, "Leave behind all the carts. Bring just the food and gold, we're leaving immediately!"
The mournful sound echoed in the empty plains, full of urgency.
-x-X-x-
"My Lord… I've already done as you instructed, and completed the trade with the Neon Merchant Group…" Gara prayed before Malar's statue after sending the Neon Merchant Group away,
"Grr… Roar!" A golden light descended upon him, and the statue released a beastly growl. Malar's conscient had descended to pass a holy decree. The shaman would have to interpret this string of sounds accurately, but that was natural to him. Gara nodded his head from time to time…
At the same time, several gods had gathered within Malar's divine kingdom.
"The Giant Serpent Church is too arrogant," an orc god sneered, his body shrouded in a strangely tranquil darkness. It was Shargaas, the Orc God of Stealth.
"Not bad… A mere lesser god dares to ally with us orc gods…" Another tall and mighty orc god smirked, giving off a rugged and barbaric aura. This was Ilneval, the Lesser God of Combat.
"ROAR!" Right at that moment, a series of roars and howls sprang forth from the divine kingdom.
"We know, Malar, we know… The massacre domain will definitely come to you. We've worked together for so many years, can't you have a little faith?" The God of Death Yurtrus said from the side. His tone dripping with sarcasm caused Malar to want to rebuke, but the vengeful spirits around his body somehow did not take away from his calmness.
Although they were all lesser gods, most orc gods were suited to fighting. Their only greater god Gruumsh was busy preparing to fend off Mystra and Tyr, and since they only had to deal with another lesser god there was no need for him to be here personally.
"The sacrifice of a god's avatar… hehe… I can't wait much longer…" Several avatars' gazes began to pierce through the horizon, and they peered into the Moonwood, where a massive sacrificial ceremony was being held by the Blackblood Tribe.
The tribe had consumed all the blood essence from the Neon Merchant Group, forming a river of blood in the ceremony site. Vengeful spirits seemed to be wailing in anguish on the surface of the river.
A powerful prisoner of another race was tied to the altar, their body filled with seals. The wounds littering it indicated the fierce battle it took for the werecreatures to cause it to submit, and the damage it had given to them before it lost.
As a God of Massacre, Malar blessed his worshippers for the deaths of powerful enemies. He'd even personally send his avatar down if they slayed a legendary expert.
The ritual being held by the Blackblood Tribe now was even larger than that. There were several legendary experts being used as sacrifice, alongside the blood essence of countless humans.
'The Lord will definitely enjoy this ceremony. He'll even give us his blessings, ranking us up…' The shamans assisting the ceremony looked somewhat excited, their eyes filled with delight as they looked at the bound prisoners.
However, their leader Gara and several other legendary shamans didn't seem as elated. There instead seemed to be a trace of worry in their expressions. Werecreatures had evolved from beasts, and they shouldn't have held such emotions in the first place. That they were appearing now was a sign that the danger they were about to face was extremely terrifying, one that even legendaries would have no control of!
"Malar, my Lord, you are the Lord of Massacre, amongst the stars in the skies. You are our protector, your name forever sacred amongst our kind. You are the one true Lord…" More and more of the werecreatures prayed fervently, and the ritual slowly reached a climax.
Several shamans draped in white robes held short black daggers in their jaws as they walked up amidst the prayers. "Malar, my Lord, you are the Devourer of Blood. The fear of your enemies gives you strength, their flesh and blood becoming your divine power. The blood of these legends shall be a source of your glory and strength…"
Even knowing their fate was sealed, the sacrifices began a futile struggle. There was even a legendary dragon amongst these prisoners, its spiritual force only inferior to the Great Dragons.
However, there were no traces of emotions on these shamans as they skilfully wielded their daggers, "O' Lord… Please accept our offerings!"
*Kacha!* The thick, sturdy scales of the dragon did not seem to have any resistance against the special black dagger, cut open mercilessly as fresh green blood poured forth from the wound.
*Sssii! Sssii!* The corrosive blood burnt a hole into the ground, but the dragon's eyes dimmed as they eventually lost their light.
"ROAR!" The werecreatures seemed to cheer louder than before at the scene. The shamans expertly dissected the dragon's body amidst the clamour, separating its limbs and tossing them into the river of blood.
The corrosive river began to boil, and a crimson glow was soon emanated from it as it absorbed all the flesh. A golden glow had settled around Malar's statue, indicating that the God of the Hunt had been summoned successfully. The roars and prayers only grew louder at the scene, so powerful that even the clouds in the sky were shattered apart.
As the last sacrifice, an elven prisoner, was tossed into the pool of blood, the glow around the statue strengthened. A golden ape descended upon the Moonwood amidst the werecreatures' roars, and everyone knelt as they watched their lord with a fervent gaze.
Malar howled as he arrived at the river of blood. It was apparent that he enjoyed this offering, and couldn't wait to indulge. His powerful claws stroked several shamans who were kneeling beside the blood, and golden beams of light descended upon the teary creatures.
'An instant rank up!' The onlookers could only be envious as they looked at the fortunate ones with red eyes.
"Roar!" Malar unleashed a few more growls after rewarding his worshippers, jumping into the river of blood.
*Boom!* But just then, a strange event occurred. The crimson blood turned black, and the vengeful spirits within materialised as they climbed onto Malar's body. A strange black net appeared from the river of blood, trapping Malar within.
"What's happening?" Several shamans were shocked as they looked upon their comrades, watching dumbly as the scene unfolded. Some of the wiser ones had already reacted, "Those slimy humans! There's something wrong with the blood essence this time!"
It wasn't until now that they suspected the Neon Merchant Group, but it was too late to do anything about it. The black net moved into the skies, and there seemed to be an invisible rope tightening it further.
"Kukulkan, my Lord… You are the Lord of Massacre, the Ruler of Devils. You are the one true Lord of the world!" A portal opened up in the skies, and Leylin walked out amidst zealous hymns. He looked like a shrewd hunter, sapping Malar's energy through the large net. Once Malar expended all his energy, he would go in for the kill!
"He's finally here!"
*Rumble!* The skies roared. Dark clouds shrouded the Moonwood, and a silver serpent emerged from within. Multiple portals opened up as the avatars of several orc gods descended upon the Blackblood Tribe, the surge of divine aura leaving the werecreatures on the ground awestruck. God after god stepped out of the portals, causing great shock to reverberate in their hearts.
Only the peak of werecreature society had been aware of this, and they hastily put up defences as they retreated. They silently prayed for their side to be victorious, and for this divine battle not to spill over to them.
"Kukulkan… God of Massacre? Become an artifact for my divine palace!" the god concealed in darkness struck first. A powerful pair of claws swiped out from the void, targeting Leylin's heart. Even a divine avatar would lose a great deal of power if they suffered such a critical injury!
'A stealth attack, and they can conceal themselves in the shadows… Shadow Realm! It's the God of Stealth, Shargaas!' Leylin instantly understood who the attacker was, but his expression remained as still as water.
Golden light surged around Leylin's body, indicating that a divine battle was about to begin!
-x-X-x-
Meteor Explosion! Ultimate Shattering Palm! Absolute Break!
Leylin moved his fingers like an expert musician as he strummed the strings of the Shadow Weave, releasing terrifying legendary magic. Numerous spells were formed without any setup, complementing and amplifying each others' power to form a vast current of magic!
"Legendary combination technique— Arcane Torrent!" This was a project Leylin had been researching for a while. It was a divine version of the spell he'd used in his adventurer days, and this fight against Shargaas was the first time he'd used it.
The earth rumbled as a terrifying explosion hit the surface, the aftermath shrouding the space between Shargaas and Leylin. Space itself had begun to distort from the horrifying damage of the attack.
'This God of Massacre… He isn't even 400 yet but his comprehension of magic is so great. Did he receive the arcanists' inheritance?' Shargaas teleported in retreat, his body in a sorry state as his golden divine force healed the injuries. Fear could be seen within his eyes.
However, although the sneak attack hadn't managed to injure Leylin, the pressure on Malar's avatar lessened unexpectedly. The huge ape roared, tearing through the black net and escaping.
*Whoosh!* The avatar that escaped dissolved into a dazzling rainbow that was instantly absorbed into his divine kingdom. Another avatar stepped forth, taking the former's strength in as its aura rose sharply.
The new avatar released a terrifying roar Leylin's way, opening a huge portal from nowhere to send a meteor from his divine kingdom that transformed into a pair of terrifyingly sharp claws.
This was Malar's divine artifact, the Beast Claws. Other than his true body, Malar had brought everything he had to bear in this fight. It seemed like he'd been harbouring hatred over the losses he suffered at Leylin's hand before, and had always been looking for an opportunity at revenge.
"Don't even think of escaping. We've sealed off this space, and Gruumsh has sent out his avatar to intercept any possible reinforcements…" A tall god with an aura of blood and savagery waved his hands, and the group of four instantly encircled Leylin.
"The Orc God of War, Ilneval?" Leylin remembered having met this god once.
"I could see through all your conspiracies. No scheme you hatch will ever succeed!" Ilneval relied cautiously, trying to probe for information even as he wanted to damage Leylin's confidence.
However, Leylin's expression didn't change in the slightest. He just moved on to the last god, the one wrapped in a dark robe who had a dense deathly aura. His eyebrows twitched, "Yurtrus… So the God of Death, the God of War, the God of Stealth, and the God of the Hunt… Looks like everything here was a trap?"
"Indeed, Kukulkan. Greed comes before the fall." Ilneval roared, and Malar at the side was eager to rush forth as well. If not for the others restraining him, he would likely have barrelled over by now.
"Malar has deep connections to our pantheon. Do you think our alliance could be shaken by an outsider like you?" Yurtrus asked coldly, "Your avatar will fall this time, and we'll strip you of your massacre divinity as compensation for Malar…"
...
"So the Lord colluded with the orc gods to ambush another god?" Gara muttered as he watched the situation incredulously. They'd already escaped a great distance, and Gara himself only had some of the information.
"Will the Lord's plan succeed?" the werecreature chief asked by his side, obviously worried.
"Everything is as the Lord wills. We only have to follow his instructions and conserve our energy, taking part in the battle at the right time," a legendary shaman stated from the side. There was an unspeakable resolution contained in his voice. Although legendary might was nothing in front of a true god, they could still contribute to an assault on an avatar.
"Mm, and it's four gods fighting him this time, our chances of victory are quite high!" Gara was confident in the current situation.
"The God of Massacre, truename Kukulkan…" the orc leader muttered to himself, "The youngest legendary wizard of the prime material plane, and someone who ascended at such a young age… That spellcasting ability… He really is a thousand year genius…"
Gara looked at the legendary magic seemingly blossoming like fireworks from Leylin's hands, the terrifying arcane torrent causing him to subconsciously shrink his neck.
"This is the Lord's plan, it will definitely succeed!" he tried to console himself internally, but the feeling of unrest couldn't be erased.
*Rumble!* Endless spatial storms swept across the original land of the Blackblood Tribe, wreaking havoc upon it. The prime material plane was too weak to withstand a fight between gods, and with the entire sky filled with golden light even high-ranked Professionals would instantly be dissolved into nothingness if they tried to enter the scene. Numerous werecreatures were screaming as they escaped the scene.
A few legendaries smiled bitterly at the sight. Even they didn't have much confidence of being unaffected by a god's might. Only at the higher ranks would they be able to trade blows with an avatar, hoping to kill it.
"Sure enough… these orc gods are uncivilized and ignorant, not being able to notice even basic benefits…" Golden chains spread endlessly from Leylin's avatar in mid-air, making the entire surrounding area his divine kingdom. The dark red massacre domain was released, ensuring that any slaughter would only increase his power.
He could stand calmly amidst the centre of a barrage of orc attacks, and even had the leisure to examine his surroundings. When he sensed a familiar aura approaching the scene, a strange smile surfaced on his face.
...
The elite troops led by Rafiniya and Cardinal Karal had reached the core of the Moonwood just in time to notice the terrifying fight between the gods.
"Kukulkan! And the orc gods!" A trace of excitement appeared in Rafiniya's eyes, "Quick, inform the Lord and ask for reinforcements. Losing a few avatars should teach these gods a good lesson!"
The remaining paladins also had a look of eagerness on them, but their actions were soon stopped by Cardinal Karal.
"The Lord sees everything…" Karal's reason was strange, and caused suspicions to emerge on Rafiniya's face. She still maintained her trust in the church, however, following orders and standing down.
"Such a strong massacre domain, and he still has such divine force…" The orc gods had entered a bitter struggle with Leylin. He was already a rank 8 god, his power far surpassing these orcs. If not for their advantage in numbers, they would not be his match. The crimson massacre domain expanded endlessly, about to cover the entire Moonwood.
Shargaas couldn't hold on much longer. "Damn it… is he really a new god?" he snarled, his body covered with numerous small wounds that were leaking golden blood.
*Crash!* Lightning flashed in the sky, forming a terrifying large door. Another of Shargaas' avatars walked out, joining the forces that were besieging Leylin. Golden light flashed continually as the other gods did the same.
"This number of avatars… Are they crazy?!" Rafiniya and the rest who were watching from afar cried out in surprise. Although the loss of one avatar wouldn't cause significant damage to a god, the number of avatars they were throwing at Leylin would exhaust their divine force. Even as true gods, they would likely fall into a slumber or just die.
If their luck was the same as Beelzebub's, having poured a majority of their will and divine force into an avatar that was eliminated, they wouldn't be far off from a true death. These gods were now putting themselves at risk!
"It's time!" A trace of a smile suddenly appeared on Leylin's face in spite of the imminent danger.
"What's going on?" The four gods were stunned. Leylin's expression was completely unexpected.
However, they didn't have more time to think about it. A loud explosion sounded as two terrifying powers descended upon the Moonwood, their strength directly breaking apart the spatial seal that the orc gods had set in place. The whole world trembled as an elderly warrior and a young lady entered the scene, their bodies rippling with the unfathomable power of greater gods.
The two entrants immediately spread out a huge net, seemingly wanting to catch the orc gods and Leylin in one go. "Tyr and Mystra! Where's Gruumsh?" Ilneval muttered with incredulity…
Outside the prime material plane, Tyr and Mystra had combined to trap a powerful greater god.
"Give up, Gruumsh," Mystra said coldly, "We only need to mobilise a few avatars to take out those gods of yours…"
-x-X-x-
"For New Silverymoon City, for the Alliance, and for the people of the north!" Even as Leylin was facing the orc gods, Queen Alustriel was garbed in her seldom-used armour as she riled up the troops in front of her, "The war for the north has come!"
"Ouh! Ouh!" The troops let out a warcry as they banged their swords against their shields.
With how slow armies travelled it would take a few more days of travel to reach the battlefield, but that didn't matter at all. Alustriel was currently boosting her troops' morale, and under Elminster's lead several high-ranked wizards had already ambushed several orcs along the borders.
With Silverymoon's strength and the backing of several legendary figures, their powerful spells would teach those orcs an unforgettable lesson! Alustriel's chest was bursting with excitement and pride…
"YOU'RE DECLARING WAR?" Gruumsh roared in rage at the two greater gods before him. He'd found out about the events in the prime material plane instantly.
Tyr spoke slowly, "This is it, you'd better choose to retreat right now."
"Stalling me here and sending your avatars to defeat my pantheon… Indeed, this strategy will deal me a heavy blow. Was it that God of Massacre that told you this?" Gruumsh immediately understood the situation. "He is indeed a crafty and evil god, with no qualms about not keeping his words…"
"Indeed, that's why we don't plan to let him go. However, that will come after we defeat your lot," Mystra said in a deep tone, the powerful Weave appearing behind her back.
...
The orc gods had been thrown into disarray by the avatars that had just descended upon the Moonwood. What was originally supposed to be an ambush had become a catalyst for a grand war, and it wasn't something they had prepared for. They couldn't help but take a second look at Leylin whom they'd 'trapped.'
The battle in mid-air was extremely interesting. Several orc gods had encircled Leylin, but surrounding them were the avatars of Mystra and Tyr. These circumstances could lead to the deaths of any avatar present here with the slightest misstep, and that would result in grievous injuries to their main bodies. The orcs didn't dare act recklessly.
Leylin's grin grew wider as he surveyed the scene that he'd crafted himself.
His first interaction with Gruumsh had told him that the orcs wouldn't give up on Malar. The werecreatures could rely on the orc pantheon. That was why he'd attracted Mystra and Tyr with the curse on Eric's bloodline, so he could meet them and come to an agreement.
However, this agreement hadn't been easy to reach. Leylin knew both his 'allies' hated him to the core, and he was sure they planned to attack him together with the orcs in one go. How would they let go of an avatar of a lesser evil god?
Knowing all this, Leylin didn't hope for much from the situation. It was enough that they'd deal with the orcs for him. The quartet would take the attention off him until they were wiped out.
...
"This is the plan of the Lord. They will first attack the avatars of the orc gods, stopping any experts from aiding them," Cardinal Karal said to Rafiniya and the remaining paladins.
"How about that God of Massacre?" Rafiniya frowned.
"He's promised to engage with the orc gods for now, so he's useful for the Lord's plans. Our goal is to deal with the orcs before we kill him," Karal replied.
This war concerned the lives of countless inhabitants of the north, and with this excuse of dealing with the orcs first the alliance with Leylin would be accepted by most of the paladins. The Cardinal represented Tyr's will, and wouldn't allow the paladins to harbour any thoughts.
However, this reason that could convince many immediately caused Rafiniya to lose a great deal of faith. Her mind grew weaker and more biased under the devilish influence Leylin had planted within her, and she growled in anger. "Teaming up with an evil god? He's the main perpetrator of the curse that hit New Silverymoon City!"
"Watch your words, Captain!" Karal's face darkened. As a legendary priest of Tyr, he would not tolerate anyone questioning the will of his Lord. A thought arose in his mind, 'It seems like I need to report this to the pope after the war. She isn't fit to serve as a captain…'
"Yes, Cardinal…" A hint of unwillingness emanated from Rafiniya's deep voice. She gripped the hilt of her sword so tightly that her fingers turned pale…
At the same time, the divine battle had reached a climax.
"Mage Flame!" A bright light was emitted from Mystra's fingers as the Weave materialised in the surroundings. She seemed to gain the support of the very world as overwhelming origin force surged forth. With Tyr's cooperation, the Mage Flame seemed to blaze through the skies as it trapped Leylin and the orc gods within.
"Silver fire…" Leylin looked at the glowing sea of flames, a trace of fear emerging in his eyes. Silver fire, from what he could remember, was the source of all magic in the World of Gods. It was a materialisation of Mystra's divinity, possessing great destructive might.
"Roar!" Malar was the most irascible of the lot, and he was the first to suffer. Several balls of fire landed on his hands, their temperature high enough to burn even the Beast Claws.
"Damn it, Mystra, why are you this determined?" Ilneval's expression turned ugly as he watched Malar's divine weapon being corroded. Some of the silver flames were pressing towards the rest of them.
Mystra's legendary silverflame had the might to destroy divine weapons and even the bodies of true gods, but it consumed her divinity to burn. Ilneval was stumped as to why she was willing to give up so much divinity to harm them.
"Retreat!" Yurtrus screamed as he unleashed a pale orb of light. Many lifeless souls sprung forth from the orb, creating a translucent barrier.
*Sssii!* The silverflame began to corrode the wall the moment the two came in contact, and the barrier seemed to give way immediately.
"They've activated a powerful spatial lock, we'll need more time to break through…" Ilneval frowned. They were facing the avatars of two greater gods, and even if all avatars were more or less the same in might more powerful deities had more efficient ways to dispense their powers. They still took the upper hand in battle.
On top of that, their low divine ranks caused these lesser gods to be at a disadvantage in terms of the number of avatars and their recovery speeds. The greater gods would be able to overwhelm them in these aspects!
"Why retreat?" Shargaas roared in rage, and his eyes turned bloodshot. He seemed to have lost all signs of intelligence, turning into a primal beast.
"These aren't just two greater gods. Don't forget that there's many more subordinates, what if one of them descends as a Saint?" Ilneval rebuked coldly, causing Shargaas to stall for a moment.
Although it was extremely dangerous for gods to descend with their true bodies, when they did come down they would be at the epitome of power. If Mystra or Tyr gave it their all, several subordinate gods like the God of Wizards Azuth would descend as Saints. None of their avatars would be able to escape, the loss of divine strength from the fight taking thousands of years to replenish.
Ilneval indeed excelled in strategy. He hadn't been overcome by rage when he was ensnared in Leylin's trap. He'd instead considered how best to conserve his energy.
"You want to leave now?" Leylin asked as he laughed like a maniac. He was now the one who'd decide if he let them go.
A phantom of the first three Hells surfaced in the prime material plane, and the powerful origin force of Baator expanded Leylin's massacre domain until it encompassed all the orc gods.
"Are you crazy?" Ilneval asked Leylin. "Even if you give your all in this battle, they won't let you go either!"
"Of course! I'm aware of that, but how can I just let go of a good chance like this?" Leylin's voice covered the entire Moonwood, and the crimson glow on his body grew more apparent than before.
"Damn it, this lunatic! Is he a chaotic demon?" Ilneval suddenly felt a huge headache, but he could only think of one way out right now..
"Malar!" he sent, "Hurry and bring your worshippers into the fight! They'll help out!"
The giant ape had already been scared off by the power of the silverflame. He'd hid by the side, stroking his Beast Claws tenderly. His golden fur had been burnt black in that attack, and he himself had been reduced to a miserable state. Hearing Ilneval's words, he began to roar.
-x-X-x-
"The Lord has given us orders!" Several legendary werecreature shamans charged into the battlefield without the slightest hesitation. Malar had roared out their orders, and with him being the object of their faith their zealotry left them with no choice but to obey.
However, the secular leaders of the werecreatures grew irritable. Despite their reluctance, the shamans had pulled them into the fray.
"How much longer till preparations are done?" Mystra asked as she turned to Tyr. She had managed to block off the orc gods with her silverflame, and Leylin had been trapped as well.
"I need another moment, this is something we borrowed…" Tyr had reached into a ball of light that was surrounded by blue sparks. It seemed extremely magnificent, putting great pressure on the orc gods.
"There's also some worms crawling over that don't seem to know their place…" Mystra turned to the several legendary werecreatures.
"We've already prepared, haven't we? Let our people take care of them," Tyr replied indifferently.
At the same time, the ball of light finally assumed the form of an incredibly sharp spear. Ilneval was rattled immediately by the sight, and even Leylin's eyes flashed with amazement.
"Eicher's Thorn! They actually borrowed it!" Eicher's Thorn was a divine weapon that even the gods feared. It had the ability to ripple out any damage done to an avatar to its controller, and even gods weren't immune to its powers. It had caused the fall of two lesser gods in history, and sent a third into deep slumber. Mystra and Tyr had somehow managed to borrow such an ominous weapon.
"Hmm?" Leylin's brows furrowed as the A.I. Chip retrieved the relevant information from its now almost all-encompassing database.
'So it's from just after the dusk of the gods. This ability, and the energy it's radiating…' Leylin smirked, 'So they actually just took the weapon of a Magus of laws and renamed it. So much for integrity…'
Despite his smirking, Leylin grew more serious. He feared Magi much more than he did gods, their mysterious powers posing a much greater threat to him even as he was now.
On the other end, Ilneval sent a message to his comrades, "Everyone should've heard about Eicher's Thorn. If you can't get away, it's better to destroy the avatar than to let it injure you. A bit of your energy reserve isn't worth being thrown into a long slumber."
"Malar!" Yurtrus shouted, "Stop being so stingy with your subordinates! We'll give you enough compensation later…"
...
Pressured by his party, Malar pulled back the team of legendary shamans he'd sent to deal with Leylin.
However, their efforts had been halted before they could even re-enter the Moonwood. Cardinal Karal had arrived with paladins in tow, holding a staff made of aged maple. The cardinal chanted a holy spell that caused the paladins' armour to glow with light.
"Purge all evil in the name of justice!" The werecreatures were a bunch of bloodthirsty savages in the eyes of the paladins, existences that had to be removed from the face of the world.
"We don't have much time…" Gara looked at the paladins before him, a menacing look filling his face as various runes surfaced on his body. They seemed to be sacrificial rites.
Chaotic energy began to descend upon the region as a large fire began to burn in mid-air. A large metal door materialised, and numerous demons charged out under the lead of a legendary balor.
This was a legendary spell, Summon Demonic Army. Its unimaginable might was only canceled out by the complicated requirements it posed as a chaotic evil spell. The summoned army wouldn't necessarily obey the orders of their summoner.
The balor looked at Shaman Gara with hostility, but another group in the area stole its attention. Paladins and demons were in completely opposite alignments, and neither group would rest as long as the other side. Just listening to the word paladin was disgraceful, blasphemy to demonkind.
"Demons from the Abyss!" A paladin screamed as he rushed forward, waving a greatsword bathed in holy light, "Holy Slash!"
"(%^!%$!" The balor spoke in an incomprehensible ancient language as it looked at the group of paladins, its voice coarse and unpleasant.
"The words of blasphemy!" A white rune radiated purity from Karal's solemn face, "This is getting too troublesome."
The balor's spell had been cast in an instant, rooting the charging paladin to the ground. The balor smiled malevolently as he brandished his sword, cleaving the still paladin in two.
"Hehehe… It's the prime material plane! We can harvest souls now…" Many other demons charged out from behind the balor, throwing spell after spell as they turned the place chaotic. It all happened too quickly, and that paladin had fallen to the balor's sword before anyone could react.
"Damn it! You evil vermin, you shouldn't exist in this world!" Rafiniya screamed as she recovered from a daze, killing intent boiling to the surface.
However, the words the balor uttered as it looked at Rafiniya astonished her, "Hehehe… A legendary paladin? No, I smell a whiff of energy from those idiots in Baator on you…"
"I am a paladin, protector of justice. Don't try to ruin my reputation!"
Even Karal didn't put any stock in the demon's words. They only served to agitate the paladin, and she radiated powerful energy as she drew her sword and entered a frontal clash with it.
"Kill!" The other paladins looked each other in the eye before charging forward to meet with the demon army.
A scene of chaos began to unfold.
...
The battle of the gods had reached its zenith at this moment. Eicher's Thorn had absorbed all the light around it, and the spear had come to float in the air as Tyr pointed it at Malar.
*Whoosh!* The spear pierced through space to arrive at Malar in an instant. The Beast Claws had already been damaged once, and a hole was pierced through them with this attack. The spear moved forward unthwarted, heading towards Malar's brows.
"ROAR!" The avatar could only cry in indignance as it exploded, filling the skies with divine light.
Seeing the situation worsening, Ilneval shouted at Leylin, "Damn it, do you still want to keep us engaged? Malar's avatar has already fallen, there is nothing left here that you would want…"
"Of course… Not!" Leylin agreed immediately, just as Ilneval expected. He retracted his massacre domain, immediately reducing the pressure the three remaining gods had to face. However, none of the three noticed a spot of red light landing amongst them.
"That's right, we can still…" Before Ilneval could heave a sigh of relief, Leylin's next actions left him stupefied.
[Beep! Silverflame has been analysed, beginning protection with the Shadow Weave.] Leylin immediately dashed towards the fire in the sky, as if he was committing suicide. However, a dark web seemed to cover his body as he came into contact with the flames, cancelling out with the Weave and allowing Leylin to escape.
Without the spatial lock of the silver flames, Leylin immediately cast a teleportation spell. White light flashed on his body as he immediately left the Moonwood.
"This…" It wasn't just Ilneval that was dumbstruck. Even Tyr, controlling Eicher's Thorn from the outside, gasped.
Of course, the one under the most duress was the Goddess of the Weave. "The Weave," Mystra muttered, but then she grew silent for a moment. "No… the Shadow Weave! SHAR!" She spat out the name of her rival.
"Shar? The Goddess of Shadows?" Tyr seemed to have recalled something, "Didn't she fall already?"
"I can't be wrong, that's the Shadow Weave," Mystra confirmed. The Shadow Weave was primal and childish, but it had once been a prototype of the current Weave. How could she not recognise it?
-x-X-x-
Mystra and Shar had never been on good terms. They were both gods of magic, and the natural rivalry between the two had ensured that only one could survive.
Shar had been thought fallen in the Final War, but she'd actually managed to escape the destruction of her divine kingdom with serious injuries. Some amount of luck had allowed her to flee to the astral plane, stumbling upon the Shadow World.
Mystra, on the other hand, had established the Weave to gain the support of worshippers and other gods. She'd become the guardian of the Weave, and the other gods had moved the channeling of their powers to complement the system.
Even having become a greater god Mystra was still cautious of the Goddess of Shadows. After all, Shar was the one god that could take over her position.
The Shadow Weave was a counter to the Weave, and it had allowed Leylin to deal with Mystra's silverflame and escape with ease. Since it was but one of his many trump cards, Leylin hadn't been afraid of revealing it.
"Kukulkan… Shar…" It was like a bridge had been connected in Mystra's mind, 'That fear of death, was it because of Shar? Kukulkan managed to find some clues about her, so it gave me the feeling that he would bring about my demise?'
Although this conclusion was only logical, Mystra had underestimated the situation. She didn't even realise that Leylin possessed another horrifying ace up his sleeve, once that could truly end her life.
"It's not a big deal that the God of Massacre escaped," Tyr reminded her, "The important thing now is to kill all these avatars. Our true bodies are already engaged in battle with Gruumsh…" Gruumsh was fighting crazily ever since he discovered that his pantheon had been ambushed. Their true bodies would not be able to hold him back much longer.
"I understand…" Mystra's face darkened, and the silverflame strengthened once more. Even without Leylin's domain pressuring them, the orc gods couldn't dare to act recklessly.
The silverflame net began to close in on them, and try as they may Ilneval and the others couldn't stop Tyr's ambush with Eicher's Thorn. Shargaas was the one unfortunate enough to be struck by it, killing the avatar and inflicting serious injuries on his main body. Only then did the silverflame crush all the other avatars to death.
"Mystra!" "Tyr!" Many roars of hatred rang out from the large wasteland that was the combined divine kingdom of the orc pantheon, causing many worshippers and even petitioners to cower in fear.
No voice came from Shargaas' divine kingdom. Having suffered the most damage, he'd directly been put to sleep. As for Ilneval and Yurtrus, they were a bit better off. However, they'd lost multiple avatars as well, and wouldn't dare act recklessly anymore.
*Woooo!* A mournful and immense bugle horn note sounded in the wasteland as two orc figures wreathed in golden light appeared in mid-air.
"Gruumsh is summoning us," The male frowned, "Mystra and Tyr declared war, and summoned their subordinates as well. But right now…" This god was Bahgtru, the Lesser God of Brute Strength.
The orc pantheon was rather special. Although Gruumsh was their only greater god, and the rest of them weren't even intermediate gods, many of them excelled in combat. However, Shargaas, Ilneval, and Yurtrus were amongst the fighters, and Bahgtru alone wasn't enough to fill their shoes.
"Do you have any plans?" he asked the woman beside him helplessly. Although his mother didn't excel in fighting as the Goddess of Fertility, she had other remarkable abilities that fell under her domain.
"Shargaas was injured by Eicher's Thorn. Even if life and healing come under my domain, his true body has entered a slumber now and I can't heal him. On the other hand, Yurtrus only lost a lot of his energy. I can aid him in a swift recovery…" Luthic was extremely solemn, "But I'm not sure we've given this opportunity to recover…"
*Wooooo!* Another horn sounded, this one more drawn out and more frantic than before. The sound seemed to be filled with restlessness as it spread across the plains.
"Indeed, we won't have the time to heal him. We can only stop them for now…" Bahgtru smiled wryly, "I'll send all of my avatars over. I'll leave managing my worshippers and petitioners to you…"
Several golden streaks flew out of Bahgtru's divine kingdom, joining the large army in the prime material plane…
Mystra and Tyr had been plotting to attack the orcs for a while. Leylin's push had finally let them deal severe damage to the orc pantheon, and they'd even managed to cripple one of their gods. If they didn't press the advantage now, what were they waiting for?
War sprung up on both fronts. The Silverymoon Alliance attacked even as a war raged in the upper planes. Several subordinate gods like Azuth joined with hired hands from the good alignment to wage war on the divine kingdoms of the orcs. This was their chance to teach the orcs an unforgettable lesson!
...
Within the Moonwood.
The battle between gods and those of legendary might had already ruined half the region. The forest of twisted dark trees had ceased to exist, replaced by a sea of burning flames. The dismembered bodies of werecreatures dotted the landscape.
The legendary battle was now drawing to a close. With Malar's avatar dying so quickly, the werecreatures hadn't been useful in the battle between gods. Now, they were facing the paladins. The leaders and shamans hadn't wanted to engage in a fight to the death, and they'd used Gara's demon army as a distraction as they fled.
Even if Shaman Gara had maniacally summoned an army of demons, the relentless attacks of the paladins had reduced their numbers until only the balor was left, fighting Rafiniya. The other paladins had joined Karal to chase down the fleeing werecreatures.
"Hehehe…" Even if it wasn't a flame balor, the balor Rafiniya was facing was already at the legendary realm. It peppered her with heretical spells as its greatsword struck towards her with speed and precision. A common legendary would not be its match.
However, this balor was up against a paladin. On top of that this was Rafiniya, the Holy Knight, the Lady of Hope! She was resolute in her attacks, and even as injuries covered her body she didn't take one step back. Her manic behaviour struck fear in even the demon's heart.
Rafiniya's armour had already been shattered, and the balor's sword had broken in half. The demon had also lost its whip in the midst of battle.
"Hehehe… We shall meet again, paladin!" the balor sniggered as he opened a portal. Even if he could still utter such words of pride, he was far too injured to act arrogant. Even though demons were chaotic, instinctual creatures, powerful ones like this balor still had some amount of intellect.
The paladin was nearly burnt out as well. She had to rely on her sword to stay up, putting her weight on it to keep herself from collapsing. However, her eyes lit up as she saw the demon about to leave. The light was peculiar, difficult to describe in words. It contained law and chaos, good and evil.
"For justice!" she howled, burning up the last of her energy as she leapt into the flames. Even at the cost of letting the abyssal flames encroach upon her, she thrust her sword into the balor's heart.
"You!" the balor collapsed halfway into the portal, terrified. However, a sardonic smile then appeared on his face, "HA, now I understand! Your power isn't of purity. It's the power of our rivals, the devils! In that case…"
The demon used all his strength to push Rafiniya away, using a stump of a right hand to dig into his heart.
"Hehehe… Here, take my Root of Evil!" A burning heart was suddenly thrown at Rafiniya, and having expended all her energy the paladin just couldn't block it. Filthy blood coated Rafiniya's entire body, and a pure power of evil was immediately absorbed by it.
"What's happening? Why can I absorb this energy?" Rafiniya stood up once she discovered her body was recovering, stupefied. However, the balor had been burnt to ashes, and nobody would be able to answer her question.
"The church. The mission. And support…" Rafiniya's face was blank for a long while, before she collapsed to the ground.
-x-X-x-
The balor's Root of Evil was but a catalyst. The seed of evil Leylin had planted in Rafiniya oh so long ago had now erupted, fuelled by the weakening of her faith. Baator's World Origin Force cheered as a legendary paladin fell from grace, turning into a devil!
"Haha," Rafiniya knelt and wept, "Good, evil, justice… What do they even mean? What did all my effort come to?"
Flames began to burn around the fallen paladin, and a phantom image of Baator appeared as numerous devils and even the Lords of Baator cheered at the sight of a legendary paladin turning.
"ARGH…" The dark flames enveloped the Lady of Hope, causing her to shriek in anguish.
The flames greatly transformed Rafiniya's body. Her face grew far more enchanting than before, as a pair of dark wings appeared behind her back to make her look like a fallen angel. The origin force continued to roar, turning the pious Holy Knight into an erinyes! Murky light enveloped the former paladin, instantly bringing her to the depths of hell.
Just as she was about to descend to the Fourth Hell, a crimson string of light appeared behind her. Leylin's divine kingdom attracted the now erinyes, pulling her into the first three Hells. The cheering Lords and their subordinates instantly began to curse Leylin, but nobody dared step into his divine kingdom to seize her.
"A legendary paladin turned erinyes, huh?" Leylin knew best about any events occurring in his divine kingdom. The power of corruption formed at the fall of such a powerful paladin was favoured by every Lord of Baator. On top of that, the paladin would become a staunchly loyal devil, the most powerful of warriors fighting under their banner.
However, Leylin didn't have the time to pay attention to Rafiniya right now. He instructed Isabel to welcome her, moving into Thultanhthar as the flying city left his divine kingdom...
The battle in the orc wastelands had reached its peak. Soul after soul was wiped out as the light of their deaths streaked across the skies of the combined divine kingdom. Hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes… Various calamities rocked the place, causing many orcs to weep and cower as if the apocalypse had arrived.
An army of valiant spirits had set up a large formation on the outskirts of the combined divine kingdom, several hundred Professionals of each class. It was a rare sight in the World of Gods, one only enabled by the accumulated power of two greater gods over tens of thousands of years.
"Give up, Gruumsh. Leave Silverymoon and return to to your plains. It's your only choice." Mystra was now outfitted in armour, the army of wizards behind her emitting a powerful aura. The array of spell lights caused the orc god's heart to turn cold.
However, it was no easy feat to attack the divine kingdom of the orc pantheon, even for two greater gods. Gruumsh was a greater god as well, and his accumulated power was not to be trifled either.
The bugles continued to sound out as the orcish armies joined up, forming a defensive line under the command of the Goddess of Fertility Luthic. Gruumsh and Bahgtru sent their clones forward to meet Mystra and Tyr, blocking their paths.
The fight for the north wasn't limited to the north. Outside the prime material plane, it had erupted into a war amongst gods! Mystra couldn't give up on Silverymoon, while Gruumsh couldn't give up on the orcs. Their worshippers' conflicts had forced them into battle, as was commonplace in history.
"Since that's your choice…" Tyr raised his one hand slowly, "KILL!"
Wave after wave of paladins surged forward, charging towards the outermost defences of the divine kingdom.
"Damn it… That's Mystra's divine kingdom!" Bahgtru roared, his multiple clones radiating energy.
"We're your opponents." A portal opened to reveal the God of Wizards. He'd brought with him the avatars of the other gods subordinate to Mystra, as well as giant demigods to protect them.
"Your pantheon has suffered great losses, Gruumsh, you have absolutely no chance of victory…" Mystra and Tyr were squaring off against Gruumsh.
With how the orc pantheon was built, if Gruumsh was seriously injured or killed the entire race would be thrown to the brink of annihilation. Mystra held the upper hand here, able to suppress Gruumsh alongside Tyr. On the other hand, Bahgtru and Luthic were not strong enough to take on the rest of their subordinates.
Gruumsh originally had the help of multiple gods from his pantheon, putting his only strength slightly below Mystra and Tyr. However, some of his subordinates had been severely injured now, and the situation had completely reversed. She believed she could push the orcs back in one go!
Battles between gods were wars of attrition. Even Mystra and Tyr couldn't defeat their enemies in one go, but they had to at least inflict heavy damage on their opponents, causing them to suffer losses in the upcoming wars in the prime material plane.
"Damn it… You despicable pygmies!" Gruumsh's body wavered at the forefront, splitting into over a dozen clones each of which possessed a terrifying amount of divine force. Even having split up so many times, each clone possessed great power that wasn't inferior to a lesser god's! He could overpower a lesser god just by stacking on them with numbers.
However, he wasn't facing a lesser god this time. Mystra and Tyr were both greater gods, and they exchanged a look that showed that they'd expected him to split up.
More clones walked out beside them as well, as a ball of light formed into a spear in Tyr's hand.
"Eicher's Thorn!" Even a greater god like Gruumsh dreaded something like Eicher's Thorn that could cause grievous wounds to his main body. He gazed deeply upon the two greater gods, eventually deciding to fall back to his divine kingdom. "Alright, you two. Come in if you want to fight!"
It wasn't easy to take out a greater god's divine kingdom. With the home ground advantage, Gruumsh would be able to take on even Eicher's Thorn without much trouble. On the other hand, his avatars and his son's had bought them ample time, allowing Luthic to stabilise the situation in their divine kingdom and gather a large army of orc petitioners that were just waiting to deal a fatal strike.
"It still happened…" Tyr shook his head in helplessness. This was the one situation that they didn't want to see.
"How is it in the prime material plane?" he asked.
Mystra's eyes flickered with light, and the events occurring in the prime material plane flashed before her eyes. "Both sides have assembled at the Thunder Valley, and are ready for war any time. Alustriel and Elminster will be barely enough to hold back Saladin and the Thunder God's Hammer…"
"Then all the more reason that we can't retreat now…" Tyr made up his mind, slashing down with his hand. An explosion sounded as space itself cracked apart, a colourless hole appearing in mid-air with a crescent blade behind it. The attack struck the borders of the orc wasteland.
The powerful divine attack caused the entire planes to rumble. A huge rift was formed at the border, large whirlwinds spreading out as paladins charged into the divine kingdom.
"Charge!" The orcs had been waiting patiently all this while, and now they rushed forward as well to meet the paladins.
The petitioners in the divine kingdom were the most fervent of zealots, their gazes filled with fanaticism as they met the wave of paladins. They pit the boost from the divine kingdom against the superior numbers and strength of the paladins and wizards, the two armies clashing violently as a chaotic war erupted. The world seemed to stand still the moment they came into contact.
"Your greatest mistake was to step in here." A massive voice boomed in the void, and the clouds in the divine kingdom turned dark.
*Bzzt!* World Origin Force whistled as lightning rained down upon the paladins and wizards, annihilating a large group of troops in an instant.
"The law of lightning… You actually want to become a Lightning God!" Tyr cried out at in alarm as he saw the lightning in the skies. The lightning contained the power of laws, and wasn't something that could easily be created even in a divine kingdom. What's more, the law of lightning possessed great destructive force!
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"The fight's pretty intense!" Thultanthar was flying outside in the void, hidden between spatial rifts out of reach of the powerful lightning in the orc plains. It looked like an indomitable mountain, its strength unfathomable.
[Beep! Thultanthar concealed by Shadow Weave, setting defence levels to A1…] A black net spread out in the surroundings of the Netherese city, slowly disappearing as it intertwined with the Weave in the vicinity. It concealed the city's aura immediately, making in undetectable no matter how close it got to the battlefield.
"Initiate plan," Leylin ordered indifferently, an icy gaze flashing in his eyes.
He'd taken a risk with his avatar before, engaging with Malar and the orc gods to help Mystra and Tyr deal with the orcs. However, his intentions weren't to cause trouble for the orcs. After all, they were of the same alignment and were closer to him than Mystra and Tyr.
Still, he was an evil god. The only thing that brought his kind together were benefits, and he wouldn't hesitate to betray them for his own gains. With the greater gods embroiled in battle, it was the best time for him to execute his plans.
[Beep! Mission established, tracking target… Target found!] the A.I. Chip intoned, a large amount of information being transmitted to Leylin. The backdoor he'd left via that red spot of light activated, allowing the A.I. Chip to execute its mission.
[Beep! Target confirmed! Kingdom's defences have been broken, beginning teleportation.] A powerful hurricane engulfed Thultanthar alongside the A.I. Chip's notifications, the violent gales beginning to glow as the city streaked across the void like a sharp sword.
*Buzz!* Thultanthar disappeared into the light, reappearing within the orc plains above a magnificent golden palace.
There were many orc petitioners here, praying to a strange orcish statue. They were startled by Thultanthar's appearance, and roared in rage.
[Secondary cannons online.] The A.I. Chip's icy words were the only reply. Numerous cannons atop Thultanthar shot beams of light, dissolving even the holy spirits under their power. A dark web spread across the skies, locking space down before volley after volley of cannonfire razed the palace to the ground.
A god's true body was revealed beneath the palace, dressed in loose black robes with a black-gold halo of light encircling him. A murky energy shrouded his body. Having suffered a huge loss of divine energy and being forced out of slumber, he roared at Leylin in rage.
"KUKULKAN! AND THULTANTHAR!" His voice held extreme rage and shock, but there also a major portion of fear. He hadn't been prepared for the flying city at all.
'That tracker was effective after all.' Leylin looked at the forlorn Yurtrus before him, his eyes flashing like that of a predator looking at prey.
Malar had never been his target. That ape was only a wild beast that had mastered a part of the law of massacre, not worthy of his attention. The only god of massacre he'd consider targeting was Cyric.
No, his real target was the death god of the orcs, Yurtrus. Massacre and death complemented each other perfectly, each domain being able to support a greater god. They synergized very well, their powers compounding upon each other. They'd definitely serve well as Leylin's final trump card.
Back on Debanks Island, the innumerable deaths caused by the plague had allowed Leylin to touch upon the law of death. However, it hadn't allowed him to comprehend much, leaving him miles away from comprehending the law of death.
However, this was the World of Gods, and he was a Magus! Why would he slowly comprehend a law if he could just kill a god and directly steal his position?
There were many Gods of Death in the World of Gods, the strongest of them being Kelemvor the Greater God of Death. However, he was someone too strong for Leylin to scheme against right now, and there were others from different pantheons he could target. Leylin had chosen Yurtrus, because he was considerably weaker than the others as a mere lesser god. An orc god would be much easier to deal with than the gods of the other pantheon.
More importantly, the orcs were currently at war! It was the best chance to strike! With various reasons merging together, Leylin would feel sorry for himself if he didn't seize the opportunity. That's why he orchestrated these events.
To fulfill his goal of killing Yurtrus, Leylin had used Malar as a distraction. He pretended to fall for Malar's schemes in the Moonwood, using his avatar as bait and giving up his location to Mystra and Tyr to have them wipe the orcs out in one shot. The entire process was extremely perilous. If not for multiple trump cards, his avatar would have fallen to Mystra and Tyr.
However, all of that paid off. The orcs suffered huge losses, and Gruumsh was forced to engage in a divine war that dropped all defences. Yurtrus had nobody protecting him, so now was the best time to strike.
Leylin had managed to plant a tracker on Yurtrus in the midst of battle, allowing the flying city to instantly teleport to Yurtrus' position and slay him.
With Thultanthar having been used against Sekolah before, the gods would definitely have prepared against a greater god with a Netherese city. They concealed their true bodies, preventing instant teleportation into their divine kingdoms. Had Leylin not made all this preparations, he would've had to enter Yurtrus' divine kingdom and track him down inside. By the time the A.I. Chip was done with its scan Gruumsh would have appeared to reinforce.
However, there were no what ifs in the world. His plan successful, Leylin would enjoy his spoils of war.
"What are you trying to do? This is the orc plains. My divine kingdom is extremely close to the Gruumsh. He can immediately send any of his clones over…" Yurtrus golden face seemed to be disconcerted right now, which was an extremely rare expression on a god.
This was the fruit of Leylin's labour. Several of Yurtrus' avatars had been slain by Mystra and Tyr, causing enough damage to send him to sleep. Even though he'd sensed the incoming danger now, it would be a wonder if he could use 60% of his power, and he was facing a peak form Leylin alongside Thultanthar.
"Yurtrus… In the name of the God of Massacre, I proclaim you dead…" The phantom of a powerful winged serpent appeared behind Leylin's back, its demonic wings spread out to cover half of Yurtrus' divine kingdom. A terrifying gloomy darkness loomed over Yurtrus, devouring him whole.
The serpent's eyes only contained apathy and greed, causing Yurtrus to be overwhelmed with despair.
...
*Rumble!* The powerful lightning suddenly stopped in Gruumsh's divine kingdom, and he roared in fury.
"What happened?" Mystra and Tyr looked ahead in surprise, watching a terrifying scene unfold.
"Yurtrus… You damned vermin, pigmy, bastard of the hells, you actually dare…" Gruumsh roared but it was too late. A divine kingdom dimmed within the orc plains, leaving the area as it headed for the void and fell into the darkness. Anguish surged in Yurtrus' petitioners as they died without warning, and his priests in the other planes discovered themselves being cut off by the spells of their god.
This could only mean one thing: the Orc God of Death… Yurtrus… He'd fallen!
"It's the God of Massacre!' Mystra and Tyr understood this point immediately, but were unable to change the outcome. The orc armies only stalled for a moment, beginning to attack even more ferociously than before!