Levistus was actually extremely lucky. Perhaps because they were both at the level of gods in the end, Death's Decree didn't have full effect.
However, the ability had still stalled him for a moment, a moment long enough to determine his fate. By the time he recovered his senses, the sharp blade of Seven Sins was already at his neck.
[Beep! Host has killed Levistus. Gluttony's Devouring has been activated, host has gained a new law… Comprehension of law of pride currently at 100%.]
*Hss!* The Nightmare Hydra hissed once more, another head materialising on its body. It absorbed the pride of the entire universe, turning it into the power of original sin.
[Beep! The law of pride has awakened a new ability in Seven Sins:
Prideguard: The armour of Seven Sins has been fortified, nullifying all physical and magical attacks at the legendary realm.]
"Remember this… The hatred of an Archdevil cannot be ignored!" Asmodeus said in his fury. However, the other lords had only sped up on witnessing Leylin kill Levistus, and he was helpless to do much more.
The light of Leylin's divine kingdom didn't stop at the Fourth Hell, instead spreading out to shroud the icy lands of Stygia as well.
"Alright… With the Fifth Hell in hand the devils won't be able to turn the tides…" Leylin had possessed an advantage in power before, but now he'd become the absolute dominant force in Baator. With five of the Nine Hells in hand, the remaining Archdevils wouldn't be able to perform a miracle.
'I need to return… There are many things to do, and many comprehensions to be had. I need to heal up as well, I should be at my best for the coming fights…' Leylin seemed to be warning himself. He soothed Seven Sins down, and vanished into the void.
By this time, Kukulkan's divine kingdom already covered the first five levels of Baator. The World Origin Force whistled as it was absorbed continuously, turning the five separate levels into one whole. Many devils wept and wailed as they scampered further below into the last four.
Those who couldn't escape were given two options: They would either be sealed and killed, or they would become slaves as they pledged themselves to the God of Massacre. They would then be turned into devil petitioners.
By the time Leylin returned to Whitejade Saint Mountain, his gigantic divine palace was giving off a very imposing aura. His worshippers felt the effect of his increase in strength, causing them to kneel on the ground and pray from the bottom of their hearts.
"Kukulkan, my Lord, you are brighter than the stars in the sky. Your powers of massacre and death maintain order, and our souls belong with you in your haven…"
Massive amounts of faith surged forth, forming a golden whirlpool around Whitejade Saint Mountain. The entire divine kingdom cheered as Baator's origin force gushed in as well.
'Did the clone just advance? It makes sense, it added a lot to its portfolio and its divine kingdom advanced greatly as well…' Although Leylin could govern the divine kingdom himself, he was unwilling to bind the power of faith to his body. Using a puppet clone was a much better choice. Even if faith in him collapsed, the most he would lose was an auxiliary A.I. Chip routine and some energy. As he was right now, he wasn't afraid of such minute losses.
The power the Nightmare Hydra relied on was far more astonishing than the power of faith. Each of his heads could absorb certain emotions across the astral plane, and its reach wasn't limited to those who worshipped him. Even though the power of emotions was weaker than the power of faith head on, the sheer magnitude more than made up for the gap.
With the hydra already having six heads, Leylin no longer needed to rely on the power of faith. Divinity would at most be some additional support at this juncture, so it was important to adopt certain measures to help with that.
Leylin was happy at the thought of his clone becoming an intermediate god. After all, the auxiliary chip was under the direct control of the A.I. Chip in his soul. The clone only had a simulated godfire anyway, so even if the clone wasn't a real divine body it wasn't different from one given his control.
*Bzzt!* A special tremble rippled throughout the World of Gods, the energy emanated as a lesser god advanced to become an intermediate god. It would be an event noticed by many powerful beings in the past, but now there were few with the time and energy to mind such things amongst the gods.
The origin force of multiple worlds gathered together, forming a faint, distant hymn. Petals of gold light fell to the ground as Leylin's Magus body shut his eyes, feeling the benefits of the advancement.
With this clone not being a separate being like, Leylin could feel his advancement himself, to indescribable benefit. Immersed in the energy of the World of Gods, he saw a bunch of notifications from the A.I. Chip.
[Beep! Clone has advanced, currently at rank 12. Class rank increased to level 39. The multitude of divine domains have amplified the power of the clone: +4 to all stats.]
[Clone body has undergone massive changes. Recalculating stats…]
It wasn't long before the A.I. Chip with new information.
[Divine Name: Kukulkan, God of Massacre (Controlled by auxiliary A.I. Chip)
Race: Unknown (Intermediate god)
Alignment: Lawful Evil.
Divine Domains: Massacre, Death
Divine Kingdom: First five levels of Baator (nameless).
Divine Rank: 12.
Worshippers: Natives, Devils, Adventurers, Clerics.
Worshipper Alignments: True Neutral, Neutral Evil, Lawful Evil.
Domain Powers: Massacre, Death, Devour
Arcanist Rank: 39. Strength: 33. Agility: 33. Vitality: 33. Spirit: 39. Arcane Energy: 390. Divine Force: 1000. Status: Normal.
Feats: Herculean Strength, Master of Knowledge, Epic Adaptability.
Divine Feats: Origin Force Detection, Arcane Art Amplification, Illusions.
Divine Abilities: Warp Reality, Simulate Reality, Supercomputing]
"Not bad. I still have most of the abilities, and the battle prowess only went up…" Leylin stroked his chin in appreciation.
The clone didn't just inherit Kukulkan's abilities and name. It gained two new skills of its own, namely Simulate Reality and Supercomputing. Of course there were also losses, most of his abilities had been transferred to his true body causing it to weaken.
'Death and Massacre, alongside four of the seven sins… I would've gotten to rank 17 immediately.But the laws were integrated into my path, it's already great that I could push up all the way to rank 12…' Leylin felt rather regretful, but he got over it quickly. Moving along on his own path was far more rewarding than becoming a peak intermediate god.
With these thoughts in mind, Leylin looked behind his back. The Nightmare Hydra had grown more solid than before, but there was still some illusory darkness around its neck. It seemed like as he walked further on the path of Original Sin, the power of evil from the path grew greater. Only that one part of his path seemed to be missing something.
'So… Lust, sloth, and envy, huh?' The most convenient way for Leylin to obtain the three sins was to steal them from the Archdevils. It was a matter of utmost importance to him.
After all, they were in the midst of a war. This was a precarious situation, and it was hard to say whether some furious gods or Magi would intentionally slay them to stall his advance. It would then take him up to tens of thousands of years to comprehend them, delaying his entry into the Final War until it ended without giving him any benefits.
He thus made up his mind. The outside world didn't matter to him; his body would camp within his divine kingdom until he had Baator under control and absorbed the remaining Archdevils.
The outside world now would be facing complete disaster, and nobody would bother him at this time. Naturally, this was the best time for him!
"Glasya, Baalzebul, and Mephistopheles…" Leylin muttered the names of his targets, "That will finish off the seven sins, but I also need Asmodeus as well…"
Although the self-proclaimed Supreme of Baator didn't actually have any laws to his name, he was in fact shrouded by them all, making him a true embodiment of evil. He was the core of Leylin's path of Original Sin, so Leylin held him in high regard.
"My worshippers…" the clone declared, "Pick up your weapons! Help me conquer Baator, turning the entire place into a true paradise…"
The clone was still trying to adapt to its current rank, but it didn't sound different from before. Tiff, Phoenix, and even Isabel who was the closest to him didn't feel anything changed.
With their Lord's commands, the entire divine kingdom began to counterattack. Countless devil hunters surged into the Sixth Hell Malbolge, causing the devils to wail endlessly…
-x-X-x-
The Magi had appeared once more, and the Final War had resumed. There would be no news more terrifying to the gods, and Mystra would never in her dreams have thought that cornering Leylin would cause him to open up the World of Gods to the Magus threat, leading to her own death.
The chaos began at Baator, quickly spreading to the other planes. Calamity befell the prime material plane, and even the Abyss was affected…
The 45th to 47th floors of the Abyss, also known as Azzagrat, were covered entirely by a single palace that represented a power of order amongst the chaotic demons.
Furies circled the skies of this Triple Realm, with innumerable demons guarding on the ground. The Argent Palace was built from whitestone of the Celestial Planes, and rumour had it that its owner once tricked an entire city of celestials into entering the mountains and mining ore for him. They hadn't even known it was going to be transported to the Abyss.
The archfiend that guarded these three levels was named Graz'zt, nicknamed the Devilish Demon. In spite of being aligned to chaos, he possessed the wits to plan far ahead, his vast lands filled with so many elite demons they could frighten multiple worlds.
As one of the three Abyssal lords, Graz'zt's name had spread across the prime material plane. He had many worshippers, ruling from his proud throne within the Argent Palace.
Only after Leylin's actions did the peace this archfiend maintained in his realm get challenged. The Argent Palace was covered in flames, chaotic green energy spreading through its entirety.
Furies were crashing to the ground like airplanes, splattering blood as they hit the surface. Countless demons were decaying to death, wailing in agony as they were turned into a putrid liquid that eventually formed a river.
The sixty six ivory towers of the Argent Palace were collapsing one after the other, the attacker powerful enough to wreak chaos across Graz'zt's lands. Explosions sounded out as altars fell, eventually forcing someone out of the core of the Argent Palace.
The person looked quite human, the only differences in appearance being the small horn on his head and his six-fingered hands. However, the power of evil surrounding him easily gave away his identity. This was Graz'zt, the Dark Prince of the three Abyssal Lords!
"The scent of a Magus…" Graz'zt frowned. Even the Abyss knew of the dusk of the gods, and he'd feel nervous fighting the Magi that had caused the fall of countless gods regardless of his personal strength.
"Damn it… Why aren't the Magi attacking the Celestial Planes? It would be so much better for them there…" Graz'zt knew his complaints would not change reality. He pulled out his acid-drenched greatsword from the Argent Palace, slashing towards the skies.
An immense power of darkness swept across Azzagrat, dispelling the chaotic green energy from the skies. The green clouds parted, but as the sky brightened they revealed a green eye in the air that was filled with wisdom and greed.
"I am the chaos Lord of the astral plane. Graz'zt of the Abyss, your power and authority are mine!"
The Chaos Lord's conscient swept across the Triple Realm, causing Graz'zt's expression to darken. He'd detected power equivalent to a greater god from this Magus.
'Magi can even kill gods… They definitely aren't simple.' Graz'zt could not help but grasp the hilt of his sword more tightly.
"Ahh… This aura of chaos, I love it…" The Chaos Lord had chosen to attack the Abyss for two reasons. He'd made a pact with the other Magi that stopped him from going to the Celestial Planes, and the Abyss suited his laws and abilities better anyway.
Being at the peak of rank 8, the Chaos Lord wanted to try and use the power of the Abyss to comprehend the laws of space and time, moving towards rank 9. This was, naturally, the goal of every peak rank 8 that had started the Final War once more.
Green and black energies continued to fight each other, soon covering the entirety of Azzagrat. The demons of the other levels looked on at the Argent Palace in shock, witnessing an energy they'd never seen before suppress the Dark Price and cover the entirety of the Triple Realm.
"Don't think of asking for help. There aren't many archfiends like you in the Abyss, and they're mostly chaotic and selfish…" The green energy converged into the shape of a giant that could cover the sun. The Chaos Lord was dressed in large green robes, his face covered with eyes that swirled with the power of chaos. He'd grasped Graz'zt inside his palms, and the archfiend was trying to escape.
"What? Trying to ask Mommy for help?" The Chaos Lord mocked the Dark Prince trapped in his hands.
But then, the voice turned female, "Someone else has gone to deal with the Mother of Demons. Even if Pale Night isn't injured, she won't be able to come save you…"
...
*Boom!* Shockwave after shockwave carrying the power of origin force rocked the entire Abyss as the Chaos Lord spoke.
"The Endless Maze… That's Pale Night's bone castle…" Many demon lords diverted their attention to the 600th level of the Abyss. They soon saw a horrifying scene of disgusting filth drowning the Endless Maze, carrying the pollution of the entire astral plane.
A number of seals and spell formations activated within the core of the bone castle, helping it resist for a while. Pale Night's faint figure showed itself, but she was like a river fighting an entire ocean, soon overwhelmed.
"Filthy Evil Eye… So disgusting… You can't wash yourself of its odour for tens of thousands of years…" The Chaos Lord's face was riddled with disgust as she looked at the 600th floor.
"Gugu… Jiji…" On the contrary, the ocean of filth covering the Endless Maze let out a roar of delight.
"I should've known the Abyss would definitely attract that disgusting beast… Just my luck…" The Chaos Lord seemed extremely displeased as she reached her hands out. A ball of chaos burst forth, and one of the three Abyssal Lords was wiped out of existence just like that.
...
"Please awaken, my Lord. Your worshippers are lost sheep, and we require your guidance…" Cyric's pope was kneeling before his statue in the Palace of Shadows.
However, the God of Murder's madness had set in, and he completely ignored his pope's words. A layer of crimson energy covered the statue, causing it to look even more terrifying than normal. It only caused the pope to grow more frantic.
As a legendary being, the pope was vaguely aware of the changes happening in the World of Gods. He noticed all the other churches preparing for war, and it only caused him more despair.
"Please don't let me down, Merrick…" The pope gripped the hem of his robe tightly, praying with his utmost sincerity…
At the same time, Merrick had finally caught traces of Cyric within the Shadow Plane. Braving a perilous journey, the shadow thief finally handed his Lord the Book of Truth.
'I wonder why the Lord would leave his divine kingdom and come here…' the former merchant thought to himself.
The pope and his own sources had confirmed that the Lord's madness stemmed from the Book of Cyric. Once he read the Book of Truth, he would recover his sanity. The glory of saving a god and the blessings arising from it would definitely bring him to a whole new level!
Merrick yearned for this beautiful future, and he soon cast his gaze at the dark figure reading the Book of Truth.
'Please awaken, my Lord, and give me your blessings…' Merrick prayed sincerely.
"This… This… Argh…" However, things did not go to plan. Cyric only grew more manic as he read the Book of Truth, the holy light shrouding him beginning to flicker.
'How… How did it turn out like this?' His eyes almost popped out of his skull as he stared at his Lord in disbelief.
-x-X-x-
"ARGH! Just who am I? Cyric… Distorted Shadow…" Terrifying divine force was launched in all directions with Cyric's screams, disintegrating Merrick's body and soul without pause. But then again, it might have been kind to this worshipper that he didn't have to see what happened next.
A faint red light enveloped Cyric's body. The Book of Truth transformed into astral light that ignited upon contact with the red light, forming faint red flames. Cyric's body abruptly split in two.
The new being was a hazy shadow that radiated the might of a Magus. "I'm back!" Distorted Shadow proclaimed, "The World of Gods, and that puny Magus… I've returned!"
Being at the peak of rank 8, Distorted Shadow wasn't someone who'd die so easily. How could resurrecting with the Weave's destruction be his only plan?
He'd inserted some of his power into Cyric's true body before, giving himself a chance for revival as he killed the god. Using the remaining pieces of his soul, he'd successfully fooled the pope of the Church of Murder and Merrick into bringing him the Book of Truth. Even if some of his conscient had been eliminated by Leylin, his thousands of years of bitter plots had finally succeeded!
Distorted Shadow immediately recovered to the peak of his power, having robbed everything from Cyric when he ascended to godhood. Even if there were some imperfections in his cultivation, he had an obvious advantage over the other ancient Magi who only had their conscients remaining.
"I...I shall not fail again!" he roared, his entire body shattering to form a shadow that covered the sky.
...
"How could this happen?" The pope looked at the shattered divine statue before him, sinking to the ground as if all his bones had been lost.
"So he revived using Cyric's body…" At the same time, Leylin got wind of these events as well. He'd felt a sinister intent envelop him along with Distorted Shadow's revival. With the damage he'd done to the ancient Magus' conscient, he definitely wouldn't let him off without issue.
"Heh… I don't want to let you go either. You've just revived yourself, so what if you're at the peak of rank 8?"
Leylin flicked a finger, and a golden sphere of light surged out from his divine kingdom. The expanding sphere caught hold of some shadows, and they occasionally shrieked as they fled far away.
"Damn it… He's already found a path, it won't be long before he's at the same level as me…" The shadow in the sky radiated endless rage, looking at a round eye that appeared in front of him.
"You seem to have some disagreements with someone of the Magus World," Mother Core said. The air in her surroundings froze in place, making her seem terrifyingly grand.
Both being at the peak of rank 8, Mother Core and Distorted Shadow should have been similar in power. However, Distorted Shadow had been sealed for several thousand years. Even if he'd recovered most of his power by sacrificing Cyric, he was still nowhere close to Mother Core.
"Jejeje… I don't need you to mediate," the black shadow yelled before exploding. Mother Core sighed, earthy yellow flames instantly sweeping across the sky and trying to eliminate Distorted Shadow, but the power of distortion had already faded from the sky.
"This is going to be troublesome…" One of Mother Core's clones made its way to Baator, entering Leylin's divine kingdom, "This brat really does bring a lot of surprises…"
"Mother Core!" Leylin greeted her in person, having felt the clone's arrival a while ago.
"I know everything already. Pity, Distorted Shadow didn't let me mediate in this. His crazy and cold personality is famous throughout the astral plane…" Mother Core's conscient emitted.
Following that, several vines dug their way out of Baator to embed themselves into the soil of Leylin's divine kingdom, as if completing some sort of interaction.
"Not bad!" Mother Core nodded. Leylin's rate of improvement had impressed her greatly, "You've gotten us into the World of Gods, and even found your own path. You'll definitely be something in the future."
"Everything is fated, Leylin. I'm starting to believe your existence will be the key to the battle between the Magi and the gods…" This was another reason why Mother Core wanted to help Leylin. With his rate of improvement, it wasn't far off from the Magus World having another peak rank 8. With her vast experience, Mother Core definitely felt something about him.
"No matter how the future turns out, I will always be a Magus. The Magus World is my home," Leylin promised.
"Good!" Mother Core replied. The two seemed to have reached an agreement.
The tendrils from the clone spread across Leylin's divine kingdom, penetrating deeper and deeper into Baator. The clone found and attacked all of the shadows in the area, making Leylin believe that Distorted Shadow would find it difficult to affect his life with her as a guardian.
*Bang!* A part of the earth erupted to reveal a distorted lay of light. It was being plucked out of the ground by Mother Core's plants.
"This is a seed of distortion," Mother Core explained calmly, "It's the usual kind of move Distorted Shadow makes…"
Leylin heaved a massive sigh of relief. Distorted Shadow had already been spying on his divine kingdom, something he could never have thought of. If he wasn't careful, he would've suffered major losses in the future.
"Even though divine kingdoms are powerful, they pose too many restrictions to their owner. Take now, for example. We've learnt from experience, and are attacking the prime material plane instead of the divine kingdoms…"
Leylin nodded at Mother Core's words. One would only be seeking death if they wished to fight a god in their divine kingdom. The smart thing to do was to attack their churches in the prime material plane, destroying the peoples' belief in them. It was easy for Magi to bring about disasters, inflicting damage and disease that even the Goddess of the Plague could not match.
This was similar to how Leylin had attacked Debanks Island before. The divine kingdoms would lose their source of faith in the prime material plane, some even falling from the Celestial Planes directly.
Such was the result of relying on faith. It left a big gap in one's defences, allowing them to suffer severe blows without any good way to prevent them. This was why Leylin decided not to become a god.
"Of course, it's best that we don't make our move at the beginning. We should wait and see how the others act…" Mother Core reminded him.
"I definitely don't plan to participate in the Final War before I've forged my path completely, breaking through to the peak of rank 8." Leylin naturally understood Mother Core's intentions. He followed the statement up with a request, "I hope you can protect this place well after I leave…"
*Boom!* Leylin instantly left his divine kingdoms, carrying Seven Sins in hand as he infiltrated the Sixth Hell with Mother Core protecting his base. There had been a huge army of devil hunters in this place, and Leylin's arrival caused all of the Lords of Baator to be alarmed and angered…
Of course, Leylin had pondered the consequences of having Mother Core protect him at home. He could rest assured that Mother Core didn't interact much with Distorted Shadow in the past, and that the two had some animosity between themselves. On top of that, he was from the same world as her.
But then, they also had a contract between them. This protection was also an exchange of sorts, and Leylin believed that what he brought to the table was enough for Mother Core to do her best to protect him.
'I don't have to worry about my divine kingdom. Be it Distorted Shadow or any gods, Mother Core will be able to stop them. Even if she fails there's the A.I. Chip clone there as well…' Undaunted by worries, Leylin moved to attack the rest of Baator to complete his path of Original Sin.
At the same time, Distorted Shadow let out a terrifying roar from within a secret dimension. "Damn it… Mother Core dares to defy me, the master of distortion who's annihilated three Magus alliances and five different worlds…"
Despite his anger, he felt somewhat helpless. Mother Core wasn't an existence he could provoke right now, and even Leylin himself wasn't easy to deal with. Having been enlightened on his own path, the Warlock was already at the threshold of the peak of rank 8.
On the other hand, he himself had just been revived. He'd suffered a severe loss in power, and if he tried to make a move he wouldn't have much of a chance of taking out a Leylin protected by Mother Core. Not to mention that all Magi were extremely crafty, and it was unknown how many trump cards each one held in their hands. It would be troublesome to annihilate them.
'I should deal with the other gods first to get back my powers. Moreover, I should definitely hinder him from completing his own path…' This so-called hindrance was an aim to stop Leylin from killing all of the Lords of Baator, preventing him from obtaining all the laws he needed. This would greatly decrease his opponent's rate of improvement.
-x-X-x-
Magi were a patient breed. Since he couldn't deal with Leylin directly right now, Distorted Shadow would instead wait at the side, recovering to full capacity. If Leylin did not increase in power himself by that time, he would have a chance for revenge!
...
The commoners of the prime material plane treated powerful existences like the gods and Magi like they came out of a fairytale. Regardless of what such powerful people did, all they cared about was earning a few more coppers for the next day. They just wanted bread to eat and beer to drink.
Doron was one such commoner. He came from a line of carpenters, having been forced into the job due to his background. However, his inheritance was lacklustre. In fact, he had to maintain the furniture of the regional lord for free a few times a year, including the mangers of the barn. He wouldn't even be given food.
Clearly, matters related to gods and devils were like the epics sung by bards to him. Such events did not have anything to do with him, and listening to them would only be treated as a pastime.
However, all of this changed one day. Seeing the purple moon explode as it formed an evil eye, he felt like his quiet life had come to an end.
The loss of the moon's light was a minor thing— after all, most normal families went to sleep early because they couldn't afford the oil for their lamps. There were many stars in the sky as well, so it didn't really affect the night much. The only exception were ladies who loved to admire the moon with a midnight drink.
No, the important issue was the revelation the moon's destruction brought about. Be it the moon turning into that eye or the terrifyingly large Weave shattering along with the moon, this was too similar to the work of demons and devils…
"The end is nigh. A powerful existence is about to destroy the world…" A few deranged minstrels in the town had changed from their usual waltz music, replacing it with a solemn prophecy that made Doron's heart feel heavier.
"The gods above… perhaps i'm thinking too much. I should head to the church more often and ask Priest Rockefeller for help…" Doron looked at the amount of money in his pocket. There were a few copper coins within, shining with how worn down they were. The edges were badly damaged as well…
'Damned Lady De Lise, she must've gotten that fat pig of hers to cut the coppers at the edges…' Doron couldn't help but complain to himself when he looked at the meagre salary he got for an entire day's work. Of course, he wouldn't dare to directly rebut his employer.
Having witnessed the strange phenomenon a few days ago, the uneasy Doron was considering making a trip to the local church, making a donation or something so he could ask for the Lord's protection.
The system of church and state ruled the World of Gods. With one controlling the people's faith and the other wielding authority over their lives, the poorest of commoners would still give one of the two all they could. Only the former may have been voluntary, but they exploited the commoners all the same.
"Doron!" A cheerful whistle sounded on the street, "You've finished up with Lady De Lise?"
Doron was familiar with the owner of this voice, turning around to face a young man wearing abnormally loose clothes. The freckled youth was called Mitch, and his eyes seemed to shine with brilliance.
"Mitch! Weren't you working at the Church of Magic? Why are you back now?" Doron asked in surprise.
The town Doron lived in was under the control of a feudal lord, and the man had built a Church to Ilmater in it. Royals greatly favoured this god, wishing to make all their followers his worshippers.
On the other hand, a church dedicated to Mystra was only available in a faraway town, requiring a day and a half of carriage travel. This was basically the distance between the ends of the world to Doron— he'd only been there once and had been deeply stunned by the bustling of the heavenly city.
He was extremely envious of Mitch's job. Even if he was only a lowly servant, the man was working at a church. He could one day awaken the power of magic, becoming a wizard respected by the rest.
Mitch grew crestfallen upon hearing this, waving his hands. "Sigh… Don't even mention it. I came back because the church closed down."
"The church… closed down?" Doron's mouth fell open. He clearly couldn't understand how these words were sharing a sentence.
Churches were overseen by their respective deities. Priests all controlled bizarre spells, and the fees of even the lowliest of churches could still make them quite a bit of wealth. How could such a place actually close down?
"It seems like you don't know… Most of the priests of the church faced a sudden death on the day of the black moon. The rest of them cried all day long…"
Having come back from the city, Mitch was full of conversation. He shuffled closer to Doron, hiding his mouth with his hands as he whispered, "I heard the Goddess of the Weave has fallen…"
"The Goddess of the Weave fell?" Doron didn't have much to say about this incident. It was far removed from him, and with Mystra not being the deity he worshipped he couldn't comprehend the stakes of the situation. Hearing that a true god had fallen, the only feeling he felt was a slight bit of schadenfreude just like when a king died.
"Mm, the wizards are out of luck…" A smile appeared on Mitch's face. It seemed like the bullying he'd faced from the priests and wizards wasn't just occasional. "A lot of wizards were already beaten to death by a mob of people…"
"What does this have to do with wizards? Couldn't they use magic to avoid being beaten to death by the commoners?" Doron was obviously suspicious of Mitch's 'secret.' Wizards to him were all superior individuals, people whom even the lords had to be respectful and courteous to.
Even the domineering Lady De Lise didn't dare to offend Wizard Holdman who stayed near their town.
"Hehe… The wizards lost their ability to cast spells once the Goddess of the Weave died… Say, would the lords and commoners they persecuted before let them off?"
Mitch revealed a sharp, toothy grin, "That's why I came back. I didn't have much chance to become an effort anyway, so I'm here to hide… Anyway, let's stop talking about this! We should head to Buck's Tavern to celebrate our reunion!"
"But…" Doron touched his cash-strapped purse, "I still want to visit the church once!"
"Church? Oh right! Some of the other churches seem to be busy all day, preparing to evacuate or something. Even businessmen and nobles can't have priests cast spells for them right now… The church here should be the same…" Mitch patted Doron's shoulder, his look telling the carpenter not to waste his time.
"No!" Doron's faith was more or less solid.
"Okay then," Mitch shrugged his shoulders in frustration, "I'll follow you."
The town church wasn't all that large, only the size of a few houses. A small fountain towered at its front, but unfortunately there was no spring water flowing out of it.
The shrine looked empty, with numerous items missing. Even the remaining servants gave off a languid air, with few people here to pray. Doron clearly noticed the change, but he still asked a servant, "Hello! I would like to see Priest Rockefeller!"
Doron still held a good impression of the kind and benevolent Rockefeller. Although the man could only cast a few low-grade spells, he could treat common injuries and had saved numerous lives in town. Doron had decided to donate to him, just in case he'd have to ask the man for something in the future.
"Priest Rockefeller…" the old fellow watching the door took a long time to react. He rubbed The sand out of his eyes, "He's already left. He took everything, only leaving a few piles of potatoes for this pitiful old baker…"
"Huh? Nobody took over either?" Doron was surprised. There were a considerable number of worshippers in town despite its small size, and no church would let go of a base where its foundation had already been laid. There should have been another priest coming over even if people were transferred.
Situations like this one were quite abnormal, and it caused a bad premonition to rise within Doron's heart.
"Why? Do you want to pray and confess? Perhaps I can help you!" Old Baker Tanner's eyes Were already aimed at Doron's purse.
"No! There's no need!" How could Doron not understand his intentions? He immediately grabbed his purse and ran away, Mitch following him.
Only after they'd left the town did Mitch turn around, fiercely laughing at his friend. "Haha…" he said between ragged breaths, "I'm right, aren't I?"
-x-X-x-
"Maybe… Maybe Priest Rockefeller had an emergency…" Doron tried to defend his stance, but that didn't last long under Mitch's bantering gaze. "Alright alright! Let's head to the bar, I'll pay…"
Once they arrived at the tavern, Doron and Mitch ordered some liquor and sat side by side, enjoying this flavour they didn't normally get to taste— even this cheap liquor was extravagant for the likes of them.
The bar was evidently a place where information flowed. An unending stream of news entered Doron's ears from all sides.
"All the wizards are finished… Hévíz, Arundel, and the city of Minaret; there were waves of wizards perishing everywhere…" a burly red-nosed man said. He looked like a mercenary, his voice so loud that it dropped dust from the tavern's ceiling.
"Hey Red-nose! Didn't you come back from outside a short while ago? Is there any news?" The world had no lack of curious people. A scrawny figure made a hand-gesture to the bartender, having him place a large cup of honey liquor in front of the red-nosed mercenary.
"Hehe… Whose news is more accurate than mine? My reputation is no joke…"
The mercenaries around the man began to mutter as he got to the point.
"The world outside is a mess right now. All the churches and soldiers are retreating, they've lost the ability to suppress the chaos. The wizards suffered the worst consequences…
"Losing their magic, those lofty mages are ordinary people like us, or even weaker…" Red nose chugged down a large cup of alcohol, and his whole face became red. "Think about it… Just by getting rid of an shivering old man would allow them to obtain everything of theirs… Beautiful slaves, fertile lands, huge gems and bright dazzling gold… All the commoners are going crazy, and even some aristocrats fell out with the wizards while thinking of how to take action…"
Power begets power, and influence begets wealth. The wealth of the powerful wizards of the prime material plane would definitely attract the jealousy of others.
Those who could use magic were high and mighty, enjoying the best treatment no matter where they went. Wizards no longer had magic with the Weave broken apart, and with no power anymore they were just fat sheep attracting greedy gazes.
Even the wizards who paid attention to their reputations had slaves, and they'd indoubtably rely on their power to bully them. Given the chance, those with ulterior motives kicked off a vandalous rebellion.
Once it was confirmed that the wizards had no power to resist, the aristocrats were the first ones to take action. They roused the masses into fighting the wizards. The peasants could take away the trinkets, but important assets like land and property would eventually fall into their hands. They could send their troops out at a later date, pressuring the mobs into giving up what they'd plundered.
All aristocrats were skilled at maintaining personable appearances on the outside, hiding a bellyful of evil tricks that allowed them to gain the greatest benefits with little effort.
Without any more power, the wizards could only sob as their families, their riches, and their lands were taken away. They themselves would suffer horrible punishments before death.
"Hey Red nose! Are you sure those wizards have lost their powers?" a burly man in a black cloak asked. He had a large scar on his face, and standing up he was two heads taller than average.
"Of course… It's just that I arrived late, else I would definitely be able to snatch those gems or even women full of life back… those wizards are all rich…" Red-nose patted his chest in assurance.
"If that's the case, what are we waiting for?" the imposing man laughed maliciously, "Isn't there still a Lord Holdman outside town?"
...
*Whoosh!* The cold winds caused Doron to shiver. He found that he'd unknowingly made his way to the house of the only wizard in town, Holdman. There were many people surrounding the residence, cursing loudly as sounds of things being smashed could be heard.
He looked upon himself in surprise, realising he was holding a sharp wooden stick that were stained with traces of blood. Several parts of his body were hurting, but he was unaware of how he was injured. Luckily he only had minor injuries, just some scraping of the skin.
He was still dazed by the alcohol, and it took him a while to remember what he'd done under the influence.
Affected by greed, they'd all fallen to become common thugs. Led by the burly man and the red-nosed mercenary, they'd arrived at Holdman's mansion outside town quickly. They broke through the building, merrily acting out their roles.
"Blegh…" He couldn't endure it anymore as he saw the corpse fallen at his feet, kneeling on the floor to vomit as he cried.
"Oh God… What have I exactly done…" He looked at the mob around him as he cried, seeing some of them even burning torches. This conduct was in stark contrast to the words of Ilmater, almost making him feel like a devil had invaded his body.
"Everyone take a look…" A man with a red beard and bright mottled clothes threw out a white-haired old man to the tune of applause. The old man's hands were like firewood, and he was hugging his head while his body shivered. It took Doron a lot of effort to connect this to that insufferably arrogant Holdman.
"This is the old fella… Not only did he instigate the noblemen to construct a wizard tower, he even wantonly looted our wealth and manpower… Take a look at this…" Red nose point towards the opened granary. Fragrant wheat filled the entire place, "We're all starving, and this old man hoards so much food and wealth through cruel exploitation…"
Those with wealth were what the mobs hated the most in time of famine. More and more eyes turned red as the mercenary spoke, and even Doron seemed to remember Holdman's butler kicking him and taking away some good wood from his home. Anger surged to his head.
"Kill him!" "Kill him!" "Kill him!" Numerous thugs cheered, their voices getting louder and louder. In contrast, Holdman seemed to have seen something as he struggled to climb towards a youth's corpse and started crying.
Sadly, his death throes couldn't wake up the thugs who were intoxicated with rage. Doron managed to clear his mind as he saw that weeping face, but then he saw Mitch climb out of a temporary tent as he buckled his belt. He gave him a glance any man would understand.
"This is a noble lady! Don't you feel like playing?" he asked.
A memory instantly emerged within Doron's mind. He'd once been summoned by Holdman to repair the furniture in his house, and he'd seen a beautiful noble lady in there. She'd been dressed in white, looking like an angel.
Of course he hadn't been paid for the job, and the dirty look in her eyes had etched itself into Doron's mind. He'd been deeply hurt, and was even depressed for a long time.
As if the devils felt that the stimulation was insufficient, two white jade legs with elegant curves stretched out of the tent. The purple daffodil on the toenails constantly aroused Doron's brain, and he couldn't help but release a bestial roar as he rushed forth…
...
Mystra's fall was only an opening. What was important was the destruction of the Weave. Wizards may have been the most hurt by its loss, but the gods had lost its convenience as well. The energy it took them to bestow divine spells increased greatly, making it impossible for them to cater to their worshippers as they came up with retreat strategies. This only exacerbated the corruption and the attacks on the wizards.
There hadn't been much centralised power in the World of Gods before, and a part of its management had been left to the churches. With the churches losing faith and authority, the power of the mobs was extremely terrifying.
Wizards without magic were just like guns without bullets. Other than those with enough scrolls and supplements or legendary wizards who'd managed to break away from the Weave, everyone suffered the calamity. The aristocrats pushed the simmering anger of the commoners into boiling point, laughing in secret as they toasted their new harvest.
When the riots ended, these mobs would only be executed or reduced to their previous, poor state. The nobles would take the greatest wealth, and almost every noble with power would gain something from this…
However, an epidemic hit the prime material at that exact time. The raging laughter was replaced by deathly wails, becoming the theme of the world.
Some said the Goddess of Plagues was hatching a scheme, others that this was a curse cast by the dead wizards. The only thing that stayed true? With the plague spreading continuously, the population of the prime material plane was dropping quick!
-x-X-x-
The pantheon was in disarray, an imposing atmosphere shrouding the disorderly Celestial Hall. The gods were all seated respectfully on their pedestals, not one of them missing. None of them were even focused on comprehending their laws, their gazes instead focused on the central region around which the greater gods sat.
Two formidable greater gods were missing from their position. Cyric was ultimately an evil god, so the others didn't really miss him, but Mystra's loss had struck them hard. With the Weave destroyed, they were grieving the fact that numerous ancient Magi had escaped into the world. Although only a few had revealed their existences so far, it still caused a huge effect.
"Oghma! You are the wisest of us… Please, take a look at the future of the greater gods," one of them asked. He possessed strong divine force, being seated on a pedestal shrouded by morning light.
"Not good…" the God of Knowledge turned his gaze away from the greater gods, shaking his head.
"The Weave being destroyed hurt multiple worlds, and even triggered turbulence in the four elemental planes. Most of the prime material plane is destroyed as well… This was originally the combined power of the gods; nobody here can prevent harm… The Overgod tried to stop the damage from spreading, but I'm afraid he had to pay a large price…"
A feeling of unease spread around the room with Oghma's sigh. The gods secretly whispered amongst each other as they looked at the huge crack on the World Crystal. Their gazes were filled with worry. Of course, there were still a few with ambition glowing in their eyes.
"That damned God of Massacre… You should have listened to Mystra and attacked his divine kingdom!" Tyr was clearly flustered and exasperated. He'd lost an important ally with Mystra's fall, and more importantly the chaos that had erupted in the prime material plane was great cause for regret.
"It's all a conspiracy by the Magi! We didn't realise it in time…" The gods started to whisper. The word Magus had become a forbidden word in their circles, but they finally had to face this ten thousand year old threat. The Final War was already underway once more, and even the formidable powers couldn't guarantee their own safety.
*Ding!* A crisp bell ring echoed throughout the entire Celestial Hall, and the gazes of all the gods fell upon Kelemvor.
The God of Death coughed, looking around before speaking with a low, hoarse, voice, "I suggest we stop all current internal conflict, banding together as we prepare for the second dusk. We are to make an oath, the violators to be eliminated…"
"I agree!" Tyr was the first to express his approval, followed by the Morninglord, Lathander.
"I, as well." Surprisingly, the third person to approve was Gruumsh! The tall golden orc stood up, every strand of hair on his body erect as he spoke with a resounding voice, "The fight between the orcs and the north is only an internal conflict. Right now, we should focus our strengths against our common enemy. The Orc Kingdom will stop all attacks on the Silverymoon Alliance effective immediately, and the current line of control will be our border."
With their goddess dead and the Weave destroyed, the Silverymoon Alliance was on the brink of collapse. They were after all an alliance of wizards, and with a majority of them losing their abilities they suffered devastating damage. As long as the Orc Empire continued to attack, they would definitely be able to chase Alustriel out of the northern lands.
With Gruumsh proposing this right now, there was no need to suspect his sincerity. Oghma and the other intermediate gods expressed their stances as well, and the evil gods eventually decided that their hatred for the Magi was more important than short term goals. Everyone made an oath, the Styx being the witness.
"First we need to verify the number of Magi that invaded the world. Oghma should be able to take care of this…" Kelemvor initiated.
"Mm. My intelligence says those Magi are more cunning than before. Most of them have hidden themselves, leaving only a few revealed…" Golden divine force formed a screen that displayed the image of a different world. "The Filthy Evil Eye and the Chaos Lord are in the Abyss, while the God of Massacre Leylin is in Baator. There's also Distorted Shadow as well, and the latter two are confirmed to be related to the epidemic spreading around the prime material plane right now…
"And these are only the confirmed ones. Even more have hidden themselves…" Oghma raised his brows, deep in thought, "The prime material plane is the foundation of our faith. These Magi have grown smart, starting a massacre there instead of directly fighting us in our divine kingdoms…"
The many gods grew gloomy. The Magi had directly struck their weak spot this time. With the prime material plane being their biggest source of faith, the death of all its mortals would cause the fall of at least half the gods in the world.
"These despicable Magi, aiming directly for the mortals…" The gods roared in anger, their helpless voices seemingly piercing through the void of the Celestial Hall.
"Talona…" Oghma looked at a lady behind him, wrapped in layers of black gauze as she emitted a putrid smoke.
This was Talona, the Mistress of Disease. Her prestige within the prime material plane was such that some even linked the current epidemic to her. She was an expert in matters of disease.
The Mother of All Plagues stayed silent for a long time, however, before speaking with a hoarse voice, "I am a goddess of poison and disease, not cures. I can only say the Magi are using an interesting thing… It seems to be related to what Kukulkan used when conquering Debanks Island…"
How could the Lady of Poison not notice what Leylin had done on Debanks Island? His ambitions had been exposed early, or it wouldn't have been a problem for him to get a place in Talona's church.
The World of Gods and the Magus World were both of equal rank, possessing terrifying suppressive power. A majority of the Magi chose to stay low-profile, living quietly in seclusion as they accustomed themselves to the changed laws. It was unlikely for common bacteria and viruses to have such an effect after being suppressed, so the scale and damage of this plague caused everyone to think of Leylin's methods.
"You're saying Leylin did all this?" Tyr stared at Talona.
"No," Talona chuckled, "Well, not necessarily. They seem like an inferior imitation, perhaps the work of another Magus. Leylin is currently stuck in Baator, and he won't be able to come out without killing Asmodeus…"
Talona stole a subconscious glance at Umberlee. This intermediate god was unusually quiet, a repulsive aura being radiated from her as she clearly tried to avoid previous incidents.
"However, I have good news. Those Magi aren't working together, and there are conspiracies and fights amongst them. It's even scarier than our own conflicts…" Talona declared loudly.
"Silence!" Oghma saw the disorder in the Celestial Hall, and had to be loud to stop the gods from whispering in secret. "Since the Mistress of Disease does not have a good method, we can only rely on our priests…"
Helplessness surfaced on Oghma's face as he said this.
Originally, gods could bestow an inordinate number of divine spells as compared to demigods. A single Remove Disease would be able to eliminate any troublesome plague no matter the complexity. However, that was all in the past. With the Weave broken down, spell transmission took far more energy than before.
With a limited number of divine spells, the priests could only remain at a loss as huge swathes of innocent commoners died. The gods were losing their foundation.
Only now did Oghma realise the depth of Leylin's progress. The Weave's destruction had released the ancient Magi, yes, but it had also destroyed the strongest class of Professionals in the prime material plane. At the same time, the energy consumed in granting a divine spell had increased severalfold, rendering them unable to make an accurate and timely response.
Such deep cunning was terrifying, and it left the powerful gods feeling a chill of fright.
-x-X-x-
"We cannot remain reserved anymore. Everyone, do not worry about the consumption of divine force… the prime material plane is our foundation." Oghma's voice was filled with heaviness, "If we really can't handle it anymore then our only option will be to migrate all our worshippers into our divine kingdoms…"
Divine kingdoms were indeed only suitable for spiritual existences. Mortals would undergo an irreversible transformation within, but there were still benefits to such an action. At least, for the next decade, the gods wouldn't have to worry about declining faith. They could deal with the Magus assault and then settle their worshippers in the prime material plane once more.
"Agreed!" "I Agree!" The gods quickly agreed with Oghma's suggestion, starting to demarcate lands as they determined times to open and connect their divine kingdoms. Looking at the heated discussion, terrifyingly dark clouds appeared on the faces of Lathander and Tyr.
"Everyone…" Tyr eventually stood up, "What we should be discussing right now is how we defeat the Magi, wiping away the disgrace of the dusk of the gods. We shouldn't be acting like cowards, searching for ways to escape! Still, if that's what all of you hope for, forgive my absence."
*Bang!* His avatar slowly dissipated, and the other gods could sense Tyr's will leave the Celestial Plane.
"I agree. However, I agree with Oghma as well: moving our worshippers into our divine kingdoms will protect them to an extent." Having expressed his own opinion, the Morninglord left the Celestial Hall as well…
Even without two of the greater gods, various decisions had been made in this discussion. The gods quickly instructed their priests to begin executing plans, attracting more worshippers to their divine kingdoms so they could attain 'eternal life.'
...
Leylin naturally learnt of the events in the prime material plane. However, his true body was still taking care of Malbolge, and he had no time to care about this. He instead sent Kukulkan in his place, the clone walking out of the tall church to arrive at the location where Mother Core was.
A towering mountain had been formed at her location, flush with a molten core that flowed out of it in endless patterns. The mountain was connected to the earth, seemingly detecting the surroundings. An eye appeared from the lava as Leylin's clone arrived.
"Great Mother Core, I believe you know why I'm here…" The eyes of the A.I. Chip clone were dead and indifferent, like a puppet that could only carry out orders. However, it still had the power of an intermediate god, so Mother Core couldn't afford to neglect it.
After all, rank 8s were at the forefront of existences in the Magus World. What's more, the rank 8 puppet in front of her was only a avatar of Leylin's true body.
"Of course. The epidemic in the prime material plane caused at least ten million deaths, some even call you the new Lord of all Plagues now… Even though we know this isn't your doing…" Mother Core's conscient released a vast amount of force, and some roots extended out to form an image of the prime material plane.
"Indeed. I sensed the fear and faith headed my way recently…" Kukulkan's expression grew a little ugly. Someone was evidently trying to pin crimes upon him, and there was only one who was familiar with his actions and could evade the laws of the World of Gods. "Is it Distorted Shadow? We really can't chase him away…"
"Perhaps he wanted to attract the gods' attention towards you. However, he isn't the only one capable of such things…" Clearly, Mother Core had even more information. Her path was the path of the world, and nothing could escape her eyes.
"There's a lot of Magi who invaded the prime material plane, and the ancient conscients who escaped are doing the same thing. They wish to strike against the gods' faith, perhaps to gather enough spirits for them to recover…"
This information left Leylin wondering about something.
"How well are we prepared?" he asked. He was naturally paying attention towards all the intelligence about this. After all, the war between the gods and the Magi was directly related to the path of eternity. It could not be neglected.
"We've learnt our lessons from the last time. Other than a few crazy ones who are attracting attention on the surface, the rest of us are hidden well. We've established contact with the ancient conscients, and they've promised to do their best to conform to our plans.
"Nine wormholes have been opened up, and the passage connected by the Manderhawke Plate is quite stable as well. We've shifted it to the void sea…" Good news after good news came from Mother Core.
"What about the suppression of the World of Gods?" Leylin asked the most crucial question. Being similar in power to their own world, the World of Gods had a somewhat horrifying suppression of Magi who were outsiders.
"We've considered this as well. We're quite lucky in this regard…" Mother Core's voice was very heartening. "The World Will here, their Overgod, is in a deep slumber so the suppression we're facing is much less than that in the first war. It was hurt more during the destruction of the Weave, and we have you to thank for that…
"Even if we're not going to drop in rank, it's still a troublesome matter…" Leylin frowned.
Of course, this was all an act. When he merged with his divine clone and advanced to rank 8 with the path of Original Sin, his bloodline had transformed into the Nightmare Hydra. He was stunned to find out that the World of Gods stopped suppressing him at that moment, as if he was a native of this place!
The laws of the two worlds hadn't been fused before in the history of the astral plane, and it was precisely due to this that a miracle had happened. The current Leylin was unimpeded by both worlds, not facing any suppression whatsoever.
He'd kept this all a secret, to be treated as the biggest of trump cards. Those who were unaware would be ruthlessly conned by him at the end.
Mother Core frankly addressed Leylin's 'concerns,' "Naturally. We've been performing research on how to avoid the suppression of other worlds, and we already have some results…"
*Rumble!* The earth split apart, and numerous tree roots formed a palm that shot out to place a silvery-white metal ball in Leylin's hands.
"This is…" The fluorescent light of the A.I. Chip flashed within Leylin's eyes, but several probes only returned with question marks as the screen prompted an 'unknown' message. The silvery-white ball's surface was extremely smooth, yet it didn't reflect the world around it.
Leylin was speechless for a period of time before he spat out a sentence, "The World Origin Force, it's blocked!"
"Correct… We've called this technology World War Armour. It was created using a new alloy that can block origin force, protecting our true bodies so we can evade the restrictions placed upon us by the worlds. It lets us display our peak strength!"
"That's great, but… This thing seems too fragile to support beings like us for long…" After testing it for a while, Leylin could pinpoint the armour's weakness. It was a film that isolated the Magus from the world around them, but as armour it was useless once broken. From what he'd seen, it wasn't exactly durable.
"We're still trying to improve on this. However, even this version is enough for us to launch a small-scale war. Take this, it's a gift…" Mother Core spoke generously. Leylin was after all a Magus, and he'd given up several benefits for their world. She had to display some goodwill as well.
"Then I'll skip the thanks. I really am interested in this…" The alloy entered his skin the moment he pressed the ball to his chest. A strange white pattern appeared on his body, as if an armour protecting him.
'It's cut off origin force, really magical… There seems to be room for improvement, though…' Light continuously flashed from the A.I. Chip clone.
[Reverse engineering from sample… Possible optimisations deduced!]
Having fused with Kukulkan, the current A.I. Chip had grown far more powerful. With Supercomputing and Simulate Reality, its calculative powers far surpassed those of a peak rank 8 Magus.
'It seems extensible into the Magus World and Dreamscape as well…' The only ability of the A.I. Chip was to deduce. As the user, Leylin could do things the chip could not, which was the advantage of out-of-the-box ideas that a mere tool could not achieve.
The discovery of this weapon instantly gave Leylin another plan. If he succeeded he could rush to the peak of rank 8 quickly, and even lay a solid foundation for comprehending the laws of space and time!
-x-X-x-
"Something's brewing in the prime material plane…" The clone returned to the church just as Leylin arrived at Malbolge.
He looked at the tilted floor beneath his feet. The Sixth Hell was a boundless slope, a plane of constant landslides as the fortresses built on these slanted lands shifted constantly.
The plane was blotted out, swarming with devil hunters that had chased the devils out of this layer. Sadly, they couldn't find Glasya. The cunning and beautiful Queen of Lust had been incredibly decisive, abandoning her dignity as an Archdevil to give Malbolge up to Leylin. She'd escaped to the lower hells.
"Devils without a leader are a giant without a head or a beehive without a queen. They're a complete mess…" Leylin didn't encounter the slightest of troubles in taking Malbolge over, but there wasn't any excitement on his face. His brows were instead furrowed, a trace of gloom in his expression.
"This should have been the best point to block me… My powers would only increase the more layers I conquered, and their powers would weaken…" Leylin smelt an obvious conspiracy from the retreat of his opponents.
He wasn't afraid of a combined resistance. He was only scared they'd abandon Baator entirely to hide themselves within the void. That would be troublesome.
Of course, this was not an easy task. Without control of their layers they'd be abandoned by Baator's origin force, the more serious cases losing their authority in Baator and falling from the realm of laws.
As long as there was even a glimmer of hope, the Lords of Baator wouldn't choose to do this. Glasya's decision to flee made Leylin sense something strange.
'I can't keep going like this, something big will happen. Distorted Shadow is still keeping an eye on me…' Leylin looked at the occupied land of the Sixth Hell, and suddenly smiled. 'I'll still accept gifts on my doorstep, though…'
*Bang!* A layer of golden light suddenly spread out from Leylin's divine kingdom, shrouding the entirety of Malbolge. Golden light filled the entire sky, and under the prayers of the devil hunters endless laws began to merge and transform the Sixth Hell.
The rolling earth rumbled as the divine light flattened it out. The landslides lost all momentum, dying into the ground. The Sixth Hell fused with Leylin's divine kingdom, radiating endless divine light. The last three layers seemed small and frail under this radiance, seemingly overwhelmed by it.
….
*Hurl!* Just as Malbolge was fused into Leylin's divine kingdom, the beautiful Queen of Lust screamed within Nessus. She spat out large mouthfuls of filthy black blood that dissipated into the air, faintly transforming into grotesque life forms before returning to normal as a frightening pool formed on the ground.
"He… devoured… all of Malbolge…" Glasya looked unsightly as she lost her territory, as she became an Archdevil with an empty title.Glasya's facial expression was unsightly as after losing her own territory, she as an Archdevil was only left with a empty title.
That wasn't the worst of it. Having lost the World Origin Force, she felt her own powers regressing without end as she almost fell out of the realm of laws.
*Crash!* Right at that moment, Malsheem suddenly exploded within the canyon. An all-powerful hand reached out of it, crushing millions of devils living within and sending flesh and blood flying everywhere. Distorted screams sounded out as the souls were fused into a dazzling black lightning that entered Glasya's back.
*Zzzt!* A layer of frightening scales emerged on Glasya's body, endless black wings extending from her back. The screams of the killed devils seemed to be captured within. Glasya continued screaming as her energy stabilised. She'd avoided the fall.
"I've failed, father." Glasya looked like a black bat now, standing on the huge pal as she looked at the silhouette of an old devil.
"You did not fail, my daughter…" There wasn't the slightest change within Asmodeus' black eyes as he looked at the large contract in his hands. The mysterious Supreme of Baator closed the giant parchment in his hands after a long time, a smile on his face.
"Your survival is the greatest victory. With the Magi invading at the Second Dusk nigh, opportunities are aplenty. Our current job is to prepare to seize as much as we can in the future, retaining our strength as we wait for future chances…"
"Perhaps…" Glasya could faintly understand Asmodeus' thoughts. The Lord of Nessus had always remained in human form, hiding behind the scenes. He'd finally revealed some of his ambitions.
"Are you thinking of becoming a god?" Glasya's voice was trembling. If he wanted to become a god while already being an Archdevil, he definitely didn't just aim to become a lesser god! His final objective was undoubtedly to become the ruler of devils, the God of Baator who truly controlled the Nine Hells! That would put him at the peak of gods.
There was one other contender for that position right now. It was the God of Massacre who'd occupied six layers of his world, the Lord of Original Sin Leylin Farlier!
"The God of Massacre's true body is that of a Magus. He's bound to be attacked by the gods because of the destruction of the Weave— Tyr, Kelemvor, and Lathander won't let that go. We only have to wait…"
"But…" There was obvious hesitation on Glasya face. She didn't believe they had the time to wait for Leylin to be attacked. He'd be here soon to kill them!
"Nessus is different from the other eight layers of hell. This is the deepest layer of Baator, the ultimate land of evil. I've made preparations…" Resolution surfaced on Asmodeus' face, "With my true body's power and three Archdevils, we'll separate the plane and seal it for a few thousand years…"
"Seal all of it?" That moment of shock exceeded all the surprises Glasya had ever felt put together. If they sealed themselves they wouldn't receive any more fallen souls. They'd gradually be forgotten by the world, and they'd have to pay a huge price in order to separate in the first place.
"Keke… Don't worry, my daughter. I've long accumulated enough souls in Nessus to last us that length of time. On top of that, we'll be obstructing Kukulkan as well…"
Asmodeus let loose a sinister smile, deceit and intelligence reflected from his eyes, "He needs to unify all of Baator to become a greater god. Once Nessus separates itself, he'll be dealt a terrifying setback. Furthermore, the defensive power of a separate Nessus alongside three Archdevils will be no less than a greater god's divine kingdom…
"Once he loses the most important part, his plans to advance rapidly will definitely fall through. He'll fall under the attack of the gods!" Asmodeus was sure about this.
"The only way for him to survive is to unify Baator and kill us?" Glasya looked at Asmodeus, feeling like his words were extremely foreign to her. "Why are you so sure about the matters of Magi?"
"Let me answer that question." The shadows atop the huge hand distorted, causing Glasya to reveal a look of fear. She hadn't sensed the fluctuations of power from the other party's body, and they'd easily approached her… This was an unbelievable thing for a rank 7 Archdevil!
"Magus!" Glasya screamed. Distorted Shadow hadn't hid his aura when he revealed himself.
"Keke… We're currently allies, and we have a common enemy," he sneered. He then looked towards Asmodeus, "I've convinced Baalzebul and Mephistopheles. They've agreed to our plans and are willing to use their layers to delay Leylin's progress, allowing us to complete the separation. Of course, you need to guarantee assistance in regaining their powers and that you won't harm them."
"Not a problem!" Asmodeus guaranteed, "I'm a devil. I shall honour my pact!"
""Let's hope so!"" two voices said in unison. The silhouettes of Baalzebul and Mephistopheles emerged in mid-air, one a disgusting worm and the other a flaming humanoid with devil wings and horns.
-x-X-x-
"It's great that the two of you could join our alliance…" The grin on Asmodeus' face turned wider as he signed the contract.
"I've already ordered my subordinates to resist at all costs in Maladomini. We should be able to delay him for a while…" Baalzebul said. His aura had grown weak, apparently having severed connections with the Seventh Hell. Even if his subordinates knew they'd been given a suicide mission, as lawful creatures they could only surge forth to complete their orders. Such was the dignity of an Archdevil!
"Same here," Mephistopheles chimed in, "I hope that buys us time…"
Leylin's fearsome image, Seven Sins in hand, had evidently been etched deep into the minds of these Archdevils.
"I stand by my previous suggestions," Distorted Shadow said, "It's a better idea to hide in the endless void or the elemental planes than to defend Nessus at all costs…"
"That's something that will only benefit you," Asmodeus coldly interjected. "Once we lose all nine layers all our authority will be stripped from us. We'll lose Baator's origin force, bleeding in power without any chance to return…"
"Hehe…" Distorted Shadow only smiled coldly at Asmodeus' retort, not speaking another word.
"Of course… We're all common enemies of this God of Massacre," Asmodeus said slowly. Devils were extremely crafty creatures, and this was especially true for their Supreme, "I wonder if Your Excellency can call upon any other Magi who are unhappy with this God of Massacre, and…"
"My apologies, I cannot do that right now." Distorted Shadow expressed his regrets, "Leylin found passage into the World of Gods, and the Magi of other worlds have already made a pact with him. He's also the one who released the ancient conscients sealed in here long ago, so they already owe him a favour…"
Asmodeus' face darkened just from hearing those few sentences.
"So Leylin is like the leader of their alliance, a mascot amongst the Magi…"Glasya sighed.
"Indeed! We can only make full use of the gods' powers to destroy him alongside his divine kingdom."
"Damn it!" the lords cursed. They'd never thought they'd meet an enemy as powerful as Leylin in Baator. Asmodeus saw them losing morale, quickly interjecting, "Alright. As long as we stand together Leylin won't be able to make his most crucial advancement. His death will be but a matter of time…"
However, the old devil's expression changed the very next moment. His gigantic body shuddered, causing endless tremors through the earth.
"It's him! He's here!" Asmodeus exclaimed. There was only one person that could cause his expression to change this quick.
"Leylin!" the four other people gathered shouted.
*Rumble!* At this moment, an enormous flying city descended outside of Nessus. Leylin was stood atop it, looking down at Nessus which stretched far beyond what the eye could see, his gaze filled with mockery, "You thought I'd be baited by Maladomini and Cania? How childish!
"Compared to those two levels, I value you lords more…" The Nightmare Hydra phantom appeared behind Leylin's back, its three remaining illusory snake heads staring at their respective lords like predators stalking their prey.
"Seal the place now!"
*Boom!* The earth was blasted open, revealing Asmodeus' massive true body. His black wings covered the skies as he stood up, revealing the severe injury inflicted upon him back in ancient times. The wound had been exacerbated by Leylin's attack when he'd brought his divine kingdom down.
Facing Leylin, Asmodeus didn't have the leeway to consider his injuries. He unleashed the full extent of his power, as a dark web appeared from his hand to envelop the entirety of Nessus. A power of isolation stopped Thultanthar from entering the Ninth Hell.
The three other lords used their own authorities as well, mustering what origin force they could in a final struggle. Distorted Shadow disappeared into the darkness, the shadows shifting formlessly as if he was planning on something.
[Beep! Target locked. Space has been sealed, preparing primary cannons…] A white light appeared on the main cannon of the flying city, so bright that it could kill a god.
[Netherese core prepared, firing!] A powerful light seemingly born of the very universe shot forth under the fearful eyes of the devils, its absolute power unleashed on the barrier around Nessus. The barrier rumbled as the energy scattered in all directions, annihilating hordes of devils. The energy was so powerful that it attracted the attention of many powerful beings from the Abyss and the Celestial Planes.
The stunning white light blinded the Lords of Baator. Glasya gripped her hands tightly as the energy waves began to dissipate, sighing in relief after she saw Nessus undamaged.
"Hehe… With us here, Nessus is like the divine kingdom of a greater god… What will you attack it with?" The other two lords seemed to be encouraged by the sight. They'd just been far too fearful of Leylin slaying them.
"A weave, origin force, spells, and elemental particles as well…" Leylin looked at the dark web that stopped his attack, and how it was being replenished by origin force. The A.I. Chip recorded everything he saw.
"It seems like you've struck quite a few deals with Distorted Shadow, Asmodeus. I can't let you carry on any further, or the consequences will be too dire." Leylin stepped forward, leaving the flying city. The gem of Netheril that could house hundreds of thousands began to descend slowly, heading for Nessus like a meteorite.
"What is he planning to do? Not good!" Distorted Shadow exclaimed in shock. He had never lost his bearings like this before.
[Beep! Authorisation valid, initiating self-destruct.] Light flashed from the A.I. Chip, and all of Thultanthar's energy converged into a massive aura.
"Explosives prepared, beginning collapse of secondary dimension. Preparing Netherese Core…" There was no expression on Shaylin's face. The city continued to descend, growing faster and faster.
"Preparations complete. Impact in T minus 3, 2, 1…"
*BOOM!* The light generated this time was far brighter than before, unleashing great explosive force upon Nessus.
An indescribable scene occurred as the pinnacle of technology destroyed itself under Leylin's orders. It was thousands of times more powerful than the Tunguska explosion back on his old world, feeling like the big bang as its undeniable might seemed to shoot the force of the entire world at Nessus.
"You think losing the city hurts me?" the Nightmare Hydra phantom roared, dark clouds appearing above its head. This being that absorbed strength from the emotions of all beings protected Leylin.
Seeing this explosion, Leylin smiled. "Material things are just that. So what if it can kill gods? A flying city is nothing on my path to power!"
Leylin had been extremely clear on the situations. If he hadn't taken Nessus out immediately, the Lords of Baator would very likely hole up like tortoises and render him helpless. Hence, he did not hesitate to use his trump card as he sacrificed Thultanthar to kill his enemies.
Even if multiple renovations had given Leylin full control of the city, he couldn't help but be wary of any backdoors Distorted Shadow had placed into it. The safest way forward was to destroy the city, just like he'd killed his divine clone after using Karsus' Avatar to avoid harm. The deed was done now anyway, there was no need to analyse costs anymore.
Distorted Shadow grew extremely impatient when Leylin sacrificed Thultanthar. A large writhing shadow with boundless power headed to the boundaries of Leylin's divine kingdom.
"Leave!" the void flickered, and Leylin's clone appeared alongside Mother Core. The two gave him a strong warning at the border.
-x-X-x-
Facing the powerful Mother Core, even Distorted Shadow had to retreat.
Having ousted his true body, the two returned to the divine kingdom, shattering any and all wild dreams from the other powerful beings.
A large hole had been blasted into Nessus by the explosion of Thultanthar. The entire plane was badly damaged, and even the deep gorges and valleys had been destroyed. Even if Nessus was as powerful as the divine kingdom of a greater god, it had still been damaged. Half of its powers of law had been destroyed, weakening it significantly.
*Shing!* Leylin darted in through a gap in the skies, Seven Sins howling as he killed Distorted Shadow's clone immediately.
"Now that I'm here, what else have you guys got to say?" Leylin looked at the four devils before him, weapon in tow. His smile caused them to shudder in fear.
*Rumble!* The earth continued to tremble underneath them, Asmodeus' clone having been destroyed with the explosion of the flying city. Having been the greatest contributor to Nessus' defence, he was the one who was hurt the most by its destruction.
And now, his main body was forced to face Leylin. He looked extremely miserable, multiple scars on his body from the explosion alongside cuts from when the rift was destroyed. The wounds had grown bigger than before, and a part of a wing had been torn off.
"Hurry and leave! Don't let him gather all our power!" Asmodeus howled. He knew well that Leylin had already broken through Nessus, destroying their last hope. Their only counter left was to leave Baator entirely, stopping Leylin from completing his path of original sin. He would lose momentum, and the war would come to an end.
However, how could Leylin give them this chance? The phantom Nightmare Hydra appeared behind him, each of its head releasing a deafening roar. Boundless power of laws surged forth from six of them, forming a powerful web of energy that trapped Nessus within.
"He sealed space!" Glasya screamed, the light of her teleportation spell dimming. Asmodeus cursed as well, shouting in shock.
Speaking of shock, Mother Core had been far more surprised than even the father-daughter duo. She'd been observing the scene from his divine kingdom, and she noticed Leylin seal off space to prevent all escape. "The power to seal spacetime… He's already come into contact with rank 9 laws? Such terrifying talent…"
To be able to seal the teleportation of a being of law meant meant he had high comprehension of the law of spacetime. This fellow wasn't even peak rank 8 yet! This achievement surpassed those of many of his predecessors.
'He really does have a chance to reach rank 9…' Mother Core made a silent evaluation. Although Leylin was still far from being able to harness the complete power of spacetime to reach rank 9, she still had high hopes for him.
"Asmodeus… I am not the Supreme of Baator." Leylin's body grew exponentially as he moved forward, matching the size of the self-proclaimed ruler of hell. Seven Sins roared ceaselessly as two rays of light were unleashed, each containing the power of laws.
Blessing of Greed! Fury Amplification! The two buffs put Leylin quite close to the peak of rank 8. Each of his actions could crush multiple smaller worlds!
*Boom!* Seven Sins changed forms, taking the shape of a dazzling six-bladed battle axe. Leylin roared out as he swung the axe downwards, like a giant splitting the earth apart.
"Argh… The origin force of Baator, please abide by the primordial contract…" Asmodeus chanted as he revealed an ancient scroll. The parchment floated in mid-air, glowing with dull light as it attracted the last of Baator's origin force. This was the original copy of the primordial contract, Asmodeus' final trump card!
"Your methods are outdated, Asmodeus. I am the sole ruler of hell now, its overlord!" The battle axe shone brightly and as it swung downwards, leaving a brilliant afterimage behind.
*Crack!* The origin force from the primordial contract broke immediately upon contact with Seven Sins, and the axe swung towards his body without mercy. It caused another grave injury as he flew backwards, levelling a massive canyon.
*Buzz!* Asmodeus wasn't the only one to feel the aftereffects. The moment the primordial contract was broken, the devils in the last of the Nine Hells began to wail. They could clearly feel that the surging power of Baator's origin force was waning, causing their powers to deteriorate.
"Baator is now my divine kingdom. All devils who do not become my petitioners shall die!" Light flashed in Leylin's eyes as the crimson power of original sin appeared in his hands. Seven Sins turned into a javelin as he willed it, containing the energy to split apart laws themselves.
"The Path of Original Sin is the end of all things!" The javelin was as fast as lightning, repelling even the origin force of the World of Gods. Its sharpness could destroy all laws, and this instrument of destruction appeared before Asmodeus.
*Pu!* The javelin pierced through the Lord of Baator, devouring all her powers and destroying all signs of life. Glasya's face turned sluggish with disbelief as she forced herself to look backwards, seeing her father.
The moment the javelin was about to strike him, he'd sent a powerful force to bring her before his body. She'd been used as a meat shield to block this fatal attack! Glasya's beautiful face smiled wryly, and before she could say anything, she turned into dust.
The A.I. Chip's notifications sounded in Leylin's ear.
[Beep! Host has killed Glasya. Gluttony's Devouring activated, absorbing new law… Law of lust currently at 100%.]
*Hss!* The Nightmare Hydra behind Leylin hissed loudly as another head materialised from its neck. It absorbed all of the lust in the astral plane, turning it into his law of original sin.
[Beep! Host has comprehended the law of lust, Seven Sins has unlocked Fantasia.
Fantasia: The user can elude the detection of beings of law.]
"This decisiveness, should I say as expected of a devil?" Glasya's death had only bought Asmodeus some time. Seven Sins glowed once more as the effects of Fantasia were released, causing Asmodeus and the other two to grow dull.
*Hiss!* The Nightmare Hydra roared, as an incomplete path of original sin materialised around it. It seemed like a long flowing river that immediately consumed Asmodeus' true body.
Having entered Leylin's powers, Asmodeus shrunk continuously before becoming a bug. The bug was encased in amber and sealed by the Nightmare Hydra.
'Asmodeus is the key to merging the seven original sin, and the spawn of hell. His energy can catalyse the fusion of all evil, and he's irreplaceable… However, this isn't the right time to fuse it…' Leylin retrieved Seven Sins, turning it into a crossblade with complicated runes inscribed atop it.
AT this moment, the last two Archdevils were running towards Leylin, fear clouding their expressions as if they'd seen ghosts.
"You still think you're running away?" Leylin brandished the cross blade. "Fantasia can even cast an illusion on rank 8 beings, how can the two of you resist it?"
With the power of dreamforce as a foundation and the strength of Seven Sins, Leylin could toy with rank 7 beings. The Nightmare Hydra hissed as the two remaining illusory heads stared down at the lords.
"Become my strength…" Leylin chanted, and the Nightmare Hydra howled as the power of original sin sealed off the space around them. Mephistopheles and Baalzebul were suppressed, and the two heads opened their maws and devoured the two Lords of Baator who could only watch on in despair.