What did the altar and divine baptism at Hope Fortress mean?
On plague-ravaged Bankitz Island, this was the only means by which all the natives could survive! Only in places illuminated by the light of the Feathered Serpent could they be shielded from pestilence and live in health, without worrying that one day they might cough up blood and collapse dead by the roadside.
And once Tifa pointed out that the enemy intended to destroy this, it immediately ignited the enormous fury of the crowd!
The masses roared and howled, and had the army not been urgently deployed to maintain order, those trembling prisoners would likely have been torn apart on the spot by the enraged populace.
The worst part was that these captured unfortunates really were spies! Beyond spreading rumors, probing Leilin's origins — especially the secret of the holy water — was also a critical mission. Nearly every one of them had attempted to infiltrate the temple.
Not only the temple guards, but nearby natives might well have seen these suspicious figures skulking about. The evidence was irrefutable!
Though those wretches surely wanted to shout that they "only meant to probe the secret, not destroy anything," who would have believed their lies at this point?
Following the principle that whatever villains do must be evil, even their earlier, genuinely truthful rumors now had credibility plummeting like a waterfall.
Soon, Tifa righteously announced the charges against these spies and, amid the thunderous cheers of the crowd, sent them to the stake.
The rumors that had seemed to be escalating were thoroughly crushed through this affair.
As for affairs among mortals, Leilin had grown increasingly disinterested.
After all, as long as they followed his plan, the natives had only two choices: submit to him and surrender their faith, or simply contract the plague and die!
Carrying both the hope of life and merciless death, conquering the entirety of Bankitz Island was exceedingly simple.
And once they lost their believers, those totem spirits would become water without a source, trees without roots — no longer capable of stirring up trouble.
But the gods on the other side were no fools. When their very existence was threatened, they too chose to fight to the death.
It was the night when Tifa had successfully thwarted the enemy's conspiracy.
The weather had been unusually clear for a few days, and the midnight sky held scarcely a cloud, revealing the vast river of stars and the silver moon.
A hazy moonlight, mingled with the glow of the stars, fell upon every corner of Hope Fortress, gilding all things in silver.
Just then, Tifa and
In Tifa and Isabel's eyes, from the far end of the Milky Way, golden flames suddenly ignited — a brilliant, resplendent radiance that nearly blotted out the entire sky, bathing all of Hope Fortress in golden light.
At the far edge of the golden brilliance, several abnormally terrifying silhouettes slowly advanced. Their mere aura was enough to make Tifa and Isabel feel suffocated.
"They're the gods of the foreign races! They've attacked directly..." Tifa blurted involuntarily.
Those totem spirits and nature spirits were no fools — they wouldn't simply sit and let Leilin slowly carve them to death without resistance.
Now, under immense pressure, they had united and launched a ferocious counterattack against Leilin. Their target was none other than Leilin himself, the source of everything!
If they could directly kill Leilin's true body in this divine battle, then everything could indeed come to an end.
"My Lord..." Seeing this scene, Tifa involuntarily tightened his grip on the Sacred Radiance in his hands, a look of unease flickering in his eyes.
Even though they had left their own domains, those imperial totem spirits still possessed Demigod-level power. Although their strength was rapidly draining after departing their territories, with their advantages in both power and numbers, they didn't seem to have much trouble dealing with Leilin.
Though he knew as the High Pope that he must not waver, Tifa's heart clenched in that moment.
"That is... the Flame Guardian God!"
"The great Emperor Akban... the Sun God..."
The phenomena in the sky also alarmed the other natives. Many of them, gazing upon the Demigod-level totem spirits overhead, couldn't help but show fear on their faces as they called out the names of the totems they had once worshipped.
"My children, you need not fear..."
At that moment, the Tagarian Feathered Serpent statue at the center of Hope Fortress seemed to come alive in an instant. Its voice resonated in the hearts of every believer, carrying a powerful soothing force that instantly quieted them.
"Hiss hiss..."
A massive phantom of the Tagarian Feathered Serpent bore Leilin aloft into the midair, facing the approaching enemies head-on.
"Leave this matter to me. What you need to watch for is a possible assault by the natives..."
Two messages fell simultaneously into Tifa and Isabel's hearts. After delivering them, Leilin raised his head to appraise what might be his strongest opponents since arriving in the world of the gods.
"Once I eliminate them, the entire Sacatecas Empire will fall into my hands, won't it?"
Leilin's pupils turned faintly red, the vertical eye at the center of his forehead emerged directly, and the brilliant golden light covering his body seemed as though it could ignite at any moment. This overwhelming might caused the totem spirits opposite him to change their expressions.
"Neigh..."
The number of totem spirits that had come was not large. Presumably knowing that divinity bearers were utterly powerless before Leilin, only Demigods had come — each bearing the unique glow of Divine Fire.
At the very center was an enormous chariot of flame. Standing upon it was a bare-chested native wielding a golden spear, his features resolute and stern, carrying a sovereign's distinctive temperament, his eyes filled with a glow of keen intelligence.
What surprised Leilin even more was that the fiery steed pulling the chariot was also a Demigod — yet it had submitted to the other's authority, willingly serving as a mount.
On either side of the flame chariot stood a two-headed golden lion with every strand of its mane bristling upright, and a golden scorpion that seemed forged from pure gold.
"Four Demigods! Is this the full extent of Bankitz Island's accumulated faith?"
Leilin stared back at them without the slightest courtesy, showing not a trace of weakness or fear.
"Outsider! Lift this plague from this land! I — Akban, founding Emperor of the Sacatecas Empire, the Sun God, King of Kings who commands all flames, mountains, rivers, and streams upon the earth — will grant you a dignified death!"
The native Demigod upon the chariot reined in his fiery steel and bellowed in the native tongue.
Since Demigods possessed the固化 ability to permanently comprehend all languages, there was no issue of misunderstanding.
"Hmm? His mind hasn't been corrupted by native faith?"
Leilin was slightly surprised. "Is it because he was originally a native soul who became a heroic spirit after death, fusing with the empire's faith as one?"
As Akban threatened, the Demigod lion and golden scorpion on either side also unleashed terrifying roars.
"What a pity... Despite your considerable efforts to comprehend a divine portfolio, your ambition is too great. You still couldn't transcend the confines of native faith to become a True God..."
After scanning them more carefully, a look of regret appeared on Leilin's face.
The other clearly possessed intelligence and appeared to be strengthening his domain, yet still couldn't ascend to True God. How impossibly difficult this path was!
According to Leilin's speculation, there were two reasons for Akban's inability to succeed. The inherent deficiency of native souls was one factor, and the other was that Akban's ambition was far too lofty.
Portfolios like Sun and Moon alone could support a deity of Greater Divine Power, yet Akban actually found this insufficient, wanting to extend his domain into every other aspect and become the supreme deity ruling over all!
With the pitiful amount of faith the natives could provide, such a difficult divine portfolio conversion was impossible to complete, which was why he remained stuck at the Demigod level.
Had Akban simply chosen portfolios like "Native" or "Barbarian," he might have long since ascended to godhood, and the entire Bankitz Island would have had nothing to do with Leilin.
"Akban... Your greatest misfortune is my greatest fortune!"
Having figured this out, Leilin felt as though the wisdom of a master rested in his palm. That confident radiance clearly stung Akban's pride.
"A mere divinity bearer! A foreign race that isn't even a Demigod — what can you possibly use to withstand our siege?!"
As a founding emperor, the words "courtesy" and "humility" were evidently absent from Akban's vocabulary. Instead, he did whatever was most convenient and yielded the greatest gain.
With a wave of his hand, the two-headed lion and the golden scorpion immediately closed in to attack Leilin.
Meanwhile, Akban himself maneuvered his chariot around the battlefield's perimeter, releasing clusters of golden flames that formed a dazzling spectacle in the night sky. As his Demigod steed neighed, a faint phantom sun rose from behind Akban, radiating a formidable aura that not only drew the bulk of Leilin's attention but was also poised to deliver a fatal blow at any moment!
"Sssss..."
The golden giant scorpion hissed ceaselessly, each thrust of its tail carrying a lethal poison threat far exceeding that of a wizard's Finger of
The two-headed lion roared continuously, activating its innate abilities — one head spewing flames while the other launched bolts of blue lightning in an endless stream.
Most critically, the domains of the two Demigods expanded, pressing down upon Leilin with overwhelming force.