Sharuk, the God of Murder!
An extremely ancient and well-known deity.
He held the divine portfolios of murder and conspiracy, possessed immense divine power, and was an ancient god who had survived the Twilight of the
Rumor had it that he held many ancient secrets and maintained tangled relationships with numerous pantheons—though most of those ties were rooted in enmity.
Yet over the past few centuries, strange reports had emerged suggesting that this deity had gone mad—even that he was on the verge of transforming into a demon!
For a deity, a shift in alignment was a matter of life and death!
In recent years, this had become increasingly apparent. The deity frequently issued contradictory divine oracles, leaving his priests at a loss.
"Sigh… the God of Murder has gone mad! The orcs in the north have founded a kingdom, and now devils and demons have appeared even in Danbres and the
Lady Tirin sighed.
…
"I saw the shadows of devils and demons in the future…"
In a dim room aboard the Crimson Tiger, Leilin gazed at the crystal ball resting on a soft down cushion, his eyes flickering with complicated emotions.
Foreseeing the future through the power of spells was something only most astrologers and seers could accomplish.
Of course, the methods varied—some used tarot cards, while others studied celestial patterns and trajectories.
But Arcanists had their own methods, and Leilin, with his experience as a
"I sensed it… their main force is in Pirate Harbor. This operation of ours will be a resounding victory, and there are traces of devils among them…"
Leilin set down the crystal ball, wiped his hands with a piece of white silk, and spoke with certainty.
"I always feel like something's off about you…"
"Heh… just a method I picked up in Silvermoon City. Don't read too much into it…"
Leilin smiled faintly.
His attainment of High Wizard was still classified information, but he had already confided in Isabel.
His cousin had great confidence in this operation. After all, the previous Marquis Lewis had relied on the strength of a single High Wizard to dominate the Outer Seas, even conquering the Black Skull and Tiger Shark in succession and pushing the Barbarian Pirate Fleet to the brink.
Had Leilin not emerged on the scene, Lewis might have already become the sole overlord of the Outer Seas.
"The situation is different now! The catastrophe of the Pirate Tide has drawn the attention of too many powerful beings…"
Leilin sighed. In the past, the Outer Seas had been largely undeveloped, with simple terrain and straightforward power dynamics. A single barbarian tribe had been a formidable force.
But now, that was no longer the case.
It was precisely because of this unease that Leilin had begun experimenting with divination, hoping to glimpse the future.
Although the powers in the World of the Gods that could block such spells were profound—even divine beings and Legendary powerhouses could do so with ease—Leilin did not believe the barbarians possessed any such strength.
"Good…"
Isabel said with a smile, but her expression quickly changed.
Boom! Crack! A series of faint sounds, along with the commotion of pirates, suddenly reached them.
"Looks like something's been found on the deck… Let's go…"
Leilin smiled calmly and followed Isabel to the deck.
There, they could see the pirates forming a circle, surrounding two figures.
At the center of the encirclement were two somewhat translucent figures—one was
Their sharp blades clashed repeatedly, generating gusts of wind so fierce that even the pirates dared not approach.
"Karen! Stop playing around!"
Leilin flicked his finger. A terrifying cone of flame shot forth, striking one of the phantoms precisely. Raging fire immediately engulfed the dark figure.
"That one's nothing but a puppet!"
Leilin turned his gaze toward the mast. "Isn't that right?"
"Heh heh! As expected of Lord Leilin, who founded the Crimson Tiger Pirate Fleet and defeated Marquis Lewis!" A laugh like a night owl's rang out, and then a distorted mass emerged from beside the mast, coalescing into a human figure.
"We meet again! Lord Leilin! Allow me to introduce myself. I am Alfe, priest of the great God of Murder. I had the pleasure of seeing you once before at Pirate Harbor!"
Alfe still wore his priestly attire, showing not a trace of dishevelment. It was unclear when he had come aboard Leilin's ship.
"Damn it!"
Karen, too, saw the figure in the flames suddenly explode, revealing the true nature of a high-level illusion. His expression turned grim.
"Wait!" Just as Karen was about to charge forward, Isabel smilingly blocked his path.
"You've got some nerve, coming here to toy with one of my people?" Isabel gazed at Alfe's figure, her dangerous eyes narrowing slightly.
"The Crimson Enchantress's reputation precedes her throughout the Outer Seas. I simply didn't expect her to be such a beautiful young lady!"
A hint of intoxication flickered in Alfe's eyes.
"You're very bold! Very bold indeed!!!" Isabel took two steps forward, a smile on her face.
With a sudden roar, she struck. The Red Dragon Longsword was drawn in an instant, carrying the faint sound of a dragon's cry.
A powerful spiritual force field spread outward instantly, forcing the other pirates to retreat. The priest across from her paled. "Dragon Might!"
The crimson blade emitted a clear ring, and flames continuously spilled from the void.
Fwoosh!
The priest staggered back several steps, stared at the charred mark on his wrist, and his face filled with wariness.
"No matter what, Karen is my person. You don't get to bully him!"
Isabel clearly had no intention of killing him outright. She slowly sheathed her sword and gave a cold snort.
Her demeanor immediately brought gratitude to Karen's eyes, accompanied by a faint trace of shame.
"I never expected that the Crimson Enchantress was not the rumored demon-blooded one, but rather an inheritor of the Red Dragon's bloodline—and she even possesses a Legendary item!"
Alfe's face showed some embarrassment, but his mind was racing.
Such a drastic discrepancy even made him want to kill the thieves who had gathered that intelligence. "Although Red Dragon transformation does bear some resemblance to demonification, it shouldn't be this far off. Those people deserve death!"
Even a minor intelligence error or deviation could lead to irreversible consequences. Such a significant discrepancy immediately put Alfe on high alert.
"Who do you represent?"
Leilin asked calmly, though he was secretly amused. Using the dragon-lineage sorcerer explanation to cover up Isabel's demonification had been one of his plans all along.
After all, Red Dragon bloodline inheritors could also manipulate fire and grow scales. That was more than enough to confuse others.
Demons were ultimately the primary targets of the Churches' crackdown. The less association, the better.
By comparison, bloodline inheritors posed no problem.
Most importantly, Leilin had not personally explained anything. It was all others' natural assumptions.
"I come bearing the will of my god!" Alfe said solemnly.
"Do you bear a divine oracle from the great God of Murder?"
Leilin regarded him, a hint of amusement in his eyes, which made Alfe's skin crawl.
"N-No, but our bishop received the will of our god!" On matters of faith, Alfe naturally dared not lie, but his mind recalled the orders he had been given.
"To plunge the Outer Seas into utter chaos? Stirring up the two largest pirate factions just for the sake of slaughter—what kind of joke is that? Damn it… ever since the bishop received that divine blessing last time, his temperament has become even more violent and insane…"
Unfortunately, as a subordinate, he had no standing to offer suggestions. He could only carry out his superior's orders unconditionally.
"If that's the will of the church, then let's hear them out!"
Leilin invited Alfe into a meeting room. The pirates on both sides took their positions automatically, all staring at Alfe, as though they would mince him into pulp the moment Leilin gave the word, placing enormous pressure on him.
"So, Emissary, what proposal do you have?"
"The dark world of the Outer Seas needs unification, and we believe the Crimson Tiger is more suitable than the Barbarian Pirate Fleet!" Alfe spoke words he himself did not believe, barely suppressing his emotional fluctuations.
For a Wizard, even the slightest psychological or emotional shift in a negotiator could be detected, ultimately becoming a critical vulnerability.
"…To demonstrate our sincerity, we are willing to provide you with intelligence on the Barbarian Pirate Fleet… and help you secure victory in this war…"
Alfe spoke slowly, then placed a parchment scroll on the table.
"Oh?!" Leilin took it with an amused expression and found it was an exquisite nautical chart, marked with various supply points. The location of a large island cluster was highlighted with a conspicuous blood-red mark.
"These are all supply points for the Barbarian Pirate Fleet, and the last marked location is the island where the barbarian tribes reside!"
Alfe looked Leilin in the eye and spoke with confidence.
"The island where the barbarian tribes are settled?" Isabel drew in a sharp breath. "Are you trying to make us mortal enemies of the Barbarian Pirate Fleet?"
"Since we're already hostile, why not push it further?"
Alfe spread his hands with a shameless shrug.
"Ha… ha…"
After a long silence, he was met with Leilin's booming laughter: "Well said! Very well said! Since we're already enemies, what's the harm in going all the way?"
Just as a smile spread across Alfe's face, an abrupt change occurred!