After relaying the core tenets of the divine kingdom and its believers to Tifa, Raylin began delegating authority, letting Tifa handle matters on her own while he prepared to send personnel back to the Prime Material World.
Raylin only gave this matter a cursory glance before shifting his attention to processing the spoils of war after the divine battle.
This time, he had seized three layers of Hell plus an entire divine kingdom — his harvest was as bountiful as could possibly be.
Among these gains, the minerals and treasures hidden within Hell were impossible to conceal from Raylin's detection now that he had ascended to a divine kingdom. What surprised him was that the greatest collection had actually come from Sikora, the God of the Sahuagin.
After all, the other party was a True God, and tens of thousands of years of accumulation were no empty boast.
The treasure vaults plundered by Nethersoul City alone had filled several of the largest warehouses, consuming vast volumes of even the dimensional storage spaces.
Shalin and Illirio handled the accounting in this regard — with their experience, they certainly wouldn't overlook a single valuable item.
It had to be said, after conquering the domain of a True God, Raylin had instantly become filthy rich, dramatically enhancing his reserves and foundations. He even felt a twinge of regret at having let the God of the Kobolds slip away.
Now that Nethersoul City had been revealed to the world, the remaining gods would surely be on guard against Raylin's previous decapitation tactics. Slaying another god would not be so easy a second time.
"But… the greatest harvest is still this!"
Raylin flipped his palm, and a golden crystal materialized, radiating powerful waves of divine law. Wisps of moisture appeared in the air around it, carrying the sound of tsunamis, and one could vaguely make out the phantom images of countless sahuagin living within the crystal.
The divine portfolio of the Sahuagin! This was Raylin's true greatest prize from the god-slaying — it represented a complete thread of divine law, something that would drive the other Law Wizards mad with desire.
As for those gods connected to the ocean, any who held interest in the faith of the sahuagin race would certainly be willing to pay a heavy price to trade with Raylin.
"It's truly of no use to me…"
Raylin had zero interest in this narrow racial portfolio. He estimated that aside from those gods and demigods dwelling within the sea, no other deity would particularly want this portfolio.
On the other hand, if he were to condense the Portfolio of the Ocean, practically every god would fight tooth and nail to get their hands on it.
After all, more than half of the entire Prime Material World was ocean! That portfolio represented a source of faith powerful enough to sustain a Greater God!
"The pool of potential trading partners is quite narrow — only gods connected to the ocean… Ambler and
Many gods held portfolios related to the ocean, but Raylin wouldn't consider any of Weak Divine Power — those gods were inferior to him, and even if he recruited them, they would serve little purpose.
The only two choices were the mid-tier ocean goddess Ambler and the storm god Talos of greater divine power.
"In terms of raw strength, Talos of greater divine power is certainly more appealing. Unfortunately, allies aren't necessarily better the stronger they are. Besides, his divine portfolio is centered on storms — focused on the faith of the numerous islands and native peoples. He probably has little interest in ocean-dwelling creatures…"
A glimmer of contemplation flashed through Raylin's eyes.
Then, he sensed a divine presence approaching, and an involuntary smile crept onto his face.
Whoosh!
Outside Raylin's divine realm, surging waves crashed and roared. Standing atop the crest of a wave was a divine avatar.
She wore a trailing azure robe, its hem dissolving into an endless ocean. A feminine face bore the majesty befitting a deity, and in her hand she held a golden trident-like weapon, with endless oceanic ripples rippling from its tip.
The lady stopped at the boundary of the divine realm and went no further. Even the avatar of a mid-tier divine power would be nothing more than a free meal upon entering the divine realm of a lesser deity.
Thus, the pulse she had sent out earlier was merely a calling card — the equivalent of knocking on the door before a visit.
"Ambler, the Ocean Goddess?"
The unique signature of divine power allowed Raylin to instantly identify her.
"Welcome, Your Highness!"
Raylin's figure appeared at the edge of his divine realm in an instant. A crack split open in the golden radiance.
"The Lord of Slaughter, the Master of Devils — I bring you the goodwill of the ocean!"
A smile was squeezed onto Ambler's face as she stepped directly into Raylin's divine realm. She showed not a shred of fear, prompting Raylin to nod inwardly.
"Rumors say Ambler is a capricious deity who would casually raise waves to overturn ships, spreading fear to gather faith… But it seems she actually has a bit of a brain behind that reputation!"
This goddess commanded considerable notoriety along the coasts, and even among Raylin's former pirate crew there had been many of her followers.
Yet now, Raylin caught a different side of Ambler — calm and perceptive. At a single glance she had read his desire for allies, and without any concern for her own safety she had entered the divine realm of a stranger. Truly a goddess of both courage and wit.
The two deities made their way directly to the great temple atop the sacred mountain. Raylin regarded Ambler and a smile suddenly appeared on his face: "Lady Ambler, may I ask what brings you here today?"
"I've come for the Shark-Morph Merfolk divine portfolio you hold!"
Ambler's voice was hoarse yet carried a certain magnetic quality, possessing a distinctive flavor, and she made no effort whatsoever to conceal her intentions.
"Oh? Although this divine portfolio is of no use to me, is Her Highness so certain I would be willing to trade it to you?"
The smile at the corners of Raylin's lips widened further: "You are not my only option. There's also Talos — the Lord of Storms would surely be most willing to gain the faith of the ocean races. The Shark-Morph Merfolk are quite numerous, after all..."
"If it were Talos, he would simply kill you on the spot and seize both the Shark-Morph Merfolk and Slaughter portfolios at once..."
Ambler paused, adjusting the golden trident in her hand: "But I am different! Our strengths are comparable, and we have no conflicts with one another — we could serve as steadfast allies!"
"Haha... Well said!"
Raylin clapped his hands in applause and tossed the golden divine portfolio crystal directly over to her.
"Hm?" A hint of confusion appeared on Ambler's face, clearly she had not expected Raylin to be so generous.
The moment the golden divine portfolio crystal reached Ambler's hands, it emitted an excited hum. The waves of divinity from both sides resonated with each other, clearly indicating an excellent match — the fusion would require no effort whatsoever.
"Does Your Highness not fear that I simply leave with it?"
Ambler gazed at Raylin, the light in her eyes seeming as though it could pierce through him entirely.
"I trust in Your Highness's honor — especially when dealing with another deity!"
Raylin appeared utterly confident, not the least bit worried that Ambler would renege on the deal.
This powerful confidence clearly stemmed from his own strength, and it made Ambler's eyes flicker with unmistakable interest.
"I came prepared to make a trade, but now it seems unlikely this will satisfy Your Highness." Ambler gave a wry smile, and a divine portfolio crystal materialized in her hand as well.
Faint sounds of blades clashing echoed from within the crystal, carrying the scent of hot blood and fierce battle.
"The Cold Weapons divine portfolio... It's somewhat incomplete, but it pairs rather well with your Slaughter portfolio. Repairing it shouldn't require much divine power. It was a treasured piece from my collection..."
Ambler explained.
"A fine piece. The war gods would surely appreciate something like this... What a pity..."
Raylin shook his head. Having already chosen his path, he had little desire to covet other forms of law energy.
"Alright… so, what do you need?"
It was clear that Ambler placed tremendous importance on the divine domain of the Sharkfolk — after all, they were one of the great races of the ocean. Acquiring them would play an irreplaceable role in consolidating her dominion over the Sea.
And if another deity were to obtain them, that deity could use the Sharkfolk's faith to covet the domain of the Sea itself. That was something Ambler would absolutely not tolerate.
"Alliance, one act of assistance when circumstances permit, and… I need you to guide me into the Pantheon!"
Raylin laid out his demands.
Of these, the alliance and the guidance were trivial courtesies — only the single act of assistance carried any real weight.
Clearly, Ambler was somewhat surprised by Raylin's magnanimity. After a long silence, she finally nodded.
"I swear upon the divine name of Ambler to accept one request within the means of
An ethereal River Styx materialized before them. A Styx Oath sworn by a deity's true name carried extraordinarily high binding force — even a deity of great power could not escape it. Raylin was naturally at ease.
"The first time a new god enters the Pantheon, they require an existing deity to serve as their guide. As your ally, I am more than willing to be your herald!"
The stern expression on Ambler's face melted away like spring snow, giving way to a blossoming smile.
At the highest point of the
The power of spacetime was inscribed upon its gates, and its walls — steeped in the weight of ages — bore carved records of the entire history of the World of Gods and the rise of countless deities.
At the very first glance, Raylin was awestruck by the Pantheon's grandeur and immensity.
"The power of spacetime… a realm only Ninth-level Wizards can touch…"
Raylin silently marveled to himself, while Ambler's divine thought continued to flow beside him: "The Pantheon was created by the God Above. Only true gods are qualified to enter. Once you step inside for the first time, it will remember your presence and raise a divine throne that belongs to you…"
"Indeed… only the gods spoken of as equals to Ninth-level Wizards, and the will of the
Raylin knew, of course, that the will of the World of Gods was called the 'God Above' by the deities — an existence of unparalleled power that had even established the rules governing all gods, its influence reaching across the entire multiverse.
However, during the last Final War, the God Above and the will of the Wizard World had both sustained grievous injuries. The God Above had fallen into a deep slumber and had even sealed off the crystal barrier of the World of Gods, giving rise to the current state of affairs.