After seeing Azrokh and the old devil walk out, the traitorous devils all took a step back.
"Azrokh… surrender! You have no reason to sell your life for an outsider!"
A Pit Fiend clad in black barbed armor stepped forward. "Behind us stand all the Lords of Hell, along with Lord
"Even the will of Hell must bow before my master!"
The old devil stepped forward, and a sinister devilish aura surged skyward.
"This is… the power of an ancient devil… Who exactly are you?!"
The Pit Fiends were shocked and enraged. The power radiating from the old devil was approaching that of a Lord of Hell.
"Heh heh… My name was swallowed long ago by the river of deep history. But you lot—will become yesterday's rotting dust, buried along with the ages, leaving behind nothing but records of stupidity and insignificance…"
Amid the old devil's sinister laughter, a terrifying wave of Primordial Force suddenly descended, accompanied by a faint, unwilling roar, sweeping across the entire
"It has begun!"
The old devil and Azrokh exchanged a glance, then both knelt and began their prayer: "My Lord
"My Lord Kukulkan! You wield the authority of slaughter! The flesh, blood, and fear of your enemies shall become your power—death walks beside you. You are the Lord who brings all things to an end!"
"My Lord Kukulkan! Your will shall spread across the land, your divine kingdom shall shelter our souls, and all the souls of the faithful shall be reborn within it!"
"My Lord Kukulkan! Your name shall become sacred! May you raise your throne high and become a star in the heavens!!!"
…
"This is… a Deification Ritual!!!! A Lord of Hell is about to ascend to godhood!!!!"
Dill, Modikro, Heisas, and the other Pit Fiends all screamed.
Faint prayers echoed in from every direction. Every devil under Leilin's command now knelt in devout worship, uttering fanatical prayers. Golden holy light gradually spread across all of Dis Hell.
Terrifying Primordial Force howled through the void, carrying scorching faith energy, piercing through the barriers of space and dimension. It arrived in the Prime Material World.
Bankes Island.
All the natives had abandoned whatever they were doing. Those who could gathered in the temples; those who could not simply faced the idols, or even the sky, and began praying: "My Lord Kukulkan! You are the protector of the natives! All of us exist because of you! You rule over our souls and shelter our heavenly kingdom after death! Your name shall become sacred among all the natives!"
"My Lord Kukulkan! You wield the authority of slaughter! The death and flesh of your enemies shall bring you power! You are the end of all things!"
"My Lord Kukulkan! Your will shall walk upon the land! May you raise your throne high and become a star in the heavens!"
…
For reasons they couldn't explain, every native felt a warm current surging through their hearts, leaving them unable to contain their emotions. Only through prayer could they find peace.
The prayer chants—similar to those raised in Hell yet subtly different—grew ever more thunderous, merging with the faith energy of the entire world and converging upon the capital of the Faolan Empire.
The Sacred Mountain.
The sky above was already blanketed with terrifying storm clouds. Massive bolts of lightning rolled and churned within the dark clouds, as though countless thunder dragons were roaring.
Golden faith energy gathered into a funnel whose center pointed directly at the Sacred Mountain—at the very temple where Leilin resided.
Even though it had only just begun, the intensity and ferocity of the Primordial Force already far surpassed the previous attempt by Chesterburt.
Outside headquarters, Tifa and
"Deification… Our master has the accumulated faith of an entire empire behind him—he will surely succeed!"
Tifa's eyes burned with a hint of fanaticism—the absolute trust forged through years of following Leilin!
"I'm not worried about the accumulation of divine power, nor the backlash of Primordial Force and vengeful spirits…"
A fine layer of dragon scales surfaced across Isabel's body, radiating the might of an ancient dragon. She was ready to fight at any moment.
"What I worry about is the enmity of the gods…"
"Regardless, we shall be our master's most steadfast fortress!" Tifa's expression turned solemn, and she spoke in unison with the high-ranking priests arrayed behind her.
"Any being—even gods and devils—who wishes to interrupt this ritual will have to step over my corpse!"
Isabel gripped the hilt of her red dragon longsword, her expression hardening into resolute determination, like eternal ice that would never melt.
…
Crash! Crash!
At that moment, the Primordial Force lightning in the sky seemed to have accumulated to its limit. Like the roar of an ancient dragon, it shrieked and slashed downward, tearing space apart.
BOOM!
The roof of the temple was ripped away entirely. Had Leilin not previously issued a divine edict to evacuate all ordinary servants and low-ranking priests, the entire Sacred Mountain headquarters would have suffered devastating casualties.
A bolt of lightning carrying endless annihilating power was caught firmly by a single golden hand.
Countless prayers mixed with faith energy, forming a fanatical tide that swirled around Leilin's divine body.
"Years of planning—it all comes down to today!"
Leilin's true body floated in midair, blazing golden light erupting from every part of his being.
A speck of golden Primordial Divine Fire began to emerge. Vast quantities of divine power surged forth, contending with the lightning from the heavens.
Numerous chains of divine law flickered around Leilin's body, while pure Slaughter runes began pouring ceaselessly into the divine fire. The terrifying power exclusive to a true god was taking shape…
…
"Roar…"
In the Beast Hunting Wasteland, within
It could sense it once more—someone coveting its domain of slaughter! And it was the same thief who had once stolen its divinity!
Without a moment's hesitation, its true body stepped out of its divine domain and began crossing toward the boundary of the Prime Material World.
…
"Another false god coveting my lord's domain!!!"
Deep within the swamps and canyons, at the headquarters of the Church of the God of Murder, the aged Pontiff's face flushed red and he coughed up a large quantity of blood. "Let them act freely…"
He waved his hand weakly, his hunched body burdened with endless fatigue.
The Pontiff gazed at
"Still no response from my lord… I hope Malik can deliver the Book of Truth to him as soon as possible. Otherwise, these challenges will only grow more frequent…"
…
On Bankes Island, Leilin had entered the critical moment of his ascension.
BOOM! BOOM!
Bolt after bolt of annihilating lightning descended, only to be consumed in equal measure by vast quantities of divine power.
"The Feathered Serpent God Kukulkan!"
"Our Lord Kukulkan… is with us!"
"Is with us…"
At the same moment, a river of death that spanned the entire multiverse materialized. Countless spectral souls climbed out from the River Styx, bearing with them the force of vengeful spirits and blood, seeking to defile Leilin's now-sacred body.
These vengeful spirits were mostly in the appearance of natives, but Isabel instantly recognized other high-level professionals who had died at Leilin's hands—including even the native demigod from before!
"The ascension to godhood is a sublimation of life, but before that, one must settle the sins of the past…"
Tifa murmured.
Wave after wave of vengeful spirits threw themselves forward, grasping at Leilin's holy light with blood-soaked arms, seemingly trying to extinguish his divine fire entirely.
The backlash of the Primordial Force came as lightning! The backlash of vengeful spirits came as hatred!
If a demigod could not endure at this stage, the outcome would be the same as Chesterburt's—their soul dragged to the bottom of the River Styx to suffer eternal torment.
And the scale of slaughter Leilin had committed had produced vengeful spirits and backlash of terrifying magnitude, far exceeding those of any ordinary demigod.
Just as Tifa, Isabel, and the others held their breath, Leilin moved!
"I wield the laws of Slaughter! Your pain shall only become my power!" He took a sudden step forward, and a powerful Slaughter domain unfurled.
In the blood-red glow of slaughter, the vengeful spirits wailed and melted away. Hundreds of thousands of spirits were instantly transformed into Leilin's power.
"Enemies who are already dead—even if resurrected, they cannot escape death once more!"
Leilin seemed to be chanting, or perhaps proclaiming a prophecy.
Across from him, the demigods with faces like corpses were suddenly seized by terror. Together with Leilin's other high-level enemies from the world of the gods, they were instantly reduced to ash.
The sky full of lightning and the vengeful spirits of the River Styx all seemed to have lost all their power before Leilin.
Tifa and Isabel clenched their fists in excitement—they would never forget this moment for as long as they lived!
The divine fire suddenly stabilized, and a torrent of divine law radiated outward.
[Beep! Host body has begun ascension to True God. Faith energy augmentation activated. Infusion of the Slaughter Law in progress!]
[Beep! Host comprehension: Laws of Slaughter at 67%!… 80%!]
The Chip's notifications refreshed continuously. The laws of the world of the gods differed from those of the
The process of condensing a Divine Portfolio was, in essence, the process of comprehending divine law!
Leilin would naturally not let this once-in-a-millennium opportunity slip. His powerful divine consciousness surged, recording every insight related to slaughter.
Hum! Hum!
At that moment, above Bankes Island, the
Beside her,
At this time, two powerful god-level avatars arriving together could only mean ill intent.
Some demigods earned the favor of gods, who would manifest avatars during their ascension to serve as guardians—but Mystra and Tyr were clearly not of this kind.