"Hmph! A stubborn fool! You dare defy me without even igniting the divine fire?"
Leilin gave a cold snort, and the surrounding flames were instantly extinguished.
Having obtained divine nature, the ordinary level of divine beings was no longer beneath his notice. This divine creature before him was merely courting its own death.
With that thought, Leilin glanced at the Chip's scan results.
[Totem Spirit (Flame Bird Form) — Divine Creature. Strength: 15 (+5), Agility: 17 (+5), Constitution: 10 (+5), Spirit: 20 (+5). Innate Talents: 1. Domain: Within the prayer range of believers, the Totem Spirit gains innate attribute bonuses — all attributes +5! 2. Fire Affinity 3. Divine Form: The target is immune to all fifth-level spells and below. 4. Unknown ???]
"All attributes boosted by five within the domain of its believers? Truly worthy of a deity resembling an earthbound spirit..."
Leilin sneered. "So this is what you're counting on? Unfortunately... this is no longer your era. As your believers vanish, the boost from your domain will only diminish. Now, this is your last chance to submit..."
Such domain amplification necessarily existed alongside the presence of believers.
But now, as the pirate army pressed forward, the young men of the entire native tribe were being slaughtered rapidly, causing faith to dwindle sharply.
Moreover, the massacre itself was only a minor matter — what was truly terrifying was the collapse of the natives' faith caused by the Totem Spirit's failure to protect them.
In fact, in just this brief span of time, Leilin watched the (+5) behind the creature's attribute panel slowly fade to (+4), and as the occupied territory continued to expand, the number kept shrinking.
"So this is faith? Powerful, yet pitiful..."
Leilin sighed, realizing this was one of the Totem Spirit's inherent flaws. If it could truly ascend to the rank of a True God and bestow divine spells or the like, the believers' faith wouldn't collapse so quickly.
"Caw! Caw!"
Leilin still very much wanted to subdue this giant flame bird totem — after all, it would be his first guide on Bankitz Island.
Unfortunately, the creature had no intention of accepting Leilin's goodwill. It ended the conversation with a massive ball of fire.
The golden-glowing flames instantly struck the area where Leilin had just been standing. The scorching heat swept away all the surrounding oxygen, creating something resembling a vacuum.
"Just a trace of spell-like abilities, unable to properly wield the divine nature and faith power within its body — nothing more than a beast's instincts?"
Leilin sighed, and the Roaring Red Dragon Staff appeared directly in his hand.
Due to the previous instances of Dragon Soul Combustion, the red dragon soul within had been reduced to less than half its original size, looking utterly withered.
—Dragon Might Domain!
—Conical Flame!
Yet now, facing this Legendary creature that was merely divine, Leilin didn't even need to burn the dragon soul. He simply waved the staff, and a powerful Dragon Might Domain unfurled, rippling with the aura of a dragon.
"Roarrr..."
A phantom of a red dragon materialized above Leilin's head, spewing its characteristic conical flame at the flame bird. This overwhelming display of power immediately sent the giant flame bird into furious roars.
Boom! Two massive flames clashed in midair, painting the sky red.
"Such crude power — how can it possibly rival mine?"
Leilin roared, and the conical flame pierced straight through the flame bird's golden fire, engulfing it entirely.
"Caw... caw..."
Angry roars continued to emanate from within the flames, yet carried a peculiar quality.
BOOM!!! Suddenly, the red dragon flame surged violently, forming what resembled a red lotus. And at the center of that lotus, the giant flame bird was not only unharmed but had grown even larger.
It cried out excitedly, gulping down the red dragon flame in great mouthfuls, while the golden glow of its body gradually shifted toward crimson.
"Caw! Caw!"
Having assimilated a massive amount of red dragon flame, the giant flame bird had grown even more enormous. Its sentient eyes held an almost human-like smugness as it flew toward the red dragon phantom in midair.
"The ability to assimilate flames? That must be what the Chip failed to detect earlier. An exclusive divine power, then?"
A sharp glint flashed in Leilin's eyes. "You want to devour a Legendary-tier dragon soul? Then have it all!"
—Dragon Soul Combustion!
The dragon soul at the top of the staff completely withered, its very body shrouded in translucent flames.
Supported by the burning dragon soul, the red dragon phantom in midair became increasingly solid. Every scale carried the texture of flesh and blood, and its sharp claws gleamed with a cold, keen luster.
"Roarrr..." The massive eyes of the red dragon phantom also gained a spark of sentience as it collided violently with the giant flame bird.
The soaring dragon roars and bird cries stunned even the natives and pirates on the ground below. They all looked up, gazing at the battle between the red dragon and the flame bird. Some natives recognized their totem and began dropping their weapons to pray.
"What are you standing there for? Charge!"
The same dragon might erupted as
With two Legendary powerhouses holding the line, their own strength and equipment being far superior, and crucially, outnumbering the enemy in soldiers as well, the situation had become a crushing one. The pirate army had already pushed to the outskirts of the tribe, facing nothing more than scattered remnants — and even the elderly, women, and children among the natives.
"Kill anyone who doesn't surrender!"
Years of pirate life had stripped Isabel of any ordinary woman's mercy. She issued the command directly, and those already vicious pirates and devil worshippers carried it out ruthlessly — even surpassing it in cruelty.
"What I can do now is place my complete trust in him and finish the battle among mortals..."
A look of resolute understanding filled Isabel's eyes as she charged straight toward the depths of the tribe, a phantom of a red dragon and flames trailing around her body like a beautiful Valkyrie.
"Caw... caw..."
By now, the battle between the Legendary beasts in midair was reaching its end.
Even though the red dragon had been Legendary in life and its dragon soul was now being burned, none of that could change the fact that it was already dead, its power greatly diminished.
The flame bird on the other side was not only also a Legendary creature but possessed divine nature as well! After several rounds of grappling, the flame bird tore great chunks of soul power from the red dragon phantom and devoured even more flame, pushing the golden fire of its body further toward red.
Crack! Crack!
At last, as the flame bird pecked apart the red dragon phantom's head, the dragon soul within the crystal at the top of Leilin's staff shattered completely.
"Tch... after just a few uses, the red dragon's soul power is already completely spent..."
Watching the dragon soul disintegrate to ash before his eyes, Leilin's face showed not the slightest change in expression. The flame bird, on the other hand, let out joyful cries as it devoured the red dragon phantom in great gulps, drawing out the flame power within.
"No matter — it's a good time to swap in a new core!"
Leilin's figure slowly rose into the air, standing before the giant flame bird. Having absorbed the dragon soul, the creature had grown even larger still, and faint traces of dragon might radiated from its body. It stared fearlessly into Leilin's eyes, even showing a look of desire in them.
"Oh? You want to devour me too?"
Reading the creature's intent, Leilin let out an amused laugh. "As expected of a beast — acting purely on instinct without caring whether it can actually digest what it swallows."
"Go wild..." Leilin casually snapped his fingers, and the flame bird immediately began convulsing. Layers of flame erupted from its body, and half a red dragon's head emerged directly from within it.
"Assimilating flame is all well and good for you, but eat too much and you might find yourself assimilated in return..."
A savage grin appeared at the corner of Leilin's lips. "The you of right now... is the real prize — a prey fattened up and ready for the slaughter..."
"Return!"
Leilin hurled the Roaring Red Dragon Staff into the air. The staff shot upward and positioned itself above the flame bird's head, then plunged its pointed base downward with a thunderous strike!
"Caw... caw..." An attack it could have easily dodged, yet the flame bird stood there as if stupefied, motionless in place, the gold and red flames on its body still twisting and devouring each other.
Whoosh!
The Red Dragon Staff pierced into the flame bird's head like an arrow, sending flames and golden blood spraying in all directions.
"Caw... caw..." Amid the flame bird's final mournful cry, a tremendous explosion erupted. The thunderous roar first came from the creature's belly, then formed a storm that swept the entire flame bird into its vortex.
Leilin stood to the side, calmly watching as the creature's massive body was torn apart and devoured by the storm...
"If the earthbound spirits on Bankitz Island are all at this level, then I have nothing to worry about. Unfortunately, sustained by the offerings of an entire native empire, those earthbound spirits are probably at the demigod tier..."
Leilin sighed inwardly.
By now, the pirate coalition on the ground had also broken into the interior of the native tribe, beginning a brutal massacre of the elderly, weak, and infirm, with other atrocities continuing to unfold.
"Is this what conquest is? Strengthening oneself through endless slaughter..."
Leilin's eyes flickered with a moment of confusion, and then he heard the Chip's prompt: [Ding! Host has slain a divine creature! Partial data on the Domain of Slaughter acquired! Domain of Slaughter model established. Commencing digitization...]
[Ding! Host has mastered a domain — Slaughter!]
[Domain of Slaughter: Strength is amplified through continuous killing! In a killing environment, host's attributes are boosted by 1% (current effect), with a certain chance of obtaining the target's soul energy through killing. Host's believers can also receive the Domain of Slaughter's amplification!]