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Expansion

It wasn't just the archdevils watching the changes in Baator. High up in the skies, Mystra looked away.

"What a pity… if the archdevils of hell were more united, this would definitely cause a huge blow to the God of Massacre…"

"Wanting those sly devils to work together is like wanting them to abide by the rules…" The God of Justice Tyr spoke up at the side. Due to the nature of his domain, he felt no goodwill towards these evil beings.

"That's true!" Mystra laughed wryly. She obviously knew what the devils were like. Every second was spent hating on their superiors, as well as scheming to obtain greater status.

Things would've been alright if Asmodeus wasn't injured, and with his prestige he would have been able to construct a joint army, however he'd been smashed back into the depths of Nessus when he was trying to stop the divine kingdom from descending. This injury arose from going against a sea of origin force, and even Asmodeus would have to spend a long time recovering.

Would Leylin let a chance like this slip by? Worry was evident in Mystra's eyes.

"He's now unstoppable," Tyr stated. His voice was full of helplessness, and he seemed to see how troubled Mystra was. "If it was just a lesser god at rank 8, we could've launched a holy war against him. As long as we didn't mind the consumption of energy, we would've been able to knock him off his throne in a few centuries… Unfortunately…"

Mystra looked at Thultanthar that was within Leylin's divine kingdom, knowing what Tyr was afraid of. They wouldn't be scared off by a divine kingdom, nor by a great arcanist and a flying city. However, if the two were to be fused together, the power boost wasn't just additive.

A flying city supported by a divine kingdom? Even the great arcanists of Netheril hadn't considered such a thing!

On top of that, Leylin's arcanist ranking was 35! Even in the Netheril Era he would've been at an unstoppable peak. He was an existence able to kill gods! Such a high-ranked arcanist and a flying city was a nightmare to all the gods.

Divine beings had enormous calculative abilities, and Mystra understood the price that had to be paid to wipe Leylin out, "Even a greater god will face destruction of their divine kingdom, and their divine force will be weakened to the limit. They'll enter a coma, and who knows how many tens of thousands of years it will take to recover…"

For the gods, a greater god on the verge of falling was the tastiest prey. So here came the question. Which greater god would be so selfless as to give up their lives in order to exterminate Leylin?

Gods were all selfish. As long as they predicted any loss, they would immediately give up. This was why Tyr felt that Leylin was now unstoppable.

"Thankfully… Much of his power is caught up in Baator. With Asmodeus and the archdevils around, he'll be stuck in a standoff for a long while. It wouldn't be a wonder if it took thousands or tens of thousands of years…" Clearly deluding herself, Mystra could only let things go according to Leylin's plans and lie low.

"In this time, we'll definitely find a way to stop him!" Tyr expressed his approval of this plan. The battles of gods were always very long, and there was nothing strange about them taking millennia.

...

Third Hell, Minauros.

The intense battle had been going on for a long time. The devil hunters of the Giant Serpent Church had easily suppressed the devils, but the devils in turn possessed astounding numbers and numerous powerful beings. The battle was at a standstill.

The city of Jangling Hiter that hung above the marsh with chains had now been ruined. Countless kyton and devil hunter bodies were strewn all over the lands, quickly being devoured by the swamps.

The commander of the kyton legions, Lord Mammon's most trusted subordinate Quimas, had already had his head cut off by Isabel, a prize of war for the devil hunters. Unfortunately, even with the help of a Dragon Warlock and a god's avatars, their advance had been stonewalled.

That was because the Lord of Greed himself had descended in front of them, his serpentine lower half resting above the devil armies. Terrifying poison radiated from the trident in his hand, obstructing the path of the devil hunters.

If not for the holy light from Leylin's avatar protecting the army, all the devil hunters would be dead by now, contaminated by toxins.

"The fires of greed shall burn you, and your souls shall fall into the marshes of corrosion…" Mammon waived the trident around, speaking a fatal curse.

"There's too much nonsense from you!" Leylin's avatar floated in mid-air, and a portal appeared just then.

*Rumble!* Spacetime fluctuated, and Thultanthar cast a massive shadow as it appeared overhead Minauros.

"Hss… Master of Gluttony, God of Massacre… Leave, or you shall be punished by the Lords of Baator!" Mammon stuck out his forked tongue, obviously frightened by the flying city and Leylin himself.

"Devil whose eyes are deceived by greed… have you not noticed yet?" Leylin descended from the flying city to look down on Mammon, "The reason I only come now is because I've reached an agreement with the remaining Lords. You,,, are to be abandoned."

"No! No!" Mammon's body twisted in unease. Evidently, as those lords had yet to send reinforcements after all this time, a great amount of psychological pressure and discouraging thoughts were already in his mind. Now that Leylin had uncovered them, the anxiety in his mind became more apparent.

The flying city extended the Shadow Weave, counteracting Mammon's authority as an archdevil. Divine light invaded the area.

"We're now on equal terms, with our main bodies against each other. The winner gets everything, while the loser shall turn into sludge!" Leylin's main body walked down from above the flying city, looking like he had a cloak of golden light around him.

A Targaryen appeared in his eyes, hissing at Mammon. Its pupils betrayed a terrifying intent to devour its target, as if it had found prey it'd been hung up on for a long time.

...

*Rumble!* Not long after, the entirety of Baator was met with a horrifying change.

The light in Dis moved to the Third Hell of Minauros, and the first three Hells began to merge into a single body that was Leylin's divine kingdom. Besides those immediately having faith in Leylin, the devils living in there and very much against him turned into soil. The power of evil was converted into fertiliser for his divine kingdom.

A few archdevils watched these changes from the lower Hells, fear evident in their eyes but unwilling to do anything to stop it.

None of them was a match for Leylin alone, and they didn't have someone to band around. Asmodeus was gravely injured, his coma causing intense unrest in Baator.

However, Leylin's divine kingdom had also reached its limit after taking over three hells in total. His divine force was at a critical point, so he halted his movements. The divine light faded, allowing the many archdevils and higher existences to heave a sigh of relief.

Within the divine kingdom, Leylin who was standing on top of the flying city was clearly thrilled. Though this operation was extremely risky, he had succeeded! From hereon, even if the other Lords were to band together and resist him, he now had the means to contend with them! He also had no need to fear other gods interfering!

[Beep! Primary body's law of devouring is in action. Comprehension of law of greed: 100%. Divine domain condensed: Greed.] The A.I. Chip's prompts came to view.

'It's actually 100%… Is it because he's a devil and we're essentially the same, and also that the law of greed is compatible with me?' Leylin stroked his chin, looking to his refreshed status.

[Leylin Faulen:

Race: Human(Lesser God).

Divine Name: Kukulkan, the God of Massacre.

Alignment: Lawful Evil.

Divine Domain: Massacre, Greed.

Divine Kingdom: Avernus, Dis, Minauros(Merged)

Divine Rank: 8.

Worshippers: Natives, Devils, Adventurers, Clerics.

Worshipper Alignments: True Neutral, Neutral Evil, Lawful Evil.

Arcanist Rank: 35. Strength: 29. Agility: 29. Vitality: 29. Spirit:35. Arcane Energy: 350. Divine Force: 200(800). Status: Healthy.

Feats: Herculean Strength, Master of Knowledge, Dreamscape Vision, Epic Adaptability.

Divine Feats: Origin Force Detection, Arcane Art Amplification, Illusions.

Divine Abilities: Warp Reality, Epic Massacre]

'No rise to my divine rank?' Leylin closed his eyes for a long while and sighed. However, he had expected such a result. He was now already a peak lesser god, and if he were to raise his rank slightly, he would become an intermediate god!

An intermediate god in the World of Gods was akin to a rank 8 Magus, grasping multiple laws and nearly immortal. The Snake Dowager, Trial's Eye, Nefarious Filthbird and other great existences that had their names spread far across worlds were only average. How could they have advanced so easily?

"Three levels is enough. I need to keep a certain amount of divine force in case of any surprise situations. The newly-merged planes of hell and the devils also need to be reorganised…"

Leylin looked underneath Minauros, where a few archdevils looked at the divine kingdom up ahead cautiously, eyes showing their fear.

"Let's leave things like this for now…"

Leylin smiled, and then drew up an armistice for a hundred years to the bottom layers of hell. Those devil archdukes must be eager for that.

Touring

The waves from the ascension of numerous demigods soon died down. While most of them had failed, the one who had succeeded managed to spread his name across multiple worlds.

Even the most ignorant and ill-informed of people who stayed in labs all day long or liches deep in sleep heard of the God of Massacre, the Ruler of Devils. The golden light glimmering from the divine kingdom that spanned the first three levels of Baator was enough proof of Leylin's unmeasurable strength.

The Nine Hells had, because of Leylin's arrival, undergone a massive change. Souls that fell to Baator now moved along the Styx to reach the Fourth Hell Phlegethos, governed by Samuel. Only his own worshippers would enter his divine kingdom.

In other words, Leylin had used the souls of his own followers to replace the primordial contract that governed the harvest of fallen souls. With this foundation overturned, Asmodeus could no longer control the first three levels of Baator.

However, Leylin still had very few worshippers when compared to the number of souls that used to fall to the three Hells. Even with the faith of the natives, these numbers did not measure up to the original harvest of the first three Hells.

However, Leylin did not mind at all. His divine kingdom needed to be reorganised, and having too many devils was nothing good. Asmodeus might have dreamed all his life of becoming the lord of all devils, but that was not what he was pursuing. Few of his worshippers in the prime material plane wished to become lemures…

The burning Iron City at the core of Dis was long gone, in its place a region with birdsong and fragrant flowers that looked like utopia. A holy mountain made of white jade towered into the clouds, with a huge shrine atop it.

Countless petitioners piously prayed and thanked their god for the favour, and golden power of faith illuminated the skies.

"My Lord!" Tiff entered the shrine quickly, bowing to Leylin who was on his throne, "The flame devil army and other devils have been reorganised. Of them, a total of…" Tiff reported the number of devils willing to serve Leylin. Leylin lifted his brows, making an inference based on the information in an instant.

The first three levels of Baator were now entirely Leylin's territory. Those who did not submit would either be expelled or killed, becoming fertiliser for his divine kingdom. Those able to live up to this point were naturally all his followers.

Of course, it was hilarious to expect faith from devils.

"Mm, you did well! Leylin nodded, acknowledging Tiff for his work. "Bringing the church to Baator was just a plan of convenience. Be prepared. We can't give up the intelligence network we've established on the prime material plane either…"

All gods treated the prime material plane as the biggest cake, as it was their main source of faith. While Leylin had moved Debanks Island and the native empire to the divine kingdom to be used as his own territory, the faith in the prime material plane could not be abandoned.

He was now a true god! He had nothing to fear when up against the other gods' churches, and could grant his priests spells up to rank 8! This was the largest difference between a true god and a false god. This was the best time to spread faith.

"Understood! Your will is our command!" Tiff respectfully accepted Leylin's order.

"Mm. Also, I'll personally bring you to spread faith and describe my divine kingdom…" With a thought, the space transformed and he and Tiff arrived high in the skies. In the divine kingdom, Leylin was everything! Nothing could halt his will.

Describing the divine kingdom of a true god was an important mission for Tiff, the pope, who had entered the divine kingdom before.

"In general… all living beings wish for something better. Even gods cannot stop their desires…" Leylin spoke.

Tiff looked around. The treacherous environment of Dis had turned to grasslands, with bright green shrubs everywhere giving it some vitality. Avernus and Minauros were undergoing the same changes, the soil becoming more fertile as regions of danger were wiped out.

In terms of the image, this was like turning hell into the mortal world, and perhaps someday, transforming it into heaven.

"Those who have faith in me wish to reach heaven after death and get a better life, which is why they're willing to give me faith. This is a contract between them and the gods. Even greater gods can't stop this…" Leylin waved his hand, and several scenes appeared.

A few native petitioners were diligently farming some fertile land. Since it hadn't been a long time from Leylin's ascension, he had few dead followers. Dis could contain all of them, and there was a lot of space for more.

Leylin had partitioned out large areas for agriculture, and with just some work from the followers, heavy rice plants and fruit trees grew from the soil. Numerous petitioners prayed towards the holy mountain with their eyes brimming with tears, thanking Leylin for this miracle.

"This…" Tiff stared at Leylin in amazement.

"A petitioner doesn't just pray all day long. This will only cause them to become rigid and rot away, or perhaps perish…" Leylin laughed, eyes glimmering with wisdom, "I've given them the opportunity to work, so that they understand the concept of obtaining things after putting in effort for it… Of course, this is my kingdom and I control the soil. They can put in less than a tenth of the effort and obtain tenfold or even hundredfold what they would have before… Even the laziest person can live comfortably…"

Tiff listened closely. When it came to the construction of a divine kingdom, it included Leylin's understanding of the path of faith. As a pope, he needed to be on the same page as his god!

"Also… the feeling of superiority comes from comparison. In order for followers to understand how difficult it is to lead better lives, I've provided this…"

Leylin brought Tiff along and moved away. This time, they were at the boundaries of the divine kingdom, where some of the treacherous characteristics of hell remained.

Many lemures, soul shells, imps, and even chained evils, bone devils and other higher devils had chains around their feet as they moaned and shrieked. They were like slaves as they transported blazing rocks, constructing a fort and a better landscape.

"These are the devils who went against me. I've especially kept a few of them here…" At this moment, an impr cried out and fell down after being burned. The supervising devil hunter moved forward expressionlessly, lashing out with a whip filled with holy power.

*Pak!* The cleansing force from the whip was a punishment even more terrifying than barbs and poisonous hooks. Blood and flesh flew everywhere from the imp who had been hit, and it began to cry out. This caused the surrounding devils to tremble in fear.

"These devil slaves are in charge of the basic infrastructure in the divine kingdom. They don't have much power… Every time a new follower's soul comes to the divine kingdom, you can bring them here to take a look…" A barely detectable smile appeared at the corner of Leylin's lips.

In the divine kingdoms of other gods, all worshippers were treated equally, gaining eternal life. They did nothing, not living up to their true potential.

However, things were different here. With these lower devil slaves as a comparison, the followers would realise that the place they were living in was indeed heaven, which would give them motivation and increase the power of faith. That would be a huge profit for Leylin.

When it came to the suppression of these beings, Leylin and Tiff were expressionless, as if they had seen nothing. They were all unwavering people, and had seen more than their fair share of these happenings. As long as it was useful to them, they would never withdraw.

"I've prepared two choices for the new followers' souls." Leylin brought Tiff back to the shrine atop the holy mountain, beginning to state his plans.

"The common idea is to to live in the divine kingdom as a petitioner, becoming immortal as I am… On the other hand, they can turn into devils if they wish to, entering the army. Then they'll follow the laws of Baator. This is very simple."

"Also… I wish to for the original devils to be dealt with this way…" With a wave of his hands, Azlok, who had been a pit fiend, appeared, causing Tiff to exclaim.

He had obviously seen this devil commander before, but there was now a huge change to his form. He now had a translucent body that was glimmering with gold rays, causing Tiff to feel like he was approachable. He knew that the essence of this devil had undergone a change.

"Master…" Azlok's eyes were full of fervour as he devoutly bowed to Leylin.

"Discovered anything yet?" Leylin glanced at Tiff.

"This is… a holy spirit!" Tiff muttered.

"Mm! I've altered the form of the devil legions such that they have the characteristics of petitioners. From hereon out, they shall be the guards of my divine kingdom… If followers wish to turn, they will also achieve this form…"

There was no point in keeping the devils of the past. However, if he turned them into petitioners, that could increase the might of Leylin's subordinates by a large extent, while providing him with some faith.

Leylin, who had three forms as an archdevil, true god, and Magus of laws, could make use of his own knowledge and the help from the A.I. Chip to transform devils into devil petitioners. This way, he could adequately make use of his resources. There was also no issue of estrangement between the two groups now.

"Hence… after coming to the divine kingdom, followers will still be in the form of petitioners. These devils are a personification of strength, akin to the emissaries of heaven…" Tiff's eyes brightened as he quickly thought up a line.

"Mm! Let's do as you deem fit…" Leylin waved his hand and let Tiff be on his way.

Paying A Visit

Telling him about the essentials of his divine kingdom and worshippers, Leylin left the responsibility of allocating duties to Tiff. The pope made preparations to take some people back to the prime material plane.

Leylin paid little attention to all that, instead shifting his attention to the spoils of war. He had taken three of the Nine Hells in one move, alongside a chunk of the prime material plane. It had given him great profits, and the resources, treasures and the like couldn't escape Leylin's checks after Avernus and Minauros had been converted to his divine kingdom.

Unsurprisingly, the greatest profits were from the Sahuagin God Sekolah. He was after all a true god, and his accumulations over tens of thousands of years were definitely something. Just the treasure trove Thultanthar had found could fill up the greatest of warehouses, filling up a not insignificant portion of its dimensional space.

Shaylin and Ilyo spent their time doing inventory. With their knowledge, they probably wouldn't let any valuable item slip by.

It had to be said that after conquering a true god's kingdom, Leylin was instantly much wealthier than before. He greatly increased his own resources, and was even regretful that he had let Kurtulmak go.

With the flying city having shown itself, the remaining gods definitely would be on their guard against such surprise attacks. It wouldn't be so easy to kill gods anymore.

"But… the greatest harvest is this!" Leylin turned his palm over, and a golden crystal appeared. It undulated with powerful laws, and just its presence caused small streams to appear in the surroundings. The sound of the ocean rang forth from the crystal, and the figures of numerous sahuagin, the sharkmen, could be seen living within.

Sekolah's divine domain was that of the Sahuagin, and this was Leylin's greatest harvest from killing him. It represented a complete law, able to cause other Magi of laws to go crazy. Even the gods that were interested in the faith of the Sahuagin, those related to the ocean, would be willing to pay a huge price to make an exchange with Leylin.

"It really isn't very useful…" Leylin had no interest in a domain pertaining to a specific race. No god or demigod not related to the seas would be interested in it.

However, if he could condense the divine domain of the ocean instead, probably all of the gods would be in a hurry to obtain it. After all, much of the prime material plane was water, and the ocean was a source of faith able to support a greater god.

"There's few able to make an exchange with me. If I were to choose… Umberlee and Talos?" There were many ocean domain deities, but even as a lesser god Leylin wouldn't consider most of them. Those gods weren't even comparable to him, and there wasn't much use in getting them on his side. The only two choices were Umberlee the Intermediate Goddess of the Ocean, and the Greater God of Storms Talos.

'Talos is obviously the better option when it comes to power, but it's not always about power with allies. Besides, he's of the storm domain and his faith is concentrated around the natives of numerous islands. He wouldn't be as interested in beings of the ocean…' Leylin's eyes flashed with thought.

Just at that moment he sensed divine force approaching him, and he involuntarily revealed a smile

*Whoosh!* The seas surged outside Leylin's divine kingdom, and a god's avatar stood upon the ocean spray.

She was dressed in flowing blue, the bottom of her clothing merged with the endless waves of the sea. Her look was one of divine dignity as she held what seemed to be a golden trident with endless waves rippling forth from its tip.

The lady did not advance, waiting outside his divine kingdom. The avatar of an intermediate god would still just be free food if they entered a lesser god's divine kingdom. Instead she sent out her energy undulations, like an identification used when knocking on the door.

"Umberlee?" The unique nature of the divine force allowed Leylin to identify it in an instant.

"Welcome, my Lady!" He moved to the boundaries of his divine kingdom instantly, golden light opening up a path to enter. "I am the Master of Massacre, the Ruler of Devils. I express my goodwill to the Goddess of the Ocean."

Umberlee squeezed out a slight smile and entered his divine kingdom, her fearlessness causing Leylin to nod to himself.

'Rumours say Umberlee is a moody goddess, even capsizing a few ships at sea for fun and using such fear to obtain faith… It looks like she's rather intelligent.' This goddess had made quite a name for herself on the waters. There were many of the Scarlet Tigers who worshipped her.

Leylin was currently seeing another side of this goddess. She seemed calm and wise, ascertaining his goodwill with one look as she entered the divine kingdom of an unknown god without fear. She was both gutsy and scheming.

The two of them arrived at the huge church of the holy mountain. Watching Umberlee, Leylin suddenly revealed a smile, "Lady Umberlee, may I know why you're here today?"

"I'm here for the divinity of the sahuagin." Umberlee had a hoarse voice, but there was a magnetic feel to it, sounding rather unique. She didn't beat around the bush at all.

"Oh? While this divinity is indeed useless to me, why are you so sure I'd trade with you?" The smile about Leylin's lips widened, "I have more than just one choice. There's Talos as well, the God of Storms would probably want the faith of an ocean race. After all, the sharkmen are quite large in number…"

"Talos would just kill you and take all your divinities away," Umberlee fiddled with the golden trident in her hands, "But I'm different. We're close to each other in power, and without any conflict of interest we'd make for strong allies…"

"Haha… well said!" Leylin applauded, throwing the golden crystal over.

"Hmm?" Umberlee seemed slightly confused, evidently not expecting Leylin to be so generous. The crystal buzzed with excitement the moment it reached her hand, glowing water rippling around it as proof of the compatibility. Fusing with it wouldn't require much effort.

"Aren't you afraid I'll just leave?" Umberlee looked at Leylin, as if trying to see through him.

"I believe in your reputation, my Lady, you'd treat another god with respect." Leylin was very confident, not the least bit worried that she would not pay him back. Such self-confidence obviously came from his own strength, which caused a myriad of emotions to flash in her eyes.

"I came here for a trade. However, it seems I can't quite satisfy you!" Audrey laughed wryly, a similar golden crystal appearing in her hands. The faint sounds of blades clashing sounded from the crystal, full of the taste of blood and murder.

"Divinity in weaponry… While it's incomplete, it's more compatible with your massacre domain. It shouldn't take much divine force to mend it, this is one of my prized possessions…" Umberlee introduced.

"Not bad Those battle gods should like this… Unfortunately…" Leylin shook his head. Having chosen his path, he had no plans of lusting after other laws.

"Alright… well, what do you need?" It was obvious that Umberlee valued this divinity greatly. After all, the sahuagin were a huge race in the ocean, and obtaining this would allow her to consolidate her power in her own domain. There was no substitute.

If this crystal fell into the hands of another, they could make use of the sahuagins' faith to have designs on her ocean domain. This was something she definitely couldn't tolerate.

"An alliance, a single instance of help— with certain conditions of course—, and you need to guide me into the Celestial Hall." Leylin stated his demands. Forming a so-called alliance and guiding him into the Celestial Hall would take Umberlee no effort at all. However, that one instance of assistance was somewhat useful.

Umberlee was rather surprised by Leylin's lenience. It took her a long period of silence before she nodded.

"In my name as Umberlee, I swear to uphold a single request of the God of Massacre Kukulkan as long as it is within my capabilities…" The Styx materialised itself. An oath made to the abyssal river under the truename of a god was quite restrictive, and even greater gods wouldn't be able to wriggle their way out of the situation. Leylin naturally eased up.

"The first time a new god enters the Celestial Hall, the palace of ten thousand gods, they need someone who's already a god to lead their way. As your ally, I'm willing to be your guide." Umberlee's grim face seemed to loosen up, revealing a flowery smile.

...

At the highest point of the World of Gods, its core, was a boundless sea of origin force. A golden shrine floated within this sea.

The doors held the power of spacetime, and the history of the entire world was engraved into the walls, detailing the rise of the many gods. It was filled with a sense of archaic wisdom. With just one look, Leylin felt his mind blown by the vastness and magnificence of the palace.

'Spacetime strength… A domain only rank 9 Magi can touch upon…' Leylin sighed with awe in his mind.

Umberlee continued speaking to him. "The Celestial Hall was created by the Overgod, and only true gods qualify to enter it. It will remember your aura the first time you walk in, and a pedestal that is uniquely yours will be erected…"

'Mm… Only legendary World Wills like those of the World of Gods and Magus World can imbue a place with spacetime powers…' Leylin naturally knew that World Will of the World of Gods was referred to by the gods as their Overgod. It had incomparable strength, and even set up all of the gods' laws. Its influence spanned across the various worlds that formed the cluster.

However, the World Wills of both the World of Gods and the Magus World had been greatly injured in the Final War, pushing them into a deep sleep as they recovered from the damage. The Overgod had sealed the World of Gods within the crystal sphere, resulting in the current situation.

Celestial Hall

"The Celestial Hall, once ruled by the Overgod, was where all conflicts would end. It was known as the palace of a thousand gods, a place where all the deities would meet and discuss issues with other gods before presenting their case to the Overgod for judgement. The god in question would then be promoted or removed. Under the radiance of the Overgod, the many smaller worlds in the World of Gods had been operating smoothly.

However, the Overgod has now fallen into a slumber now. This place has lost its original purpose and prestige, instead turning into a place for gods to converse."

Umberlee seemed to be reminiscing about the past.

"The gods are now divided into different camps, each taking up laborious schemes and plots as they wildly amass wealth and power. They eye the seat of the Overgod." Her voice grew fainter the more she spoke, and became ever more distant.

The doors of the Celestial Hall seemed to buzz with the hymns of the gods and the law of spacetime. Umberlee motioned like she was unlocking them when she arrived, and they sensed her and opened up.

Holy light radiated out of the Celestial Hall in an instant, shining brightly with the dignity that came with power.

'The World Will of the World of Gods, their Overgod… So it's been sleeping within the Celestial Hall…' Leylin immediately recognised this aura, it was similar to the one he'd experienced back in the Magus World.

It was like the Overgod was the entirety of the World of Gods. Even if he'd only come into contact with the World Will of the Magus World and that too when it was in deep slumber, he couldn't be wrong about this. Leylin seemed to feel an affinity to the World Will, wanting to submit himself to it.

'It really is an overgod, so frightening in spite of being deep asleep. If not for that baptism I experienced in my transmigration, and my essence being that of a Magus, this influence would've been even greater…'

"Pass the doors, and the Celestial Hall will affirm your position as a deity."

Umberlee entered the hall first, and when Leylin went in he felt numerous piercing gazes on his body. The gazes of the divine beings within contained hostility, hatred, curiosity, apathy, and a myriad of other emotions. The gazes of the greater gods in particular could even annihilate someone with legendary might instantly.

However, Leylin was one of them now, and he was only here with his avatar. He had nothing to fear. Thus, he entered the Celestial Hall with extremely light footsteps.

*Boom!* At this instant, a will that that carried the changes of time peered into his soul. If not for him being reborn once into the World of Gods, his identity would have been exposed. Even then, Leylin had to frantically protect his secrets, the A.I. Chip's light flashing continuously in his eyes.

'A final confirmation of my identity, huh? So strong…' Leylin smirked deep down, but he put on an expression of comfort. The Celestial Hall rumbled as a new divine pedestal rose from the ground. Leylin had passed the inspection, confirmed to be native to the World of Gods before he ascended.

Only after the terrifying inspection was over did Leylin look around the Celestial Hall in peace. Powerful energy waves were radiating from the pedestals with golden seats on them, carrying an imprint of origin force. Leylin could tell the identities of each with just a glance.

Greater gods, intermediate gods, lesser gods… Good gods, neutral gods, the wicked and the chaotic… The seats were arranged irregularly, but it was a picturesque sight that seemed to hold some order to it. The greater gods held the seats up front, their pedestals more than tenfold as large as those of the lesser gods. As well, the gods of the same alignment were seated together.

As a mere lesser god, Leylin's pedestal rose up at the back of those with the evil alignment. Umberlee's own seat was a fair distance away, close to those of the chaotic alignment as well. Her strength as an intermediate god radiated out, pushing the seats of lesser gods away from her.

She sent Leylin a message just as he took his seat. "You can see the laws the Overgod set up here. Even the greater gods cannot do anything about it… Also, we usually leave an avatar in this place to make it easy to contact each other."

Leylin nodded in understanding. He shot a casual glance at Tyr and Mystra in the good and neutral camps, their gazes upon him carrying great hostility.

Of course, Leylin wasn't afraid at all. After all, the Overgod itself had set up the laws in this place, and even if an avatar died it was no big deal.

'So the Celestial Hall lost its original purpose once the Overgod entered its slumber, turning into a place for conversation and arguments, huh?' Leylin stroked his chin, as he felt the obvious glances of the gods around him.

Most of the gods in the evil alignment looked at him gleefully, as if they were dying to know what would become of Leylin after facing the wrath of two greater gods. It was basic instinct for them to plot and scheme against each other, and they were giving Leylin some respect by not participating in the battle. It was extremely normal for them to look at him in schadenfreude.

There was a gaze of fear amongst the many that contained mockery, and it was especially familiar to Leylin. He turned to the source of this gaze, finding the avatar of Kurtulmak the Kobold God. His divine radiance seemed rather dim, likely the after-effects of having to move his divine kingdom.

With both of them in the same camp, Kurtulmak was seated close to Leylin. However, his seat was behind Leylin's own, seemingly because his divine rank was lower than his.

Leylin smiled as he met the respectful and fawning gaze of this Kobold God, but deep down he was contemptuous. The Kobold God was now scared of his prowess, but if there was a day that Leylin met his demise, this god would be the first to jump out manically and rip off a huge chunk of flesh from his body.

However, Leylin would never give him this chance. Kurtulmak was destined to live under his shadow his entire life.

With fights banned and only avatars present, the atmosphere in the Celestial Hall was extremely relaxed. There were even many gods conversing in groups at the corners of the hall.

"It is indeed a good place to talk…" Leylin's gaze swept past the gods, and he immediately noticed the centre of the hall. A massive throne was erected in that place, to be used by the leader of the gods. It seemed to unify all the deities, as if it was the core of the world.

Leylin's astuteness told him that a powerful being was currently deep in slumber on that throne. The radiation of laws from the place was evident, similar to what happened in the Magus World. There was a layer of origin force crystals sealed around the throne of the Overgod, forming a mountain of origin force.

'This is… world crystal!' Leylin immediately recognised this crystal. However, it seemed even more useful than in Shar's case, able to protect and not just seal. The throne was sealed within the world crystal, and the Overgod was within, deep in slumber.

World crystals were tens of thousands of times more powerful than origin force, and even the greater gods would not be able to break it apart even if they joined forces. It was this layer of protection that allowed the Overgod to unify the gods, and remain safe up to this day.

'However…' Leylin looked at the seats of the greater gods in front, his face filled with ridicule, 'The World Will obviously sealed itself to protect itself from these greater gods… It seems like it already detected that it was at a disadvantage when it entered its sleep…'

This was a matter of course. Now that the greater gods stood at the apex of the World of Gods, a few would definitely want to take that last step to become the new Overgod. This desire would only be amplified by the World Will's current slumber. The only reasons the Overgod had survived to this day were that the world crystal was protecting it, and the greater gods were being suppressed by each other.

'In fact, the World Wills of the World of Gods and Magus World were the most powerful in the Final War. Looking at the setup here, it seems like the World Wills were either completely in the realm of rank 9 or quite nearby, incomparably close to immortality…'

Even with his divine gaze Leylin could only see a shroud of light within the world crystal, unable to view the original appearance of the Overgod. The laws around the crystal seemed to be greatly beneficial to all deities, so they would leave their avatars here.

It was just like Magi observing the laws in the origin force sea. The affinity the gods had for origin force would increase in the Celestial Hall, making it easier for them to generate more divine force.

Leylin saw several avatars sitting quietly in the area, some even turned to stone. They were apparently in the middle of comprehending some laws, and were possibly only a step away from ranking up.

'I should think of a way to launch a devastating attack on it before the Final War commences…' Leylin looked at the overgod's royal seat, his eyes seemingly filled with reverence. Even greater gods who excelled in prophecies would never discover his true intentions.

'I should probably use the ambitions of these greater gods. It won't be such a bad idea…' Leylin's thoughts were as fast as lightning, and he immediately came up with a plan that was likely to succeed.

The greater gods wanted the throne for themselves, so he could just fan the flames at the side and reap the greatest benefits with minimum effort. Pitting the gods against each other before the Final War was the best way to wear them down.

'No matter how high and mighty you are, when the overgod returns, what will you guys become? One that does not become eternal is just an ant…' Leylin's eyes held a chilly apathy as his gaze swept across the Celestial Hall. When the Final War resumed, how many of these deities would fall?

With just a thought, Leylin's interest was piqued. He left his avatar in the Celestial Hall, shifting most of his attention to his main body in his divine kingdom.

Dark Clouds

With their calculative nature, a god wouldn't easily leave their divine kingdom once it was created. The kingdom served as the best of defences for their true bodies. Even if any avatars they sent out were killed they could be made up for with time, but the death of their main bodies would be a true death.

Naturally, Leylin had learnt of this method as well, stationing his true body in his divine kingdom as he started on the endless task of developing it and his resources.

...

The hubbub over Leylin's ascension died down after a while, but there was still some turbulence in the dark. Pope Tiff of the Giant Serpent Church infiltrated the prime material plane with a group of elite priests, beginning to publicise Leylin's deeds.

Tiff was a legendary priest himself, and the ability of the numerous priests to cast spells up to rank 9 symbolised the power of a true god. With such backing, the Giant Serpent Church developed rapidly in the prime material plane.

It started with the southern seas, as a large number of sailors, pirates, and adventurers began to embrace the new God of massacre. From there it spread to the mainland, unimpeded by the Church of Protection that now recognised Leylin's divinity.

The duty of Helm's church was to strike against false gods and protect the churches of the true ones. Regardless of their indignation, they could only give up their hostility to Leylin. A god's domain and duties imposed great limitations on them, and most times even they themselves couldn't break through those barriers. Violating his own laws would cause Helm's rank to drop, and he could even lose his position and fall.

Of course, the God of Protection not hindering them didn't mean other gods weren't either. Tyr decreed that Leylin was a Lord of Baator, stating that it would be his mission to bring down the evil God of Massacre.

Mystra did the same, and to much greater effect. With the power of the Weave in hand, she had a great amount of influence over wizards that caused the Giant Serpent Church to be unable to obtain any powerful ones. This trend would definitely continue.

Luckily, devil hunters had magical abilities themselves, allowing the church to move along for the time being. If any problem did arise, their clerics could still play the role of magicians. Just like how battles between gods were long and protracted, the secular world was the same.

Under their god's chosen pope, the Giant Serpent Church worked tenaciously to expand in the prime material plane. They fought Mystra and Tyr with wit and courage, the situation likely to remain in a stalemate for a long time unless something big were to happen. On the surface, the prime material plane was gradually calming down.

Numerous gods had ascended over the ages, and the appearance of another lesser god only caused the denizens of the World of Gods to be a little surprised. The influence of his ascension was actually rather limited. As well, the upheaval in the north had greatly attracted everyone's attention.

As the greatest source of faith and souls, the prime material plane had numerous powerful existences eyeing it. Disaster after disaster occurred, and war was never absent from the mainland. Another round of battle had been ushered in after the period of calm.

The war this time was launched by the orc empire. Having spent the winter accumulating resources, they managed to mobilize their troops and materiel as they got ready to rid the world of their nemesis the Silverymoon Alliance.

The Alliance in return rose up in resistance. Headed by Alustriel, they were also actively preparing for war. Tumour had it that they'd even obtained the support of the Old Mage, Elminster.

More importantly, the Goddess of the Weave and the God of Justice had now officially united, Tyr's backing giving Alustriel the foundation to fight the orcs with. A number of aristocrats who had lost their fiefs banded together as well, giving her reinforcements.

Many aristocrats in the north had ended up miserable after the war, being annexed by other nobles. Now, everyone desperately hoped for the Silverymoon Alliance to regain its original territory, taking revenge on the orcs. If Alustriel still couldn't obtain a decisive victory, the Silverymoon Alliance would likely be buried in the pages of history.

Thus, with nobles fighting for land, commoners fighting for vengeance, and Alustriel fighting to restore Silverymoon to its glory, the fog of war shrouded the entire prime material plane. With divine strengths being pit against each other in the north, the incident of Leylin's ascension was further suppressed…

The new Silverymoon was the core of the alliance. With its neat, spacious streets and the magical lights on either side of the road, the place seemed to be just like the one in the past. The old Silverymoon was currently serving as the capital of the or empire. For Alustriel to construct a replica showed her determination.

Unfortunately, the newer city was somewhat smaller and more jammed up due to limiting conditions. Only a few pedestrians were on the street, and the occasional guards and knights could be seen rushing about. Quite a number of shops had closed down, the clouds of war affecting everything.

*Clang! Thud!* In this situations, a team of knights dressed in heavy silver armour with the emblem of the God of Justice were currently sealing the entire streets.

"Holy Knight, Lady Rafiniya! The troops are ready!" A paladin saluted to Rafiniya. It seemed like her rank in the Church of Justice had risen once more.

"Mm," Rafiniya nodded indifferently, looking at the familiar buildings around her and seemingly recalling her past in Silverymoon.

'It really is similar… Such a pity that we can't possibly go back in time…' Rafiniya bitterly lamented in her heart.

Her mission had ended in failure, and only afterwards did she learn that she'd only been bait. While she was out on the surface, a real team of elites had been sent out with Elminster to conduct a secret operation.

The lack of trust had caused Rafiniya to feel angry in the depths of her heart. However, she couldn't do anything about it and it was this arrangement that had allowed her to avoid the deathtrap that was Debanks Island. Elminster's team had suffered heavy casualties, and he himself had died once. The man had managed to resurrect himself with a clone he'd kept prepared, but it was still basically total annihilation.

'The Giant Serpent Church certainly found out about us then. So they treated us like insects and didn't pay any attention to us… Isn't that why we were able to leave?' Rafiniya was filled with bitterness. When had that back she'd been chasing grow so powerful, and yet become so evil and terrifying as to look upon her as an ant whose existence was to be dismissed?

Adding insult to injury, Rafiniya hadn't been punished upon her return, instead actually rising in standing. She knew this wasn't due to any merit on her part, just some consideration for the future.

"What… What's happening?" She bit her lip, feeling an intense emotion corrupting her heart.

If Leylin or Tyr were present, they would notice that she was experiencing an extremely unique change. Leylin had deliberately messed with her before, causing the now legendary paladin to slowly question her own faith as she drifter from her original alignment. A glimmer of dark red power developed in Rafiniya's soul, hiding this from Tyr.

"Justice, and faith. My Lord… please forgive my lack of conviction, I will persevere on my path in the future!" She finally stabilised her soul after a long period of struggle, "Announce it to every businessman and shop owner. Do it perfectly, these are orders from the church!"

Several paladins took her orders, rudely knocking on tightly shut doors to display notices stamped with Silverymoon's crest to every shop owner. The faces of the merchants turned pale, sweat covering their fat and greasy foreheads.

"The Queen of Silverymoon has ordered thus— For the sake of life and war preparations of the citizens, all stores are to continue operating as per usual. Prices shall not exceed twice their original value, and an overseeing group under the Holy Knight has been formed. This order was issued on…"

The paladins smacked the store owners' faces with the notices, ignoring any entreaties as they continued their operations. They held no favour for these greedy merchants, seeing them as synonymous with greed and evil.

These men hoarded supplies in the lead up to war, dropping supply in the market and profiting from their actions. Basically every merchant had blood on his hands, and if the alignments of those here were to be tested likely more than half of them would face immediate death. To tolerate their existence and a doubling of the price was already great grace!

Because of all this the paladins could be said to be behaving roughly, the disgust evident in their eyes. Numerous anguished wails sounded out in New Silverymoon.

Neon

On a platform within the city hall of New Silverymoon, Alustriel was dressed in a beautiful cloak and a small crown as she leaned against the railings of a balcony overseeing the bustling city. There was a bitter smile on her face.

"Do you hear it, Your Highness? Do you hear the city mourning?" A scholarly old man adjusted his spectacles beside her.

"I hear it… But apart from this, what other ways do we have?" Alustriel turned around and the bitter smile on her face vanished, now replaced by a solid determination. "Our people fear the ferocity of the orcs, and my backers have been unable to gain the protection of the northern kingdoms. We even have to take on their troubles instead, those merchants want to sell at ten times the cost in this kind of time! Heavens… I even pawned the jewels of my crown for such a low price, what more do they want?"

Alustriel sounded exasperated the more she went on. Although she had the support of two greater gods in Tyr and Mystra, Tyr's church had never been a wealthy one. Besides, Mystra had to cater to the rest of the world as well, so her support was limited. Even if she managed to latch onto the church, the Silverymoon Alliance was facing the assault of the orcs. Having lost everything, even with the help of the northern lords she wouldn't be able to afford the resources of this war.

From the beginning, the war had been one between Mystra and the orcs. However, the Goddess of the Weave wasn't particularly either, and without enough krona mercenaries and adventurers wouldn't take the risk to participate. They couldn't even equip or feed their own soldiers!

In a sort of silver lining, some 'generous' people had been moved and were willing to donate their money, items, and even food for the war. Still, Alustriel's heart only felt a chill when faced with the sheer enormity of her foes.

The old scholar hesitated before speaking his mind, "But Your Highness… If you behave like this, won't you offend the Goddess of Wealth? The church of Lady Waukeen supports the merchants…"

"I am left with no other choice…" Alustriel waved her hands in exasperation. "Waukeen is a goddess who stands in neutrality. Besides, rumour has it that she conducts some business within the orc empire, so we cannot rely on her help…

"Furthermore…" Alustriel blinked her eyes, "The ones executing the operations are the paladins of Tyr's church. We should be rest assured of how they conduct their business, shouldn't we? They wouldn't treat a good person unfairly…"

'But… They will also never let any bad people go, yet the merchants are filled with such people…' The old scholar sighed, yet he did not dare speak his mind this time.

As Alustriel's right hand man and her consultant, after such a long period of time working together he had understood some things perfectly. While Alustriel seemed to have matured after the annihilation of the previous kingdom, her original naivete was still very much there.

"Sage Elminster has already arrived here. I hear he's come with a good plan…" The scholar looked through his records and reported to Alustriel.

"That old pervert?" Alustriel said in disdain.

The scholar's face turned beet red in embarrassment, but he corrected his facial expression and reminded Alustriel, "Please refrain from such words, Your Highness! You must watch your image and conduct yourself appropriately in a public place. Moreover… He is your foster father!"

"Alright alright, help me send him away on my behalf… Tell him I'm not around!" Alustriel waved her hands, and immediately opened a portal and stepped into it, leaving the old scholar smiling wryly…

...

As this unwelcomed guest of Alustriel's came, the conversation between Alustriel and the old scholar had ended abruptly.

However, they'd missed one point. Despite how they'd planned some actions, the ones executing them would change it completely.

Although Alustriel had told Rafiniya to have a certain tolerance for the merchants backed by the Goddess of Wealth, who were the paladins? If their thick heads made of granite would know how to adapt then there was something seriously wrong here!

One of the paladins searched the warehouse of a priest belonging to the Goddess of Wealth, acting out of order to cast an appraisal spell. He discovered traces of evil, and once the clues led to the capture of a devil everything grew irreversible.

As a torrential wave of 'justice' swept past New Silverymoon, the ones who suffered the most were the merchants under the Goddess of Wealth. In order to obtain higher profits and margins, these unscrupulous merchants had been willing to do anything, including bartering with the devils. There was no better way for the paladins to deal with them, and with Alustriel's authority they began to cleanse the city.

In the process the paladins had captured several merchants that had connections with the devils, sending them to be burnt at the stake. There were even more found guilty of corruption.

Very soon, the citizens of New Silverymoon were greeted by a different sight. Most of the shops had reopened, and the shopkeepers had bright and friendly smiles on their faces as they treated every customer with respect. They were afraid of complaints or criticism, something that would cause the paladins to come looking for them once more.

Deep down, these merchants who had suffered heavy losses cursed the paladins, especially Rafiniya who was at their head. The commoners went to sleep early at dusk, but even more schemes were happening in the dark.

The priests of wealth seemed unaffected by all this, and with the Goddess Waukeen backing them, they did have the right to feel that way. As long as Alustriel had an iota of intelligence she would repay them for their losses. If not, they could immediately seek the orcs and support them with materiel.

The ones who'd suffered the greatest losses were those merchants who peddled on the small and medium scales. The violent purge had put them on the verge of bankruptcy, and the unlucky ones without any backing suffered great losses. Some of them had been gobbled up by larger merchant groups…

A dim oil lantern flickered in the room, reflecting the pale faces of the leaders of the Neon merchant group.

"Someone say something! What's wrong? I specifically rushed here for this meeting today!" A loud voice sounded. It came from a lady sat at the middle, a ravishing woman in her twenties seated on a leopard pelt.

The leaders' bodies shuddered, and they did not dare to lift their eyes to meet her gaze. It was as if a threatening beast or poisonous centipede was in front of them. A leader gritted his teeth before speaking, "Those paladins want us to keep to the same prices as before. We already lost about 1500 gold from the frenzied buying, and the losses will only rise…"

This loss was extremely alarming for a medium-sized merchant group like theirs. "Moreover… Once the paladins discover out dealings in the dark…" Another leader's teeth clattered, before he collapsed to the ground, "Big Miss… We beg of you to let us leave first…"

"Dream on! Do you think you can still run away? Once our deals are discovered we won't be able to escape those paladins at all. It might even bring your families to harm…" The harsh truth was spoken in an icy tone, condemning these people to damnation.

"Relax, it's not like I don't have my own preparations. The family dispatched its elites, and as long as you hide well and take the chance to send the next batch of goods you'll be able to leave. If we succeed, the profits will be large enough for you to buy a huge villa in the south, and even marry the daughter of a noble. Who knows, you might be able to start a noble family of your own after a few generations…"

With such guarantees and temptations, the leaders' faces grew better as the look of suffering went away. However, a shadow appeared on the lady's face when they'd left.

After waiting a while and confirming that nobody had remained, she went to the corner of the warehouse and fumbled around for a hidden mechanism. A wall opened in the corner to reveal an underground passage, and she took up an oil lantern and walked into a narrow basement.

There wasn't much stored in the basement, and in fact there was steam rising from the ground that caused the lady's clothes to grow damp. There was a spell formation at the centre, shining with mysterious light.

Inserting two powerful energy crystals into the spell nodes, the woman took out a silver mirror and placed it in the middle of the spell formation.

*Tss!* Light flashed, and a middle-aged man dressed in silver robes appeared in the mirror.

"Anya!" the white-haired man began, "How's the situation there?"

"Thanks to the Lord, our deals haven't been discovered yet. We only incurred some superficial losses…" Anya frowned, "I've put the leaders at ease, so we won't be discovered for the time being. However, there isn't much time left, Father!"

"This situation is far worse than we had imagined…" The middle aged man's face turned dark, "Blake isn't giving us any more updates, he's likely met with mishap. He had a lot of information on hand, and we could be exposed at any time. The God of Justice and the Goddess of the Weave definitely won't let us go if we're found out…"

"The orcs can't be trusted, nor can the Blackblood Tribe… Are we going to become a common enemy?" The resolute front that the lady had put on was broken. She almost crumbled to the floor, her face filled with despair.

Decree

"Don't despair, Anya," the middle-aged man put on a fierce expression, "The prime material plane is vast, we can definitely find a way out… It's not just Silverymoon and the orcs here…"

"I've already made some contact with some other channels, we can discuss the details later. The shadow mirror seems to be waning… Your only mission is to stabilise the situation, it concerns the life and death of our family…" The image grew blurry as time went on, the voice getting cut up.

Just this short period of communication required a spell formation and several expensive energy crystals. Anya could only smile bitterly and shake her head.

"Other channels… Is Father prepared to seek out other factions? But the ones who would accept us at this time… Are they demons or devils?" Anya smiled sardonically, "Forget it… As long as we can live, I wouldn't mind help from the Abyss itself…"

The actions of the Neon Merchant Group had reached their crescendo. Anya dreaded the thought of the consequences of them being outed now. She rubbed her temples as determination flooded her face once more, before she lifted her dress and walked away.

As she was moving out, she sent out a silent prayer from her heart, 'Any god out there, please, protect me and my family. I'm willing to give you my faith, my life, and even my soul after this passes…'

...

"Neon Merchant Group? A prayer for our help?" Tiff rubbed the glasses that gave him a scholarly appearance. "What do you think, Moena?"

"They're a medium-sized merchant group in the north, mainly trading in leather and medicine. Their current leader is Fagus Bane. We performed some investigation after receiving their prayer, and they're not as simple as they seem on the surface. Not only are their relations in the north complicated, they seem to be in contact with the orc empire," A high-ranked priestess said from the side.

"So that's how it is…" Tiff suddenly laughed. "That is to say, they're currently in a dangerous situation and if their secret is revealed they'd be exterminated by Tyr and Mystra? There aren't many influences willing to protect them and incur the wrath of those two… Just nice, since we're one of them!"

'They'll be helpful when we're trying to expand in the north…' Light flashed in Tiff's eyes, 'We need more detailed information.'

Tiff still hadn't been enticed by what he was shown. He needed more information, to be able to weigh the pros and cons to come up with the correct decision. This attitude was also why Leylin chose him to be pope.

"You can leave for now." Tiff waved his hands, sending the priestess away. He soon followed her out.

The entire church was filled with a festive atmosphere at this moment, numerous priests busy as they rushed about to arrange for a great amount of food and drink.

"Everyone, continue the hard work for the Lord's birthday." A few officers were urging everyone on, sweat beading on their foreheads.

Tiff was deeply moved by this scene. 'Has it already been a year since the Lord ascended, detaching himself from his past to sit on his throne? The Neon Merchant Group will make a good present for it, he'll definitely be pleased…'

Year 27945, Calendar of the Gods. The Giant Serpent Church celebrated the passage of one year since the birth of their god.

Even adding his mortal life Leylin was currently only 300 years old, quite young. However, such things as age held no significance for the gods. Still, Leylin made time to descend for the sake of his worshippers, performing a miracle that caused many of them to be moved to tears.

The holy mountain within Leylin's divine kingdom was piled up with jade, bright light pouring out of the huge church to penetrate the first three Hells. The light dispersed suffering and evil, bringing about hope and beauty.

Leylin's true body was sat down on his throne within the church, heavily protected by guards and enchantments as his body radiated immortal light. The theatrics done, he was turning to a report from Tiff.

An endless stream of prayers came to Leylin every day, originating from his divine kingdom, the prime material plane, and even devils from the depths of Baator. Tens of millions of prayers were received, and Leylin responded in accordance to the importance of each.

Even though gods had powerful minds, they still weren't capable of dealing with such hard work. Many gods assigned the task of responding to prayers to a few demigods or lesser gods, helping reduce their workload.

Leylin had just established his divine kingdom, and he didn't have as many capable and trustworthy subordinates. Instead, he'd had the A.I. Chip handle a huge portion of this task. With all the upgrades it had received over time, it was better than him at such mechanical task.

[Beep! Pope Tiff's prayers have been found, beginning transfer…] Tiff's report came in the form of a prayer. The man was extremely pious, and given that he was after all the pope of the Giant Serpent Church his thread of faith was thick and dazzling. He was given great importance in the A.I. Chip's programs, allowed to speak directly to his god.

A great amount of images and information entered Leylin's eyes in an instant, detailing the Neon Merchant Group, Fagus, and Anya… Almost instantly he completely understood Tiff's prayers.

'The Neon Merchant Group, in the north…' Leylin stroked his chin… He himself had much wider and more detailed channels of information passing Tiff's own, and it took but a thought for him to gather more intelligence. 'They're sending firearms to the orc empire, and their main channel of trade is with the Blackblood Tribe of the Moonwood?

'On top of that, they have a batch of important goods sealed within New Silverymoon right now. If they're discovered they'll be tried for treason, the profanity causing the entire group to be destroyed…'

'Blackblood Tribe… Malar!' Leylin laughed.

The Lesser God of the Hunt had joined hands with the orcs once before. However, Mystra and Tyr had supposedly taught him a ruthless lesson, taming him after an attack on his avatar.

Unfortunately this didn't cause the slightest of changes to his nature. It seemed like Malar was colluding with the orcs once more…

Within the prime material plane, the Giant Serpent Church was a sea of celebration. There was unlimited food and drink, and for many worshippers it served as an opportunity to gain trust and make a favourable impression.

Churches that provided the material comforts and positivity would always be far more popular than the churches of evil. Even if Leylin was a true God of Massacre, he was actually gaining faith unlike Cyric who just liked to scheme, plot, and conduct sacrifices.

At the core of the church, Tiff was currently praying to a statue of Leylin. He'd reported on the Neon Merchant Group, his Lord being aware of everything even more thoroughly than him by the time he was done.

A golden light descended upon the statue, and Leylin's imposing voice sounded out, "Tiff…"

"My Lord!" Tiff was the pope of the Giant Serpent Church, and his prayers were treated with great priority with them still being developing. It was quite common for the Lord to descend for important affairs, and this was just a conscient. He wasn't in the slightest bit surprised.

Of course, this was still the conscient of a true god. Even he didn't dare be negligent as he saluted in accordance with teaching.

"Kukulkan, my Lord… You are like the stars in heaven, wielding the power of massacres, the Ruler of Devils…"

"The prime material plane has been developing well, and the celebrations went well.." The dignity of a deity was transmitted with this thought.

"The glory is mine, and the land belongs to you." Tiff's eyes couldn't help but shine when he heard this, but he still didn't dare to reveal a trace of carelessness…

The birthday celebrations left a deep impact on Leylin's worshippers. However, they only knew to enjoy the shelter and glory of their Lord, not realizing that a team of high-ranked devil hunters had secretly left the headquarters to head north. They weren't just going to assist the Neon Merchant Group…

...

The North.

Numerous horses neighed as a caravan with completely covered carriages slowly left New Silverymoon.

'We're finally out…' It was only after they moved their path until New Silverymoon's outline disappeared that Anya loosened up and relaxed.

At the same time, she almost felt depressed enough to puke blood. She'd paid a lot for this permit to live, transferring all the profits of her merchant group and even having to pretend to compromise with those paladins that had rocks for brains. It had caused her to be neurotic for a long time.

'Whatever… As long as we can take care of these things, everything will be worth it.' Anya looked at the fleet behind her, nodding towards the person in charge.

He immediately shouted with understanding, "Everyone, work harder! As long as we reach Donnie before dark, Big Miss will give us a huge reward. We've also prepared fragrant barbecue and bread, along with warm beds and hot water…"

Leaving The City

The promised rewards of dinner and good accommodations were enough to cause the caravan servants to exert all their strength. Their eyes reddened with the exertion as the caravan sped up once more to the tune of numerous shouts.

"Faster! Hurry up…" The anxiety that she couldn't display on her face made Anya recall the most dangerous deal she'd made— when she'd entered the endless wilderness to negotiate with those stinking orcs.

'The crisis this time far exceeds our transaction with that tribe…' Anya's face was unchanging as she faced those orcs, but this time she was really starting to get nervous. After all, if her actions this time were discovered her entire clan would land in deep straits! Unrest and fear had tortured her so much these past few days that there were now more wrinkles above her eyebrows.

The front of the caravan suddenly stopped, causing a great disturbance behind it as some carriages were toppled directly. The scene caused Anya to be filled with anger.

"Whats happening? Why did you stop?" She called out to her personal servant, holding back the urge to use her horsewhip. "Head to the front and check what's happening!"

However, before the maid even went out, a servant dressed in military clothing rushed over with a face full of sweat.

"Miss, it's the paladins! There's a whole team of them blocking the path!"

"Those damned official dogs…" A few servants grumbled in a low voice. In their point of view, the paladins had taken most of the profits from the Bane Family, leaving them with little of the profit. Even when they risked leaving New Silverymoon in the middle of the war they still chased after the caravan. Those paladins really were extremely hateful!

However, the news only brought terror to Anya when she heard it.

'Did they find out?' She felt her heart fall, feeling a chill like she had been dropped into an icy cave. Sadly, her subordinates were here. Anya had no choice but to put on a bold front and hurry forward.

She soon saw a team of paladins dressed in silvery armour standing ahead of the caravan, dazzling emblems of the God of Justice on their chests. The determination radiating from their eyes caused her unrest to intensify to the limit.

"Captain Elric…" she said as she stepped forward, barely forcing a smile as she found a familiar face among the paladins. "The Neon Merchant Group has always abided by the law. We even sold 80% of our goods in New Silverymoon, and you granted us the clearance to leave…"

Anya was speaking in a thick nasal voice, the trace of coquettishness in her tone a habit learned from her line of work. It was unfortunate that this approach had no effect on the paladins, and Captain Elric's eyes were instead filled with disgust.

However, he didn't say anything. He stood down respectfully, giving way to a female paladin standing behind.

'The Holy Knight!' The moment she recognised Rafiniya Anya felt despair well up in her heart, as if the bones had been pulled out of her body.

"Looking at you, I knew there wasn't an error with our intelligence! Sinner Anya, are you still unwilling to admit your sins?" At the legendary realm, even simple questions from Rafiniya were terrifying. The power behind them pierced through to Anya's heart, the horror almost causing her to collapse and confess.

"It was all arranged by the captain. Do you think I'd abandon a paladin's honour just for your worthless dirty tricks?" Elric pridefully raised his head while, disdain filled his eyes. "Exterminating you within the city would be too conspicuous… However, it is different here. Surrender obediently, and you shall receive a fair trial. We never let villains go, but at the same time we won't treat any good person unjustly."

Elric was naturally confident in his team. They were composed of multiple high-ranked paladins, and their leader was the legendary Holy Knight! They could clear away all evil!

"In the name of Her Majesty, I request to search the caravan!" Rafiniya declared loudly. With Rafiniya and the paladins representing both Tyr and Alustriel, a majority of the people in the caravan started wavering. Many of them had been kept in the dark, and even the expensive mercenaries seldom knew the truth.

Standing against the Silverymoon Alliance and a greater god's church, Anya was skeptical of who would be willing to stand along her regardless of how much she she offered.

"Captain Rafiniya, you have always been my idol… I believe in your personal integrity, but I am sure that there is some sort of misunderstanding…" Anya dismounted and gave Rafiniya a ladies greeting. Afterwards, she walked to an overturned carriage and tore the tightly wrapped oilcloth off.

"Please take a look… These are all common leather and majority are empty boxes…" Anya tried to show Rafiniya her transported goods. "Everything here is approved goods, there's no contraband."

"Your little tricks are nothing in the face of justice. Stop showing them off, it just seems ridiculous…" Rafiniya replied with a cold face, flipping over some of the leather.

*Clank!* The scabbard on her waist released a crisp buzzing sound, and a ray of dazzling bright light dre a beautiful arc mid-air.

*Kacha!* The axle of the carriage was broken, and the wood cracked apart. The horses ran away in fright, whining as they'd been broken out of their shackles. Their escape caused dirt to stain Anya's beautiful skirt, but she didn't seem to mind in the slightest.

Only one thought was cycling through Anya's mind right now… They'd found out!

*Crash!* Splintered wood flew into the sky, revealing a layer of storage between the carriage's storage and its bottom. A few pieces of dark red crystals emitting a bloody glow fell out. Even the merchants standing far away could smell the stench of blood.

"A blood sacrifice… For the blood essence to be this pure, just how many souls would it take?" Rafiniya's hand trembled as she held onto the hilt, "You bear to sacrifice your own kind for those murderous evil gods?

"Your sins have been determined. The entire Neon Merchant Group and the Bane Family shall be punished for your sins!" Rafiniya announced loudly.

The paladins behind her unsheathed their longswords at the same time, their eyes filled with disgust and determination. The terrifying atmosphere caused those who hadn't been aware to collapse suddenly.

"Dear Lord… This has nothing to do with me, I'm only a hired stable boy! Please forgive me… forgive me…" The legs of the coachman who was wearing a straw hat and coarse linen clothes gave way, and he directly fell to his knees with his whip still in hand.

Others reacted similarly. With both the monarchy and the theocracy against them, not many were courageous enough to fight back.

"Retreat!" The mercenaries employed by the caravans were more quick-witted than ordinary people. Sensing a bad situation, their leader immediately shouted as he fiercely whipped his horse. They intended to fall back.

The mercenary leader obviously knew the severity of this incident. Even if he was unaware of it and was innocent, the church would rather kill the victims than let a sinner go. He wouldn't be able to prove his innocence! And with high-ranked paladins on the opposing side, there was no way for them to win the fight. Fleeing was the only choice.

"A vain attempt to escape punishment? Fools!" Rafiniya evaluated indifferently.

Even without her acting personally two of the paladins beside her rushed out. Summoning light flickered as several celestial horses emerged, the devoted comrades of pure paladins.

With the paladins being so strong, how could mercenaries on ordinary warhorses escape?

"Wait… I can testify… I didn't…" The mercenary leader did not manage to escape far before he was caught. His face was in despair, and he went out screaming. Unfortunately, the cold-looking paladin did not utter any superfluous words and directly pierced his heart with a longsword.

Numerous paladins riding on their celestial horses surrounded the caravan, and sealed off all possible escape routes. Everyone was left trembling on their knees.

"Sinners! How much harm is done to the world because of your greed and evil?" Looking at Anya's pretty face, Rafiniya's flushed red with anger. "A source of evil like you, should not exist in this world… In the name of Justice, I shall judge you!"

Milky white light condensed on Rafiniya's longsword, and Anya sent a meaningful glance to a trusted aide that was preparing to dash forward.

"These servants are innocent and unaware, please bestow them mercy and forgiveness…." She said at the end.

"Cunning evil sinner, are you still trying to display your hypocritical kindness?" A callous murderous spirit could be seen within Rafiniya's eyes.

Letting Go

The world rumbled as a purifying sword of light crashed down, but it futilely swept through the air.

'Hmm? Someone who could penetrate my ability to lock spacetime… Is that a legendary wizard or sorcerer?" Rafiniya turned very serious, looking at the uninvited guest.

"Priestess of the God of Massacre, Barbara, greets the Lady of Hope. This person is a follower of our master, so please hold back…" A native maiden wearing the robes of a priest appeared in front of Rafiniya, the holy light from a legendary priest exceptionally obvious as it emanated from her.

Beside her was a devil hunter with thick chains wound around his arms. The man with a dark aura had already caught Anya's arm; he was the one who'd saved her from Rafiniya.

"You… you're from the Giant Serpent Church…" Anya immediately realised the identity of the person who had saved her, a look of hope rising on her face.

"A person who makes use of the evil power of devils…" Rafiniya gazed at the devil hunter next to Barbara. He had numerous little plaits in his hair, and his tan, yellowish skin identified him as a native.

More important was that she couldn't ascertain the strength of his aura. It seemed like she was actually looking at hell when she looked at him!

'A legend! A legendary devil hunter!' Rafiniya realised the identity of this person in an instant. Only someone of such strength could cause her to feel such fear.

Legendary strength, especially with devil hunters, was a qualitative increase in power. Devil hunters needed to seal legendary devils to reach that level of power! This person had legendary power himself, and on top of that he was supplemented by equivalent magic ability! Just having ascended he was equivalent to centuries-old high-ranked legendaries!

Such devil hunters were new to Leylin's armies, having appeared after he took over three of the Nine Hells. Leylin had grabbed a bunch of devils who'd opposed him, using them to have a large number of devil hunters on the verge advance. The only issue was that there were few devil hunters qualified to reach such strength right now.

The person in Rafiniya's way now was someone with such strength, and he was accompanied by a legendary priestess.

"Giant Serpent Church… Do you wish to help evil and go against justice?" Rafiniya looked serious as holy silver light appeared on the surface of her armour. She made a few secret hand signs to the paladins behind her.

"Don't even try to contact New Silverymoon… Did you think we wouldn't prepare for that?" Barbara spoke the language used in the mainland in a very articulate manner. Knowledge of all languages was an essential ability for priests.

"I've already altered the space here. Forget signals for help, even the power of faith will be slowed down…" The paladins' expressions quickly changed, as if to accentuate her words. One of them pulled Rafiniya aside, whispering something to her that caused this legendary paladin to turn grim.

Hellfire! Claws of Confinement!

Large numbers of dark figures emerged from the surrounding forest, terrifying devil spells being launched from them. Even the celestial horses didn't dare to touch the blazing hellfire, and the paladins who'd originally had the upper hand were now constantly being forced away.

"So many high-ranked professionals!" Rafiniya's expression was very dark as she brought up a great screen of light that prevented many devil hunters from attacking.

She knew full well that the only reason she could persist to this point was that the other party didn't want to take things too far. If not for that, she wouldn't last long against that legendary devil hunter.

"Are you declaring war on our church?" Rafiniya questioned loudly.

"Hehe… An accusation like that is rather terrifying…" Barbara sneered, not the least bit afraid.

"Rafiniya… I remember you!" The priestess suddenly gazed at Rafiniya's face, "You were the knight who once followed our master in the north. While his sacred and holy being has cut off all connections with his mortal self, you did serve him at one point. For that reason, you may leave…"

"Hmm?" Barbara's words surprised Rafiniya greatly, especially when she mentioned letting them off.

"Damn it… are you insulting us?" A young blonde paladin's face flushed red, and his neck seemed to bulge as he grabbed the hilt of his sword in preparations for a charge.

"Wait!" Rafiniya easily knocked this young and impulsive kid unconscious, and had an older paladin nearby grab him.

"This was a mistake in my plans. There's no need for more pointless casualties… I brought you out of the city, and I shall bring you back." Rafiniya took a deep breath, "Let us go!"

Even the most zealous of paladins had learnt to compromise. That was a price Tyr had to learn to pay in the mortal world.

"I won't see you off!" Barbara saluted her with a gentle smile, while the devil hunter nearby sneered.

...

"Why didn't you keep them here?" Anya half-reclined on the devil hunter as the paladins left, her eyes on their backs.

The devil hunter completely disregarded Anya's flattering behaviour, causing her expression to stiffen and become awkward.

"We could take them out with our strength, but it would have caused immense casualties." Barbara answered in his stead, saving the situation.

"You're being too presumptuous, Anya!" a stern voice sounded, causing Anya to turn back in surprise.

She saw a white-haired middle-aged man slowly emerge from the shadows, bowing towards Barbara and the legendary devil hunter, "My lords, please forgive my daughter for her ignorance…"

"Father… why are you here?" Anya asked, stunned. This was her father, the master of the Bane Family and manager of the Neon Merchant Group.

"Isn't it all to take care of this mess? Quick, apologise to the two lords!" Fagus glared at his daughter. These were two legendaries, who had a true god church backing them!

He understood very well how terrifying such strength could be. Much more importantly, if the Giant Serpent Church were to be offended, the Bane Family would probably have no place to go in the north or even the entire prime material plane.

"Our Bane Family and the Neon Merchant Group have completely sworn loyalty to the Giant Serpent Church. From hereon, they are our benefactor…" Fagus reminded Anya.

"My apologies, my lords… I… I…" A blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Forget it! Even our master would forgive the mistakes committed by the youth…" Barbara laughed as she waved her hands, "Besides… the reason I did not keep them here is not primarily because she and the master are acquaintances. She is a legendary being after all, and the God of Justice will surely pay much attention to her. Since we've tampered with this space, there's a rather large chance of Silverymoon and the God of Justice's Church finding out the moment a battle breaks out… The other side has already gathered Elminster and a huge batch of high-ranked legendaries. With our current strength, we still can't go head to head with them…"

"That's why we need to leave as quickly as possible!" The devil hunter in command, The devil hunter commander, who had looked expressionless all this time, now spoke up.

"We shall do as the lords suggest." Fagus smiled flatteringly, as if fawning on them. It caused Anya to feel resentful and relieved at the same time. At the very least, the serious responsibilities had been taken over by the Giant Serpent Church and wouldn't be her problem anymore.

"What are you still standing there in a daze for? Pack up, we leave immediately!" Fagus yelled at the servants who had yet to move. Only now did they comprehend what had gone on, a look of disbelief in their eyes as they watched their master.

The events today were too damaging to their mental states. First was the paladins, and just when they thought they were in a pinch that was impossible to escape from their master had brought an even more powerful group that sent the paladins running. The Neon Merchant Group was only a middling business!

In that moment, they began to revere their master. The servants moved quickly, thankfully packing up all the fallen items. Fagus moved forward, taking all the blood essence made of flesh and soul and giving it to the devil hunters.

"The blood essence here is very pure, and its characteristics make it incompatible with spatial items. If it isn't stored in dimensional pouches or other such storage items, it will soon lose its effects. It needs to be stored using blood-traced wood… If not for all that we wouldn't have such problems…" Fagus sighed as he spoke.

"Mm. Let's go!" After everything was collected, Barbara turned to leave, with the father-daughter pair of Fagus and Anya close behind.

The rest of the merchants followed the original route and hastened towards the next town. Whatever it was, they now had no taboo items on them, and would no longer be afraid of any checks.

In the eyes of Fagus and other higher-ups, they had to make the best of the situation. As long as the other merchants could take the attention off them even slightly, that would be good. What happened to all these people was not their problem.

...

Currently, within Leylin's divine kingdom in Baator, the God of Massacre saw an avatar of Umberlee once more. The Goddess of the Ocean had an even denser aura than before, evidently growing more imposing after consuming the divinity of the Sharkmen.

Negotiations

"You want to attack Malar?" Umberlee's gaze showed that she was pondering the idea, "We're of the same alignment…"

"But not of the same alliance," Leylin countered quickly, "The two of us work in the same domain, we'll never see eye to eye. He sent his avatar to attack me during my ascension…"

"Hehe…" The Goddess of the Ocean smiled, radiating a crazed aura. She'd always been temperamental, "Good! Since I owe you one, I'll help you."

"No, I think you misunderstand me. I don't want you to help me based on the contract. I just hope that, as my ally, you can stall the orc gods in my stead…"

"The orcs?" Umberlee now felt like it was impossible to make sense of this new god.

"Mm! The enemy of an enemy, after all. Don't you feel like I'm a better ally than Malar?" Leylin blinked.

"Haha… Interesting! How interesting…" Umberlee burst into laughter, the terrifying phantom waves sweeping behind her in the dark showing her power. The blue waves formed a passageway, and Leylin and Umberlee slowly faded away.

...

In the north, within a hidden underground room.

Numerous distorted runes were carved into every corner of the wall. If one took a close look, they could sense the power of blasphemous incantations on it. It was here that Fagus and Anya Bane sat together, discussing matters at ease.

"Father… I just don't understand what we're doing. We might be asking them for help, but we're letting them handle everything that has to do with our family…" Anya's face was slightly flushed. She'd watched her father hand over the business and the secret connections that she herself had laboured over for years, and she could not help but feel her heart bleeding.

In her mind, all of that belonged to her! Now, the Giant Serpent Church and taken everything away without any effort. WIth just one thought, they could easily destroy the Neon Merchant Group and the Bane Family!

"You need to see the facts, Anya. The church would only help us after we handed everything over…" Fagus seemed calm, something glimmering in his eyes, "Besides… attempting to hoodwink a true god's church is an extremely foolish idea. We aren't one of the huge business groups, we don't have the right to be so haughty…"

Fagus' experiences had let him know the terror of a true god's church. Gods never died of age, and very few deities had been killed in the World of Gods, basically not one in thousands of years.

This let the churches live comfortably in the prime material plane. Even if they were exterminated, they could still make a comeback. Compared to the Giant Serpent Church, the Neon Merchant Group was just an ant.

Fagus found his daughter's worries hilarious. The Giant Serpent Church needed his channels and connections in the north, but the wealth gathered by the Bane Family? It probably couldn't even measure up to a palace in the divine kingdom, right?

Besides, the Neon Merchant Group wasn't powerful, they were the party asking for help. Who would dare bargain with the Giant Serpent Church?

"I'm sorry, Father… I was too rash…" Anya now seemed to realise her mistakes. She had acted too conspicuously in front of her father, and ducked her head in shame.

"Mm… it's best if you understand this…" Fagus looked at his most outstanding daughter, feeling that he still needed to guide her along.

The World of Gods was mostly a patriarchy, and the girl child could not compare. However, Anya had just been far too outstanding. If she could find a husband within the family and remain, it would be very helpful for the development of their business.

Fagus hence began to speak, his voice low, "A newly ascended god has vast future prospects. Those who follow a church during its birth will naturally gain great benefits at the end. Look at the top businesses of the mainland, which one of them isn't backed by a true god? It all comes down to the merits they gained when the church was established…"

'Father seems to think highly of this god,' Anya thought. But then she laughed at herself in mockery; which true god wasn't worth the Neon Merchant Group investing their everything?

"The God of Massacre… What kind of god is this Kukulkan?" Anya muttered under her breath, a trace of admiration in her voice. She still revered and worshipped the highest existences of the the World of Gods.

"Be careful with what you say! Even with the protection of the demonic words you shouldn't utter a true god's name without caution. They'll sense it unless you're in a divine kingdom or near other gods…" Fagus immediately looked solemn.

"I understand. My apologies…" Anya covered her red lips as she looked around her, as if afraid that the God of Massacre would suddenly jump out.

"Hehe… A mighty existence like that has millions of tasks to settle everyday. There's a very slim chance of you being noticed… as long as you don't have the worst luck…" Fagus saw how his daughter was acting, and it drew a rare chuckle from him. He finally relaxed, not having noticed the sly look within Anya's eyes.

"I actually do know a little about this existence…" Fagus told Anya, "Do you remember the youngest legendary wizard in the world?"

"Of course!" Anya nodded, "I know all about his achievements… There's also the wealth of the Faulen Family, and the great business opportunity in the southern seas being such hot news. I remembered it all died down suddenly…"

There were too many figurative halos on Leylin's head. Up till this point, he was still the idol and ideal lover of many noble ladies who did not know the inside details.

"He's the current master of the Giant Serpent Church. Leylin Faulen is the God of Massacre!" Fagus stated coldly.

"What?" Anya was now truly shocked.

"He seems to have abandoned his old name when he advanced, coming up with a new one. While this isn't common, it has happened before… The other churches, especially those of the God of Justice and the Goddess of the Weave have sealed up all information regarding him for some reason. That's why many on the continent still can't associate the two…" Fagus chuckled as he revealed an open secret.

"This… this… what great aptitude. Without the remnants from gods of previous generations, he became a god…" Anya now had no schemes in her mind. She felt ridiculously base compared to Leylin.

"The native empire on Debanks Island became a part of the mighty god's divine kingdom, which is why the southern sea fell in trade. It impacted quite a few coastal kingdoms…" Fagus narrated. Even though he was giving her a rough idea, Anya was already shaken to the core.

"The reason I'm telling you all this is to inform you that an existence so mighty and with such talent definitely will have a farsighted goal. Hence, don't try anything and serve him with sincerity. Only then will you gain approval from him!" Fagus finished off.

"Is that why Father handed over all control?" Anya looked like she had understood something.

"Mm. I will also send a few of your younger brothers to the church to study priesthood and learn the ways of the devil hunters…" With a hasty understanding of Leylin's rise, Fagus completely gave up any other thoughts. He knew that any being who could ascend themselves in such a cruel environment was extremely terrifying.

Not only was he more powerful than the others, but his shrewdness was also impeccable! Trying anything with an existence like this was akin to seeking death! Hence, he decided to swear his loyalty. The decision to send hostages basically meant putting everything on the Giant Serpent Church.

Even if their plans failed, the Giant Serpent Church would remain completely safe. At most, they would lose a few external powers. However, the Bane Family would be wiped out completely. On the other hand, the profits coming from success would definitely surpass Fagus' own imagination!

"What should I do, Father" Anya looked at her father, feeling that she still had much to learn. This was especially so in terms of making decisions with the big picture in mind, something impossible for the current her who still worried over the most minor matters.

"Have faith in the God of Massacre and serve him with sincerity!" Fagus answered sternly. "Of course, you'll need some help. I've used my connections to have you stay by a saintess. You'll have to perform well.."

"Saintess… would that be Barbara?" Anya's eyes flashed.

"Yes! She's a saintess that the God of Massacre himself chose, and has a very high position in the Giant Serpent Sect. It's even said that she's more powerful than the other saintesses, and is second only to the pope…" Fagus glanced at Anya, implying something.

"You mean… I have to do anything, regardless of the cost, to gain her favour?" Anya nodded, expressing her understanding of the situation as well as her determination to follow through.