1172 - 1181

Isolation

"We cannot remain reserved anymore. Everyone, do not worry about the consumption of divine force… the prime material plane is our foundation." Oghma's voice was filled with heaviness, "If we really can't handle it anymore then our only option will be to migrate all our worshippers into our divine kingdoms…"

Divine kingdoms were indeed only suitable for spiritual existences. Mortals would undergo an irreversible transformation within, but there were still benefits to such an action. At least, for the next decade, the gods wouldn't have to worry about declining faith. They could deal with the Magus assault and then settle their worshippers in the prime material plane once more.

"Agreed!" "I Agree!" The gods quickly agreed with Oghma's suggestion, starting to demarcate lands as they determined times to open and connect their divine kingdoms. Looking at the heated discussion, terrifyingly dark clouds appeared on the faces of Lathander and Tyr.

"Everyone…" Tyr eventually stood up, "What we should be discussing right now is how we defeat the Magi, wiping away the disgrace of the dusk of the gods. We shouldn't be acting like cowards, searching for ways to escape! Still, if that's what all of you hope for, forgive my absence."

*Bang!* His avatar slowly dissipated, and the other gods could sense Tyr's will leave the Celestial Plane.

"I agree. However, I agree with Oghma as well: moving our worshippers into our divine kingdoms will protect them to an extent." Having expressed his own opinion, the Morninglord left the Celestial Hall as well…

Even without two of the greater gods, various decisions had been made in this discussion. The gods quickly instructed their priests to begin executing plans, attracting more worshippers to their divine kingdoms so they could attain 'eternal life.'

...

Leylin naturally learnt of the events in the prime material plane. However, his true body was still taking care of Malbolge, and he had no time to care about this. He instead sent Kukulkan in his place, the clone walking out of the tall church to arrive at the location where Mother Core was.

A towering mountain had been formed at her location, flush with a molten core that flowed out of it in endless patterns. The mountain was connected to the earth, seemingly detecting the surroundings. An eye appeared from the lava as Leylin's clone arrived.

"Great Mother Core, I believe you know why I'm here…" The eyes of the A.I. Chip clone were dead and indifferent, like a puppet that could only carry out orders. However, it still had the power of an intermediate god, so Mother Core couldn't afford to neglect it.

After all, rank 8s were at the forefront of existences in the Magus World. What's more, the rank 8 puppet in front of her was only a avatar of Leylin's true body.

"Of course. The epidemic in the prime material plane caused at least ten million deaths, some even call you the new Lord of all Plagues now… Even though we know this isn't your doing…" Mother Core's conscient released a vast amount of force, and some roots extended out to form an image of the prime material plane.

"Indeed. I sensed the fear and faith headed my way recently…" Kukulkan's expression grew a little ugly. Someone was evidently trying to pin crimes upon him, and there was only one who was familiar with his actions and could evade the laws of the World of Gods. "Is it Distorted Shadow? We really can't chase him away…"

"Perhaps he wanted to attract the gods' attention towards you. However, he isn't the only one capable of such things…" Clearly, Mother Core had even more information. Her path was the path of the world, and nothing could escape her eyes.

"There's a lot of Magi who invaded the prime material plane, and the ancient conscients who escaped are doing the same thing. They wish to strike against the gods' faith, perhaps to gather enough spirits for them to recover…"

This information left Leylin wondering about something.

"How well are we prepared?" he asked. He was naturally paying attention towards all the intelligence about this. After all, the war between the gods and the Magi was directly related to the path of eternity. It could not be neglected.

"We've learnt our lessons from the last time. Other than a few crazy ones who are attracting attention on the surface, the rest of us are hidden well. We've established contact with the ancient conscients, and they've promised to do their best to conform to our plans.

"Nine wormholes have been opened up, and the passage connected by the Manderhawke Plate is quite stable as well. We've shifted it to the void sea…" Good news after good news came from Mother Core.

"What about the suppression of the World of Gods?" Leylin asked the most crucial question. Being similar in power to their own world, the World of Gods had a somewhat horrifying suppression of Magi who were outsiders.

"We've considered this as well. We're quite lucky in this regard…" Mother Core's voice was very heartening. "The World Will here, their Overgod, is in a deep slumber so the suppression we're facing is much less than that in the first war. It was hurt more during the destruction of the Weave, and we have you to thank for that…

"Even if we're not going to drop in rank, it's still a troublesome matter…" Leylin frowned.

Of course, this was all an act. When he merged with his divine clone and advanced to rank 8 with the path of Original Sin, his bloodline had transformed into the Nightmare Hydra. He was stunned to find out that the World of Gods stopped suppressing him at that moment, as if he was a native of this place!

The laws of the two worlds hadn't been fused before in the history of the astral plane, and it was precisely due to this that a miracle had happened. The current Leylin was unimpeded by both worlds, not facing any suppression whatsoever.

He'd kept this all a secret, to be treated as the biggest of trump cards. Those who were unaware would be ruthlessly conned by him at the end.

Mother Core frankly addressed Leylin's 'concerns,' "Naturally. We've been performing research on how to avoid the suppression of other worlds, and we already have some results…"

*Rumble!* The earth split apart, and numerous tree roots formed a palm that shot out to place a silvery-white metal ball in Leylin's hands.

"This is…" The fluorescent light of the A.I. Chip flashed within Leylin's eyes, but several probes only returned with question marks as the screen prompted an 'unknown' message. The silvery-white ball's surface was extremely smooth, yet it didn't reflect the world around it.

Leylin was speechless for a period of time before he spat out a sentence, "The World Origin Force, it's blocked!"

"Correct… We've called this technology World War Armour. It was created using a new alloy that can block origin force, protecting our true bodies so we can evade the restrictions placed upon us by the worlds. It lets us display our peak strength!"

"That's great, but… This thing seems too fragile to support beings like us for long…" After testing it for a while, Leylin could pinpoint the armour's weakness. It was a film that isolated the Magus from the world around them, but as armour it was useless once broken. From what he'd seen, it wasn't exactly durable.

"We're still trying to improve on this. However, even this version is enough for us to launch a small-scale war. Take this, it's a gift…" Mother Core spoke generously. Leylin was after all a Magus, and he'd given up several benefits for their world. She had to display some goodwill as well.

"Then I'll skip the thanks. I really am interested in this…" The alloy entered his skin the moment he pressed the ball to his chest. A strange white pattern appeared on his body, as if an armour protecting him.

'It's cut off origin force, really magical… There seems to be room for improvement, though…' Light continuously flashed from the A.I. Chip clone.

[Reverse engineering from sample… Possible optimisations deduced!]

Having fused with Kukulkan, the current A.I. Chip had grown far more powerful. With Supercomputing and Simulate Reality, its calculative powers far surpassed those of a peak rank 8 Magus.

'It seems extensible into the Magus World and Dreamscape as well…' The only ability of the A.I. Chip was to deduce. As the user, Leylin could do things the chip could not, which was the advantage of out-of-the-box ideas that a mere tool could not achieve.

The discovery of this weapon instantly gave Leylin another plan. If he succeeded he could rush to the peak of rank 8 quickly, and even lay a solid foundation for comprehending the laws of space and time!

Strategy

"Something's brewing in the prime material plane…" The clone returned to the church just as Leylin arrived at Malbolge.

He looked at the tilted floor beneath his feet. The Sixth Hell was a boundless slope, a plane of constant landslides as the fortresses built on these slanted lands shifted constantly.

The plane was blotted out, swarming with devil hunters that had chased the devils out of this layer. Sadly, they couldn't find Glasya. The cunning and beautiful Queen of Lust had been incredibly decisive, abandoning her dignity as an Archdevil to give Malbolge up to Leylin. She'd escaped to the lower hells.

"Devils without a leader are a giant without a head or a beehive without a queen. They're a complete mess…" Leylin didn't encounter the slightest of troubles in taking Malbolge over, but there wasn't any excitement on his face. His brows were instead furrowed, a trace of gloom in his expression.

"This should have been the best point to block me… My powers would only increase the more layers I conquered, and their powers would weaken…" Leylin smelt an obvious conspiracy from the retreat of his opponents.

He wasn't afraid of a combined resistance. He was only scared they'd abandon Baator entirely to hide themselves within the void. That would be troublesome.

Of course, this was not an easy task. Without control of their layers they'd be abandoned by Baator's origin force, the more serious cases losing their authority in Baator and falling from the realm of laws.

As long as there was even a glimmer of hope, the Lords of Baator wouldn't choose to do this. Glasya's decision to flee made Leylin sense something strange.

'I can't keep going like this, something big will happen. Distorted Shadow is still keeping an eye on me…' Leylin looked at the occupied land of the Sixth Hell, and suddenly smiled. 'I'll still accept gifts on my doorstep, though…'

*Bang!* A layer of golden light suddenly spread out from Leylin's divine kingdom, shrouding the entirety of Malbolge. Golden light filled the entire sky, and under the prayers of the devil hunters endless laws began to merge and transform the Sixth Hell.

The rolling earth rumbled as the divine light flattened it out. The landslides lost all momentum, dying into the ground. The Sixth Hell fused with Leylin's divine kingdom, radiating endless divine light. The last three layers seemed small and frail under this radiance, seemingly overwhelmed by it.

….

*Hurl!* Just as Malbolge was fused into Leylin's divine kingdom, the beautiful Queen of Lust screamed within Malbolge. She spat out large mouthfuls of filthy black blood that dissipated into the air, faintly transforming into grotesque life forms before returning to normal as a frightening pool formed on the ground.

"He… devoured… all of Malbolge…" Glasya looked unsightly as she lost her territory, as she became an Archdevil with an empty title.Glasya's facial expression was unsightly as after losing her own territory, she as an Archdevil was only left with a empty title.

That wasn't the worst of it. Having lost the World Origin Force, she felt her own powers regressing without end as she almost fell out of the realm of laws.

*Crash!* Right at that moment, Malsheem suddenly exploded within the canyon. An all-powerful hand reached out of it, crushing millions of devils living within and sending flesh and blood flying everywhere. Distorted screams sounded out as the souls were fused into a dazzling black lightning that entered Glasya's back.

*Zzzt!* A layer of frightening scales emerged on Glasya's body, endless black wings extending from her back. The screams of the killed devils seemed to be captured within. Glasya continued screaming as her energy stabilised. She'd avoided the fall.

"I've failed, father." Glasya looked like a black bat now, standing on the huge pal as she looked at the silhouette of an old devil.

"You did not fail, my daughter…" There wasn't the slightest change within Asmodeus' black eyes as he looked at the large contract in his hands. The mysterious Supreme of Baator closed the giant parchment in his hands after a long time, a smile on his face.

"Your survival is the greatest victory. With the Magi invading at the Second Dusk nigh, opportunities are aplenty. Our current job is to prepare to seize as much as we can in the future, retaining our strength as we wait for future chances…"

"Perhaps…" Glasya could faintly understand Asmodeus' thoughts. The Lord of Nessus had always remained in human form, hiding behind the scenes. He'd finally revealed some of his ambitions.

"Are you thinking of becoming a god?" Glasya's voice was trembling. If he wanted to become a god while already being an Archdevil, he definitely didn't just aim to become a lesser god! His final objective was undoubtedly to become the ruler of devils, the God of Baator who truly controlled the Nine Hells! That would put him at the peak of gods.

There was one other contender for that position right now. It was the God of Massacre who'd occupied six layers of his world, the Lord of Original Sin Leylin Farlier!

"The God of Massacre's true body is that of a Magus. He's bound to be attacked by the gods because of the destruction of the Weave— Tyr, Kelemvor, and Lathander won't let that go. We only have to wait…"

"But…" There was obvious hesitation on Glasya face. She didn't believe they had the time to wait for Leylin to be attacked. He'd be here soon to kill them!

"Nessus is different from the other eight layers of hell. This is the deepest layer of Baator, the ultimate land of evil. I've made preparations…" Resolution surfaced on Asmodeus' face, "With my true body's power and three Archdevils, we'll separate the plane and seal it for a few thousand years…"

"Seal all of it?" That moment of shock exceeded all the surprises Glasya had ever felt put together. If they sealed themselves they wouldn't receive any more fallen souls. They'd gradually be forgotten by the world, and they'd have to pay a huge price in order to separate in the first place.

"Keke… Don't worry, my daughter. I've long accumulated enough souls in Nessus to last us that length of time. On top of that, we'll be obstructing Kukulkan as well…"

Asmodeus let loose a sinister smile, deceit and intelligence reflected from his eyes, "He needs to unify all of Baator to become a greater god. Once Nessus separates itself, he'll be dealt a terrifying setback. Furthermore, the defensive power of a separate Nessus alongside three Archdevils will be no less than a greater god's divine kingdom…

"Once he loses the most important part, his plans to advance rapidly will definitely fall through. He'll fall under the attack of the gods!" Asmodeus was sure about this.

"The only way for him to survive is to unify Baator and kill us?" Glasya looked at Asmodeus, feeling like his words were extremely foreign to her. "Why are you so sure about the matters of Magi?"

"Let me answer that question." The shadows atop the huge hand distorted, causing Glasya to reveal a look of fear. She hadn't sensed the fluctuations of power from the other party's body, and they'd easily approached her… This was an unbelievable thing for a rank 7 Archdevil!

"Magus!" Glasya screamed. Distorted Shadow hadn't hid his aura when he revealed himself.

"Keke… We're currently allies, and we have a common enemy," he sneered. He then looked towards Asmodeus, "I've convinced Baalzebul and Mephistopheles. They've agreed to our plans and are willing to use their layers to delay Leylin's progress, allowing us to complete the separation. Of course, you need to guarantee assistance in regaining their powers and that you won't harm them."

"Not a problem!" Asmodeus guaranteed, "I'm a devil. I shall honour my pact!"

""Let's hope so!"" two voices said in unison. The silhouettes of Baalzebul and Mephistopheles emerged in mid-air, one a disgusting worm and the other a flaming humanoid with devil wings and horns.

Self-Destruct

"It's great that the two of you could join our alliance…" The grin on Asmodeus' face turned wider as he signed the contract.

"I've already ordered my subordinates to resist at all costs in Maladomini. We should be able to delay him for a while…" Baalzebul said. His aura had grown weak, apparently having severed connections with the Seventh Hell. Even if his subordinates knew they'd been given a suicide mission, as lawful creatures they could only surge forth to complete their orders. Such was the dignity of an Archdevil!

"Same here," Mephistopheles chimed in, "I hope that buys us time…"

Leylin's fearsome image, Seven Sins in hand, had evidently been etched deep into the minds of these Archdevils.

"I stand by my previous suggestions," Distorted Shadow said, "It's a better idea to hide in the endless void or the elemental planes than to defend Nessus at all costs…"

"That's something that will only benefit you," Asmodeus coldly interjected. "Once we lose all nine layers all our authority will be stripped from us. We'll lose Baator's origin force, bleeding in power without any chance to return…"

"Hehe…" Distorted Shadow only smiled coldly at Asmodeus' retort, not speaking another word.

"Of course… We're all common enemies of this God of Massacre," Asmodeus said slowly. Devils were extremely crafty creatures, and this was especially true for their Supreme, "I wonder if Your Excellency can call upon any other Magi who are unhappy with this God of Massacre, and…"

"My apologies, I cannot do that right now." Distorted Shadow expressed his regrets, "Leylin found passage into the World of Gods, and the Magi of other worlds have already made a pact with him. He's also the one who released the ancient conscients sealed in here long ago, so they already owe him a favour…"

Asmodeus' face darkened just from hearing those few sentences.

"So Leylin is like the leader of their alliance, a mascot amongst the Magi…"Glasya sighed.

"Indeed! We can only make full use of the gods' powers to destroy him alongside his divine kingdom."

"Damn it!" the lords cursed. They'd never thought they'd meet an enemy as powerful as Leylin in Baator. Asmodeus saw them losing morale, quickly interjecting, "Alright. As long as we stand together Leylin won't be able to make his most crucial advancement. His death will be but a matter of time…"

However, the old devil's expression changed the very next moment. His gigantic body shuddered, causing endless tremors through the earth.

"It's him! He's here!" Asmodeus exclaimed. There was only one person that could cause his expression to change this quick.

"Leylin!" the four other people gathered shouted.

*Rumble!* At this moment, an enormous flying city descended outside of Nessus. Leylin was stood atop it, looking down at Nessus which stretched far beyond what the eye could see, his gaze filled with mockery, "You thought I'd be baited by Maladomini and Cania? How childish!

"Compared to those two levels, I value you lords more…" The Nightmare Hydra phantom appeared behind Leylin's back, its three remaining illusory snake heads staring at their respective lords like predators stalking their prey.

"Seal the place now!"

*Boom!* The earth was blasted open, revealing Asmodeus' massive true body. His black wings covered the skies as he stood up, revealing the severe injury inflicted upon him back in ancient times. The wound had been exacerbated by Leylin's attack when he'd brought his divine kingdom down.

Facing Leylin, Asmodeus didn't have the leeway to consider his injuries. He unleashed the full extent of his power, as a dark web appeared from his hand to envelop the entirety of Nessus. A power of isolation stopped Thultanthar from entering the Ninth Hell.

The three other lords used their own authorities as well, mustering what origin force they could in a final struggle. Distorted Shadow disappeared into the darkness, the shadows shifting formlessly as if he was planning on something.

[Beep! Target locked. Space has been sealed, preparing primary cannons…] A white light appeared on the main cannon of the flying city, so bright that it could kill a god.

[Netherese core prepared, firing!] A powerful light seemingly born of the very universe shot forth under the fearful eyes of the devils, its absolute power unleashed on the barrier around Nessus. The barrier rumbled as the energy scattered in all directions, annihilating hordes of devils. The energy was so powerful that it attracted the attention of many powerful beings from the Abyss and the Celestial Planes.

The stunning white light blinded the Lords of Baator. Glasya gripped her hands tightly as the energy waves began to dissipate, sighing in relief after she saw Nessus undamaged.

"Hehe… With us here, Nessus is like the divine kingdom of a greater god… What will you attack it with?" The other two lords seemed to be encouraged by the sight. They'd just been far too fearful of Leylin slaying them.

"A weave, origin force, spells, and elemental particles as well…" Leylin looked at the dark web that stopped his attack, and how it was being replenished by origin force. The A.I. Chip recorded everything he saw.

"It seems like you've struck quite a few deals with Distorted Shadow, Asmodeus. I can't let you carry on any further, or the consequences will be too dire." Leylin stepped forward, leaving the flying city. The gem of Netheril that could house hundreds of thousands began to descend slowly, heading for Nessus like a meteorite.

"What is he planning to do? Not good!" Distorted Shadow exclaimed in shock. He had never lost his bearings like this before.

[Beep! Authorisation valid, initiating self-destruct.] Light flashed from the A.I. Chip, and all of Thultanthar's energy converged into a massive aura.

"Explosives prepared, beginning collapse of secondary dimension. Preparing Netherese Core…" There was no expression on Shaylin's face. The city continued to descend, growing faster and faster.

"Preparations complete. Impact in T minus 3, 2, 1…"

*BOOM!* The light generated this time was far brighter than before, unleashing great explosive force upon Nessus.

An indescribable scene occurred as the pinnacle of technology destroyed itself under Leylin's orders. It was thousands of times more powerful than the Tunguska explosion back on his old world, feeling like the big bang as its undeniable might seemed to shoot the force of the entire world at Nessus.

"You think losing the city hurts me?" the Nightmare Hydra phantom roared, dark clouds appearing above its head. This being that absorbed strength from the emotions of all beings protected Leylin.

Seeing this explosion, Leylin smiled. "Material things are just that. So what if it can kill gods? A flying city is nothing on my path to power!"

Leylin had been extremely clear on the situations. If he hadn't taken Nessus out immediately, the Lords of Baator would very likely hole up like tortoises and render him helpless. Hence, he did not hesitate to use his trump card as he sacrificed Thultanthar to kill his enemies.

Even if multiple renovations had given Leylin full control of the city, he couldn't help but be wary of any backdoors Distorted Shadow had placed into it. The safest way forward was to destroy the city, just like he'd killed his divine clone after using Karsus' Avatar to avoid harm. The deed was done now anyway, there was no need to analyse costs anymore.

Distorted Shadow grew extremely impatient when Leylin sacrificed Thultanthar. A large writhing shadow with boundless power headed to the boundaries of Leylin's divine kingdom.

"Leave!" the void flickered, and Leylin's clone appeared alongside Mother Core. The two gave him a strong warning at the border.

Ruthless

Facing the powerful Mother Core, even Distorted Shadow had to retreat.

Having ousted his true body, the two returned to the divine kingdom, shattering any and all wild dreams from the other powerful beings.

A large hole had been blasted into Nessus by the explosion of Thultanthar. The entire plane was badly damaged, and even the deep gorges and valleys had been destroyed. Even if Nessus was as powerful as the divine kingdom of a greater god, it had still been damaged. Half of its powers of law had been destroyed, weakening it significantly.

*Shing!* Leylin darted in through a gap in the skies, Seven Sins howling as he killed Distorted Shadow's clone immediately.

"Now that I'm here, what else have you guys got to say?" Leylin looked at the four devils before him, weapon in tow. His smile caused them to shudder in fear.

*Rumble!* The earth continued to tremble underneath them, Asmodeus' clone having been destroyed with the explosion of the flying city. Having been the greatest contributor to Nessus' defence, he was the one who was hurt the most by its destruction.

And now, his main body was forced to face Leylin. He looked extremely miserable, multiple scars on his body from the explosion alongside cuts from when the rift was destroyed. The wounds had grown bigger than before, and a part of a wing had been torn off.

"Hurry and leave! Don't let him gather all our power!" Asmodeus howled. He knew well that Leylin had already broken through Nessus, destroying their last hope. Their only counter left was to leave Baator entirely, stopping Leylin from completing his path of original sin. He would lose momentum, and the war would come to an end.

However, how could Leylin give them this chance? The phantom Nightmare Hydra appeared behind him, each of its head releasing a deafening roar. Boundless power of laws surged forth from six of them, forming a powerful web of energy that trapped Nessus within.

"He sealed space!" Glasya screamed, the light of her teleportation spell dimming. Asmodeus cursed as well, shouting in shock.

Speaking of shock, Mother Core had been far more surprised than even the father-daughter duo. She'd been observing the scene from his divine kingdom, and she noticed Leylin seal off space to prevent all escape. "The power to seal spacetime… He's already come into contact with rank 9 laws? Such terrifying talent…"

To be able to seal the teleportation of a being of law meant meant he had high comprehension of the law of spacetime. This fellow wasn't even peak rank 8 yet! This achievement surpassed those of many of his predecessors.

'He really does have a chance to reach rank 9…' Mother Core made a silent evaluation. Although Leylin was still far from being able to harness the complete power of spacetime to reach rank 9, she still had high hopes for him.

"Asmodeus… I am not the Supreme of Baator." Leylin's body grew exponentially as he moved forward, matching the size of the self-proclaimed ruler of hell. Seven Sins roared ceaselessly as two rays of light were unleashed, each containing the power of laws.

Blessing of Greed! Fury Amplification! The two buffs put Leylin quite close to the peak of rank 8. Each of his actions could crush multiple smaller worlds!

*Boom!* Seven Sins changed forms, taking the shape of a dazzling six-bladed battle axe. Leylin roared out as he swung the axe downwards, like a giant splitting the earth apart.

"Argh… The origin force of Baator, please abide by the primordial contract…" Asmodeus chanted as he revealed an ancient scroll. The parchment floated in mid-air, glowing with dull light as it attracted the last of Baator's origin force. This was the original copy of the primordial contract, Asmodeus' final trump card!

"Your methods are outdated, Asmodeus. I am the sole ruler of hell now, its overlord!" The battle axe shone brightly and as it swung downwards, leaving a brilliant afterimage behind.

*Crack!* The origin force from the primordial contract broke immediately upon contact with Seven Sins, and the axe swung towards his body without mercy. It caused another grave injury as he flew backwards, levelling a massive canyon.

*Buzz!* Asmodeus wasn't the only one to feel the aftereffects. The moment the primordial contract was broken, the devils in the last of the Nine Hells began to wail. They could clearly feel that the surging power of Baator's origin force was waning, causing their powers to deteriorate.

"Baator is now my divine kingdom. All devils who do not become my petitioners shall die!" Light flashed in Leylin's eyes as the crimson power of original sin appeared in his hands. Seven Sins turned into a javelin as he willed it, containing the energy to split apart laws themselves.

"The Path of Original Sin is the end of all things!" The javelin was as fast as lightning, repelling even the origin force of the World of Gods. Its sharpness could destroy all laws, and this instrument of destruction appeared before Asmodeus.

*Pu!* The javelin pierced through the Lord of Baator, devouring all her powers and destroying all signs of life. Glasya's face turned sluggish with disbelief as she forced herself to look backwards, seeing her father.

The moment the javelin was about to strike him, he'd sent a powerful force to bring her before his body. She'd been used as a meat shield to block this fatal attack! Glasya's beautiful face smiled wryly, and before she could say anything, she turned into dust.

The A.I. Chip's notifications sounded in Leylin's ear.

[Beep! Host has killed Glasya. Gluttony's Devouring activated, absorbing new law… Law of lust currently at 100%.]

*Hss!* The Nightmare Hydra behind Leylin hissed loudly as another head materialised from its neck. It absorbed all of the lust in the astral plane, turning it into his law of original sin.

[Beep! Host has comprehended the law of lust, Seven Sins has unlocked Fantasia.

Fantasia: The user can elude the detection of beings of law.]

"This decisiveness, should I say as expected of a devil?" Glasya's death had only bought Asmodeus some time. Seven Sins glowed once more as the effects of Fantasia were released, causing Asmodeus and the other two to grow dull.

*Hiss!* The Nightmare Hydra roared, as an incomplete path of original sin materialised around it. It seemed like a long flowing river that immediately consumed Asmodeus' true body.

Having entered Leylin's powers, Asmodeus shrunk continuously before becoming a bug. The bug was encased in amber and sealed by the Nightmare Hydra.

'Asmodeus is the key to merging the seven original sin, and the spawn of hell. His energy can catalyse the fusion of all evil, and he's irreplaceable… However, this isn't the right time to fuse it…' Leylin retrieved Seven Sins, turning it into a crossblade with complicated runes inscribed atop it.

AT this moment, the last two Archdevils were running towards Leylin, fear clouding their expressions as if they'd seen ghosts.

"You still think you're running away?" Leylin brandished the cross blade. "Fantasia can even cast an illusion on rank 8 beings, how can the two of you resist it?"

With the power of dreamforce as a foundation and the strength of Seven Sins, Leylin could toy with rank 7 beings. The Nightmare Hydra hissed as the two remaining illusory heads stared down at the lords.

"Become my strength…" Leylin chanted, and the Nightmare Hydra howled as the power of original sin sealed off the space around them. Mephistopheles and Baalzebul were suppressed, and the two heads opened their maws and devoured the two Lords of Baator who could only watch on in despair.

Peak

[Beep! Host has killed Baalzebul. Gluttony's Devouring activated, absorbing new law… Law of sloth currently at 100%.

Beep! Seven Sins has unlocked Sloth's Recovery.

Sloth's Recovery: User recovery is boosted by 500% when inactive. Seven Sins can now repair damage automatically.

Beep! Host has killed Mephistopheles. Gluttony's Devouring activated, absorbing new law… Law of envy currently at 100%.]

[Beep! Host has comprehended the law of envy, Seven Sins has unlocked Envy's Thief.

Envy's Thief: User can steal the divine weapons and laws of other beings.]

The multiple notifications put Leylin in a good mood. The Nightmare Hydra's body behind him materialised completely, each of its heads containing a different law. The power of sin across all intelligent beings was now absorbed by Leylin, forming a thick dark mist around his massive body.

At this moment, the A.I. Chip sent another notification, and Leylin grinned even wider than before. [Beep! Path of original sin completed, Nightmare Hydra bloodline has achieved complete form.]

In an instant he'd felt the power of his bloodline reach the limit, coming into contact with an extremely obscure door of sorts. The door was guarded by the power of spacetime, forming a mountain pass. Leylin knew fully well that it was the bottleneck to rank 9.

*Buzz…* The power of original sin thundered in his body as the dark mist grew even more black. The crimson energy became more animated, showing signs of life. Feeling the power of original sin as the river formed behind the Nightmare Hydra, Leylin felt like it was extremely picturesque.

He'd now completed his laws, opening his path up for further travel. However, there was something still missing.

"Gluttony, Greed, Wrath, Pride, Envy, Sloth, Lust… The seven sins form original sin, combining with Massacre and Death to form a perfect cycle. However, all this lacks an embodiment of pure evil…" Leylin looked at Asmodeus who'd been sealed within the river. Once he extracted the essence of this devil, his path would be completed and allow him to become a peak rank immediately!

However, Leylin's incredible willpower stopped his urges. "Although I can wield dreamforce at its peak, it's still not perfect. I need to subjugate Dreamscape's World Will, and get it to hand over the essence of dreamforce so I can lay a perfect foundation for my advancement…"

Since he'd achieved everything he set out to, Leylin naturally intended to do things to perfection. Although peak dreamforce allowed him to harness the powers of spacetime, Leylin wanted more! He didn't just want to become rank 9, he wanted to be the absolute best of rank 9 Magi. That was a given on his quest for eternity!

Hence, this dreamforce that would even satisfy other peak 8 Magi and cause them to be envious of him was not enough in Leylin's eyes. The essence of Dreamscape's origin force was an evolved form of dreamforce known as nightmare force, and that was what he wanted!

"Just nice! I have the strength to execute my plans now…" Leylin did not give another looked at the broken Nessus as he vanished from Baator…

*Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!* Three consecutive explosions reverberated across the many worlds. Be it gods, Archfiends, or even lich kings, everyone cast a look of shock towards Baator. A golden divine kingdom within was now shining brightly, rapidly swallowing up the last of the Nine Hells. Baator was one once more, radiating with holy light as its surging origin force was converted to the power of the divine kingdom. This place could cause even greater gods to be fearful now.

The Nine Hells having a new owner meant that the devils had been destroyed. The eight Lords of Baator had been a force to be reckoned with even for greater gods, never having lost an inch to the gods or demons and instead counterattacking all this while. Now, they'd been vanquished by a Magus. Baator was the first to bow out of the Final War, reminding the gods once again of fearsome memories they'd chosen to wipe from their minds.

The powerful energy of a god strengthening themselves travelled past many worlds, causing many powerful existences to frown.

""Kukulkan, my Lord! You are the guardian of our souls, the stars in the skies! You are a haven for my soul, the God of the Nine Hells. You are the keeper of strength, the God of Wrath and Order, the Ruler of Devils…"" Under Tiff's guidance, everyone in Leylin's divine kingdom was praying to him. The power of faith converged into a holy river, causing Baator to roar as powerful origin force entered Leylin's clone.

Mother Core chose to leave Baator on her own accord. There was in fact a trace of alarm in her eyes as she looked at the divine kingdom, feeling a powerful repulsive force.

"This isn't inferior to the divine kingdom of a greater god… With this as your base, you'll be able to hold for a long while even with multiple greater gods attacking you at once. Leylin… You really have found a good place within the World of Gods." Traces of complex emotions appeared in her eyes.

Having swallowed the Nine Hells and obtained new laws, Leylin grew quickly in power, shooting through the ranks to quickly reach rank 17. She felt like Leylin wanted his clone to advance to greater godhood!

However, the tides of faith soon dissipated, under the complicated congratulations of many powerful existences. Leylin's rank remained at 17.

However, even this was extremely inconceivable given his birth year in the World of Gods!

Atop the Whitejade Saint Mountain, the clone opened his glowing golden eyes. Lightning that could form and destroy entire worlds seemed to streak past its gaze.

[Beep! Clone currently at rank 17.] Blue light flashed in Leylin's eyes.

His old clone had been a part of his soul, but this one was under the full control of the A.I. Chip. With the two being originally one anyway, the auxiliary A.I. Chip could also receive faith in him, being controlled by the primary chip. He'd even managed to retrieve the split soul, so there were no longer any side-effects binding him to the power of faith.

Large streams of information flashed in the clone's eyes.

[All stats +5! Host's arcanist ranking has increased by 5, currently rank 40. Obtained divine domain— Fall of Seven Sins.]

The power of a domain stemmed from one's divinity, something a demigod did not possess. Every additional domain brought great boosts to one's strength. That is why gods focused on increasing their divine ranks, not paying much attention to other matters.

Leylin looked at his stats.

[Name: Leylin Faulen.

Divine Name: Kukulkan, the God of Massacre (Controlled by auxiliary A.I. Chip).

Race: Unknown

Alignment: Lawful Evil.

Divine Domain (Simulated): Massacre, Death, Gluttony, Greed, Wrath, Pride, Envy, Sloth, Lust

Divine Kingdom: Baator

Divine Rank: 17.

Worshippers: Natives, Devils, Adventurers, Priests.

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

Domains: Massacre, Death, Devouring, Seven Sins

Arcanist Rank: 40. Strength: 38. Agility: 38. Vitality: 38. Spirit: 44. Arcane Energy: 440. Divine Force: 1500. 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, Supercomputing, Simulate Reality, Fall of Seven Sins.]

"The increased divine rank gave me a new domain, huh…" Leylin's attention was drawn to his new ability, and the A.I. Chip showed information about it.

[Divine Ability— Fall of Seven Sins: As the Lord of Original Sin, the Host can use any negative emotions to affect the target's mind, inducing the power of nightmares to have the target turn. Applies to beings of law as well.]

"Even law existences can be affected if they are consumed by the emotions of original sin. I can then subjugate them into my slaves?" Leylin rubbed his chin and sighed. In the World of Gods, be it the Magi or the gods themselves they were consumed by their inner desires. Anyone could become his puppet.

Even peak rank 8s weren't devoid of emotions. However, they did have the ability to stem their desires once they manifested. However, how powerful was the strength of inner desires? As long as a peak rank 8 had flaws, they could be used by Leylin!

Mediate

The power of dreams converged in the boundary between the real and the illusory, forming a boundless strange world. A Magus dressed in black robes stood at the corners of this world, his arrival causing the world to cheer as if a child had returned home. Dreamscape opened its doors up wide.

"It's still this desolate here…" Leylin stood in midair, absolved from the powers of the laws. His soul of original sin allowed him to survey most of the world at once.

Dreamscape was still as desolate as before, from when dreamforce was waning and the Lords of Calamity had to seal themselves.

Leylin was here in his true body, having left the World of Gods to enter the astral plane. With the Manderhawke Plate in hand and an intermediate god as a clone, the World of Gods was like a back garden that he could enter and leave as he pleased.

With all of Baator as his divine kingdom and the A.I. Chip managing things, he had no need to worry for the safety of his assets. Unless the gods could find another flying city from somewhere and have it explode on him, his defences were airtight like those of a greater god's divine kingdom. Leylin could leave and come to Dreamscape at ease.

'Dreamforce has been waning for thousands of years despite me killing a Lord of Calamity…' Leylin discovered the laws of dreamforce in an instant. The current state of dreamforce didn't make a difference to him, though. Having already grasped its laws, he could harness the peak power of dreamforce at any time.

"Those Lords of Calamity have indeed became much smarter…" Leylin smiled. A slight scan revealed that the Lords of Calamity had sealed themselves together this time, apparently cautious of his previous actions.

"Since that's the case, then let me greet them!" The crimson runes of dreamforce appeared on Leylin's body, opening up his third eye. His Nightmare Absorbing Physique peaked, and the entirety of Dreamscape rejoiced as powerful destructive lightning appeared in the skies.

Unlike before, Leylin didn't need to act stealthily. He spread his aura fearlessly to the edges of the world.

"It's the Nightmare Absorbing Physique!"

"The eternal nemesis of the Lords of Calamity— Nightmare Absorbing Physique!"

"Damn it… Ever since the Magus World opened the crystal sphere, I knew that the Nightmare King would return…"

The slumbering Lords of Calamity were like cats whose tails had been stepped on. They woke up immediately, unleashing their auras. A blizzard of destructive snow howled, but it was repelled by a crystal mountain.

A crystal exploded as one of the Lords of Calamity walked out, possessing devastating strength. This was the Eye Emissary, the protector of light and darkness, wielding both laws to be one of the stronger Lords of Calamity.

"Molina…" Another crystal broke as well to the Eye Emissary's voice, and a female thundergiant walked out.

"Nightmare King! No… Something more devious and inconceivable… the Nightmare Absorbing Physique has finally reappeared…" Molina roared. Her body darted like lightning towards Leylin.

The dark earth split open and a three-headed Lord of Calamity appeared. It had the head of a black goat, a green snake, and a mysterious human face. "Oh! Molina… You're mine…" it muttered as it turned into a black mist, chasing behind the female giant.

All of the Lords of Calamity in Dreamscape were soon awake, roaring and howling as destructive powers of calamity caused Dreamscape to tremble. The surviving creatures were pressed down to the ground, praying for these superior beings to be appeased.

"I never thought there were so many hidden experts in Dreamscape. Eighteen… No, nineteen Lords of Calamity, it's enough to crush the Purgatory World and Shadow World…" Leylin was surprised.

These Lords of Calamity had sealed themselves in due to waning dreamforce, not joining in on the attack on the World of Gods. This made them the largest force in the rest of the astral plane, strong enough to perhaps attack even the Magus World if dreamforce recovers.

"They're all hovering around rank 8, yet there isn't a peak rank 8 existence… Is this the suppression from the World Will?" Leylin's eyes flashed, and he was more confident in his plans than before.

"Nightmare Absorbing Physique… Die!" The Nightmare King was the eternal enemy of the Lords of Calamity, so one of them immediately attacked Leylin.

*Boom!* A powerful force of calamity struck down, alongside the face of a ghost that was large enough to blot out the sun rearing its bloody mouth at Leylin.

"Darned thing hiding in the shadows, come out!" Leylin's face turned violent as a longsword formed from Seven Sins slashed forward.

*Sssii!* A bright white light flashed, and the face was slashed apart before shattering, forming corrosive rain. A strange multifaced creature appeared, wailing as it was forced out of the void. Seven Sins slashed mercilessly into its body, containing even more domineering force.

Blessing of Greed! The power of original sin was unleashed, causing the figure with many faces to be destroyed immediately. A dark current appeared, and was absorbed by the Seven Sins. It seemed to be a taotie with endless power, devouring its opponents' strength.

"Darkface was taken out in one blow…" The other Lords of Calamity looked at the ghost faced creature who couldn't recover its body anymore. Its face filled with fear as it turned wary, stopping its attacks.

*Boom!* Leylin's dark path of original sin appeared behind him, alongside the Nightmare Hydra with the vertical pupil at its central head. A powerful web of original sin appeared and enshrouded Leylin within, giving him strength comparable to the peak of rank 8.

"The Nightmare Absorbing Physique!"

"Path of laws! Peak rank 8 Magus!'

"The powers of the ancient Nightmare King!"

The other Lords of Calamity stepped back unconsciously, looking at Leylin in fright. After swallowing the Lords of Baator, Leylin was now only one step away from peak rank 8, yet his own battle prowess had already entered this realm!

The ancient Nightmare King had the strength to slay more than half of the Lords of Calamity present. Leylin was even stronger, so it would simply be too easy to beat them all.

"So, now can you listen to what I have to say?" Leylin looked around him, at the Nightmare Eye, Eye Emissary, Molina, and the three-headed beast. These were the strongest Lords of Calamity.

"What do you want to say, inheritor of the Nightmare Absorbing Physique?" The Eye Emissary's eyes blinked continuously as it looked at Leylin. Unlike the others, he knew full well how powerful Leylin was. With this power before he even reached peak rank 8, when he advanced with the help of Dreamscape there would be no way for them to survive.

"I know… You all fear me, hate me…" Leylin looked arrogantly at the Lords of Calamity, as if he controlled their lives and deaths, "But my purpose for coming here this time is not to kill any of you. I want to give you and the World Will another way to go forward."

*Crack!* Leylin's words were earth-shattering news to the Lords of Calamity. They entered fervent discussion immediately, and even the World Will began to rage with lightning.

*Hiss!* The Nightmare Hydra roared, repelling the destructive snow.

"How is it? Do I look sincere enough?" Leylin smiled at these Lords of Calamity.

The many Lords stood staring at each other. It was the female thundergiant who spoke up eventually, "How do you want to do this?"

"The Lords of Calamity are like leeches feeding off the origin force of Dreamscape, causing the world to continuously regress. You put a heaven burden on it, so the World Will wants to reverse the tide and weaken your supply of dreamforce. That's why it gave birth to a Nightmare Absorbing Physique. All of this was just the beginning…"

Leylin spoke frankly yet with conviction.

"The origin force of Dreamscape is not endless, yet you lot feed off it without end, causing the world to deteriorate. Even you yourselves have to suffer the consequences… I wish to make a pact of the truesoul with all of you, the entire astral plane being the witness. Each of you will be given a fixed time to absorb origin force, and it has to be within the limits set by the world. On top of that, you have to find ways to make up for the World Will's losses.

"In return, the World Will will assure that you have an endless supply of peak dreamforce. There will be no more weakening, and you won't have to seal yourselves in…" Leylin's voice was extremely loud, the power of laws it carried causing the Lords of Calamity to ponder his proposal.

Although they were extremely unhappy at not being able to ceaselessly absorb the origin force, it seemed much better if dreamforce was not weakened. Moreover, they wouldn't have the threat of the Nightmare Absorbing Physique looming over their heads anymore!

Nightmare

"Agree to these conditions, and I won't aggress in the future. We can even explore the World of Gods together, the bounty you'll receive there is more than what you can accumulate here in ten million years…"

Even though Leylin's intention to tempt them with the World of Gods sounded easy, there were some difficulties he had to cross to get to them. The hardest was to showcase peak rank 8 might, suppressing all these rogues with the fear of death. He then had to deal with Dreamscape's World Will.

Molina looked at her peers, answering after a period of hesitation, "This matter… We have to discuss…"

"Of course, discuss away. I'll be here waiting." Leylin smiled and waved the Lords of Calamity on, watching their conscients converse.

These conscients conversed at the speed of thought, discussing a thousand years of information in but a second. It wasn't long before they gave Leylin a reply. The three-headed beast came forward, its goat head speaking as the human one showed a strange expression, "We accept, on the condition that you ensure the World Will honours its side."

"Of course!" Although he knew what this creature was scheming, Leylin still readily agreed.

"Very well… Upon our truesouls as beings of law, in the name of the astral plane…" The Lords of Calamity looked at each other and nodded their heads, making an oath with their truesouls. There was simply no pretense from the reverberation of the truesouls,, and they also could not mask themselves in front of Leylin's power of original sin anyway.

"Alright!" Leylin turned around and looked at the endless void.

"O' Mighty Dreamscape, I will need you to honour this agreement!"

*Rumble!* Boundless dreamforce gathered, forming a pair of furious eyes. The entire Dreamscape was seething in rage!

From the World Will's point of view, the successor of the Nightmare Absorbing Physique was supposed to kill these Lords of Calamity. Yet here he was, making agreements with them instead. This was blatant betrayal!

Purplish-gold lightning made of origin force converged in the area, possessing enough power to destroy beings of law. The crimson runes on Leylin's body writhed, as if wanting to break free.

*Rumble!* A mighty bolt of destruction crashed down, and the three-headed creature sniggered, "Haha… You're just a lackey reared by the World Will, and you actually want it to subjugate? The World Will is strong enough to take your bloodline back and not allow you to ever resurrect… Everyone, attack now! This Nightmare Absorbing Physique has a death wish!"

The human face of the creature guffawed. As for the green snake head, it opened its giant jaws and the laws of corrosion formed an acid rain.

"Don't you think I'm aware of your thoughts?" However, Leylin remained extremely calm under the double team of the lightning and rain, rendering the other Lords of Calamity uneasy, "I am different from the Nightmare King. All of my powers are of my own, and that is the same for dreamforce…"

He reached out, and a platinum barrier formed around him. The origin force armour that could repel World Wills showed its prowess, pushing Dreamscape back as the power of original sin rumbled behind his back. The Nightmare Hydra roared, continuous streams of attacks shooting forth from its nine heads to destroy the lightning in the skies.

"Don't think that you can control me like you did the Nightmare King!" Leylin had always enjoyed freedom, so how could he have been made an example of by the World Will?

Having obtained dreamforce at its peak, Leylin had constantly conducted research into absolving himself of the World Will, controlling the crests and troughs of the energy himself. With his power nearing the peak of rank 8 and his being within the World of Gods, Dreamscape had found out about it too late.

Right now, Leylin wished to suppress the Lords of Calamity and the World Will, becoming an arbitrator between the two parties. The power of original sin rumbled and repelled the dreamforce, causing the clouds in the skies to dissipate.

Having repelled the World Will, Leylin turned around and faced the three-headed beast.

"What are you trying to do? I…I…I…" The green snake head muttered, and the black goat head looked at Leylin in disbelief. It had never imagined that the Nightmare Absorbing Physique formed of dreamforce could repel the World Will itself!

"Impossible!" it raged silently, but it was too late.

"Watch, this is the outcome of betrayal." Prideguard was activated, forming a silver-white armour around Leylin's body strong enough to repel the attacks of some beings of law. Leylin moved through the corrosive rain unaffected, turning Seven Sins into a morning star that roared mightily as it landed on the creature.

Boosted by the Blessing of Greed and Fury Amplification, a mountainous force smashed the human head down in an instant, following up with the other two heads as well. Massacre Amplification and Death's Decree erased all traces of the creature's existence, completely removing any chances of its revival.

*Gulp!* *Gulp!* The Lords of Calamity just stared blankly as Leylin's mace devoured the flesh of the beast, augmented by Gluttony's Devouring and Sloth's Recovery. Even his armour was repairing itself.

What had they just seen? One of their strongest fighters had been killed by Leylin just like that?

"I don't feel any of the black goat's aura… It has three lives, and was supposed to be able to be reborn in filth…" The thundergiant grew extremely conflicted. Although she'd never liked that creature, she did acknowledge its power. However, it had died just like that! Its chances of revival were taken out, and it had been done in for good!

"So, who's next?" Having restored his peak dreamforce, Leylin looked around in satisfaction at the fearful faces of the Lords of Calamity.

"We will comply to your wishes, mighty Nightmare King!" The Eye Emissary yielded first, bowing towards Leylin with newfound sincerity.

"Don't call me the Nightmare King, I am the Lord of Original Sin, the controller of all evil across the astral plane." Leylin tossed the remaining carcass of the creature into the void, "Don't act like I'm bullying you, hurry and eat it."

The greatest difference of a World Will from a mortal was that it was an artificial intelligence, caring only about benefits. Seeing that it couldn't take Leylin down, and with something to gain from the agreement with the Lords of Calamity, it would acknowledge reality.

Space ground the body apart like a millstone, using the creature's energy to replenish the world.

'Giving your leftovers to send the World Will away, that's really…' the other Lords of Calamity criticised Leylin quietly, but they very soon changed their attitudes, "Mighty Lord of Original Sin, you are the arbitrator between us…"

"In my name of the Lord of Original Sin, I promise to bind both the Lords of Calamity and the World Will of Dreamscape together fairly, all for the sake of the world's development…" Leylin raised three fingers of his right hand and swore an oath. His voice was imposing yet dignified, and the dark path of original sin that had traces of blood rumbled behind him.

"With my path as a witness…"

*Rumble!* The entire Dreamscape trembled, as if excited upon seeing a new future, and it cheered…

Powerful dreamforce circled around Leylin, peaking with the support of the world. It turned denser in colour, as a sort of innate change occurred within it. It turned into a higher power, containing an indescribable strength. It was like all of the world's evil and dreams had been fused together, surging into Leylin's path of original sin and making it look even more perfect than before.

"Nightmare force!" The Eye Emissary exclaimed. This was the peak of the World Will's essence, something even the peak rank 8 Nightmare King hadn't been granted in the past…

Be it the Lords of Calamity or the Nightmare King, they had only a vague understanding that nightmare force was the essence of the world. Even if they were the spawn of the world, they could not receive the power of nightmare force. Leylin had instead obtained it through his own powers!

The Lords of Calamity stared at Leylin, each with different feelings…

...

Each of the Nine Hells in Leylin's divine kingdom had been separated up in an orderly manner, large groups of petitioners scurrying around the place performing their own tasks. Everything was being built up for the future, and this divine kingdom of epic proportions gave them the best protection. Disasters wrought havoc in the prime material plane, and the gods were restless, giving them valuable time to carry out their missions.

Leylin's clones walked out of the borders of his divine kingdom, where Mother Core's clone had been waiting for some time.

"This new power that you speak of is about to come?" Mother Core looked at Leylin.

"Of course, do wait and see…" The clone laughed in reply, opening a passage in the crystal sphere.

Mortal Realm

*Rumble!* The sheer number of rank 8 auras that appeared at that moment caused Mother Core to be startled. "The power of calamity… You managed to get the Lords of Calamity on your side?"

Leylin only smiled, shifting the conversation as several powerful figures passed the crystal sphere to enter the World of Gods.

"The World of Gods… A place of eternal obscurities and mysteries. The Final War has begun once more…" The Eye Emissary and Molina led six more Lords of Calamity into Baator, standing proudly in the void.

Just the gathering of such powers caused calamity to spread throughout their surroundings, causing space itself to wail. Having reached an agreement with the World Will, their powers had been restored. Free of their constraints, they no longer had to seal themselves in that jail of a world.

Leylin, the arbitrator of the contract, was someone neither side wanted to offend. He could suppress the World Will himself, and with nightmare force his power had only increased. The Lords of Calamity came along as free help.

"These eight are about as strong as intermediate evil gods. Combined, they have the power to topple an entire continent…" Leylin smiled.

Of course, he didn't oppress or exploit the Lords of Calamity. He was working together with them to gain more benefits. Dreamscape had given them a tremendous supply of energy to restore their powers, and now they had to go look for resources to replenish the world's origin force. What better a place to plunder than the World of Gods?

There were two other people here alongside the eight Lords of Calamity. One of them was a young lady with extremely fair skin, her face quite exquisite and impish. She surveyed the world around her, and eventually sighed, "The World of Gods… I've returned…"

This was Shar, the goddess-turned-Magus who had come to rule the Shadow World. She had become Leylin's subordinate after being forced into submission, being brought here for the war.

"Hmph…" Another young lady harrumphed from beside Shar. She had a bewitching expression on her face, looking more mature than her companion as each strand of her hair hissed quietly in the air.

"And the Snake Dowager!" Mother Core recognised this familiar face.

The Snake Dowager did not dare to be tardy when speaking to this peak rank 8 Magus, and she bowed slightly, "Mighty Protector of Earth! We meet once again…"

"Ten rank 8 Magi, together with your clone and Magus body…" Mother Core was now completely in shock.

This force could have helped them greatly in the last battle. Now, it was even more important to her, being able to influence the entire war.

"And you…. Your path is already perfect, and you can advance to the peak of rank 8 at any time you want…" Mother Core looked at Leylin with a complex expression. Although she'd regarded Leylin highly, she'd never thought he'd come to be of the same realm as her so quickly. His strength could not be ignored.

"Mm… The nightmare force completed my foundation. Now all I have to do is completely devour Asmodeus' essence, fusing all my laws together to form the perfect law of original sin…"Leylin didn't bother to conceal his path and plans, there was nothing now that could stop him. "I won't participate in the war before I'm at the peak of rank 8, and nor will they…"

Leylin pointed at the ten rank 8s following him, and none of them raised an objection. This surprised Mother Core even more; she'd originally thought they were just allies, but he had astonishing control over them so it couldn't be. With eleven rank 8 Magi now standing guard at Baator, even greater gods could do nothing about Leylin's advance.

This was an absolute confidence, garnered from the strength Leylin blatantly displayed. Each of these existences would be of great use to entire factions!

"I'm about to finish up with my preparations, how are things on your end?" Leylin looked at Mother Core.

"You can be at ease. I already called out to the World Will, it's slowly recovered over time and will be ready. The World of Gods was injured once again recently, so it'll be at a disadvantage." Mother Core's eyes reflected the depths of the Magus World, "We're in the process of preparing the spell formation to bring the will here. Five Magi of laws are standing guard, and we'll soon be able to bring the Magus World's will into the World of Gods immediately, changing the laws of this world…"

The few sentences that Mother Core spoke revealed a groundbreaking plan. The audacious Magi actually wanted to bring the Magus World's World Will into this world, destroying the Overgod in one blow!

"It's hard to predict success, but even in the worst case both parties will suffer grave injuries which will reduce the suppression on us."

Leylin naturally knew what these Magi were planning. Just like the gods, they didn't want their World Will to awaken completely. Even he wasn't willing to just let the World Will wake up and suppress him. He thus had no objections to their general plan.

"Alright. I'll enter a long period of seclusion now. I'll leave this to you…" A phantom of the Nightmare Hydra appeared, bringing Leylin's Magus body to the deepest parts of his divine kingdom.

"Let's go, everyone." The A.I. Chip's clone body had already reached the peak of intermediate godhood. Bringing the ten others, it shot into his divine kingdom like a shooting star. Even without the defence of a divine kingdom this lineup would put fear in the heart of any god.

'He'll most likely be peak rank 8 the next time he appears…' Mother Core looked at the divine kingdom, and light flashed in her eyes before she slowly vanished into the void.

All these events had been noticed by the gods. However, a force of eleven intermediate gods with the additional support of two greater gods and a divine kingdom derailed all their plans. Even Tyr and Lathander wouldn't dare to fight them within Leylin's divine kingdom.

As for Distorted Shadow, all traces of him had vanished. Nobody knew what he was scheming…

The plague in the prime material plane continued to spread, and the plans to move the worshippers into the divine kingdom had begun. The Filthy Evil Eye and the Chaos Lord stirred up even more havoc in the Abyss, joined by new beings of law as they headed deeper and deeper.

The aftershocks of dazzling fights lit up the skies of the various worlds, but Baator remained abnormally silent. Leylin immersed himself into finalising and perfecting his path of original sin, and the others had their own tasks to carry out. His clone managed everything else well.

...

Within the prime material plane, Doron struggled to bring the last of his belongings to a cart and tie them with a rope.

He felt like all the events of the recent past were a dream. Having expressed their rage, the burly man and Red Nose had disappeared. Farmers and even more thugs surrounded Old Holdman's villa, taking everything. Not even the door was left behind.

They'd plundered everything in sight before setting the house on fire, reducing it to nothing. Doron pitifully dragged himself back home, hiding in there endlessly in fear that guards would barge into his house and hang him at any moment.

After several days of silence, he had realised one fact. The lord had forgiven them, not arresting them at all. The event caused him to kneel on the ground and pray to the gods for their blessings.

However, everything in Old Holdman's house had been recovered a few days later. Doron then realised that his life hadn't changed in the slightest, the same as the rest of the thugs.

However, Doron was simply unable to comprehend it. That mountain of barley and grain, the gold and silver cutlery, that stack of gemstones… Where had they all gone?

He suddenly diverted all of his anger into a pawn shop in the town, but he didn't dare to take action. After all, the pawn shops were owned by a powerful lord.

Speaking of that lord, Doron remembered that villa that had been razed to the ground. Everything that Old Hoffman had owned now belonged to the him. Somehow, such a normal thing now angered him to no end.

"Those noble lords… They would rather watch the people die of hunger and sickness, and are not willing to even give a bronze coin away…" Normally, he would not harbour such treacherous thoughts, but it was different now…

Migration

Doron raised his head, looking at the murky dark skies. Crows were circling above his head, an omen of death.

A powerful plague had swept across their town once Old Holdman passed away. Some said it was a curse cast by the resentful wizard just before he died. No matter how much Doron was unwilling to believe it, it was true that the plague had caused many deaths. Even his best friend Mitch had fallen, and he was only saved from the brink of death due to Priest Rockefeller returning.

"Thank you, Lord Ilmater, for allowing Priest Rockefeller to return, and remove this curse from me…" he prayed piously.

If not for the village priest returning, he would've had to report to the underworld. He believed this had to be decreed by the Lord! If not for him, why would Priest Rockefeller to return to them and cleanse them of the plague for free?

However, he was extremely regretful that he had to leave this place of birth, his home.

"Listen, in the name of the churches… Everybody of Blackwood Village has to move to the county town and wait for further commands…" A knight ordered.

Doron looked around his cart. There were a few scattered villagers around, each carrying heavy bags like ants coming together.

This was the decree of the Lord, and the reason Priest Rockefeller had returned. All of Ilmater's worshippers were to be moved to the county town, an order that made Doron feel like the feudal lord had gone crazy when he first heard it. Were there enough homes there for them to live in?

Rockefeller had promised them that there were. As the plans for migration began, the members of the cities were given priority before the villagers.

"Wuu… My Lord, look at the wheat here first… They've grown so well… Let Old York reap them before leaving…" A farmer was carried out of the fields by a knight. He was holding onto the knight's thighs, begging him to be allowed to stay.

"No means no, do you want to disobey the Lord's order?" The armoured knight kicked the farmer away in annoyance.

Truth be told even the knight found the lord's orders odd. After all, his own manor and lands were located here as well. However, this had been decreed by both the church and the state, and they'd promised to compensate him for his losses. If not for that, he would not have complied.

'I should be given at least twice the lands I have now!' he thought with resolution. He grew louder and more violent with the villagers, scolding or even whipping them if he was unhappy.

"One by one, be inspected by the priest…" The end of the village road was swamped with carts containing the young, the old, and the disabled. Rockefeller had brought a batch of new priests and acolytes along, standing by the road and inspecting the health of every villager with a fever or bloody cough.

Those who had been diagnosed or suspected to have the plague were quarantined, and the people who passed were reportedly handed medicine that was said to repel any plagues.

The fear of the deadly plague was strong enough reason for the villagers to migrate. If some still wanted to stay of their own free will after all these rounds of intervention, the lords and the priests wouldn't bother with them anymore.

"The numbers are here, Father. Over a thousand out of the 4382 villagers have died, and the final number of those willing to migrate is 2900." An acolyte brought a parchment with a report on it to Rockefeller. He had round glasses on his face that seemed somewhat comical, but his report was given solemnly.

"Almost three thousand worshippers huh? Very well, continue!" Rockefeller nodded his head in appreciation. He looked at the snaking queue, making up his mind, 'These worshippers of our Lord must definitely be moved to a safe place!'

After the discussion in the Celestial Hall, the gods had all made it a priority for their churches to move their worshippers into their divine kingdoms. Separating the worshippers by god and moving them proved to be an extremely complicated process, troubling even the almighty gods themselves. Such big movements couldn't ever be completed without several hundred years.

The Magi wouldn't give them such time. Plague after plague struck the prime material plane, ravaging the lands and killing countless lives. Several rounds of discussion later, the gods had just decided to demarcate areas and move everyone within.

Towns like Blackwood Village with only one god were easy to move, which is why they were the first to be moved. Rockefeller had been sent back to the village to perform this task.

"Why, Priest Rockefeller, why… I am devoted to the Lord, but my son and daughter were taken from me… Why?" An old man in ragged clothing appeared at this instant, kneeling before Rockefeller as he cried.

"How dare you!" The priests and acolytes of the church grew furious. Saying such a thing in the open was blasphemy!

"Have faith… The almighty god of suffering wants us to push through this turbulent times…" Rockefeller waved the soldiers away, personally bringing the man to his feet, "Appropriate measures of agony are needed… Our Lord is kind and benevolent, he will forgive this small mistake of yours…"

Rockefeller was a complete priest, and held the highest position here. His word was law.

"Oh… God, I have sinned…" The white-haired old man weeped even louder than before, causing Doron to feel sorry for him from the side.

That small crooked body reminded him of something he'd tried to forget. He shook his head and managed to push his cart forward. Just then, Rockefeller's voice entered his ears.

"This tribulation is not something that the gods gave mankind. It is instead the beginning of the end."

"The end?" Doron was startled, and he halted unconsciously.

"Plague, war, famine, death… These are things long recorded in the prophecies of the church…" Light glowed from Rockefeller's face, causing him to look even more holy than before.

"The end of the world is fast approaching, and evils of foreign worlds have infiltrated our lands. Only the most pious of worshippers will receive salvation, obtaining eternal life in the divine kingdoms of the gods…"

Rockefeller's proclamation of the end of the world had been prepared by the church after a long period of work. The scenario it described frightened Doron out of his wits.

So the plague that they had experience was not the end, but just the beginning. Under such an influence of the proclamation, coupled with the threat of the plague and death, even the free spirits now obeyed orders and hurried along to the county town.

Rockefeller's proclamation continued, "These evils will infiltrate our earth and plunder everything we have. Life, flesh, and souls… These perpetrators of the end, these reapers of death… They are called Magi!"

After many millennia, the taboo of the Magi finally began to circulate around the World of Gods once more. The Second Dusk was fast approaching!

...

Black County Castle was only a day and a half of a horse ride from Blackwood Village. It was where Mitch had worked as a servant to Mystra's church, a place Doron had visited once before in his life. When he saw the tall limestone walls, Doron heaved a sigh of relief. He had never expected that this journey would feel this long.

He looked around apprehensively, noticing the tired and weary villagers. Some of them were even injured, and the group looked like refugees from a disaster.

This poorly formed procession of villagers would never cover much in a day of travel. Even Doron himself had tossed away many of his belongings. With the mess of this migration, many bandit groups had tried to rob them along the way. There were too few guards and priests to protect them completely.

A bandit had even charged up to Doron himself once, something the carpenter never wanted to experience again in his life.

"We can move to the divine kingdom of the Lord now that we're here, obtaining eternal life?" Doron's resolution had only lasted this far because of Rockefeller's constant boasting about the divine kingdom. However, very soon he discovered that he had been thinking too much.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!* There were large groups of troops around the city walls, all carrying spears that put great pressure on the villagers.

"Listen up! There's too many people coming over, so there will be a queue. Nobles will have priority, before villagers with an identity. As for the rest, wait outside the walls…" Many knights were shouting orders from horseback as they moved around the group.

There were simply far too many tents outside the city right now, making it seem like a massive refugee camp. Priests could be seen from time to time, casting spells or passing medicine on. Temporary church buildings glowed with a golden light, protecting the area around the city.

The churches protected the people from the plagues. If not for them, with the weak immunity of these refugees and the large numbers of people, the plague would reap all of them and ruin the gods' plans.

"Alright then… Nobles first…" The carriage of the lord slowly entered the city, as Doron watched on outside. He didn't know why, but the fires in his heart blazed even stronger.

Peak

Doron felt like there was an endless sea of people around him, more than he'd ever seen in his life. Villagers continued to stream in towards the city from the regions nearby, quickly forming a grave problem with law and order.

The food in the city was limited, so the villagers had to find ways to feed themselves. Almost every day there were some corpses being carried out of the refugee camps. In such harsh conditions, Doron waited another two weeks before it was his turn.

"Listen up! Across you is the divine kingdom of the Lord, Ilmater. Listen to the valiant spirits and petitioners when you enter…" A bishop was stood upon a platform, a large gate radiating golden light beside him. The church ordered the refugees into a line, having them make their way to the gates.

'Behind that gate is endless fertile soil, free from plagues and disaster…' Doron looked at the people ahead of him and the golden gate, eyes brimming with hope and longing. Finally, it was his turn.

'New life, here I come…' His eyes had grown wet. He sighed, preparing to bid farewell to his former life.

*Rumble!* It was then that a massive earthquake occurred.

"What's happening?" Doron was knocked to the ground. He looked on blankly as his surroundings turned dark. A winged serpent with nine heads blotted out the sun as it projected a shadow on the ground.

The entire prime material plane trembled, and the gods seethed in fury. It was at that moment that the connection between the Celestial Planes and the prime material plane was cut off.

Looking at the golden gate shatter, Doron cried out in utter despair, "NOOOOO!"

...

Some time ago, within Leylin's divine kingdom in the Nine Hells.

Shar slowly walked into Leylin's church, looking at the clone seated on his throne, "I'm done with the construction of the Shadow Weave. The wizards can only download rank 9 spells and below right now, but that should be enough…"

The impish girl handed over a ball of purple essence to Kukulkan. Even now, the fact that a mere clone wasn't weaker than her let her understand clearly just how freakishly strong Leylin was.

"The core of the Shadow Weave?" The clone took the orb with a half-smile on its face, staring at the former goddess.

Leylin had originally thought Shar would have some problems with a war against the gods, but it seemed like she didn't care much about that. Put another way, her one desire was conquest, and she was especially happy to receive the inheritance of her dead rival.

"You've done well…" Blue light flashed in the A.I. Chip clone's eyes, and the core was scanned in one glance. Then, under Shar's surprised expression, he tossed the core back to her.

"Finish rebuilding it, and have the Shadow Weave replace the original. You have more experience in this than me…" The clone smiled gently at Shar, "I'll leave the matter of recruiting the wizards to you as well."

"…." Shar cast a complicated gaze at Leylin.

He'd asked her to build the Shadow Weave once more and recruit wizards to their side! A few moments of thinking easily told her how much she could gain from such a thing.

Even if the Shadow Weave didn't grow to be as strong as the Weave that was shared amongst the gods, and the wizards would face a great loss, those who were left were still enough to support an intermediate god. Leylin had granted her such a thing so easily!

Shar remained silent for a while, finally asking, "You broke through?"

"The path of original sin does not confound me at all…" Leylin replied in a profound manner.

"Go… Take the remaining wizards under your wing… Careful with those who have too much faith. We don't want you becoming a god again…" Leylin warned.

Shar nodded and walked out expressionlessly, only leaving behind a divine clone that looked at the phantom in the sky. Given her abilities, it was easy for her to inherit Mystra's position and build a coalition of wizards. After all, she'd been a Goddess of Magic herself in the past, and she understood the World of Gods like the back of her hand. She'd be able to complete this task quite smoothly.

Furthermore, even if the wizards were useless for now their knowledge and wisdom remained intact. With experience in spellcasting, they also had a tremendous trove of knowledge. Being in dire straits, as long as Shar tossed a few bones down the alley they would pounce over like hungry mongrels.

These wizards still had their strengths, and once they had recovered their spell slots, they would regain their standing in the prime material plane. With Leylin's body advancing to the peak of rank 8, equivalent to greater gods, he needed to make preparations for war.

...

A loud hiss resounded within the depths of Baator, all negative emotions being consumed without end by the Nightmare Hydra. The power of emotions became a black mist that shrouded the space nearby.

The power of emotions condensed to a liquid form in the centre of the mist, encasing a black mountain made of crystal. Leylin's eyes opened up from within, his aura now more profound and unfathomable.

"The path of original sin represents all the evil in the world. Gluttony, Greed, Wrath, Pride, Lust, Sloth and Envy… As long as intelligent life is present in the astral plane, these sins will never cease… The seven deadly sins will provoke massacre, resulting in death… This cycle shares its life with the very astral plane itself…"

Leylin felt something profound at that moment, the path of original sin appearing behind him with an explosion. It seemed to embody all the evil in the world, reaching a perfect form.

The Nightmare Hydra hissed once more, as amber light flew out of its jaws. The essence of Asmodeus was sealed within in the form of a bug, containing the root of all evil.

"The core of the seven sins, the last item of evil I need to fuse into my path of original sin… The Supreme of the Nine Hells, Asmodeus!" The path of original sin surged forward, devouring Asmodeus whole.

"NO!" Asmodeus let out one last roar as he was being devoured, but that was futile. The power of original sin completely dissolved and decomposed him, ridding him of impurities as a dark glow of light representing the essence of evil blended into Leylin's path.

[Beep!]

The path of original sin was now complete and flawless. Leylin's truesoul rejoiced, merging completely with his path.

"Now… Nightmare force, fuse!" The more powerful version of dreamforce shifted easily under Leylin's control, flooding into the river of original sin. It refined his main body, making him capable of resisting the attacks of origin force itself. The path of original sin was like the path of the very world!

"From this moment forth, I am Original Sin. As long as the power of the seven sins remains, I shall never perish!" A ringing filled the universe as the perfected path of original sin transformed into a giant Leylin with a tattoo of the Nightmare Hydra on its back. All of Leylin's laws came alive, his body filling up with their strength and causing many worlds to tremble.

[Beep! Host has perfected the path of original sin, advancing to peak rank 8…] [Beep! Host's soul has undergone a transformation, system upgrade in progress…]

The A.I. Chip that was akin to Leylin's soul gave him some alerts before going silent. Leylin couldn't feel how much time had passed before it booted up once more, perhaps it was a day or perhaps it was several years.

[Beep! System upgrade complete. Law database completed, beginning research on laws of spacetime…

Host has advanced to peak rank 8. Stats have changed, recalculating…]

Leylin's stats were refreshed in an instant.

[Name: Leylin Farlier, Rank 8 Warlock (Limit).

Bloodline: Nine-Headed Nightmare Hydra (Complete)

Strength: 90. Agility: 100. Vitality: 130. Spiritual force: 200.

Soul Status: Soul of Original Sin (Peak).

Laws: Devouring (100%), Massacre (100%), Death (100%), Greed (100%), Wrath (100%), Pride (100%), Lust (100%), Sloth (100%), Envy (100%)

Path: Original Sin (Perfect)

Innate Talent: World Devouring.

Abilities: Dreamscape Vision, Origin Force Detection, Illusion Proficiency, Warp Reality, Epic Massacre, Death's Decree.]

Leylin took a quick glance at his stats. He was overweeningly powerful now, far surpassing even greater gods, but he was more concerned with the other information that was displayed. 'Almost everything says I'm at the peak… Does that mean I've walked to the end of my path as a Magus?'