"Tsk, tsk… Chesterbert, how pitiful…"
The half-god with the body of a lion and a human head shook its head, seemingly惋惜 for the fallen being.
"If we fail in our ascension to godhood, our fate will be no different from his…"
A half-god that resembled a mass of black sludge transmitted a thought, and while Leilin and the others were discussing the matter, the entire tree fortress had already descended into a bloodbath.
Every living human who remained was deemed a heretic and burned at the stake.
Shilifu received slightly more elevated treatment—he was beheaded directly by a Legendary Paladin.
"Well then, gentlemen and ladies? Having witnessed this scene, I wonder what you think of my earlier proposal?"
Leilin swept his gaze across the group and asked.
"With a true god standing in our way, our chances of ascension grow slimmer by the day… Your proposal is therefore well worth considering…"
"I will give you my answer within the agreed timeframe!"
The other demigods each offered their responses.
"Excellent! I believe that so long as we work together, ascension to godhood is not merely a wild ambition—it is an inevitability!"
…
After the other divine consciousnesses had departed, Leilin gazed toward the tree fortress, his expression faintly grave.
"During the ascension ritual, one must also contend with the jealousy of vengeful spirits, giving rise to a tide of corruption?"
Chesterbert's case was an extreme example, but Leilin could not entirely rule out the possibility.
"According to my previous experiments, during this kind of transformation of life-form, when the high-energy magnetic field and spatial dimensions become destabilized, it is indeed very easy to attract Negative Energy…"
Leilin stroked his chin.
In terms of karmic entanglement, the number of undead under his command was no less than Chesterbert's. Even within the World of the
If even one percent of those vengeful spirits were to be drawn in during his ascension, it would pose an incredibly troublesome problem. After all, one need only look at the sheer number of natives who perished alongside the Native Empire to understand how terrifying that quantity would be—not to mention the high-ranking powerhouses among them.
"Before ascending to True God, I must make the most complete break with my past? And only the divine kingdom of a True God can bear the weight of all that resentment…"
Leilin seemed to have gained deeper insight into the path toward True Godhood.
"Today's harvest doesn't stop there…"
His eyes glimmered brightly. "Those gods—even with only their divine consciousnesses descending—allowed me to roughly distinguish their factions and the powerhouses among them. And on top of that, Mara's live demonstration… it will certainly use the same methods against me in the future!!!"
One could say that Chesterbert, whom Leilin had carefully selected, was a rehearsal of his own situation.
And through this simulated experiment, the Chip had collected an enormous amount of invaluable data—data that would prove irreplaceable for Leilin's ascension.
"After I return, once all preparations are complete, I ascend immediately!!!!"
Leilin's eyes burned with longing. His confidence in himself had reached its absolute peak.
One battle to achieve godhood, bringing about the end—of all the World of the Gods, who but I?
…
"May your souls find eternal rest!"
Rafinia stood within the blood-drenched halls of the Baron's manor, silently offering a prayer.
The purge of heretics had been completed. Those who survived were, by definition, sympathizers and followers of false gods. Not a single one was to be spared.
Under the blades of the Paladins, the entire manor was swiftly cleansed.
Yet upon beholding that altar of flesh and blood, Rafinia still felt her soul shaken to its core.
Twenty thousand innocent civilians—reduced to nothing. Not even bones remained. Only faint damp stains on the ground and tattered scraps of clothing still testified to their existence.
"These heretics! These false gods! Their very existence is the greatest stain upon the cause of justice!"
Rafinia felt a great fire burning in her chest, threatening to burst forth from her body.
"Paladin Rafinia!"
A priest of the God of Justice hurried over and presented a watery mirror image before her.
Within the mirror stood the unmistakable figure of an elderly warrior clad in priestly robes, his kind face framed by two thick, vertical eyebrows and an air of unyielding resolve.
"Your Eminence!" Upon seeing the old man's image, Rafinia immediately bowed.
This was not merely a matter of rank and strength—it was reverence from the depths of her heart.
"Rafinia! I have already learned of your purge of the false gods. You have done well!"
The Cardinal offered a word of praise first.
"It is all thanks to the protection of my Lord! Under His guidance, the heretical false gods received the punishment they deserved!"
Rafinia pressed her lips together, her expression stubbornly resolute.
Seeing this, a gentle smile surfaced on the Cardinal's face before giving way to gravity. "Rafinia! I have another mission for you!"
"Please, Your Eminence, give your orders!"
Rafinia felt she could hardly wait to set out—to cut down a few more servants of evil, to save more innocent lives, and ensure that the tragedy here would never be repeated!
"Very well!"
The Cardinal, in the guise of the elderly warrior, regarded Rafinia's fervent state, and a flicker of something like pity crossed his eyes before being swiftly suppressed.
"The resurgence and madness of the Church of the Venomous Scorpion was supported from the shadows by numerous false gods…"
The Cardinal's expression was exceptionally solemn, tinged with a compassionate sorrow.
"The existence of these false gods poses an dire threat to the peace of the entire continent and to the cause of justice. Therefore, my Lord has issued a divine oracle—you must investigate the masterminds behind this thoroughly and cooperate with the other temples to eliminate the false gods…"
"My Lord's will is my command!"
Rafinia dropped to one knee and accepted the task with obedience. "Where am I to investigate?"
"The South Coast, Bankz Island, the Church of the Giant Serpent!!!"
The Cardinal named the target, and immediately Rafinia's body trembled.
"I know you had a relationship with that half-god wizard. If you are unwilling…"
The Cardinal spoke slowly.
"No, Your Eminence! I accept this mission!" Rafinia lifted her head, her face set with unwavering determination.
"My friendship with Leilin is a private matter, but what he threatens is the peace and justice of the entire continent! As his friend, I have an even greater duty to pull him back from the wrong path!"
"And if his actions have already crossed the line entirely?" the Cardinal asked calmly.
"Then I will bring his errors to an end—once and for all!"
Rafinia answered, her entire being radiating a light that could only be called "justice."
"Very well! My Lord has seen your resolve!" The Cardinal nodded with satisfaction and ended the communication.
"Paladin Commander! We have come by order of His Eminence the Cardinal, ready to receive your commands!"
An elite squad composed entirely of high-ranking Paladins and Priests appeared before Rafinia. This was merely the investigation team—once certain facts were confirmed, not only would numerous Legendary powerhouses be deployed, but even the incarnations of gods themselves would take the field.
"I never thought… Leilin, that we would end up here."
Rafinia gazed at the setting sun on the horizon, a faint wistfulness in her eyes, as though recalling the first time they had met.
Back then, their strength had been roughly comparable. But Leilin had quickly left her behind—ascending to High Mage, then Legendary Mage, and finally Demigod! She could only watch his retreating figure from ever-greater distance, unable to even catch a glimpse of his shadow.
"I was such a fool! Truly… With his hunger for power and his pragmatic self-preservation—our standing on opposite sides was inevitable from the very beginning!"
Rafinia drew her longsword, resoluteness replacing the wistfulness in her eyes.
"Leilin! You have your path, and I have my own convictions. From this day forward, we are… enemies!"
She pointed her longsword toward the south, steeling her resolve for the road ahead. Then Rafinia issued her command: "Move out! Target: Bankz Island! The Church of the Giant Serpent!!!"
The cavalry company departed one after another, leaving clouds of dust drifting in their wake.
"Romis!"
At another camp, the incarnation of Haim also summoned his own Cardinal.
"My God, you are the guardian of the True Gods, the defender of all deities…"
Romis knelt in devout reverence.
"Though we have achieved a temporary victory here, the course of events is never so simple…"
A light of wisdom shone in the eyes of Haim's incarnation.
"I need you to go south and assist the forces of the Church of the God of Justice in completing the investigation and purge of the Church of the Giant Serpent!"
Haim issued his divine decree. "When necessary, the Church shall exert pressure upon the coastal kingdoms to assemble a cross-sea expeditionary force!"
"Your will be done! Your command is my mission!"
Romis accepted with reverence, though inwardly he was struck with tremendous shock. "To go so far as to mobilize secular forces for an expeditionary army! Could it be… that in my Lord's eyes, the threat posed by the other side has already grown this vast and terrifying? That He would even be willing to break the established conventions…"
In this world, divine authority and royal authority still maintained a certain tacit understanding.
But Haim's directive meant using the majesty of a god to utterly crush secular power—a move whose negative consequences for the Church would be immeasurable.
Yet if He had chosen to act this way, it could only mean one thing: if the Church of the Giant Serpn were allowed to continue growing, the harm it would bring would surpass even the power of secular kingdoms—and deal a devastating blow to Haim himself.
Having grasped this, Romis suddenly felt the burden on his shoulders grow exceedingly heavy.
With the failure of Chesterbert the Scorpion Lord's ascension, the storms sweeping across the continent had not subsided—if anything, they had grown more sinister and unpredictable.
Numerous Demigods had begun stirring restlessly, and ever-thickening clouds of foreboding were settling over the Material World.
And it was amid this turbulent and unstable atmosphere that Rafinia and her company finally arrived at the South Coast.