Faolan Island.
Rafinha's face carried a look of reminiscence as she set foot on the dock once more.
The last time she had come here, it was to congratulate Leilin on his ascension to [Legendary] and to invite him to join the Silver Moon Alliance of the North.
Everything felt like it was just yesterday, but Rafinha knew full well that everything had changed!
"My Lady! We've just received the latest intelligence — all ships bound for Bankes Island have been suspended recently!"
A paladin approached Rafinha's side.
"I can see that!" Rafinha looked toward Morning Star Port. The once-bustling port had already turned desolate.
With Bankes Island gone as their major patron, a great number of ships had departed. Only a handful of small vessels remained docked, lending the place a rather bleak air.
"Have they pulled back their forces? Could they have discovered something?"
Rafinha gritted her teeth. "Even if we have to find our own ship, we must reach Bankes Island!"
Boom!
At that very moment, the ground trembled violently. A terrifying majesty rippled through the sky, and in an instant, the heavens darkened overhead.
"What's happening? Help!" Panic erupted across the dock.
But the experienced Rafinha turned her gaze toward Bankes Island. Powerful Primordial fluctuations surged from that direction, carrying faint sounds of prayer. Her expression grew grave. "It's too late!"
In the next instant, it wasn't just the South Coast — the Primordial ripples of apotheosis radiated from every direction, and Rafinha's face went deathly pale.
...
In the swamp, numerous natives gathered together, kneeling in prayer. "Ukukru... Great Ukukru, you are our sovereign..."
Faith energy formed a tide that enveloped a human-headed, lion-bodied deity.
...
On the prairie, a mass of dark-golden sludge monster suddenly spread its body wide, nearly covering the area of several cities.
Tiny points of golden flame began to seep out from its surface.
...
Rumble! The tremor of Primordial energy reverberated across the entire multiverse. In that moment, countless deities turned their gaze here, filled with unmistakable doubt and alarm.
"So many [Demigods] ascending at once..."
"There's a conspiracy!"
Streams of divine consciousness converged in the void. Such a commotion attracted not only the attention of gods, but also that of devils and demons.
The supreme beings of the entire multiverse watched the Material Plane with grave attention, hoping to either protect or seize something from it.
The Outer Planes.
"Mystra, I've been waiting for you for a long time!"
Outside the divine kingdom, waves of Primordial energy howled and coalesced into the form of an elderly warrior who had lost both his eyes and his right hand.
"Our plan has hit another snag...
A heavy shadow hung over Mystra's face. "After that [Demigod] rose to prominence, the trajectory of fate seems to have undergone tremendous shifts..."
"Are you still that fixated on that premonition?"
"The World-Destroying Serpent..." The bitter smile on Mystra's face deepened. "I have never felt at any moment that its footsteps were so close..."
The premonition of a Greater Deity was something even Tyr could not dismiss lightly.
He fell silent. The surrounding divine kingdoms seemed to choke in that instant. "Ascending to True God is not so easy. To say nothing of the fact that this one is ascending through the domain of Slaughter — they will inevitably face the united hostility of Myrkul and
"Let us wait and see... but I have a premonition — a rather dire one..."
Mystra gazed into the distance, her starlike eyes seeming to pierce through all things, gazing upon the future.
...
The Ninth Layer of Hell. Nessus.
"Father!"
Even having entered the Realm of Rules, Glasya could still feel the vast and unfathomable power radiating from
Possessing the Primordial Pact, Asmodeus held a natural and inherent right to rule over all of Hell. Even though the other Hell Lords had carved up territory and resisted his authority, this innate law could not be changed.
"I felt the Primordial fluctuations of Hell..."
Asmodeus still wore the appearance of the Great Devil, his black goatee curling slightly upward, his eyes filled with malice and depth.
"Someone is attempting apotheosis as a Hell Lord!"
But Asmodeus's next words made Glasya gasp.
"Apotheosis? Who is it? Which devil dares to betray— hmm? Could it be... that master of the
Glasya quickly realized something. As the Lord of the Dis plane, Leilin's identity remained quite mysterious.
Of course, after so many years of investigation, Leilin's true identity was no secret among the Hell Lords. They had even reached a tacit agreement on the matter.
Plans to infiltrate and subvert the Dis plane had been ongoing. Had Leilin not stayed entirely within the Material Plane and never appeared in Hell, he would likely have long since been besieged by the other Hell Lords and had his Hell authority carved up.
"His goal was never to become Lord of a single layer of Hell... Only the eternal radiance of godhood is what he pursues..."
Asmodeus saw this with perfect clarity.
Moreover, he owed Leilin a debt of sorts. With Leilin serving as a more conspicuous target that drew considerable fire, Asmodeus's own schemes had been able to proceed undetected, and to this day had not provoked any violent backlash.
Given these "contributions" of Leilin's, if in the future he was willing to fully align himself with Hell, Asmodeus would not hesitate to expend the effort to reshape a devil's body for him and grant him some honorary titles and glory.
But now, everything had changed!
"The combination of a deity and a Hell Lord will inevitably bring about far more unpredictable consequences..."
A venomous insect crawled out of Asmodeus's goatee, only to be flung into his mouth. The Great Devil's evil eyes now gleamed with resolve. "We must immediately overthrow his rule over the Dis plane and sever his connection to Hell!"
"The Dis plane is currently under the proxy rule of the Pit Fiend Azrock, who is quite satisfied with his current position... As for the other agents we've planted, even combined with the forces of the other Lords, it would be difficult to overthrow a Hell Lord's rule in a short time — even if he isn't a devil..."
Glasya bit her crimson lips. "I need more time..."
When she had seized Marbogi in the past, the succubus queen had lurked for thousands of years before accumulating enough strength for rebellion, and even then had only succeeded by exploiting the turmoil of the second-layer planes.
Had she not first stripped the hag countess of Primordial favor and then suppressed her through the Primordial Pact to cast her down from the Realm of Rules, the outcome would have been far from certain.
This showed just how terrifying a Hell Lord's control over their subordinates truly was.
Even with Leilin holding the position of Hell Lord as a human — which had drawn considerable discontent among the devils — and having ruled for such a brief time, it was no easy task.
"There is no 'but.' Go notify
Asmodeus flipped through the massive contract codex in his hands and tore off a sheet of black parchment.
"Understood!"
Glasya took the contract, recognizing her father's resolve. And knowing Asmodeus's shrewd wisdom and decisive judgment, she could not suppress her growing curiosity about Leilin.
"Someone who makes my father willing to sacrifice part of his interests just to suppress him — what kind of schemer could he possibly be? I'm rather looking forward to it... heh heh..."
Devils always moved quickly, especially when it came to honoring contracts.
To seize time, Asmodeus had even opened the authority network directly. Several Hell Lords issued orders through the Primordial web to the agents and schemers planted within the second-layer Hell plane.
Before long, the entire Dis plane was plunged into war.
Explosions rocked the burning iron city as devil armies clad in armor poured out of Dis, their targets unmistakably the central quarters of the high-ranking devils and, most importantly, the Iron Tower — the very core of governance!
Atop the Iron Tower, Azrock the Pit Fiend — whom Leilin had appointed as his proxy — watched the scene unfold with a mocking gaze.
"Hmm! Dil, Modiekro, and Hessas... so even you have turned traitor..."
Watching his city fall one district at a time, Azrock's face showed neither regret nor rage. He regarded the rebel devils as though watching a troupe of clowns.
"You will never comprehend the terror of my lord
Azrock turned and strode into the council hall, where the ghostly figure of the ancient devil Leilin had subdued earlier materialized.
"Heh heh... Everything is prepared! All the nodes are guarded by our people, and the devil hunters are all in position!"
The old devil let out a rasping laugh, carrying with it an ancient, malevolent power.
This formidable strength was enough to make even Azrock's heart skip a beat. Only Leilin could have subdued such a being with superior power and schemes.
"Good... Let us go out and receive them! I can hardly wait to see the despair on those rebels' faces... ha ha..."
For devils, defeating the powerful through schemes was always their greatest pleasure.
"I look forward to it as well!"
The old devil followed behind Azrock like a butler as they slowly walked out of the Iron Tower.
Outside, the massive devil army had once again surrounded the Iron Tower, though they held off from attacking, wary of its defenses.