Chapter 1153: The Heart

In ancient times, the relationship between Mystra and Shar had never been good.

Both were deities who leaned toward magical power, and there was an inherent conflict between them — one that could ultimately only leave a single survivor.

During the Twilight of the Gods, Shar's true body had been gravely wounded, her very divine realm destroyed. By a stroke of fortune, she had escaped the World of Gods and even found unexpected opportunities within the Shadow World.

Mystra, meanwhile, had earned sufficient merit in the creation of the Weave and was ultimately unanimously chosen by the gods as its Guardian — her divine portfolio shifting accordingly.

By now, Mystra had become a Greater Deity of immense power, yet she remained perpetually vigilant regarding Shar's whereabouts.

After all, if there was any god in the World of Gods who could steal her divine power and portfolio, it would undoubtedly be Shar!

It was precisely because of this characteristic of the Weave that Leilin had been confident he could pit the Shadow Weave against Mystra's Silver Fire and escape with ease.

However, one of his trump cards had been partially exposed in the process — though Leilin's reserves were so vast that he feared this development not at all.

"Kukulkan... Shar..."

At that moment, Mystra made a startling connection: "My earlier prophecy, and that terrifying sensation of my own demise — could it have come from Shar? And Kukulkan is the only lead to finding her, which would explain why I felt that way..."

If that were the case, everything would fall into place.

Unfortunately, Mystra had jumped to conclusions too quickly and failed to realize that Leilin held yet another terrifying card in his hand — one that could truly bring about her demise.

"It matters little that the God of Slaughter escaped. The priority is to destroy these avatars as quickly as possible — our true bodies are already locked in battle with Gruumsh..."

Tyr reminded from the side.

Gruumsh had gone berserk upon discovering his subordinates had fallen into an ambush, and had been held in check by Tyr and Mystra's true bodies outside — but they wouldn't be able to hold him for much longer.

"Of course, I know that..."

Mystra's expression darkened, and the power of the Silver Fire surged in an instant. Even the true gods like Ilneval, freed from Leilin's restraint, dared not face it head-on.

The network of silver flames continued to shrink. Though Ilneval and the other avatars fought desperately to resist, they also had Tyr constantly directing Isheer's Sting in surprise attacks from the side. Shargaas was struck by misfortune — not only was his avatar instantly annihilated, but his true body suffered devastating injuries.

At last... the mass of Silver Fire contracted, engulfing the several golden silhouettes within.

Meanwhile, in the Upper Planes — in the vast wasteland where Gruumsh had pooled his strength to unite the divine realms of numerous orc deities...

"MYSTRA!!! TYR!!!"

Roars filled with hatred erupted simultaneously from several colossal temples, setting the legions of faithful and hero spirits trembling.

The ambush god Shargaas had suffered the heaviest injuries and had already fallen into a deep slumber.

The orcish war god Ilneval and death god Yurtrus were in slightly better condition, but having lost several avatars in succession, they could no longer deploy lightly.

"Woooo..."

At that very moment, a bleak and mighty horn call resonated across the entirety of the orcish wasteland.

Two gods wreathed in golden radiance appeared in midair. Both bore orcish forms, though one displayed male features and the other female.

"This is the Chief God's summons! The Goddess of the Weave and the God of Justice have launched a divine war simultaneously — and they're calling upon subordinate and vassal gods to participate... And it has to be now of all times..."

The male orc furrowed his brow — this was Bahgtru, the orcish god of strength.

The orcish divine pantheon was peculiarly structured: only the chief god Gruumsh had achieved the rank of Greater Deity, while all others were Lesser Gods serving as his subordinates.

Among them, Shargaas, Ilneval, and Yurtrus were considered the most combat-capable.

But now, these fighters had been incapacitated all at once. With only Bahgtru left, they could barely maintain appearances.

"Do you have any solution?"

Bahgtru looked to the female orc beside him with a hint of desperation. She was Luthic, the orcish goddess of life — though not skilled in combat, her divine domain granted her considerable effectiveness in other areas.

"Although I hold a portion of the related portfolio, the wound Shargaas sustained was from Isheer's Sting. Even his most vital true body has been forced into a death-like slumber — in such circumstances, even I can do nothing... As for Ilneval and Yurtrus, they have merely exhausted their divine power. My abilities may be able to accelerate their recovery time..."

Luthic's expression was equally grave as she spoke. "The fear is that the enemy won't give us that chance..."

"Woooo!!!" The great horn sounded again, even more urgent than before.

Faint explosions and terrifying rumblings were already beginning to reach the orcish wasteland.

"You're right... They won't give us any time at all. We'll have to hold the line ourselves..."

Bahgtru gave a bitter smile. "I'll deploy all my avatars. Mobilizing the faithful and the army of spirits falls to you..."

As his words fell, several golden meteors streaked from the divine realm, charging toward the blurred armies beyond.

Mystra and Tyr had been planning this for a long time, and it had ultimately taken Leilin's decisive push to finally deal a devastating blow to several of the orcish pantheon's true gods, crippling their fighters in one fell swoop.

If they didn't press the attack now while they had the chance, when would they ever?

In truth, it wasn't just the mortal war that had begun — Mystra and Tyr had also orchestrated a divine war within the godly realms of the Upper Planes.

The mage god Azuth, along with several other subordinate and vassal gods — even some allied deities of good alignment who had been invited — launched the divine war the instant they received word, determined to give the orcish pantheon a lesson they would never forget!

......

The Dark Forest.

The spillover from the clash of divine avatars, combined with the legendary battle raging below, had devastated more than half the area.

The once-dark and twisted ancient trees had long since vanished, leaving behind only several raging infernos and torn-up earth. Here and there, the mangled remains of unfortunate beastkin could still be seen.

The legendary battle had now entered its final stages.

Because Malar had retreated too quickly, the beastkin champions had been rendered entirely useless — though the paladin companies left on the ground were more than enough to deal with them.

Though the priest Gala had frantically unleashed the ultimate ability to summon a legion of demons, under the suicidal assault of the paladins, the demons' numbers continued to dwindle — until only a single legendary Balor remained, locked in combat with Rafinia.

The rest of the paladins, led by Cardinal Karal, joined the pursuit of the beastkin — and upon seeing the tide had turned against them, the beastkin leaders and priests had no intention of fighting to the death. They abandoned large numbers of demons as targets and bait, and slipped away.

"Hee hee hee..."

Rafinia's opponent, though not yet elevated to the rank of Balor Lord, had reached the legendary realm. With abilities like Blasphemous Words and other spell-like powers, plus a greatsword of beheading and a flaming whip that danced like living things, it was no match for ordinary legendary powerhouses.

Unfortunately for the Balor, its opponent was a paladin — and not just any paladin, but the Light of Hope herself: the legendary paladin Rafinia!

The young knight's face bore an expression of unyielding determination. Though she had already sustained numerous injuries, she refused to retreat even a step. Her sheer ferocity was enough to strike fear even into a demon.

Their battle had now reached its final phase.

Rafinia's silver armor had been shattered piece by piece, while the Balor's greatsword of beheading had been snapped in half — its flaming whip long since lost.

"Hee hee hee... We'll meet again, paladin!"

The Balor cackled, opening a portal with both hands.

Though it talked tough, the injuries it had sustained no longer allowed it to continue fighting.

Most demons were creatures of utter chaos, but a Balor that had ascended to the legendary realm possessed at least some measure of cunning.

At this point, the young knight had clearly reached her limit as well. Exhausted, she could barely remain standing with the help of her longsword. Yet as she watched the demon's retreat and the raging flames before her, a strange light suddenly appeared on Rafinia's face.

It was an indescribable, eerie dark-red luminescence — a blend of the sacred and the sinister.

"For justice!"

Rafinia roared, summoning the last reserves of her strength. She charged through the flames, enduring the corrosive burn of the Abyss's power, and drove her longsword deep into the Balor's heart!

"You..."

The Balor, with one foot already through the portal, collapsed in stunned disbelief.

But in that very moment, a sinister smile crept across its face. "Haha... I understand now! I understand! This isn't the power of purification — it's the power of our demon race's eternal enemy: the devils! If that's the case..."

With a violent burst of strength, it threw Rafinia off and tore out its own heart with its remaining right hand. "The source of evil... Haha... Take it! Take it all!"

With that, it hurled the still-beating flaming heart at Rafinia.

Rafinia, who had exhausted every last shred of her strength, had no way to dodge. The Balor's heart struck her squarely.

Tainted blood splattered across Rafinia's body, and droplets of evil power — with their chaotic essence filtered out — were absorbed directly into her.

"What's happening? Why am I able to absorb evil power?"

Feeling her strength rapidly returning, Rafinia stood up in astonishment.

But by then, the Balor had already burned away to nothing in the flames, and no one was left to answer her question.

"The church, the mission, and the compromises..."

Rafinia's face remained blank for a long while before she suddenly sank to her knees.