Several years passed in the Prime Material World in the blink of an eye, slipping away silently.
During those years, much had happened.
The most sensational event was, of course, the war against the beastmen in the North.
The Beastman Empire, which had suffered defeat in the divine war and lost the protection of many powerful beings, was forced into retreat after retreat under the Silver Moon Alliance's offensive. Even with Saladin, the beastmen's born emperor, it was impossible to turn the tide.
Even the original site of Silver Moon City — the Beastman Empire's imperial capital — was besieged and attacked.
However, relying on the city's formidable defenses and the power of the divine artifact known as the Mjolnir, Saladin unleashed multiple divine avatars in rapid succession, battling
Meanwhile, the Beastman Empire also seemed to need time to recuperate, perhaps even to prepare for a major war to reclaim lost territory, and lacked the strength to provoke another conflict.
The entire North was temporarily split in two, sinking into an eerie silence — a great war could erupt at any moment.
The Beastman Wastes. Within the unified divine realm of the Beastman Pantheon.
The combined forces of
Even the fall of the beastman god of death — Idroz — cost the Beastman Pantheon a true deity, an event far more devastating than the destruction of hundreds of thousands of petitioners' legions, even though it was not Mystra or Tyr who struck the blow.
And the name of Leilin, the God of Slaughter, once again rang in the ears of those powerful beings, bringing a new wave of dread and fear.
But Leilin himself paid no attention to any of this at the moment. He was receiving an old acquaintance.
"It has been a long time, Rafinia…"
Within the colossal divine temple, Leilin gazed down from his throne at his new subordinate — or rather, a long-lost friend who had returned.
"My Lord… I have abandoned my former name. Henceforth, please address me as Fenix — Fenix, Hellfire Fenix!"
The former legendary paladin knelt prostrate before Leilin, her expression devoid of both grief and joy as she spoke.
The new Fenix was vastly different from before. Her features were more refined and bewitching. Her milky-white skin radiated a supple, lustrous glow, and a pair of beautiful black wings unfurled gently behind her back, making her resemble a fallen angel, filled with a unique and mesmerizing beauty — as though the creator of Hell had piled every ounce of allure upon her.
"Very well… Fenix! Tell me — what do fairness and justice represent to you now?"
A hint of curiosity flickered in the deity's gaze as he continued his questioning.
"They remain my lifelong pursuit!"
Fenix raised her head, her exquisite face set with resolute determination. "But the world is inherently filthy and corrupt. Therefore, only through an act of absolute destruction can true equality be reborn… I am willing to purify the entire world with the fires of Hell…"
"A fine realization…"
Leilin offered outward approval while silently rolling his eyes. "She's become an apocalyptic fanatic? This transformation… it's so very Rafinia…"
Outwardly, however, his expression remained unchanged.
Regardless, gaining another legendary-level believer and devil operative was well worth it for Leilin.
After Fenix bowed and withdrew, Leilin waved his hand, and a mercury mirror materialized within the temple, displaying scenes from the Prime Material World.
On its surface, the legendary devil hunter who had previously traveled to beastman territory with the Nian Trading Company was bowing respectfully.
"My Lord… You are the Sovereign of Slaughter, the Arbiter of Order, Master of all Devils…"
"In accordance with your decree, I have slain all the clerics and paladins except for Rafinia, binding their souls within the Mourning Bones. They can be sent to Hell for conversion at any time…"
A lengthy report, interwoven with prayers, flowed into Leilin's processing interface, prompting him to nod slightly.
Rafinia's fall could be said to have been orchestrated entirely by Leilin.
After the great battle, had any paladin or cleric remained by Rafinia's side, they might have been able to prevent Fenix's fall.
But unfortunately, they had all been targeted by Leilin's devil hunters. Preoccupied with their own survival, they had no opportunity to provide aid.
And precisely because of this, Leilin had gained the legendary Succubus of Pleasure, Fenix.
"You have done well. In the North, we have obtained everything we could. Now it is time to withdraw… Save for the necessary intelligence outposts and cleric networks, all Saints and legendary-level devil hunters are to return…"
A stream of thought, delivered in the form of Leilin's divine oracle, was sent forth.
Leilin understood clearly that after this incident, in the North, both the Goddess of the
The retaliation that followed would undoubtedly be terrifying. In such circumstances, squandering his high-tier forces there was clearly not worthwhile.
Thus, withdrawal became an essential task — one that needed to be expedited.
Otherwise, once two Greater Powers mobilized their churches and other forces to encircle and annihilate his forces, Leilin's subordinates would inevitably suffer another round of losses.
He had only recently ascended to true deity status. He was nothing like those wealthy and resourceful Greater Powers, who commanded countless subordinates and did not even lack peak legendary-level fighters.
The legendary powerhouses under Leilin's command had not yet accumulated to any significant number. Losing even one would be a painful blow.
Furthermore, after acquiring the Domain of
The faith generated by the Bankz Island within his divine realm was sufficient to sustain his existence.
Therefore, Leilin now withdrew his gaze from the Prime Material World and began to contemplate the newly obtained Rules of Death.
"Slaughter and Death — they are a perfect match." Viewing his divine portfolio through the lens of a wizard, Leilin naturally possessed a fresh perspective.
"Slaughter inevitably leads to Death… but Death does not originate solely from Slaughter… There must be a guiding force…"
"Moreover, whether it is the Portfolio of Slaughter or the Portfolio of Death, either alone could sustain a Greater Power's existence. If I could establish a cycle between them…"
A glimmer of ambition appeared in Leilin's eyes.
His foundation still lay in wizardry, and for his future path of advancement, through the Chip's simulations and his extensive comprehension of the Rules, Leilin had already begun to chart a clear course.
The path of the
Leilin was currently only a Seventh Rank Wizard of Rules, yet he had already begun to form the embryonic outline of an Eighth Rank Limit Wizard's path! If word got out, it would surely shock the entire Astral Plane once more!
"The Domain of Death…"
With a mere thought from Leilin, a layer of dark domain power unfurled within the temple and began spreading outward.
The Domain of Death expanded rapidly, and a sensation of mastery over life and death began to well up within Leilin's heart.
His eyes seemed to perceive the souls of every living being within the domain. He even felt that with a single thought, he could directly cause any of them to perish.
"The Domain of Death is inseparable from the Rules of the Soul. Fortunately, as a wizard, my research in this area surpasses even that of the gods…"
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Leilin's lips. "Chip! Display the progression of the Death Rules' analysis!"
[Ding! Death Rules comprehension: 50%! Currently commencing analysis of soul-related content… Retrieving archived data…]
The Chip faithfully reported its status.
Then, another notification window suddenly popped up: [Ding! Influenced by the Host's Slaughter Rule, the Domain of Death has advanced. A derived ability has been obtained — Death Edict!]
Below that were the specifics of this divine ability: [Death Edict: The Host may designate any living creature and issue a Death Edict upon the target. Beings without the protection of immortality will perish instantly. For the rest, the outcome is determined by the Host's Divine Rank…]
The Chip's terrifying simulation capability instantly manifested the effects of this divine ability and produced a detailed power chart.
"As expected of the Domain of Death…"
Even Leilin himself drew a sharp breath after viewing the Chip's simulation results.
"Divine-blessed beings and legendaries below them will die instantly upon being struck, their souls annihilated with no possibility of evasion. Against demigods, there is still a fifty percent chance of instant death?"
This meant that even if Leilin's opponent were a demigod, as long as they were hit by the Death Edict, there was a fifty percent chance they would fall immediately, with no countermeasure capable of preventing it.
And while this ability might have little effect against Intermediate and Greater Powers of higher Divine Rank than Leilin, it was still an extremely terrifying trump card against Lesser Powers.
With Leilin's current Divine Rank, those Lesser Power true deities could still potentially be killed outright — the lower their Divine Rank, the greater the likelihood!
Even more terrifying still… this divine ability would continue to grow in power as Leilin's Divine Rank increased!
"The Death Edict… what a formidable divine ability. Does Ke Lanwo possess it as well?"
A doubt surfaced in his mind, causing Leilin to furrow his brow. "No… not just Ke Lanwo — gods of death from other races as well. I have never heard of or seen any such record…"
A possibility suddenly flashed through Leilin's mind, and a look of delight appeared on his face. "Could it be… that only a deity who simultaneously wields both the Portfolio of Slaughter and the Portfolio of Death — or perhaps one who must also satisfy some additional condition — can awaken this kind of ability?"
"Then once I condense the Portfolio of Death, could it be that…"