Free will was what Raylin valued above all else—he would not hesitate to break even with the Shadow of
"Besides, now that I've grasped a sliver of divine power and become a divine being, I can say I've officially set foot on the path to godhood. I can clearly sense and respond to my followers' prayers. I can't bestow divine arts yet, but that's already quite impressive…"
Raylin closed his eyes.
At this moment, even without relying on the amplification of his Nightmare Energy-Draining Physique, he could sense the countless threads of faith stretching through the void, and trace them back to their sources.
In the northern lands, within Viscount Tifa's domain, inside a hidden chamber.
Tifa, who had been performing his daily prayers, suddenly heard a voice resonate deep within his heart: "My faithful! I am here! I… am with you!"
At the same time, through his Spiritual Power, Tifa suddenly felt that his prayers had connected with an intensely familiar presence. That familiar sensation of power immediately brought him to his knees with tears streaming down his face: "My lord, Feathered Serpent God
This same scene unfolded among many of Kukulkan's followers, and they too began to pray. The endless stream of faith power flowed directly through the Inner
"Next, I need to continuously expand my faith, nurture my divinity, and attempt to ignite the Divine Fire…"
A flame seemed to kindle within Raylin's eyes.
"Also… this sensation of receiving faith—it feels like the power of a domain… the Domain of Slaughter?"
Raylin commanded: "Chip!"
—[Ding! Task established! Host has obtained partial information regarding the Domain of Slaughter! Commencing simulated analysis!]
"After acquiring the Divinity of Slaughter, the corresponding domain power has been gradually awakening, but it requires a massive amount of faith power to fuel it, along with my own personal comprehension…"
Raylin stroked his chin, a thoughtful glint flickering in his eyes.
A domain was a god's true capital. Only through the power of a domain could a god connect with the faith of their followers and convert that power.
But for now, Raylin had only touched upon the outermost surface of the Domain of Slaughter—even the Chip couldn't quantify it into data.
After all, the Divinity of Slaughter wasn't truly his own. Only once he deepened his comprehension of the Rules of Slaughter could he truly master the Domain of Slaughter.
And by that point, the Chip should also be able to quantify the specific Domain data.
Raylin slowly rose to his feet. With each breath he drew, a powerful current of air surged through the sealed chamber, striking the steel walls with a deep, resonant hum.
"Have I really become this strong after absorbing the Divinity?"
Raylin waved his hand. A curtain of water materialized before him, its luminous surface reflecting his current appearance like a mirror.
His frame was tall and straight as ever, golden curls framing eyes the blue of a vast ocean — the quintessential image of a noble young gentleman.
Yet at this moment, the corner of Raylin's eye caught a layer of faintly luminous golden glow surrounding his body. It was so subtle that without close attention, it would be entirely overlooked.
"And besides..." Raylin stared into his own eyes. At the depths of that blue ocean, a faint arc of gold flickered like a phantom.
"The external manifestation of absorbing Divinity?"
Raylin rubbed his chin. "This symptom — after a few years, once I've fully adapted to the power of Divinity, I'll be able to conceal it at will. Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of time..."
"Xialin! Set the floating city in motion — course set for the outer sea of Danbres!"
After donning a purple-gold mage's robe embroidered with star patterns, Raylin issued his command without hesitation.
At his will, the entirety of Soulshadow City roared to life, tearing through the chaotic elemental currents of the Outer Planes and charging directly into the peripheral space where Danbres lay. Every obstacle in its path was simply crushed under the weight of the colossal floating city, ground to dust.
"The gods? The North? Hmph! Even if you have some scheme up your sleeves, if I simply walk away — what can you do about it?"
A cold smile tugged at the corner of Raylin's lips as he settled into the control seat.
The reason he had come to the North in the first place was Mara's Divinity — and that objective had been achieved. Now that he sensed the undercurrents stirring in the North, if he didn't leave now, when would he?
Cut and run when the time came — that was the principle upon which Raylin had survived to this day.
True, there still seemed to be vast profits to be made in the North, but Raylin had already managed to offend the churches of two gods of considerable power. How could he dare to linger any longer?
"However... precisely because the Church of the God of Justice and the Church of the Goddess of the Weave still need to assist Elasztro in reclaiming her throne, their main forces will be tied down in the North during this period. The chances of them coming after me are slim..."
"But... Tifa's situation is going to be a bit troublesome..."
A dark, inscrutable light flickered through Raylin's eyes. "Then again, that was always just a stray piece on the board. No great loss if it's abandoned."
Thinking of this, Raylin immediately issued a divine decree to Tifa through her threads of faith: "A great danger approaches. Take all your forces and apprentice priests and leave the North immediately. Head for the outer seas off Danbres..."
"A great danger? Is it the Church?"
Tifa prayed with a solemn expression: "My God! You are the master of all things! I shall carry out your will..."
"What's wrong, darling?"
The Viscountess looked at Tifa beside her, worry plain on her face. After all those years sharing a bed, she still found the man utterly foreign.
"Nothing... I'm leaving..."
Tifa rose without the slightest hesitation and dressed himself: "You can come with me, or stay behind and manage the entire viscounty..."
Before the Viscountess could even process what was happening, Tifa had already walked out of the room. Moments later, sounds of loud commotion reached her ears.
In Raylin's view, all those territories in the North and wealth in gold and silver were things that could be abandoned. Only that batch of hard-nurtured priest seeds truly mattered — those could not be left behind.
Tifa had grasped Raylin's will. Every preparation was made with the sole premise of getting that batch of loyal priest seeds out of the North as safely and swiftly as possible.
Because they departed with such speed and such resolve, by the time the two Churches reacted, all they could find were the pawns Tifa had left behind. As for what had actually slipped through their fingers, they remained entirely in the dark.
...
Raylin had left without a sound, and he returned just as silently.
Aside from
After all, for ordinary commoners, a mage holing up inside a wizard's tower for a year or two without showing his face was perfectly normal behavior.
After greeting his parents and mentor, Raylin didn't concern himself much with the estate's development. Instead, he threw himself entirely into the tower.
There were plenty of hands to handle those mundane affairs for him. The only thing he needed to do now was accumulate Power of Faith, cultivate his divinity, and finally ignite the Divine Fire to ascend to godhood.
Inside the wizard's tower.
A slightly distorted Domain of Slaughter unfurled around him. Raylin, wearing loose-fitting mage's robes, sensed the threads of faith connecting him to the estate while deep in meditation.
Possibly because he was situated within his territory, surrounded by the support of many people, his connection to the threads of faith had become far clearer.
The continuous expansion of his Domain of Slaughter had also given him a much deeper understanding of this powerful domain force.
"The Domain of Slaughter should naturally grow through constant killing, nurtured by blood and life... I've even sensed a terrifying premonition — this Domain of Slaughter may also be capable of directly plundering the Life Energy of the dead. In other words... the more one kills, the stronger the host becomes?"
Raylin glanced at the Chip and once again received a notification: [Partial information on the Domain of Slaughter acquired!]
In Raylin's estimation, it would not be long before he could fully control this domain and quantize its data.
"Tifa and the others should be arriving soon. The next step is to find a place of slaughter and cultivate the divinity within my body..."
Raylin stroked his chin, lost in thought.
According to his perceptions, if his divinity value had been 1 before, then after absorbing such a large quantity of Power of Faith, it had now reached 1.1.
"The Slaughter Divinity I obtained earlier was merely a primer and a medium! Once I cross this threshold, I can convert all the Power of Faith and use it to strengthen my own divine power..."
Raylin seemed to have gained a sudden insight.
Having divine power versus not having it were two entirely different matters.
Before, when Raylin had not yet become a divine being, had it not been for the help of his Nightmare energy-draining constitution, he would have been utterly unable to communicate with his believers or draw upon their Power of Faith.
But once he possessed divinity, he could do precisely that — continuously converting his believers' faith and preparing to ignite the Divine Fire.
"Comprehending the Domain of Slaughter through killing, and expanding the sources of Power of Faith — these two tasks are best pursued together... which means... conquest?"
Raylin sank into deep contemplation. "Where could I find such a large tract of unconquered territory, without drawing the attention of the gods?"
The present Material World had essentially already been carved up among the gods. There was no surplus territory on any side.
Even if Raylin were willing to travel to Kaylen's homeland in the Darklands, he would still have to compete with Ross and a host of other subterranean deities for faith. Most critically, they were all true gods — he would have no power to resist them whatsoever.
"This choice of target must be considered carefully... Fortunately, Tifa and the others are about to arrive. I'll settle this group first, merge them with the civilians in the territory, and extract every last bit of potential from the domain before anything else..."
Under the present circumstances, this was the only plan Raylin could make.