Leilin was growing increasingly fierce at this moment.
He had essentially gone berserk. By playing along with the enemy's scheme this time, his goals were twofold — to see which hostile forces were preparing to make a move, and to demonstrate his own strength to intimidate any other lurking threats. As a result, Leilin had unleashed the vast majority of his power without holding back.
Demigod-level ability! Backed by a constant stream of faith and emotional energy, combined with his combat experience as a half-seventh-rank
After tearing apart two Gray Mist Leviathans bare-handed in an instant, he leaped forward and caught up with
After being struck by Greater Disjunction, the Holy Light Lance had shattered, and simultaneously, a silver necklace around Jeffries' neck had crumbled away, followed by his long coat, his boots…
"As a Legendary powerhouse, you at least have some dignity and composure!"
Leilin remarked calmly, though his hands showed no sign of slowing down. A multicolored Mage Sword materialized in his grip.
The sword that Wizards typically controlled through Spiritual Power was now wielded by Leilin with devastating effect — its power comparable to that of a legendary weapon.
"Rescue our ally!"
Several priests bearing the emblem of Helm's Church exchanged alarmed glances and immediately cast a layer of Holy Shield on Jeffries.
"Don't get in my way!"
Leilin's brow furrowed. His Mage Sword traced several beautiful cross-shaped patterns of light through the air.
Whoosh! Whoosh! The two Helm priests caught in the path of the cross slashes saw their numerous defensive spells shatter one after another, their bodies torn apart.
Having bought this brief respite, Jeffries continued his rapid retreat.
"I rather admired you. But it's too late for you to change your faith now…"
Leilin caught up in just a few strides, a hint of regret in his eyes. The Mage Sword in his hand thrust forward, slicing through the last layer of shielding.
"Heh… I didn't expect you to be this strong… *cough*… what a shame. I'll never see the magnificent Summer Oriole Flowers of the North Sea again…"
Jeffries, badly wounded by Leilin, had lost all ability to resist. Hearing this, he slowly closed his eyes and awaited death.
"Please spare Jeffries! Lord Leilin Farell!"
A slender hand seized Jeffries' collar, and with what seemed like a teleportation, pulled him away from the battlefield.
"Zuona… no! My Lord!" Jeffries stared at the being wearing Zuona's form.
This Gold Coin Bishop, who had previously seemed terrified and stayed out of the way, had been lucky enough to avoid the devastation of the great battle due to her low strength and her affiliation with their side. She had simply stood there, pale and dazed.
But now, despite still wearing the same appearance, her every movement carried immense majesty and confidence.
The divine light radiating from her body, and the power she had just demonstrated to rescue Jeffries — these were certainly beyond what a Zuona who hadn't even reached Legendary could achieve.
The only explanation was that she had been possessed by a powerful being! And the only beings to whom priests would surrender their bodies and souls were the very gods they worshipped!
"Lady Wojin! What an honor to make your acquaintance!"
Leilin bowed elegantly, and in the same motion, sliced off the heads of two more Helm Church priests. This fusion of brutality and refinement created a contradictory aura about him.
"I am disappointed… You were a child I had high hopes for. Unfortunately, I had already struck a deal with
Wojin pulled Jeffries backward as she spoke, her composed words flowing elegantly from her lips.
"A deal is only struck once! And I can guarantee that your territory and family will not be harmed — provided you survive. Share the glory of the gods with them…"
As the last syllable fell, Wojin had already carried Jeffries out of the valley. A brilliant golden rainbow shot forth from Zuona's body, forming in midair into the figure of a dignified half-body woman wearing golden robes.
Abandoned as the goddess's vessel, Zuona collapsed unconscious, her face deathly pale. Her condition was clearly dire — it was entirely possible she had lost years of her lifespan.
"Divine Domain Ability — Spatial Transfer!"
The phantom of Wojin in midair pointed at Leilin from afar, then burst apart and vanished into the void.
Leilin felt the world spin around him. By the time he regained his bearings, he had been transported from near the valley's exit back to his original position, with dozens of Gray Mist Leviathans eyeing him hungrily from all sides.
"Even an Intermediate Deity has such bizarre abilities?"
A hint of amusement touched Leilin's lips. "Was her final message a gesture of goodwill or a warning? At least I can confirm that she acted against me because of a deal, and after this, we should be square…"
"My real opponents are only these three!"
At this moment, although the Temple of Wealth's people had departed, the powerhouses who had been scattered by Leilin's fierce eruption finally had time to regroup.
"Haha… you're destined to fall here!" Bendt's eyes were bloodshot, like a gambler who had been betting nonstop for three days and nights.
"Oh? You're that confident you can keep me here?"
While fending off the paladins and Gray Mist Leviathans, Leilin caught sight of Bendt's assured smile, and a thought flashed through his mind.
"A Demigod is virtually at the peak in the Material World. Aside from a deity descending in their true body as a Saint, virtually no opponent can match one — unless it's a squad of high-level Legendary fighters attacking without regard for their lives, or a sneak attack by several divine avatars… They probably wouldn't want to pay that steep a price, so there's only one option left…"
Even a Greater Deity had to abide by the rules of the divine world. Their avatars in the Material World wouldn't be that powerful — the difference would mainly be in numbers.
But sacrificing several divine avatars or high-level Legendary fighters just to deal with a single Demigod like Leilin? That was far too steep a price. Unless it was a blood feud, no one would go that far.
"It's done!"
At that very moment! Accompanied by Bendt's exclamation of triumph, the surrounding gray mist rapidly dispersed, revealing four massive magical array structures on all sides.
Hummm! Beams of gray light shot upward, forming a terrifying cage that encased Leilin at its center.
In Bendt's hand was a crystal-like control core, which he was rapidly activating.
"This fluctuation… it really does seem to be…"
Leilin's eyes flashed. His finger pointed directly at Bendt: "Command —
"Dodge it!" The surrounding priests cried out in alarm.
At this moment, if Bendt had abandoned the crystal in his hands, he would surely have had a chance to escape.
But he did nothing of the sort. His face wore the peculiar expression unique to a martyr, and he continued pouring energy from his body into the core without pause.
Bang! His corpse collapsed to the ground, while the gray beams of light contracted sharply, forming a sealed teleportation array.
A flash of light! Leilin's figure vanished directly within the array.
"Bendt…" Several paladins gathered around to find that Bendt had already stopped breathing. Only a faint trace of a satisfied smile remained at the corner of his lips.
"You shall find the light. May your soul find rest in the divine realm…"
After a few words of mourning, the remaining survivors gathered together to pray for him.
"Falling on the path of combating evil — perhaps this is our destiny. But justice will always lie ahead!"
A Legendary paladin who had lost an arm in the earlier battle against Leilin sighed.
This sentiment was immediately echoed by Helm's Church, but the
"Not good!" However, at that precise moment, the silver-haired priestess of the Weave Goddess suddenly cried out.
"What's wrong?"
This rash outburst immediately drew angry glares from the other paladins, but the priestess spoke without hesitation: "There is no trace of the target in my Lord's divine realm! This means — that false god was not teleported to my Lord's divine realm!!!"
In the Material World, the suppression was so great that the gap between a Demigod and a deity's avatar was largely leveled. But the Outer Planes were a different story entirely.
The avatar of a Lesser Deity and the avatar of a Greater Deity might have comparable strength in the Material World, but in the Outer Planes, the gap between them was as vast as heaven and earth!
The divine realm was even more so. One could say that no matter which divine realm Leilin fell into, facing the true body of its resident deity, only annihilation awaited him.
And this group's plan had been exactly that. As the initiator — and a Greater Deity — the teleportation array set up here had the Weave Goddess's divine realm as its destination! That was why activating it had been so troublesome.
Yet, although the teleportation array had successfully activated, it had not produced the intended effect.
The expressions of everyone present were now grim beyond words. Looking at the corpses of their companions, and the satisfied smile Bendt had worn in his final moments, it now seemed like the cruelest joke in the world!
…
In the vast interstitial void, two deities stood side by side.
Whether it was the violent void currents or the ambient energies leaking from the Four Elemental Planes, all automatically parted before them, creating a strange pocket of safety.
This level of power was at least that of a Greater Deity's avatar! And these two figures would have been very familiar to Leilin.
One was the form of an elderly warrior who had lost his right hand and an eye, and the other was a young girl in the guise of a Wizard, with the power of the Weave surging around her — none other than
"The teleportation was affected. The target did not reach my divine realm!"
After a long silence, Mystra opened her eyes and spoke slowly.
"I have searched the entirety of this area, leaving no dimensional rift unexamined. There is no trace of Shadow Soul City here either!" Tyr replied.