Those keeping a close eye on the upheaval in
Above the heavens,
"What a pity... If the devil lords could unite as one, they would surely have dealt a devastating blow to the God of Slaughter..."
"Getting those cunning devils to join forces wholeheartedly is no different from expecting demons to obey order..."
"Indeed!" Mystra smiled bitterly. She knew perfectly well what these devils were like — every moment consumed with frenzied resentment toward their superiors, scheming and plotting rebellion to seize higher positions.
Had
Unfortunately, during the battle to block the Divine Kingdom, it had been directly struck by Leilin deep into the abyss of Nessus, sustaining grievous wounds — injuries caused by resisting the Sea of Primordial Force, from which even Asmodeus would need a very long time to recover.
And would Leilin let such an opportunity pass him by?
Deep worry gleamed in Mystra's eyes.
"He's already beyond containment now..." Tyr spoke from the side, apparently reading Mystra's concern, a faint note of resignation in his voice.
"If he were merely a Lesser Divinity — even the peak of Divine Rank 8 — we could, regardless of cost, initiate a divine war lasting centuries and ultimately drag him down from his throne. But alas..."
Mystra gazed toward [Nethersoul City] within the Divine Kingdom, knowing exactly what Tyr was afraid of.
A [Divine Kingdom] alone was not terrifying. An arcanist paired with a flying city was not terrifying either. But when the two were combined, the resulting deterrence was far more than the sum of its parts.
A flying city backed by a [Divine Kingdom]? Even the great arcanists of the
Let alone the fact that Leilin's arcanist level had already reached thirty-five! Even in the age of Netheril, that would make him an undisputed colossus, a supreme powerhouse! A being capable of slaying gods!
With such a high-level arcanist presiding over a flying city, it was a nightmare for all true gods!
The terrifying computational power born of a divine mind allowed Mystra to instantly calculate the cost of destroying Leilin's Divine Kingdom — "To annihilate a true god of this caliber, even the Divine Kingdom of a Greater Divinity would be utterly destroyed, its divine power would dwindle to the barest remnant, entering a state of slumber from which it might not recover for tens of thousands of years..."
And to the other gods, a Greater Divinity teetering on the verge of annihilation would be the most delectable prey of all!
So the question arose — which Greater Divinity would be willing to selflessly sacrifice itself to destroy Leilin?
That was why Tyr believed Leilin had already reached a point beyond containment.
"Fortunately... at the moment his energy has been completely tied down in Hell. With Asmodeus and a host of devil lords in the picture, their standoff will be prolonged and drawn out — lasting thousands or even tens of thousands of years would not be unusual at all..."
Deluding themselves as best they could, Mystra could only follow Leilin's design and learn to bury her head in the sand like an ostrich.
"In that time, we'll surely find some way to counter him!"
Tyr agreed with this assessment. Divine wars were always drawn-out affairs — lasting thousands of years was perfectly normal.
...
The third layer of Hell — Minanoros.
Fierce battle had already raged for a long time. The devil hunter legions of the Great Serpent Church possessed an innate advantage when confronting devils.
However, the devil side commanded staggering numbers and terrifying high-ranking powerhouses, and the battle had long since reached a stalemate.
Cihhixit City, the city controlled by the chain devils, had already been reduced to ruins. Countless chain devils and devil hunters lay scattered in death, their corpses soon swallowed by the swamp.
The chain devil legion's commander, Quimas — the devil most trusted by Lord
Unfortunately, even with the leadership of a dragon-blood sorceress and the aid of a divine avatar, pushing forward to Cihhixit City had been their absolute limit.
Because on the other side of the battlefield, the Hell Lord of Minanoros, the Grand Duke of
The creature's serpent body below the human torso coiled above the devil army, unleashing terrifying toxins from the barbed trident in its arm, blocking the path of the devil hunter legions.
In truth, had it not been for one of Leilin's avatars manifesting and shielding the entire army with sacred light, all the devil hunters would likely have been corroded to death by the toxins.
"Greed's fire... will consume you, plunging your souls into the corrosive swamp for all eternity..."
Mammon's arm swept its trident through the air, uttering a deadly curse.
"You talk too much!"
Leilin's avatar rose into midair, and a spatial coordinate suddenly materialized around its form.
BOOM!
The roaring spatial turbulence was forcibly parted, and the vast shadow of Nethersoul City descended over Mammon.
"Hsss... the Lord of
Mammon's forked tongue flicked out, its evident wariness toward the flying city and Leilin plain for all to see.
"A devil blinded by greed... have you still not realized?"
From atop the flying city, Leilin's true god form gazed down at Mammon from on high. "The reason I arrived so late is that I have already reached an agreement with the other Hell Lords. And you... are the one they chose to abandon!"
"No! No!"
Mammon's body writhed in agitation. Clearly, the fact that the other Hell Lords had not come to its aid by now had already placed enormous psychological pressure and dark suspicions upon it. Now that Leilin had laid it bare, its inner turmoil only intensified.
The vast web of laws descended from the flying city, canceling out Mammon's Hell Lord authority.
The light of the Divine Kingdom began its silent invasion.
"Now it's fair — true body against true body. The victor takes everything, while the loser turns to mire!"
Leilin's true body descended from the flying city, seeming to be draped in a layer of golden radiance.
In his eyes, the phantom of a Tagilian winged serpent materialized suddenly, hissing toward Mammon, its vertical pupils blazing with a terrifying hunger to devour, as though it had finally glimpsed prey it had long coveted.
...
BOOM!
Before long, all of Baator Hell was rocked by yet another cataclysmic upheaval.
The light of the Divine Kingdom from the second layer surged downward, enveloping the entire third layer — Minanoros. The first three layers of Hell began to merge into a single whole, transformed into Leilin's Divine Kingdom.
The devils dwelling within who did not immediately take Leilin as their deity were instantly reduced to mire, their evil power converted and transformed into nourishment for the Divine Kingdom.
In the lower layers of Hell, several Hell Lords watched the terrifying transformation above with fearful eyes. Though unwilling, they were powerless.
None of them could match Leilin individually, and the foundation for a united front was lacking. With Asmodeus gravely wounded and in slumber, the turmoil in Hell only deepened.
However, after devouring two full layers of Hell in succession, Leilin's Divine Kingdom had also reached its limit. His divine power had hit a critical threshold, compelling him to cease his advance.
The radiance of the Divine Kingdom began to draw inward, drawing a collective sigh of relief from the Hell Lords and the powers of the upper planes.
Within the Divine Kingdom, Leilin — standing atop the flying city — was beaming with joy.
Though this operation had been enormously risky, it had ultimately succeeded! From this point forward, even if the other Hell Lords united against him, he would have the capital to fight back! And he would have nothing to fear from the interference of the gods!
[Ding! Subject's Devouring Rule activated. Obtained complete mastery of the Rule of Greed: 100%! Divine Portfolio condensed — Greed!]
The Chip's notification appeared before him.
"One hundred percent absorption... because he was also a devil, with a similar essence, and the Rule of Greed aligns perfectly with my own nature?"
Leilin stroked his chin, turning his gaze to the refreshed data panel: [Name: Leilin Farell. Divine Title: God of Slaughter —
"A new divine portfolio, but no increase in divine rank?"
Leilin stared at the display for a long moment, then let out a soft sigh.
Still, he had anticipated this outcome. He was already at the absolute peak of Lesser Divinity — one more step, and he would ascend to the rank of Intermediate Divinity!
And an Intermediate Divinity in the
The Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents, the Eye of Judgment, the Defiled Bird — all the great existences of fearsome renown that Leilin had personally witnessed were only at this level. How could such a breakthrough come easily?
"Three layers will suffice. I need to conserve a certain amount of divine power to handle other contingencies, and the newly absorbed Hell plane and its devils will need to be reorganized..."
Leilin cast his gaze downward, below Minanoros, where several Hell Lords watched the Divine Kingdom above with vigilant wariness, deep apprehension burning in their eyes.
"This will do for now..."
Leilin smiled, casually drafted a century-long ceasefire agreement, and sent it down into the lower layers of Hell. Those devil lords would surely welcome nothing more.