In the Battle of Soul Projection, Leilin had ultimately lent Tifa a hand at the critical moment, bestowing upon him tremendous power.
Though there was also the element of using him as an experimental subject, if Tifa could survive, not only would he be a great asset to Leilin, but he would also serve as exceptionally rare experimental data.
How could Leilin not have planted a backdoor in what he'd given? When it came to manipulating the power of the soul, who could rival the ancient Wizards?
"My own soul power cannot conform to the laws of the
A sharp gleam flickered through Leilin's eyes.
Soul power from another world naturally could not persist in the World of Gods for long, but the power Leilin had left Tifa was like a seed, having undergone a thorough transformation for him.
Moreover, with that foundation in place, no matter how Tifa grew in strength later, he could never fundamentally shake free of Leilin's influence.
If leveraged properly, Tifa would make a fine chess piece.
"Before, I was based overseas and never extended my reach to the continent, so I didn't bother inquiring about his situation. But now... the timing is right..."
With that thought, Leilin made his decision.
"Hello! Bronze-rank Mercenary, sir! How may I help you?"
The receptionist behind the counter saw the identification Leilin presented and immediately asked in a professional, mechanical voice.
A bronze-rank mercenary could indeed only merit that much from her.
"Show me the details on the top three ranked missions!" Leilin didn't take offense.
"Those Devil-worshipper missions?" The receptionist looked up, sizing Leilin up with a gaze that said he was overestimating himself. "Advanced missions require Gold-rank or above to accept. Please work on improving your mercenary rank!"
"I'm not looking to accept the mission. I just want to see the intelligence. I believe every mercenary has that right, correct?"
Leilin frowned.
"...That's correct!" The receptionist answered rather reluctantly. This was probably the first time she'd encountered a mercenary like Leilin. "But the intelligence is only free for Silver-rank and above. You'll need to pay a ten-copper information fee!"
"No problem!"
Under her look of someone regarding a fool, Leilin casually tossed down ten copper coins and collected several documents from the receptionist, taking a seat in an empty chair nearby to read through them carefully.
For him, obtaining organized data for a pittance was already a tremendous bargain.
But after reading just a few lines, Leilin's expression changed abruptly.
Surprise, astonishment—all manner of expressions flickered across his face. Then came a peculiar smile: "Well, well... an old friend, indeed..."
His gaze settled on several lines: "...The deceased were found with mutilated limbs, portions of flesh missing without a trace..."
"...When the Baron was discovered, he was kneeling on the ground in a peculiar posture, weeping blood from his eyes, his tongue having been completely cut out and stuffed down his throat..."
"...Guards raided several dangerous locations to no avail. Thieves discovered an interdimensional summoning array hidden within the walls of a building. The coordinates are believed to point to the Ninth Layer of Hell..."
"A holy sigil bearing the design of a twisted fanged maw. And this style of killing... They're worshippers of
A smile appeared on Leilin's face.
If he were to face any Devil Duke right now, he would absolutely choose the one he had scammed the worst.
"The current Beelzebub should still be in slumber, right? Then the Hell territory it occupies must be in absolute chaos... And it can no longer respond to prayers or grant quasi-spells to its faithful. Its faith must be shaken considerably..."
Leilin's eyes gleamed, as though he had spotted the most perfect prey.
"Judging from these scattered fragments of intelligence, this should be the prelude to a grand blood sacrifice ritual. And the target is that
His vast experience, combined with the memories he had obtained from Beelzebub, allowed Leilin to identify everything immediately.
"This is almost certainly a desperate gamble by Beelzebub's faithful on the surface! Seeing no response for so long, they've decided to go all in!"
Leilin's expression grew somewhat solemn.
A grand blood sacrifice ritual of this scale would typically engulf an entire city, with a death toll of no fewer than a thousand.
Of course, all of it would be futile. No matter how many offerings they made, the severely weakened Beelzebub would not awaken. But it would certainly draw the unified hostility of the gods. And more importantly—they had dragged Leilin into it as well!
"Perfect. Their church—I'll be taking it, then."
For Leilin, a hollow church stripped of its god's protection—one whose domain aligned so perfectly with the Devouring Rule he commanded—was essentially a gift-wrapped present.
Though its members were mostly cruel scum, or even aberrations and monsters, the sheer number of priests alone was enough to make Leilin covet it greatly.
This would be the foundation for his future apotheosis!
As for Beelzebub's original tragedy, that was simply not Leilin's concern.
In high spirits from his bountiful haul, Leilin strode out of the Mercenary Guild. A few turns later, he found himself in a dark alley.
"My faithful servant... Tifa!"
Once he confirmed that no one was around, Leilin's aura transformed entirely—like a god descending upon the mortal plane—as he issued a solemn and commanding call.
A strange ripple of power spread outward.
A moment later, Leilin opened his eyes, his expression one of peculiar interest: "He's actually that close—right here in the Kingdom of Dambres..."
Across an endless expanse of plains, a dark figure was streaking along at extraordinary speed.
Suddenly, the figure halted, revealing a pale face marked with the faint lines of age.
But now that face was filled with emotion—even tears streamed down it. He immediately dropped to his knees, his voice choked with feeling: "Great My Lord! Feathered Serpent God
The man's features bore a striking resemblance to Tifa's, though he was no longer the child he had once been. A powerful energy field perpetually surrounded his body.
"My God..."
After his prayer, Tifa's eyes burned with unwavering resolve. Ever since the Church of the Spring Goddess Ruisi had destroyed everything he had, he had fully committed himself to opposing her, becoming one of the most notorious wanted men across the entire World of Gods.
Fortunately, the power Leilin had left him had helped him survive the most difficult period.
And deep in his heart, the Feathered Serpent God Kukulkan—whom Leilin had simply made up on the spot—had become the object of his most steadfast faith.
"Who would have thought that a simple surveillance mission targeting Devil worshippers would let me sense My Lord's divine power..."
Tifa's figure dissolved into a series of afterimages as he accelerated toward Dark Forest Castle at even greater speed, surpassing that of a fifteenth-level high-ranking professional.
...
Meanwhile, at the ogre encampment.
"ROAR!"
Ogre warriors swung their massive war hammers desperately, while shamans worked to boost morale and occasionally cast supporting spells.
Yet all of this appeared utterly futile in the eyes of the Holy Knight facing them.
*[Smite Evil!]* *[Holy Sanction!]* Blinding, radiant holy light burst forth from
On the other side, the Priest of the God of Justice, wielding divine arts, had also successfully dispatched the ogre shaman.
"Preying on humans as food—this ogre tribe is utterly beyond forgiveness!" Lorent wiped his longsword clean on an ogre's hide nearby, and when he caught sight of the fresh strips of meat hanging from the racks, his disgust reached its peak.
The entire ogre camp plunged into chaos. Before the high-ranking Holy Knight and Priest, all their resistance appeared feeble and powerless.
"These disgusting ogre-kin—death is the only fitting end for them!"
A piercing roar rang out from the other side, followed by a few hushed sighs before everything fell into a chilling silence.
"How did it go? Did you get anything from the interrogation?"
Lorent looked at a figure emerging with ogre blood still on his hands—the team's interrogation specialist.
"Their brains are simply too underdeveloped, and whatever little they have is devoted entirely to fighting and eating... I used everything I had and only managed to learn that a human mage killed their chieftain before fleeing..."
The man's face held a look of regret: "It would have been so much easier with a memory extraction spell, but unfortunately, that falls under the domain of evil magic..."
This attitude left Lorent feeling dissatisfied, though he didn't want to create conflict at a time like this.
"That's enough... The chances that the mage in question is Leilin are quite high..."
Lorent nodded. "It's likely that this ogre tribe attacked a large merchant caravan he was traveling with, forcing him to act..."
"Then why are we waiting? Let's go after him... Tsk, tsk... Interrogating a noble—my tools can barely contain their excitement..."
The interrogator licked his lips, his expression disgusting and vile. Lorent turned his face away.
He simply could not fathom how someone like this had ended up in the investigation party.
After razing the ogre encampment, the investigation party continued on their way—their destination, none other than Dark Forest Castle, where Leilin was currently located!
...
"I probably can't stay here for long..."
Leilin was currently changing his attire. The
"But considering how much the God of Justice despises Devils, once its followers discover that Devil worshippers have been operating out of Dark Forest Castle, will they still bother hunting me?"
A sinister smile tugged at the corner of Leilin's lips.