"After the commander suffers a devastating defeat, his subordinate steps forward, rallies the remnants, and defeats a powerful enemy to achieve an impossible victory! Hm! That's the template for a hero!"
Leilin nodded to himself in approval.
His reasoning was based entirely on some cliché novel tropes from his previous life, but they seemed to work remarkably well here.
After soothing the soldiers' morale, and especially after extricating himself from Rafinia, Leilin left the camp under the pretext of scouting.
"Young Master!"
Tifa's figure emerged from the darkness.
"Good. You did well this time. What did you find?" Leilin asked calmly.
Leilin's plan this time was a two-pronged approach—one in the open, one in the shadows. While he drew attention here, Tifa had already led his people covertly to the vicinity.
That was why Leilin had allowed Lanxier to make contact with the enemy and expose the camp, inviting their attack.
And while the enemy committed their full force, Tifa struck directly at their base.
Furthermore, thanks to the perfect timing, they could also resolve the siege on this end in one stroke.
In terms of raw strength, Leilin alone still couldn't match those high-ranking Beastkin working together, but in terms of intellect, it was an overwhelming advantage.
"The enemy camp's defenses were very tight, and their reinforcements arrived quickly. We only broke through a portion of the outer camp—we couldn't reach the core..."
Tifa's expression was somewhat grave as he produced a scroll. It still bore the residual glow of powerful magic, but it had clearly been broken once already.
"And based on the traces in the outer camp, it looks like their plan this time is to slay a dragon!"
"Slay a dragon?!" Leilin was slightly taken aback.
Dragons certainly existed in this world as well, and they were high-level supernatural beings—also called legendary species! Any pure-blooded dragon could naturally ascend to the legendary realm upon reaching adulthood! Combined with their tremendous physical strength and nearly spell-immune skin, they were truly the favored children of the gods.
What a group of high-ranking Beastkin had been plotting for so long could only target an adult dragon of the legendary realm—not a few mixed-bloods or lesser breeds!
"Slay a dragon? But what for?"
Leilin fell into thought. In the myths of the human world, there was no shortage of heroes who gained great benefits from slaying dragons—even obtaining divine artifacts directly. But he knew the reality was far more complicated!
The dragon race was enormously powerful, and they were not without backers. Once one's hands were stained with the resentment of a dragon's soul, one would be loathed and hunted by virtually the entire dragon race.
Throughout history, those dragon-slaying heroes—aside from those whose backgrounds were powerful enough—rarely met good ends.
Moreover, even among dragons, not every one was wealthy enough to rival a nation. Trying to get rich by slaying dragons was nothing short of a fantasy!
Of course, many Beastkin were madmen, and one couldn't judge them by the standards of ordinary people.
"Could it be a sacrifice for the Hunting God? A legendary-level dragon would be enough for the deity to bestow divine grace..."
With a god intervening, even if the dragons bore grudges, they could do nothing about it.
"But... the losses involved would still be enormous, almost unimaginable... unless there's something else that could attract the Beastkin leadership..."
Leilin pondered, then asked Tifa: "Have you identified their specific target?"
He first unrolled the scroll Tifa had captured. It was a map of the northern territories, with villages, mountain ranges, forests, and rivers marked in remarkable detail—only slightly inferior to what Leilin had recorded with his Chip. Such a map would be worth a fortune in the north.
And on a mountain range, there was a small blood-red fang mark, looking both powerful and sinister.
"Based on Memory Extraction from several captives, the enemy's target should be right here!"
Tifa pointed to the fang mark on the map, next to which was a label—the "Nether Mountains"!
"These Beastkin apparently learned from some channel that an adult Red Dragon is located here. Their goal is to slay the Red Dragon!"
Tifa said with certainty.
Though Memory Extraction was considered an evil spell, neither Leilin nor Tifa paid any attention to that aspect.
"Nether Mountains? A Red Dragon..." Leilin murmured, the light in his eyes growing brighter.
Suddenly, his mind flashed. The Nether Mountains on the map merged with a fragmentary image from his Chip.
"Chip! Bring up the previously catalogued potential
Leilin issued the command immediately.
The Chip responded swiftly, and a slightly blurry map materialized, bearing several faint markings.
This map had been copied from an Arcanist's notebook Leilin had obtained previously. Unfortunately, due to the passage of time, even with magical preservation, more than half of it had been lost.
But Leilin showed no dismay. The Chip simultaneously simulated a copy of the scroll map, and the two maps were overlaid.
"As expected..."
Seeing that the potential Arcanist legacy location coincided with the previous fang mark, a look of realization dawned in Leilin's eyes.
Tifa, on the other side, couldn't see the Chip's changes, but he knew Leilin had discovered something. He didn't ask, however.
This was a very wise course of action, and Leilin nodded inwardly in approval.
"A Red Dragon... Beastkin... Arcanists... What's the connection between these three? Did those Beastkin obtain a lead on an Arcanist's legacy? Or am I overthinking this, and they're simply doing this to sacrifice to Mara?"
Numerous thoughts flickered through Leilin's eyes before all settling into silence.
"In any case, this group of Beastkin must be eliminated!"
Leilin made his decision. At the same time, he placed a silver mask over his face. His eyes turned into a horrifying red-and-white pattern, and a terrifying power fluctuated around him.
In the blink of an eye, he had assumed his previous identity as the "Divine Devil."
"My lord!" Tifa changed his form of address, clearly understanding Leilin's intention to conceal his identity.
"Mm! Come with me to meet the subordinates you've recruited!"
Leilin nodded, and the glow of a flight spell illuminated his body.
In a secluded small valley, Leilin stood atop a raised platform and surveyed the forces Tifa had assembled this time.
They were scattered below in clusters of every race, with the only common factor being the bloody, savage aura radiating from their bodies—enough to make anyone tremble.
"Welcome, my brothers of the faith!"
Leilin now wore the robes of a High Priest, golden trim billowing in the breeze, lending him an air of extraordinary nobility. Tifa stood respectfully behind him, emphasizing Leilin's status.
"
Leilin's gaze slowly swept across the assembled scum below. These people had virtually no faith—they believed only in power, which was how Tifa had subjugated them: "Any who believe in our god shall receive his blessings!"
"You! Come here!"
Leilin noticed the disbelief in the eyes of the crowd, so he pointed directly at a beastman wrapped in animal hides.
"What is it?" The creature had a lion's head and a muscular upper body covered in scars, its face radiating open defiance.
"Our god bestows his blessing upon you!"
Leilin clasped his arms across his chest in a gesture of humility and reverence. When it came to playing the role of a religious charlatan, he needed no practice whatsoever.
Simultaneously, a powerful wave of energy erupted from his body, brimming with majesty and a dense, oppressive weight—so potent that even the air seemed to grow heavy and still.
"Hsss..."
A ball of flame materialized from the void, then coiled into a serpentine form—a strange, winged serpent with magnificent plumage.
The serpent's vertical pupils fixed upon the lion-headed man, and the soul-deep dread it emanated forced the creature to drop to his knees, trembling uncontrollably.
"My lord! Great Kukulkan, the Feathered Serpent God, I have finally seen you again..." On the other side, Tifa knelt in fervent devotion.
"Our lord is the World Serpent, wielder of infinite power, whose divine might can devour the heavens..."
Leilin chanted the liturgy. Then, a mote of black light descended from the serpent's maw and fell upon the lion-headed man.
Boom!
The instant the black mote landed, it erupted into ferocious flames, engulfing the lion-headed man entirely. Screams of agony echoed from within.
This terrifying spectacle silenced the onlookers completely.
But before they could conclude that Leilin was punishing the beastman, the phantom of the Feathered Serpent and the black flames dissipated simultaneously, revealing the lion-headed man once more.
Yet now, his appearance had undergone a dramatic transformation.
His golden mane had turned entirely black, and a black skull brand now adorned his body.
"This... this is..." The lion-headed man touched his transformed body, disbelief written across his face.
"Our lord has awakened your magical potential and remade you as a bloodline bearer," Leilin said calmly, his eyes half-lidded.
"A... a bloodline bearer?"
The Dark Lion-Headed man looked bewildered, then raised his right hand.
An eerie magical glow shone from his body, and the black skull brand flickered layer by layer: [Raise Dead!]
Crack! The earth split open, and several incomplete skeletons crawled forth.
"It really is a magical ability!" "He's a bloodline bearer!" "Terrifying! He can directly bestow bloodline powers and magical abilities!"
Amid the stunned expressions of those around him, the lion-headed man immediately knelt in ecstasy: "My lord Kukulkan! I believe in you..."
As a purely physical combatant, even a small amount of magical ability was enormously helpful. Moreover, the lion-headed man could sense that he possessed at least fifth-rank bloodline bearer power—with the potential for further growth! How could he not be beside himself with joy?
Compared to that, offering his faith was nothing at all.
"Kukulkan... you are the World Serpent, wielding infinite power..."
The others' eyes flickered, and they too began to pray, their voices carrying an air of devotion.