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Shock
Seeing Azlok and Borke walk out, the traitorous devils all took a step back.
“Surrender, Azlok. You don’t have to work so hard for the sake of an outsider!” A pit fiend dressed in barbed black armour stood out, “We’re backed by the Lords of Baator, including Supreme Asmodeus himself. This is the will of the Nine Hells!”
“Even the Nine Hells must submit to our master!” Borke stepped forward, emanating vile, devilish soul light.
“This… Primordial power… Who exactly are you?” The pit fiends were stunned. This old devil was almost as strong as the Supreme.
“Keke… My name’s long since been buried in the long and deep river of history. On the other hand, you shall become the dust and decay of yesteryear… You shall be buried in history, remembered as foolish and inferior…” Borke snickered, and a terrifying wave of origin force suddenly descended upon Dis, accompanied by some unresigned, enraged howls.
“It’s beginning!” Borke and Azlok exchanged a glance and knelt down, beginning to pray.
“Our master, Kukulkan. You are the master of Baator, the Nine Hells. You are the Lord of all devils, the personification of order, the speaker for evil. You are the maker of laws and rules, holding power and authority!”
“Our master, Kukulkan. You control the power of massacre. The blood and terror of your enemies shall turn into your strength. Death shall accompany you wherever you go. You are the master of the end!”
“Our master, Kukulkan! Your will extends across the earth. Your divine kingdom shall protect our souls, and the souls of all your worshippers shall gain new life within!”
“Our master, Kukulkan! Your name shall become sacred. May your throne remain tall and turn into the stars in the skies!”
“This is… an ascension ceremony! A Lord of Baator is about to become a god!” Dir, Modiklo, Hessas and the other pit fiends all exclaimed at this moment.
The slight sounds of prayers could be heard from all directions. All the devils that Leylin had subdued now knelt piously, their fervent prayers gradually filling the entirety of Dis with a holy golden lustre.
Horrifying origin force howled out, and with the zealous power of faith crossed the obstruction of space and dimensions to arrive in the prime material plane.
……
Debanks Island.
At this moment, all the natives had abandoned whatever they were doing. Those of higher status gathered at churches, while the rest turned to statues or even the sky to pray.
“Our master, Kukulkan! You are the protector of natives. We natives exist because of you. You lord over our souls and protect us after death in your heavenly kingdom. Your name shall become holy amongst all natives!”
“Our master, Kukulkan. You control the power of massacre. The blood and terror of your enemies shall turn into your strength. Death shall accompany you wherever you go. You are the master of the end!”
“Our master, Kukulkan! Your name shall become sacred. May your throne remain tall and turn into the stars in the skies!”
For some reason, all the natives felt a hot rush in their hearts that they could not get rid of. Only praying allowed them to feel peace. The prayers that were similar yet different from those in Baator grew louder and louder, until they were suffused with the faith of the world to gather in the capital of the Faulen Empire.
Upon the holy mountain, the skies were already filled with terrifying dark clouds. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed from inside, as if numerous thunder dragons were roaring out from within. Golden power of faith converged to form a funnel, pushing all this power right on top of the holy mountain into the shrine Leylin was in.
This was just the start, and the intense whistling of origin force far exceeded how things had gone with Chester Potter. Tiff and Isabel stood together outside the headquarters of the Giant Serpent Church, gazing up at the origin force lightning above them. There was a look of obvious worry on their faces.
“Ascension… Our master has the accumulation of faith from an entire empire. He definitely will succeed!” Tiff’s eyes showed a crazed fervour. Over all these years of serving him, he’d developed an absolute trust in his god.
“With his accumulation of divine force, I’m not worried even with the backlash from origin force and malicious spirits…” Fine dragon scales appeared on Isabel’s body, emanating the aura of an ancient dragon. This was a form ready for battle at any time. “What I’m worried about is him being targeted by those gods…”
““Whatever it is, we will serve as a fort for our master, firm and solid!”” Tiff looked solemn, speaking in unison with a circle of powerful members of the clergy.
“Be it god or devil, anyone who wants to interrupt the ceremony will have to do it over my dead body!” Isabel gripped the Red Dragon Sword’s hilt tightly, the look of resolution in her eyes like ice that would never thaw.
……
*WHOOSH!* The origin force lightning in the sky seemed to have reached the limit of what could be amassed. With what sounded like the enraged roars of primordial dragons, the sounds of explosions seemed to tear the skies apart.
*Rumble!* The roof of the shrine was cut through. If Leylin hadn’t sent a decree to evacuate the slaves and weaker clergymen, there would’ve been heavy casualties in the Giant Serpent Church.
The lightning, with all its boundless destructive force, was stopped by a golden palm. Numerous prayers had formed a surge of faith that lingered around Leylin’s godly body.
“All these years of planning… Today is the day they come to fruition!” Leylin floated in the skies, dazzling golden light emanating from all parts of his body. Golden godfire revealed itself, using massive amounts of divine force to resist the heavenly lightning.
Numerous chains of laws flickered around Leylin. Pure runes of massacre were already beginning to enter the godfire unceasingly, terrifying power that only belonged to true gods growing within.
……
*ROAAAAR!* In the hunter’s wasteland that was Malar’s divine kingdom, the main body of the God of the Hunt began to howl. The ape could sense that someone was eyeing its massacre domain, that thief that had once stolen its divinity!
Malar left his divine kingdom without hesitation, moving towards the boundary of the prime material plane.
……
“Another false god eyeing our master’s domain!”
Deep inside the marshes and ravines, within in the headquarters of the God of Murder’s church. An aged pope rapidly turned red, and even began coughing out large amounts of blood, “Let them work on their own…”
He feebly waved his arms, his crooked body seeming to hold an endless amount of fatigue. The pope stared at the statue of Cyric, eyes holding a last bit of hope.
“Our master still has yet to respond at all… Hopefully Merrick can get the Book of Truth to him as soon as possible, or challengers like these will only increase in number in the future…”
……
On Debanks Island, Leylin now reached a critical moment in his ascension.
*Rumble! Rumble!* Destructive lightning rained down, dying out to large amounts of divine force.
“The Feathered Serpent God, Kukulkan!”
“Our master, Kukulkan… who exists with us!”
“Who exists with us…”
In the meanwhile, a river of death formed that extended through multiple worlds. Numerous illusory souls crawled out of the river, holding the power of blood and vengeance. They tried to contaminate Leylin’s pure body.
These vengeful spirits were mostly natives, and Isabel could even recognise high-ranked Professionals who had died at Leylin’s hand. Even the late demigods of the native empire were here!
“A divine soul is the sublimation of a life form. Before this can happen, it is necessary to put an end to all sins of the past…” Tiff mumbled.
Numerous vengeful spirits pounced forth, pulling at Leylin’s holy lustre with hands stained with fresh blood. It was like they were trying to put out his godfire.
The origin force lashed back with lightning, and these vengeful spirits shot forth with hatred. If a demigod could not hold up, they would end up like Chester Potter, pulled down to the depths of the underworld to be tortured for eternity.
With the number of lives Leylin had taken, the backlash and hatred were abnormally terrifying, exceeding the destruction wrought on the average demigod significantly.
However, just as Tiff and Isabel were starting to feel their hearts clench in fear, Leylin made his move!
“I am the master of the law of massacres. All of your pain shall become my power!!” He suddenly took a step forward, his powerful massacre domain quickly spreading out. Bloody light radiated out, and the vengeful spirits’ cries disappeared. Hundreds of thousands had been absorbed instantly, forming Leylin’s strength.
“Even if enemies that have died can be revived, none can escape the fate of death once more!” Leylin seemed to be chanting a prayer, at the same time making a prediction. Even the spirits of the demigods paled with terror, and they were immediately annihilated alongside all the other powerful enemies Leylin had killed in the World of Gods.
Lightning dissipated in the skies, and the vengeful spirits of the Styx seemed to lose all their strength in front of their master. Tiff and Isabel clenched their fists in anticipation, this was a moment they would never forget in their lives!
The godfire stabilised, surging with the power of laws.
[Beep! Host is beginning ascension. Being amplified by power of faith, comprehending law of massacre!] [Beep! Host’s comprehension of the law of massacres is at 67%… 80%…] The A.I. Chip’s prompts were refreshed continuously.
The laws of the World of Gods were different from the Magus World, and the gods could use faith to comprehend laws. The process of solidifying one’s divine domain was, in fact, the process of comprehending that law. Leylin obviously would not let this hard-to-come-by opportunity slip past him. Great amounts of divine will rushed forth as he recorded all his realisations about massacre.
*Boom! Boom!* At this moment, the power of the Weave went berserk above Debanks Island. Mystra’s figure revealed itself, dressed in splendid clothing. Tyr’s avatar showed itself as well, holding a large blade with both hands. The avatars of two greater gods had arrived here, and they obviously harboured terrible intentions.
Some demigods obtained favour from certain gods. During their ascension, these gods would especially show themselves via their avatars and protect them. However, Mystra and Tyr were obviously not about to do this.