Several years went by in the blink of an eye. Many events came to pass, the most dazzling of which was the battle between the humans and orcs in the north.
Having suffered defeat in the divine war, the orcs retreated between several lost battles. They were eventually pushed all the way back to the Old Silverymoon, with even a natural leader like Saladin unable to reverse the situation.
Old Silverymoon had only survived the assault with its powerful fortifications aided by the Thunder Godâs Hammer. Saladin had finally managed to repel Elminster and Alustriel, causing severe casualties to the Silverymoon Alliance and forcing them to withdraw in order to consolidate their strength once more.
However, the damage was already done and the orcs had to recuperate as well. Even if they were ready to fight to reclaim the lost land, they didnât have the faculties to start another war. The north had thus been split in twain, entering an eerie, unstable tranquility.
Within the wastelands of the combined divine kingdom of the orc pantheon.
Mystra and Tyr had already retreated, but Gruumsh had already suffered. Yurtrus falling alone was more damage than losing a hundred thousand petitioners, even if they hadnât been the ones to do it.
Leylinâs notoriety had spread amongst the gods once more, causing a new wave of fear and hate. He didnât bother with that at all, however.
Right after the battle, he met with a person he was familiar with.
âItâs been a long time, Rafiniya,â he said from his throne as he looked down upon his new subordinate, his old friend.
âIâve given up on my past name, my Lord. Please call me Phoenixâ Hellfire Phoenix,â the former paladin said emotionlessly as she knelt before Leylin.
âPhoenixâ had changed greatly with her fall. Sheâd grown even more captivating than before, her tender white skin shining with a milky lustre. A pair of beautiful wings sat comfortably on her back, making her look like a fallen angel. Hers was a unique beauty, representative of the aesthetics of the Nine Hells.
âAlright then, Phoenix. Tell me, what do fairness and justice mean?â Leylin asked with a puzzled gaze.
âThat answer is my lifeâs goal,â Phoenix said as she lifted her head, her exquisite face filled with determination. âHowever, this corrupt, filthy world cannot give me that answer. Equality can only come when the entire world is destroyed and rebuilt from scratch; I shall use my hellfire to purge this dirty world clean!â
âWords of wisdomâŚâ Although Leylin was praising her calmly on the surface, he rolled his eyes inwardly, âSo now sheâs an advocator of the purge? Rafiniya is Rafiniya, even if sheâs changedâŚâ All that didnât matter, however. Another legendary devil who worshipped him was worth it.
Leylin waved his hand once Phoenix left with a bow, a mirror appearing in his hands that was connected to the prime material plane. A legendary devil hunter appeared on the mirrorâs surface, the same one that had travelled with the Neon Merchant Group to the Orc Empire. He greeted Leylin in respect.
âKukulkan, my Lord, you are the Lord of Massacre, the Keeper of Order. You are the Ruler of DevilsâŚ.
âIâve done as you wished, my Lord. The paladins and priests apart from Rafiniya are already dead, their souls trapped in their burning skeletons. I can convert them once theyâre transported to the kingdomâŚâ
Leylinâs mirror showed the prayer and report, causing him to nod his head slightly. Rafiniyaâs fall was something heâd orchestrated long ago, but a single paladin or priest wouldâve been able to stop her from turning when she did. That was why heâd had his devil hunters focus on them, rendering them unable to assist the Lady of Hope. That was how heâd gained a new legendary erinyes in Phoenix.
âYou did well. Weâve obtained all we could in the north, and now is the time to return. Leave the necessary information paths and priests, but bring Barbara and the other devil hunters backâŚâ he decreed.
Leylin knew fully well that this incident had put him at odds with both Mystraâs alliance and the orcs. The suppression he would face would soon grow severalfold, and in such circumstances it was better to pull his elites back before he suffered unnecessary losses. If Mystra and Tyr mobilised their forces, he would definitely lose quite a few worshippers.
As a new god, Leylin didnât have many legendary powerhouses or much wealth to his name. Every one he lost would bite him. Anyway, heâd gotten the law of death he was eyeing in the prime material plane so he didnât have much he wanted from it now. The faith coming from Debanks Island in his divine kingdom would be enough to sustain him.
Leylin thus retracted his gaze from the prime material plane, racking his brains as he thought about his new law.
âMassacre and death, a perfect matchâŚâ Leylin had obtained a new level of enlightenment regarding his role as a god, âThe power of the law of massacre is boosted by the deaths of the enemy⌠There needs to be a catalyst between all this⌠Either law can support a greater god, so if I turn this into a cycleâŚâ
Leylinâs eyes flashed with wild ambition. His root was that of a Magus, and with the A.I. Chip and his comprehension of laws he instinctively knew the path he had to take. His future advancements had grown completely clear to him.
Magi started with cultivating spiritual force, before transforming the soul to let them comprehend laws. Even as a mere rank 7, Leylin already saw the silhouette of his path as a peak rank 8. This was an extremely alarming matter to the entire astral plane!
âDeath domainâŚâ A dark energy spread out from Leylinâs palace, entering the surroundings. He felt control over the life and death of everything within its increasing range, able to see every organism within.
âDeath is inseparable from the soul. Thankfully I have enough research into the soul that Iâm not inferior to the godsâŚâ Leylin smiled, âA.I. Chip, whatâs the progress on the simulation of the law of death?â
[Beep! Law of death comprehension at 50%. Beginning soul simulation with stored dataâŚ] the A.I. Chip intoned.
Another notification soon appeared on the Chipâs interface:
[Beep! The law of massacre has influenced the death domain, giving it the Deathâs Decree ability.
Deathâs Decree: The user of the domain can cause the death of any creature he wills. Those without divine power will lose their lives immediately, and the effects on divine beings depends on their divine rank.]
The A.I. Chipâs powerful calculative abilities had allowed it to derive a new ability immediately.
âThe death domain is really powerfulâŚâ Leylin inhaled a sharp breath after seeing the results, âLegendary powerhouses without divinity would die immediately, and even their souls will cease to exist without exemption. Even demigods have a fifty-fifty chance of dyingâŚâ
Deathâs Decree would be rendered useless when facing more powerful gods, but with Leylinâs strength it made for a powerful weapon against the other lesser gods. He had a chance to kill them directly, one that increased the weaker his opponent was. Even more terrifying was that this ability would grow with him, its effects growing more powerful over time!
âDeathâs Decree⌠What a magnificent ability, Kelemvor has it too huh?â However, doubt soon filled Leylinâs mind, âWait. I havenât heard of such a thing about Kelemvor or any of the other gods of deathâŚâ
A possibility surfaced in Leylinâs mind, causing him to be elated. âCould it be⌠Only those gods of both massacre and death obtain it, or only if they fulfill some other conditions? If thatâs the case, once I finish the law of death wonât I be able toâŚâ