Alliance
A large number of guards had been moved to watch over the ceremony. The lax guard allowed the devil hunter to sneak inside easily. When he saw the sacrifices on the altar, a disturbed look appeared in his eyes. âBlood sacrifice?
âPoor followers. Only our Lord truly cherishes us, even if we worshippers make mistakes he kindly gives us his guidanceâŠâ A sense of superiority surfaced in the hunterâs mind as he compared himself to these people. Comparing this sacrifice with the methods of the Giant Serpent Church, his devotion actually grew a bit. His faith stat wouldâve grown by a few points if such a thing existed.
*Woooooâ* The sacrificial ceremony reached its peak at that moment, the heart of the altar pooling with blood. An indistinct silhouette walked out of the boiling blood, with a human head but the body of a lion.
âUkekelu! The mighty Ukekelu has descended!â The old shaman bowed in agitation as he started chanting prayers, followed by the other worshippers.
â...â Ukekelu lowered his head, looking at the shaman as he spoke in an unknown language. It caused the shamanâs expression to change immediately.
âThe Lord says there is a spy here. Guards!â The guards that looked like ravenous wolves immediately howled out.
âNot good, Iâve been found!â The devil hunter squatting in the grove felt his heart freeze, and he prepared to break out and escape.
âUgh!â However, bright light burst forth from the giant snake emblem on his body at this moment. He soon lost consciousness, his body taken over by a great will.
âLord of Debanks Island, the Giant Serpent sitting upon the throne⊠Welcome, Your Majesty Leylin!â The human-headed lion hovered in the air, releasing a few howls. The old shaman retreated alongside his guards, leaving the place to the two.
âMm. Long time no see, Your Highness Ukekelu.â Leylin found it sluggish to move around in this body, like a huge elephant whoâd been squeezed into human armour. However, that didnât matter much. His conscient was only borrowing this body, so even if it perished heâd only lose a vessel and some divine force. It wouldnât be much.
The demigod in front of him was a part of Leylinâs alliance. Legendaries had their own circle in the prime material plane, and the same naturally held true for demigods.
Unfortunately, numerous demigods were placed in an awkward position. Not only did they have lack gods willing to protect and promote them, the divinity within their bodies clashed with specific other gods that caused delays in their ascension. Theyâd formed cliques of their own to help each other for this very reason.
Poison Scorpion was one such god, and so was Ukekelu.
âIf youâve come to the marshes yourself you must have important matters to discussâŠâ Ukekelu said as he sharpened his claws. He was quite envious of Leylinâs following and his distance from the mainland. Even more importantly, this person had begun preparing for ascension before even becoming a legendary; his schemes were shocking.
âHave you heard about Poison Scorpion?â Leylin directly revealed the purpose of his trip.
âThe Church of Protection⊠Those lunatics!â Ukekeluâs face grew unsightly at the mention of the topic. Helmâs church was clearly the nemesis of all false gods; just its mention would be such a powerful deterrent.
âPoison Scorpion has already fallen. Either of us could be the next targetâŠâ Leylinâs soft words caused Ukekeluâs face to darken. Between the two of them, he was both an easier target and a closer one.
Looking at the other party becoming restless, Leylin revealed a confident smile. âWe have to come up with countermeasures.â
âItâll be easier to have Helm fall than have him abandon his duty, and both are impossible.â Ukekelu was clearly aware of his own position.
âMm, but heâs only bound to slay false gods. What about true gods with their own divine kingdoms?â Leylin revealed the primary purpose of his trip.
âTrue god? You plan to ascend?â Earth-shattering shock rippled out from Ukekeluâs body of blood.
âOf course, thereâs no demigod who doesnât want to.â Leylin didnât cover his intentions up in the slightest. Ascending was indeed the best solution against Helmâs Church.
âPity⊠I havenât accumulated enough faith to ascend. If I try now Iâll only face the backlash of the World Origin Force, falling immediately.â Ukekelu was indeed tempted, but he ultimately shook his head.
âOf course, if Your Majesty Leylin has such intentions, I would definitely fully support you!â On the other hand, Leylin didnât trust such verbal promises.
âYour Highness is the oldest of us demigods, I believe there shouldnât be a huge deficit for you⊠Would this be enough to bridge the gap?â Leylin seemed to see in Ukekelu a fish that wouldnât bite without bait. He smiled in secret as he revealed a diamond emitting golden light, having it float towards the other.
âThis⊠Divine force suiting my role, and experiences of ascension⊠Why do you have this, and why are you willing to give it to me?!â Ukekelu was obviously frightened by Leylinâs present.
âYour Highness doesnât have to worry much about the source. However, Iâm sure your chances of ascension will increase significantly with this?â Leylinâs secretive smile caused Ukekelu to think that a true god was supporting him. After all, a demigod couldnât get a hold of such items.
However, this was enough for a demigod. As expected, Leylin saw greed and ambition rising within Ukekeluâs gaze. No demigod would be able to reject such temptation, even if they knew a trap lay in wait.
Ukekelu had been a demigod for a long time. If he didnât advance soon, he would share the fate of Poison Scorpion. The Church of Protection wouldnât ever let him off as long as he was a demigod.
Numerous expressions flashed past that face of blood, but ultimately Ukekelu still absorbed the diamond into his body, âI shall accept Your Majestyâs presents. What price do you require for them?â
âA simple agreement, and no matter which of us manages the last laugh we have to assist the other demigodsâŠâ Leylin faintly smiled.
âIâm going to the Sea of Death and the Dark Grasslands after this. Theyâve been demigods too long as wellâŠâ
âYou want us to advance together to reduce the attention?â Ukekelu wasnât stupid, and he managed to catch Leylinâs intentions quickly. It was of benefit to him as well, so he naturally didnât object.
âThats right⊠We can also aid Poison Scorpion before that⊠After all, heâs one of us.â Unknowingly, Ukekelu suddenly felt an extreme chill in his heart after seeing Leylinâs smile.
âŠâŠ
Within a city on the mainland, inside the huge Church of Tyr.
âPaladin Rafiniya!â An old warrior-priest walked into the room, unswerving determination on his face.
This room was largely unfurnished except for necessary supplies, with no extravagant furniture. The owner of the place was frugal.
âCardinal!â Although Rafiniya looked the same as before, her body had grown more well-rounded, and her face was filled with more mature charm. Even though she still looked young, she knew everything had changed.
Years of experience had moulded the feeble-minded knight into a paladin of justice. She was now the legendary Holy Paladin, the Knight of Light! Her position had grown constantly inside Tyrâs church, and sheâd even amassed numerous followers.
âThe Lord has a mission for you!â The old cardinal warrior passed a scroll to Rafaelia.
âThe target is the Poison Scorpion Church. They intend to use their descendant to revive their fallen demigod. When he revives, the Poison Scorpion Lord will definitely bring suffering to the masses. Our Lord has decided to take action for the sake of justice!â
Looking at the sacrifices and consumption of blood as detailed in the documents, Rafiniya felt like she couldnât repress the anger in her chest anymore.
âTo fight for justice!â She suddenly drew out her long sword and solemnly agreed.
âVery well! Another thing...â
âDuring this operation. Other forces like the Giant Serpent Church might be there to lend assistance, youâll have to be carefulâŠâ When the cardinal said this, it seemed difficult for him to speak.