Rejection

“In the name of the Supreme, KILL THEM!” The great army that had gathered in Phlegethos charged out with a roar, entering Leylin’s divine kingdom under the guidance of the pit fiends present.

*Rumble!* However, they were greeted by lightning and thunder the moment they entered the place. Bolt after bolt crashed down, leaving huge pits in the ground as they completely decimated the devils in range. Some devils were even being burnt by flames, screaming miserably as their resistance to fire proved to be useless.

Although the devils had come to a ceasefire agreement with Leylin, it hadn’t been all that restrictive. The contract was broken the moment the devils made their move, so Leylin had nothing holding him back.

“My Lord, Kukulkan, bestow upon us the power of massacre!” Numerous devil hunters were lying in wait behind defences created by devil slaves. Some of them watched their opponents with apathy, while others looked on with greed, even enthusiasm filling their eyes.

In their perspective, these devils were only a source of power. On top of that, they could give up everything for the divine kingdom of their Lord.

Isabel and Phoenix were completely fixated on a projection of the battlefield within a command centre, one of Leylin’s avatars at their side.

“This war shall last a long time…” he prophesied.

……

Several decades passed in the blink of an eye. Leylin’s divine kingdom stood tall in Baator, and even though the battles did not cease at all the petitioners and natives of Debanks Island slowly forgot about it.

Things were always the same with gods. Divine wars lasted centuries without conclusions, with few instances like the orc-human war in the prime material plane. Even then the orcs had only been suppressed, and the humans of the north given assistance…

At the heart of Leylin’s divine kingdom, within the gigantic shrine atop Whitejade Saint Mountain.

[Beep! Simulation 78923 complete. Test sample ER-3’s data has been obtained, storing into the law database under Death -> Raising Souls -> 2…]

The A.I. Chip’s robotic voice brought Leylin out of a trance. He glanced over the information the Chip was showing him, taking a look at the records about his comprehension of laws.

[Beep! Host’s comprehension of laws: Devouring 100%, Massacre 100%, Greed 100%, Death 99%.]

“It’s already so far in, huh?” His eyes flickered with understanding, “These devils have been tremendously helpful…”

An understanding of the law of death required the analysis of a great number of souls, as well as the destructive force formed at their deaths. Even if the other Lords of Baator hadn’t provoked him, Leylin was going to invade himself to kill a massive number of people.

Right now they willingly sacrificed themselves in his divine kingdom, becoming free specimens for his experiments. How could Leylin reject their wish? He kept up the fight with the devils, stalling them at the boundaries of his divine kingdom without much damage. He left them with some hope of victory, ensuring that they would send in their troops continuously to allow him to accumulate more and more information.

‘I’ve almost added death to my role…’ Leylin had now reached a threshold in his comprehension of death. He only had one last fragment before he could condense the law into his domain.

‘Mystra’s pressured me a lot lately…’ Leylin lowered his head, his eyes filled with determination and solemnity. The Goddess of the Weave hadn’t just colluded with Kelemvor to hold his worshippers back, she’d also instigated the Archdevils to attack his divine kingdom.

The Giant Serpent Church in the prime material plane didn’t have it good either. A large number of wizards under Elminster had abandoned all work, looking for traces of the powerhouses of the church like crazed beasts. Had Leylin not stopped expansion in the prime material plane and summoned Tiff back beforehand, the church would likely have suffered massive losses.

The influence of her actions were already beginning to show. Leylin’s faith in the prime material plane wasn’t growing anymore, almost on the verge of dwindling down.

Such a situation would be extremely dangerous for gods, who relied on faith. Without enough, they wouldn’t be able to sustain their powers and die out slowly, their divine kingdoms descending into darkness as their soul was destroyed. Without worshippers, a god was like a fish out of water.

Leylin was mainly supported by Debanks Island now, but even then the situation was very dangerous. The mortals in his divine kingdom would slowly all morph into petitioners, becoming souls that couldn’t eat, reproduce, or do anything of the like. It would be a devastating blow if that process completed, and with the number or generations of commoners in the Faulen Empire it was close to being so.

‘Thankfully my comprehension has been smooth. My main body is almost ready as well, and even now I can come in and restart the Final War.’ A hint of coldness appeared in his eyes.

Leylin’s main body was ultimately a Magus. This clone was merely some preparation on the path of faith, and it was alright to give it up for the sake of his main body’s success. Leylin thus decided to drag things out, ignoring Mystra’s challenges and refusing to confront the issue. It gave him enough time to develop his laws to this point.

Mystra wasn’t a fool, but she’d never have imagined that Kukulkan was merely the clone of a Magus. Her methods could end any lesser god, but without the proper knowledge all her schemes were pointless. Leylin was just using her effectively to earn time, giving him the foundation to take on the coming storm.

All of a sudden, Leylin suddenly felt his heart squeeze. His divine sense told him of the arrival of an absolute danger, and he immediately traced it to the Celestial Hall.

Leylin’s avatar opened its eyes from up on the throne, looking at Mystra who was making a speech.

“For all these reasons, I propose the God of Massacre, Kukulkan, be removed!” she proclaimed loudly, looking towards him with a chilly gaze.

The numerous gods in the Celestial Hall sized Leylin up. The good gods would never accept an evil god like him, and the evil ones didn’t have much to do with him. Only Umberlee was left, looking on helplessly.

“I agree!” Tyr said immediately after Mystra’s speech.

“I as well!” a voice sounded from the pedestal of death. Leylin recognised Kelemvor at a single glance. The greater god had evidently sensed Leylin’s comprehension increasing, and he’d grown grim and hostile.

“And I!” Gruumsh stood up from amongst the orcs, “A god that kills his kind so brazenly does not need to exist.” His stance was followed up by the other orc gods as well.

In the blink of an eye, Leylin felt himself becoming an enemy of all the gods. His pedestal was on the verge of collapse as well, and the effects of attacking other gods without allies or a foundation were beginning to show themselves.

“Agreed!” “Agreed!”

……

Waves of origin force gathered around Leylin with the loud clamour of the gods.

If the Overgod had been present the world would have stripped him of his godfire ruthlessly, causing him to fall. However, with the overgod in a deep sleep, the Celestial Hall had no power to punish him. The only thing these gods could do was eject Leylin from the place, isolating.

And isolate him is what they did. Terrifying lightning crashed down on Leylin’s cracking pedestal, and the avatar was destroyed without any way to resist.

Of course the amount of divine force he’d lost was negligible, but the follow through would be terrifying. Being rejected by all sides, Leylin would be left with no space to grow anymore.

Leylin had no idea that he had unwittingly created a record. Ever since the Overgod fell into his slumber, Leylin was the only true god to be rejected by both good and evil, being forced out of the Celestial Hall.

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