Warlock of the Magus World

Act

Leylin looked at himself in the mirror, and was satisfied with his new appearance. He originally looked like a westerner in the World of Gods, with bright golden blonde hair and clear blue eyes. However, his locks were now dyed black, and his eyes were a rich dark with blood-red sclera. His new appearance Exuded a never-ending aura of evil.

"With this extent, I don't think anyone will associate me with the young master of the Faulen Family." Leylin wore a sinister looking silver mask over his face and disappeared into the darkness.

Obviously, a change in appearance wouldn't be enough. Thus, when Leylin reappeared his whole body seemed to have undergone an even greater and more terrifying transformation. He looked as if he were someone wrapped in mysteries, sinister energy encircling his body with a charming trace of the power of laws.

Once all the brilliant energy had fused into his body, Leylin completely resembled a devil who had ascended from hell, and even the aura of his soul had changed. A sense of power and danger emanated from his body in waves, and the surrounding space seemed to fold in on itself, as if everything was being devoured.

This was divinity! Only a divine power could accomplish this! Leylin had now become a divine being who grasped some power in the domain of devouring!

'This imitation isn't bad at all.' Leylin looked at his new self and nodded in approval. His understanding of the law of devouring had already reached a peak. Only after he acquired Beelzebub's divine force and divinity could he advance to become a rank 7 Magus. In the World of Gods, this would be considered as having achieved godhood.

His understanding of the law would not disappear with reincarnation. Though it was tough to create and draw out divinity from nothing, it was still an effortless task for the A.I. Chip to imitate the aura and appearance of a divine being with the power of devouring.

'I definitely cannot ascend to godhood solely in the domain of devouring. Even if I do that, I'm afraid I'll be sent straight to hell. Even if I'm going to go there in the end, I can't be thrown down so passively…'

There was also another advantage of being in his current form. Divine beings were practically immune to scrying spells, and Leylin, an otherworldly guest, was obviously immune too. It would be an absolute joke if anyone tried to gain more information on him through scrying.

"The show has begun," Leylin turned his gaze to the bright moon before his silhouette suddenly blurred and disappeared into the darkness.

Most of Beelzebub's truesoul and divinity had been devoured by Leylin, along with a hundred thousand years of his memories as a devil. Thus, all of his followers were nothing but tragic beings in front of Leylin.

Everything was stored in his A.I. Chip, included Beelzebub's methods to communicate with them, or his habits and disposition and even the list of bishops and demons in different regions of the prime material plane.

Beelzebub's followers were unable to hide from Leylin, and thus Leylin had already made his plans after strolling about the castle.

Leylin's deified incarnation arrived in front of a vast building. Two guards there were loyally carrying out their responsibilities, making sure the entrance was secure.

'Even security officers fell to the attacks, no wonder they could carry out the blood sacrifice of an entire city so brazenly…' Leylin put both his hands behind his back and swaggered into the mansion.

The moment he stepped into the vicinity, he couldn't help but take a deep breath at the aura of evil within. He would have been completely unable to sense the soul undulations so precisely without the divinity that his current body possessed. Evil forces continued to circulate in Leylin's surroundings, making the glow of his imitated godhood even brighter. It seemed as if it was turning his pretense into reality.

'Eye of the Divine!' Through his imitated divine powers, Leylin was able to use something like magic to make himself invisible to the tight security. Once he passed through, he followed his instinct to a descending passageway behind a rock garden that was obviously concealed.

"The stench of human blood… and the aura of low-ranked devils…" Leylin sniffed, but did not plan on making his way further.

"Who's that?" His movement had alerted a nearby watchman, but he deliberately lowered his voice, seeming like he didn't want to blow the matter up.

But in the darkness, a handful of otherworldly beings have already felt their way towards Leylin, obviously with the intention of mounting a sneak attack. However, when he saw these creatures up close, he didn't know whether to laugh or to cry at the sight of them. "Are these what you are relying on? Devil priests like these? Is this an insult?"

Through his night vision, he had already seen who his attacker was—an amalgamation of badly damaged human carcass parts and heads. It looked like a massive ball of flesh. This inferior devil was of the lowest grade, and it was also the most common cannon fodder in the ninth level of hell.

The A.I. chip sent over the creature's data to him.

[Inferior devil. Strength: 3 Agility: 1 Vitality: 5 Spirit: 0.1 Description: This is a common magical creature found in hell, usually a reincarnation of deceitful humans. Its IQ equates to that of a retarded human, and it is easily controlled by high-ranked devils. Feats: 1. Fire Immunity, Poison Immunity. 2. Cold Resistance. 3. Acid Attack]

"Scram, you lowly ants!" Leylin said icily, using the language of the devils of hell.

Instantly, those poor devils were rendered completely defenceless under Leylin, someone who was as good as a near Archdevil. They immediately fell under his control.

The watchmen were left in shock, "W-Who are you exactly?"

"You aren't qualified to know that."

They did not dare to retaliate even as Leylin walked further in. Naturally, that was perhaps because they felt the intrinsic quality of a devil within him. Once he pushed through a door covered in fresh blood curses, a room that looked like a dining hall appeared in front of Leylin.

Fresh, steaming flesh was laid on the long dining table, and many worshippers raised their heads to look at Leylin who was an unwanted and unexpected guests. In their shock, they forgot to even wipe off the remnant blood from the side of their lips.

"What's going on? Sybar, why did you let an outsider in?" The plump noble seated right in the centre sounded unhappy, and put on an resentful expression.

'The bloody banquet. Isn't this another one of Beelzebub's favourite ceremonies?' Leylin recognised the ceremony being conducted.

"All you maggots, can't you tell?" Leylin's voice was low but powerful, exploding with the dignity of divinity.

"This- This is the divine force of our Lord!" A devil priest yelped out of surprise, and the whole room suddenly followed him as they knelt down before Leylin.

"My Lord, you haven't made contact with your followers for 20 years…" Tears filled the eyes of the priest.

"I have received the gift of our Lord and have become his Chosen and his substitute to lead you! Any objections?" Leylin announced bluntly.

Pretending to be Beelzebub's Chosen and a divine being would allow Leylin to take control of all his followers as well as his priest network in the prime material world.

This was Leylin's goal. He'd grown jealous of what was formed by a hundred thousand years of operations by an Archdevil. Moreover, he already had the Manderhawke Plate.

"None at all!" The priest was the first to surrender his loyalty to Leylin, dropping to his knees and kissing Leylin's boots.

"Hold up, even if he has the favour of our Lord and and has gained divinity, what give him the rights to take control of us completely?" A royal raised up his opinion from the crowd, feeling like his interests were breached.

But he was silenced shortly after. A crimson blade was pinned into his throat in a split second, and the terrifying power of devouring had sucked him dry in no time.

Many took in sharp breaths and others cried out in surprise, "The Devilblood Dagger!"

"Any more objections?" The blade returned to Leylin's hand as the carcass of the royal turned to ash, and in return Leylin gained the respectful gazes of almost everyone in the room. As Beelzebub's worshippers, they definitely knew what the Devilblood Dagger could do.

One had to have sacrificed the flesh of more than ten thousand humans and high-ranked priests to receive such a terrifying weapon. One needed to prove their strength to complete the sacrificial ceremony and survive for so long, and the Devilblood Dagger confirmed Leylin's.

"Great Lord, we pledge our loyalty to you!" Many followers chanted.

"Very well! Our Lord is currently injured and needs time to recover. My mission is to act on behalf of his conscient, and bring together all the churches in the prime material world to restore our Lord's health with enough faith and followers." Leylin said halfheartedly.

"I see…" Most of them had already guessed that Beelzebub was hurt, but at this point in time it was too late for them to turn their backs on Leylin.

"Now, I'll give out the first mission. A team of paladins is heading towards us, I'll need your help." With his divinity, he was a Chosen of the church. He could sometimes even override the church head's authority!

After confirming his identity, Leylin deployed every follower with specific roles and ordered them to stall those paladins. These people were no match for them, but they were proficient at plots to stall time, as well as scheming and intrigue.

False God

"In addition, stop performing large-scale blood sacrifices. There's no need for such obstructive activity before you hear further from me, especially something that'll attract the attention of the churches," Leylin reminded them again before leaving.

"Of course, Chosen of our Lord!" The devil priest answered without hesitation, not that he had any authority to go against Leylin's words. Moreover, the reason for their enormous blood sacrifices was to attract Beelzebub's attention. Now that he had already sent a substitute, there was no need for that anymore.

"Lord's substitute, please grant us your name!" The aged devil priest plucked up his courage to ask right before Leylin left.

"My name?" Leylin smirked beneath his mask. "My name is Kukulkan!"

The power of faith essentially came from fear and obedience, respect and admiration, or from one's soul force. Godhood originated from that as well. With a specific name, great power, and falsely assuming the identity of Beelzebub's Chosen, he could win the reverence of these devil worshippers. He could even disseminate and spread Beelzebub's faith before usurping everything.

However, this was the only mature organisation of Beelzebub's that Leylin found somewhat acceptable. When he would build his own church in the future, these people would not be of much help. After all, Leylin would not want his own church to be a gathering point for devil worshippers.

The next step was to cancel certain blood sacrifices and evil rituals that violated his core values. This was the domain of a benevolent god, and also an essential step for a divine being to gain extensive approval in the prime material plane.

"Lord Kukulkan, we will do as you wish and prepare for the recovery of our Lord!" Leylin was startled from his reverie as he watched the devil followers shouting his name loudly. A special energy akin to soul force enveloped him within the zealous ambience.

The false divine power of devouring almost went out of control and wanted to swallow this energy to transform completely, but Leylin resisted it.

'The power of faith?' Leylin signed internally before disappearing into a private room.

"You heard the Lord's orders!" The devil priest straightened his back and looked at all of the followers, especially directing his gaze at the nobles. Having lost the powers that the devil bestowed upon him, the arrival of this divine being allowed him to regain some confidence.

"Get the tasks done quickly so that we can welcome those paladins of the God of Justice!" There was no room for reconciliation between devil worshippers and paladins. If they met, it would be a fight to the death.

While one paladin was more than enough to slaughter an entire room of devil worshippers, strategy, allocation of manpower, and hidden actions would make things difficult for them.

"Of course!" A few of the nobles laughed sinisterly, the shadows they cast on the wall behind them looking like terrifying demons themselves.

……

'I can't believe I have to play to dress up as god and play the devil twice in a day…' Leylin had currently arrived outside the city.

He looked around vigilantly. His appearance of a powerful divine being was but a pretense, and he himself was only a rank 10 wizard. Had the devil worshippers just now rebelled against him, he was not sure that he'd have been able to suppress them. However, as he'd borrowed the superior aura of a high-ranked devil, he was certain he wouldn't lose out.

However, him pretending to be a divine being, on top of his possession of the Devilblood Dagger, was enough to scare the hell out of those followers. Moreover, those who had offered sacrifices to the devils already had shackles on their souls. If they did not wish to be tortured even after death, they had to act according to Leylin's wishes.

'Compared to dealing with those low-ranked followers, this needs more attention…' Leylin pulled himself together with a slight sigh, and a thread of flames appeared on his figure, taking the shape of a flame-winged serpent. The small blaze lit up the Gloomwood, giving off a demonic feeling.

'He's here!' Leylin turned quickly. A black spirit was running towards him so quickly that it couldn't be followed by the naked eye.

'Advanced Barrier!' 'Advanced Protection!' 'Advanced Invisibility!' A few enormous spell barriers were erected, separating the area from the outside world completely.

'A high-ranked Professional? No, he's even stronger than Odge and Boruj, almost a Legend…' Leylin inwardly assessed as the person he was thinking of arrived in front of him.

"Tiff!" Formidable divine power circulated around the area, making Leylin seem like a god as he called out to Tiff. At the same time, the aura of his original form also rolled off his body.

"You're not my God, but you have his power!" Tiff was indeed standing in front of Leylin, but he did not look like his previous self. His hair was now greying at the temples, and his vigilant eyes glared unwaveringly at Leylin.

Leylin felt several different probing spells targeted at him immediately, and if not for the fact that he was the original body and had the A.I. Chip's help in concealing his abilities, it would be have been difficult to deal with the fellow.

Brilliant divine power floated above Leylin's hand as he stared Tiff in the eye, "So, do you still have any suspicions?"

"I wouldn't dare! You are the favoured one of my Lord!" Tiff pressed his right hand to his chest as a form of respect and bowed, showing his acknowledgement of Leylin's identity.

Strong beings like this were not easily subdued. Honestly, if Tiff were to make any moves, he would have found out that Leylin was only a pretentious false god. Once he figured that out, taking care of Leylin would be as easy as popping a bubble.

"Since you've summoned me, what can I help you with?" Tiff still looked suspicious about the whole situation.

"Our Lord has already defeated the Archdevil Beelzebub and I've received orders to take over everything Beelzebub has in the prime material plane!" He kept to the truth. Tiff was the one person Leylin trusted the most here, even if he seemed doubtful of everything right now.

Even if the boy decided to go against him, Leylin could use the power he'd formerly left with Tiff to make him turn back.

'However, he was able to use the energy I left behind as a foundation to receive magical powers and become similar to a bloodline holder… Or should I say half-chose? He's somewhat talented…' Leylin seemed to have already seen beyond Tiff's facade.

"You've defeated the Archdevil? The Sovereign King of Gluttony?" Tiff's voice involuntarily cracked. He had obviously heard about this earth-shaking rumour. The loyalty of these worshippers, who'd already lost the magic abilities bestowed by the devil, had long been shaken. Some information had spread out.

Worshippers in the prime material plane were shallow. If Leylin had waited to make his move a couple of decades later, Beelzebub's people would have almost completely disappeared. Thankfully, that was not the case.

"Mm. I'll need your help, how much manpower do you have in the Dambrath Kingdom?" Leylin asked. Unless his background wasn't optimal, a near-legend like Tiff would have a certain amount of influence.

"I've created an organisation with faith in our Lord. There are fewer than 300 followers right now, and the highest ranked among them is a Baron…" Tiff clenched his teeth, and told Leylin unwillingly. The familiar soul suppression was too strong on him, and he had no choice but to speak the truth.

'An organisation in worship of me?' Leylin was pretty taken aback. 'To sustain a miniature organisation without the support of divine power… He has a lot of potential…'

The difference between true and false gods was that one could grant their priests divine spells and other powers, ranging in ranks from rank 1 to rank 9. With the great power separating their planes and the prime material plane, the highest rank of spell a powerful devil or demon could bestow upon their worshippers was rank 5. Anything past that would require a blood sacrifice to go through, or have some other such restriction. This type of worship of false gods would suffer a unanimous crackdown by the true gods.

Demigods were similar. Without enough power to grant high-ranked spells to their followers, they were not widely spread. The Feathered Snake God, Kukulkan, that Leylin had made up previously was an otherworldly demigod who was still in deep sleep! He would not be able to grant even a rank 1 spell.

Leylin felt a special respect for the fact that Tiff could still sustain worship for Kukulkan under conditions like these, to the extent of enticing a baron. While he'd have used his own methods for it, it was still rather amazing.

'But I can't let this situation continue for too long… I'll soon have to give them some hope!' Leylin decided. A god that was unable to respond to prayers and grant spells would be eliminated like Beelzebub sooner or later.

'If his original form is still recovering from his injuries, it doesn't make sense for me to confer divine spells in his stead!' Leylin's original form as a near rank 7 Magus was from another world after all, and the World Will of the World of Gods was hostile towards his power. Not to mention the amount of energy that would be consumed by crossing the crystal sphere shell. If he were to use his original form to bestow divine spells, he would quickly go bankrupt and even die.

'The only way is to advance to become a Legend is the and condense my divine force. By doing that, I'll have the most basic capability to respond to my followers.' Leylin gritted his teeth.

"Devout follower of our Lord, Tiff! I have something for you to do. Let us meet at the capital city of the Dambrath Kingdom."