Chapter 22: The Backup
January 3, 2016
Author: Floating Tower
Fallen Angel’s Feather.
As a member of the True Gods, Soren recognized at a glance where the feather came from.
It seemed that this time, it wasn’t just the Hell Poet taking action; other high-level devils from the Hell of Bartok were involved as well. Soren pondered for a moment and muttered, “A fallen angel? Did he go to Hell of Bartok to find some helpers?”
The identity of the Hell Poet was not simple.
It is said that he is a chosen of the Lord of Hell—Asmothiels. If he truly found helpers from the Hell of Bartok, Soren would be a bit headachy.
——“Tracking [Divine Profession]!”
With the power of the Divine Profession activated, any clues related to this feather were incorporated into Soren’s perception.
A trace of a door appeared in the void.
The Hell Poet had acted rather carefully, directly opening a portal to leave the Material Plane after harvesting souls. Though the power of the Tracking Divine Profession was strong, it required too much energy for cross-planar tracking. If Soren were in his divine form, it wouldn’t be an issue; however, in his saint form, it would be very difficult to track anything outside the Material Plane. Furthermore, after harvesting this batch of souls, the Hell Poet would probably have to hide for a while, right?
“This guy will be a trouble if not removed!”
Soren’s eyes revealed strong killing intent. During the previous battle, the Hell Poet had used the Soul Extraction Technique to steal the soul of the Vampire Son, and a demigod’s soul had tremendous value; it was unknown how much benefit the Hell Poet had reaped.
“Clear this place.”
Soren calmly instructed, his voice deep, “I will decisively dispatch priests to the Spearwind Hills. You all need to be cautious of the devils’ movements lately.”
Behind him stood the red-haired pirate woman, dressed in the attire of a noble lady.
In order to perfectly play the role of a noble and elegant young lady, Adele Isabella had put in considerable effort, and now her noble aura had become increasingly evident. Even those familiar with her would find it hard to associate her with the once wild red-haired pirate. Although everything in the Spearwind Hills was secretly controlled by Soren, on the surface, Adele Isabella remained the lord of this place, and many matters required her direct handling.
With the support of Modo’s power, she held a good reputation among the lower-class civilians.
“Yes, my lord.”
Adele Isabella respectfully replied, “I will arrange for preparations now.”
After speaking, her gaze seemed a bit evasive. Upon hearing this, Soren paused for a moment, taking a closer look at her.
Night fell.
Inside a luxurious manor, Soren was sitting in his study, flipping through books. He had recently been supplementing his knowledge of alchemy; while gods learned quickly, they couldn’t master everything at once. In order to improve his alchemical abilities, he still needed to spend time accumulating knowledge. He read at an astonishing speed and finished an alchemical book in about half an hour. After closing his eyes for a moment in thought, he opened the second book, with several already read books piled beside him.
Due to the sudden appearance of the Hell Poet, Soren needed to stay here for two days to make some follow-up arrangements.
A gentle knock echoed.
For a god, everything around him was within his perception range. Without even looking, Soren knew that Adele Isabella was outside.
It was about one o’clock in the morning.
Choosing to come at this time certainly had special meaning, and her hesitation when knocking suggested she felt somewhat uneasy.
“Come in.”
Soren set down the book and shook his head with a smile. He already knew the reason for her midnight visit.
Creak.
The door was cautiously pushed open, and Adele Isabella walked in wearing a thin young lady’s dress. Her long, silky hair cascaded down her shoulders, and her expression appeared a bit anxious. Upon entering the room, she instinctively closed the door behind her.
“There’s nothing under my clothes.”
Soren was already aware of everything as he gazed at the nervous Adele Isabella. With a hint of playfulness, he asked, “What’s the matter?”
Adele Isabella was quite tense.
However, she quickly took a deep breath to calm herself, but her voice still trembled slightly. She knelt on one knee before Soren and softly said, “My lord.”
“Your… servant… has come to serve you…”
She was very anxious, filled with a touch of panic and unease, but also a hint of anticipation.
Perhaps in the entire Material Plane, only Soren could cause this once-famous pirate leader to act like this. She was like a concubine in a harem waiting for the emperor’s favor, filled with both desire and fear. Though Soren had given her many important tasks, she had still been away from the center of power in Modo for too long. As a special female, she felt uneasy; thus, she longed for a closer relationship with Soren to ensure her power and status.
Perhaps it was like that.
Or perhaps it was due to other reasons, after all, Lord Soren was a miracle she had witnessed with her own eyes.
“My lord…”
Soren’s brief silence made Adele Isabella even more anxious. She gently raised her hand, trembling as she unfastened a button at her chest. When the white and profound valley was revealed, a special emblem appeared before Soren’s eyes.
Located just above her right breast.
The emblem of the Half-Elf Church, Soren’s emblem, she had directly imprinted it onto her body.
Soren slowly sighed.
He had noticed the problem earlier in the day. Although Soren was the God of Half-Elves and Wanderers, his identity in the mortal realm was that of the Pirate King of the Material Plane, the ruler of Modo. Many pirate kings called Soren “your lord,” a title that could just as well be used for a deity. He didn’t require pirates who believed in him to join the Half-Elf Church, so at present, the vast majority of pirate leaders still referred to him as ‘your lord.’ Changing faith was not an easy matter, and Soren’s divine profession was quite special. Many pirate leaders had their own gods they had believed in for a long time.
Adele Isabella chose to serve him.
The meaning behind this was profound because it represented that this woman before him would not only be his follower while alive but her soul after d*ath would enter Soren’s kingdom to become his Prayer Weaver.
It was hard to refuse.
Any slight misstep on Soren’s part might offend this woman’s faith and even cause him to lose a zealot, an excellent soul capable of advancing to become a high-level envoy.
Adele Isabella hoped to completely stand by Soren’s side, offering her loyalty. This loyalty not only encompassed her life but also represented her after d*ath. This should be the most significant token of allegiance in the multiverse. Even though she had followed Soren for a long time, such a pledge that entailed the sacrifice of her very soul was enough for Soren to incorporate her into the core of power.
“Come here.”
Soren did not hesitate; as a deity, he could not refuse a zealot’s following and dedication.
She was still very pure.
This purity could allow her to obtain a pure elevation when entering the divine kingdom in the future. The management of a god’s kingdom was not solely dependent on themselves; many excellent envoys were needed to assist within the divine realm.
Her soul was very pure.
Adele Isabella approached Soren before him, shaking a little. Soren indicated for her to stand by the desk and gently stroked her long hair, signaling her to kneel slowly. Adele Isabella quickly understood Soren’s intentions. She tremblingly reached down to untie his robe at his feet, then extended her pale fingers gently to hold it, slowly parting her lips.
The light in the room flickered.
Soren furrowed his brows slightly, and immediately, a flurry of apology came from Adele Isabella, who seemed a bit flustered. She was inexperienced; in fact, she had no experience at all.
Rustle.
Soren raised a hand to pick up a book and flipped through it. After a moment, as if rewarding Adele Isabella for her efforts, he snapped his fingers to cast a spell.
——“Shadow Black Tentacle!”
………………
Time passed quickly.
After staying at the Spearwind Hills for three days and arranging for a high-ranking Archbishop to stay behind, Soren immediately set off for the Eastern Kingdom.
By this time, it was almost February.
The first wave of demons from the Bottomless Abyss had almost come to an end, allowing other beings from the Material Plane a precious and brief respite. However, by mid-February, the second wave of demon attacks would soon arrive, and this time even more demons would appear. The second wave could be considered a true invasion since it included regular demon legions that had participated in the Abyssal bl**d War. After the first test, many demon lords from the Bottomless Abyss could already confirm that the barriers of the Material Plane had indeed weakened.
They were eager to try!
Yearning for the rich soul reserves of the Material Plane, many demon lords had already prepared to personally descend into the Material Plane.
The second wave of invasions had already seen demon lords descend upon the realm.
And this battle would see a significant increase in scale, as those good faction deities who had fallen into the mortal realm due to the Saint’s Cataclysm could no longer sit back and watch their followers being slaughtered. Some deities in saint form began to appear before the world, fighting against the demon legions while cultivating a new wave of more fervent zealots.
Regular demon legions were descending.
Even gods could not avoid it; they had to protect their followers, at least those devout ones. Even the evil faction gods had to show themselves temporarily to combat the demons, for they could not sit idly by while the demon armies attacked their church members.
If the church’s believers were all slaughtered!
Even if they successfully survived the Saint’s Cataclysm, what would it matter? Only the foundation of the Material Plane could support everything within the divine kingdom!
………………(To be continued ~^~)
