Chapter Eight: Faith and d*ath!
The new form of the Prayer Weaver is stabilizing.
At this moment, Soren is temporarily lost in thought; as a deity, there are many considerations he must take into account.
d*ath is the inevitable end for mortals.
The path after d*ath is nothing but three kinds: the first is the complete annihilation of the soul, which is the most tragic outcome. The second is falling into the River of the Underworld, being washed away into the depths of the Source Sea to be reshaped, much like a pile of scrap paper compressed and shredded to be made into new sheets of white paper. The third kind is reincarnation; whether to the upper planes or lower planes, reincarnation is the best outcome after d*ath because it represents a new possibility, although for the weak it may be the beginning of suffering.
In fact, there is also the absolute non-believer, a person who is quite rare; it is almost unheard of to encounter someone with no faith at all. Generic beliefs are prevalent within the multiverse. In the last few hundred years, few non-believers have been plastered against walls; to avoid such a fate, even those who despise the gods will mutter a few phrases, and once they have recited even a few, they are no longer considered non-believers. The multiverse rules have been quite lenient towards these individuals, with most being swept into the River of the Underworld and reset into new souls by the Source Sea.
Entering the realm of the gods is the most advantageous outcome of reincarnation.
If reborn in the planes, it would be akin to wild beasts with no protection at all, where life and d*ath depend entirely on luck. The upper planes are somewhat better, but the lower planes are wholly tragic. Many with uncertain faith but clear factions will automatically reincarnate into other planes, with evildoers being reborn in the Hell of Bartok or Bottomless Abyss, and good individuals reincarnated in Mount Heaven or Paradise, while those with special faction tendencies may end up in the Gray Wastes or Wilds.
Souls with insufficient faith are essentially wild reincarnations; once reborn, they become roaming wild beasts, preserving only a little memory based on the purity of their souls.
Most reincarnated souls retain a fragment of memory, but the proportion is quite small.
Only legendary figures can clearly remember parts of their past lives after reincarnation, while beings of the Holy Spirit can recall most of it.
The soul remains that same soul.
It has merely changed its life form, resulting in partial amnesia.
Next.
The most important reincarnation is that of the deity’s believers.
This is the best outcome; even the followers of evil gods can have higher status post-reincarnation than other beings. More importantly, they are like lambs shepherded by the gods. Deities are obligated to protect these reincarnated Prayer Weavers. They will not be easily killed, possess longer lifespans, and may, depending on their abilities, achieve a higher status in the divine realm.
The divine kingdom of the upper planes is undoubtedly beautiful.
However, very few people can enter it; less than one in ten thousand mortals has the qualification to ascend Mount Heaven!
Soren needs to decide the structure of the future divine kingdom.
Because his church has yet to begin describing its divine kingdom to its believers, or what it is like inside the divine kingdom. This is a very important aspect within a church.
Even the evil faction deities will try their best to make their divine kingdoms more appealing to their believers.
Isn’t the Spider Queen cruel?
Although her divine kingdom contains terrifying spider-like elves and wax-melting monsters, there are also normal Drow Prayer Weavers who occupy the ruling position in her realm, living a life far superior to that of mortals, enjoying the pleasure of enslaving many beings of other divine kingdoms. Many terrifying monsters were twisted as a result of the Spider Queen’s punishment. A loyal Drow matriarch who pleases the Spider Queen, if she dies and enters the divine kingdom, might be granted a virtually identical position to her previous life, continuing to serve the Spider Queen for a long time.
This is the structure within the divine kingdom.
These are the considerations Soren must contemplate, and the forms of the primary beings in the divine kingdom are the most crucial part of this structure.
In other words.
Soren needs to consider what type of races will serve as the core of the future divine kingdom, whether undead, demons, angels, or treants, the divine kingdom must form an orderly pyramid structure.
What he must do now is to delineate that pyramid.
The potential for the Prayer Weavers to grow is far less than that of other beings. Having higher talents will make the foundation of the divine kingdom more stable.
…
“Release divine form.”
As Soren retracted his divine power value, the divine radiance enveloping him gradually faded. The costs of using divine abilities are significant, so it is best to avoid it if possible.
The reincarnated body before him is already formed.
It possesses the bloodline ability of a demon but has been fused with Soren’s divine power.
This is a basic sample; in the future, if Soren constructs the life structure of the divine kingdom, this will serve as the foundation.
“Data simulation activated!”
“Starting to calculate the potential data of the reincarnated body!”
Also among humans, each individual has varying attributes. The potential of the reincarnated body requires a rough estimate range, and Soren must clarify the potential of this form.
A line of data appears before him:
“Species: Prayer Weaver (demon-class modified life)”
“Level: Biological Level 7.”
“Attributes: Strength 15-21, Agility 18-25, Constitution 15-20, Intelligence 10-18, Perception 12-18, Charisma 5-18.”
“Talon ability: Demon skin, fire resistance, otherworldly life.”
“Special ability: Flame (sacrifice).”
“Data simulation complete.”
…
With calculations at the divine level, the potential of the reincarnated body has also been evaluated.
Based on the fundamental form of otherworldly life, most Prayer Weavers’ potential is far above that of mortals, but growth potential is slightly below that of their previous lives. If the soul is not pure enough, and the individual is not strong enough, many Prayer Weavers’ initial abilities will become their strongest form later on. This aspect is better the higher it is, so angels of the upper planes have very strong fundamental attributes in their metamorphic forms.
“Strength fluctuates between 15 and 21.”
“This should be the enhancement from the demon’s bloodline, far exceeding that of mortals.”
“Agility can reach a maximum of 25 points, and a minimum of 18. Although it cannot compete with angels whose many abilities can exceed 20, its combat power should not be weak either. The reincarnation of angels requires too high purity of soul.”
“Constitution is acceptable.”
“Intelligence potential is quite average.”
“Perception is decent.”
“Charisma is slightly low, but it does not matter.”
The data simulated shows the highest and lowest fluctuations. The attributes are quite decent, but they reflect their innate biological level of 7.
In other words, at the moment of completing reincarnation, they inherently hold a biological level of 7.
This reincarnation was personally completed by Soren. If it were expanded to the internal divine kingdom in the future, the inherent biological level might decrease to about level 5. Some attribute fluctuations might lower by 1-2 points.
“That being said.”
“It seems that a significant portion of Prayer Weavers in the future divine kingdom can have around 20 initial attributes in agility.”
The Prayer Weaver form’s attributes have upper and lower limits.
For instance, the range of human attributes is the most balanced among all races; the initial attribute range of humans fluctuates between 3-20.
The lower limit is very low, but the upper limit is also quite high.
The advantage of the Prayer Weaver lies in its high lower limit, ensuring that there are no weaklings or individuals with severe intelligence deficits, though some attributes’ upper limits may not exceed that of humans.
Elves’ highest attribute is agility, with a fluctuation range of 8-25. Dwarves’ highest attribute is constitution, with a fluctuation range of 10-25.
The attribute fluctuation characteristics of such races become rarer the higher they go.
A glimmer of golden radiance emerges.
Under Soren’s power, the soul begins to synchronize with the body gradually; the reincarnated body just completed looks very much like those demons transformed in the wilderness, appearing quite dazed, as if its self-awareness has not fully integrated.
Many souls reincarnated in the Bottomless Abyss often wander aimlessly for a period.
However, as a being created by Soren, the reincarnated body before him quickly regains a fragment of memory, kneeling on one knee towards Soren and saying, “My Lord!”
He has forgotten many things.
Even his own name is not clearly remembered. However, as Soren’s believer, he still knows that Soren is the deity he serves.
He still recalls some of the battle experiences accumulated through time and trial from his previous life.
“Get up.”
Soren gazes at the reincarnated body before him. He is a special individual, possessing the characteristics of a Prayer Weaver, but he has not been assimilated by the divine kingdom, so he will not be trapped in the divine kingdom like later-comers.
“Let me see your talon ability,” Soren speaks slowly.
This reincarnated body uses the bloodline of demon incarnation. It can be said that it inherits a bit of flame demon power, though it is hard to say to what extent.
“Yes, my Lord!”
The reincarnated body is absolutely obedient to Soren’s commands. It ponders for a moment, seeming to familiarize itself with its body, and then its demon tattoos ignite with a flicker of flame, followed by enveloping itself in a wave of raging fire.
“Flame body?”
“No, wait!”
“His energy is diminishing! This is not the flame body that can be permanently activated like the flame demon!”
“It seems more like a temporarily activated ability.”
Soren does not let him stop; the reincarnated body continues to maintain the flames engulfing it for about five minutes, after which the raging fire disappears.
He appears quite exhausted, as though he has expended a great deal of energy.
“Indeed a temporarily activated ability.”
“Although it is far from the effects of the flame demon, it is already very powerful as an individual!”
The reincarnated body’s ability is akin to a sacrificial halo, forming a surrounding flame at the cost of consuming its own mana. The Fire Demon and Flame Demon, on the other hand, possess permanent passive abilities, and if necessary, can envelop themselves in fire indefinitely.
“This seems to be the initial abilities.”
“In the future, what other abilities and talents other Prayer Weavers gain upon reincarnation will depend on the characteristics of each soul.”
What Soren created is merely a body template.
The strength of the soul can bring about various other abilities and may endow some special specialties; these vary from person to person.
This is why the gods, demons, and devils favor strong souls.
“What kind of weapon do you prefer?”
Although the reincarnation process is complete, the testing has not yet ended. Soren throws out many types of weapons, then speaks to the reincarnated body before him: “Try which one feels most suitable!”
Weapon mastery.
Two conditions decide this: one is the weapon he wielded most in his previous life, and the other is the unique preferences of the deity.
Just as Soren, as a priest, naturally possesses mastery over the Curved Blade.
The current memory of the reincarnated body is still quite blank; he does not understand Soren’s intentions but will execute the orders loyally. He approaches these weapons, picking each up to swing them briefly, ultimately choosing a heavy curved blade.
“Just as I thought!”
“The weapon preferences of the Prayer Weaver form are influenced by the weapons favored by the deity.”
The reincarnated body is not very agile with other weapons but finds the curved blade exceptionally comfortable to wield; seemingly feeling that one curved blade is not sufficient, he picks up a second one, easily wielding in both hands.
“Eh?”
“Does he also have the potential for dual wielding?”
Flame demons naturally possess the talent for dual wielding—one with a whip-type weapon and another with a decapitation sword type. The reincarnated body seems to inherit a bit of potential for dual wielding, implying that he will find mastering the specialty of Dual Wielding easier than others.
“Follow me.”
“You need an opponent to test your combat abilities.”
Soren needs complete detailed data analysis and ability statistics, so he directly takes the reincarnated body to the outside of the Gurenba Arena, and the demon incarnation provides a foe for the reincarnated body.
A biological level 6 Brute!
Weighing over 1800 pounds, the Brute has a clear advantage in strength. Following the command from the demon incarnation, it immediately charges towards the reincarnated body.
Rumbling!
The ground shakes slightly, and in the instant of their confrontation, the reincarnated body awkwardly avoids the enemy’s attack.
He is still unaccustomed to fighting.
However, his agility is very high, surpassing 20 points, meaning he is quite nimble.
“Continue!”
Soren’s expression is cold; he is not worried that the reincarnated body will d*e from this. He has enough confidence in the life form he has modified; if it cannot defeat a mere Brute, it would only indicate that the reincarnated body is a failure.
Clang!
Rumbling!
Faced with the Brute’s frenzied attacks, the reincarnated body begins to retreat; however, after dozens of exchanges, he gradually launches a counterattack and even successfully stabs the fatal spot on the Brute’s neck.
The battle instincts from his past life are awakening.
Some straightforward combat techniques seem to come instinctively to him.
The situation gradually reverses.
The reincarnated body soon discovers his advantage, leveraging his extraordinary agility to dance around the opponent. The Brute’s injuries worsen, and when its attack shows a flaw, the reincarnated body roars and plunges the curved blade into the enemy’s heart.
The battle ends.
The reincarnated body appears very disheveled, covered in dirt, but he has sustained no injuries.
“It seems successful.”
“His potential is greater than I expected; perhaps he can serve as a template for the forms in the future divine kingdom.”
With this thought, Soren gazes with satisfaction at the reincarnated body before him.
In the future.
The core makeup of the army in the divine kingdom will look like this.
…
(PS: Two-in-one.) (To be continued ~^~)
