Chapter 56: The Orc Gate
Overseas Islands. City of Modo.
Soren had just returned to the Grand Temple when the bishop responsible for the Southern Coast area brought back good news.
They had discovered the lair of the Shadow Thief.
However, alongside the good news came bad news; the Wanderers that Soren sent out had also found believers of the Lady of the Night (Strong Divine Power).
The Lady of the Night is one of the oldest evil deities!
Although she has collaborated with the Lord of Shadows, that was all before the Saint’s Cataclysm. The Lady of the Night is very eager to seize the Divine Profession of Shadows to further strengthen her power. Since she already possesses the Divine Profession of Night, if she could seize the Divine Profession of Shadows, the power of the Lady of the Night would become exceedingly terrifying.
The Lady of the Night’s emblem is very recognizable, a circle of purple rings encircling a black disc.
Another point that must be mentioned is that the Lady of the Night’s Divine Kingdom is also located in the Shadow Plane, but it is a separate realm known as the Shadow Realm.
“Is the mantis catching the cicada unaware of the oriole behind?”
Soren gently set down the intelligence report he had received, a hint of sarcasm appearing on his face.
If the Lord of Shadows is the mantis, then the Lady of the Night is clearly the oriole, and Soren, as a newly ascended deity, appears on the surface to be the captured cicada. This also proves why the Lord of Shadows has managed to restrain himself from personally attacking Soren until now, because there is still a Lady of the Night behind him, waiting for the Lord of Shadows to show his flaws. However, the Saint’s Cataclysm was the most chaotic period, and while the Lady of the Night had her eye on the Lord of Shadows, the other deities of the Justice Faction were also keeping an eye on her.
Especially the Lord of Radiance, who has always believed that the Lady of the Night is one of the roots of evil!
“Now is a situation of multiple parties vying for power.”
Soren slowly set down the intelligence report, murmuring, “At this time, no one dares to act rashly. But such a situation is suitable for fishing in troubled waters; wanting to reap the greatest benefits will require everyone to rely on their own means.”
However.
Since the Lord of Shadows had already shown his flaws, Soren naturally had to take the initiative to strike.
He immediately sent a magical message to Arendelle.
“The prey has appeared!”
Soren inherited a portion of the Divine Profession of the God of the Hunt, Mara, and in some ways, he is also a Predator.
Although the presence of the Lord of Shadows had been revealed, he still needed to consider how best to act. Soren wanted to create chaos because only after the waters were muddied would other deities be less likely to pay him too much attention.
There was no other choice.
Soren had first killed the Vampire Son and then the God of the Hunt, Mara. If the Lord of Shadows were to die at his hands now,
It would attract far too much attention!
Although many deities fell during the Saint’s Cataclysm, at present, it was still the early stages, and none of the medium-powered deities had died yet.
His actions now could easily draw the gaze of other established deities.
According to the original historical timeline of the Saint’s Cataclysm, a conflict among established deities would break out around March or April, especially with the return of the Orc Pantheon, which would likely cause a number of medium-powered deities to fall.
If Soren were to take down the Lord of Shadows at this time, it would result in much less attention being drawn to him.
One cannot help but say.
The fact that the Goddess of Magic is still alive has its benefits. But because she is still alive, all powerful deities are currently exercising restraint.
Lady Silver Moon has not regained her strength and has naturally not started her revenge; the course of history will likely have to wait until the second wave of the Orc Pantheon’s return. According to historical trajectory, the Orc Pantheon, after being dormant for thousands of years, has finally begun to return to the Material Plane. The Orc Overgod has also reappeared before the world. Orcs are not natives of the Material Plane; they come from other planar spaces. Many races in the Material Plane are not natives, including Eye Demons, Mind Flayers, Lizardmen, etc.
It is quite common for external races to settle in the Material Plane. The majority of the orc clans are in another semi-ethereal plane.
Astral exploration.
When the Arcane Empire heavily developed resources in the Astral Realm, the aim was also to search for other worlds suitable for habitation.
……
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Soren kept a close watch on the movements of the Lord of Shadows. As March gradually came to an end, various news began to filter through from the Orc Kingdom.
First!
It seemed the Orc Legion had a skirmish with the Dwarves, the reason being a dispute over a piece of land rich in mines.
But this was just the beginning.
The outside world was still speculating why the long-dormant Orcs suddenly took action, soon after which they continued to erupt in conflicts with other races.
The second race to erupt in conflict was the Prairie Elves.
Although Orcs belong to an agricultural civilization, there are still many nomadic clans within them. The conflict broke out over the prairie land, and the two sides engaged head-on, with the Orcs seemingly taking the upper hand.
Now!
The outside world finally could not sit still.
For a long time, Orcs have not been the most powerful race in the Material Plane. Although Orcs are among the most populous races, humans, elves, and dwarves clearly still hold a significant advantage.
The Orc population is only one-twentieth of that of humans, one-quarter of that of elves, and about one-half of that of dwarves.
Since the Orc Pantheon entered dormancy, the entire race has been very low-key.
Now, suddenly becoming so high-profile has attracted much attention from the Material Plane. Especially recently, the territory of the God of the Hunt has fallen near the land of the Orcs.
Around the fifth day or so,
A piece of news suddenly spread among the high-ranking individuals of the Material Plane. An organization had infiltrated the Orc Kingdom to gather intelligence, and they ultimately discovered a massive portal.
The news Soren received came from the Northern Witch Council.
The Eye of the North personally sent him a magical message detailing the changes happening within the Orc Kingdom.
They had established a giant portal.
This portal was larger than any other portal in the Material Plane; throughout the entire era, only the ancient Imaskari Empire had built such a portal.
Back then, the Imaskari Empire opened a portal to capture slaves, forcibly breaking the planar barrier to capture slaves directly from another world.
The Orcs also appeared in the Material Plane at that time.
The Imaskari Empire’s actions provoked two powerful divine pantheons from other planes. The gods and saints fought fiercely in the mortal realm, directly leading to the downfall of an ancient and glorious empire.
The message from the Eye of the North clearly pointed out that this portal might be related to the portals of the Imaskari Empire, directly leading to another world, very likely the plane from which the Orcs originated.
“The Orc Pantheon has finally been unable to hold back any longer!”
Soren slowly set down the intelligence report he held, murmuring, “Is Gnucleus preparing to take revenge during the Saint’s Cataclysm?”
Gnucleus is the Overgod of the Orc Pantheon.
He hates all non-Orc gods and species and is a standard racist. He directly confronted the divine pantheons of the Material Plane during the War of the Orcs.
Unfortunately, he lost at that time.
Moreover, this Orc Overgod even lost an eye due to this; it is said to have been taken by the Elven Overgod, Corellon.
The Orc Pantheon is brutal and wild.
They believe that the weak have no value, and even within the Orcs, the strong can openly take the land and wealth of the weak.
Back then.
When this portal was opened, it was mockingly referred to by adventurers as the “Dark Gate.”
The main reason was that it signaled the Orcs had officially begun invading the Material Plane, and the Orc Pantheon, after resting for thousands of years, was ready to confront the gods of the Material Plane once again.
The tragic defeat of the Orc Pantheon during the Imaskari Empire period has long been a source of shame for them!
Today, the Orcs in the Material Plane are essentially the descendants of the Orc slaves captured from the otherworldly gate. If this portal truly opens, it is highly likely that the Orc Pantheon will send troops directly from the plane where Orcs were born.
A powerful orc army from another world!
This armed force would directly change the landscape of the Material Plane, and allow the Orcs, who had always been weaker than other races, to suddenly possess the ability to challenge humans, elves, and dwarves.
“What is destined to come will eventually arrive.”
Soren couldn’t help but sigh; he realized that there are some historical trajectories during the Saint’s Cataclysm that cannot be changed. Since the Orc Pantheon had appeared,
Then the next major event should soon unfold.
— The War of the Twin Fates!
The disasters of the Saint’s Cataclysm escalate step by step; the invasion of demons from the Bottomless Abyss is merely an appetizer, while the conflict among the gods is the main event. And when the Lord of Hell, Asmothiels, also makes his appearance, the key moment that will determine the future of the Multiverse will arrive.
The time is April.
Soren is not sure whether it is early April or mid-April.
For a long time, the Twin Fates, the Lady of Luck and the Lady of Misfortune, who have been roaming outside the world and beyond the gods, have finally revealed themselves.
They will engage in their first clash in April!
At the same time, three Luck Coins will appear during this period, along with a Fate Card that will come into existence.
Thinking of this made Soren’s head ache.
The Orc War has nothing to do with him; even if the Orc Pantheon and the Elven Pantheon were to fight to the death, he could just watch the drama unfold from the sidelines.
But the battle between the Lady of Luck and the Lady of Misfortune is indeed relevant to him.
Because Soren possesses the Blessing of the Lady of Misfortune; how the Lady of Luck views him at that time is hard to say.
He might end up with no connection to “Luck” for the rest of his life!
……
Orc War.
The Orc Overgod Gnucleus and the Elven Overgod Corellon have clashed head-on, and both sides have lost some deities, escalating the conflicts within the Material Plane.
The Spider Queen is trying to take advantage of the chaos, and the movements of the Lady of the Night are also under close observation!
This is Soren’s opportunity.
At the moment when the Orc Pantheon and the Elven Pantheon are about to engage in battle, it is also the chance for him to take action against the Lord of Shadows, because at that time, no one would have the energy to pay too much attention to him.
……(To be continued ~^~)
