Empire Of Souls

Chapter 96

Aleks left the two women to go their own way. He wasn"t worried that they would be in danger. There were some powerful beings within The Canyon, but there weren"t any who could threaten them especially with the chaos. The meteors that fell had rained down destruction upon The Canyon leaving devastation, and the cries of despair from those who survived. The rock dwellings, hovels, and other living s.p.a.ces were mostly destroyed and rubble from the cliff face fell down upon the ground below. The weak were most likely already dead, the only survivors being those of some notable strength. None of this mattered to Aleks though.

Aleks rumbled through The Canyon atop a sea of "Soul Tendrils" which smashed against the earth and the sides of The Canyon causing even more destruction. He resembled a G.o.d of destruction in his expressionless gold mask, floating above the ground, and standing upon monstrous tentacles that spared no mercy for those they struck. His hair fluttered in the wind and rock and rubble fell all around him, but not a single speck of dust could even touch him. Only his eyes could be seen, but therein lie no emotion, no ounce of sympathy. To him, only those that stood by his side were deserving of life. Everyone else was merely a sacrifice for his wrath that was directed at the G.o.ds, and his cruel fate.

Aleks continued unimpeded, heading straight for the ancestral grounds of The Canyon. He already knew its location. He had seen everything through his "Astral Projection" which accompanied Grobak. This was one of the reasons he came to this place. It was not just to destroy their center of worship, culture, and tradition. It was also to devour the ancestral spirits that resided in the ancient relics within the ancestral grounds. These relics had become shrines to the ancestral spirits and held significant "Soul Potential". This "Soul Potential" represented the faith and worship of the people and could be turned into divinity. As a DemiG.o.d, what Aleks needed the most was divinity. With the Origin which had fused with his soul, he could filter all of the impurities of faith within the "Soul Potential" he acquired and obtain pure divinity. This was something which was unique to Aleks.

Other DemiG.o.ds would need to acquire immense faith from those willing to worship them, but this was difficult. First, obtaining significant worshippers was one of the biggest obstacles. Why would someone worship a DemiG.o.d when there were other more powerful options? A DemiG.o.d was limited in the amount of benefits they could provide their worshippers in terms of divine spells, increasing their level and cla.s.s, and building a true lasting faith. The path of a DemiG.o.d to G.o.dhood was also fraught with immense danger. Any worshippers would also be guilty of colluding with unsanctioned deities. The penalty of which, was death. These groups who worshipped DemiG.o.ds were considered cults and would be hunted down by paladins of sanctioned faiths. Lastly, the amount of "Spirit Potential" obtained from faith which could then be converted to Divinity was miniscule unless on an excessively large scale. This was why there were not many willing to go this route and most ended up serving a G.o.d and obtaining power through them.


The only DemiG.o.ds which could obtain success through these means were those with special circ.u.mstances. For example, the Spider Queen Matriarch of the Dark Elves or the Blood Progenitor of the vampires. They were beings who had the support of an entire race, vast lands and powerful nations. It was only through these means that they could survive and become powerful despite all of the obstacles. Even then, they had lived for thousands of years and had yet to achieve true G.o.dhood. Aleks on the other hand, had many advantages over them. Through the Origin in his soul, he could create beings of great power, devour "Soul Potential" directly, and now even filter the "Soul Potential" he devoured or received through worship into pure divinity. These were unimaginable benefits which any DemiG.o.d would even kill their own worshippers off for. No amount of worshippers could compare to these advantages. Aleks knew he was unique, but he had no idea how unique he truly was.

As Aleks made his way towards the ancestral grounds of The Canyon, his followers were busily killing. Every person they killed would end up as "Soul Potential" for their master, so they had no hesitation in what they did. This was also an opportunity for them to gain experience in battle. As for Lariel, she needed no experience and after initially unleashing a legendary spell, she quietly fluttered above The Canyon. Her eyes never left Aleks, he was the only existence that mattered to her now. All else might as well not exist. Gone was her past where she considered matters of Justice and Righteousness.

As a Fallen Angel, those words no longer held any meaning. She was now filled with different desires. A heart filled with pa.s.sion, with pride, and with vengeance. There were also other, secret desires, she would only keep to herself.

While Lariel flew above The Canyon without concern, Lenia and Nelay battled against dozens of opponents on the ground. Lenia was an unmovable shield, blocking all attacks that came her way while Nelay stealthily dispatched opponents from the shadows. These beings were mostly Intermediate cla.s.s with an occasional Advanced cla.s.s elite. Even though they were weaker, there were dozens of them and this provided a challenge to Lenia despite her strength being much greater. Ultimately, it was just that, a challenge. They couldn"t threaten her life, and with Nelay"s support and hounding of any enemies they approached, they were steadily making their way through a path of blood.

There was much destruction everywhere. The meteor attack which struck The Canyon was devastating. Most of the barbarians living within The Canyon had died, but there were still a number who had survived. The entire canyon was in chaos though, as many had been buried under rocks and rubble. Others were attempting to save those who had been buried and others were running in panic.

Lenia and Nelay ignored most of them, only engaging those who attacked them first. Aleks had given them orders not to kill everyone and they wouldn"t be able to kill everyone anyway. The Canyon was just too large of an area and even with the amount of destruction that had been wrought on the area, there would still be hundreds, if not thousands, of survivors.

Originally, The Canyon had housed several hundred thousand and even with most of the tribe leaving to attack the expeditionary army, there were still tens of thousands that had remained behind. Most of these were non-combatants, but there was also a sizeable defense force which was left behind for protection. Though the majority might have died due to Lariel"s catastrophic spell, the two of them could not possibly wipe out all the survivors without the aid of Lariel"s magic.

Lenia was somewhat shocked by the power of Lariel"s spell. It had an immensely intimidating effect on her. The amount of destruction caused by one spell was truly too awe inducing. It left her feeling somewhat inadequate and she wondered whether she would ever have such power.

"What if master doesn"t find me useful anymore? Will he abandon me?"

Those thoughts plagued her ever since Lariel had become part of the equation. It may have just been her jealousy in full effect, but she couldn"t help feeling inferior.

Though her thoughts were in some disarray, her actions never ceased. Slamming her shield into the face of an opponent, she lunged her sword directly into the Orc"s chest. Several barbarians had surrounded her, but this didn"t distress her in the least. With Nelay watching her back, she had nothing to fear. Two more enemies at her back dropped with only the flash of a silhouette as proof that anyone had ever made a move.

The other barbarians had no inkling of how they had died. Fear began to overtake them as their numbers diminished. With Lenia"s fearsome aura constantly putting pressure on them and with the mysterious death of their comrades, they began to hesitate. This hesitation was only a death sentence for them. Lenia charged forward, cutting down another one of their number.

The barbarians began to run, realizing that their efforts would only lead them to death. Lenia stopped her attack and only watched them run off. Nelay appeared next to her, seemingly appearing from nothing. She too watched, as the barbarians fled for their lives.

"Sister, we must get stronger." Nelay whispered to Lenia.

They had strangely begun to address each other as sisters. They were once rivals, but now they shared a common foe and their relations had greatly improved.

"I know. We can"t be left behind."
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Elsewhere, Aleks continued his trek through The Canyon until he finally arrived at his destination. The ancestral grounds were near the mountainous palace which was the home of the tribal chief. It was its own separate area though, and was mostly devoid of people. The surviving barbarians had already holed up in the palace since it was the best defensive structure in The Canyon. Aleks didn"t bother with them at this time as his eyes, which bore through the sockets of his golden mask, were filled with a brilliant l.u.s.ter.

His "Soul System" was calculating and a.n.a.lyzing the divinity in the area. There was an aura of the divine which no mortal could sense around the place. Aleks could feel it now and even quantify it with his ability.

"It is still not enough. I am not yet able to purify "Soul Potential" into pure divinity in a one to one ratio. Perhaps when I fully ascend, only then will I be able to truly purify the "Soul Potential" I receive into pure divinity. "Soul Potential" itself is an inferior form of Divinity. An even purer form is most likely "Origin". I have contemplated much what exactly the "Origin" is. I have yet to fully comprehend it, but "Origin" is without a doubt connected to the original laws of the universe. Perhaps "Origin" in actuality refers to the origination of all Universal Laws. But then… that opens up many other questions. Is there truly a G.o.d? From where does the "Origin" originate from? Why do I possess it? And.. ultimately, why are there those so desperate to obtain it? Perhaps that last question is simple to answer. I can see how powerful the "Origin" is even if I can"t truly use it yet. Just the fact that I can create and a.s.sume a domain within the mortal world and even absorb and purify "Soul Potential" is astounding. I have not even ascended to G.o.dhood yet, but I can create life and devour it."

While Aleks was lost in thought, a lone Orc walked out from the ancestral caverns. It was an old Orc wearing the garments of a barbarian shaman. The Orc had a grizzly white beard, and jagged teeth protruded from his mouth. There were a series of earrings in his slightly elongated ears and there were many piercings on his nose and other areas of his body that were exposed. The piercings on his exposed skin were strange, creating mysterious shapes that Aleks was unfamiliar with. In the Orc"s hand was a long staff made entirely of bleached bone and he was using it as a walking stick, but Aleks could also feel considerable power from it. A dark red gem was inserted into protrusions of bone at the top of the staff and it gave off a light glow. For each step the shaman took, bells jingled creating a discordant sound.

Aleks carefully eyed the Orc who did not seem the least bit afraid despite the imposing image that Aleks cut as he stood upon coiling, throbbing, monstrous tendrils.

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