Hyperdimensional Player

Chapter 274 The Depravity of the Barbarians! The Corruption of Civilization, A Soft Knife Slaying the Heart
Mount Ternor.

Duncan sat cross-legged atop the temple, his bare chest revealing muscles as solid as marble sculptures. The winds of Quetzalcoatl swirled around him, carrying the whispers of all spirits as if they were telling a story, which Duncan listened to quietly.

This was a long meditation.

Duncan did not show himself for seven days and seven nights, while every other day the figure of the witch Greya would appear at the foot of the mountain, looking at Duncan's back with a worried expression.

This man is entering the realm of gods, and he is also suffering the backlash of the world's laws.

Whether we can get through this is a hurdle.

After an unknown amount of time, Duncan slowly opened his eyes. His pupils resembled golden lightning, and a wisp of condensed divine light flashed like lightning. Then, his entire eyes gradually turned blood red, as if he were a demon crawling out of hell, filled with boundless killing intent and rage. His blood-red eyes reflected a scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Eventually, all of this slowly faded away, and Duncan's expression gradually cleared, returning to its initial calm.

"What powerful law assimilation!"

"I almost went mad! No wonder Kratos' personality changed so drastically after he became the God of War!"

Humans can merge with the divine.

The clergy can also, in turn, integrate with humans.

Ares, the ancient Greek god of war, mutiny, slaughter, and rebellion, was described as a "bloodthirsty killer and conqueror of fortified castles." He was a symbol of power and authority, a bloodthirsty and monstrous figure, and the embodiment of human suffering.

The war and slaughter controlled by the Aztec gods were not much better. Although the All Spirits helped them block the side effects of the blood sacrifices of the Dark Ages, the negative impact of the laws of war was still very strong.

In Eastern terms, this is a brutal and bloodthirsty technique. After a person cultivates and integrates it, their temperament will change drastically, becoming bloodthirsty and warlike.

Duncan's integration of the principles of war followed the same process.

The biggest difference is that he was once the King of Kings and the Father of Europe. He has experienced too many things, so the laws of war and killing have not affected him, at least not yet. It is just a pure domain concept, which he can completely suppress with his strong willpower.

Don't worry about losing control and going berserk, getting caught up in endless slaughter, and only having your most primal bloodlust left.

"But things are different once you become a god!"

"Once people begin to worship my dark side, symbolizing the brutality, murder, and bloodlust of war, or the indiscriminate killing of innocents in war, using blood sacrifices to pray for victory."

"Then I not only have to resist the backlash from the field of war and killing, but also have to constantly endure the erosion of people's perception of me."

The existence of deities is extremely special.

In Ireland, Guevara's face is that of a god of wine and craftsmen, but in Scotland, his face becomes extremely cruel.

If Duncan were to truly become a god, initially there might be nothing wrong with it. However, if, over thousands of years, people continue to offer him sacrifices of bloodshed and brutality, he would gradually be corrupted by his divine authority, and eventually, his human form would become warlike and bloodthirsty.

"So that's why people who believe in gods place such importance on doctrine?!"

Duncan had only just begun to grasp the laws of war and killing when he suddenly flew into a rage. Although he was still under control, he harbored immense murderous intent toward those who dared to defy him. He nearly massacred an indigenous tribe of tens of thousands of people.

If he were a human emperor, killing him would be nothing more than a blood debt. But if he were a god, the meaning of this matter would be completely different.

"The gods are even more demanding of themselves in their words and deeds."

"Because even the slightest action will be magnified infinitely, and as a god of war, once he becomes bloodthirsty, then the warriors who believe in him will use brutal slaughter to please him."

Duncan suddenly realized that being a god wasn't so easy after all.

Some deities have turned evil, and this may not be solely due to their own actions, but may also involve other external factors.

Take, for example, the corrupted version of Athena, the goddess Sulis. Her corruption was not only due to the personality of the deity, but also to the ancient blood sacrifices of Celtic beliefs, the dark side of the gods of the old era, and so on.

"if it is like this."

"Then the same deity may appear as a benevolent god in this world and as an evil god in another world."

"Once I really begin to integrate the War Godhood."

"If you completely let yourself run wild, it would be a good thing if it turned into a war like Ares in ancient Greece."

"What I fear most is that if it turns into Khorne, the world will be doomed!"

Khorne is also the god of war, battle, and courage.

If Duncan doesn't restrain himself, he could go from one extreme to the other, even more terrifying than Khorne. After all, Khorne might not gain power by killing people, but he could definitely gain power by killing.

"doctrine."

"Once I decide to deify, I must prepare doctrinal ideas. Unrestrained warriors are just a bunch of bloodthirsty beasts."

Whether it was the army or soldiers, they all had to be restrained with chains.

Moreover, it's not the outside world that traps them, but rather they must trap themselves, restrain themselves, and control themselves. Fighting and killing are merely means to solve problems, and they must never take pleasure in them. Once they fall into endless slaughter, Duncan, even if he doesn't want to become Khorne, will be dragged down by his faith and transformed into a similar form of Khorne.

The path to godhood is fraught with countless traps and thorns.

Duncan almost fell into a trap after only slightly integrating the laws of war and slaughter. If he hadn't reacted in time, he would most likely have become another Ares, the God of War.

"To be in control of one's divine authority, rather than being controlled by it."

"War is merely a tool, a means."

"Not the goal."

“Once war is taken as an end in itself, it is putting the cart before the horse.”

Duncan realized that the God of War's personality was indeed a bit too ruthless, but ironically, he could only find his future path through ruthlessness.

"If you want to fix all of this."

"We can only focus on combat and extend that to concepts such as protection and courage."

"Only in this way can we bring back the divine image."

Duncan fell into deep thought and murmured, "In this way, I cannot get involved in the areas that extend from war, such as destruction and plunder. At most, I can only add the title of conqueror."

"Otherwise, they will drag my divine appearance into the ranks of chaos and evil."

"This in turn affects the human body itself."

“Ares, the ancient Greek god of war, took pleasure in war, and I absolutely cannot do that. If I were to enjoy war, then my followers would use war to please me in the future.”

"It seems I need to seek some of Athena's wisdom."

Unlike Athena, the goddess of war, Duncan's concept of fusion is more complex and purer, because both are the core principles of war and combat.

"Currently, there are only two directions."

"One is the god of war, who abandons a part of war and strengthens combat, protection and courage."

"The other is the Lord of War, who exists as a concept of killing and warfare."

Duncan got up and walked down the temple steps.

After he completed the first step of the law fusion, the mark of his human form also changed. His initial godlike power transformed into that of a god ascendant, but it has not yet been activated. Once activated, Duncan will transform into a demigod, or even directly become one of the gods of this world.

Duncan's bloodshot eyes gradually faded, and the witch Greya rushed up anxiously, staring into his eyes. When she saw the clarity within them, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Greya said softly, "I was very worried before."

Duncan reached out to soothe her emotions and said slowly, "This bit of killing intent isn't enough to affect me, but the path to becoming a war god is indeed more difficult than I imagined."

He can't get promoted without killing people.

When he tries to kill someone, he is easily consumed by murderous intent, and in the end, he can only restrain himself from killing. While killing, he applies iodine solution, which is both healthy and disinfectant.

He is the King of Kings – Duncan, not Ares, the Greek god of war.

The side effects of the laws of war cannot hold him back.

At that moment, Greya seemed to remember something and hurriedly took out a report: "Just sent from the desert country."

"The armies of the steppe tribes suffered a great defeat."

"They encountered a mythical legion known as the 'Undead Army'."

Ok?
Upon hearing this, Duncan's expression turned serious. He reached out, took the intelligence report, glanced at it, and said in a deep voice, "The Undead Legion?"

In an instant.

He couldn't help but think of the 300 Spartans, for King Leonidas of Sparta had been killed by the Persian Immortals. After his defeat and beheading, he had bought precious time, allowing the various Greek city-states to unite and defeat the Persian Empire. The intelligence he received suggested that this Immortal Legion was a mythical force; they had inflicted heavy losses on steppe cavalry and even killed a tribal khan.

The original Undead Legion was an extremely elite heavy infantry force of ten thousand men.

Subsequently, Xerxes II implemented military reforms, somewhat similar to those of the Sassanid Persians, which included a large number of heavy cavalry and even the war elephant legions of the Far East.

The allied forces of the steppe tribes were lured into an ambush by the enemy and trapped in a valley. They were eventually routed by the heavy cavalry and war elephant legions. The undead heavy infantry that followed charged in under a hail of arrows and defeated tens of thousands of steppe cavalrymen in one fell swoop.

These enemies are rumored to be extremely difficult to kill, and no matter how many die in battle, they will be able to fight again in numbers of ten thousand.

This means they have excellent logistical support capabilities.

"I see."

Duncan put away the intelligence in his hand and said in a deep voice, "Summon the leaders of the other tribes."

"It is time to unify the peoples of the grasslands."

This crushing defeat brought the Eastern nomads' offensive to an abrupt halt. The desert kingdoms were not without resistance; the weakened Persian Empire still possessed considerable power in this world, and due to the existence of the gods, the undead legions might indeed have some supernatural abilities.

After all, those Khan's personal guards who initially followed him have now become the 'Winds of the Steppe - Divine Favored Khan's Personal Guards' thanks to the blessings of all spirits.

Duncan spent several months conquering the subcontinent.

Subsequently, he divided the province into autonomous regions, enfeoffed several kings, and also enfeoffed Kereit Khan as a king. He then promoted the worship of the feathered serpent god, replacing the gods of the old era.

With Quetzalcoatl watching over things, Duncan doesn't need to worry about any major problems arising in the rear.

If the dark gods of the old era were to resurrect, the first one who wouldn't be able to resist taking action would be Quetzalcoatl himself.

half a month later.

Duncan led tens of thousands of cavalry back to the Eurasian plain, while also recruiting eight thousand native warriors from the subcontinent. These feathered native warriors served as auxiliary troops, which could, to some extent, compensate for the nomads' lack of infantry.

At this time, news came from the eastern desert that the Persian Empire's immortal legions were advancing triumphantly and had already recaptured several occupied cities. Moreover, the news that they were blessed by the gods was becoming increasingly clear, because even if they were pierced in the body on the battlefield, they would not die easily.

The initial favorable situation of the Eastern nomads seemed to have been curbed, and other grassland tribes had to temporarily suspend their westward advance and begin to gather and turn around to conquer the desert kingdoms first.

The Torgut tribe now has only one Khan.

After Duncan distributed the titles to the various kings, Kereit Khan also entered a semi-retired state, directly entering the subcontinent to peacefully rule as his own king.

Malta River.

Duncan rode a black steed along the riverbank, followed by a fully armed elite guard, the Steppe Wind - Divine Khan's Guard. They were blessed by all spirits and the White Horse God, and could no longer be regarded as a regular unit. They were similar to special units in the Root world, such as the mythical version of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.

Behind him was a vast troop of nomadic cavalry, stretching as far as the eye could see. Because of their successful conquest of the subcontinent, and inspired by the spirits of all, nomadic tribes of all sizes had gathered and merged into the Torgut tribe.

Today, the Torgut tribe is considered one of the most powerful nomadic tribes on the grasslands.

Duncan was also known as the 'Khan of Khans'.

Son of Heaven.

There is no such thing as "Son of Heaven" in this world. If we were to make a comparison, the most appropriate title would be "Heavenly Khan".

Of course, conquering the subcontinent alone is not enough; Duncan still needs to demonstrate his strength.

"Khan."

“Our scouts have spotted two men who claim to be your men and want to see you.”

A thunderous sound of galloping hooves approached.

The guards then stopped the other party and quickly delivered the message.

Subordinates?

Where did I get my subordinates from?
Duncan seemed to have thought of something, and waved his hand, spurring his horse to gallop towards the other side of the river. Soon he saw two burly figures in the crowd; the barbarian's burly physique was very conspicuous there.

Ugal, Tamblin.

Duncan looked slightly disappointed; he had thought it was Hijr who had come looking for him.

He dismounted and warmly greeted the two.

Ugal was very excited and wanted to give him a warm hug, but he quickly restrained himself because Duncan's status was different now, and even the Gold Coast had heard some of his legends.

He is said to have conquered a subcontinent and destroyed the Aztec gods worshipped by the natives.

The raging gods only then realized what they had missed, but it was too late for regrets.

"In the name of the Holy Mountain, we are willing to fight alongside you."

Ugal composed himself and knelt on one knee before Duncan. He was supposed to go north to become a barbarian chieftain of some tribe, but now he chose to come here to follow in Duncan's footsteps and conquer the world.

He no longer wanted to return to the north; Ugal yearned for a larger stage to leave his own glory in human history.

The silent tamblins followed closely behind; barbarians value honor, sometimes even more than the raging gods.

Duncan helped the two men up, patted them on the shoulder, and said, "Good!"

"Someone is coming."

"Prepare a banquet. I want to treat my friends well."

He hadn't expected that it would be Ugal and Tamblin who came. From them, Duncan learned some news about Hyjal. It seemed that he had rejected the call of the God of Strength and had not responded to the divine message. So, he was treated like a 'rebellious son' and was put on hold.

There are even rumors that Hyjal chose self-exile, leaving after the Battle of Gold Coast and disappearing without a trace.

Because Ugal and the others hadn't heard any news about Hyjal for a long time.

Crete, on the other hand, became a barbarian chieftain and is said to be living a very comfortable life, having been elected as the leader of the barbarians out of honor.

The female pirate Anne Potter has been crowned Queen of Westmir.

A lot has happened during this period, but with the departure of Duncan and Hyjal, the Furious Gods seem to have lost their legendary hero-level fighters. Although they have introduced some powerful warriors one after another, their achievements are far less glorious than before.

Barbarians may be good at fighting alone, but when they go to war, they fight in chaotic battles.

Worse still, some of the barbarians, after taking over the rich southern regions, were degenerating at an alarming rate, with some barbarian warriors even drinking themselves to death.

This is not just one or two examples; in the last few months alone, dozens of barbarians have died from drinking.

In the past, the barbarians were poor and lacked resources, so they couldn't enjoy drinking to their heart's content.

Now that their lives are better, coupled with the abundant harvests around the Gold Coast and the availability of alcohol, those barbarians who love to drink are practically intoxicated, which indirectly leads to the resurgence of the worship of Dionysus.

"It is said that the grassland tribes that occupied the desert countries also declined very quickly."

"Fortunately, I managed to bring the people out of the subcontinent in time."

Duncan couldn't help but think of the Germanic barbarians and the high-ranking officials of the Mongol Empire. Basically, the first and second generations of warriors, because they had experienced hardship, were not so easily corrupted. However, starting from the third generation, whether it was barbarians or nomadic peoples of the steppe, the speed at which they degenerated was quite astonishing.

The barbarians are rapidly becoming corrupt.

Those steppe warriors who conquered the desert kingdoms were also gradually falling into depravity.

The situation here is slightly better, but it is much worse on the Gold Coast. After the defeat, whether intentionally or unintentionally, the Gold City has been paying tribute to the barbarians, and many barbarian leaders have become increasingly addicted to wine and women.

The barbaric warrior spirit they embody is constantly being challenged by hedonism.

More importantly, the god of power, Kord, is a hedonist.

The Gold Coast gods' subtle attack exploited a weakness in the Wrathful Gods. Had they decisively defeated the enemy, the fall would have been inevitable. However, the battle had stalled, and now even the gods' faith could not stem the barbarians' corruption.

"If we're going to fight, let's cut the Gordian knot."

"If things get like this, those barbarians from the harsh northern lands will only continue to lose their fighting strength."

Duncan narrowed his eyes slightly and looked into the distance.

He'll fight back sooner or later!

………………

(End of this chapter)