Spellcasting Gods

When the vanguard of the army reached the outskirts of Neverwinter, the lords of Waterdeep could no longer sit still and immediately convened an emergency meeting that night to discuss how to stop their ambition to annex Neverwinter.

Even an idiot could see that Neverwinter, ravaged by the plague, was no longer able to resist Luskan.

Moreover, their traditional allies, Lord Nasir and the Church of the God of Justice, have been driven out by angry people and are now forced to hide in their castle.

"We must send troops! Otherwise, Waterdeep will lose more than just a barrier; it will lose countless trade routes. Luscan's fleet will be like a sharp dagger pressed against the throats of the merchants," a masked lord stood up and shouted.

"Damn it! We don't have that many soldiers right now, and we certainly don't have the money to recruit an army strong enough to fight Luskan head-on." Another lord cursed through gritted teeth, rubbing his forehead.

"Then let's borrow! Let's borrow from merchants and mages! Let's use our future tax revenue as collateral!"

“That’s right! We must fight this war! And we must win! Otherwise, if we allow Luskan to continue expanding, the entire Sword Sea will soon be swallowed up by them, and an evil empire will be born.”

"Are you idiots? Do you know what terrible consequences mortgage taxes can have?"

"We can't mortgage the taxes! Otherwise, we won't have the money to pay the soldiers' salaries and maintain the fragile order in this city."

……

Just as the lords were arguing, the tightly closed gate suddenly burst open with a bang.

An officer in his thirties rushed in, panting, and shouted to everyone present, "No...it's terrible! Luskan's fleet is attacking our port!"

"Wh...what?! Say it again!" The first lord to speak suddenly stood up, his tone filled with shock and anger.

"Luscan's fleet is attacking the port area! They have successfully destroyed and seized all the ships in the bay, and are now estimated to have landed and begun looting the surrounding warehouses and houses." The officer quickly and concisely relayed what he knew.

"Damn it! How dare they?"

"War! Luskan is declaring war on Waterdeep! He's declaring war on the entire Lords' Alliance!"

"Immediately assemble the army and drive these damned bandits back into the sea!"

"Gentlemen! We have no way out! Come on, put down all your burdens and let Luskan witness the iron fist of justice."

"Summon all the lords of the North! It's time to form a massive coalition and teach them a lesson!"

……

It must be said that Waterdeep, with its superior geographical location, is indeed a city with profound resources. In less than two hours, it mobilized more than 5,000 troops and a number of adventurers to begin the purge of the Luscan Navy, which was ostensibly an army but was actually a pirate force.

Watching his men retreat in disarray, Ian calmly put away his binoculars and smiled as he said to his adjutant, "Sound the horn and order everyone to retreat. We have achieved our objective."

"The objective has been achieved?" The adjutant blinked, looking completely bewildered.

“Yes! We only have two missions heading south: one is to destroy the ships, forcing them to advance towards Neverwinter only by land. The other is to provoke the lords of Waterdeep, causing them to amass more troops,” Ian explained casually.

"I'm sorry, sir, I don't quite understand the point of doing this."

"You don't need to know too much, just remember to obey orders. The master wants more than just to defeat Waterdeep; his goals are far grander than you can imagine."

As he spoke, a silvery-white flame flashed in Ian's eyes, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, as if he were expecting something.

Meanwhile, in Neverwinter, Mandal's Manor welcomed a special guest: a tall human male clad in chainmail. He had lost his right wrist, and one of his eyes was wrapped in bloodstained bandage.

"Oh my, this is truly a rare guest. I can hardly believe that you would dare to come to the mortal realm after such a turbulent year," Zhang Cheng teased, feigning surprise.

Because the one who came was not a mortal at all, but a saint of Tyre, the god of justice, a true god.

"You are not a mortal! You are a demigod? No, that's not right, you are not even a demigod. You have not yet obtained divine office, but you already know how to use the power of faith. Who exactly are you?" The saint of the God of Justice questioned solemnly.

"Does it matter who I am? A name is just a label. When my seat appears in the Pantheon, all the gods will know immediately. I'm curious, what made you willing to take such a huge risk to come to the material world? Is it because I expelled your church?" Zhang Cheng showed no tension or fear, but instead poured the other person a glass of fine wine.

He could sense that the other party wasn't there to cause trouble at all, but simply wanted to see who had ruined their plans.

That's right!

The terrible plague that swept through Neverwinter was a trivial matter in the eyes of this god of justice; what he truly cared about was the Creator race hiding in the shadows.

To the human pantheon of Faerûn, these reptilian creatures, more ancient than most of the gods, should never awaken from their slumber again, much less reappear in the world.

Especially those incredibly powerful primitive magic spells, which pose a tremendous threat even to the gods.

Therefore, the creator race must die!

The saint of Tyre picked up his cup, took a small sip of the slightly sour red liquid, and gently shook his head: "No! You did not use divine power in this game, so I will not violate the rules set by His Majesty the Supreme God, Aio. I am here for another matter, something that even the gods are paying attention to, and that is the resurgence of the Creator race. You should have felt it, shouldn't you, the terrifying power that those reptiles possess."

"You want me to eliminate them?" Zhang Cheng probed with interest.

“Yes! As long as you guarantee to do this, I promise that no god in the entire Pantheon will ever interfere.”

"Sure! Leave it to me! I'll make those cute little reptiles understand how pathetic and presumptuous their plans are..."

Chapter 0926 They're Useless Now

Having obtained the answer he wanted, the saint of Tyre, the god of justice, quickly departed, just as silently as he had arrived.

He was completely unaware that in a dark corner, a pair of eyes filled with hatred and anger were watching him.

Zhang Cheng sat in the soft chair, raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp, then asked without turning his head, "So, how do you feel about seeing the god you once believed in with your own eyes?"

"Hypocritical! Cowardly! Pathetic! He doesn't deserve to be called the God of Justice! I was blind all this time, to have been deceived by his ridiculous ideas for so many years." Accompanied by cynical sarcasm, Eribes slowly walked out from the corner.

The dark blessing emanating from her was so intense that she exuded an alluring aura that was the complete opposite of her former sanctity.

“That’s right! There is no justice in this world! Might makes right!” Eleanor chimed in.

"Hahahaha! Well said! There's no such thing as fairness in this world! Justice is like toilet paper; you use it to wipe your butt when you need it, and then throw it away when you're done. Only the pathetic weak yearn for and expect justice to come! Now, I have a task for you two to complete, especially for you, Ms. Timaland." Zhang Cheng laughed unrestrainedly as he turned his gaze to the two fallen paladins.

"What mission?" Irebeth asked coldly, her eyes radiating a chilling aura, as cold as the December weather.

"Kill everyone in Neverwinter Castle, including Lord Nasir. They are no longer of any use. Here, these are some gadgets that can disable divine spells. Just smash them on the ground, and most priests will lose their connection with the gods."

After saying that, Zhang Cheng took out more than a dozen glass balls that emitted a silvery glow, and a cruel and bloodthirsty smile appeared on his face.

"It seems you've been planning this for a long time, haven't you? I'll thoroughly enjoy slicing open the bellies of those hypocrites with a sharp sword, pulling out their bloody intestines, and relishing their screams and wails before they die. This world needs purification, and death is the only way to purify it." After picking up seven or eight glass marbles, Eribes immediately strode out of the manor.

As an avenger, she couldn't wait to put her inner urges into action.

In contrast, Eleanor, who had been a Dark Guardian for many years, was much calmer. Before leaving, she bowed deeply to express her heartfelt gratitude and thanks.

Not long ago, she had an intimate relationship with Iribes, who had drunk a special potion. Her empty soul finally had something to rely on and find solace in, and she was no longer a walking corpse that kept everyone at arm's length.

Watching the pair of blooming black lilies gradually disappear into the distance, Zhang Cheng couldn't help but smile slightly, muttering to himself in a playful tone, "What a beautiful sight! Compared to dazzling light, I definitely prefer the deep, quiet darkness."

"Great master, your taste is as unique as ever. But is it alright to send only the two of them? There are over a hundred paladins, priests, and elite warriors gathered inside Neverwinter Castle." Valindra suddenly appeared out of nowhere, a relaxed and cheerful smile on her face.

Zhang Cheng put down his empty cup and nodded casually: "Of course, no problem! Believe me, those self-proclaimed righteous guys will be unable to bring themselves to kill Eribes when they see her, and might even try to persuade her to repent with empty words. But Eribes, who has completely embraced darkness, won't pay attention to these pointless tricks. She will use all her strength to kill those former colleagues one by one. This is a destined revenge and massacre, it was destined from the moment Lord Nasir handed Vanswick over to the mob to be executed. So, is everything alright on your end?"

"Rest assured, Luskan has entered a state of war. Our army, mages, and fleet are ready and waiting to wage a protracted war against Waterdeep and the Lords' Alliance. We will use the blood, lives, and souls of our enemies to ignite the flames that lead you to the Pantheon." Valindra knelt down and kissed his master's hand affectionately.

Baptized by the fire of divine power, she has undergone a complete transformation and is no longer a mere mortal, but a chosen one of the gods like Elminster, Kelburn, and Elasdra.

However, unlike the silver fire bestowed by the goddess of magic, the divine fire she possesses has no attributes and can be completely absorbed and utilized by herself.

The owners of Silverfire only obtain the right to use it, not ownership.

They cannot integrate the silver fire into themselves, let alone obtain divinity from it and one day become a supreme god.

Simply put, Zhang Cheng gave Valindra the opportunity to become a god, so she naturally showed extraordinary loyalty and fanaticism.

“No, my loyal servant, becoming one of the gods is not my wish. Don’t forget, this is just an experiment, a trivial little experiment. Once I have enough information, I will detonate this body. At that time, all of you who have obtained the divine fire will inherit a part of my legacy and become true demigods, just like the offspring of Baal, the god of murder.” Zhang Cheng gently stroked the other’s long hair, his pupils flashing with a chilling evil.

Generously bestowing upon his subordinates near-immortality, immense power, and the opportunity to become gods?

Stop joking!

How could he possibly be so kind!

In fact, all those who were given divine fire were used as lab rats for experiments.

Several years later, he will come back to see what the final outcome of these experimental subjects was.

"You want us to kill each other so that the victors can inherit your legacy?" Valindra looked up, a hint of ecstatic joy in his voice.

Extremely selfish, she didn't care about the lives of others. As long as she could become a god, she would not hesitate to let hundreds of thousands of people in Luskan perish with her, let alone just a few partners.

"Do whatever you want! What I leave you is pure divine fire, without any specific attributes. You can kill and plunder each other, or you can add your own characteristics, accumulating power little by little from nothing, until you finally ascend the throne of the gods. Remember, a true strongman doesn't care about the source of his power, whether it's good or evil, order or chaos, as long as you can completely control it, instead of being controlled by it. Alright, enough of the small talk. Now let's see how Eribes completes his revenge and buries his former kind self..."

The words had barely left his mouth!

Zhang Cheng activated the magic mirror hanging on the wall.

In an instant, the scene of blood and corpses scattered throughout Neverwinter Castle appeared before the two of them.

Chapter 0927 The Essence of Tyranny

“Aribes de Timmarand! Are you insane? Do you know what you’re doing?” An elderly priest, who looked to be in his seventies or eighties, glared at her, clutching his abdomen which had been slashed open by a sharp blade.

He couldn't believe that the paladin, once regarded as the embodiment of justice and virtue, had become a person filled with hatred, anger, and tyranny.

"Mad? No! I just saw through your ridiculous self-deception! What justice! What order! It's all a lie! Otherwise, where was the so-called justice when those mobs killed Vanswick? Where was the so-called order?" Eribes grabbed the other person's collar with a ferocious expression and questioned loudly.

“You’re being too extreme! What could we have done in that situation? Go against thousands of people and cause bloodshed? Justice and order aren’t about creating conflict, but about encouraging more people to be good, not pushing them to the opposite side,” the old pastor retorted through gritted teeth, enduring the intense pain.

Compared to young people who treat dogma and slogans as truth, he, with his rich life experience, undoubtedly understands very well that whether it is justice or order, compromise is often necessary.

Especially when dealing with ignorant people who have been incited, the use of force to suppress them should be avoided unless absolutely necessary, otherwise it will provoke strong resistance and negative consequences from the subsequent escalation of events.

But Eribes' focus wasn't on those things; it was on two words—fairness.

That's right!

It was the unfair treatment of Vanswick that fueled her uncontrollable anger and hatred.

Gazing into the old priest's pale gray eyes, Eribes plunged her sharp sword straight into his heart, letting the gushing blood stain her armor. She then tossed the warm corpse aside, muttering to herself, "Escape and weakness are no excuses! Since the god of justice cannot bring justice, then I will take revenge myself!"

"No matter what you do, I will always be with you."

Eleanor beheaded the young paladin with a single stroke, stepped closer, and gently stroked her lover with her blood-stained left hand.

"Even if you go to hell after you die?" Eribes smiled and winked.

“Yes! Even if I go to hell after I die!” Eleanor replied without hesitation.

The two stared at each other for a full minute before reluctantly parting ways to continue slaughtering the remaining enemies within Neverwinter Castle.

……

Wow! Isn't that incredibly touching?

When Valindra, who was far away at Mandane Manor, saw this scene, he immediately pursed his lips, his tone full of amusement and mockery.

Zhang Cheng shrugged noncommittally: "Don't be so sarcastic. It's just two lonely souls huddling together for warmth. With this close relationship, they will only go further and further down the road to darkness. You have to understand, humans are a special species that is afraid of being alone and needs a little care and love."