Divine Spell: Corpse Accumulation

Only three puppets in the entire arena? Anbaixiu suddenly felt as though the sky had collapsed. With just this pitiful amount, how was he supposed to build an army of heroic spirits? How could he rent them out as mercenaries? He had planned to take advantage of the raging war between Ryan and the orcs to field an elite mercenary band and make a fortune! As it turned out, there were only three. No matter how formidable they were in battle, it was useless. Mercenaries incapable of deciding the course of a battle could, at best, only drain a bit of the enemy casters' mana. It was like trying to do business with an orc while holding a single magitech cannon—the orcs wouldn't even give you the time of day. Anbaixiu's original plan had envisioned an entire magitech artillery corps, the kind that could level cities, where any random engagement would yield astronomical profits. Now with just three, they wouldn't rent for much at all, and he might even lose money on upkeep! One had to remember that having Arthur Ryan fight at full power came at an exorbitant cost. Damn it, he had taken a massive loss this time. Although Anbaixiu remained expressionless, Talos saw right through his thoughts and burst into booming laughter. "This is the exact face I wanted to see! I wanted to see you clearly suffering a loss yet not daring to utter a word!" Anbaixiu: "..." Not only was Anbaixiu struck speechless, even Arthur Ryan standing beside him was taken aback. Was the legendary, cruel, and terrifying Lord of the Storm really of such a temperament? Why did he seem like an unruly brat? As for Ariel, although she remained piously kneeling on the ground, she couldn't help but feel shocked in her heart. Was the deity she worshipped truly like this? In the past, the Lord of the Storm had always been a god of few words; his divine oracles were simple and direct, carrying no emotion other than sheer majesty. Yet before this lich, he acted just like a child whose prank had succeeded. Neither Ariel nor Arthur Ryan quite understood Anbaixiu's current standing among the gods. Loviatar, Tiamat, Lolth, Shar, Zariel—a whole line of goddesses had stumbled at Anbaixiu's hands. By virtue of these illustrious feats alone, the pantheon had already concluded that this lich deserved to ascend to godhood purely on his silver tongue. It was just that Ao likely didn't want another God of Deception added to the divine roster, which was why he hadn't yet given the nod for Anbaixiu's ascension. Talos had actually made this lich suffer a setback—how proud that made him feel! Not only that, but in the near future, this lich would package up the Kuo-toa Goddess and deliver her to him. If the other gods learned of this, Talos would be the very first deity to successfully put this lich to work for him. While Talos was gloating, Anbaixiu let out a long sigh and said, "It was indeed a losing deal. Everything was within Your calculations." Talos remarked in surprise, "Hm? You concede defeat quite readily." Anbaixiu replied calmly, "Victory and defeat are objective facts; they won't change just because someone refuses to admit them. As a lich, I harbor no extreme emotions that would make me deny reality to save face. Besides, isn't it only natural to lose to the great Lord of the Storm? What mortal could possibly surpass You?" Talos was thoroughly delighted by these words, satisfaction welling up from the depths of his being. That's right! Isn't it only natural for a great deity to surpass a mortal? This lich had been utterly humbled! "Hahaha, well said! You are far more interesting than those stubborn mortals who refuse to admit defeat even on the verge of death. A true warrior does not run from defeat, but faces it head-on. Few mortals possess such resolve. Since you concede so cleanly, I am not a stingy deity either. You passed the Trial of Destruction, so you shall be granted a fitting reward." Three beams of light flew from Talos's projection and landed before Anbaixiu. "In the past, each trial undertaken by my followers had ten progressively difficult tiers, and only the final victor could receive my reward. But now that the arena's last remaining forces have been defeated by you, make your choice." Anbaixiu thought to himself that a deity like Talos was truly easy to read. As long as you showed enough worth to catch his interest and flattered him at the right moments, this deity would generously bestow rewards. One had to admit, Talos was the most generous deity Anbaixiu had ever met. Anbaixiu carefully sensed the three beams of light. Talos hadn't concealed anything; as Anbaixiu's perception swept over them, he immediately identified what the rewards were. The first was a staff, practically an artifact, capable of comprehensively enhancing lightning, frost, and fire spells, and granting three free casts of Chain Lightning without consuming mana. Anbaixiu discarded it after a single glance. Such a staff was virtually useless to him. As long as he had enough gold, the Golden Throne completely outclassed any spellcasting focus equipment. The second was a heroic spirit, similar to the three he had just extracted, perhaps slightly stronger, but there was only one. Anbaixiu hesitated for a moment. It was somewhat useful, but turning three into four didn't seem all that meaningful. The final reward, however, made his heart stir. It was a divine spell, an exclusive divine spell of the giant race—Corpse Accumulation. Its effect was simple and direct: it could use a massive quantity of corpses to manufacture that indestructible material. These three giant constructs had taken Arthur Ryan's Divine Smite head-on and only ended up with shallow sword marks. The material used to construct the city gates was even more unfathomably hard, requiring the Dwarf Kingdom to wait for an earthquake to crack open a fissure despite exhausting their entire nation's might before they could enter and explore. The only issue was that this was a divine spell exclusive to the giant race, requiring two conditions to be met simultaneously: First, the caster had to belong to the giant race; second, they had to be a storm priest who worshipped Talos. Neither condition could be lacking. In other words, Anbaixiu himself could not cast this divine spell, and even if he had Ariel try, she wouldn't be able to learn it either. Yet if someone could master it, Anbaixiu could already envision what terrifying effects this divine spell could unleash. The giants had merely stacked flesh-and-bone corpses to create such an indestructible material, whereas Anbaixiu could turn steel into "corpses." If such "corpses" were combined with the divine spell's effect, could he create a truly indestructible armor? As for how to use this divine spell, there would always be a way. At least it held promise, unlike the other two options whose limits were obvious at a glance. "Then I choose this divine spell as my reward. Thank you for your boon, Lord of the Storm." Anbaixiu reached out and grasped the orb of light, and the knowledge regarding the divine spell "Corpse Accumulation" flowed completely into his mind. Regrettably, this wasn't truly "knowledge," but rather a sort of petitionary signal transmitted to Talos. This was the fundamental difference between a cleric's divine spells and a wizard's arcane magic. Magic was about understanding the essence of mana and casting it through one's own intellect; so long as the Goddess of Magic did not forbid it, you could cast the corresponding spell, entirely reliant on personal capability. Divine spells were different: they were petitions for aid directed at a deity. Only if the deity granted permission could you cast them; if the deity ignored you, the divine spell was utterly useless. Having delivered the rewards, Talos departed cleanly, leaving only the trio and the three fallen giant constructs in the arena. Anbaixiu stuffed all three corpses into his private space without hesitation; these indestructible bodies would surely come in handy sooner or later. After packing everything away, Ariel asked, "Should we keep moving forward?" Anbaixiu shook his head. "No need. Didn't you hear what Talos said? The arena's remaining power has been completely exhausted. The Githyanki still here should realize this soon enough. This is the only place where they can survive, so they will thoroughly scour every corner. Besides, our battle just now took quite a toll; we need to rest and prepare." Only then did Ariel recall that their purpose here was to find the Githyanki. Although she didn't know how many casualties the Githyanki had suffered in the other trial, for them to survive this long meant they had passed at least one trial and found a way to stay alive in this arena. She had heard that the Githyanki reproduced quickly, so who knew how much their numbers had grown during this period? And having just endured an intense battle, the three of them genuinely needed proper rest. Anbaixiu replenished Arthur Ryan's soul energy, then slipped into his private space to seize this opportunity to study his newly acquired spoils. The three heroic spirits he had dismantled were already pieced back together; Anbaixiu's technique was growing increasingly proficient. "Let's see. I now have giant heroic spirits, and these corpses are composed of giant flesh and blood, so in theory I should be able to create a 'giant' myself..." Anbaixiu pondered whether he could craft a giant storm priest on his own. Nobody said undead couldn't be clerics; as long as Talos gave his approval, even a lich could become his subordinate deity. Compared to other deities, this Lord of the Storm didn't harbor much racial discrimination. Action followed thought. Anbaixiu attempted to modify the souls of these heroic spirits, allowing them to maintain their faith in Talos while retaining a degree of loyalty to himself. This was extraordinarily difficult; one slip-up, and it would become blasphemy. Yet no matter how hard it was, it had to be done; he couldn't just sit by and let that divine spell remain unusable. Once absorbed in his work, Anbaixiu lost track of time—until Ariel notified him through the magic mirror that the Githyanki had appeared. Anbaixiu stepped out of his private space. He had been researching inside for nearly two months, but progress had been slow. Faith and loyalty seemed difficult to reconcile; you couldn't make a devout believer loyal to a deity while also loyal to yourself, especially since Anbaixiu, as a lich, had little respect for Talos. "How do the people of Ryan manage it? They're loyal to the imperial family while also devoted to the Lord of the Dawn. Ah, I really want to capture a paladin to study!" Anbaixiu lamented. When he emerged from his private space, a group of Githyanki had already encircled Ariel and Arthur. However, a large number of Githyanki were also lying scattered across the ground in disarray. It appeared blows had already been traded, and the Githyanki had suffered heavily. This was hardly surprising. There were only thirty to forty Githyanki here, and likely none of legendary rank; how could they possibly match Arthur and Ariel? Seeing Anbaixiu appear, the Githyanki grew even more agitated. The enemy was far too formidable; they didn't know whether to flee or put up a desperate last stand. Before stepping out, Anbaixiu had already assumed a human form, as this appearance was generally more suitable for negotiations. He smiled faintly and said to the Githyanki, "Don't be nervous. I'm here to do business with the Githyanki."