Chapter 353: The Incarnation of the Black Emperor

Lei En heard that, and his complexion instantly turned striking.

VijesCui is the name of the God of Magic; among the Empire's subjects and countless spellcasters, it represents a supreme being, noble, mysterious, and infinitely revered. Even though Lei En is only a shallow follower of the goddess, praying perfunctorily once every ten days or half a month, the constant exposure makes him dare not harbor any desecrating thoughts toward the goddess.

Suddenly hearing someone call the goddess a "bitch" was as if his worldview had shattered.

In Ai Lun E Si, daring to desecrate one of the most powerful deities could only be done by a god of comparable might.

The other side called itself the Regicide, further cementing its identity.

A Regicide is one who kills a king, emperor, or ruler; within the Black Emperor Ban'erk's church, killing his Chosen One is also called a Regicide. The entire church regards the Regicide as a revenge target, and the believers who kill the Regicide will become the new Divine Chosen.

This "person" is the incarnation of the Black Emperor!

Lei En's mind roiled; didn't the book "Gods and Followers" say that the Black Emperor never personally intervenes in the lives of the Chosen One?

What on earth is this divine incarnation before him?

Damn, a fake book can kill people!

Lei En dared not act rashly, and gave no reply.

The Black Emperor wore a faint smile, far from the rumored harsh, irritable, and scornful demeanor of Guan En; without waiting for Lei En's answer, his mouth curled into a meaningful expression, then he gazed around the battlefield.

The battlefield was littered with corpses—Dolak barbarians, trolls, ogres—blood staining vast swaths of ground, dismembered limbs and mangled bodies too gruesome to behold, the cruelty of war unmistakably displayed.

Any person with a sound will would feel heartless upon seeing this, even an opponent.

Not to mention, the vast majority of these are his followers.

Losing followers means the deity's power wanes.

This is what a god despises most, yet the Black Emperor did not become angry; instead he inhaled lightly, as if savoring it.

He showed no interest in the followers' corpses, his gaze casually sweeping past.

He didn't even glance at Kali Gula, as if he were trash.

Instead, he was rather interested in the Extreme Warriors and the Gunwing Knights, carefully observing their appearance and weapons, as if pondering something.

Silence fell over the battlefield, not a sound.

Lei En felt uneasy, realizing only he could move; his mind raced, contemplating how to escape the predicament.

He dared not use the Soul Eye to observe the other, fearing that a single glance would blind him. Even a fragment of a powerful divine incarnation's power was beyond his resistance.

Rumor had it that even the weakest divine incarnation equated to a Level 20+ transcendent!

The deity's power crushes mortals on a completely different level.

Taking action is impossible… it would be a path to death. The only recourse is to pray to the goddess; only a deity can confront a deity.

As a shallow follower of the goddess, he also wondered whether a last‑minute prayer would work.

Lei En steeled himself to quietly pray to the God of Magic, when the Black Emperor said, "In my divine realm, pray to VijesCui; do you think she will hear and then save you?"

"Uh…"

Lei En, whose thoughts were seen through, feigned nonchalance, shrugged and replied, "How would I know without trying?"

"Then you can try," the Black Emperor's gaze turned cold.

Lei En sensed a terrifying danger, as if standing in the heart of a thunderstorm, black clouds looming overhead; any slight movement would summon a crushing bolt of lightning.

His eyelids twitched wildly, and he wisely abandoned the prayer.

However, Lei En also noticed a clue: the Black Emperor didn't seem intensely angry; otherwise he wouldn't have spoken so much to a mere mortal.

He had ulterior motives.

Lei En felt a slight relief; as long as communication was possible, there was hope.

What he feared most was the other side instantly unleashing divine might to slay him, leaving no chance for dialogue.

Sure enough, the Black Emperor raised his hand and pointed at the surrounding Gunwing Knights and Extreme Warriors, asking, "Did you train all these people?"

"Yes." Lei En replied truthfully.

"Interesting," the Black Emperor said in a reviewing tone, "It's been many years since I've seen such a unique transcendent legion; they managed to kill so many of my followers, yet none of them died, humph…"

When mentioning the death of followers, he still showed a hint of displeasure.

"You not only killed my followers, but also erased their souls, including that waste Kali Gula; their souls did not ascend to my divine realm, mortal…" The Black Emperor's voice grew louder, like thunder, one boom after another, his divine might spreading like a sky‑covering storm, shaking the entire world as if the apocalypse had arrived.

"What is your relationship with the Abyss?"

With that final terrifying question, the Black Emperor's divine might reached its peak.

His eyes turned jet‑black, the sockets swelling with dark divine power, containing an unspeakable, terrifying force.

Even though Lei En's Willpower resisted the divine might, he still felt his spirit waver.

He suddenly realized.

No wonder the Black Emperor's incarnation was drawn to descend; he had discovered the disappearance of his followers' souls.

In Ai Lun E Si, after death, the souls of sentient beings usually have two destinations: one, to ascend to the divine realm of the deity they worship, possibly becoming an angel or divine attendant, or to be reborn through reincarnation; two, to fall into the Abyss, becoming a demon minion of the Abyssal evil god, which is the fate of almost all non‑believers.

However, any soul absorbed and recharged by one's own phone is annihilated in both body and spirit, neither ascending to the divine realm nor falling into the Abyss, but vanishing forever.

Such cases are not nonexistent.

Some souls linger in the mortal world for special reasons, becoming evil spirits or wraiths, or are directly eradicated, but they are exceedingly few.

Deities generally do not intervene, often not even noticing.

But the disappearance of thousands of followers' souls at once, including a Divine Chosen, cannot go unnoticed unless a deity is asleep or fallen.

Thus the Black Emperor's descent in incarnation to investigate was almost inevitable.

Lei En had previously absorbed souls on a large scale twice: once from Demons, once from wraiths; they died outside the Abyss, their souls returning with deep consciousness, so no attention was drawn.

Other times, killing a few followers caused no issue.

This also led him not to think deeper, being somewhat reckless; this time finally attracted the deity's gaze, and he hit a solid wall!

The Black Emperor mistakenly thought he was linked to the Abyss, killing his followers and sending their souls into the Abyss.

Lei En repeatedly regretted and denied, "Your Majesty, I am just an ordinary mortal, with no connection to the Abyss."

He deliberately used the honorific title of the Black Emperor.

"Ordinary mortals…" the Black Emperor stared at Lei En, a half‑smile on his face. "No mortal has ever stood before me, yet you still dare to argue." Its tone suddenly shifted: "Your true Willpower does not come from VijesCui; it bears the aura of another deity. Hmm… it seems you are not valued by that bitch VijesCui…"

Lei En felt his heart race and his flesh tremble; the deity's insight far exceeded his imagination.

Even if this is merely an incarnation.

The Black Emperor's temperament truly matches the rumors—capricious, ever‑changing, unpredictable—granting him a profound understanding of the saying "to accompany a ruler is like accompanying a tiger."

It suddenly fell silent again, closing its eyes.

Lei En was bewildered, not knowing what the other was doing, and dared not move recklessly. After waiting half a minute, the Black Emperor still gave no response, standing like a statue, so he cautiously activated his Soul Eye, not looking directly at the other but first glancing elsewhere, his gaze gradually shifting back.

From the corner of his eye he saw an ocean‑vast black energy, with the Black Emperor's incarnation at its center, forming a terrifying vortex like a black hole.

This energy surged tumultuously, containing an indescribable significance.

It was not pure energy; it differed entirely from elements, mysteries, or mind, shadow, and life, belonging to a higher plane, essentially a manifestation of certain rules.

"Is this Divine Power?"

Lei En mused silently, "It is said that Divine Power is transformed from the power of faith, a convergence of belief; only after igniting Divine Fire can one wield Divine Power…"

He wanted to observe more clearly, and the Black Emperor's eyes opened.

"Ryan Augustus."

The Black Emperor's words startled Lei En, "Your experience is more spectacular than I imagined; in less than three years you rose from an ordinary person to the strength capable of killing Caligula."

Lei En gave no reply.

The deity indeed possessed vast divine abilities, uncovering his own background in less than a minute.

The Black Emperor surveyed Lei En from head to toe, his eyes brimming with great interest, until Lei En felt his heart race under the gaze and suddenly said, "You are an ambitious mortal."

"I admire those with ambition; you should not worship VijesCui, but rather serve me."

The Black Emperor said lightly.

Lei En's lips moved, but he offered no defense.

He indeed had ambition, but that did not mean he was willing to become a follower of the Black Emperor. The deity is the goddess's mortal enemy, classified as an evil god by the Empire; if his identity were exposed, he would have no place to stand in the Empire. Moreover, the Black Emperor is not a good master; he does not wish to live in constant fear.

Most importantly, Lei En has an innate resistance to the deity's worship.

"You're unwilling?" the Black Emperor's expression darkened.

Just as Lei En thought the deity would suppress him with Divine Power and force him to serve, the Black Emperor smiled, grasped the iron crown in his hand, and poured Divine Power into it.

The Iron Crown was like a bottomless pit, devouring the entire Divine Power of the deity's incarnation.

Soon, the incarnation could no longer be sustained and gradually faded away.

A grand, resonant voice boomed, "I set the crown's imperial armament to nine rings; wear it, utter my revered name, and you will become my Divine Chosen, commanding my mortal followers to obtain the power to conquer the Empire."

As the divine decree fell, it was as if the pause button were lifted, and the world returned to normal.

Extreme Warriors and Gunwing Knights continued to gather around.

The cheers of the Makurag people rose again.

Everything was unchanged from before, as if nothing had happened; no one noticed that a few minutes of their time had vanished, let alone that a deity's incarnation had descended.

Lei En looked ahead.

The Iron Crown fell back into the mud; the black crown remained plain, without any glow, exceedingly restrained and utterly unremarkable.

Only Lei En knew it had already become a Legend Grade item!

(End of Chapter)