Chapter 1

I used the nearest gate to teleport myself to an area near the prairie. A moment later, and  I was already hovering in the sky above the Heretic Army. First thing that I felt was the smell of the air. The sky was full of smoke and a smell of burned grass, as the whole land was burning with crimson fires. Only a small isle of grass was left untouched by the fire.

Down below I saw in this isle of grass an army of hellish creatures, standing in a formation that was resembling a giant circle. Among the creatures there were also numerous groups of priests and knights, but they were barely noticeable compared to the size of the demons. Around me, I also saw hundreds of Dragos and other flying creatures. The sight of all of this army was probably terrifying to a mere mortal. Likely, I wasn’t one.

♦ ♦ ♦

The protective sphere gave a high pitched shriek as it gave in to the tremendous power that the Heretic Head God was emitting from his hand. A barely noticeable sound of a crying infant replaced the shattered sphere. The Head God shifted slightly the direction of his hand to the children, aiming to get rid of their bothersome presence. He did it naturally, as if he was aiming to get rid of an annoying fly.

Anticipating an unpleasant aftermath, a fellow Heretic God named Astris tried to intervene on the children's behalf.

“Your excellency, if you are going to get rid of those kids, could I instead receive them for myself? I believe that they could be raised to be soldiers, or at least used as slaves.”

“Ha Ha,I didn’t know you were such a pragmatist Astris! Or… maybe you are just too soft. What should we think? Does anybody among the esteemed Gods present, think that we should spare those children?”

There was a silence among the other Heretic Gods, nobody spoke. Some probably just didn’t care, and some didn’t want to look weak in front of their leader. Even if it was for the sake of the children. What a disgusting bunch those heretics are.

“It seems that your opinion is in minority, Astris. What’s more, I don’t really like being interrupted. Do you forget your place Astris? Or maybe your loyalty lies elsewhere?”

In response, Astris knelt before the Head God.

“My loyalty lies only with you, your excellency. I will accept any punishment for my transgressions.”

The Head God smiled. He liked to spread fear even among his closest followers. He liked to feel above everyone and above everything. Even the other Heretic Gods feared him and this what brought him the most satisfaction. Not women, spirits, nor money, the Head God’s satisfaction was the total dominance over others. He knew that Astris had a weakness for children. He even knew that he was taking orphans under his care. To see his reaction, and to bend his will, thats what the Head God was aiming for.

“I will forgive you this time Astris. But remember not to interrupt me again!”

I was glad that I waited patiently until this moment. Astris, this man could deserve a second chance. It seems that not all of those corrupt priests are totally evil.

The Head God returned his attention to the children, he wanted to finally claim the artifact for himself, and he also wanted to see Astris’ face when he killed the kids. Then, his hand suddenly froze. His palm suddenly snapped like a loose branch on a tree. For him, it probably looked like I appeared from thin air.

“Haaaaa!”

The Head God screamed.

“You bastard, what the hell do you think you are doing!”

One of the nearest Heretic Gods shouted at me as he aimed his staff at my direction. I swiftly moved my left hand that was not holding the Head God at his direction. At that instance a sword pierced his shoulder, while a dugger cut into his eye. The heretic fell on the grass.

The Head God used this chance to retreat a dozen steps away by cutting his arm off. His wound didn’t even had the time to bleed until a new arm grew in a flesh. Advanced regeneration magic. It was not surprising for a man who could call himself a God. In response, a bluish flame emerged in my hand, as I decomposed the remains of this monster’s hand.

“Eheeem, hi! I’m Tehil, the messenger of God. For your evil doings, cruelty, murder and just because you managed to get on my nerves, I will punish you scum for your sins. If any of you feel the need to repent, please do so now. If you don't, please beware that I might kill you if you resist too much.”

I smiled as I introduced myself. Sometimes I like to lighten the mood with silly introductions like these. The heavy feeling of seriousness and the killing intent somehow always feels overbearing to me. Besides, I usually don’t give a damn.

“You will pay for this you suicidal lunatic! Demons, attack! Everyone else, retreat to a safe distance and support from behind! This guy is good at close quarters! Don’t underestimate him, he is strong!”

Well, it seems that this Heretic Head God was actually much more competent than I thought. The ex-head priests were formidable opponents magically wise, but at close quarters they were actually pretty weak. I hoped that this ex-head priest that call himself a Head God, will try to attack me in anger head on. Then, I would easily overpower him and the whole heretic army will yield, since they will see that I am stronger than their God. Sadly, those are not complete idiots that I am up against.

I swiftly surveyed my surroundings. The Heretic Gods teleported themselves to the rear and now they were flying in the sky, aiming to snipe me with magic from the distance. Meanwhile, the Demonic Dragos were closing in on me, while the priests and the knights were supporting them from the flanks in a safe distance. The situation was unfavorable.

Contrary to the expectations, I am not almighty. While I might have enough divine energy to fight head on with the heretic army, I would probably need ages to recover all of my power. I could flee with the children, but that wouldn't solve anything. I could also try and ambush their leader, but their teleportation magic is too bothersome. I will be playing a tag game while the other Heretic Gods will try to hit me with magic from a distance. Instead, I had a better plan.

First, I teleported the children to a safe location, while restoring their shield amulet’s power. Then, after I returned to my original position, I used my power as the angel of creation. A giant flock of black vampiric ravens poured like a river from a semi transparent sphere that I conjured above my head. I intend to use the insane speed of those creatures against the exceptionally strong but slow Demonic Dragos and other giant monsters.

The ravens attacked the eyes of the giant monsters, be it the flying Corrupt Dragos, the Demonic ones or the modified Braham that were used for both combat and transport by the priests. The priests tried to shoot down as many as they could with their magic, but they were too many, too fast and too small.

Every raven that got through to the demons, would try to peck at the eyes of their victim. As soon as a hole in the iris was big enough for them to crawl in, they would enter their heads through the eyelids, while consuming the monster’s power and killing them from inside. When a monster died, its dead body would turn into a spawning nest of another flock of those flying vermin.

The ravens could even multiply just by taking a bite from a powerful magic caster. It didn’t take too long before the whole heretic army was engulfed in a cloud of black ravens that were relentlessly attacking their enemies.

I smiled. Not only that the initial cost for spawning the ravens was relatively small, but they also used their victims to further multiply their numbers. When they will be done, I will just turn the whole flock back to divine power. I’ll end up collecting a monstrous amount of power, much more than what I initially invested.

The vampiric ravens had another purpose. While the Heretic Army is putting their whole attention against my creations, I can blend in in the commotion without becoming a target for the Heretic Gods that were flying in the distance. Teleportation would also become useless, because the ravens are literally everywhere and there is nowhere to run to.

The only ones who didn't have a weakness to the ravens were the heretic paladins. They were agile enough to dodge and then cut the ravens to pieces, no matter how many tried, the ravens just couldn’t land a hit. Unfortunately for the paladins, I had another trick up my sleeve.

The vampiric ravens flock grow denser and denser while obstructing the view of the enemies. I used this chance to spawn another creation, the Sleeping Rose Vines. The plant was cheap to make, as it consumed soil and divine power in the ratio of 100 to 1.

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The soldiers and monsters were too busy with the raven swarm to notice the little vines that were growing underneath their feet. The vines blended well with the grass, and quickly grew all over the battlefield. Whenever blood spilled on the soil, the vines would grow sharp thorns, more blood, the bigger the thorns. Each soldier or monster that got stabbed by the thorn would get numb in the wound area. No one could even notice as they were stabbed by the plant.

In the meanwhile, the vine started to grow beautiful red roses. Their pollen was inducing sleep in its victims. As a result, the warriors grew more tired and tired. The airborne enemies were starting to switch their position from the sky to the ground, where it was easier for them to defend against the ravens. And then they too got affected by the pollen.

The thorns in turn, grew bigger and bigger. The knights and the priests were starting to notice them now, however it was too late. Whenever an enemy got impaled by the plant, he would get paralyzed, and the immobile victim became an easy prey for the raven swarm.

♦ ♦ ♦

The battle approached conclusion. All of the battleground was colored black by the ravens that walked on the ground and flew in the sky. The croaking of ravens could be heard everywhere. The birds were pecking at their immobile victims that got caught in the Sleeping Rose Vines, while the non combatants fell asleep by the rose pollen. I ordered the ravens to kill only the monsters, while the knights and the priests were spared. Their divine power was sucked dry by the ravens, and they could pose no threat anymore.

Even the Heretic Gods fell prey to the combination of the Vampiric Ravens and the Sleeping Rose Vines. Their magic was useless against the ravens, and when they descended to the ground, unaware to their surroundings, their fate was sealed by the paralyzing thorns of the Sleeping Rose.

The Heretic Head God was last to fall. He was immune to the pollen, and his defence was too strong for the ravens. However he was unaware to the paralyzing effects of the thorns that were slowly chipping away his agility. In the end, I had to push him from behind to the ground, where he got impaled in the shoulder by a large thorn. I sat on the ground nearby.

“You know, your army was a little disappointing. Most of your combatants were either slow, or weak at close quarters. Only a few competent paladins, but that was far from enough. If you had a more balanced army, I would have a hard time to win.”

“My army was good enough to conquer every land that reached my sight! You were just fighting dirty, that is all.”

The Head God coughed blood as he spoke. He didn’t have much vigor left because of the ravens that were busy pecking his back.

“I don’t want to hear it from someone who murders women and children. Besides, you made me fight a whole army, that’s not fair either!”

“Tell me, are you really God’s envoy? Were you the one who appointed the first head priest?”

“I am and I did.”

“Where were you all of this time? If you didn’t leave us, none of this would have happened! I would have never thought to betray God if I had proof that he really exists!”

“You shouldn't really blame me for your sins. As the head priest you were supposed to represent God in this world. Instead, you chose to be a God yourself, you did as you pleased and now it is the time to answer for your crimes. Besides, this world is only one among many others.”

This kind of person was never supposed to become a Head Priest. What was the previous one thinking? Maybe the one before was also corrupt? I don’t know, I didn’t have time to oversee this world, there are too many of them, and I am only one. Hmm, maybe there is something that could be done to supervise more worlds. But now I should concentrate on solving the problem ahead.

The Head God was to corrupt and he had to go. I couldn't spare him and I had to make an example of him. Even the other Heretic Gods didn’t deserve my pity. They watched as their leader was going to murder two children before their eyes. Only one of them intervened, and only one of them I will spare.

♦ ♦ ♦

The soldiers of the heretic army were slowly starting to wake up from their sleep. The Sleeping Rose Vines were gone and only the ravens surrounded the prisoners. After the birds, the second sight that they saw were twenty giant white spikes made of marble. On the end of each spike the was a person hanging, pierced by his head. One of the spikes was higher than the other ones, and on this spike, the Head God was impaled.

Even though it was hard to notice the bodies that were hanging from the pillars, everyone knew what it meant. The Heretic Gods were no more.

There were different reactions throughout the place. The slaves were cheering, some of them danced and some even cried from joy. On the other hand the atmosphere around the soldiers was heavy. There were some priests that killed themselves with their daggers, some of the paladins tried to fight but were easily overpowered and killed by the ravens. The majority were simply broken, and they just sat on the grass, waiting patiently to see what will become of them.

The first thing I did after recalling the Rose Vines, was to take little Thomas and his baby sister to nearby slaves that I freed. I figured that they could keep them safe in the meanwhile.

Next thing that was on my list, was visiting the remaining Heretic God Astris whom I spared. I figured that because he had a shred of conscience and because he was a leader, I could use him to lead the remaining heretics. I was thinking to make them repent their sins by building the cities that they have destroyed. They could help the people and Astris could be the one to lead them.

I approached Astris. He and the soldiers around him were all prostrating before me. No one dared to utter a word.

“Astris, right?”

Astris dug deeper with his forehead into the ground when he realised that I was speaking to him. After he saw what happened to his fellow Heretic Gods he probably thought that I was going to add his head to the collection.

“Relax. There are only twenty spikes in this field. Your head will be spared.”

Astris lifted his head in disbelief. His face was all covered in dirt and his body was bleeding from multiple wounds, but a shred of hope could be seen on his face.

“Your holiness! I am grateful for your benevolence! I swear from now on to dedicate my life for you and for God! Please, command this lowly servant as you would see fit!”

Well, this is going much better than what I have thought. I didn’t even need to threaten him and he is already so receptive. Good. Now maybe I’ll even thank him on behalf of all of the orphans that he has sheltered throughout the years.

“It is alright. I wouldn’t spare your life if I didn’t see you intervene for the children. I was even more surprised when I found out that you are taking care of a large number of orphans. When I spoke to them, they even wanted to greet you personally.”

“What! No, no! There is no need! I would be only ashamed to see them face to face. This army that I was part of was responsible for the death of their parents! I don’t think that I would be able to look them in the eye after all of this!”

I smiled. What a humble person. I didn’t think that somebody among the Heretic Gods was capable of humility.

“There is no need to be so humble. Besides the kids really wanted to see you.  HEY CHILDREN! I FOUND ASTRIS! HE IS HERE! YOU CAN COME!”

When I called for the children, I suddenly noticed something fishy about this Astris fellow. He became all covered in sweat, he was fidgeting and then finally when the kids ran over to greet him he suddenly got up and started to run.

Steve, the kid that apparently was leading the orphans approached me in a hurry.

“Mr. Tehil! Your holiness, please catch this sick bastard before he gets away!”

“Eh??? Wait, did he do something to you kids?”

“This bastard Astris, he... he came to us in the night…”

“Oh... Ah... I think there was a slight misunderstanding… So, another spike huh?”