Leon stood in the center of the grand central hall of the temple at the center of Fort White. At the moment, the large statue that depicted Michael's form was no longer present, as well as the majority of the Divine Energy that had permeated through the Temple. The Fate God had withdrawn his influence from Fort White entirely.
"It's almost a blank slate. But a perfectly sculpted one, just so that I can bend it to my desires." Leon thought to himself as wisps of black light floated around his body. These wisps of light were actually manifestations of his newfound Divine Power. Slowly but surely, it was beginning to seep into the foundations of Fort White, filling up the empty void that had been left behind when Michael vacated the premises.
Leon walked over to the throne and sat down on it, letting his body relax. He used the throne as a central node to spread his consciousness and power over every nook and cranny of Fort White, while also building a deep and strong bond between himself and Fort White. This would be the base of all his operations in the mortal realm starting now, so he needed to invest a lot.
Time passed by slowly as Leon took the slow route to infuse his will into Fort White. Meanwhile, the outside world continued to move on unimpeded. A rumor gradually spread that the newly founded power within the Desolate Lands had gained a Patron God, and that Patron God was none other than the new and rising star, Leon Cromwell!
No one knew how this rumor came about, but many people were eager to know if this piece of news was unfounded or had good basis.
In the time where Leon closed himself off from the outside world to complete the improvements to Fort White, his forces that had gone to Rivera to help Empress Vera complete the goal of the rebels finally returned.
When several magic airships appeared in the horizon, the residents of the cities, towns and villages that had been established around Fort White all looked gob smacked, but they had already been cautioned by Rakon's subordinates who had gone ahead to spread the news and reassure the people, so they did not react negatively.
"The Master has ascended to Godhood. We are no longer good enough to serve at his side." One the deck of one of the magic airships, Kaladin had a somber tone as he spoke to the other summons that had remained in Rivera with him when Leon had left to complete his ascension. The atmosphere was thick and heavy.
"We are of little use to the Master as we are. We must endeavor to grow stronger!" Nero clenched his fist as he stood to Kaladin's right. His exposed skull blazed with a red flame that reflected his determination.
To Kaladin's left, Grokus simply sighed. But deep down, he agreed with the others. With Leon having gained the strength of a God, the scale of conflict that he would be involved in the coming future would be huge. It would be much greater and much more impactful than the petty squabbles that they had been getting involved in up to that point.
The deck of the 800 meter long magic airship was populated by just the A rank summons that had followed Leon to Rivera. The amount of power concentrated in just this spot was enough to turn some nations to ash and rubble overnight. It was with great joy that the weaker nations bade farewell to the train of magic airships when they left the airspace of those nations.
Some time later, the fleet crossed into the territory of the Dura Kingdom. With the speed they moved at, it did not take long for them to reach the capital, Dura, and come to a stop.
Whoosh!
Several figures flew up to the level of the airships. There were four Elves, although only one of them among the four was a pure blooded Elf.
"Greetings, Lord Kaladin." The Elf at the forefront bowed her head in greeting. Kaladin's position among Leon's summons was basically the same thing as Leon's representative and the head of the summons, so he had an elevated position in the eyes of outsiders.
When they looked around, they immediately spotted their Crown Prince, Damian, heading in their direction from one of the other ships.
"Welcome back, Crown Prince." The four of them bowed their heads. They held Damian in high regard. After all, the benefits he had brought back from Divinity's Bout had been what had allowed them to defy all odds and break through to A rank.
"Where is father?" Damian nodded to acknowledge their greetings but his eyes roamed, looking for his father.
The Elf at the forefront turned her head to the side slightly and the expressions of all the others shifted strangely.
"What's wrong?" Of course, Damian was not blind. He was instantly able to spot the change.
"His Highness has fallen ill. The details are sensitive." She responded hesitantly.
"Don't worry about their presence. Tell me, what is wrong with father?" Damian's voice was heavy.
The female Elf took a deep breath. "We do not know. Our best physicians and mages are scrambling to find out the cause, but it is still a mystery. We did not tell you before on the order of the King." She said, lowering her head.
"..." Damian said nothing. He turned to Kaladin and the others. "Thank you for bringing me all the way here. Please, tell his Excellency that I will come and see him soon." He told them.
"That is fine. Good luck, Damian." Kaladin nodded his head and the ships soon turned around to leave.
Meanwhile, Damian followed the guardians of Dura and descended to the Palace where his father was staying. He needed to see what his father looked like with his own eyes. How could he have suddenly fallen ill with no warning? And how were the mages and doctors unable to find a cure for him?
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel