n’thewanttocarryoutsuchanexcellentbargain”
“But,butOrloffwasalso…”Linleysaidhurriedly.“OrloffOrloffhadsomethinghewantedfromAugusta,andinaddition,AugustahashelpedoutOrloffmultipletimes.OrloffowedAugustaafavor.Youtellme.WouldOrloffhelphim,orhelpyou”TheChiefSovereignofDestructionlaughedcoldly.“Orloffdoesn’tgetinvolvedinanyworldlyaffairsorstruggles,butthatdoesn’tmeanhe’sthiswonderful,altruisticperson.”
Book21,ThePeak–Chapter39,Linley’sFieryRage
Hehadbeencompletelyandutterlydeceived
“ItwasfakeAlie”
ThenearbyChiefSovereignofDestruction,Wodred,snickered.“Linley,canitbethatyoudon’tknowwhatsortofapersonthisAugustaisOverbearing,greedy,sinister.Forthesakeofachievinghisgoals,there’snothinghewon’tdo.Youactuallytrustedhimthateasily”
Fornow,Linleycouldn’tfullybelieveallthesethings,astheywerejustwordscomingfromasingleperson,theChiefSovereignofDestruction.
Linleylistenedquietly,andtheChiefSovereignofDestruction,Wodred,saidwithasolemnexpression,“AngelsarerebornfromtheAngelicResurrectionPools!EverysingleAngelicResurrectionPoolisconnectedtothesoulofitsSovereignofLight!Thus,everysingleAngelbornfromtheAngelicResurrectionPoolsareunderthecommandoftheirSovereignofLight.”
Linleynodded.TheChiefSovereignofDestructioncontinued,“TherearedifferentlevelsofAngelicResurrectionPools;thereareonlytwohighlevelones,andonlythesetwoareabletogivebirthtoTwelve-WingedAngels.ThesetwowerebothtakenoverbyAugusta,whocontrolsthempersonally.”
“Therearetwowaystoallowyourmother,aTwelve-WingedAngels,toregainherfreedom.OneistokillAugusta!OnceAugustadies,theAngelicResurrectionPoolswillbecomeitemswithoutmasters,andsotheAngelslinkedtoitwillhavetheirsoulsreleasedaswell.Naturally,theywillregaintheirfreedom.”
Linleynodded.Heknewaboutthismethod.“ThesecondmethodistohaveAugustaremovehisbondwiththeAngelicResurrectionPoolwhichisconnectedwithyourmother’ssoul.Oncehisbondisreleased,theAngelicResurrectionPoolwillbecomeanownerlessitem,andalloftheAngelsthatwerebornthroughitwillalsolosetheirspiritualconnectiontoAugusta,andthusregainfreedom.”
TheChiefSovereignofDestructionlaughedcoldly.“Linley,oncethebondwiththeAngelicResurrectionPoolisbroken,everysingleAngelthatpoolhasevercreated,includingyourmother,willregaintheirfreedom!”
“YourmotherisaTwelve-WingedAngels,whilethereareonlytwopoolsthatcangivebirthtoTwelve-WingedAngels.YouwantAugusta,forthesakeofyourmother,torelinquishhisbondwithanAngelicResurrectionPoolforTwelve-WingedAngelsThatmeanshewouldlosehalfofhisTwelve-WingedAngels.Theywouldregaintheirfreedomandnolongerbeunderhiscontrol!”TheChiefSovereignofDestructionsnickered.“Ifhereallyhadletyourmotherregainherfreedom,thenduringthePlanarWar,howcouldhehavebeenwillingtosendoutatotalof1200Twelve-WingedAngels”
Linleynowcompletelyunderstood.Therewas,inreality,onlyonewayforhismothertoregainherfreedom;tomakeitsothattheAngelicResurrectionPoollinkedwithhersoulbecameanownerlessitem.Andtherewereonlytwowaystodothat;thefirst,tokillAugusta.Thesecond,forAugustatorelinquishthepool.ButhowcouldAugustapossiblygiveitupGivingitupmeantgivingupalloftheAngelsthatpoolhadevercreated.
“Bastard!”Linleycouldn’thelpbutgrowlandcurse.“Nopointinbeingangrynow.”Wodredlaughedcoldly.ButLinleywasfranticallycalculatingcertainthingsinhismind.Onethoughtinparticularconstantlycirculatedthroughhisthoughts.KillAugusta!Killhimrightaway!
“LordWodred.”Linleysaidhurriedly.“TheAngelsthattheSovereigncontrols;cantheSovereignkillthemjustbywillingit”
“Notnecessarily.”Wodredshookhisheadandlaughed.“ItdependsonwheretheAngelis.IftheAngelandtheSovereignareondifferentplanes,thentheSovereignwon’tbeabletokillthatAngel.”
Linleysuddenlyunderstood.Itwaslikethemaster-servantbondwhichwasusedtocontrolmagicalbeasts.Uponthebondbeingestablished,themastercouldeasilycausethemagicalbeast’sdeath.However…ifthemasterandtheservantwereondifferentplanes,theywouldatmostbeabletovaguelysenseeachother’slocation.Therewasnowaytheywouldbeabletocommunicatethroughthesoul,norwouldthemasterhaveawaytokilltheservant.
LinleyandBebe,ondifferentplanes,weren’tabletospeakthroughtheirsoulconnectioneither.
“Whew.”Linleyinternallyletoutasighofrelief.Onthesurface,though,Linleylookedquitecalm.Bowing,hesaid,“LordWodred,Itrulymustthankyou.Ifitwasn’tforyou,ImighthavebeendeceivedbyAugustaforanextremelylongperiodoftime.”
LinleyandtheChiefSovereignofDestructionchattedforawhilelonger,andthenWodredleft.Soonafterwards,Linleysenthiswind-typeSovereigncloneawayfromtheInfernalRealm,topayavisittotheChiefSovereignofDeathintheNetherworld.Halfadaylater,LinleyimmediatelyinvitedBeirutandBluefireovertodiscusssomething.
“Whatdidyousay!”BeirutandBluefirewerebothsoshocked,theyrosetotheirfeet.“Right.Iwasdeceived.”Linleyshookhishead.“AnAngelwhotrulyregainsherfreedomandwhoisnolongerundercontrolwillregainherformermemories.”
“Areyoucertain”BeirutandBluefirebothsaidinunison.“I’mverycertain.ThisnewswasbroughttomebyWodred,andjustnow,mywind-typeSovereignclonewenttotheNetherworldtopayavisittotheChiefSovereignofDeath.Ipersonallyraisedthisissuewithher,andtheChiefSovereignofDeathpersonallytoldmethattherewereindeedonlytwowaystohaveanAngelregainherfreedom.Inaddition,uponregainingfreedomanduponbreakingfreefromthebewilderingsoulcontroloftheAngelicResurrectionPool,theywillnaturallyregaintheirformermemories.”Linleysaidinalowvoice.
BeirutandBluefireexchangedaglance,ahintofshockintheireyes.“SinceeventheChiefSovereignofDeathsaysitisso,thenitseemsitistrue.”Beirutsaidinalowvoice.“Ididn’timaginethatwe’dactuallybedeceivedlikethis.”Bluefirefrowned.
Itwasonematterifsomeoneelsedeceivedthem,butthedeceiverwasAugusta!Augusta,withwhomtheyhadanirreconcilablegrudgetobeginwith!BeirutandBluefirebothfeltthisway,andLinleyfeltthiswayallthemore!Afterall,hewastheonewhohadhandedoverthebloodessencesoftheFourDivineBeasts!
“Linley.Whatisyourdecision”Beirutasked.BluefirelookedtowardsLinleyaswell.“Wait.”Linleygrowled.“Wait”Thetwocouldn’thelpbutbepuzzled.“Myfatherandmymotherwillgoforatourofthematerialplanes.Oncetheyleave,Iwillmakemymove.”Linleysaidcalmly.
“Right.Fornow,yourmothercannotbetrusted.”Beirutnoddedaswell.Nowthattheyhadaplan,theynaturallywouldcarryitout.
Halfamonthlater.
Hoggandhiswife,Lina,werepersonallyescortedbyLinleytotheinterplanarteleportationarray.HoldingtheSovereignmedallionwhichLinleyhadgiventhem,theywereteleportedtoamaterialplaneandbegantheirtouringjourney.Theyhadnoidea…thatupondeparting,aterrifyingstormwouldariseintheHigherPlanes.
Beirutcouldn’thelpbutbegintolaugh.“Haha,Linley,Sovereignsaren’tevenabletokillaParagonfromtrillionsofkilometersaway.Thereisalimittotheirattackpower.HowcouldBluefireandIbeunabletoprotecttheSkyriteMountains”
BluefireturnedtolookatBeirut,thensaidwithafrown,“Beirut,Idon’tknowwhy,but…Ifeelasenseofdread.IhopenothingamisswilloccuronLinley’sjourney.”
“Nothingwill!”Beirutsaidwithabsolutecertainty.“AugustaisnothingmorethantheChiefSovereignofLight.HisOvergodweaponisn’tsuitedtohisnature;howstrongcanhepossiblybeAslongashedoesn’trunintoOrloff,therewon’tbeanyproblems.Inaddition,Linleyisapersonwhoknowswhentoadvanceandwhentoretreat.And,mostimportantlyofall…hehashisfuseddivinesense,whichvastlysurpassesanordinarySovereign’sdivinesense.”
“Right.”Bluefirerelaxedslightly.Withthefuseddivinesense,Linleywouldbeabletoeasilylocatehisenemy,buthisenemywouldn’tnoticeLinley’sarrival.
TheDivineLightPlane.
“Bang!”Afiguresuddenlyflashedpasttheskies,advancingforwardatsuchspeedthateventhedivineplane’sspatialfabrictrembled.Asky-bluerobedLinley,hisfaceemotionless,hisgazecold,staredintothedistance.
“TheChiefSovereignofFate,Orloff,isn’there!”Linley’sfuseddivinesensewasabletoeasilydiscoverthatattheresidenceofAugusta,theChiefSovereignofLight,Augustawasbyhimselfwithinhislavishlyadornedisland,enjoyingtheministrationsofhismaids.AsfortheChiefSovereignofFate,Orloff,theonlyonewhoLinleywasconcernedaboutHewasn’tthere.
Linley’sgazeturnedknife-sharp.“ThatislandhasatotaloftwoSovereignsofLight.TheotherisamereLesserSovereign.”
LinleypaidnoattentiontothatSovereignatall.“Augusta!”AkillingintentsurgedwithinLinley’sbreast,andhisfurycontinuedtoblaze.
Thehopesofthefourclanleaders.Thehatredhisclanbore.Linleyneverforgotaboutthesethings,notforasingleday!
BeiruthadbeenforcedtohideintheYulanPlane,notdaringtoemerge!