And so that was it. The First Shaman, traitor to the title Guardian Beast… was not just drunk on power.
He was working for the God of Light.
The same god, the self-righteous humans worship.
The same god whose followers claimed they brought "civilization" from the wilderness. Whose followers referred to orcs as barbarians. Whose soldiers murdered beastkins in the name of religious purity.
And I was here now, in a shaman's tent deep in a red dungeon, staring at the body of an angel's light. The avatar was gone, back into the world of the beast god, but the hurt it left in my chest would not heal.
"You saw it, didn't you?" I breathed the air. "Even divinity can be deceived."
The orc shaman, still kneeling beside the retreating runes, raised his head slowly. "You spoke of the theft of destiny. But now… I understand better."
I nodded. "Your ancestors are not with you anymore. He is serving the god of light. The same god who instructs the humans to purify beastkins and erase their histories."
The shaman trembled. "Why would a god of light practice bargains in darkness?"
I sneered, acid-tipped. "Because light without shadow is blind. And your people are the perfect sacrifice; alone, hated, and beset."
A hush fell between us, blacker than death.
And then the war drums.
A rolling thunder on the horizon.
The humans had come.
Through the forest paths. Through the tunnels. An army-small, but armed with magic armor and sacred amulets. The very same fanatics who had once called my name as brother.
And now they came to destroy this village.
"Lucifer," the shaman continued, "the animals will fight. But we cannot dissuade their priests. Their warding lights—"
"I know," I said, turning aside.
He blinked. "Then will you align with us?"
I paused.
This was the hero's dilemma. The old choice.
Your people, or your ethics?
But I had already made up my mind.
"No," I said to him. "I won't join you."
His breath hitched.
I raised my hand,and the earth shook with primal power, glyphs inscribed not by magical energy, but by the law itself. Magic prior to the gods. Forbidden knowledge here hidden deep within Syrelle's realm. I had discovered it.
[Law Script: Overturn Divine Jurisdiction]
[Clause Activated: Heavenly Oversight Annulment]
The air itself distorted around me.
"What… is this?" the shaman demanded, eyes wide.
"Rules," I informed him icily. "I'm flexing them."
"You disobey the god of light?!"
"No." I smiled. "I'm simply removing his eyes from this battlefield."
A flash of blinding energy swirled around my head, then dispersed with a gentle snap.
I had created a window.
A breach in heaven's vision.
And within that small moment of quiet, anything could be done.
[Divine Interference: Disabled for 1 hour]
[Authority of Light: Temporarily Revoked in Region]
[Warning: Rule-bending can have karmic consequences]
I didn't care.
The moment I saw those paladins hacking through the undergrowth, bellowing of holy triumph and bestial corruption, I knew. There was no redemption in the light.
Only conquest, domination.
"Tell your warriors," I said, striding into the clearing, magical energy bubbling around me. "They don't need to win. They just need to survive. I'll deal with the rest."
The shaman's voice trembled. "You're just one man!"
I smiled.
No, I'm a Magus of forbidden lore, a soul who died once and lived again, and a heaven-grudge-bearer.
---
A human wave hit the village wall, reciting heavenly hymns.
And I struck.
[Overcharge–Bolt]
I released raw power, unpurified by elemental shape, into their priest ward like paper.
They cried out.
Some prayed.
I answered with silence and entropy.
Flames which did not burn. Ice which melted upwards instead of down. Spells that should not, cast into the war field when the god of light still walked in darkness.
At the rear, beastkins roared.
Up ahead, magical energy shrieked.
For one hour… I was a godless weapon.
And I was free. Tempering with reality is really fun. No wonder the illusion magic was hard to learn.