Those time travelers that year

Taksis, the Queen of Darkness—that's also how Klein calls her. In a more distant and expansive world, she is a goddess, but a goddess of dragons, not the evil, dark goddess that the Klein people imagine. Her true name is Tiamat, the five-colored dragon goddess, the queen of dragons.

Most importantly, both of these are weak divine powers.

“A weak god?! This, this is…” Raistlin struggled to his feet, leaning on the Staff of Magis, but at that moment, a monstrous wave surged within him and his mind, as the secrets of the gods were revealed before his eyes.

He understood, and at that moment he realized, that even gods are divided into ranks.

The divine rank ranges from 0 to 20, which also distinguishes the strength of deities.

Godhood Level 0: Descendants of gods and mortals, beings with divine nature. Quasi-gods, demigods, and heroic gods belong to this level.

Next are the divine ranks 1-5, the weakest gods with meager divine power, but they are also the contenders on the thorny path to the throne of the gods. This applies both to themselves and to those gods who have already been deified.

Godhood 6-10, weak divine power, possessing their own divine office, the truly influential gods of the divine kingdom, while the two most influential gods in the entire Klein world, in the wider world, are merely weak gods at the very bottom level.

Divinity level 11-15, medium divine power, surpassing weak divine power in both strength and influence.

Those with a divine rank of 16-20 possess immense divine power, ruling among the gods. They wield great power capable of influencing all things in the world, and their every action and very existence directly impact vast territories. They command other gods of lower rank, much like mortal monarchs rule over their subjects.

A power surpassing even a godhood of level 20 is a taboo even among the gods. It is a power that transcends the divine power of gods of all ranks, from the strongest to the weakest, and is called the Great Divine Power or the God Above Gods.

"A weak deity..." For the first time, Raistlin began to doubt himself. "Taksis, no, Tiamat is only a weak deity?! The evil god who brought war and conspiracy to the world of Klein is merely a... weak weak deity~?"

553. Raistlin and the Whispers 4

Hard to believe, right?

The whispers were filled with a wicked sense of amusement, like children playing a prank. But Raistlin knew it truly was a prank, only the one playing the clown was himself, Raistlin Majeri.

Yes, the Joker, he plotted against Taxis's power, plotted against Taxis's divine throne, yet he possessed only a weak, almost the lowest level of divine power. Leaving aside the great divine power, the supreme god, which is practically nonexistent even among gods, and those powerful divine powers that overlook all realms, even a mere mid-level divine power already surpasses Taxis's.

His ambition and schemes were aimed at nothing more than a low-ranking position. Even if he succeeded and ascended the throne of the stars, it would still be the lowest rank.

Raistlin clenched his fists, feeling like a fool, a country bumpkin with little knowledge, a idiot fooled by those Klein gods.

“…You said there were others who followed the same path as me, didn’t you?” he asked the whispering voice. The voice hadn’t left; the man was definitely up to something. However, Raistlin didn’t care anymore. Whatever the man wanted to do with him was better than being fooled as a country bumpkin the whole time.

Now, he wants to know more about the wider and more distant world.

"Tell me the fate of the Serpent of Twilight and Abyss, the one who went down the same path as me before me, the one who was just as arrogant as me and planned to kill gods to ascend to power."

As you wish...

He said it in a harsh, low voice.

I hope you can keep a calm mind, Raistlin...

Then Raistlin learned of the arrogant man who had challenged the throne of the gods long before him, a mage whose talent and confidence far surpassed his own, beyond imagination.

In another world called Faerûn, there once existed a powerful magical civilization called Netheril, which miraculously grew from a fishing village into a magical empire powerful enough to threaten the gods.

The magical technology was beyond Raistlin's imagination. The enormous floating city stood tall in the clouds. The powerful spellcasters, known as the Archmages, used their amazing magical skills to cut off the mountain peak and turn it upside down, making it float in the air. On that mountain, they built a prosperous city.

That empire was so powerful that they held their cities high in the sky, signifying their equality with the gods and their rule over all things, sitting alongside them in the heavens. This nation, which had permeated everything with magic, was glorious and magnificent. Compared to this nation, the entirety of Klein was merely a foolish, barbaric, inferior, backward, and impoverished rural corner.

Because this magical civilization has begun to gradually spread its influence throughout their world, and has even begun to expand outwards, exploring other worlds.

All the great arcane mages were proud and confident. They believed that the gods were merely more powerful 'ultimate arcane mages' and that one day they would also reach that level and be able to replace the gods.

But as he read the new materials, Raistlin began to marvel at what a magnificent civilization it was, and at how incredibly glorious those countries must have been, even if they were only documented and he had never seen them in person.

However, Raistlin's expression quickly changed, becoming ugly, angry, and... fearful.

"This is impossible!" he hissed. "A few petty thieves, a few ants-like robbers, actually managed to break into the magical chamber of a great spellcaster hailed as a demigod, kill the guards protecting the chamber, and steal the priceless treasures that created that magical empire..."

"Those, those, those gods who try to control and fool everything, do they really think everyone is a fool?!" The chaotic magical energy, under Raistlin's emotional outburst, began to rage and twist, but Raistlin quickly regained control of his power. However, at this moment, he finally thought of himself.

If the gods cannot even tolerate the civilization of Netheril, would they tolerate a mortal like him who killed one of them to ascend to godhood?

The answer is no; the gods would not allow it. They cannot even tolerate civilizations that can rival them, let alone accept a mortal as an equal.

The information and knowledge that followed proved Raistlin's idea, further plunging him into despair.

The thief who stole the Scroll of Netheril, in a desperate pursuit, panicked and chopped the priceless treasure into small pieces, selling them cheaply and completely destroying the precious scroll.

Afterwards, although the Netheril Empire continued to develop steadily, a shadow of gloom descended upon it. The Year of the Shadows arrived, marking the end of the era for Netheril. In this empire that had given birth to countless powerful archmages, the magic of immortality sustained their lives, granting them godlike immortality.

However, a monster called Felin's Ghost, possessing the ability to absorb magic, began to appear. While the archmages paid no heed, while these arrogant mages were careless, it enveloped the entire Netheril Empire. This period also marked the era of an unprecedented super genius named Karthus.

A genius who could cast spells at the age of two, who could learn all magical knowledge instantly and grasp it effortlessly. At the age of 22, he became the youngest archmage in history. Facing the threat of Felyn, this genius, while the gods deliberately ignored it and watched it happen, even orchestrating it from behind the scenes, created a truly terrifying spell, a powerful spell that made all spellcasters pale in comparison—Kalthas' Avatar.

This was a spell that made Raistlin tremble with fear, and even its developers found it absurd, unbelievable, and insane. Once cast, this spell could designate a god and seize all of that god's divine power for itself; it was a spell that could kill a god and simultaneously achieve godhood.

"He succeeded!?" Raistlin muttered. He dared not look at the records anymore, because he had already realized that it was something preordained and absolutely should not be looked at.

Raistlin was terrified of the answer; he didn't know what would become of him if he followed the same path as this genius who was far more talented than himself.

Do not!

A chilling whisper rang out, starkly revealing a reality that Raistlin dared not face.

Karthus chose Mysriel, the powerful goddess of magic, as his target and unleashed that super spell.

"No!" Raistlin roared, unleashing his fury as he channeled his magical energy into arcane fire that raged wildly.

At this moment, he felt despair. The spellcaster who had taken the first step onto his path had failed, and even his country had been buried along with him. All he had gained was an end.

Even though the powerful goddess of magic died once because of this, it was to no avail. The gods began to completely suppress the civilization of Netheril, burying this glorious magical empire into the annals of history.

Don't be discouraged, don't make a fuss.

As Raistlin raged, whispers softly spoke of even greater despair, filling his heart with more fear and confusion.

Your ending might not be so bad...

perhaps!

554. Raistlin and the Whispers 5

His hourglass-shaped eyes reflected a fury of despair and rage. Even with the time portal ahead shimmering with seven-colored light so close, and even with the ever-growing fury behind him in the darkness, Raistlin still felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

Karthus failed. Although he successfully accomplished the greatest feat in the history of spellcasters—killing the first goddess of magic, a powerful deity who was just a hair's breadth away from ascending to godhood—he ultimately succumbed to his inability to withstand the power of such a powerful being, leading to his death and the demise of the entire glorious magical civilization.

Raistlin was in a similar situation, just like his failed predecessor. He also believed he could accomplish this feat... However, after waking up from his blind pride and confidence, Raistlin finally remembered a crucial point: whether he could control his divine power.

"What will happen if I succeed?!" Raistlin asked. "Will I end up like that archmage Karthus?!"

will not!

Whispers began.

Tasia… no, it should be Tiamat, this dragon goddess isn't a powerful magic goddess. So, if you're lucky, you won't end up like Karthus, but…

Are you sure that when you succeed, you'll still be the same person?

"You mean..."

Karthus, unable to withstand divine power, ultimately destroyed the entire magical civilization and was turned to stone by the backlash. Tiamat's power, however, is not strong; it's merely the power of a weak god... If nothing unexpected happens, you should be able to withstand it, although you might go mad.

"I'll go insane?" Raistlin paused, then said with a forced smile, "That's really lucky! At least... I won't die, will I!?"

hey-hey……

The whispers were filled with sarcastic laughter, audible only to Raistlin, revealing the immense schadenfreude of their master.

Raistlin ignored the laughter. He raised his head and looked up at the sky above the abyss. Of course, he also knew from the information given in the whisper that this was not the true endless abyss, but the nine layers of hell.

"What an idiot I am!" Raistlin muttered to himself.

Above him, a shadow loomed over him; it was a gigantic finger that blotted out the sky, its nails gleaming with a blood-red light. That was Taksis, the Queen of Darkness, or perhaps it would be more fitting to call her Tiamat.

Even if Tiamat is only a lesser deity, she is still a god, a power that Raistlin cannot currently withstand. Once Tiamat reaches him, she could tear Raistlin to shreds in an instant.

However, we all know that this isn't the endless abyss, a chaotic place that breeds all sorts of idiots. Instead, it's a bizarre world filled with order, rules, and a whole bunch of laws designed to help people find loopholes.

The place where Raistlin is now is Aphrodite, the first of the nine layers of hell, near the true endless abyss, a place where the demons of the abyss and the devils of hell have fought an endless bloody battle for millennia.

Of course, Raistlin is still safe; he hasn't been caught up in the brutal battlefield. Or rather, his location is very close to Tiamat's lair in Aphrodite, but quite far from the River Styx. Therefore, he hasn't been targeted by the chaotic and absurd abyssal demons. Among Tiamat's servants who attacked him were only some demons loyal to Tiamat.

Don't worry, don't worry...

A whisper arose as the unknown being known as the Serpent of Twilight and Abyss spoke to Raistlin in cryptic language.

You don't need to worry about Tiamat controlling a lot of demons; in fact, these demons need to be paid. Hahaha, damn Bathory Hell, I love it here.

"Salary!?" Ever since learning that the world of Klein was just a backwater corner of the countryside, Raistlin felt that his worldview was being shattered one after another.

That's right, these are the rules of Bathorium, where everything is governed by law, and Tiamat is no exception. If she doesn't want to provoke the lords of every level of Bathorium, including the Demon Grand Dukes, the Eight Demon Generals, and even the Lord of the Nine Hells at the very bottom... then if she wants to gain the devil's favor, she must act in the devil's way.

She wasn't the ruler of Hell, but merely a temporary resident. In fact, even the demons came to be this way, except that the more powerful higher-level demons always found opportunities to exploit and deduct the 'wages' of their lower-level counterparts!

So there's no need to worry. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, no more demons will come to challenge you. It's a losing proposition for them. Demons aren't that selfless. The one in the sky is just a projection of Tiamat's power.

“I know…” Taking a deep breath, Raistlin realized he had no way out. If he didn’t want to be trapped in Avernus, he had to leave. “…I have no way out, so what if I go mad!” The flames of ambition burned in Raistlin’s hourglass-like eyes. “I have abandoned everything, and now, I have no time to hesitate.”

"Either ascend the throne of thorns with glory, or lose your last remaining ambition and roll back to that rural corner of Klein."

Hehe...very good, very good, keep going, mage...I don't mind helping again if you're ever in your most desperate moment.

"...'Help'?" Raistlin gave a sarcastic smile. "Then, as someone who is at least equivalent to a god... what is the price for your extravagant 'help'?!"

everything!

——————————Divider Line——————————

The time portal was just ahead, and Tiamat was powerless to stop Raistlin from leaving. Even though she was rushing here with all her might, she couldn't stop Raistlin from entering the portal. All she could do was scream angrily from afar.

But Tiamat, just as Raistlin had predicted, did not give up; instead, she began to close the gap.

At that moment, Raistlin stopped and saw a figure. A familiar figure appeared in front of him, holding a sword and blocking the space-time tunnel.

“Kalamon…” Raistlin looked up from beneath the hood at the figure—his twin brother, standing there as always. In a daze, Raistlin saw a scene from the past, where Karamon had waited for him and fought alongside him.

Unfortunately, the past is gone, and they can never go back to being brothers.

The whispered laughter in his mind was infuriating Raistlin with its sarcastic smile.

"Brother...I don't think you're here to help me, are you!?"

“Little Rai…” Caramon looked at Raislin with a mixture of love and sorrow in his eyes. “I’m here to stop you.”

"Hmph, hehehehehehe..." Raistlin laughed loudly, gripping the Staff of Magis tightly. "You've blocked my way, brother, but do you think this will do any good!?"