Lirra, her heart pounding with excitement, dispatched all her avatars to pursue the whereabouts of the Crown of Horns, abandoning the plan to gather strength and counterattack the Abyss.
Lirra was only a lesser deity, and her divine duties were not suited for direct confrontation. The Church of Joy also only undertook logistical work within the allied forces, its role being rather limited. Therefore, the silence of the Goddess of Joy did not attract much attention.
Under the cover of Shar and Yaeg, Lirra's actions went unnoticed by anyone!
Following the traces left by the devil, Lirra's avatars arrived at the edge of the Underworld. This was already very close to the Abyss and Hell. Demons and devils often swarmed to plunder souls nailed to the Wall of the Faithless, and the duty of the god of death was to ensure the souls of the deceased received their proper arrangements.
In order to seize the Crown of Horns, Lirra did not hesitate to squeeze the strength of her true form to supply her avatars. Once these avatars were annihilated, the damage to her true form would also be immense.
Lirra hesitated for a long time, still not daring to venture into Hell.
Just as she regretted not bringing Lolth and Shaundakul along, danger silently surrounded her.
The Underworld was, after all, Yaeg's territory. The new god of death, Kuanvo, was still familiarizing himself with the workflow of a god of death. Yaeg had blocked his perception of this place.
The Anti-Io Alliance swarmed forward, quickly killing Lirra's avatars before disappearing. The residual divinity and divine power were obtained by passing minor devils, causing a bloody storm in Hell. In the end, a powerful succubus obtained Lirra's divinity and became a demigod.
Having lost all her avatars, Lirra's power plummeted to a low point, forcing her into slumber to recover her losses.
Graz'zt in the Abyss immediately noticed that the attraction to the divine portfolios of commerce and wealth was weakening. They were breaking free from the restraints of their custodians and, following the attraction of divinity, were shifting towards their original owner, Waukeen.
Unlike Graz'zt's ecstatic joy, this change caught the gods who were still gathering strength off guard. When fighting in the Abyss, the gods' power was already suppressed over a wide range. Moreover, the lords of the Abyss's various planes were not to be trifled with. The power of the Big Three was comparable to that of a greater deity. In their own controlled planes, they could receive buffs akin to a divine realm. Such a battlefield would not allow even a deity of middle power to play a significant role, let alone lesser or minor deities.
With time running out, the gods had to convene another council of the Pantheon.
The host of this council was Heim, the God of Guardians. Although he was only a deity of middle power, his status as Io's only confidant was enough to place him on equal footing with the greater deities.
"Lord Tempus, Lord of War, what is your suggestion?"
Tempus's avatar, clad in majestic armor, said in a deep voice, "With the strength we have gathered at this stage, we cannot rescue Waukeen! If the enemy were only Graz'zt, the greater deities could easily defeat him by joining forces. But the other lords of the planes would not stand idly by. Demogorgon, Orcus, and the Mother of Demons, Chauntea, are all watching covetously. The fall of any deity would earn them rewards from the consciousness of the Abyss! They would not allow us to pass safely through the Abyssal planes they control!"
Yaeg, at the opportune moment, dragged Hell into the discussion. "Not long ago, a succubus successfully ascended to demigod status with the divinity of joy. I have ample reason to suspect that Lirra's avatars perished in the hands of a devil archduke."
The gods whispered amongst themselves, all of them beginning to lose heart.
Frankly, no one wanted to take such a great risk for Waukeen. Heim canvassed the room, and the greater deities all punted the responsibility back, almost to the point of openly refusing to cooperate.
In the ensuing silence, Heim had no choice but to communicate with the slumbering Io.
Tykhe focused intently, watching Io and assessing his progress.
Io ignored the gods in the Pantheon. Upon learning that Lirra had also met with an accident and lost her control over the divine portfolios of wealth and commerce, he flew into a rage. Tykhe, following suit, lowered her head and remained silent.
After a reprimand, Io's figure vanished from the Pantheon.
The gods exchanged glances, subtly conveying information, but Io's seemingly evasive actions had already revealed much. Beneath the silence of the Pantheon, turbulent undercurrents were hidden. The members of the Anti-Io Alliance were closely monitoring Heim's reactions. The God of Guardians' expression remained unchanged, and he ended the meeting with a few words. It seemed Io had not provided a solution either.
The Anti-Io Alliance gathered again. The problems exposed by Io undoubtedly gave the alliance an initial victory, which was of great significance! At the very least, Io would have to carefully consider the consequences before wielding the Tablet of Fate to cast the gods into their divine realms again!
After a small celebration, Tykhe traveled to the Plane of the Warrior's Slumber, where the God of War Tempus and the Goddess of Strategy, the Red Knight, resided. While accepting the Red Knight's invitation, Tykhe could also probe the intentions of the God of War.
Tykhe's arrival was met with a grand welcome, with Tempus personally greeting her. Such treatment made Tykhe's heart skip a beat; something was amiss!
The Warrior's Slumber was in a state of constant combat. The terrain of this plane changed with time; today it might be a forest, and tomorrow it could be a wasteland.
Warriors had to remain vigilant against attacks from anywhere. Although as petitioners they would not truly die, losers would still be met with disdainful looks from their companions, a humiliation that could only be washed away by victory.
The positive energy pervading the entire plane greatly enhanced the warriors' recovery abilities, allowing them to quickly return to the next battle.
The Red Knight's divine realm, like a moving fortress, had no protective measures because this small divine realm was located within the divine realm of the God of War! It was rare for a subordinate deity to place their divine realm within that of a main deity. Such trust was uncommon. If the main deity wished to kill a subordinate deity, the subordinate deity, without the protection of divine realm rules, would be like meat on a chopping block, utterly defenseless!
The God of War greeted her with a smile, his words of enticement undisguised. "I am willing to swear upon the River Styx that I will regard you as an ally of equal standing. Furthermore, I will support your acquisition of the divine portfolio of defense. This portfolio rightfully belongs to the domain of war, and it would be easy for us to cooperate and tear away Heim's portfolio."
Defense was a passive form of combat. It was not unreasonable for Tempus to seek this portfolio. However, Tykhe immediately realized that Heim was a pawn supported by Io to restrain Tempus. Tempus was trying to make her take the fall!
Looking at the earnest Tempus with his thick eyebrows and large eyes, Tykhe subtly spat in her heart. He was treating her like a fool!
Without giving him any face, she immediately retorted, "Please forgive my presumption, but in my opinion, the domain of war is not your sole territory! The naval divine portfolio of the Great General of Waves, Velsharoon, has no less potential. With Waukeen, the goddess of commerce and wealth, trapped, all merchant ships at sea have shifted their faith to the Great General of Waves. His ascension to deity of middle power is imminent."
Tempus's hand paused mid-raise, then he continued drinking as if he were completely unconcerned.
"Moreover, your chaotic nature has reached its limit in the domain of war. Did you not spare the life of the Lord of Weapons, Karsus, precisely to let him be a pathfinder?"