The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 728 - 749: The Tale of the Three Death Gods

"This is all I understand about the King of the Dead. I have indeed been abandoned in this plane for far too long, but I still find it hard to believe that Yago could be usurped, after all, he was one of the oldest, most powerful deities in the multiverse... Dear Sword of Zariel, did you just mention a name Milko?"

"...Yes." The voice of the former Celestial guardian sword sounded a bit detached as if her attention hadn’t been on this place just now, "The God of the Dead Milko, the God of Tyranny Bane, and the God of Murder Baal, they are collectively known as the Triad of Death. In my recollection, the Triad of Death has always been a synonym for evil, it was they who brought many calamities to the Prime Material Plane..."

"How did they usurp Yago?" Lancelot asked curiously, "Wasn’t Yago one of the most powerful deities in the multiverse?"

"You don’t know? This must be the most widely circulated story in the kingdom..." The Sword of Zariel paused for a moment, "It is said that the ancient Grim Reaper Yago grew tired of his job very early on because death is always the same, and He was all too familiar with this. In the end, nothing could pose a challenge to Him, and without challenges, there was no fun, but Yago’s duty, to record the end of all things, was still far at the end of time. Two thousand years ago, before the famous Arcane Empire Netheril was destroyed, there were three powerful humans, namely Bane, Baal, and Milko, who coveted the power held by Yago. For this they made an evil pact, determined to take the power of the Master of the End of All Things at any cost..."

"Mortals contending with deities?" Lancelot became even more intrigued by the story, "How did they accomplish that?"

"It was a chaotic, dark era, the art of magic had only just been mastered by mortals not long ago, and the Goddess of Magic had not yet realized the destruction this power could cause in mortal hands. Of course, She came to realize it firsthand, but that is another story. In essence, Bane, Baal, and Milko joined together to adventure through the world, seeking powerful magic and divine artifacts to defy death. At that time, the great arcanists of Netheril had constructed a colossal Floating City, which opened a portal to the Outer Layer planes. They planned to send out armies through the portal to conquer the Outer Layer..."

"Uh..." Lancelot scratched his head, "That sounds like a terrible idea. The elves from the world I came from had also once opened a portal to the Abyssal Plane during the ancient times..."

"Fortunately, the portal did not lead to the Abyss, but the divine beings that came out were not something mortals could contend with." The Sword of Zariel continued her ethereal female voice to narrate the history, "The great arcanists of Netheril came up with another method, to summon the adversaries of these beings, the lords from the elemental planes to aid in the battle. This method was effective, and it took about a hundred years for the people of Netheril to successfully expel almost all of the Outer Layer creatures, except for one, the great spear Melaram, who fled to the northern edge of the continent, and established his own dominion."

"Let me guess... the three men, yet to become deities, defeated this Melaram?"

"Yes, by then Bane, Baal, and Milko were already the strongest beings among mortals. After defeating Melaram, they all obtained a portion of divine power, now possessing the true power to challenge Yago. Eventually, the three reached the Grey Wastelands, the plane sandwiched between the Scorched Flame Hell and Castery, where Yago’s skeletal city was situated. They repelled endless skeletons, zombies, liches, all the obstacles Yago threw in front of them, and finally stood before the ancient God of the Dead. ’The Throne of Evil is mine!’ Bane, the tyrant, shouted; ’Before you can lift a finger, I can destroy you!’ Baal, the assassin, threatened; ’And I will forever imprison your soul!’ Milko, the necromancer, assured..."

"How ridiculous." Starlight Strike spoke with a scoff, "With just the flick of a finger, Yago could reduce these three foolish mortals to a pile of dry bones."

"On the contrary." Contradicting Starlight Strike seemed to please the Sword of Zariel greatly, "The Master of the End of All rose from His skeletal throne, politely saying to the three: ’This chair is yours now, I have tired of this empty privilege. If you want it, then take it, I promise to serve you, as your steward and mentor, until you are fully accustomed to your new roles.’ Before the three dumbfounded mortals could react, He continued to ask: ’So, who among you wants to take over this throne?’"

"Truly befitting the Lord of the End of All Things," Lancelot remarked with emotion. "With just a few simple words, he made those three engage in mutual slaughter…"

"Indeed, the three immediately began fighting each other, greatly amusing Yago who, before the end of the universe, wished to enjoy the spectacle a bit longer. So, when the trio were close to mutual destruction, Yago interceded, ’After making such great sacrifices, do you really want to walk away empty-handed? Why not split this right into three and decide its distribution through a small contest?’"

"The three mortals, yearning for godhood, considered it and then agreed. Yago then took out the skulls of his three mightiest liches, and had the men roll them across the pale deserts of the Grey Wastelands. Whoever rolled the farthest would be the champion. The Goddess of the Hunt, Mara, had been watching the whole time, hidden. When the game began, she charged out to chase down the skulls, preventing the contest from proceeding unless they agreed to let her join as well."

"I guess those three greedy mortals weren’t willing to share the power they were about to seize," Lancelot speculated with interest.

"Yes, and because the contest was ruined, Bane, Baal, and Milko started fighting once more, prompting Yago to step in to mediate again," Sword of Zariel continued disdainfully, "’Let the Goddess of Luck decide then, that way you won’t have to share with that beast.’ The three agreed once more, and Yago broke off one of his finger bones for them to draw lots, deciding victory with that method."

"Bane drew the longest and triumphantly shouted, ’As the winner, I choose to become the ultimate tyrant with eternal dominion! I can create hatred and strife at will, and all shall eventually submit to my kingdom!’"

"Foolish," Starlight Strike assessed. "Mortals signify free will, and no deity, however powerful, can force all mortals to submit to them, something that the creators of each race have desired but failed to achieve."

"Clearly, those three lacked such wisdom," Sword of Zariel politely concurred with its senior, "Then Milko, coming in second, declared: ’I choose to become the King of the Dead, and that makes me the true winner. Since all must die, even the deities, when you breathe your last, Bane, you shall belong to me!’"

"Still foolish," Starlight Strike criticized again, "No limitations prevent a deity from living till the end of the multiverse, and until then, the master of the dead can do nothing…"

"It’s a pity you weren’t there beside them," Sword of Zariel responded with a note of irony, "And Baal, having drawn the shortest, said: ’I choose to wield death itself. Bane, I can destroy everything you possess and deliver it into Milko’s hands; and Milko, without my permission, your kingdom will be empty, thus both of you must respect and obey me!’ At that moment, Mara returned, and the three new deities had already emerged. She howled in dissatisfaction, but could do nothing, while a smile finally appeared on the expressionless face of Yago, for he knew, he had finally been liberated from tedium and boredom."

"That one was a bit clever," Starlight Strike finished off the ale in his cup, "but I suspect Yago merely gave him the divine office of ’murder.’ The divine office of death is far too significant, even fundamental to the existence of divine power. Even if Yago wanted to give it, the deities would never agree…"